Breaking The Cycle

In both my good and bad fortune, Mason had been passed out for the rest of the time we were there but I didn't no the roads to get back. Fortunately, Noah had offered to drive us back and I more than willingly accepted the offer. Since Noah and his friend had taken one car, we decided that it would be best if his friend followed us home in his car. Mason was in the back fast asleep and Noah and I were in the front, talking about any random thought that popped in our heads.

"How could you have never seen Family Matters?"

"I never had the time for it,"

"But…but Jaleel White was in it!"

"I have no idea what you are talking about."

"Have you been locked in a closet your entire life?"

"I wouldn't doubt it,"

"You are definitely a strange one, Al."

"I take pride in that,"

I scoffed as we passed the sign saying that we were now entering New Hampshire.

"I'm not that sheltered, I just never had the time, and it never seemed appealing to me." I argued as he made a quick left that made Mason fall out of the backseat.

"Where the fuck am I?"

A voice interrupted both of our thoughts and we looked back to see Mason sitting himself back on the backseat. He threw his head back in agony and moaned.

"Greenville, New Hampshire," I told him curtly as I turned back to face the road and he made that insufferable noise again.

"Why did we leave so soon?"

"We were there for seven hours,"

He really was acting like a young child. I really could not understand why any woman would find that appealing in any way.

I looked up at the sky as I ignored listening to Mason complain about how he didn't have enough time to get high while Noah told him he was passed out. We had arrived at the party near eleven and we left about six-thirty. The sky was still bright, but the sun was beginning to descend, leaving the sky in an array of different colors. Yellow, blue, and pink filled the sky as I wished those colors would be like my mood; joyful and calm. I longed to feel like that all the time, but I never actually could attain a maximum of serenity in my life. It was near impossible, but always wanted.

"You really do ruin all of my fun, Al."

"Sorry, I'll make sure next time you can get high, get drunk, and then pass out for six hours."

I fumed at him and Noah started fiddling with the radio.

"All I'm saying is that maybe we could've stayed longer,"

"If we had stayed any longer, we would've never gotten home."

Mason glared at me and buckled himself in. "I can drive, you know."

"Not when you're drunk," I said to him, returning the hateful look.

He faced the window and frowned.

"Just forget it,"

I scowled and turned back around and laid my head on the window.

The rest of the ride was silent and as another twenty minutes passed, we were finally back in our town. He had dropped Mason off at his house and we both got out of Mason's car as he stumbled to the door, grumbling about nonsense. It had still been light enough to see where we were going, so I decided that I could walk home while Noah's friend was at the gas station on the street over. Noah walked next to me and I noticed that he was even taller than Mason. He looked down at me and smiled as we walked along the sidewalk.

"I get what you mean, now." Noah said, breaking the calm silence that surrounded us.

"What do you mean?"

"When you're around him you feel alive, but when you're around him with other people, you can't stand him, and he can't stand you either."

"That doesn't make sense," I snapped at him and he shrugged.

"It makes perfect sense," he began to say as we took a left onto another street. "When you told me on the way up to the party, you got along because you were alone, but on our way here, all you did was fight with him because another person was here."

"If you really want to live your life your way and not your parent's, I would apologize to Mason tomorrow."

"I don't even know what I want to do!" I began to say as I clung onto my migraine with my hands. "How would being with Mason help me in any way?"

Noah shrugged and I sighed. "I shouldn't even apologize. I did nothing wrong."

By now we were already at my house and I was beyond confused. Out of all the people I have ever met, Mason Riddell was probably the most extraordinary, confusing, and irritating person I had ever had the displeasure of meeting. That was the reason I always stayed around him, though. I wanted to know what he was thinking about all of the time, I wanted to know everything about him. How could I be so intrigued by a person that repulsed me so much at the same time? I didn't even want to begin to know why.

"I think you know what I mean. I know you'll do what's best for you." He said as he walked me up to my front door. I nodded at him although I didn't want to let him know he was right. The weird thing that I learned about Noah was that he didn't need anyone else to let him know he was right.

"Thanks, I guess." I muttered and Noah laughed.

"If you ever get bored, give me a call." He gave me a quick kiss on my cheek and handed me a small piece of paper.

I waved to him as he headed to his friend's car that was now parked in front of my driveway. I opened the front door leading into my house and the coolness of the central air conditioning greeted me. I walked into the open kitchen and found a note that had my mother's elegant writing on it.

