A/N: Tess will not go after Max and she is not an alien. The alien abyss will not haunt Max and the others. At least, that's what I have planned.
Part 10
The night and next day at school went by relatively uneventfully. While Max wished he could stay and help Isabel meet Tess, he had to go to work. And to work he went. After a grueling shift, Max had been begged by Isabel to return to the apartment once again.
It was a relief to not have to worry about Hank, but he knew it wasn’t permanent. Hank would eventually notice that they weren’t returning to the trailer, and when that happened, he’d be pissed. Max knew that there was no way he’d allow Max to continue to stay with Isabel. Not when he liked making his life such a Hell.
Still, it was a relief. He wished he could stay until he turned eighteen. He hated going back to Hank’s. He hated it.
Maybe, just maybe, he’d be able to stay here. If he went into his room around the time that school ended, told Hank that he was going to bed and locked the door, and snuck out the window, he’d be able to pull it off. He doubted it.
He knocked on the door and Isabel’s bright smile greeted him. He could get used to that smile. It gave him the slightest glimmer of hope that good things did exist.
Besides Liz Parker, of course.
“Hey Max!” Isabel ushered him inside. Max saw Tess sitting at the kitchen table. Tess stood and greeted him, giving him a quick hug.
Max stood stiffly against her. He didn’t handle being touched well. Even Isabel rarely hugged him. He knew that Tess had meant it innocently, but he still didn’t like it, “Hey Iz. Hey Tess. I see that you two are getting to know each other.”
“Yeah,” Isabel laughed, “Who would’ve thought? She’s actually pretty cool.”
Tess scoffed, “Of course I am. Wish I could say the same for you.”
Max rolled his eyes at their laughter. He had a hunch that these two would get along a little too well. At least Isabel would have someone that she could really talk to. Max had always drawn a firm ‘No girl talk, I’m not your girlfriend, I’m your brother’ line.
He placed his hands in his front pockets and rocked from his heels to the balls of his feet, “So… I… uh…” He didn’t want to intrude.
“Tess and I were about to watch a movie and eat some ice cream. Care to join us?” Isabel crossed to the freezer.
Max shook his head feverishly, getting a laugh from both Tess and Isabel. Isabel laughed, “Didn’t think so. We were going to go into Tess’s room, anyway. Make yourself comfortable.” She stared at him directly in the eyes, “Get some restful sleep.”
Isabel knew that Max slept very lightly in the trailer. She also knew that he tended to stay up into all hours of the night doing his school work. But who was to blame him? He had to keep up with the work and he felt like he always needed to be on the look-out for Hank. Isabel wished she hadn’t completely frozen every time Hank got near her. She completely freaked out when he got drunk and Max was the only one who was able to keep his senses. He’d be able to get a good night’s sleep tonight, though.
He nodded and Tess smiled, “Good to see you, Max. Isabel told me that you might be staying here for a few nights to make sure everything’s good with us. I think that’s really sweet, thank you.”
Isabel hugged Max and kissed him on the cheek, “Night Max.” He immediately stiffened under her touch, making no move to return either gesture.
He muttered his goodnights and watched as they disappeared into Tess’s room and closed the door. He removed the pillow and blanket from under the couch that Isabel had provided him last night. He removed his shoes and plopped down on the couch. Isabel was right; he needed to get some good sleep.
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Isabel and Tess sat on the bed, giggling. A carton of ice cream sat between them. The movie had been completely abandoned. Tess continued her story, “Anyway, because my parents ignored me, I was always acting up. I mean, they were never home, why not try to get their attention? One time… I glued all of my socks to the floor all over the house. The nanny and the maids walked around all day, trying to pick up the socks, but none of them would come up. My parents didn’t even care.” She scoffed, “I finally got sick of it and started to complain to them. So they agreed to let me live on my own, and the best part? They’re giving me all the cash I ever need.”
She nudged Isabel in the side, “And I demand that my parents pay for all of our groceries, any outings we make together, anything on the side. Max was pretty adamant on not freeloading, but you’re just going to have to help me get back at them for a life of not knowing a parent’s love.”
At seeing Isabel’s dark expression, Tess quickly added, “Not that I did. I was really close with my nanny. She was like a mother to me.” She didn’t realize that Isabel’s darkened expression had come for two reasons.
Isabel gave a weak smile and dipped her spoon into the ice cream, “So, starting at West Roswell tomorrow?”
Tess nodded, “I’m so excited. I’ve never been to a public school before. I’ve been to a dozen private schools,” At Isabel’s puzzled face she continued, “I kept getting kicked out. My parents would just pay the next school even more money to take me. They tried a boarding school, once, but I refused to go anywhere after I walked in the door. I sat in the lobby until the administration got fed up and called my parents to take me home.”
The girls shared a laugh. Tess knew what she wanted and if she couldn’t get it, she was going to make as much commotion as possible. Isabel shrugged, “Well, public school’s not all that it’s cracked up to be. I’ll show you around, though.” Her eyes widened, “One suggestion, stay clear of Tommy Smith and his friends, they’re sleaze bags and they’re nothing but trouble.” She thought for a moment, “Oh shit, I almost forgot, if a guy asks you to go to the eraser room with them or anything to that extent, they want to get in your pants. That room’s main purpose is not for eraser cleaning.”
Tess nodded, laughing gratefully, “Yeah, thanks. I leaned my lesson once when a guy from one of my old schools asked me to go help him get some stuff out of the supply closet.” She reassured Isabel, “He got a broken nose and a sprained wrist.”
Isabel laughed with Tess again. She could tell that she was really going to like this girl.
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Isabel, Michael and the usual gang were all seated at the lunch table. Tess was still in the office getting her stuff, so Liz decided to bring up her many questions for what felt like the hundredth time, “What’s going on with Max?”
Her voice was low and serious. Isabel shot Michael a worried glance, and Michael frowned. He didn’t want to keep lying. He couldn’t. He had to keep his mouth shut. What he really needed to do was talk to someone. Maria. He was going to talk to Maria… later. And subtly.
“I make a point to not pry into Max’s life, Liz.” Isabel laughed, “I try to avoid all of that guy stuff. It’s bad enough that the two people closest to me are Michael and Max, I mean, have you seen Michael’s bedroom? It’s nauseating.”
“Isabel, you know that’s not what I’m talking about.” She listed off all of the things that she’d witnessed so far that were weird about Max.
Alex, Maria, and Kyle’s jaws fell open. None of them had realized all of the tension in the group until now. Maria looked to Michael, “What’s going on with Max?”
“I guess I’ll just… go to the library, then.” A new voice came from above them. Max’s voice. And he was stoic, as usual. He turned on the spot and walked towards an exit from the courtyard.
Michael called after him, but Max kept walking. Isabel rose to her feet and raced after him, catching up to him just as he was in the doors, “Come on, Max… just sit with us. Would it kill you?”
Max stared at her blankly, “Maybe not, but the looks that everyone would give me might. Maria talks loudly, Isabel, and I’m not dumb. Obviously you all were just having a nice chat about Head Case Max, so I won’t disrupt it, okay?”
“That’s not what we were saying! God would you just…” She ran her fingers through her hair, “Please sit with us. Liz was only asking us about you because of all of the stuff that has been going on lately, and she rattled off a list…”
“And now everyone else suspects that something’s up.” Max finished, “That’s exactly why I won’t go and sit with you. I can’t deal with it right now.”
Isabel grabbed his arm as he turned away, “Please.”
He shook his head and removed his arm from her grasp. Isabel stood there, staring at him with tears in her eyes for a few moments. Max was changing. He was withdrawing.
She walked back to the group once her eyes were cleared of the tears. Michael shook his head, “I’m guessing that didn’t go to well.”
“I didn’t know he was there…. I’m sorry.” Maria chimed in, speaking lower this time. Even she was aware that she talked very loudly.
Isabel shrugged. She decided that a change of subject was best, and was relieved when Tess appeared at her side. She stood up and exchanged a few words of greeting before turning back to the table, “Guys, this is Tess.” Everyone murmured a hello and Isabel pointed to each person in turn, “Tess, this is Michael, Maria, Liz, Kyle, and Alex.”
Tess smiled, “It’s nice to meet you all. Isabel’s been telling me stories about you.”
“What kind of stories?” Kyle snapped. Tess was… beautiful. He couldn’t take his eyes off of her. And he didn’t want any embarrassing stories ruining any chance he had with her.
“Nothing bad. It’s all good.” Tess sat next to Alex and Isabel resumed her position at the table. Tess couldn’t help but give Kyle a few side glances.
Liz smiled warmly at the new girl, “How’s your first day going so far?”
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“Michael, you don’t think that someone’s hurting Max, do you? Like his foster father?” Maria asked worriedly, walking along the park’s path while holding Michael’s hand. She led him to a bench and they both sat down. Maria leaned her head into the crook of her neck and bit her lower lip. Their lunch conversation had been replaying in her head since they’d had it that afternoon.
Michael gulped, “No.”
Maria exhaled deeply. This whole thing was still bugging her, “I couldn’t imagine what I’d do if someone was hurting Liz.”
“You don’t have any idea?” Michael’s heart lurched. He could get someone else’s opinion without giving away Max’s secret.
“Well, I don’t know. I’d get her help. She’d obviously need to be taken away from whoever was hurting her…” She mumbled, the thought of someone hurting Liz making her sick.
Michael shook his head, “But what if she begged you not to tell anyone?”
“Gosh, I don’t know… I can’t put myself into that position.” She huddled closer to Michael. “But I guess I’d just follow my heart.”
Michael sighed. Too bad his heart was being over powered by his mind and his loyalties right now.
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Tess and Isabel were quickly becoming good friends. In the twenty four hours that they’d known each other, they’d been talking almost nonstop. Isabel already felt like Tess could easily become her best friend. Tess snickered from her position on her bad as Isabel changed the channel. Isabel glared at her over her should, “What?”
“I was just thinking about all of the stares you and Alex Whitman were giving each other at lunch.” Tess replied smartly, continuing to watch the television.
Isabel blushed, unseen by Tess, “He was staring at me?”
Tess scoffed. She held Isabel’s face between her hands, “And you were staring back. You like him; he likes you, what’s the problem?”
“I…” Isabel was stumped, “I never even thought about it. I just always figured he was off-limits to me and I was off-limits to him…” Tess had a point. Now it was only a question of if she was ready to let him in… and if he was going to take the next step anytime soon.
“I’ll work my magic. You’ll have a date for Friday, trust me.” Tess rolled her eyes. This was pathetic. She hated it when two people who clearly liked each other would ignore all of the signs. Which is exactly why she planned on asking Kyle Valenti out tomorrow… unless he did it first.
They were disrupted, however, by a knock at the front door. Isabel rushed from the room first to find Max opening it. He stepped back and allowed Deputy Hansen to enter.
Hansen tipped his hat to the two girls, “Sorry to bother you, but I’ve got to take Max home. His father called, looking for you two.” He eyed Max suspiciously, “Apparently no one told him that you were moving out. The Sheriff said it’d be best if you two told him.” He stared at Isabel for a moment, “But Hank wants Max to return home.”
“Can’t he…. Can’t he just stay for the night?” Isabel’s lip quivered. Hank called the cops to get them back. Their absence had obviously gone noticed. And Max would probably pay for it.
“Afraid not. Hank was pretty adamant.” Hansen responded.
Max nodded. There was no way he was going to win this. He had to go back. His bliss had been put to an end after only two nights. He slipped on his shoes and gave Isabel a feeble, hollow smile, “Thanks, Iz… Tess. I’ll see you two at school tomorrow.”
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Hank grumbled from his spot on the couch. Max noted with a pang that he was surrounded by beer cans. Hank tried to look around Max, “Where’s the girl, you little shit? They were supposed to bring her home.”
“She’s not coming home.” Max replied cryptically.
Hank coughed, “Excuse me? Did she run from the cops and get arrested? Where the fuck were you two last night, anyway?”
“She’s not coming home,” Max continued, “Because she’s at her apartment. And that’s where we were last night. She’s living there.”
Hank rose to his feet, positively seething, “I didn’t give her permission! She’s mine! She belongs to me!”
Max shook his head, staring Hank down, “Not anymore. She turned eighteen two days ago.”
Hank backhanded Max, “And I suppose she got the money from you?”
Max merely nodded. Hank growled, “You’ll suffer for this. You’re going to wish that you’d never been found out in the desert.” It seemed like Max’s statements were finally sinking in, “I’LL KILL YOU, YOU BASTARD!”
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Max lay on his side, huddled in the corner after seemed like hours of being beat. He hoped that if he stayed still enough, Hank would just leave him alone. He hurt all over and the only thing he wanted to do was crawl into the bedroom and heal himself.
Hank spit on Max’s face before walking back to his couch, obviously satisfied with the job.
