Faze

Chapter 17: Apologize

Chapter Seventeen

A loud knock came from the front door. Groaning, Mackie pulled himself out of bed and towards the source of the sound. He stood in front of the door but didn't open it. He always had a hard time opening the door. Usually, Elijah or Courtney would do it for him and they were out with Fawn.

He sighed and opened the door but froze when he saw Lola standing in front of him. He didn't expect her to come over, especially since he never told her his new address. Sunny must have told her or even Elijah.

They both didn't utter a word and so Mackie tried closing the door but Lola held it open with her foot. "Please listen to me!" She shouted and Mackie didn't fight the door.

Seeing her made him think about everything, about Zephan, and their bond, about Sunny and how easily he trusted the werewolves, and the werewolves themselves. But what stood out to Mackie the most was that Lola lied.

Then Leland's voice rang in his ear, "First, you can't tell any human about werewolves, it doesn't matter how close you are to them."

"What is it?" Mackie asked, holding the door open.

Lola looked around, "not here."

Mackie sighed and backed away into the house, Lola followed him. "Fine," he said, sitting on their new couch.

The living room wasn't decorated. The walls were white, the floor plain without a rug, and nothing to keep the tv from sitting on the ground. But there were colorful toys for Fawn. The couch was new and it didn't smell of spilled alcohol and cigarettes. Mackie found himself enjoying the living room space more with that change.

"If this is about Zephan then don't bother. It's not what I want to hear."

"I know," Lola said. "I wanted to explain myself and tell you that I'm sorry for lying to you. I really am... I'm really sorry, Mackie. I should have told you but I couldn't. Humans aren't supposed to know."

"I know," Mackie said. "Leland went over some rules with Sunny and I so I get it. I just... I don't want to be a part of it."

Lola nodded, her braids bouncing on her shoulders, "they aren't bad people."

Mackie faced her. He looked at his best friend but nothing showed in his face as he asked, "Are you one of them?"

"No, no!" She shook her head quickly, a smile breaking out on her face. "I'm just... really close with one of them and Mackie, they are still people either way. I promise. Would you hate me if I was like them?"

"No, I don't think I could."

"That's good to hear," She said, smiling.

"It's just hard for me to accept. My brain isn't letting me believe what I saw even though I know that it's real, and soulmates, how are they even real?"

Lola turned to face Mackie, "Hazel is my soulmate." The air suddenly left his lungs and he was left coughing. He coughed into his arm and when he stopped, he noticed Lola rubbing his back. "Are you okay?"

"I think I might have a cold and you surprised me," He said. "I'm fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, the weather is just dropping, that's all." Lola sighed deeply, not believing a word Mackie said. "So you and Hazel?"

"Yes," She nodded. "I can tell you about it if you'd like, maybe it will be less daunting for you."

"Sure."

"Unconditional love, that's the word for it. But it's also stronger than that. It's impossible for me to hate Hazel and for her to hate me. It's strange really, I can't be mad at her for more than a day and I always want to be around her. She's always there for me and when we touch, it's like... it's like this warmth goes through me and it's so beautiful."

"Gross," Mackie said, scrunched his nose and Lola laughed. "It would be like that for Zephan too. He has to drink this weird tea so he doesn't get sicker, how romantic."

Mackie looked at the ground, playing with his hands over his lap. Suddenly he felt so small next to Lola. "So there's no need for me anymore, right?"

"no, he's relying on it to live and unless you reverse the rejection, he won't ever be better. You should really think about it, Mackie."

"I don't even remember rejecting him," Mackie said.

"Maybe you accidentally did?" She suggested. "It's not too late to fix it."

"Okay, whatever," he leaned back onto the couch. "Let's talk about something else."

Lola looked around the house, "how's the new place?"

"It's good," He mumbled. "I might check on my dad soon, see how he's doing."

"I'm happy for you," Lola said, reaching for his hand. She didn't pull back when Elijah walked through the front door with Courtny and Fawn. He nodded at the two and Courtney tried offering a smile but she turned away. Courtney and Lola had always been awkward around each other, and Mackie never understood why.

Fawn ran up to Lola, throwing her hands over her in a hug, "Lola!"

Lola picked her up with a smile and poked one of her blond pigtails that matched the color of Courtney's hair. The only feature she showed of her fathers was her hazel eyes which also matched Mackie's. Elijah set Fawn's bag down with a sigh. He moved towards the couch and sat down next to Mackie, raising his eyebrows at his younger brother. "Movie?"

"Movie," Mackie nodded and Lola helped Fawn reach for the remote at the end table beside the couch.

She reached it with a, "Got it!"

Courtney retreated to her room and the four of them watched a family movie until Lola decided that it was time to leave. It was dark by then and Fawn had fallen asleep on her lap. Elijah laughed and picked up his daughter, relieving Lola from the restraint. She stretched, "I lost feeling in my arms."

Mackie smiled and Lola cherished the sight. She hadn't seen him in a week and it was bothering her. She missed her best friend. "I'll walk you out," He said and they left the house together. Mackie closed the door behind him. He hugged himself and held back a cough, "I'll see you later?"

Lola nodded, "You'll know where I'll be. I'm going to be helping Hazel pack away Theon's things for the next couple of days. He moved into his aunt's house, Zephan's mom."

"I figured something was up, his school bag was too full for school supplies."

"It's not my business," Lola shrugged and started walking away. "I'll see you later!"