/// here's a little malum for your life ///

Mae: mike?

Mae: michael please talk to me

Mae: let me explain

Mae: it wasn't true none of it was true

Michael: please leave me alone

Mae: why won't you let me explain?

Michael: just stop

I swallowed the lump in my throat and I couldn't decide if I wanted to punch him in the throat or cry for 3 years. Nearly a year we've known each other and he doesn't trust me. I frowned and pulled up Ashton's name in my phone.

Mae: can we talk?

Ash: bout what?

Mae: you know what about

A few seconds later my phone started ringing.

"You have a lot of explaining to do missy."

I sighed. "I shouldn't have to explain anything. I wouldn't have to explain anything if it wasn't for my fuck ass of an ex."

Ashton sighed too. "I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say he was full of shit?"

"You've met Dylan before," I pinched the bridge of my nose and leaned into the chair I was sitting in in the backyard of my house.

"Only once," Ash mused. "But I think that was enough to get a taste of how that asshole is."

"Yeah," I mumbled, removing my glasses and rubbing my eyes. "None of it was true. Well, except he did come over the other night. He asked me if I love Michael, then we started yelling at each other and I kind of sort of... punched him in the face."

"Whoa! Go Mae!"

"I'm not proud of it but he was getting annoying," I huffed. "But I wasn't drunk. In fact I haven't had a drop of alcohol since the night you dragged me to that one party months ago."

"Hmm. I'm going to go ahead and assume that there wasn't some other guy there?"

"No," I scoffed. "And I'm so angry that Michael won't fucking talk to me! That he just fucking believes that article so easily!"

"Mae, relax," he said calmly. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath of fresh air. Relax.

"So," I cleared my throat. "Can you talk to Michael?"

"What?"

"Can you talk to him? He won't listen to me."

"No," he laughed and I frowned. "Don't drag me into your problems."

I scoffed. "You don't have to put it like that, jeez."

"Sorry, sorry," he giggled then paused for a second. "Look, I'll help you... but Mike, he needs you, not me."

"Elaborate."

"You think he's going to listen to me?"

"Well you're his best friend."

"And you're the love of his damn life," he pointed out. My face heated up. I knew Michael loved me, so why didn't he trust me?

"So what do I do? I can't figure out anything on my own, Ash. And I feel horrible," I choked on a sob. Ashton was quiet for a moment, then there was a rustling noise.

"I have to go, the boys just got here but I'll call you if I think of anything, okay?" He said and I pouted.

"Okay, thanks Ash," I said quietly.

"It'll be okay, Mae. Love you."

"Love you," I said back and hung up.

What the hell am I going to do?

I groaned, running my hands down my face in frustration. If I could just get Michael to listen to me for a few minutes everything would be fine. We could go back to how we were.

"This is so fucked," I said into my hands.

"What's fucked?"

I looked up to see my mom standing in front of me, in her scrubs, telling me she just got home from work. She offered me a small smile and sat down across from me, propping her feet up on the table that sat between us.

"Mom, oh my God," I breathed, leaning back in my chair again. "Why do I have such horrible taste in men?"

"Well," she laughed. "You do take after you mother a lot."

"Is that a blow towards dad?" I chuckled. She grinned at me.

"What'd the rock star do?" She asked, kicking off her tennis shoes.

"It wasn't Michael, really," I laughed loudly. "It was Dylan!"

"Oh Lord," my mom sighed, shaking her head. "Hold on."

She got up and headed back inside. A few minutes later she returned in a plain black tank top and some yoga pants and a beer. She sat back in her seat, sitting in her previous position.

"I need alcohol in my system if this has to do with Dylan," she muttered, taking a sip of her beer. I cracked a smile, admiring my mother's sense of humor. She pursed her lips and nodded.

"Okay," I took a deep breath and launched into the story. "Hell where do I even start... okay, I got it. Dylan, he came over the other night. He tried to get back with me and when I rejected him, well he got mad-"

"No surprise there," my mom commented.

"Mom," I groaned. She put one hand up in defense while she took another sip of beer.

"So we got into a yelling match and he started getting on my nerves and I ended up punching him in the face a little."

"Impressive," she nodded. I continued.

"So a few nights later Levi comes over bawling his eyes out cause he told dad and his mom that he's gay and I guess they freaked out, so I told him he could spend the night. He woke me up at 4 in the morning and showed me this article that he saw that was written about me. Me!"

"My baby girl is famous," she wiped a fake tear. I rolled my eyes.

"Turns out Dylan went to the fucking press, or the paps or someone and leaked some bullshit story about me."

My mom squinted her eyes. "Saying?"

I sighed, running my fingers through my hair. "Basically that I was a horrible girlfriend to him. That I cheated on him numerous times, that he proposed to me and I threw the ring in the trash?"

My mom burst out laughing and my shoulders slumped.

"It's not funny," I said meekly.

"Sorry," she tried composing herself. "I'm sorry. It's not, it's just... he's trying so hard."

"He's butthurt."

"Yes! That. It's ridiculous."

"It gets better," I mumbled. "He said that he came over the other night – which as I said, is true – but he said that I was completely shit faced and had some guy over that was begging me to come back up to my room."

My mom sipped her beer again, her eyebrows knitted together in concentration and leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees.

"So, basically he's mad because you rejected him so he's trying to come back and bite you in the ass with that?"

I nodded. "Yeah."

"Wow," she breathed. "And let me guess, Michael saw it?"

"Bingo, we have a winner," I said unenthusiastically.

"By the tone of your voice, I'm guessing it's not going down well."

I shrugged. She shook her head.

"Men," she scoffed. "So damn dumb."

"Hey! He's still my boyfriend!" I defended, then frowned. "At least I think he is. I don't know what to do."

My mom smiled and got up, coming around the table and kissing me on the forehead.

"You'll figure it out, baby. You always do."

I sighed as I watched her stroll back inside of the house, my brain attempting to go to work. And then I got it.

Grabbing my phone off of the table, I texted Ashton.

Mae: where are you guys?

Ash: la, why?

Mae: i've got an idea but i need your help

/////////

(a/n)

surprise bitch i'm updating again

fuck i'm so excited for the ending of this story y'all have no idea

don't be a silent reader my lil nipples

(apparently a lot of you get upset that i don't call u guys nipples in every update)

ps only 2 chapters left!!