Max rose slowly to his hands and knees and began the slow, pained journey to his room just down the hall. He strained his ears to hear if Hank was making any attempt to follow him. When he reached his door, Hank’s voice floated to him, “And don’t think you’ll be able to stay with you sister. I’m having Sheriff Valenti go on call every night. If you don’t come home, I’ll call him and tell him to go out and look for the boy that lives here, the runaway. And then I’ll tell him to bring you along home as soon as he finds you. I’ll be sick with worry.” He cackled, “Things are getting worse for you, you waste of space. Just wait.”
Max closed the door behind him, a sigh of relief escaping from his lips. He raised a shaking hand and sealed it. He crawled over to his blankets on the floor. The room looked empty without Isabel’s bed and her dresser. He’d moved most of the furniture from her old room into her new room and spruced it up with his powers. All that was left were his blankets, which now sat crumpled in the corner. He somehow managed to peel off everything but his boxers before collapsing on top of the blankets, pulling the largest one he could find over himself.
He didn’t have enough strength to heal himself tonight. No, he would just have to endure the pain and get as deep of a sleep as possible.
TBC...
Confidential (M/L - Mature) a/n 5/11
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sprayadhesive
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Last edited by sprayadhesive on Sat Jan 13, 2007 12:51 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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sprayadhesive
- Addicted Roswellian
- Posts: 187
- Joined: Sun Mar 19, 2006 3:19 pm
- Location: Georgia
Part 11
“Open the door! Open this goddamned door!” Hank beat his fist into the wood. It was only an hour later and he wanted to come after Max again. Max groaned, thankful that he’d sealed the door. He hadn’t been able to fall asleep yet.
He could still feel every ache and pain. Some had gotten worse. He raised a still shaking hand to his torso and let himself heal most of the damage. Physically exhausted after that, he closed his eyes heavily.
What felt like seconds later, Max opened his eyes to the sound of his watch beeping. He looked at the time: 5:00am. He once more raised his hands over himself, attempting to heal what was left. But he couldn’t. His powers had abandoned him once more.
He groaned, knowing fully well that this would wreak havoc on his day. On top of the exhaustion, he’d have to put up with aches and pains.
He shook the worry from his head and stretched slightly before getting his books out of his book bag and setting them on his lap. He had to study for a Biology test and write an essay for English. Three hours of sleep was low, even for him.
When he finally finished, he had enough time for a shower before he had to walk to school.
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Isabel stood in front of her locker, anxiously looking up and down the hallway. She hadn’t expected Hank to call the cops last night. And anything that had happened to Max was a direct result of her begging him to stay. If she’d just let him go back, maybe he’d be okay today…
Her heart seized as Max turned the corner and headed in her direction. He attempted to walk by her, but Isabel’s arm stopped him, “Hey.”
“Hi.” He replied, not giving her direct eye contact.
She shifted her weight, “How did last night go?”
“Fine.” He looked up and down the hallway. The brief second of eye contact that was made between the two made Isabel gasp.
“Did you even sleep last night? You look exhausted…” She started, gazing at him with concern.
He shrugged, still keeping his impassiveness, “I did.” He wasn’t going to tell her just how much sleep he’d gotten. He’d gotten her out of the madness, and he intended on keeping her out of it.
She could tell that he was shutting her out, “How much? And did Hank… do anything last night? Was he mad?” She whispered, her eyes darting through the hallways for anyone listening. No one was around.
“It doesn’t matter. I’m fine, okay? I’m fine.” He replied, stepping away from her.
Isabel’s heart broke a little, “Is this how it’s going to be now? You’ll just shut me out like you shut out Michael? Like you’ve shut out everyone?”
He didn’t bother to respond. He simply turned away and made his way down the hallway.
She had to fight her tears from surfacing. Max had gotten her out, but now he was alone. He was alone and he’d never tell her what was happening there, because he’d be afraid that she’d worry.
“You okay?” A hand was placed on her shoulder.
She looked up to find Alex smiling at her, “Yeah, I’m fine. I’m just a little worried about Max, that’s all.”
Alex frowned, “Worried? About what?”
“He’s closing himself off to everyone. Now that I’ve moved out, I’m afraid he’s going to shut me out, too.”
Alex brought her into a hug, “He won’t be that stupid.”
Isabel shook her head against his shoulder, “He’ll do it. He’s already started to.”
“Isabel, I know that you guys don’t like to talk about it… but what’s going on with Max? After lunch yesterday, I’m starting to get really worried about him. He’s always tired, he never takes a break from work, he hardly hangs out with anyone… it’s not natural. There’s got to be something wrong.” Alex rubbed his hand up and down her back.
Isabel buried her head further in his shoulder, “I can’t tell you, Alex. I’m sorry.”
“Well,” He sighed, “Maybe one day you will. Maybe one day soon.” He decided to try and lighten the mood, “But hey… I was uh…” He scratched his ear nervously, “Do you want to go out tonight? Like, to the movies or something?”
Isabel removed herself from him. After a moment, she smiled, “That’d be nice. So, Mr. Whitman, is this like a date?”
“I… I was hoping so.” He stuttered. He couldn’t believe that he had just asked Isabel Guerin on a date and she said yes.
Isabel nodded, a smile playing across her lips. It really was time to let someone else get to know her.
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Max sat alone at a table at lunch. It was better this way. He wasn’t sure that anyone had actually seen him slip into this corner table of the courtyard, because they were on the opposite end. It was better this way.
He needed Isabel, Michael, and everyone to just forget about what had happened lately, but there was no way to do that. The best thing that he could do was just give everyone a wide berth so they hopefully would forget over time. A lot of time.
Maria and Liz walked by at that point, just coming out from their classes. Max couldn’t help but stare at the back of Liz’s head while she walked away. Why did she care so much? Why was she constantly asking about his wellbeing?
And to his shock, Liz turned around and stopped in mid-walk. Maria looked at her questioningly and then her eyes fell on him. She smiled knowingly to Liz before whispering a few words to her and walking away.
Max froze, feeling his cheeks heat up. Liz was still staring at him, but he was staring back. He diverted his eyes quickly.
Liz looked away at the same time. God, she’d definitely been caught staring. Maria’s encouraging words still buzzed in her head, so she took a few steps towards the table. He wasn’t running away from her. There’s a change. She stood on the opposite side of the table and smiled down at him, “Mind if I join you?”
He shook his head and she sat down, removing a brown paper bag from her school bag. She pulled out a sandwich and frowned at him, “You’re not eating anything?”
“I’m not very hungry.” He replied cryptically. He never had the time to bring a lunch to school and he didn’t want to waste money on buying lunches. He was fine grabbing a snack after school and then having a light dinner, even if it did mean fighting mild hunger pains.
Liz shrugged and ripped her sandwich in two giving him half. At first he didn’t accept it, so she took her napkin and laid the sandwich on it, pushing the setup in front of him, “You don’t have to eat it, but if you want it, it’s there.”
He muttered a thanks. She frowned at him once more, “You look exhausted, Max.”
“I’m fine, I promise.” He lied again. God how he hated lying to her. It was almost as if she could tell when he was lying, too. Her eyes darkened slightly each time before she regained her composure.
“I was wondering if maybe we could get a bite to eat tonight. You know, maybe uh… study for that Biology… or… something.” She spit out, afraid that if she hadn’t done it immediately, she’d never work up the courage.
Max was taken aback. He couldn’t have a normal life, he didn’t deserve one. And he certainly didn’t deserve to meet Liz to study, “I don’t know… I’ve got to work and…”
“You don’t have to work, Max.” She replied sharply, “I asked Isabel to call Milton about your schedule. He said that you’re still keeping your old hours, which means that you have tonight off.”
Max’s mouth gaped. He hadn’t told anyone that Milton had forbidden him from working anymore than he already was. Milton thought it was unnatural.
Liz shrugged, “I mean… if you don’t want to hang out with me, Max, you could at least tell me.” She was hurting on the inside. Why was Max so dead set against her? Why couldn’t he just give in to what they both were feeling?
“No, Liz… that’s not it.” Not want to hang out with her? Was she kidding? He’d practically worshipped her for his whole life; of course he wanted to hang out with her! But he couldn’t. He had to isolate himself to make them all slowly forget about what’d been happening. He didn’t want to turn into some walking exhibit that everyone would gawk at.
“Then I’ll see you after school. I don’t have to work or anything.” She didn’t know where this confidence was coming from, but it was necessary to get through to Max and finally make progress. Maria had Michael and, by the looks of things, Alex was getting Isabel. Why couldn’t she have Max?
He nodded, admitting defeat. Taking a whim and summoning the courage, he gulped, “Um… so do you want me to… can I walk you home after school? I’ll be heading there anyway, so…”
Liz broke out into a huge smile, “I’d love that.”
He nodded, his eyes twinkling. It was the first sign of emotion that he’d showed in front of her, save for the concerned looks he’d given her when he healed her. His stomach growled.
She pushed the sandwich towards him, “You’re hungry… eat it.”
He would’ve protested had it not been for her stern glare. He took a bite and Liz smiled to herself. They’d officially broken the ice.
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Max held his and Liz’s books as they walked into the Crashdown. The gesture didn’t go unnoticed by Maria, Alex, Michael, or Isabel who were sitting in a booth towards the front. Michael shot Isabel a nervous glance. Was Max finally letting someone in?
Michael panicked when Max leaned over to set some of the books on the far end of his and Liz’s booth. When he’d moved his arm, his shirt had lifted to reveal a bruise. Michael caught Isabel’s eye and then pointed to Max’s side. She turned just in time to see it before Max had moved again and it disappeared under his shirt.
Alex, too, had turned. His mouth fell open and he turned back to the others, “What was that from?”
Michael kicked him under the table. If Maria suspected, she’d be frantic. They needed to approach this cautiously and not with a hyperventilating Maria.
“What was what?” Maria frowned, busy picking out the best fries to eat. She hadn’t noticed the pointing and staring going on.
Alex caught Michael’s hint and fully understood, “I just thought that I saw you place a burnt fry in your ‘To Be Eaten’ pile.”
Maria frowned and examined her pile. “I don’t see any.”
“Just my eyes playing tricks, I guess.” He replied, his head swimming.
Maria looked up from her fries, “You know what? Where’re Tess and Kyle?”
“Tess told me that she forgot her books back in the History classroom…” Isabel shrugged.
Michael’s forehead furrowed. He thought for a moment and his eyes bugged, “Kyle told me that he forgot something in History…”
Maria scoffed, the true meaning of Kyle and Tess’s words coming to her, “Geeze, could that have happened any faster?”
Michael snickered, “No faster than Isabel and Alex.”
“Hey, hey, hey! We’re not sneaking off into the school after hours and making out. We’re going out on a date. It’s totally different.” Alex defended.
Isabel smiled to herself. It was unknown to anyone but her and Alex that they had spent some time in the backroom during her party talking and… doing a little more than talking.
Alex’s expression changed, however, as he thought about what he’d just seen with Max. Isabel and Michael were avoiding his gaze, so he assumed it wasn’t anything important. If they were really worried about it, wouldn’t they have said something by now?
He checked his watch and held his hand out to Isabel, “Milady, ready to go to the theater?”
Isabel laughed and nodded, taking his hand. She waved goodbye to Michael and Maria and then to Max and Liz before the two exited the building.
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Liz laughed at the way Max doused all of his food in Tabasco. He looked up at her, his eyes wide, “What?”
“It’s just… I guess I always saw Michael and Isabel doing that, but I never really processed it.” She wrinkled her nose, “It’s disgusting.”
He shrugged, “You don’t know what you’re missing.”
“Oh yeah?” Liz took a fry and shoved it in her mouth. After a second, she practically gagged. She hurriedly gulped from her cup, “I don’t think I’m missing anything, thanks.”
They’d been talking for hours about anything and everything, thoughts of school forgotten. Except for Max’s home life and childhood. Liz had noticed how he avoided the subject, but she was letting it slide for now. She enjoyed learning even this much about him.
Max didn’t think that he’d ever get to sit down with Liz Parker and talk to her like this. He’d told her so many of his personal traits, and, in turn, he’d learned so much of hers. It made him believe that maybe the relationship could work.
But he knew it couldn’t. Hank’s words and statements were constantly eating at the back of his mind, telling him that he wasn’t worthy of anything.
Liz yawned and he checked his watch, noting the time. It was getting pretty late. He smirked at Liz, “I think it’s time we bring our study date to an end. The books have been used a little too much in one night.”
She glanced over to the far side of the table, where the books were laid haphazardly. She couldn’t help but smile. Max had called it a study date. It was a date. “A date, hmm?” She teased.
His ears turned red as he blushed, “Yes, a date.”
“And wasn’t it convenient that this date happened where you didn’t have to pay?” She continued his teasing.
He frowned, “Of course I do. This was a date, Liz. The guy always pays.”
“Not when they eat at the girl’s parent’s restaurant, Max.” She smirked, getting to her feet at the same time he did.
He shrugged, “I wasn’t the one to pick the activities occurring on said date.”
She rolled her eyes and walked with him to the front of the restaurant, heading outside, “Well… today was nice. Thanks for agreeing to come.”
He sensed a little sadness in her statement and knew that she was still upset over the way he’d tried to get out of it. He lifted her chin in his hand, “Hey, look at me.” She gazed into his eyes, “Liz. I’ve wanted to do that for ages.”
