The Twisted Chain || A Disney Fanfic [discontinued]

10. the ex-boyfriend

Hi, loves! Leslo here. I'm so incredibly sorry about this chapter being overdue. I had finals this week and now I'm done with school (woo-hoo!). So I'm done with middle school (AMEN). Additionally, I'm trying to start a novel, and I want to have a good portion of it finished by the end of the summer. I'm also doing an acting program this summer, and I'm auditioning for my high school's production of Les Miserables (my favorite musical) this September. So I'm going to have a lot to get done.

I want to thank every single one of you for commenting on the last chapter, especially squishyfishies; disnxyqueen; and Disney_Dreamworks_. This chapter is sort of a filler, and yet it's so incredibly long like what. It features a flashback from Ivy's past and her walking around Notre Dame... I hope you all like it!

~~~~~~~~~~

When I was ten years old, my mother, who had been single all her life and had shifted her focus away from finding love when she adopted me, met a man at the supermarket. A hurricane was on its way towards Florida, a strong one. People were practically throwing each other out of the way to get inside the store and stock up on food and water bottles, just in case their electricity or water went out. Because of the sudden wave of customers, there had been no more shopping carts left, and my mom was left to carry her groceries with her bare hands. She must have looked terribly stressed and overwhelmed, carrying two gallons of milk, a carton of eggs, a head of lettuce and a jar of mayonnaise in her arms, desperate not to drop anything (she made sure to describe everything to me in perfect detail).

That's probably why a complete stranger rushed to her side and offered to help her carry the items. Not just any stranger- a handsome one. A tall one. He had hazel eyes that had been littered in flecks of gold and dark hair that was covered in globs and globs of gel. And she was so shocked and mesmerized by him that she dropped the eggs on the floor.

That's how every great love story should start- by dropping eggs on the ground.

He helped her with the rest of her groceries and even walked her back to her car. Over the course of a half hour, she'd found out that his name was Caleb, that he was just two years older than her, and that he was suffering from the aftermath of a divorce. His wife had, apparently, cheated on him, and was running off with a scientist.

Before departing from the store, Caleb and mom had exchanged numbers and promised that they would talk soon. After two months of weekly dates, my mother was in her first real relationship. Two months after that, I met Caleb, and had instantly declared him as the most adorable person I'd ever met. He was insanely attractive, had a way with words, and looked at my mom like she was the only thing in the universe.

"What's your favorite Disney movie?" Caleb had asked me the night that mom had first brought him home. We were eating dinner, and he was making small-talk with me, making an attempt to get to know me better.

I shrugged. "I don't have one." I stabbed my steamed carrots with my fork. "I don't really watch Disney movies."

His eyes widened almost instantly, and his mouth formed a perfect o-shape. I'll never forget that face, how comical and interesting it was to look at, because it was the first time that Caleb had actually made me laugh. Giggles poured out from the large gaps in between my teeth, and I dropped my fork in my lap. My mother giggled, too, her face growing brighter and cheeks fading into a pale redness. I hadn't seen mom giggle in years.

"We'll have to change that," Caleb declared, shaking his head dismissively. "Gosh, how can someone not have a favorite Disney movie?"

"I just don't. I watched Pinnochio and Peter Pan when I was a baby, but that's it."

"You, Ivy," Caleb said, a smile playing upon his face, "are going to adore Disney. We'll have a movie marathon one day- if it's alright with your mother." Mom's eyes widened, and she nodded, her cheekbones thrust into her eyes.