I'll See You Around

“Again!!” frustrated I stomped to my empty room in my mothers place. Today was the day that I dropped everything to spend time with my dad. I haven’t seen him for three months and I just really miss him.

“Lola, you know how busy he gets with his job,” she sat on my bed and rubbed my back. “Maybe you should head home and spend your day with Max.”

I looked up at her and gave her ‘are you serious? After that night things became awkward’ look. “I’m avoiding him for a reason you know.”

“Don’t you think three weeks of avoiding him is enough?” Being the mother she was. She had a point. Everyday I either woke up early to sneak out like I was leaving after a booty call. I’ll leave notes on the fridge for him. I even started sneaking in back in our home just to get pass him. “Also Marcus is coming over tonight,” she winked.

“Aahhh!” I put my pillow over my face to muffle my scream. I threw the pillow off, “that is gross. I’m gonna go home now.”

“Bye sweetie! Kiss Max on the cheek for me!” She chimed.

“Never!” I slammed the door behind me. Ew, demented images of mother being sexually active is now engraved into my mind as well as an older mans ass. What more scaring images can I handle?

I was listening to the radio on my way home. I just have to act normal. That’s impossible. Last time I tried acting normal I started talking about cats.

The drive was short and I was now making my way up to the loft. I could tell him to forget about it ever happening and we could just go back to normal. The elevator dinged and there stood a fuming Ali.

“I thought you were my friend!” She yelled retracting her hand and letting her palm collide with my cheek with much force. She huffed and scurried into the elevator while I walked out shocked.

“OUCH!” I yelled as it began to throb. I held my cheek and I could tell you that girl hit me good. And I have no clue what her reason was at all. I fished through my purse looking for my key while I tried to balance it on my thigh. I knocked having no luck in finding it. I was gonna have to face him someday.

Waiting a few seconds the door finally opened. “Lola?” He said bewildered to see me standing in front of the door. I walked past him and set my bag on the counter. “What are you doing here?”

“I live here remember?” I pointed out as it was the obvious thing in the world.

“Well, it’s hard to think that when you’ve been ignoring me,” he snapped back at me.

“Well, I’m sorry, but everything isn’t about you Max,” I barked while my back was to him. I looked in the freezer for something cold to put on my cheek. I don’t get why he should be mad when I got slapped by his girlfriend.

“Wow,really? You’re beings such a…” he didn’t want to finish his words.

“Say it Max! Say I’m being a bitch when after all I just got slapped in the face by your girlfriend in the hallway!”

I was now facing him with a pack of frozen meat on my face. “She did that to you?” He asked concerned while walking over to my side.

“Yeah, she just slapped me and I have no clue why and blamed me for something,” I said annoyed about how mean Ali is. He just placed his hand on the meat in the pack and held it while I leaned into it out of nowhere.

“I’m sorry.”

“Why?” I asked softly now looking into his soft eyes.

“For a lot of things that happened recently. It’s my fault she hit you,” He sadly told. “I broke up with her.”

“You did? Why?” I could feel myself dreading the answer that would escape his lips.

He looked me deep in the eyes searching for something, but frowned when he didn’t. “Because I fell out of love with her and started developing feelings for a girl who doesn’t feel the same way.”

I didn’t know what to say to that. I couldn’t say ‘oh no you’re wrong. I totally like Max’. It would be a complete lie.

“I made things more awkward for you didn’t I?” he said and I quickly shook my head.

“No, maybe a little bit,’ I answered honestly.

“Here how ‘bout we rewind all the way back to the photo booth scene and forget it all happened,” He said hopefully.

“Sounds like a plan,” I smiled as he grinned. “But then again your EX did smack me like the Hulk,” he laughed at my reference.

“Where do you come up with these things?”

“My noggin.”

The two of us laughed and talked about what happened during the three weeks of us being absent in each other lives. “Yeah, Noah and Spicy missed you.”

“Tell them to come over so we could all hang out and then they could meet Kenzie and Bree if they want?” I told him as he raised his brow.

“Are we playing cupid?”

“Maybe, yes! I mean they seem perfect for each other,” I mused.

“Alright I’m in,” he said as we did our little handshake that we practice when we have our Max and Lola day.

There was a loud knocking. “Oh glob it’s Ali! She’s here to finish the job! She’s here with her pie throwing robot to throw pies at my ugly face!” I panicked and hid behind the counter.