“Then why haven’t you? Why have you always avoided me?” She muttered.
He pushed a strand of hair out of her face and kissed her on the cheek. He gave her a weak smile and pulled away from her. If he’d stayed any longer, he would have definitely done more than a kiss on the cheek. Before he turned away, he shrugged, “I don’t deserve it.”
And he walked away before she could say anything else.
He walked along the street, doubts flooding his mind. What could he offer Liz? Absolutely nothing. But he couldn’t hurt her with a safe friendship, could he?
His thoughts were interrupted by someone falling into step beside him.
“What do you want, Michael?” Max continued to walk.
Michael frowned, “Isabel, Alex and I saw that bruise on your side. Powers not working again?”
“Guess not.” Max replied warily.
“You’re not going back to Hank’s tonight.” Michael’s adamancy stopped Max’s walking.
Max rubbed his temples, exasperated, “Hank’s supposedly cut a deal with Valenti. If I don’t go, there’s going to be Hell to pay.
“I called my dad and he talked Hank. He didn’t take no for an answer, so Hank eventually agreed. You’re coming to my house tonight.” Michael shrugged.
Hope swelled in his chest. He didn’t have to go back tonight. He and Michael switched directions, turning towards the Evans’s home.
TBC...
“Open the door! Open this goddamned door!” Hank beat his fist into the wood. It was only an hour later and he wanted to come after Max again. Max groaned, thankful that he’d sealed the door. He hadn’t been able to fall asleep yet.
He could still feel every ache and pain. Some had gotten worse. He raised a still shaking hand to his torso and let himself heal most of the damage. Physically exhausted after that, he closed his eyes heavily.
What felt like seconds later, Max opened his eyes to the sound of his watch beeping. He looked at the time: 5:00am. He once more raised his hands over himself, attempting to heal what was left. But he couldn’t. His powers had abandoned him once more.
He groaned, knowing fully well that this would wreak havoc on his day. On top of the exhaustion, he’d have to put up with aches and pains.
He shook the worry from his head and stretched slightly before getting his books out of his book bag and setting them on his lap. He had to study for a Biology test and write an essay for English. Three hours of sleep was low, even for him.
When he finally finished, he had enough time for a shower before he had to walk to school.
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Isabel stood in front of her locker, anxiously looking up and down the hallway. She hadn’t expected Hank to call the cops last night. And anything that had happened to Max was a direct result of her begging him to stay. If she’d just let him go back, maybe he’d be okay today…
Her heart seized as Max turned the corner and headed in her direction. He attempted to walk by her, but Isabel’s arm stopped him, “Hey.”
“Hi.” He replied, not giving her direct eye contact.
She shifted her weight, “How did last night go?”
“Fine.” He looked up and down the hallway. The brief second of eye contact that was made between the two made Isabel gasp.
“Did you even sleep last night? You look exhausted…” She started, gazing at him with concern.
He shrugged, still keeping his impassiveness, “I did.” He wasn’t going to tell her just how much sleep he’d gotten. He’d gotten her out of the madness, and he intended on keeping her out of it.
She could tell that he was shutting her out, “How much? And did Hank… do anything last night? Was he mad?” She whispered, her eyes darting through the hallways for anyone listening. No one was around.
“It doesn’t matter. I’m fine, okay? I’m fine.” He replied, stepping away from her.
Isabel’s heart broke a little, “Is this how it’s going to be now? You’ll just shut me out like you shut out Michael? Like you’ve shut out everyone?”
He didn’t bother to respond. He simply turned away and made his way down the hallway.
She had to fight her tears from surfacing. Max had gotten her out, but now he was alone. He was alone and he’d never tell her what was happening there, because he’d be afraid that she’d worry.
“You okay?” A hand was placed on her shoulder.
She looked up to find Alex smiling at her, “Yeah, I’m fine. I’m just a little worried about Max, that’s all.”
Alex frowned, “Worried? About what?”
“He’s closing himself off to everyone. Now that I’ve moved out, I’m afraid he’s going to shut me out, too.”
Alex brought her into a hug, “He won’t be that stupid.”
Isabel shook her head against his shoulder, “He’ll do it. He’s already started to.”
“Isabel, I know that you guys don’t like to talk about it… but what’s going on with Max? After lunch yesterday, I’m starting to get really worried about him. He’s always tired, he never takes a break from work, he hardly hangs out with anyone… it’s not natural. There’s got to be something wrong.” Alex rubbed his hand up and down her back.
Isabel buried her head further in his shoulder, “I can’t tell you, Alex. I’m sorry.”
“Well,” He sighed, “Maybe one day you will. Maybe one day soon.” He decided to try and lighten the mood, “But hey… I was uh…” He scratched his ear nervously, “Do you want to go out tonight? Like, to the movies or something?”
Isabel removed herself from him. After a moment, she smiled, “That’d be nice. So, Mr. Whitman, is this like a date?”
“I… I was hoping so.” He stuttered. He couldn’t believe that he had just asked Isabel Guerin on a date and she said yes.
Isabel nodded, a smile playing across her lips. It really was time to let someone else get to know her.
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Max sat alone at a table at lunch. It was better this way. He wasn’t sure that anyone had actually seen him slip into this corner table of the courtyard, because they were on the opposite end. It was better this way.
He needed Isabel, Michael, and everyone to just forget about what had happened lately, but there was no way to do that. The best thing that he could do was just give everyone a wide berth so they hopefully would forget over time. A lot of time.
Maria and Liz walked by at that point, just coming out from their classes. Max couldn’t help but stare at the back of Liz’s head while she walked away. Why did she care so much? Why was she constantly asking about his wellbeing?
And to his shock, Liz turned around and stopped in mid-walk. Maria looked at her questioningly and then her eyes fell on him. She smiled knowingly to Liz before whispering a few words to her and walking away.
Max froze, feeling his cheeks heat up. Liz was still staring at him, but he was staring back. He diverted his eyes quickly.
Liz looked away at the same time. God, she’d definitely been caught staring. Maria’s encouraging words still buzzed in her head, so she took a few steps towards the table. He wasn’t running away from her. There’s a change. She stood on the opposite side of the table and smiled down at him, “Mind if I join you?”
He shook his head and she sat down, removing a brown paper bag from her school bag. She pulled out a sandwich and frowned at him, “You’re not eating anything?”
“I’m not very hungry.” He replied cryptically. He never had the time to bring a lunch to school and he didn’t want to waste money on buying lunches. He was fine grabbing a snack after school and then having a light dinner, even if it did mean fighting mild hunger pains.
Liz shrugged and ripped her sandwich in two giving him half. At first he didn’t accept it, so she took her napkin and laid the sandwich on it, pushing the setup in front of him, “You don’t have to eat it, but if you want it, it’s there.”
He muttered a thanks. She frowned at him once more, “You look exhausted, Max.”
“I’m fine, I promise.” He lied again. God how he hated lying to her. It was almost as if she could tell when he was lying, too. Her eyes darkened slightly each time before she regained her composure.
“I was wondering if maybe we could get a bite to eat tonight. You know, maybe uh… study for that Biology… or… something.” She spit out, afraid that if she hadn’t done it immediately, she’d never work up the courage.
Max was taken aback. He couldn’t have a normal life, he didn’t deserve one. And he certainly didn’t deserve to meet Liz to study, “I don’t know… I’ve got to work and…”
“You don’t have to work, Max.” She replied sharply, “I asked Isabel to call Milton about your schedule. He said that you’re still keeping your old hours, which means that you have tonight off.”
Max’s mouth gaped. He hadn’t told anyone that Milton had forbidden him from working anymore than he already was. Milton thought it was unnatural.
Liz shrugged, “I mean… if you don’t want to hang out with me, Max, you could at least tell me.” She was hurting on the inside. Why was Max so dead set against her? Why couldn’t he just give in to what they both were feeling?
“No, Liz… that’s not it.” Not want to hang out with her? Was she kidding? He’d practically worshipped her for his whole life; of course he wanted to hang out with her! But he couldn’t. He had to isolate himself to make them all slowly forget about what’d been happening. He didn’t want to turn into some walking exhibit that everyone would gawk at.
“Then I’ll see you after school. I don’t have to work or anything.” She didn’t know where this confidence was coming from, but it was necessary to get through to Max and finally make progress. Maria had Michael and, by the looks of things, Alex was getting Isabel. Why couldn’t she have Max?
He nodded, admitting defeat. Taking a whim and summoning the courage, he gulped, “Um… so do you want me to… can I walk you home after school? I’ll be heading there anyway, so…”
Liz broke out into a huge smile, “I’d love that.”
He nodded, his eyes twinkling. It was the first sign of emotion that he’d showed in front of her, save for the concerned looks he’d given her when he healed her. His stomach growled.
She pushed the sandwich towards him, “You’re hungry… eat it.”
He would’ve protested had it not been for her stern glare. He took a bite and Liz smiled to herself. They’d officially broken the ice.
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Max held his and Liz’s books as they walked into the Crashdown. The gesture didn’t go unnoticed by Maria, Alex, Michael, or Isabel who were sitting in a booth towards the front. Michael shot Isabel a nervous glance. Was Max finally letting someone in?
Michael panicked when Max leaned over to set some of the books on the far end of his and Liz’s booth. When he’d moved his arm, his shirt had lifted to reveal a bruise. Michael caught Isabel’s eye and then pointed to Max’s side. She turned just in time to see it before Max had moved again and it disappeared under his shirt.
Alex, too, had turned. His mouth fell open and he turned back to the others, “What was that from?”
Michael kicked him under the table. If Maria suspected, she’d be frantic. They needed to approach this cautiously and not with a hyperventilating Maria.
“What was what?” Maria frowned, busy picking out the best fries to eat. She hadn’t noticed the pointing and staring going on.
Alex caught Michael’s hint and fully understood, “I just thought that I saw you place a burnt fry in your ‘To Be Eaten’ pile.”
Maria frowned and examined her pile. “I don’t see any.”
“Just my eyes playing tricks, I guess.” He replied, his head swimming.
Maria looked up from her fries, “You know what? Where’re Tess and Kyle?”
“Tess told me that she forgot her books back in the History classroom…” Isabel shrugged.
Michael’s forehead furrowed. He thought for a moment and his eyes bugged, “Kyle told me that he forgot something in History…”
Maria scoffed, the true meaning of Kyle and Tess’s words coming to her, “Geeze, could that have happened any faster?”
Michael snickered, “No faster than Isabel and Alex.”
“Hey, hey, hey! We’re not sneaking off into the school after hours and making out. We’re going out on a date. It’s totally different.” Alex defended.
Isabel smiled to herself. It was unknown to anyone but her and Alex that they had spent some time in the backroom during her party talking and… doing a little more than talking.
Alex’s expression changed, however, as he thought about what he’d just seen with Max. Isabel and Michael were avoiding his gaze, so he assumed it wasn’t anything important. If they were really worried about it, wouldn’t they have said something by now?
He checked his watch and held his hand out to Isabel, “Milady, ready to go to the theater?”
Isabel laughed and nodded, taking his hand. She waved goodbye to Michael and Maria and then to Max and Liz before the two exited the building.
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Liz laughed at the way Max doused all of his food in Tabasco. He looked up at her, his eyes wide, “What?”
“It’s just… I guess I always saw Michael and Isabel doing that, but I never really processed it.” She wrinkled her nose, “It’s disgusting.”
He shrugged, “You don’t know what you’re missing.”
“Oh yeah?” Liz took a fry and shoved it in her mouth. After a second, she practically gagged. She hurriedly gulped from her cup, “I don’t think I’m missing anything, thanks.”
They’d been talking for hours about anything and everything, thoughts of school forgotten. Except for Max’s home life and childhood. Liz had noticed how he avoided the subject, but she was letting it slide for now. She enjoyed learning even this much about him.
Max didn’t think that he’d ever get to sit down with Liz Parker and talk to her like this. He’d told her so many of his personal traits, and, in turn, he’d learned so much of hers. It made him believe that maybe the relationship could work.
But he knew it couldn’t. Hank’s words and statements were constantly eating at the back of his mind, telling him that he wasn’t worthy of anything.
Liz yawned and he checked his watch, noting the time. It was getting pretty late. He smirked at Liz, “I think it’s time we bring our study date to an end. The books have been used a little too much in one night.”
She glanced over to the far side of the table, where the books were laid haphazardly. She couldn’t help but smile. Max had called it a study date. It was a date. “A date, hmm?” She teased.
His ears turned red as he blushed, “Yes, a date.”
“And wasn’t it convenient that this date happened where you didn’t have to pay?” She continued his teasing.
He frowned, “Of course I do. This was a date, Liz. The guy always pays.”
“Not when they eat at the girl’s parent’s restaurant, Max.” She smirked, getting to her feet at the same time he did.
He shrugged, “I wasn’t the one to pick the activities occurring on said date.”
She rolled her eyes and walked with him to the front of the restaurant, heading outside, “Well… today was nice. Thanks for agreeing to come.”
