The Summer I Met You

CHAPTER 23

"He got her pregnant, didn't he?"

"Half right. Pregnant and getting married."

"Married?"

There's a thud on her end, followed by a string of curses, and then Aunt Dawn yelling, "who's getting married?"

Mom whispers something, and I think I hear Aunt Dawn say, he's not ready for a commitment.

"When's the wedding?" she asks in between Aunt Dawn's chatter in the background.

"In August."

I twirl around in the computer chair, while the two of them whisper back and forth.

"Oh, wow that's um – unexpected." She chuckles.

I smile. It's rare for her to laugh, and so nice to listen to.

Taking a deep breath, I wait for them to stop chatting so I can ask her. This is the moment of the conversation that has scared me the most.

"I was just as shocked as you. But um — so he wants both of you to be there."

I cringe when I'm done speaking.

"Oh, Max sweetie I don't know. I don't think..."

Here it comes, I had to know it would go this way.

"He said he'd pay."

For a few seconds it sounds like they are tossing the phone back and forth. The line crackles and they speak in hushed tones.

"Maxwell," Aunt Dawn says.

"'Hi, Aunt Dawn." My tone is robotic.

"Sweetie, we aren't coming to that sham of a wedding."

I have a hard time keeping my jaw from falling off. I'm grateful for her taking care of Mom, but I'd love to give her a piece of my mind. She looks at Rob the way Grandpa did, like he's a failure. I might be young, and she probably won't listen to be because of it, but I think that she should put her feelings aside and come to her brother's wedding. Rob misses them, and somewhere deep down in her cold heart I know Aunt Dawn does too.

"If not you, then you should at least convince Mom. Honestly, I think it will be good for her, and Uncle Rob really wants you both there," I say.

"Then he should ask us himself!" She yells.

I hold the phone away from my ear. After a few more beats of silence, Mom returns.

"Hey Max, look I'm sorry. I just don't know."

I'm finding it hard to swallow. Tingles tickle the bridge of my nose. Crying is not an option right now. I push down the sensation.

"Okay, let us know. Hope you have a great day at work. Love you, Mom."

I wish my voice sounded stronger, but it doesn't.

"Max I — I'll be in touch about it. Love you too."

Rob would probably pay for both of their tickets, but I could never expect that of him right now, especially with the wedding and baby. And he already paid for my round-trip ticket here and back. I don't know how anyone could say he's failed. He thinks about others more often than himself.

I wish I could fly out to California and bring Mom here myself. My phone lights up with another notification, it's not the live video but a post from The Orbit. A picture of the Starlien cast lights up my screen, Lennox's face bigger than the rest. I stare at it for a heartbeat too long, before looking down at the comment below.

Orbit_TheaterLI: Get ready Starlien fans, a BIG day is coming. Friday August 9th we will be premiering the season finale of Starlien!! Want to know the even bigger news? The cast will be joining us right here at the Orbit Theater. Ticket info is up on our website: . Questions are being answered live at noon on Instagram, directly from Lennox Taylor's page. Head over right now, she's live in ten!

I hadn't realized that Lennox had a connection to the theater. Another mystery uncovered about the girl who has somehow come into my life this summer. I search for her page, LennoxTaylorOfficial, and do it just in time for the live to come up.

She's sitting on a bed with a Starlien poster behind her.

"Hey guys, Lennox Taylor here."

Her bubbly voice catches me off guard. She sounds different when addressing her fans. A soft glow radiates her cheeks, but her eyes tell a different story. She's brightened them up with makeup, but behind them there's much more going on. I'm not sure how I can tell, I don't even know her that well, but reading her is easy.

The fans are going nuts. There are a ton of comments about her new look, and the speculation of her character's death. Hashtags pop up left and right. #SaveAndi, #AndromedaIsDead, and #WeWantTheStarlienTruth. She smiles through it all, like the comments aren't bothering her, but there are little details in her body language that says otherwise. Like how she winces every time she mentions her new look, or Chase's name.

Confidence is something she has or can play well. She answers all the questions with ease. I'm in awe by the professional mask she has on. Which Lennox is the real one? She puts on so many faces that it's hard to tell. She has changed for sure, but part of me is still questioning her motives.

I shutdown the computer when her stream is over, and stare down at my phone. It went off during the live show, but I missed it. Dad's name appears, along with his two missed calls. This day just keeps getting better, sarcasm at its finest. If I don't do this now, I never will. Hesitantly, I grab the phone into my hands and hit the call button on his missed call.

Counting each ring I get closer to hanging up and forgetting I tried.

"Maxwell."

Dad's voice startles me. I stare off at the empty wall space behind the computer. I don't know what to say or how to respond. Dad says my name twice before I snap out of it.

"Yeah, I'm here," I whisper.

"I know I'm the last person you want to hear from, but I needed to check in on you."

I want to take my phone and throw it across the room. I'm still angry, and my emotions today are all over the place. I take a few deep breaths to attempt to calm myself.

"I'm not okay, if that's what you want to know," I say.

It's the honest truth. Every day I put on a smile to get on with my life. If I didn't put on that smile, I'd fall into the same darkness my mother did. I know how to be strong and know that I value life and won't let the bad things pull me under. Life is too short to let things get you down, I want to live the best life I can. I also don't want to regret not talking things through with dad. I don't want what happened to Uncle Rob, happen to me.

"I never meant to hurt anyone, Max. I needed to get out before I broke. I was depressed too, and my grief kept me from my duties as a husband and a father. I know we will never go back to how we were. I've accepted that. I know I did wrong by you and your mother, and I am sorry. Sorry will never be good enough, but I had to let you know."

I lean my head back and close my eyes as he talks. Tears well in my eyes. I attempt to hold back the sob that sits in my throat.

"You don't have to forgive me or see me. I only wanted to apologize. You may not believe me, but I needed to get it off my chest."

I'm unable to speak. Wiping my nose with the back of my hand I sniffle out loud. My body trembles, and I hate that I'm crying. I've held it in for so long. I had to let Mom see that I was okay. She needed me to be strong and needed someone to hold her while she cried. It's hard for me to admit, but I think I need that too, more than I thought I had.

"I'll hang up now. Just know son, that I do love you. When you are ready to talk, I'll be here."

He waits a few seconds.

I'm surprised when the word okay leaves my lips. When the line finally goes dead all I can do is sit in my chair and allow the tears to fall. It takes everything in me to not feel weak over this, but it's long overdue and no one will ever have to know.