Okay I am sooo sorry for the late update but I have a reason why it's late and it's actually a pretty funny story. So mid-year school break ends tomorrow, which means tomorrow the second half of year eleven for me starts. I thought this was one of the chapters I had to rewrite and I've been so stressed out preparing to go back to school that I just hadn't had time. I've been stressing out about not updating as well, and last night I made myself write most of the chapter so it could just be out of the way, but I fell asleep halfway in. This morning I finished it off and was so proud of myself for getting it done….
….only to realize this wasn't one of the chapters I'd lost and found the old chapter.
Are. You. Freaking. Kidding. Me.
*deep yoga breathes*
So yeah, I'm an idiot, that's why this chapter is late basically. Enjoy anyway!

Chapter Eleven

Mack's P.O.V "McKenzie!" Aunt Antoinette screamed from the kitchen.

I sighed and dragged myself off my bed and to my closed door, tightly clutching my letter to my chest.

I'd gotten home around 1pm after leaving Wet Side Story and relaxing on the beach for a few hours. Grandpa and Aunt Antoinette hadn't been home, having left a note taped to the front door that they were out shopping for a few "essential" items for her dinner party with all the professors, and that I was not to leave the house again once I'd come home until they had returned, which made me certain my Aunt had been the one to write the note.

Thank god she was leaving tomorrow.

However, that wasn't the only thing I'd found left on my doorstep. There were also twenty-four roses, an assortment of white, pink and red that were tied together with a light blue ribbon, which was both mine and Brady's favorite colour. Next to the flowers was a light blue envelope with my name printed in black bold letters. It wasn't another long winded plea for forgiveness from my ex-boyfriend as I was expecting, but just six short words.

OUR OLD SPOT AT MIDNIGHT –Brady

I missed Brady a whole lot more than I cared to admit, and so in an eighth of a second I knew I was going. As the note brushed my nose while I bent down to pick up the flowers, I realized it smelt strongly of the cologne I'd bought Brady last Christmas, the one I'd gotten a whiff of every time he hugged me, the one I couldn't get off my after we'd slept together, the one that earned questions from Grandpa about why I came home from Brady's place reeking of male cologne.

So I'd spent the next three hours in my room, flicking through magazines or TV channels, my mind on Brady and Brady only, and the note was pressed to my face for the full three hours. The smell reminded me of every good memory we'd ever had, allowed me to hold on to that tiny piece of hope that we would be ok in the end. Possibly obsessive, but it was the only thing that had made me a little less depressed then I had been.

"Would you come and help me prepare the food for the dinner party?" I froze.

"Wait, that's tonight?" I called back.

I heard a loud sigh and then the race of footsteps down the hall, followed by an affirmative knock on my door. Without waiting for my permission, Aunt Antoinette flung the door open and paced inside. She looked the nicest I'd seen her since she'd arrived, not dressed in black pantsuits, knee length pencil skirts or tight fitting blouses. Her white-blonde hair wasn't bundled in a uptight bun but loosely strung around her shoulder and strapless red dress that stopped just below her knees, her height elevated by a pair of black high heels. She wore bright red lipstick, layers of foundation and grey eye shadow covering eyes that were wide in shock.

"McKenzie you aren't even dressed!" She cried, looking me up and down.

All I had on was a pair of black bikinis and a thin black jacket that I'd had since I was a little girl that belonged to my mum. I wore it whenever I was upset and somehow it just made me feel like she was right there, comforting me. When I was younger it could have been a full on blanket for me, as it was big on me ever now – the sleeves were rolled up several times and the length fell all the way to my knees.

"Yeah. Because it's only 4pm." "You know I live half an hour away and the dinner party starts a five-thirty so we'll have to be there by five which means we have to leave in thirty minutes! I hope you have a solution for how you're going to get dressed that quickly."

"Simple." I said with an eye roll. "I'm not going."

"Excuse me?" She hissed. "I'm. Not. Going."

