Lexi's Love & War

Chapter 10

Reading Week crept up slower than Lexi wished, but she was relieved when it finally arrived. She still remembered having to stay in New York City last year because her parents had gone off to Aruba without her. But this year, they'd offered her to join them on vacation to Cancun, Mexico. Lexi had accepted without hesitation; she was all caught up on assignments and had no tests coming up right after Reading Week, so she could take a vacation guilt-free. Her parents had arranged her flight from New York City to Cancun, and they picked her up at the airport shortly after she'd arrived.

It was the first day of Lexi's vacation when she had to endure the third degree from her parents. They were sitting in the dining room of the resort, having their first breakfast together.

"So, how's school going?" her mother asked.

"Good, thanks!" Lexi replied after she swallowed some scrambled eggs. "I'm quite ahead of my assignments, and I actually killed all my mid-terms, too! I was super worried about a couple of them, but I passed everything."

"That's great, dear!" her father exclaimed. "I'm so proud of you."

"It sounds like you're doing great," her mother chimed in.

Lexi nodded while bracing herself for what was next.

"Having said that...are you sure your degree's still going to result in a stable job?" her mother added.

"We don't mean to harp on this constantly, but we do worry," her father piped up.

"I understand, but I know I'm doing the right thing. I'll find work after I graduate," Lexi explained. "I know you're both worried, but please believe me."

Sensing some tension brewing, her mother rubbed her shoulder. "We're quite repetitive, aren't we?"

Lexi shrugged. "You're just being good parents, right?"

Her father chuckled. "We are, but I can see that our worrying is getting on your nerves."

"No, it isn't. I'm sorry if I came off that way. But I really don't know how else to explain myself. I'm confident that it'll all work out."

Her parents exchanged concerned looks but softened their expressions shortly after.

"Sorry, I hope I didn't ruin our vacation," Lexi remarked.

"You didn't, dear," her mother insisted.

"Let's enjoy ourselves, alright?" her father chirped. "We're on vacation, and you deserve it most of all."

"Thanks, Dad," Lexi replied with a small grin.

***

Over the next couple of days, Lexi did anything she could to keep her mind off school and the drama going on between her and Cassie. She worked on getting a beautiful tan, swam in the bright blue ocean, as well as a little shopping and a lot of sightseeing. She made sure to spend lots of time with her parents throughout; she'd missed them greatly, so she made sure to hang out with them as much as possible. She felt like she needed to make up for being so far away at school.

That being said, she did squeeze in some time for herself by watching the sunrise every morning. Her parents liked to sleep in, so Lexi spent each morning by the resort's pool with a coffee in hand while watching the orange-yellow sunrise. The reddish-purple sky would slowly turn into a bright shade of blue, with little to no clouds amongst the skyline. It was a lovely sight to see, and Lexi drank it in carefully to savour every moment.

Three days into her vacation, she was busy indulging in her new morning ritual once again. The pool area was empty of other guests or resort employees so early on, making it even better. Lexi stretched her legs out on her beach chair with a content grin. New York City had been dealing with cooler autumn weather for weeks, so the Mexican heat and gorgeous sun was a pleasant change.

She was so deep in thought that she almost missed her phone screen lighting up. She hadn't even scrolled through it during her time away; she'd only brought it with her out of habit. Curiosity got the better of her, however, and she grabbed it to see who had texted her. She smiled wide at her newest message.

Isaac: Hey, Lexi! Hope I'm not bugging you. Just texting to say I hope you're enjoying Reading Week. I'll see you in a few days.

Lexi: Hey! You're not bugging me...I'm just chillin' in Mexico. You could say I'm enjoying myself! LOL

Isaac: Lucky! I'm chillin' in Buffalo with my parents. Wish I was there with you. I wanna get away from the cold.

Lexi: Yeah, I definitely don't miss the NY weather. I'm already dreading having to deal with that bullshit when I come back.

Isaac: I don't blame you. Well, I'll let you get back to your vacation. Enjoy it while it lasts!

Lexi: Thanks! I hope the rest of your Reading Week goes well, too.

"Who are you texting?"

Lexi jumped out of her seat, almost dropping her phone in the process. She had to bite her lower lip to stop herself from cursing in front of her mother.

"I'm sorry, dear. I didn't mean to startle you like that."

"It's okay, Mom. I was just texting Isaac, one of my friends back at NYU."

"Is he the one who was dating the girl that hates you?"

Lexi snorted, making her mother laugh. "Yeah, that's the guy."

"I can't remember— are they still dating?"

"No, they broke up last winter."

Her mother nodded. "If you don't mind me asking, why was he texting you?"

"I don't mind you asking," Lexi responded. "Isaac and I were just talking about Reading Week. He's visiting his parents up in Buffalo, so he was a little jealous when I told him that I'm in Mexico. That's all we talked about. We'll talk more once we get back to school."

"That sounds nice," her mother remarked. She paused, deep in thought. "Have you thought about getting a boyfriend?"

Lexi choked on the last of her coffee but composed herself a moment later. "No, I haven't. Between school and work, I don't think I'd have time for one."

"Oh, please," her mother objected, "that's silly. You could make the time if you wanted to."

"I guess. Truthfully though, I'm quite indifferent about it," Lexi admitted. "I'm fine being single; but if I find a boyfriend, that's fine, too. That being said, I'm not interested in anyone right now. There aren't any cute guys at work or in my program, and I'm not interested in any of my guy friends."

Her mother carefully considered everything. "That makes sense. You don't want to just date for the sake of dating, or have a boyfriend so you're not alone. I'm glad you're independent enough to know that you don't need someone to feel complete. Does that make sense?"

"Yeah, it does. Thanks, Mom."

"Anytime, dear. Now, how about we get some breakfast? Your father should be awake by now."

Lexi nodded. "Yeah, let's go do that. Oh, and Mom? Thanks again for letting me join you and Dad here."

"You're so welcome," her mother replied.

Mother and daughter shared a brief hug before going back inside their resort for breakfast.