Alexandra,

Your father, Chloe, and I have gone to attend the Bronson's party. We won't be back until late tonight. If you get home early enough from screwing around with Mason all day and abandoning the lessons you feel so superior over enough to neglect, please feel free and stop by. If not, your father and I will deal with your misdemeanor when we get home.

Sincerely,
Victoria Lynn Matthews

I sighed and grabbed the phone. As I delicately dialed each number on the outdated phone, I could hear everything that Noah had just said to me recently. He was right and I knew it, if I wanted to be normal like Mason, I'd have to actually be around him. Unfortunately to be around him, I'd have to get over being stubborn and actually apologize. And mean it.

The dial tone quickly changed to a slow ringing for a few times until it came to a stop. All I could hear was someone breathing for a minute and then Mason's voice filled the silence. "Yeah?"

"Mason, I'm, well I'm sorry." I mumbled as I walked up the stairs to my room.

"Don't sweat it, Al."

It was that easy?

"I knew you'd come around eventually."

I gripped the railing, making my knuckles turn white as went up the staircase. I couldn't believe that he had that much nerve to actually make me look like the bad person in this situation. If he actually thought that he could get away with this, he had another thing coming.

I know you'll do what's best for you.

"Well, I just wanted to apologize. Have a good night." I told him as I reached the door to my room. I heard some shuffling in the room and I quickly hung up the phone. I pressed my ear against the door and began to turn the knob. Was someone really breaking into my house? I opened the door and there stood a familiar looking young man, holding a cell phone in one hand and a single flower in the other. He put the cell phone in his back pocket of his jeans and handed me the flower.

"I'm sorry too, Al." I took the flower and laid it down on my bedside table and sat on my bed. Mason took that as a sign to sit next to me.

"How did you get into my room?"

"I have past experience."

Mason smiled sheepishly and I laughed.

"So, I heard you and Andrea have concocted some sort of twisted plan involving me." He said as he lay back on my bed.

I laid back with him and nodded. "I'm too tired to talk about it now."

Mason got up and looked out the window. "I'm gonna book it before Mother Matthews bites my head off."

I got off of my bed and looked out the window with him to see my parents and my younger sister getting out of my father's car. I still didn't know how she found out I ditched all of my lessons. There were many suspects I could question. The first one that came to my mind was my younger sister, Chloe. She was turning fifteen in a few weeks, but she still gladly acted like she belonged in the first grade. All she did was irritate me and ask me about everything that happened that day. The second suspect, or suspects, was my instructors. It didn't matter how much Mason paid them to be quiet, my mother would pay them double just for them to give her information about me.

The last person that I did not want to accuse, but wouldn’t leave my mind was my best friend of sixteen years, Delaney. I know that whenever she panicked about me, she'd end up telling Chloe or my mother, asking them where I was. I know that Delaney meant well, but she needed to stop worrying about me so much. It was really going to kill her.

I looked over at Mason, who had now opened my window and began to climb out. I heard the front door close and my sister's voice was getting louder as did the steps outside my door. Mason was now on the tree randomly placed outside my window and he began to shimmy down the tree, but then climbed back up and leaned into my open window. I looked at him and he gave me a quick kiss on the cheek and sat back on the oversized branch.

"I'm in on the plan," he said as swayed his feet back and forth through the air.

I smiled and waved to him.

"Give the 'rents my greeting, and tell Chloe that she's looking pretty hot," he began to climb down the tree and I laughed.

I closed the window and looked as his shadowy figure became enclosed in the darkness as he headed back to his house. I laid on my bed right as Chloe walked into my room. She sat down on the beanbag chair in the left corner of my room. "Did he apologize?"

"Yeah,"

I immediately sat back up and stared at her. "You're the criminal who told Mom, aren't you?"

"Guilty," she said as she lifted up her arms and laughed. She walked over to my bed and laid down with me and I smiled at her.

"I'll deal with you tomorrow," I lightly hit her on the shoulder as she got off my bed and walked to the door.

She shut off the light and closed the door to leave me in the darkness that I loved being in. Ironically, the darkness gave me clarity and showed me the light to which things actually were. I was allowed to think in the darkness. Nobody could see who I really was in the darkness, but I wanted them to. I wanted people to see that I was an actual person who wasn't some sort of protégé. I wanted people to see that I was my own person, not parents'. Thankfully, this was all going to happen, the plan was set. Luckily, all it took was an apology.