Severing Ties (Book 2. Ties)

2. He Got The Idea

Life was still hard to live through every day, but I was managing. My mom and I were looking at places that we could live in. My aunt objected to the idea of course, but my mom told her she was going to work in a museum in New York City and it would be too far to drive to and fo. There was no point in renting a dorm for myself when my mom was going to be living alone, so we decided the best bet was to find something small, comfortable, and close to Columbia University.

After two weeks of stay in New York, Mom decided we should visit my grandparents before she started working at the museum, but I mostly think it was because she wanted someone to talk to. I was always there if she needed me, but I was only eighteen then. No way in hell could an eighteen-year-old give a forty-plus-year-old the proper advice after a divorce. Especially when that eighteen-year-old had issues with relationships too.

So we spent a week and a half in the beautiful landscapes of rural France relaxing. I went back to New York with a sore back though; mémé made me help her with her garden, not that I really minded. Pépé taught me all there was about marketing which was pretty interesting but irrelevant for me at least. Mémé was not your common grandmother; she looked small and sweet, but in reality she was as spicy as the habanero chile pepper. She was way too blunt. Yes she was loving and all but there was not one day that went by that I did not get chastised for doing something wrong.

My mother and I went back to the United States to live in reality which sucked. When we arrived to my aunt's house, she was nervous about something. My mom and I glanced at each other.

"Joy, what's wrong," my mother asked.

My aunt opened and closed her mouth a couple of times before speaking. "Your boyfriend, sweetie, he showed up. I told him that you weren't here."

I felt the blood drain from my face. "Levi was here?" Joy nodded her head. "Why?"

"He wanted to talk to you, but I told him you were in France. And now that I think about it, I think he got the idea that you were living over there... permanently. Maybe you should talk to him to clear that up; he looked devastated."

I felt chills run through my body as I formed a plan in my mind. I shook my head with a heavy heart. "Let him think I don't live in this country anymore. It's better if he thinks I'm even further away than he first imagined. Like that he'll think I really wanted nothing to do with him." My voice cracked slightly at the end.

"Why are you doing this, Mackenzie? Just tell the poor boy you do have feelings for him." My mom looked sincere.

My eyes began to water. "I can't. He loves his mom, and I can't even think of her without wanting to puke. I hate her, Mom." And that set me off; there I was with tears all over my face with my mom mirroring how I looked. "Besides," I said between sobs, "long distance relationships don't work, so we're better off like this."

My mom took me in to her arms, and we cried together. We went up to our bedrooms after having a good cry. I decided to call my best friend, Mike. I wanted to know how his summer was going and what he had done.

"Is that really you, Zee," he yelled over the phone which made me laugh.

"Yeah it's really me, Mikey."

"How are you? I didn't want to call you because I didn't want to push you over the limit."

"Thanks, Mike." I started crying again as I told him about the Levi incident.

After I got through with what I had to say, he spoke. "He would call and send a lot of text messages asking about you, and he would not believe when I told him I had not spoken to you. He's like psycho or something; you broke him."

"That makes me feel great, Mike," I said sarcastically.

"I just say it how I see it, Zee."

"I know." I sniffed. "So what have been up to, wild child?"

"You got that right! Anyways... So you remember that young, handsome, smart, handsome, beautiful doctor," I laughed at his description, "that helped take care of your mom when she was in the hospital? Yeah? You remember that I gave him my number when we saw him and his sister at Bora Bora? Well like I've been hanging out with him a lot."

"Ooo!" I squealed. Finally something on a brighter note. "And what's he like? C'mon spill it!"

I could hear him giggling on the other end. "He's really really sweet. And did I mention he's really smart? He knows everything."

"You really like him don't you?" I smiled even though he couldn't see me.

"I don't think I've ever liked someone this much, Zee."

"Aww this is so exciting! I wish I was there."

"We'll be okay," he told me. "I'm only here because I'm trying to save some money by going to a community college. But I'm transferring to Princeton University in two years, so I don't know what's going to happen with Edward if we you know... actually date and last two years from now."

"I'm sure y'all will arrange something, but don't get ahead of yourself; live in the present. Enjoy the happiness while you have it."

"You sound so old, Mackenzie."

I chuckled without feeling anything. "I feel like I've heard that before."

I heard someone yelling in the background. "I've gotta go, Zee. Michelle broke something and now I have to go pick it up." He sighed

"Aww, ease up on your little sister; she has no one to play with."

"And you would think that meant less cleaning up, but she's the friggin Tasmanian Devil."

I laughed. "Okay, bye. I love you, best friend!"

"I love you too. Good luck and talk to you soon. Bye."

I hung up and went downstairs to eat dinner. But it was not just Peter, Joy, Ezra, my mom, and I. Robin and his brother Liam, David, and Jason had come over; they had all been friends with Ezra and each other for a long time. After dinner they asked me if I wanted to go out with them, but I declined; I would have been a total outcast amongst a bunch of guys who had been friends all their lives.

When I finished eating, I started heading for my bedroom. On my way to my room, I bumped into Robin coming out of the restroom.

"Hey. How are you," he asked.

I shrugged my shoulders and bit my lip. "I'm alive." I smiled what probably looked like a sad attempt of trying to appear okay.

"I'm sorry about what happened... I overheard my mom talking to your aunt over the phone."

I hung my head in shame. "Yeah, I have the perfect family, don't I," I asked sarcastically when I looked up at his face.

"If you need anything, you can come to me or my sister. You know we're your friends and you can trust us."

"Thank you. I just might take you up on that offer one day." I smiled.

"Robin!" I heard Ezra yell from the living room.

"Gotta go," Robin laughed.

I waved goodbye and continued the trek to my room. Exhausted from the flight and the news about Levi's appearance at my aunt's house, I fell into bed and slept all through the night like a baby. All I wanted was to sleep forever and ever, but I knew I would have to wake up the next day and pretend like I was all right. That summer was one of the unhappiest of my life. But I survived... somehow.

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[Song: You Are My Sunshine by The Civil Wars]

Thank you so much for reading the second installment of the Ties Series.