He sensed a little sadness in her statement and knew that she was still upset over the way he’d tried to get out of it. He lifted her chin in his hand, “Hey, look at me.” She gazed into his eyes, “Liz. I’ve wanted to do that for ages.”
“Then why haven’t you? Why have you always avoided me?” She muttered.
He pushed a strand of hair out of her face and kissed her on the cheek. He gave her a weak smile and pulled away from her. If he’d stayed any longer, he would have definitely done more than a kiss on the cheek. Before he turned away, he shrugged, “I don’t deserve it.”
And he walked away before she could say anything else.
He walked along the street, doubts flooding his mind. What could he offer Liz? Absolutely nothing. But he couldn’t hurt her with a safe friendship, could he?
His thoughts were interrupted by someone falling into step beside him.
“What do you want, Michael?” Max continued to walk.
Michael frowned, “Isabel, Alex and I saw that bruise on your side. Powers not working again?”
“Guess not.” Max replied warily.
“You’re not going back to Hank’s tonight.” Michael’s adamancy stopped Max’s walking.
Max rubbed his temples, exasperated, “Hank’s supposedly cut a deal with Valenti. If I don’t go, there’s going to be Hell to pay.
“I called my dad and he talked Hank. He didn’t take no for an answer, so Hank eventually agreed. You’re coming to my house tonight.” Michael shrugged.
Hope swelled in his chest. He didn’t have to go back tonight. He and Michael switched directions, turning towards the Evans’s home.
TBC...
Last edited by sprayadhesive on Sat Jan 13, 2007 12:53 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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sprayadhesive
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Part 12
Max had just taken bent over to grab a book from the lowest shelf of Michael’s bookcase when Phillip entered the room. His gaze immediately fell upon the bruise on Max’s side, now revealed from his awkward position.
Max could feel Phillip’s gaze on him and straightened up immediately. He turned stiffly to stare down the man. Had he seen it?
Michael’s gaze shifted from Max to Phillip. He wanted to scream at his father to do something. To make it stop.
“Michael, can you go help your mother with the computer? She’s trying to send something with Outlook and it’s not working…” Phillip made up a problem on the spot. He needed to talk to Max without Michael being present, especially after what he’d seen.
Max feebly attempted to go out of the door with Michael, but Phillip called him back, “Max? Can I have a word with you?”
Max closed his eyes and gulped heavily. He’d seen it. Phillip motioned for him to sit on the bed, so he complied. Max noticed how Phillip paced in front of him and looked very unsettled. This wasn’t good. This wasn’t good at all.
Phillip didn’t know how to start. He just blurted out words, hoping to make things easier, “When we first met, you were what? Eight? You and Michael had just been put in the same third grade class together. And Diane and I took an immediate liking to you. But we never met your foster father. Not once, in the eight years of knowing you, have we met Hank.
“And lately… lately you’ve been showing up here with bruises. Last time, Max, I could tell you were lying. There were no boys hitting on Isabel. It was something else, but you weren’t telling us what the something else was. Diane sensed it and I sensed it. But, for some unexplainable reason, you and Michael told us that it was nothing to worry about. I can’t help but worry, Max. I just saw a bruise on your side.” Max went to shake his head, but Phillip silenced him, still pacing back and forth, “I saw it, you can’t take that back. And early Michael calls me and tells me that you can’t go home tonight. He somehow convinced me to convince Hank to let you stay here for a night. And believe me, that wasn’t easy. That man wanted you to come home. It was almost scary how adamant he was. I managed to persuade him only after reminding him that he’d have the place alone tonight. And, even then, he made it absolutely clear that this was the last night you’d be able to do this… ever.
“So, I need you to be completely honest with me. I need to know if Hank or someone else is… is hurting you. Because, believe it or not, Diane and I think of you and Isabel as our own children. And when we know that one of them is getting hurt, we can’t help but wonder what’s going wrong. Is it something that we can prevent? How long has it been going on? Those things affect everyone who’s close to you, Max.”
Max thought bitterly, ‘I can’t afford to let anyone close to me.’
“I’m asking you think out of full concern for your wellbeing: Are you being mistreated by Hank?” Phillip stopped his pacing to stare down at the boy.
Max stared at Phillip’s feet, unable to answer. He wanted to get out of Hank’s grasp, he wanted it so badly. But what would happen when he did? The fear of the unknown was killing him. He couldn’t bring himself to lie, either. It just seemed wrong. After Phillip had told him that he viewed them as his own children, how could he lie to him? It was too much. So he remained silent.
Phillip’s eyes softened, “Max, you’ve got to tell me. If you tell me, Diane and I can help you. Please… tell me. Tell me anything.”
“Mr. Evans, I really appreciate the concern,” Max started, unsure of where he was going with it, “And I’m touched by what you said about Isabel and I being like your own children.” Phillip’s eyes sparkled with hope. Hope that Max immediately shot down, “But I…” He cleared his throat, “But I can’t tell you anything, I’m sorry.”
Phillip stared at him, unable to believe what he was hearing. He couldn’t tell him anything? Was someone threatening him, telling him that they’d hurt him even more if they told? He had a sneaking suspicion that that someone was Hank. And from Max’s cryptic messages, he was almost certain it was him. He’d heard rumors that Hank was a lousy drunk from the regular gossipers around town, but he never believed it. Max was a strong boy who seemed to have a level-head. He wasn’t a misfit or a trouble maker; he was just an average kid.
But he was hardened by life, more so than any adult he’d ever seen. He seemed to be wary of daily activity and he never expressed emotion. And that wasn’t average at all.
He frowned, “I’m not going to drop this just because you said that, Max. I’m going to figure out what’s going on with your life. I’ll have help, too.”
Max gulped, still looking down at Phillip's shoes. He had to remind himself why he couldn’t tell anyone what was going on. He literally had to bite his tongue to prevent himself from spilling everything. Why keep trying to contain the secret? Fear.
He was afraid that they’d take him to some hospital and run bodily fluid tests on him and find out he wasn’t human. He was afraid that he and Isabel’s means of getting discovered in the desert would resurface and people would look into it again. He was afraid to get carried to another orphanage and waste away there for another two years. He was afraid to get whisked away to another state. He was afraid of the way people would look at him after they’d found out.
He would be disgusting to them.
Another poor, pathetic child who had never known love.
Someone to be pitied.
A charity case.
“Now, do you want to tell me anything?” Phillip hoped that his answer would change.
Max shook his head. The fear was too much. Phillip hesitated for a moment before leaving the room. Max wasted no time in getting himself into Michael’s bathroom. He locked the door behind him. His face was deathly pale and he was shaking terribly. He felt like he was going to be sick.
His errors had led everyone he talked to into suspicion.
He felt the bile rise in his throat.
He stumbled to the toilet and vomited. His nerves and anxiety had gotten the better of him.
Michael had heard the vomiting as soon as he entered the room and rushed to the bathroom, unlocking it with his powers. To see Max so pale, so weak, so vulnerable, it was enough to leave Michael speechless.
Max raised a weak hand and flushed the toilet, slumping against the wall opposite it. He stared at nothing, not even aware of Michael’s presence. He seemed lost in his own mind. When he spoke, it was frail and shaking, “I can’t do this much longer. I can’t do this much longer. I can’t do this much longer.”
Michael’s voice shook him from his trance, “Then don’t do it, Max. Go tell my dad what’s been going on.”
“I CAN’T!” He screamed, “I’ve got to hold on to what I know. I’ll go crazy if I lose that.”
“What you know? All you know is Hank and Hank hitting you! Good riddance!” Michael spat.
Max shook his head, croaking, “Not him. Not that. You. And Isabel.”
“You won’t lose us, Max.” Michael’s voice softened, a lump caught in his throat. This was the most emotion that he’d ever seen from Max, and even then it wasn’t a lot. He was still holding back everything.
Max nodded his head slowly, “Yes I will. And if I don’t… you’d probably lose me.”
“What do you mean we’d lose you Max?” Michael noticed how Max’s face darkened.
“I’d go crazy if I lost you two.” He repeated, ignoring Michael’s question.
Michael looked out of the bathroom to make sure Phillip and Diane weren’t coming. He looked back to Max, “You won’t lose us. Now come out of the bathroom and lay down. You need to rest. You’re exhausted. How much sleep did you get last night, anyway?”
Max looked up to him, a hollow smile on his face, “I can’t tell you, Isabel’ll get pissed if she finds out.”
“Tell me.” Michael repeated firmly. He could tell that Max was drifting into a slumber; it was midnight after all, so that was all it took.
“Three hours.” Max mumbled out, staring intently at the ground as Michael seized him around an elbow and dragged him into the bedroom.
Michael couldn’t believe what Max had just told him, “Three hours?! When the fuck did you wake up?!”
Max pondered it, “Five.”
“What?! What could you possibly have done at five in the morning?!” Michael stopped Max from climbing in the sleeping bag.
Max took off everything but his boxers and undershirt and moved to sit in the sleeping bag, but Michael stopped him again, “Homework and studying and work.”
Michael pushed Max towards his bed, “You’re sleeping there tonight. I’m taking the sleeping bag.” Max looked like he was going to protest, “You need to get some good sleep, don’t argue with me. Why’d you get to bed at two? Isabel told me that the cops came for you at ten.”
Max shrugged, but the shrug spoke volumes to Michael. Michael gaped at Max, “He… for… four hours? And you… and he…” It was his turn to feel queasy.
“I got into my room at one and couldn’t fall asleep until two. So, that’d be three hours. Off and on.” Max replied, shocking himself with how much he was telling Michael.
“That’s not NORMAL, Max!! Why didn’t you use your powers?!”
Max grimaced, “I… I can’t work them around him. I can’t get them to work.”
Michael shook his head slowly, “You can’t do this to yourself any more, Max. I’m going to go tell my dad and we’re going to get you help.”
Max seemed to wake up a little, “If you do that, I’ll run. I’ll change my hair color, my eye color, I’ll hide and you’ll never find me. I won’t let them control my life any longer.”
Michael didn’t know what to do. He couldn’t allow Max to run away, Isabel would never be the same again. And he knew Max meant it. So he stayed in his room, “Fine. I won’t tell. For now.”
Max’s head hit the pillow and he felt himself drifting into sleep, “Don’t tell Isabel. Please don’t tell Isabel.” Without another word, he fell into a deep slumber.
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Diane rubbed Max’s arm gently, “Max, honey, wake up.”
Max’s arm withdrew from her touch sharply, as if he was panicking. He shot up in the bed, his eyes wide with fear. After a few seconds of him regaining his sense of location, he relaxed. He looked at Diane apologetically, “Sorry… bad dream.”
He’d thought that her hand had belonged to Hank. How could he have forgotten that he was at Michael’s house?
“Morning.” Diane chirped happily. She walked to the curtains and threw them open, allowing the sunlight to stream in the room.
His eyes darted to Michael’s sleeping bag, which he found empty, and then to the digital alarm clock on the night stand next to him. It was nine in the morning. He’d missed the beginning of school. Shit!
He reached for his pants and pulled them on while Diane had her back turned. She had been talking idly for the past minute while walking around the room, tidying up. Max didn’t hear any of it, though. He spoke loudly, trying to contain his anger, “Why didn’t you wake me up earlier, Mrs. Evans? I’ve already missed first period and second period’s about to start… I can’t afford to miss any school right now.”
Diane frowned and cut him off, “Haven’t you been listening to a word I’ve said?”
He blushed, “Sorry…”
“It’s okay. I was saying that your school’s been cancelled because of the heat wave. Normally it wouldn’t matter, but the air conditioner broke and so they can’t justify sending you kids into a building that’s sweltering hot. They’ve given you the day off, instead. And I don’t think they’ve found the problem, yet, you may get lucky and even have tomorrow off as well.”
Max was overjoyed. He hadn’t had any chance to work on homework last night, since he’d spent all of his free time with Liz.
Liz.
A smile spread across his face. He’d had one of the best times of his life last night, and it was all because of a few hours talking to Liz. It was something that he’d only dreamed of doing, but he’d done it. He’d gone on a date with Liz Parker.
Diane’s voice floated back into his mind, “Michael just woke up, he’s in the kitchen eating breakfast. I only woke you up because your friends were calling and they wanted to know if you two wanted to go to the lake today, so I told them that you two would call them back as soon as I woke you up.” She smiled at Max’s bewildered expression, “I was planning on letting you sleep in a tad bit more, but your sister was very persuasive.”
“Yeah, she has that affect on people.” Max gave Diane a half-smile. He pulled his shirt over his head, “I’ll just uh… go meet Michael in the kitchen and talk about today’s plans.”
Diane nodded and stared at Max’s retreating form with concern. Phillip had told her all about the conversation that occurred last night, and it didn’t sound very reassuring. Something was definitely wrong with Max. Hopefully Phillip’s meeting with the sheriff later would help them figure out what was going on.
