Me and the Mafia

Chapter one

Me and the Mafia(1)

Chapter one

*Five months earlier*

Matt and Kayla have been best friends since they were three. When they were ten, Matt had to move to Chicago for his mom's work. The two friends kept in touch through about two phone-calls a year and they haven't seen each other since they were ten. Suddenly Kayla's mom got extremely sick. Kayla and her family moved up to the city of the only hospital who is offering a treatment for that specific type of cancer, Chicago.

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When we got to our new house, I immediately went to check out my back yard. I found a large grassy yard consisting of about three acres. I looked over at my neighbors' yards. One had a nice pond and horse stables. On the other side there was a large treehouse and a tree swing that looked oddly familiar. I walked toward the tree swing and noticed a boy about my age was sitting on it. I continued to walk toward him since his back was toward her. As I walked closer, I realized the swing looked exactly like one I made with Matt right before he left. Soon I could see the initials KC&MT painted on the side. A huge grin spread across my face as I recognized the blonde mop of hair barely visible over the back of the swing. I swiftly walked up to the swing and sat down next to him. I saw him look confused for a second before shaking it off and putting on a flirtatious grin.

"Hey there cutie. I'm Ma-"

"oh save it Matt and give your best friend a Mickey hug already! " I interrupted with a huge grin. He was always such a flirt with just about any girl.

"Kayla?Kayla!" we stood up and I jumped into his arms for our Mickey hug. We used to be obsessed with Mickey Mouse and we always gave each other Mickey hugs and it just stuck. Good ole Matt has always been tall and strong so I would jump up to him and he would catch me. I did the same thing as always that day by the swing. I jumped into his arms and wrapped my legs around his waist as he spun me around repeatedly. We both laughed our heads off for the next ten minutes until he put me down and we collapsed into our swing. "So what brings y'all here?" I lost my voice and my ability to form sentences. My heart dropped as soon as the reason I was in Chicago hit me like a dead weight. I just looked at the grass pastures surrounding us. I started to feel sick at those dreaded thoughts.

"Do you have horses now?" I asked with a strained voice.

"Yep. Why don't we go to the stables so you can really relax. The drive up is hard on anyone." Matt assured as he noticed my discomfort with the previous subject. He wrapped his arm around my shoulders and pulled me close as we walked toward the grazing beauties. We walked into the stables and quietly saddled up two horses for a Trail ride. "Follow me. There is place down here that is beyond amazing." I rode behind him for forty-five minutes until we arrived at a look out. It was so beautiful! We were at the top of a steep grassy hill higher than all the others surrounding us. It felt as though I was in a separate world looking down at earth. Matt and I tied our horses to a post before sitting down in the grass. We just sat there for a moment. I knew it was the only time I was going to be physically and mentally able to say it so I let the words spill.

"My mom is dying of cancer

Matt. The hospital here is the only one willing to treat her. We are hoping to extend her time left so that she has more than a month left. It isn't guaranteed but it's always worth a shot." I said it all quickly and quietly. Matt let in a sharp intake of breath reassuring me that he heard every word. Emptiness and hopelessness filled me as the thoughts of not having my mom anymore hit me like a train wreck. My mom was going to die soon and I wasn't even fifteen yet. That meant she wouldn't get to help me pick out my prom dress or cry uncontrollably at my wedding. Yet sitting there filled with dread, I didn't shed a tear. I had already cried too much in the last two years of my mom's suffering. Matt stayed quiet. He didn't say a word because he knew that there was nothing he could say to ease my hurt. I knew it too. Instead he slid closer to me before pulling me tightly to his side with his arm still draped around me in an almost protective manner.