Bucket Hat 3

Chapter 12

"Hope you girls enjoy it. I'd been planning this breakfast for a while now. I mean, once Sairah said that the two of you would be visiting I got really excited." Debbie said at the breakfast table. The sun was up now so they didn't need to have the lights in the kitchen on.

"Really? You act like you didn't see us before we came back to London." Jesy was eating her waffles first because she was badass. Dessert first squad! Woohoo!

"I know but it's just been a while since you both came back to the house you know? How long has it been? I've probably lost count by now." Debbie cut her salmon and then took a bite.

"It's been quite a while for real. After the girls got busy we were lucky if we even got a call from either of them. I mean Lee-Lee was really hard to keep in contact with so much less for Jesy. While you shot that movie you were extremely scarce." Mr. Pinnock commented after swallowing. To him Jesy almost looked like a different person. She was taller, more developed, her hair was a lot longer and it was more brown and she had all these piercings and stuff. What he had in his head was this little girl with curly hair which touched her shoulders. At least she's still got freckles. He almost didn't recognize her when he saw her at their doorstep.

"Ah sorry about that. I'd been real busy and when I wasn't busy I was asleep." Jesy explained to them. She felt kind of guilty somehow. They didn't seem all that mad at her for what she did . . . were they secretly upset and embarrassed? She examined their faces and as usual Leigh's parents just seemed happy to have her around. They haven't changed much at all. They still dressed like simple people and they still had that underlying happiness in their faces. It's crazy how sweet and wholesome these people are. She always found them to be really cool for being like that even though they struggled a lot with Leigh. Not that Leigh was a problem. Just how people reacted to the girl. Their family had been through a lot and yet . . .

"Aww poor thing. The fame life can be quite daunting at times don't it? Lee-Lee's told me all about how sometimes she barely had time for leisure activities like playing with Legos and reading or watching cartoons." Mrs. Pinnock started saying, seeming sorry for Jesy.

Leigh nodded her head. "It's true. It's really great when you get to do awesome things but it's not so great when you don't have time to just . . . be yourself with the people who know you best." She told them. She took a sip from her almond milk and felt really glad to be at home. But my room still makes me feel a bit funny. And she really didn't know why. Well she had an idea but she didn't want to think of those things. This weekend was supposed to be fun.

Jesy nodded strongly by what Leigh just said. "True, true. I mean when you come back to your hotel at like nine p.m and you're all by yourself with no one who knows you it can be . . ." She stared in space at the waffle syrup at the table. " . . . it can suck a bit."

The parents seemed to really feel for them.

"But you were always so eager to be famous and 'relevant' so I'm assuming that the good outweighs the bad right?" The father asked Jesy with a pure smile.

Jesy was chewing and as she did she put on a tight smile before nodding.

The parents exchanged looks then laughed.

"What's with that face?" Leigh's mom asked her.

Jesy swallowed then chuckled. "I . . . well . . . right now we're in a bit of a situation so I can't really say that the good outweighs uh . . ." She sighed.

Leigh kept eating quickly but when she swallowed something she looked at her parents to speak. "Right now the bad outweighs the good."

Mrs. Pinnock pouted. "Aww and why's that? Is it because of all what people are saying?"