Max walked warily down the hallway. He found a bowl and a spoon waiting for him on the table, across from where Michael was sitting. He felt Michael watching him carefully as he poured himself a bowl of Cocoa Puffs and doused it in Tabasco. But Max was intent on completely ignoring the events that occurred last night. It was one moment of weakness, nothing more. He wasn’t going to be weak again.
Michael sensed the closed-off feelings coming from Max, so he cleared his throat. Max looked up at him and Michael continued, “Isabel called. She wanted to know if we wanted to go to the lake with everyone today.”
“Everyone?” Max was trying to be inconspicuous, but Michael picked up on it.
Michael smiled, “Maria, Alex, Kyle, Tess,” He almost laughed when he saw Max’s face fall. He’d left off Liz on purpose, “and Liz.”
Max’s mood lightened considerably. He’d get to spend the day with Liz. He nodded, trying desperately to sound casual despite his racing heart, “Okay.”
Twenty minutes later, Michael and Max pulled up to the Crashdown’s front in Diane’s car, wearing their bathing suits and t-shirts. Maria and Liz were both waiting for them, and they climbed into the car with smiles on their faces. Michael turned around with a frown on his face, “Where’re Isabel and Tess?”
Maria laughed, “Isabel went with Alex and Tess went with Kyle. They’re meeting us there.”
“What?” Max’s head snapped around to look at Maria.
“…Isabel went with Alex. Tess went with Kyle.” She spoke slowly like he was dumb.
Max shook his head, “Why did Isabel go with Alex?”
“Because…” Maria had to fight from laughing, “They’re dating.”
Max’s face immediately regained its stoic expression. He set his jaw and faced to the front. Despite the attempts from the others, he remained silent. He stared unseeingly out of the windshield. After Michael’s fourth joke at the expense of Max, Max still hadn’t made any sign of hearing them.
Maria frowned, “I honestly don’t think he can hear us.” She raised her voice, “Max?”
Nothing. He didn’t even flinch. She shrugged, “How was I supposed to know he didn’t know Isabel and Alex were dating?”
“Well… he was with me all day yesterday and then he went to Michael’s. He had like no contact with Isabel whatsoever, and that’s when Alex asked her out. It makes sense.” Liz reasoned, staring at the back of Max’s head with concern.
They arrived at the lake, pulling up next to Kyle’s red convertible. Their group was the only one there; they assumed that everyone else had retreated indoors to keep cool.
The lake was on the outskirts of Fraiser Woods. The far side of the lake was bordered wit h trees. On the other side, state officials had brought in sand to create a beach area for the locals.
Max swiftly strode out of the car, ignoring everyone else’s gawks. He crossed the patch of sand that separated him from the others, who’d already set up an assortment of chairs, towels, and coolers. Isabel and Alex were both sitting on chair next to each other.
“Can I talk to you for a minute?” Max loomed over them.
Isabel shifted uncomfortably, sensing Max’s displeasure, “Yeah.”
“Not you.” He said stiffly. He pointed to Alex, “You.”
“Uh… sure.” Alex rose to his feet and followed Max a ways around the lake, far enough that they were out of everyone’s earshot.
Max paced in front of Alex. He finally stopped and stared at Alex angrily, “So, you and Isabel?”
“Yes. Me and Isabel.” Alex repeated. He was unaware that this would be the subject that they would discuss, but it made sense.
“I swear to God, Alex, if you hurt here in any way, I will kill you. I can’t let her get hurt. If I even see you looking at her wrong, I’ll come after you. She’s a very, very special girl and she deserves to be treated that way. If I ever see anything less, you’re in trouble. Do you understand?” He pointed his finger at Alex with hostility.
Alex nodded, “Max, I won’t hurt her. I really like her and I can tell that she’s special. I want to give her everything she deserves.”
“You’d better.” Max’s eyes narrowed. He remained there for a few seconds before he walked back to the group. But, to Alex’s surprise, Max changed his path halfway there and headed for the lake’s shores.
Max threw off his shirt and dove into the water, swimming far into the middle. He just needed to get away from it all. His own sister hadn’t told him that she was dating someone. Sure, that someone was Alex, someone that he knew he could trust, but still. She hadn’t told him.
She’d have boys ask her out before, but she’d never said yes. She’d shot them all down. Max liked it better that way. He didn’t have to worry about Isabel getting hurt then, but now he did. And if Alex hurt her, he wouldn’t know what hit him.
He was shaken from his thoughts by a loud screeching coming from the shore. He tried to ignore it, but the words kept getting louder, “MAXWELL GUERIN, YOU GET YOUR ASS OVER HERE RIGHT NOW!”
He tried to ignore it and went under water. Why couldn’t aliens lack the necessity to breathe? He knew that Isabel would probably be pissed for him threatening Alex. He came up to hear her still screaming for him, “DON’T YOU DARE IGNORE ME! COME HERE! COME HERE NOW!”
He swam a little, trying to blow off some steam. Isabel’s words continued to flow, “ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING TO ME?! COME HERE!!”
He realized that it wouldn’t be long before Isabel would be swimming after him, so he swam towards the shore. He climbed out of the water and stood, dripping wet, in front of her. She looked livid with him, “What the hell is wrong with you?! Who are you to go around and threaten MY boyfriend?” She blushed, “Okay, well, he’s not my boyfriend yet, but…” She shook her head, “That’s not the point. Who do you think you are?!”
“I think I’m your brother. Someone who deserves to hear that you’re going out on a date with someone from you not from a car full of people.” He spat out bitterly. Isabel usually told him everything.
Isabel’s mouth opened and closed. When she spoke, she genuinely sounded sorry, “Max, I wanted to tell you, I really did. I just never had the chance.”
Max shook his head, “You know what, Isabel? Whatever. I don’t care. It doesn’t matter. You don’t have to tell me everything that’s going on in your life anymore. You’ve got friends, good friends, who you can talk about this stuff with, like Tess and Liz and Maria... You’ve moved out now and you’ve got a new life. I’m fine with that. I had no reason to be mad at you.”
Isabel scoffed, “Yes, you did. Screw everyone else, Max, you’re my brother. You’re the one who’s always protected me. And just because I’m not living with you anymore, that doesn’t mean that I could replace you with Tess or Liz or Maria. That’s not even possible.”
“But, God, Max… death threats?” She saw the seriousness in his eyes, “I really like Alex, and I’m pretty sure he really likes me. You can’t shelter me from life forever. I’m bound to get hurt at least once.”
“I don’t want you to ever have to get hurt.” He shook his head. He’d already hurt enough for the both of them.
Isabel weakly smiled at him, “It’s life, Max. You’ve got to let me live it.”
She was right. He had to give into her, “Okay.” He allowed himself to be pulled into a hug. When Isabel let him go, he suddenly looked stern, “But that’s not going to stop me from kicking Alex’s ass if he hurts you.”
Isabel laughed. Something over her shoulder caught Max’s eye, and he looked sheepish, “I’m going to head back into the water.”
Isabel looked over her shoulder and saw Liz, Maria, and Michael heading in their direction. Isabel nodded knowingly, “Oh, running away now, are we?”
“I am not. I just want to go swimming.” Max replied indignantly.
Isabel nodded, “Sure, yeah, okay.” She waved off his protests and turned to walk back to sit by Alex.
TBC...
Max had just taken bent over to grab a book from the lowest shelf of Michael’s bookcase when Phillip entered the room. His gaze immediately fell upon the bruise on Max’s side, now revealed from his awkward position.
Max could feel Phillip’s gaze on him and straightened up immediately. He turned stiffly to stare down the man. Had he seen it?
Michael’s gaze shifted from Max to Phillip. He wanted to scream at his father to do something. To make it stop.
“Michael, can you go help your mother with the computer? She’s trying to send something with Outlook and it’s not working…” Phillip made up a problem on the spot. He needed to talk to Max without Michael being present, especially after what he’d seen.
Max feebly attempted to go out of the door with Michael, but Phillip called him back, “Max? Can I have a word with you?”
Max closed his eyes and gulped heavily. He’d seen it. Phillip motioned for him to sit on the bed, so he complied. Max noticed how Phillip paced in front of him and looked very unsettled. This wasn’t good. This wasn’t good at all.
Phillip didn’t know how to start. He just blurted out words, hoping to make things easier, “When we first met, you were what? Eight? You and Michael had just been put in the same third grade class together. And Diane and I took an immediate liking to you. But we never met your foster father. Not once, in the eight years of knowing you, have we met Hank.
“And lately… lately you’ve been showing up here with bruises. Last time, Max, I could tell you were lying. There were no boys hitting on Isabel. It was something else, but you weren’t telling us what the something else was. Diane sensed it and I sensed it. But, for some unexplainable reason, you and Michael told us that it was nothing to worry about. I can’t help but worry, Max. I just saw a bruise on your side.” Max went to shake his head, but Phillip silenced him, still pacing back and forth, “I saw it, you can’t take that back. And early Michael calls me and tells me that you can’t go home tonight. He somehow convinced me to convince Hank to let you stay here for a night. And believe me, that wasn’t easy. That man wanted you to come home. It was almost scary how adamant he was. I managed to persuade him only after reminding him that he’d have the place alone tonight. And, even then, he made it absolutely clear that this was the last night you’d be able to do this… ever.
“So, I need you to be completely honest with me. I need to know if Hank or someone else is… is hurting you. Because, believe it or not, Diane and I think of you and Isabel as our own children. And when we know that one of them is getting hurt, we can’t help but wonder what’s going wrong. Is it something that we can prevent? How long has it been going on? Those things affect everyone who’s close to you, Max.”
Max thought bitterly, ‘I can’t afford to let anyone close to me.’
“I’m asking you think out of full concern for your wellbeing: Are you being mistreated by Hank?” Phillip stopped his pacing to stare down at the boy.
Max stared at Phillip’s feet, unable to answer. He wanted to get out of Hank’s grasp, he wanted it so badly. But what would happen when he did? The fear of the unknown was killing him. He couldn’t bring himself to lie, either. It just seemed wrong. After Phillip had told him that he viewed them as his own children, how could he lie to him? It was too much. So he remained silent.
Phillip’s eyes softened, “Max, you’ve got to tell me. If you tell me, Diane and I can help you. Please… tell me. Tell me anything.”
“Mr. Evans, I really appreciate the concern,” Max started, unsure of where he was going with it, “And I’m touched by what you said about Isabel and I being like your own children.” Phillip’s eyes sparkled with hope. Hope that Max immediately shot down, “But I…” He cleared his throat, “But I can’t tell you anything, I’m sorry.”
Phillip stared at him, unable to believe what he was hearing. He couldn’t tell him anything? Was someone threatening him, telling him that they’d hurt him even more if they told? He had a sneaking suspicion that that someone was Hank. And from Max’s cryptic messages, he was almost certain it was him. He’d heard rumors that Hank was a lousy drunk from the regular gossipers around town, but he never believed it. Max was a strong boy who seemed to have a level-head. He wasn’t a misfit or a trouble maker; he was just an average kid.
But he was hardened by life, more so than any adult he’d ever seen. He seemed to be wary of daily activity and he never expressed emotion. And that wasn’t average at all.
He frowned, “I’m not going to drop this just because you said that, Max. I’m going to figure out what’s going on with your life. I’ll have help, too.”
Max gulped, still looking down at Phillip's shoes. He had to remind himself why he couldn’t tell anyone what was going on. He literally had to bite his tongue to prevent himself from spilling everything. Why keep trying to contain the secret? Fear.
He was afraid that they’d take him to some hospital and run bodily fluid tests on him and find out he wasn’t human. He was afraid that he and Isabel’s means of getting discovered in the desert would resurface and people would look into it again. He was afraid to get carried to another orphanage and waste away there for another two years. He was afraid to get whisked away to another state. He was afraid of the way people would look at him after they’d found out.
He would be disgusting to them.
Another poor, pathetic child who had never known love.
Someone to be pitied.
A charity case.
“Now, do you want to tell me anything?” Phillip hoped that his answer would change.
Max shook his head. The fear was too much. Phillip hesitated for a moment before leaving the room. Max wasted no time in getting himself into Michael’s bathroom. He locked the door behind him. His face was deathly pale and he was shaking terribly. He felt like he was going to be sick.
His errors had led everyone he talked to into suspicion.
He felt the bile rise in his throat.
He stumbled to the toilet and vomited. His nerves and anxiety had gotten the better of him.
Michael had heard the vomiting as soon as he entered the room and rushed to the bathroom, unlocking it with his powers. To see Max so pale, so weak, so vulnerable, it was enough to leave Michael speechless.
Max raised a weak hand and flushed the toilet, slumping against the wall opposite it. He stared at nothing, not even aware of Michael’s presence. He seemed lost in his own mind. When he spoke, it was frail and shaking, “I can’t do this much longer. I can’t do this much longer. I can’t do this much longer.”
Michael’s voice shook him from his trance, “Then don’t do it, Max. Go tell my dad what’s been going on.”
“I CAN’T!” He screamed, “I’ve got to hold on to what I know. I’ll go crazy if I lose that.”
“What you know? All you know is Hank and Hank hitting you! Good riddance!” Michael spat.
