Before I left for LA I never imagined my life would blow up the way it did. I thought I'd get a minor part. When I landed the role of Andi Miller, I was shocked. Not that I wasn't a good actress or anything, but I never thought I'd get chosen on my first major audition. I'd taken some acting classes and had some roles in some school and church productions in the area, but this was beyond my wildest dreams. I don't even know what I did to land the role, I just went out there and did my best.

I stare at myself in the mirror of Hair She Goes, a small salon a few towns over. My hair is wet and sticky from the dye. As I look at my makeup free reflection, I start to worry that maybe I'm going about this all wrong. The blonde girl that has been me for the past four years is going back to her natural brown roots. A makeover felt like a good place to start, but now I'm no so sure.

"Hey girl, just a few more minutes," Patty says behind me.

Alexa and I have known her since we were seven. She's one of the main reasons that Alexa and I made the ten-minute trek over here. It's the best salon in the area. She works here as a hair washer, but it's always been a dream of hers to be a hairdresser. This coming year she gets to be part of a program through school that allows her to spend half the day learning about hair. She always has a new hairstyle and the latest is a short blonde bob. It's one of her best looks.

"What about me? I'm dying of boredom," Alexa croaks beside me

Alexa wasn't planning on doing anything drastic to her hair, only touching up some of the red to brighten it.

Patty snickers. "You've got ten more minutes."

The alarm to indicate I'm done goes off. Gina Rae, the stylist, strolls over. Gina opened this shop up just before I left for LA and was the one who made me blonde before I left. She comes over to inspect her work announcing it's time to wash it out.

"Where are we off to next?" Alexa questions, as I stand to head for the sink.

"Food. I'm craving something greasy," I say, feeling my stomach bubbling with hunger. I ran out of the house when Alexa dropped by this morning, only grabbing a small cup of joe that Walker had freshly brewed. The taste had been so awful I gagged.

"There's my girl," Alexa says leaning back in her chair.

I smirk while Patty washes my hair. This was always my favorite part of getting my hair done in L.A. The warm water rushes over my head and I close my eyes and relax.

When she's done, Patty tells Gina Rae that I'm ready for my cut. Alexa's timer still has five minutes but she's not paying attention to it. She stares at me in the mirror, questions forming in that pretty little head of hers and showing all over her face.

"When I asked you to join me for a small makeover, I didn't think you were going all out. I expected a haircut and maybe some new clothes. What's going on?"

I knew there was no way I was getting through this day without Alexa figuring out something is going on. She sits forward in her chair and waits for me to answer.

"I came out here for a fresh start, to find out who I am without being famous. I wasn't me out there, ya know?"

Her timer is about to go off, but she slams down on it before it can ring. She looks behind her and then back at me. "Why not just be who you were before?"

Obviously, I've already contemplated that. But I'm not thirteen and I've experienced things that changed me enough where I don't even know who that girl was anymore.

"I was a kid, naive to the ways of the world. I never thought family could turn on you or that if I didn't live up to an image it could affect my entire life. The only thing I know is it's easier to change on the outside first. I want a summer free from the media and from people recognizing who I am. I appreciate and love my fans more than anything, but I just need a break."

It feels good to say everything out loud, and if there was anyone more perfect to relay those feelings to it was to Alexa. She is my best friend and partner in crime and has been there for me more times than I can count. This girl has never left my side and even through the many years apart she's been a loyal friend. She's a bit more outgoing than me and speaks her mind before thinking about what she's going to say, but that's what I love about her. She even called me out anytime I became too Hollywood and copped an attitude. I love her honesty and I cherish her friendship.

Before she can reply, Patty and Gina Rae return to start working. Patty notices that Alexa stopped the alarm and crosses her arms at her chest. "Do you want your hair to get brittle, girl? We need to wash that out."

"I think a heart to heart with my bestie is more important than my hair falling to pieces," Alexa says.

It takes another hour for us to finish up. I end up cutting my hair so that it bounces off my shoulders and my new color is a golden brown. It's not the exact color it once was, but it's close to it.

I dig inside my bag and pull out the new glasses I picked up after shopping for clothes. The contacts they had forced me to wear in L.A –– mostly mom's doing –– hurt my eyes. I was so relieved taking them out today and trading them in for cute round shaped glasses.