“You have watched Adventure Time way too many times,” Max laughed as he walked over to door to open it.

“No Max! Just pretend we’re not here!” I whispered scream to him, but he opened the door any way. Evil!

“Yeah, she’s here!” I heard him say. Oh glob! He’s greeting death like a friend.

“Jedi, what are you doing, cupcake?” I heard the familiar voice say. I looked up from my fetal position and saw my dad standing there.

“I thought you were Ali coming back to massacre me,” I said standing up and jumping to pull my pants up.

“Ali?” He questioned not knowing who that is.

“Ex girlfriend.”

“Ex friend,” I said as well. “But anyways what are you doing her?”

“Well, the voicemail you left,” he said as he dropped his bags and set a McDonalds bag down. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and called his voicemail. “You have one unheard message the weird voice lady said.

Daddy, why did you leave me?
You created me,
So don’t you wanna see me?
Daddy, why did you make me?
If you’re not gonna take me
to get a burger and shakey?
My cursed blood
Is your cursed blood,
Come on back and be my bud.
I can count your visits on my fingertips
Come back and give me presents
From your business trips.
Daddy why did you father me,
If all you wanna do is bother me?
Don’t you know that I love you?
I only wanna see more of you.
Daddy, why did you eat my fries?
I bought them, and they were mine.
But you ate them, yeah, you ate my fries.
And I cried, but you didn’t see me cry.
Daddy, do you even love me?
Well I wish you’d show it,
Because I wouldn’t know it.
What kind of dad eats his daughter’s fries?
And doesn’t even look her in the eyes?
Daddy there were tears there.
If you saw them would you even care?

“You seriously sang that? Where did you even get the guitar?” Max laughed, but was also surprised at the same time.

“I took guitar class in high school, Maxi. You still have a lot to learn about me,” I smugly said while doing random karate arms.

“I got you McDonalds and the fries are warm and I didn’t eat any,” I laughed at my dad he may not be here all the time, but he makes up for it when he’s here. I looked in the McDonalds bag on the table and put a couple of fries in my mouth.

“Thank you daddy. Oh, this is my friend Max. Max this is my daddy,” I said happily eating my nice warm fries.

“Nice to meet you Mr. Sawyer,” Max said extending his hand out for him to shake.

“Call me Jared,” he said and pulled Max in for a hug. His face was priceless. “It’s so nice too finally meet Jedi’s new boyfriend.”

I spit my fries out on the counter, “What?”

“Jedi, that is very gross and very un-lady like,” He made a disgusted face. “Your mother said you were living with your boyfriend.”

“Mom is crazy like the Ice King,” I said getting a paper towel to clean up my mess.

“Too much Adventure Time, Lola,” Max mentioned and I just grabbed some fries and fed it to him.

“Max is just my friend, not my boyfriend,” I said to set things straight.

“Throw my heart out the window why don’t you,” Max mumbled and I glared at him. He held his hands up, “I’m kidding.”

“Wait, you’re telling me that this young handsome man here isn’t your boyfriend?” I nodded as if it was obvious. “You’re crazy.” Max looked at him and then at me and nodded.

“You keep eating the fries,” I said pointing at Max. “Dad, can we not talk about boys?”

“You are so much like your mother,” he mused as I rolled my eyes.

“Honey, where do I put all these?” I heard another voice say. I looked in the door way and I saw my dad’s lover.

“Richard!” I squealed as I ran over to the buff man in the door way who dropped his bags to engulf me in a hug. “I didn’t know you were coming over too.”

“It’s so nice to see you, Lola Bear,” He said happy to see me.

“Oh my gosh is that Max Schneider?” I heard that high dreadful voice of my step sister.

“Oh Fiona, you’re here.” I said in a dull unsurprised voice.

“Uh hi,” Max said confused to why so many people are here.

“Oh Max you look like your having a melt down,” I said walking over to him and sitting on one of the stools near the counter. “Okay, Max that’s Richard, my step dad and his daughter Fiona. Richard this is Max my roommate and friend. Fiona it’s clear you know him already.”

“Nice to meet you all,” He said.

Through out the whole day my dad and Richard talked to Max while Fiona pretty much lay in his lap. Watching the whole thing really made me happy and like Max a bit more.