Max shook his head, croaking, “Not him. Not that. You. And Isabel.”
“You won’t lose us, Max.” Michael’s voice softened, a lump caught in his throat. This was the most emotion that he’d ever seen from Max, and even then it wasn’t a lot. He was still holding back everything.
Max nodded his head slowly, “Yes I will. And if I don’t… you’d probably lose me.”
“What do you mean we’d lose you Max?” Michael noticed how Max’s face darkened.
“I’d go crazy if I lost you two.” He repeated, ignoring Michael’s question.
Michael looked out of the bathroom to make sure Phillip and Diane weren’t coming. He looked back to Max, “You won’t lose us. Now come out of the bathroom and lay down. You need to rest. You’re exhausted. How much sleep did you get last night, anyway?”
Max looked up to him, a hollow smile on his face, “I can’t tell you, Isabel’ll get pissed if she finds out.”
“Tell me.” Michael repeated firmly. He could tell that Max was drifting into a slumber; it was midnight after all, so that was all it took.
“Three hours.” Max mumbled out, staring intently at the ground as Michael seized him around an elbow and dragged him into the bedroom.
Michael couldn’t believe what Max had just told him, “Three hours?! When the fuck did you wake up?!”
Max pondered it, “Five.”
“What?! What could you possibly have done at five in the morning?!” Michael stopped Max from climbing in the sleeping bag.
Max took off everything but his boxers and undershirt and moved to sit in the sleeping bag, but Michael stopped him again, “Homework and studying and work.”
Michael pushed Max towards his bed, “You’re sleeping there tonight. I’m taking the sleeping bag.” Max looked like he was going to protest, “You need to get some good sleep, don’t argue with me. Why’d you get to bed at two? Isabel told me that the cops came for you at ten.”
Max shrugged, but the shrug spoke volumes to Michael. Michael gaped at Max, “He… for… four hours? And you… and he…” It was his turn to feel queasy.
“I got into my room at one and couldn’t fall asleep until two. So, that’d be three hours. Off and on.” Max replied, shocking himself with how much he was telling Michael.
“That’s not NORMAL, Max!! Why didn’t you use your powers?!”
Max grimaced, “I… I can’t work them around him. I can’t get them to work.”
Michael shook his head slowly, “You can’t do this to yourself any more, Max. I’m going to go tell my dad and we’re going to get you help.”
Max seemed to wake up a little, “If you do that, I’ll run. I’ll change my hair color, my eye color, I’ll hide and you’ll never find me. I won’t let them control my life any longer.”
Michael didn’t know what to do. He couldn’t allow Max to run away, Isabel would never be the same again. And he knew Max meant it. So he stayed in his room, “Fine. I won’t tell. For now.”
Max’s head hit the pillow and he felt himself drifting into sleep, “Don’t tell Isabel. Please don’t tell Isabel.” Without another word, he fell into a deep slumber.
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Diane rubbed Max’s arm gently, “Max, honey, wake up.”
Max’s arm withdrew from her touch sharply, as if he was panicking. He shot up in the bed, his eyes wide with fear. After a few seconds of him regaining his sense of location, he relaxed. He looked at Diane apologetically, “Sorry… bad dream.”
He’d thought that her hand had belonged to Hank. How could he have forgotten that he was at Michael’s house?
“Morning.” Diane chirped happily. She walked to the curtains and threw them open, allowing the sunlight to stream in the room.
His eyes darted to Michael’s sleeping bag, which he found empty, and then to the digital alarm clock on the night stand next to him. It was nine in the morning. He’d missed the beginning of school. Shit!
He reached for his pants and pulled them on while Diane had her back turned. She had been talking idly for the past minute while walking around the room, tidying up. Max didn’t hear any of it, though. He spoke loudly, trying to contain his anger, “Why didn’t you wake me up earlier, Mrs. Evans? I’ve already missed first period and second period’s about to start… I can’t afford to miss any school right now.”
Diane frowned and cut him off, “Haven’t you been listening to a word I’ve said?”
He blushed, “Sorry…”
“It’s okay. I was saying that your school’s been cancelled because of the heat wave. Normally it wouldn’t matter, but the air conditioner broke and so they can’t justify sending you kids into a building that’s sweltering hot. They’ve given you the day off, instead. And I don’t think they’ve found the problem, yet, you may get lucky and even have tomorrow off as well.”
Max was overjoyed. He hadn’t had any chance to work on homework last night, since he’d spent all of his free time with Liz.
Liz.
A smile spread across his face. He’d had one of the best times of his life last night, and it was all because of a few hours talking to Liz. It was something that he’d only dreamed of doing, but he’d done it. He’d gone on a date with Liz Parker.
Diane’s voice floated back into his mind, “Michael just woke up, he’s in the kitchen eating breakfast. I only woke you up because your friends were calling and they wanted to know if you two wanted to go to the lake today, so I told them that you two would call them back as soon as I woke you up.” She smiled at Max’s bewildered expression, “I was planning on letting you sleep in a tad bit more, but your sister was very persuasive.”
“Yeah, she has that affect on people.” Max gave Diane a half-smile. He pulled his shirt over his head, “I’ll just uh… go meet Michael in the kitchen and talk about today’s plans.”
Diane nodded and stared at Max’s retreating form with concern. Phillip had told her all about the conversation that occurred last night, and it didn’t sound very reassuring. Something was definitely wrong with Max. Hopefully Phillip’s meeting with the sheriff later would help them figure out what was going on.
Max walked warily down the hallway. He found a bowl and a spoon waiting for him on the table, across from where Michael was sitting. He felt Michael watching him carefully as he poured himself a bowl of Cocoa Puffs and doused it in Tabasco. But Max was intent on completely ignoring the events that occurred last night. It was one moment of weakness, nothing more. He wasn’t going to be weak again.
Michael sensed the closed-off feelings coming from Max, so he cleared his throat. Max looked up at him and Michael continued, “Isabel called. She wanted to know if we wanted to go to the lake with everyone today.”
“Everyone?” Max was trying to be inconspicuous, but Michael picked up on it.
Michael smiled, “Maria, Alex, Kyle, Tess,” He almost laughed when he saw Max’s face fall. He’d left off Liz on purpose, “and Liz.”
Max’s mood lightened considerably. He’d get to spend the day with Liz. He nodded, trying desperately to sound casual despite his racing heart, “Okay.”
Twenty minutes later, Michael and Max pulled up to the Crashdown’s front in Diane’s car, wearing their bathing suits and t-shirts. Maria and Liz were both waiting for them, and they climbed into the car with smiles on their faces. Michael turned around with a frown on his face, “Where’re Isabel and Tess?”
Maria laughed, “Isabel went with Alex and Tess went with Kyle. They’re meeting us there.”
“What?” Max’s head snapped around to look at Maria.
“…Isabel went with Alex. Tess went with Kyle.” She spoke slowly like he was dumb.
Max shook his head, “Why did Isabel go with Alex?”
“Because…” Maria had to fight from laughing, “They’re dating.”
Max’s face immediately regained its stoic expression. He set his jaw and faced to the front. Despite the attempts from the others, he remained silent. He stared unseeingly out of the windshield. After Michael’s fourth joke at the expense of Max, Max still hadn’t made any sign of hearing them.
Maria frowned, “I honestly don’t think he can hear us.” She raised her voice, “Max?”
Nothing. He didn’t even flinch. She shrugged, “How was I supposed to know he didn’t know Isabel and Alex were dating?”
“Well… he was with me all day yesterday and then he went to Michael’s. He had like no contact with Isabel whatsoever, and that’s when Alex asked her out. It makes sense.” Liz reasoned, staring at the back of Max’s head with concern.
They arrived at the lake, pulling up next to Kyle’s red convertible. Their group was the only one there; they assumed that everyone else had retreated indoors to keep cool.
The lake was on the outskirts of Fraiser Woods. The far side of the lake was bordered wit h trees. On the other side, state officials had brought in sand to create a beach area for the locals.
Max swiftly strode out of the car, ignoring everyone else’s gawks. He crossed the patch of sand that separated him from the others, who’d already set up an assortment of chairs, towels, and coolers. Isabel and Alex were both sitting on chair next to each other.
“Can I talk to you for a minute?” Max loomed over them.
Isabel shifted uncomfortably, sensing Max’s displeasure, “Yeah.”
“Not you.” He said stiffly. He pointed to Alex, “You.”
“Uh… sure.” Alex rose to his feet and followed Max a ways around the lake, far enough that they were out of everyone’s earshot.
Max paced in front of Alex. He finally stopped and stared at Alex angrily, “So, you and Isabel?”
“Yes. Me and Isabel.” Alex repeated. He was unaware that this would be the subject that they would discuss, but it made sense.
“I swear to God, Alex, if you hurt here in any way, I will kill you. I can’t let her get hurt. If I even see you looking at her wrong, I’ll come after you. She’s a very, very special girl and she deserves to be treated that way. If I ever see anything less, you’re in trouble. Do you understand?” He pointed his finger at Alex with hostility.
Alex nodded, “Max, I won’t hurt her. I really like her and I can tell that she’s special. I want to give her everything she deserves.”
“You’d better.” Max’s eyes narrowed. He remained there for a few seconds before he walked back to the group. But, to Alex’s surprise, Max changed his path halfway there and headed for the lake’s shores.
Max threw off his shirt and dove into the water, swimming far into the middle. He just needed to get away from it all. His own sister hadn’t told him that she was dating someone. Sure, that someone was Alex, someone that he knew he could trust, but still. She hadn’t told him.
She’d have boys ask her out before, but she’d never said yes. She’d shot them all down. Max liked it better that way. He didn’t have to worry about Isabel getting hurt then, but now he did. And if Alex hurt her, he wouldn’t know what hit him.
He was shaken from his thoughts by a loud screeching coming from the shore. He tried to ignore it, but the words kept getting louder, “MAXWELL GUERIN, YOU GET YOUR ASS OVER HERE RIGHT NOW!”
He tried to ignore it and went under water. Why couldn’t aliens lack the necessity to breathe? He knew that Isabel would probably be pissed for him threatening Alex. He came up to hear her still screaming for him, “DON’T YOU DARE IGNORE ME! COME HERE! COME HERE NOW!”
He swam a little, trying to blow off some steam. Isabel’s words continued to flow, “ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING TO ME?! COME HERE!!”
He realized that it wouldn’t be long before Isabel would be swimming after him, so he swam towards the shore. He climbed out of the water and stood, dripping wet, in front of her. She looked livid with him, “What the hell is wrong with you?! Who are you to go around and threaten MY boyfriend?” She blushed, “Okay, well, he’s not my boyfriend yet, but…” She shook her head, “That’s not the point. Who do you think you are?!”
“I think I’m your brother. Someone who deserves to hear that you’re going out on a date with someone from you not from a car full of people.” He spat out bitterly. Isabel usually told him everything.
Isabel’s mouth opened and closed. When she spoke, she genuinely sounded sorry, “Max, I wanted to tell you, I really did. I just never had the chance.”
Max shook his head, “You know what, Isabel? Whatever. I don’t care. It doesn’t matter. You don’t have to tell me everything that’s going on in your life anymore. You’ve got friends, good friends, who you can talk about this stuff with, like Tess and Liz and Maria... You’ve moved out now and you’ve got a new life. I’m fine with that. I had no reason to be mad at you.”
Isabel scoffed, “Yes, you did. Screw everyone else, Max, you’re my brother. You’re the one who’s always protected me. And just because I’m not living with you anymore, that doesn’t mean that I could replace you with Tess or Liz or Maria. That’s not even possible.”
“But, God, Max… death threats?” She saw the seriousness in his eyes, “I really like Alex, and I’m pretty sure he really likes me. You can’t shelter me from life forever. I’m bound to get hurt at least once.”
“I don’t want you to ever have to get hurt.” He shook his head. He’d already hurt enough for the both of them.
Isabel weakly smiled at him, “It’s life, Max. You’ve got to let me live it.”
She was right. He had to give into her, “Okay.” He allowed himself to be pulled into a hug. When Isabel let him go, he suddenly looked stern, “But that’s not going to stop me from kicking Alex’s ass if he hurts you.”
Isabel laughed. Something over her shoulder caught Max’s eye, and he looked sheepish, “I’m going to head back into the water.”
Isabel looked over her shoulder and saw Liz, Maria, and Michael heading in their direction. Isabel nodded knowingly, “Oh, running away now, are we?”
“I am not. I just want to go swimming.” Max replied indignantly.
Isabel nodded, “Sure, yeah, okay.” She waved off his protests and turned to walk back to sit by Alex.
TBC...
Last edited by sprayadhesive on Sat Jan 13, 2007 12:53 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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sprayadhesive
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Part 13
Liz walked down to the water’s edge, having already stripped off her clothes. She tested the water’s temperature with her toe before walking slowly into the water. When she reached a point where the water was touching just above her knees, she dove forward and under the water’s surface.
She’d kept her eyes closed, but somehow she could sense where Max was located. She swam into his general direction before resurfacing.
