[Author's Note: Thank you all for all the wonderful support from my first story involving these characters. I am excited to continue the journey of Mac and Delilah as they have more foot adventures. We are back and better than ever. Enjoy!]
Act 1 - The Black Low Top Converse
*BUZZ! BUZZ! BUZZ! BUZZ!*
"UUUGH...! Damnit..."
Pressing the alarm button on his phone, Mac wakes up from a decent night's sleep. He sees that it is 8:30 am, wiping the crust from his left eye as he finally opens both. It is a bright Saturday morning, and the sun spreads through the window blinds in the center of Mac's room. He regains full vision of his surroundings and looks around, almost reminding himself of his current whereabouts:
His old computer sits on its desk towards his left side of his bed, and he looks up to see the partially torn Eminem poster that is stapled about it on the white wall. He smirks as he looks to his right, his 32" LED flatscreen nestled neatly on his wooden food tray. Above it hangs another poster, although it is of the late wrestler Eddie Guerrero, one of Mac's favorites. Mac smiles once again as he stretches his arms out completely, sighing from his shoulder joints popping from extension: It feels really good to be back home.
It has been 3 years since he graduated from high school, and he was accepted to a university to major in music composition for the Fall semester. Over the college years, he has learned to read music notes, play chords on piano and guitar, and even got hired for video game soundtracks under independent game companies. All in all, things have been going well for the now 21-year-old Mackenzie. He has been blessed to live out his life goals so far, and he is optimistic for the future.
In the meantime, it is the start of summer, and he is excited to finally return to his hometown and relax with his family and friends. Mac reaches over on his bean-bag chair to retrieve his black tank top, and puts it on. As soon as he enters his right arm into the shirt, a knock is heard on the door.
*KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!*
"Mackenzie?" a feminine voice softly speaks behind the door. Mac looks up and smiles, saying "Hey, I'm up, Mom... come on in." The door opens, and in steps in Jessica, Mac's lovely mother, revealing her excitement to have her son back home. "Hey there, champ... good morning. How did you sleep?" she asks as she steps into his room towards his bed.
Scratching his head, Mac answers "It honestly felt kinda weird when I first laid down last night. Haha, I've gotten too used to sleeping in a bunk bed with my dorm mate." Jessica chuckles as she sits down in front of Mac, leaning in to give him a affectionate hug and kiss on the cheek. "I bet. How is your dorm mate? Jeremy is his name, right?"
"Yeah, Jeremy. He's fine. He told me he was going back to Texas for the summer. He's been a great guy so far. He doesn't like wrestling like I do, though."
Jessica laughs "Oh, dear... I bet he won't be a part of that little group of yours."
Mac laughs with her, knowing what she is referring to. "Haha, nah... I don't think the Kliq would accept him."
"Are you all getting together today?"
"Mmm-hmm, that's the plan. Just catching up mostly. But if you need me to stick around, I can just cancel andβ"
Jessica quickly shakes her head "Oh, no, not at all! We'll have our time to catch up! You enjoy your day with your friends."
Mac looks at his mother with a slight concern. "Are... are you sure, Mom...? I mean... we haven't really... talked about Dad, and Iβ"
"We will... we will... just... it's just today's not a good time...."
Mac nods, and quietly puts his head down, licking his bottom lip in a pondered gesture. Jessica brings her arm around the back of his head, and he looks back up at her. "Just know... that wasn't your fault, Macky... nothing is your fault, ok? It was... it was just his t-time."
"I know, it's just... just... I miss him, Mom... I miss Dad..."
A tear escapes her cheek, causing Jessica to tightly hug Mac, who returns the loving embrace back to his mother. "I miss him, too, sweetie... even though he died a year ago, it's still fresh to me..." Kissing her son again, she clears her throat. "But we shouldn't mourn him today. I want you to have fun. We can talk all about this tomorrow, ok?"
Mac smiles at his mother and says "Sounds good. I guess I'll go on and start getting ready for today." Jessica sobs a laugh, and says back "Same here. I'm gonna go meet your aunt for lunch later."
"Tell her hi and that I'll see her soon."
"You got it, champ. I'll let you get dressed now, sweetie. Love you lots!" she says as she gets up and heads towards his door. "Love you too, Mom! Good to be back!" Mac says to her, and she waves before closing the door.
Mac finally leaps out the bed, taking his phone with him. He heads out of his door and walks down the hallway to the restroom on his right side. Before he enters, he takes a big towel and a small towel with him to prepare for his shower. As he enters the bathroom and shuts the door, his phone vibrates, signifying that he is getting phone call. He looks at the screen, and the name "David" displays itself. Touching to accept the call, Mac brings the phone up to his ear and blurts out "What up, little bitch?!"
David's voice on the other end blurts back "HAHA, what up, cunt?! Me and the guys are about to head to the park in about 30 minutes so we can ball. You're gonna be there, yeah?"
"Sure thing, bro, just getting a shower in first."
"See? See, that is a concept I will NEVER understand. Who the fuck takes a shower BEFORE they workout? That's like me watching
Infinity War
BEFORE the first
Iron Man
movie! Why even bother?"
"Hey, just because you like to smell like rhino feces all day doesn't mean I have to, too. Haha, I just want to be fresh before I see you guys again. It's been a year since we last hung out, man."