Tragic Romance

The next day, Friday, seemed to go by slower then usual and there was an air of mischief surrounding Little Zacky as he got ready for school. It was strange when he jumped up in the morning and ran straight to the bathroom calling for me to fill the bath tube so he could get ready.
And after that he scarfed down his breakfast and stuffed all his things into his signed back pack.
"What's going on?" I questioned in the car on our way to school at 8:15 AM.
He grinned at me innocently, "Nothing, Mom," He mumbled, rolling his eyes at me through the rearview mirror. I raised my eyebrows at him and sighed, using my fingers to untangle my hair.
"What did your Dad say to you on the phone last night?" I asked, peaking at him again as his grin intensified.
"The same things as last time," He said, "That he misses me and he can't wait until you decide to come home,"
I groaned in protest and rolled my eyes in annoyance, "I just want you to know that we are home, Zacky. This is where we live, in New York,"
"I know Mommy," He told me, shoving his backpack off the seat, "I was born here, but Daddy wants us to be with him. He said he misses up a lot and he wants us to come visit him,"
I pulled into the school parking lot and unlocked my door. I told him to grab his back before I got out and shut my door. I made a couple funny faces at him through the window before I yanked open his door while he was grumbling about 'stupid child-locks'. I unbuckled him from his booster seat and helped him out of the car. I placed his bag over one of my shoulders and grabbed his left hand with my right as we made our way inside the elementary school. There where children every where. The younger ones with their parents and the older ones, fifth graders, were putting things in their cubbies out side of each class room. As we walked past the third grade classrooms I looked around for a blonde little girl. I spotted her sad face and I pulled Zacky in her direction.
"I see Anna," I told him, smiling sadly and he started looking around for his once, still, best friend.
"Annabelle!" I called as she walked into a classroom. The blonde girl turned around, her long hair flowing over her shoulder.
"Auntie Maxx!" She screamed running over to me. I crouched down and pulled her into a hug. We stood about four feet from her classroom and I saw her teacher coming out to see why her student had walked right back out of her room.
I nodded at the young teacher that stood in the doorway as she looked at Anna as she cling to my neck. She let go a minute later and grabbed onto Zacky.
"Zacky! I missed you!"
"Anna!"
I went over to introduce myself to her teacher, "I'm Maxx Lukas. Her God Mother," I dodged around a couple of kids who ran right between us trying to get to where they are supposed to be.
"I'm Victoria Graham, Annabelle's teacher. Nice to meet you," She held her hand out for me to shake and I did. The warning bell rang a few seconds later and remorsefully I looked to the hugging children next to me, "Anna, you've got to go to class now. I've got to take Zacky to his as well,"
Anna nodded at me slowly and kissed Zacky's cheek, "Bye Zacky,"
"Bye Anna,"
Annabelle hugged me once more before walking past her teacher into the colorful room. I took Zacky's hand but before we could walk away Annabelle's teacher called my name, "Maxx?" She asked timidly.
I turned back to face her "Yes?"
She smiled at me, "Could you come back after you drop your son off? I'd like to ask you a few questions about..." She gestured to her class and I nodded knowing she meant Anna.
Zacky and I walked off sliding past the last of the kids in the halls and when we got to his room his teacher was standing there smiling at us, I waved hello and Zacky rushed towards her, "Good morning Maxx, Zacky," She greeted, smiling at us. I crouched down and pulled Zacky back by the sleeve on his long sleeved black shirt, "I want to know what's up with you Zacky, you never run to class and now it's like you can't wait!"
"Mom!" He groaned, "I just want to get to lunch, I'm hungry,"
"You just ate, baby,"
He moaned in annoyance, "I've got to go," He told me as the bell rang and I nodded and tapped my cheek a few times, he leaned in and placed a kiss right there.
"Love you, Kid," I told him and he replied, "Love you Mommy,"
Miss Gretzy smiled at me before she closed the wooden door and I stood up brushing off the dirt from my jeans.
I knocked on the classroom Anna had gone into just 15 minutes before. I saw Anna's teacher peak at me through the window before she said something to her class. I stepped back as the door opened, when she closed the door her wedding ring shimmered in the florescent lights.
"Thank you for coming to talk to me, I didn't even know Annabelle had any other family besides her father and I can't seem to get through to him,"
I nodded, understanding what Greg was like, "What did you want to talk to me about, Mrs. Graham?"
"Victoria, please," She murmured looking to the floor, "I just wanted to know if you know why Annabelle is so quiet, why she doesn't interact with other children. She won't talk about anything that has to do with her father,"
I shut my eyes and bit my lip, hard. "Anna just met her father almost two years ago when her mother..." I took a deep breath, "When her mother, my best friend, died,"
A look of shock came upon 'Victoria's' face, "I didn't know, I'm so sorry,"
I nodded solemnly, "Thank you. But Anna took it hard when child services told her that I wouldn't be getting custody of her," I sighed, "I'm getting a little a head of myself. Anna's father never met her either, he left when he found out Louisa was pregnant with her. But he showed up at Louisa's... funeral and cancelled all the paper work and the plans of me adopting Annabelle. And with one blood test it was sealed, he got to take her away and she never forgave him. I tried to Anna, I really did. She was already like a daughter to me and she's Zacky's best friend so it wouldn't be that hard raising another kid. But he wouldn't let me and I fought with him for months while the state was getting everything in order for her to live with him but he wouldn't budge. Eventually I learned that he was getting child support from the state and I came to the conclusion that's why he wanted her," I wiped the few stray tears from my cheeks and smiled, sadly, at her. She had her hand covering her mouth and the other folded under her chest.
"I," She stuttered, "I didn't know,"
"I know you didn't. It was Anna's idea not too tell anyone. I just haven't seen her in awhile. It's been hectic around, you know," I murmured, shrugging at the end. I looked at the clock on the wall in the hall way and then back to her, "I'm sorry, Victoria put I'm going to have to be on my way. Call me if Anna needs anything,"
She nodded and thanked me before going back into her class.
When I walked out of the building I rushed to my car noting that I was supposed to email my boss my work in just a few minutes, I groaned as I turned up the music.
"Trials in life, questions of us existing here, don't wanna die alone without you here
Please tell me what we have is real!"
I sang along with every word, my left hand hanging out the window, my right steering. When I pulled into my apartment parking lot I leaned down and struggled to pull the Avenged CD from the stereo.
I shrieked at a voice that I new all to well, "Yeah Maxx, please tell me what we have is real," I gasped at the smirking green eyes.