When she had seen him without his shirt on earlier, she was speechless. He was more gorgeous than she had ever imagined. But there was a large bruise on his side, slightly fading, that she couldn’t ignore. It was even more proof for her that something wasn’t right in the life of Max Evans.
And it made her more determined than ever to fix it.
But she knew that Max wasn’t having a good day. Confronting him over something that he didn’t want to talk about would only push him further away. She would save that argument for another time.
“Nice day.” She commented. Max nodded in response. The two treaded water in silence.
Max hung his head in shame. He’d been angry with Isabel for not telling him about the date, so he took it out on Alex. He knew that Alex would never willingly hurt Isabel, but he had ignored it. He had threatened to hurt Alex. He was no better than Hank.
Liz could tell that something was really bothering Max, “What is it?”
“Nothing.” His voice was just above a whisper. Why had he reacted that way, anyway? Was it some sort of latent anger that roared at Alex upon the first thing that went wrong with his plans? Why wasn’t he able to control it? He was no better than Hank.
He shook his head forcefully to rid himself of any more thoughts of his similarities to Hank. He would apologize to Alex later and that would be the end of it. But he would still be no better than Hank.
He was shocked, however, when a wave of water sprayed him in the face. Liz was looking around guiltily, even throwing in a whistle for affect. Max made to splash her back, but she was already taking off, swimming deeper into the lake.
Liz turned around to face Max at the center of the lake. She couldn’t see him anywhere. She scanned the waters and the shore. There was no Max to be found. She was beginning to get worried when something grabbed her shoulder. She shrieked, turning around abruptly.
It was the first time that Liz had ever seen Max smile a real smile. A smile that reached his eyes. And he laughed. He actually laughed. It was such a beautiful thing. How had she gone her entire life without hearing it?
Liz couldn’t help but smile at the sight. She wished with all of her being that she would always remember the moment.
But seconds after it started, it stopped. Grinning evilly and thinking only about bringing the amazing smile and laugh back, Liz darted forwards, dunking him under the water.
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“Who is that?” Isabel’s head popped up. She’d heard someone laughing, but she couldn’t place the sound with a face.
The group scanned the waters for the source of the unfamiliar noise.
Michael’s mouth gaped, “It’s… Max. He’s laughing.” He looked directly at Isabel, “Max is laughing. And smiling.”
Isabel was equally as shocked. She’d never heard Max really laugh before, never seen him really smile. They were always empty gestures that he offered people to humor others, not genuine. Yet, there he was with Liz, really laughing and smiling. It made Isabel’s heart swell with hope. Maybe, just maybe, Liz Parker would be the person to break down Max’s walls.
Michael shook his head in disbelief as Liz lunged at Max, pushing him beneath the water’s surface. He too thought only of a bright future as Max dragged Liz beneath the water with him. Nothing but optimism was on his mind as Max and Liz chased each other around the lake, splashing whenever they got the chance.
Seeing that Tess and Kyle had gone for a walk down the beach, Isabel raised an eyebrow in Michael’s direction, “Convenient that the air conditioning broke at school this morning, isn’t it?”
Michael shook his head slowly, “He needed a break. I couldn’t let him go to school today. He’s pushing himself too hard.”
Maria’s head popped up from her laying-position on the towel, “YOU broke the air conditioner?!” She smiled, “Thanks, Spaceboy. I had a test today.”
“I still want to know what’s going on with Max. You two keep avoiding everyone’s questions.” Alex reminded them.
Michael ignored Alex completely, “Yeah, but I don’t think I can do it again tomorrow. It’d be too suspicious.”
Isabel nodded, “Speaking of suspicious… You never did tell me how much sleep he got two nights ago.”
Michael pondered for a moment, “I promised him that I wouldn’t tell you, Isabel.” He suddenly realized something, “But I will tell Maria that he got three hours of sleep. You’ll have to get it out of her.”
Maria rolled her eyes and played along, “Max got three hours of sleep, Isabel.”
“Three hours?!” Isabel gaped, “Michael, we’ve got to do something. I won’t just sit around anymore. It’s gone on for far too long. How did we get through ten years of this?!”
“Ten years of WHAT?!” Alex raised his voice.
Michael ignored Alex again, “He… he said that if we told anyone, he’d run. He’d run and never look back and that would be the end of it.”
“What’re we going to do?” Isabel asked hopelessly.
“We’ll think of something.” Michael replied. He wasn’t going to stand for much more of this, “Soon.”
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Max and Liz stayed out of the group for most of the morning. After swimming to near-exhaustion in the lake, they collapsed together on the shore, feet away from the lapping water.
They lay still for a few minutes, just enjoying the sunlight and the other’s presence. Max had never been this happy. He hadn’t smiled or laughed since he left the lake’s waters. Liz feared that those laughs and smiles were going to be the only ones that she’d ever see. She needed to get to the bottom of Max’s problems and she needed to do it soon.
Max placed his hands behind his head and closed his eyes, turning his face to the sky. This, surely, was paradise. He had no worries or fears here. He could relax and enjoy life.
Liz prodded him playfully in the arm. He opened his closest eye to look at her. God, she was gorgeous. Her black halter bikini had come as a complete shock to him. He’d forgotten that she’d be wearing a bathing suit, not her Crashdown uniform or a pair of jeans and a shirt, today. It was a nice surprise.
Liz giggled at Max’s one-eyed look, “They’ve got lunch ready. Are you hungry?”
He shook his head earnestly. He just wanted to feel the sunshine on his skin and enjoy the moment. It was the first time he’d really enjoyed anything.
Liz, however, had other thoughts. She took his hand in hers and attempted to drag him to her feet. When he put all of his weight in the opposite direction, she groaned, “C’mon, Max! You’ve been out in the sun all day and I’m almost positive you didn’t put any sun screen on. Let’s get out of the sun for a while. We can go sit under some trees or something, eat lunch…”
“‘We’ meaning?” He inquired, still lying on the sand.
Liz smiled lightly, “I was thinking me and you.” Her grin grew, “But, ya know, if you want to spend the rest of the day with Michael, don’t let me stand in the way.”
Max shook his head and laughed, getting onto his feet. He followed Liz down the beach and towards the others. Everyone was positioned around the blanket in couples. Alex and Isabel sat on one side with Maria and Michael opposite them. Tess and Kyle were seated across from the empty spot, which was left for Max and Liz.
Michael looked up when the pair reached them, “Nice of you two to join us.”
Max rolled his eyes and took a seat. He noticed how close Liz sat next to him and the way his fingers itched to hold hers.
A pair of sandwiches, two bags of chips, two juice boxes, and a couple of chocolate chip cookies were set in front of them. Liz eyed Isabel, laughing, “I feel like I’m in elementary school.”
Isabel shrugged, “It’s practical and easy.”
Liz shrugged and grabbed her and Max’s food, getting back onto her feet. Max followed her lead.
Michael frowned, “Where’re you two going?”
“To go talk.” Liz frowned back at Michael.
Maria laughed, “You’ve been talking all day. Actually, I think you’ve talked more than I’ve talked all day, Liz. Oh geeze, this is scary.”
“Shut up, Maria. We want to talk some more.” Liz turned on her heel, leaving Max to wave hesitantly before he, too, took off after her.
Max spoke quietly, his stoic manner returning, “They’re not very happy with us.”
“They’ll get over it.” Liz shrugged. She stopped walking when they had reached a picnic table shaded by massive trees in an area set way back from the lake.
They sat in silence for a few minutes, each chewing their own food. Liz glanced up at Max, only to find him staring out into the trees.
She cleared her throat softly to get his attention, “What do you like to do for fun, Max?”
“What do you mean?” He was taken aback. No one had ever really asked him that before, and he hadn’t given much thought to it, either. He’d always just tagged along with Isabel and Michael, or, more presently, their circle of friends. He’d rarely ever done anything to satisfy himself.
“What do you do when you’re not working or at school?” She questioned, not allowing the subject to be dropped.
Max gave her a hollow smile, “I sleep and eat, make sure Isabel’s sleeping and eating. Check up on Michael.”
Liz shook her head, “That’s not something you do for fun, Max. That’s something that you do because your morals don’t allow otherwise. It’s inevitable.”
He pondered this for a moment, “I like stories. Books, movies, television shows, plays, any kind of stories. Something that will just let me enter another world for any brief amount of time. Books are my favorite, though.” He took a bite of his cookie, “I rarely get the time to read. Mostly I stick to the school’s assigned booklist. It’s the only thing that I ever have the time to read, or the energy to read, for that matter.” His eyes glossed over for his next statement, “I wish I could read more than that. I love it.”
“Why can’t you read more, Max?” Liz pressed him.
He shook his head, his features darkening, “I don’t have time, Liz. I just don’t have time.”
Liz strategically changed the subject, “My mom’s coming home in a few days. She’s been off visiting my aunt and my dad’s just left town to go pick her up. He’s going to stay with them for a bit and they’ll be back in a week.”
“That’s… cool.” Max’s eyebrows furrowed, “Do you like staying home alone? I mean… will you be okay all by yourself?”
Liz smiled slightly, “I should be fine. Maria will probably be checking in on me once every hour on the hour, anyway.”
Max nodded, “That’s good.”
“MAX! LIZ! C’mon! We’re going to go play some volleyball!” Maria’s loud voice rang out through the trees.
Liz laughed, “I guess we’re missed.”
“Yeah. We should go.” Max was anxious to get out from under Liz’s piercing stares.
The rest of the day passed without further questions concerning Max. Everyone was able to relax and have a good time, but Max never cracked a smile or laughed again.
They were splitting up in the parking lot, now. Max shifted restlessly as everyone made plans to meet back at Isabel and Tess’s for pizza and a movie.
Isabel eyed Max, “What’s wrong?”
“I’ve got to get to the trailer, Iz. I can’t go back to your place.” He whispered, unsure if he wanted everyone to overhear this.
Isabel sighed, defeated, “Fine.”
Max took a step or two backwards, “I’ll just walk. It’ll only take like twenty minutes or so. Not too bad.”
“Max, c’mon, we’ll just drop you off.” Isabel whined.
“Iz, no. I’m just going to walk.” He didn’t want everyone to see where he lived. Sure, it was enough to talk about it, but for them to actually see it?
Max ignored the rest of Isabel’s protests and waved to the others, who were standing a few feet away from the pair, watching them intently. Everyone looked slightly perplexed, but they waved back anyway.
Isabel hugged Max, noting how he still didn’t make a move to return it, “Be safe, Max. Don’t let it get too bad. Use your powers if you have to.”
Max shook his head. No one understood that his powers were coming and going. When he was around Hank, they were mostly going.
Isabel interpreted his headshake correctly, “Oh God. Please try to stay safe, Max. Stay out of his reach.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow, Iz.” He whispered, before turning and walking away.
A voice, however, stopped him. Liz’s hand wrapped around his arm and turned him to face her, “Where’re you going?”
“Home.” Max hated using that word. Hank and the trailer weren’t his home. He didn’t know what was.
Everyone had scattered and it was just the two standing there. Liz nodded solemnly, “Oh. I was hoping that we’d be able to, you know, hang out some more. Or something.”
They were both swept into the moment. Each giving in to their urges, Liz lifted her chin and Max lowered his head. Just before their lips brushed, Max pulled back, “No, Liz, we can’t do this. We can’t be more than just friends.”
“Why?” Liz demanded, slightly angry. “Michael and Maria. Isabel and Alex. Why not us?”
“We just can’t.” He didn’t allow himself to be pulled back to her this time. He continued walking, unwilling to look back. It would hurt too much.
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Isabel and Michael were fairly certain that everyone was sleeping. Since they all had school the next morning, they didn’t see the problem with everyone spending the night at Isabel and Tess’s place. Stealing a moment, they slipped into Isabel’s bedroom. Michael leaned heavily against the door and Isabel collapsed onto the bed. Michael growled, “Did you see him today with Liz?”
“Yeah. He was happy. Showing emotion.” Isabel murmured out. “But Liz told me that he totally rejected her right before he left.”
Michael shook his head, “He’s going to keep trying to push us away. The only way we’re going to get through to him is to force him into doing things. Normal things.”
Michael remembered something, “My dad saw his bruise. He wanted to talk to Max alone after he saw it, but I never figured out what they said. My dad wasn’t too happy about it afterwards.”
“You mean he knows about Hank? This is good news, Michael. Why do you look worried?” Isabel scratched at her forehead before folding her hands in her lap.
“I don’t know. It’s just like he’s a totally different element that we can’t really predict. Who knows what my dad will do now that he suspects Hank. It could be dangerous.” He frowned, trying to think of a way out of this.
Isabel shook her head, “Nothing could be more dangerous than how he’s living right now. And he told me that his powers don’t work around Hank. They haven’t been working at all lately.”
On the other side of the door, Liz’s insides froze. What was there to know about Hank? How did it tie in with Max’s injuries? The only conclusion was enough to make her queasy.
But she couldn’t just go blazing into the police station with accusations. First she needed proof. And it would be a delicate, tedious task. She didn’t want to pry too much, and at the same time she didn’t want to push the issue to the back of her mind. She was playing with fire.
