✔️We Meet Again ||Luke Patterson||

25

Flashback

Life in the Stanton house hold was never easy. After Reggie finished the fifth grade and Mackenzie finished fourth grade, mr and Mrs Stanton became very heavy drinkers.

The two kids thought how their parents were acting was normal. How when they get older that's how they are going to be.

Not many people knew about the issues in the household besides their closest friends.

Reggie always thought of their parents fighting as a good thing, only because it brought his bond with Mackenzie closer.

If their parents had never argued, Mackenzie would've never been in a band with the four boys, or ever talked to them.

Every night there was something new to argue about. Some night being their financial problems, bills, who's making dinner, and their kids.

Reggie wasn't mentioned in the arguments as much as Mackenzie was. She was referred to as the "disgrace" of the household because her only friend was Sarah.

"MACKENZIE COME HERE!" Her parents both yelled as an argument began.

Hesitantly, she went to where her parents stood and listened to whatever they had to yell this time.

"You failed a math test?!" Her father yelled.

"Yeah because I couldn't study over the sound of you arguing!" Mackenzie argued back.

"Well the go somewhere else to study! If you fail one more test your gonna get it!" Her father said, holding up his fist.

Mackenzie nodded her head quickly. Wanting to get out of there.

But, the next thing she knew, they were throwing stuff. They ended up throwing an older family photo and it hit Mackenzie right under the eye. The glass left a huge cut across her cheek.

Great, another thing she will have to explain to the boys.

Ignoring what happened, Mackenzie stormed upstairs and into the bathroom, looking in the mirror at her new cut.

"Great." She sighed to herself. Reggie is going to freakout when he sees this.

"Hey Kenz what was that all about?" Reggie asked as he came into the girls room.

Mackenzie was quick to cover her new cut on her face as she turned around.

"Bad grade." She blankly said.

"Ok. Then why was there broken glass and why are you covering your face?" Reggie asked. Mackenzie knew she wouldn't be getting out of this one.

"Reg I'm fine." Mackenzie said.

Reggie walked over to Mackenzie and grabbed her arm, pulling it away from her face. His eyes grew wide as he saw the huge cut.

"Kenz." He said, a hurtful tone in his voice.

"Reggie I'm alright. Don't tell the other three.. they're gonna freak." Mackenzie said, pushing her brother out of her room.

"Kenz they're going to see it sooner or later. Like in school..." Reggie said as Mackenzie shut the door behind him.

The next day at school, Mackenzie kept her hair down and wore a big sweatshirt, keeping the guys up to block her face.

"Mornin little Kenzie." Luke said as him and the boys approached the girl at her locker.

"Hey." She blandly said, grabbing her books and walking off.

The boys looked at the girl confused, then looked at Reggie.

"What's her problem?" Bobby asked, watching the girl walk off.

"She got into a pretty bad argument with our parents last night." Reggie said with a small frown.

The boys all nodded, knowing this wasn't their business, and went to their classes.

When lunchtime came around, the five band members always sat together. The same table in the back corner where no one could bother them.

The boys all sat there, waiting for Mackenzie to come.

"She's not going to come." Reggie said, knowing that she was so worried about them freaking out.

"Well there she is." Alex said, looking to the cafeteria doors and seeing the small five foot girl walk in.

"Hey you alright?" Luke asked as she sat down next to him in her usual spot.

"Yeah. I'm fine." She said making sure her hand stayed over the cut.

"Then move your hand." Luke said, pulling on her arm.

Mackenzie frowned and said "you guys I'm fine."

Luke pulled her arm again and watched as her hand slipped , showing the cut.

"Kenz. What the hell happened." Alex asked, seeing that Luke and Bobby were speechless.

"You guys please.. I'm fine. I've u-uh gotta go." She said, standing up and leaving the cafeteria.

"Reg did you know?" Luke asked.

Reggie nodded his head and watched as Luke stood up, leaving the cafeteria to find Mackenzie.

After five minutes, he found her sitting on the bleachers of the football field writing in her small song book.

"There you are!" He said, going up to where she sat.

"It's bad.. isn't it." She said, referring to the cut.

"Not too bad. Stitches would probably help it but it doesn't look bad. You look pretty bad ass." Luke said with a small smile, nudging the girls arm.

"I'm sorry for being an ass this morning by the way. I knew you guys would freakout. Reggie sure did when he saw last night." Kenzie said.

"I don't blame him. If I wasn't so scared of your dad literally killing me, I would go help you." Luke said, making Mackenzie laugh.

Luke put his arm around the girl, giving her a side hug, and said "just let us know if something like this happens. Hiding it won't help you."

Mackenzie nodded her head as the two went back inside of the school to spend the rest of lunch with the others.

But this was only one small glimpse at the Stanton life...