I place the glasses on my face and stare into the mirror, hoping to feel some kind of excitement but there is still something missing. Somehow, I expected a massive shift from this but. disappointment washes over me. Have I made a huge mistake running from everything?

Alexa breaks me out of my thoughts by jumping up out of her seat when she's done and screaming, "Ta-da!"

Even with the turmoil in my head, I'm still able to laugh. It's surreal that I'm here with my childhood friends. I may not know who I am yet or what I want to do with my life, but at least I know I'm home and for now that's all that matters.

Before we head out the door Patty stops us to invite us to her fourth of July party. It's been tradition since we were in middle school. Back then her parents supervised us, and it was only a handful of Patty's friends. Alexa hasn't gone the last few years because she and her mom have been taking vacations, but this year she stayed home to hang out with me. According to Patty the past two years have been parent free and on the wilder side. Maybe it's just what I need

***

"I'm so sorry that my car sucks, and that it's so hot in here."

After leaving the salon, Alexa and I drive down one of the backroads, windows rolled down and music blasting. I'm sweating in places I didn't know that I could sweat but I don't care. It's been a while since I've felt this happy.

"So, where are we eating?" I ask. "Because my stomach just might eat itself if we don't get food soon."

Alexa chuckles. "Maybe we could hit a diner. I know I could go for a huge stack of pancakes."

"I'm down. We could order two huge stacks and go to town." I suggest.

Alexa nods. "Remember free pancake day at IHOP?"

How could I ever forget? We only did it a few years before I moved to LA but there's no way I'd forget counting down till free pancake day. Alexa's mom worked nights and we'd wake up earlier than we needed to and hit up the IHOP and then go to school with full bellies.

"I think I'm still stuffed from the last time we went and that was years ago," I joke.

Alexa laughs. "I think we should do it when it comes up again now that you're here. Mom would totally be down. She misses you!"

Memories flood my brain, but all good ones that make me smile. These are the reasons why I wanted to come home.

"Let's do it."

Alexa is about to say something when a popping sound startles us and her car starts smoking. While I low-key freaked out, Alexa remains mostly calm--minus the angry look on her face.

"I just got her fixed," she says through gritted teeth.

She pulls over to the side of the road and shuts the car off. There's not a lot of smoke but some still rises from the hood.

The minute we stop she already has her phone out ready to call the mechanics. I'm assuming this happens a lot.

"Hey Margie, it's Alexa Bradford. The Honda crapped out on me again." She sighs into the phone.

There's a faint voice on the other end. It's too muffled to be coherent from where I'm standing.

"You'll send someone? Okay, thank you."

Alexa shoves the phone back into the small compartment below her dashboard.

Turning back to me she says, "I'm sorry. I know you're hungry, I can hear your damn stomach from here."

I offer a smile. "It's okay. It wouldn't be a Lennox and Alexa adventure without something breaking down."

Alexa snorts. Somehow, we have the worst luck with cars or public transportation. There was one time that both of our moms took us into the city on the train to see a Broadway musical As we were about to reach the tunnel before Penn Station the train just stopped. It was summer and it got sweltering quick.

We get out of the car and Alexa pops the hood, diving headfirst into seeing what the problem is since the car is no longer smoking. She mumbles to herself, going through a laundry list of everything that has been fixed on the car in the past year.

Once she's ran the inventory, she calls her mom to give her an update and to make sure there's money on their shared expenses card. A car door closing causes us both to jump. A guy our age stands next to the tow truck a few feet ahead of us. Alexa leans over and whispers into my ear, "That's a new development. An older guy usually takes care of my car."

"So, you didn't know they were sending Lucas Scott to save us?"

Alexa snorts so loud that I'm pretty sure the guy walking towards us heard her. One Tree Hill had been our favorite show to binge together over Skype while I was in California. When I wasn't on set, we'd call each other no matter what the time difference was and watch them together.

Something else is familiar about this guy, aside from Lucas Scott and it takes me a moment to piece things together.

My mouth drops open when it hits me. The guy coming to rescue us is the same one that found my luggage at the airport. I look up at the sky. Is this some kind of cruel joke? Maybe he won't recognize me with my new look. As I duck away from his eyes it strikes me that it doesn't matter if he does, it's not like I'll ever see him again after today. Although, saying that sounds oddly familiar and here we are face to face for a second time.