This is a short one shot I came up with sometime today, I'm not too sure when. It's been circling my head for hours so I decided to just write it down. It is incredibly short and it's not like my normal stuff but her it is anyway.
It is your fifteenth birthday. Most girls would be celebrating on their fifteenth birthday, perhaps have a group of friends around for the night, maybe even throw a party. But not you. No, you, Harmony Jane Gray, are sitting at home watching your father on TV.
You've known your whole life who your father is, it's not like your Mum tried to hid it from you. Your Dad is Nate Gray, as in the Nate Gray of Connect 3. He and your Mum used to date, years ago, up until about eight months before you were born. When Caitlyn told Nate that she was pregnant he left, he never spoke to her again. You know the story, you've heard it countless times, but tonight it really hits you.
Your Dad doesn't love you. He didn't care about you enough to stay and care for you, he walked out of your life before it had even begun. You don't understand how he could be the guy everybody said he was; compassionate and caring, if he couldn't even stick around for his own daughter.
Your Mum is out. She was dragged out by an old friend who she hadn't spoken to in years and wouldn't be back until late. She was probably expecting to come home to a party or something but she wouldn't. You weren't in the mood for inviting friends over, you didn't feel like dancing at the moment.
When you turned on the television you weren't shocked to see your father. It was New Years Eve and Connect 3 were always around at New Year, even though they had broken up almost six years ago. This year they were playing a concert here in your hometown and you could have got tickets but you didn't want to. Why would you want to be in the same building as the man who left you?
The music plays on, you don't have the energy to reach for the remote and change the channel however much you might want to. It is four minutes and seventeen seconds until the New Year. All of your friends are at that concert just four miles away from your house; all of them are having the time of their lives watching rock legends help them to welcome in the New Year. Your Dad is one of those rock legends and your Mum is out somewhere else with a woman she hasn't spoken to since before you were born.
A part of your wonders where the strange woman has taken her but before you can think you hear the singing abruptly cut off and focus back on the TV. There is a close up of Nate's face as he stares at somebody in the audience, the music is slowly dying out.
The camera man searches frantically for the source of his distraction and finally focuses on two women in the front row. The first woman you now recognise as Mitchie Gray, your aunt. You can't believe you didn't recognise her earlier but you weren't really paying attention.
Standing next to Mitchie is your Mum, Caitlyn Gellar. She has tears in her eyes and attempts to back away from the camera, almost as though she is afraid of Nate. But your father is too fast; he leaps off of the stage and catches her arm. Nate talks quickly and Caitlyn responds by simply nodding or shaking her head, looking terrified. You feel anger swelling inside of you. Nate is the one that left, he is the one who broke away from you. If he didn't want you then, why should he bother to talk to Caitlyn now? He finally asks something that seems to almost sadden him and Caitlyn opens her mouth and speaks. The camera is too far away to catch the words.
Nate seems shocked, almost disbelieving. You can hear his brothers calling to him from the stage, there is less than a minute left until the end of the year. Less than sixty seconds until your birthday is over.
Looking like he has just run head first into a brick wall Nate stumbles back onto stage and begins the countdown. You know that millions of people all over the country are joining in; millions of people have just witnessed the confusing exchange.
The camera cuts back to your Mum and you notice that she isn't crying any longer. She is grinning and throwing her heart and soul into the countdown. You crack a smile and find yourself mumbling the numbers. 5…4…3…
Nate seems to be having an internal struggle. He glances towards the camera and instead of saying the next number he says the last thing you ever expected. He wishes you a Happy Birthday.
Right there, on a live feed in front of the entire country, Nate Gray wishes you a Happy Birthday before returning to the countdown and cheering when the New Year begins. He scrambles down off of the stage and grabs your Mum's hand, pulling her closer and kissing her. Shane does the same to Mitchie except this is nothing new. Shane and Mitchie Gray are old news, a timeless couple.
As your parents pull away from each other Nate turns back to the camera he knows is focused on him. Somebody passes him a microphone and he wraps an arm around Caitlyn before he speaks.
You listen to every word as he explains how he has just discovered about his fifteen year old daughter, how he has finally recovered the love of his life. At first you are shocked but then you understand. Caitlyn never told Nate that she was pregnant; she just left to protect his career and his reputation. But now he knows about you and you don't feel so bitter.
Right there on National Television, Nate Gray tells you that he loves you and that he can't wait to meet you. It isn't exactly how you expected the year to begin, nor is it what the country is expecting, but it is a New Year you will never forget.
Yeah, not like my normal stuff but I wrote it anyway. Tell me what ya thinks ; )
~Spwarkle