Michael and Mel

Chapter Eighteen: Mel

"So, what did you tell your mom this time?" My aunt asked. The two of us made plans for a nice breakfast this morning and boy was it wonderful. Autumn made the feel of everything ten times better. The air is cooler, the leaves are brighter, and Autumn pancakes are the definition of amazing. "I told her that I was hanging out with Chase. Though I got to admit, I'm beginning to run out of excuses. When are you two going to just...work things out?" My aunt sighed. "Mel, don't start." I nodded. "Okay fine. But will you at least tell me why I have to sneak around in order to see you? You didn't kill somebody, did you?" She rolled her eyes. "No, I did not kill anybody." "Then why won't you tell me?" Aunt Meghan smiled. "Tell you what, I'll think about telling you, if you tell me about this boy that has you smitten." "What? That is not nearly fair. And, what boy? There's no boy." My aunt raised an eyebrow. "Really? Then why have you been glancing at your phone this whole time like you're waiting for someone to text you? And why did you blush when I mentioned a boy?"

I rolled my eyes. Glancing at my phone? Please. Did Michael and I exchange numbers the other night after we agreed to be friends? Yes, maybe we did. But I was not checking my messages every five minutes to see if he texted. "Please, I don't blush. And there's no boy." She didn't say anything else, but she stared at me, like a silent challenge to force me into spilling my guts to her. Well, it wasn't going to work. Staring right back at her, I smiled and kept my mouth shut. After a few minutes, we still hadn't moved or looked away. And I hate to say that her little game actually worked. "Fine!" I blurted out. "I'll tell you, just stop looking at me like that!" My aunt laughed and gave me her full attention. I sighed. "Okay, so he's not a boy boy. He's a friend of Aiden's. And he and I met for the first time a while ago and..." I shrugged. "I don't know. He's really nice and kind of easy to talk to." The smile on my aunt's face was growing brighter by the second. "Is he cute?" She asked. I rolled my eyes again. "No." That made her laugh. "Okay, well that's a big yes!" I shook my head. "Whatever. He and I are just friends. New friends, who are still getting to know each other."

My aunt nodded. "Right. Friends. For now." "Okay!" I said, moving to get up from the table. "Are we done here?" She laughed but stood as well. "Yes. What do you say we do a little clothes shopping?" "I think that sounds like a wonderful idea!" Shopping with my aunt was one of the best things in the world to me. Not only did I find it therapeutic, but shopping with her was way more fun than shopping with my mom, where all she did was make comments about how something wasn't my color or how it didn't look right on me. Don't get me wrong, I love my mom a ton. But I've noticed that over the past year or so, we've been growing apart a little more every day. Or rather, I think it'd be more accurate to say that she's been pulling away from me a little more every day. Lately she criticizes me about just about anything, she speaks to me only long enough to tell me what I'm doing wrong, and she's constantly been on my back about "my future." She and my dad have given me countless lectures about how I need to get my life together before, but now it seems that they're getting back to that now more than ever. Especially my mom.

I sighed as I walked beside my aunt down the street. It's all been so overwhelming, and even though I keep telling my mom that I'll figure something out and she doesn't need to worry, I have no idea where to start when it comes to planning out my future. I've thought about it again and again nearly every day of my life, but no matter what...thinking about the future scares the heck out of me. Because I haven't a single clue as to what my destiny in this life is. I know I need to figure it out.

I just don't know how.

My aunt must have noticed my suddenly sullen mood because her voice, which was normally cheerful and carefree, was now soft and uncharacteristically concerned. "Mel? What's wrong?" Snapping myself out of my stupid and scary thoughts, I forced a smile onto my face and looked at my aunt. "Nothing, I'm totally fine! Why?" I tried my hardest to make my voice sound nothing but happy. My aunt was the person in my life I trusted more than anyone. But telling her about the way I was feeling felt kind of childish. My feelings even seemed that way to me. Aunt Meghan studied me carefully for a few long moments, as if she suspected I was lying and was trying to find the proof in my expression. But I guess my false smile must have fooled her because she shook her head and smiled in return.

The two of us continued to walk and soon, we entered the first of what would be dozens of clothing stores for the day. My aunt was having the time of her life trying things on, suggesting shirts and dresses for me, and occasionally flirting with the cashiers to try and get our stuff for half off. But as much as I wanted to enjoy this time with her and have fun myself, my thoughts from earlier had taken over my mind and were weighing heavily on me. More so than I wanted to admit. And at the end of the day when Aunt Meghan and I said goodbye, I felt just about ready to scream into a pillow or something. When I got home, I planned on going straight to bed, wanting to quiet my racing thoughts for at least a little while. Not that I would be able to get any sleep anyway, but it was worth a try.