I could see a tight flicker of emotions pass over my Aunt's face as I collapsed back onto the bed, my arms protectively folded over the piece of paper.

"Dad!" Aunt Antoinette screamed. "Dad! Dad!"

There were another set of footsteps before Grandpa showed up in my doorway.

"Right. Whose being murdered?" "Would you please explain to your granddaughter the importance of tonight and that attendance is not optional?"

Grandpa sighed and shot me a tight look, which I ignored.

"Mack, what's going on?"

"I'm not going." I repeated. "Why not?"

"I have plans."

"Plans?" Aunt Antoinette shrieked. "McKenzie we've been planning this for weeks! How long have you had these plans?"

"Since 1pm this afternoon. I forgot it was on. Sorry."

"Sorry? Too bloody right you are sorry! So you'll now go and cancel your plans that surely aren't more important than this dinner."

"I really can't see how. This dinner is only to meet professors of the college I already got in to. I'm sorry but I can't bail out on my plans."

Aunt Antoinette looked like she wanted to strangle me.

"You can't bail out on this!" She screamed.

"Antoinette, you just go finish up with the food. I'll have Mack ready by four-thirty, I promise." Grandpa whispered, taking her shoulders and guiding her out of my bedroom.

Before she had time to argue he'd forced her into the hall and closed the door.

I rolled over so I wouldn't have to meet his gaze as he sat down beside me.

"Who are the flowers from?" Grandpa pointed towards the bunch of roses on my windowsill. I didn't answer him.

"Mack." Grandpa said sternly. "You can't skip out on this one."

"You can't make me go." I argued back.

"What's on that is more important?"

"Stuff." I replied bluntly. "I have plans for midnight."

"Midnight?" Grandpa relayed his surprise. "Mack you aren't the kind of girl to go out partying."

"And why the heck not?" I bit, even though what I was doing was far from partying I was in a mood to fight.

"Mack, is this some way you're trying to get over Brady?" He lowered his voice.

"No." I said quickly and defensively. "This is me being a seventeen year old girl."

"Okay ok. Look what if I take you home around 10pm? Plenty of time to get ready and go out at midnight, but if this is going to be a regular thing I'm going to have to start issuing a curfew."

I rolled over and smiled up and my dear old grandfather, the man who had raised me, who had always been there for me, whom I was so lucky to have. Legally Aunt Antoinette got custody of me when mum passed as Grandpa was considered too old to be a full term carer, but Aunt Antoinette was happy to continue to be the legal carer but let me live with Grandpa as she had her own career to focus on. I couldn't imagine how different I would have been had Aunt Antoinette raised me.

"Thankyou." I sat up, wrapping my arms around him and instantly feeling guilty for being horrible.

"You're welcome. I may have to fight Antoinette a little but I'll get you home in time. Trust me, your mother was the rebel, the one who went out until all hours of the night every weekend, who went through boyfriends like they were candies, who failed almost every subject, and she was still the good one! I never had to fight with your mother like I had to fight with her twin, just lecture her, whereas Antoinette often fought with me about your mother! About how I wasn't strict enough with her or I was letting her throw away her life or I should let her enforce the rules occasionally and see how much better things would be."

"Grandpa is this coming to a point?" I laughed.

"Yes, the point being that I'm very experienced when it comes to fighting your Aunt."

I beamed with a tiny giggle. "My friend's a teen mum. She has twin girls." I said, feeling as though it naturally came up since we were talking about Grandpa raising Aunt Antoinette and mum, who were twins, but then instantly regretting referring to Lela as a friend.

"Does she really?" Grandpa seemed quite surprised. "Well I can only wish her the best and hope she gets slightly easier to handle twins then I did."

"I don't." I said sourly. "We aren't really friends anymore. I forgot about that."

"What happened?" I looked down.

"She was the one Brady cheated on me with."

Okay lovelies please review and I apologize again for my stupidity!