His Little Smoker

22| Stimulation

Malibu

I hanged up the phone, the shock of seeing my mom in front of me consuming. She was here. She looked calmer, the wildness inside of her seeming to either have been slayed or tamed. "How...why...Mom?"

She nodded and walked towards me, "It's me." She pulled me into a hug and I wrapped my arms around her, "I'm so sorry for everything I've done Malibu."

"Do you mean it, because last time you said that you basically set the house on fire and left us to burn." She used her hand to smooth out my hair, "Do you?"

She kissed me on the top of my head, "I mean it." She pulled back, "I went to rehab and I've gotten better, I think you should do it too, for your cigarette issue."

My head began to ache from the tears, "I've stopped smoking for a while, but yeah I think that'd be good." I hugged her again, the hate I felt for her seeming to calm at the site of her. She genuinely looked better and was an instant fill to the void Larson was about to leave. "Come inside, I'm with my friends Summer and Tristian they've helped me a lot."

My mom smiled, "That's good, I hated that you always closed yourself off to everything and everyone."

We walked into the auditorium and I found where we was sitting, noticing Tristian's head from a mile away. Everyone was standing up once again for the pledge. Tristian eyebrows raised and I asked him to scoot a couple seats over, "My Mom." I whispered before facing the front.

His eyes widen and he quickly snuck a couple of glances at my Mom. She nudged me, "Look at Ansel, oh wow he's so tall in comparison to everyone." I nodded and looked up at my Mom, her eyes was filled with tears. I put a hand on her arm, "You did such a great job on your own Malibu, I'm so proud of you."

"Thanks Mom." A couple of months ago her praise would've been worthless to me. A couple of months ago, she was worthless to me. I leaned my head on Tristian's arm, she was doing better and disregarding that would've made me worse than she used to be.

Tristian put his arm around me, "No Larson?" I shook my head and drew in closer to him. He gave me a small kiss on my temple, "I know how bad you wanted him here, I'm sorry Mal."

"I think this for the best." Larson was so many years older than me, we would've never worked. It was a pipe dream, a crush, and at the end of the day we both knew deep inside that our paths would part. We fed into a fantasy but that didn't make it true, "He was way out of my age range, we didn't work."

Summer caught our attention, "They are about to start calling the names!" She shrieked and a couple of people looked back, "Are you guys not excited?!"

Tristian and I laughed, "Down girl." Tristian patted the top of her head and I pinched him, "It's a little inside joke we've been doing for years, no disrespect here."

"Better not be." I turned my head towards my Mom and she was smiling facing the stage, "I thought we'd have to wheel you into Ansel's graduation." She chuckled softly and I put a hand on hers, "Thank you."

She squeezed my hand and put her other on top of ours, "I'm only staying for a few days Malibu." My chest caved and I wanted to pull away but she held my hand tighter, "You and Ansel are doing fine by yourselves, and it's been that way because I left." She was still facing forward and my throat ached, "I can't be the Mom you want Malibu, I never will be and I am sorry." She faced me with glossy eyes, "I wasn't ready for kids, I wasn't ready for you."

"Guys Ansel's next!" Summer and Tristian jumped up with their phones out. My Mom let go of my hand and sniffed getting up, "Mali you better not miss it!"

I stood up, the shouts and claps drowned out as my mind spun. Ansel's name was a muffled echo and I clapped, feeling the weight of claps but not the sound. She did it again, she pulled me in only to spit me out. I choked on a sob, "I think I'm going to be sick." I pushed my way out of the row and headed outside.