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Phillip Evans walked into the sheriff’s station looking rather grim. Jim Valenti’s secretary automatically ushered Phillip into Jim’s office.
Jim stood up when Phillip entered and the men shook hands. Jim smiled, “How can I help you, Phillip?”
Phillip got right down to it, “I’m worried about Max Guerin, Jim. He’s been coming to my house lately, sometimes late at night. Then, last night, he bent over and I saw a bruise on his side. I know that normally you can’t look into these kinds of things without hard evidence, but I was wondering if you could look into it.”
“Did you ask him about it?” Jim frowned. This was touchy stuff and Roswell was a small town. Things like this rarely happened here.
Phillip nodded, “He denied it, but I think that he’s lying. I think he’s scared of what would happen if he admitted to it.”
“Without any evidence, Phillip, you don’t have a case. You, of all people, should know that.” Jim tapped his fingers on his desk in thought.
“Jim, the kid could be in serious trouble. If I’m correct, and I’m ninety-nine percent sure I am, he could be in serious trouble staying with Hank.”
Jim nodded, “I know, but we still have no evidence. Knowing Hank, he’d probably have a fit if we went in there with accusations and no proof. And if you are right and we did that, then who knows how Max would suffer for it. We need to build a hard case before we can attempt to get Max taken away from Hank, especially if Max isn’t going to support our theories.
“I must admit that ever since Hank came to me and asked us to return Max to him if we ever saw him out after dark, I’ve been a little suspicious. At first I thought it was because of Max’s recent suspension and because he’s always been so withdrawn, but then I wondered if it was because of Hank. That man scares me. He’s a drunk. That’s all there is to it.
“Know that I’m on your side, Phillip. I’ll keep my eyes and ears open. I’ll ask around. Hell, I’ll even ask Kyle. It wouldn’t hurt for you to ask Michael about it, either. We’ll get to the bottom of this. I swear we will.”
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Max’s long-sleeved shirts and jeans in the midst of the heat wave did nothing to settle Liz’s suspicions. Max was making it pretty clear that he didn’t want to talk to her. Every time Liz turned his way or said something, he would just ignore it completely. It had been a few weeks since the lake and Max was slipping further away.
She was upset about it. Whatever mysterious reason there was for them not to be a ‘them’, why was it affecting their friendship, too? She deserved a better explanation and he wasn’t giving her one. She was growing angry with him.
The teacher was handing back their tests that they took two days ago. Mrs. Scott cleared her throat and spoke as she passed them back, “The grades were fairly decent this time, an improvement for most of you. However, some people seem to be taking their ‘A’ averages for granted and may find their ‘A’s soon slipping to ‘B’s or even ‘C’s if they don’t take the time needed to study.”
She laid Max and Liz’s papers face-down in front of them. Liz was content with the 95 that she’d received on the test. She had studied hard for it and it seemed like the studying had paid off. Max, however, stuffed his test hurriedly into his backpack. Mrs. Scott came up behind Max and whispered into his ear. It was loud enough for Liz to hear, “I’m worried about your grades, Max. Would you mind meeting with me after school today to discuss what’s been distracting you? You’re a straight-A student and I would hate to see that screwed up. And it wouldn’t hurt to turn in some homework once in a while. You’ve missed the last couple of assignments.”
Max nodded. For the rest of the class, he avoided Liz’s gaze and questioning looks. Liz couldn’t understand what was causing the slip in Max’s grades. From what Isabel had told her, the only way she and Max were going to be able to get to college was through scholarships. Liz didn’t think that he was sabotaging his future on purpose. What was preventing him from doing his homework and studying?
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He was exhausted. Lately he’d been getting virtually no sleep, and Max felt like he was going to pass out at any minute. His mood didn’t improve when he went into the locker room for gym.
He’d barely talked to anyone in the past few weeks. It was easier to avoid them than to answer questions about his health and sleeping patterns. It didn’t help, either, that Liz always looked so hurt by his words.
He had to tell her that they couldn’t be together. She was everything that he ever wanted, but he couldn’t accept that. He didn’t deserve her perfection. She was too good for him, and she would hopefully figure that out very soon.
Max didn’t notice his gym teacher walk up behind him when he took his shirt off. After he’d pulled his gym shirt over his head, he was tapped on the shoulder. Mr. Jones frowned at Max as he turned around, “Max, where’d you get that bruise on your back? It’s pretty large. You know that I have to ask, it’s school policy, so you may as well tell me.”
“It’s nothing, Coach. Michael and I were goofing around and I bumped into a corner.”
The coach frowned, not quite sure he believed Max’s story. He made a mental note to report it to the principal.
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Max was tired. He was tired from the seven hour shift that he started immediately after school and just finished. He was tired of avoiding everyone. He was tired of school. He was tired of going home every night only to be put through Hell.
Ever since Isabel had left, Hank had become incredibly worse. But Max had fought hard to keep the changes a secret, and so far no one had caught on that things were shifting. If they caught on, there would be exposure. And he wouldn’t risk that. He could make it through two more years of this. Maybe.
He wasn’t going to avoid Hank, either. Hank had made it pretty clear that he would have people come after Max if he attempted to stay out of the trailer at night. Max wasn’t going to test this threat. The more trouble he caused, the more attention would be drawn to him.
So he walked to the trailer, taking a deep breath before opening up the door. Stepping inside, he spotted Hank immediately.
Hank was asleep on the couch, but several beer cans were littered around him. Max stood, frozen to the spot. Hank started to rustle and Max knew that he had to leave. With the amount of alcohol Hank had already consumed, it wouldn’t be good news.
He turned and ran out of the trailer.
He ran until his limbs ached for him to stop and his breath was coming in short, shallow pants. His temporary safety did nothing to assure him. He ran and Hank would most likely send someone out looking for him. Except, something in his mind was telling him that he didn’t care.
Every one of Hank’s words and names that he’d ever called Max were right. He was always right. Max was nothing.
He didn’t care if the cops would come after him. He didn’t care what kind of a fit Hank would throw. It had been a month since the lake and he didn’t know if he could take much more of Hank.
He had to go somewhere. Where? He would have to think about that.
TBC...
Liz walked down to the water’s edge, having already stripped off her clothes. She tested the water’s temperature with her toe before walking slowly into the water. When she reached a point where the water was touching just above her knees, she dove forward and under the water’s surface.
She’d kept her eyes closed, but somehow she could sense where Max was located. She swam into his general direction before resurfacing.
When she had seen him without his shirt on earlier, she was speechless. He was more gorgeous than she had ever imagined. But there was a large bruise on his side, slightly fading, that she couldn’t ignore. It was even more proof for her that something wasn’t right in the life of Max Evans.
And it made her more determined than ever to fix it.
But she knew that Max wasn’t having a good day. Confronting him over something that he didn’t want to talk about would only push him further away. She would save that argument for another time.
“Nice day.” She commented. Max nodded in response. The two treaded water in silence.
Max hung his head in shame. He’d been angry with Isabel for not telling him about the date, so he took it out on Alex. He knew that Alex would never willingly hurt Isabel, but he had ignored it. He had threatened to hurt Alex. He was no better than Hank.
Liz could tell that something was really bothering Max, “What is it?”
“Nothing.” His voice was just above a whisper. Why had he reacted that way, anyway? Was it some sort of latent anger that roared at Alex upon the first thing that went wrong with his plans? Why wasn’t he able to control it? He was no better than Hank.
He shook his head forcefully to rid himself of any more thoughts of his similarities to Hank. He would apologize to Alex later and that would be the end of it. But he would still be no better than Hank.
He was shocked, however, when a wave of water sprayed him in the face. Liz was looking around guiltily, even throwing in a whistle for affect. Max made to splash her back, but she was already taking off, swimming deeper into the lake.
Liz turned around to face Max at the center of the lake. She couldn’t see him anywhere. She scanned the waters and the shore. There was no Max to be found. She was beginning to get worried when something grabbed her shoulder. She shrieked, turning around abruptly.
It was the first time that Liz had ever seen Max smile a real smile. A smile that reached his eyes. And he laughed. He actually laughed. It was such a beautiful thing. How had she gone her entire life without hearing it?
Liz couldn’t help but smile at the sight. She wished with all of her being that she would always remember the moment.
But seconds after it started, it stopped. Grinning evilly and thinking only about bringing the amazing smile and laugh back, Liz darted forwards, dunking him under the water.
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“Who is that?” Isabel’s head popped up. She’d heard someone laughing, but she couldn’t place the sound with a face.
The group scanned the waters for the source of the unfamiliar noise.
Michael’s mouth gaped, “It’s… Max. He’s laughing.” He looked directly at Isabel, “Max is laughing. And smiling.”
Isabel was equally as shocked. She’d never heard Max really laugh before, never seen him really smile. They were always empty gestures that he offered people to humor others, not genuine. Yet, there he was with Liz, really laughing and smiling. It made Isabel’s heart swell with hope. Maybe, just maybe, Liz Parker would be the person to break down Max’s walls.
Michael shook his head in disbelief as Liz lunged at Max, pushing him beneath the water’s surface. He too thought only of a bright future as Max dragged Liz beneath the water with him. Nothing but optimism was on his mind as Max and Liz chased each other around the lake, splashing whenever they got the chance.
Seeing that Tess and Kyle had gone for a walk down the beach, Isabel raised an eyebrow in Michael’s direction, “Convenient that the air conditioning broke at school this morning, isn’t it?”
Michael shook his head slowly, “He needed a break. I couldn’t let him go to school today. He’s pushing himself too hard.”
Maria’s head popped up from her laying-position on the towel, “YOU broke the air conditioner?!” She smiled, “Thanks, Spaceboy. I had a test today.”
“I still want to know what’s going on with Max. You two keep avoiding everyone’s questions.” Alex reminded them.
Michael ignored Alex completely, “Yeah, but I don’t think I can do it again tomorrow. It’d be too suspicious.”
Isabel nodded, “Speaking of suspicious… You never did tell me how much sleep he got two nights ago.”
Michael pondered for a moment, “I promised him that I wouldn’t tell you, Isabel.” He suddenly realized something, “But I will tell Maria that he got three hours of sleep. You’ll have to get it out of her.”
Maria rolled her eyes and played along, “Max got three hours of sleep, Isabel.”
“Three hours?!” Isabel gaped, “Michael, we’ve got to do something. I won’t just sit around anymore. It’s gone on for far too long. How did we get through ten years of this?!”
“Ten years of WHAT?!” Alex raised his voice.
Michael ignored Alex again, “He… he said that if we told anyone, he’d run. He’d run and never look back and that would be the end of it.”
“What’re we going to do?” Isabel asked hopelessly.
“We’ll think of something.” Michael replied. He wasn’t going to stand for much more of this, “Soon.”
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Max and Liz stayed out of the group for most of the morning. After swimming to near-exhaustion in the lake, they collapsed together on the shore, feet away from the lapping water.
They lay still for a few minutes, just enjoying the sunlight and the other’s presence. Max had never been this happy. He hadn’t smiled or laughed since he left the lake’s waters. Liz feared that those laughs and smiles were going to be the only ones that she’d ever see. She needed to get to the bottom of Max’s problems and she needed to do it soon.
Max placed his hands behind his head and closed his eyes, turning his face to the sky. This, surely, was paradise. He had no worries or fears here. He could relax and enjoy life.
Liz prodded him playfully in the arm. He opened his closest eye to look at her. God, she was gorgeous. Her black halter bikini had come as a complete shock to him. He’d forgotten that she’d be wearing a bathing suit, not her Crashdown uniform or a pair of jeans and a shirt, today. It was a nice surprise.
Liz giggled at Max’s one-eyed look, “They’ve got lunch ready. Are you hungry?”
He shook his head earnestly. He just wanted to feel the sunshine on his skin and enjoy the moment. It was the first time he’d really enjoyed anything.
Liz, however, had other thoughts. She took his hand in hers and attempted to drag him to her feet. When he put all of his weight in the opposite direction, she groaned, “C’mon, Max! You’ve been out in the sun all day and I’m almost positive you didn’t put any sun screen on. Let’s get out of the sun for a while. We can go sit under some trees or something, eat lunch…”
“‘We’ meaning?” He inquired, still lying on the sand.
Liz smiled lightly, “I was thinking me and you.” Her grin grew, “But, ya know, if you want to spend the rest of the day with Michael, don’t let me stand in the way.”
Max shook his head and laughed, getting onto his feet. He followed Liz down the beach and towards the others. Everyone was positioned around the blanket in couples. Alex and Isabel sat on one side with Maria and Michael opposite them. Tess and Kyle were seated across from the empty spot, which was left for Max and Liz.
Michael looked up when the pair reached them, “Nice of you two to join us.”
Max rolled his eyes and took a seat. He noticed how close Liz sat next to him and the way his fingers itched to hold hers.
A pair of sandwiches, two bags of chips, two juice boxes, and a couple of chocolate chip cookies were set in front of them. Liz eyed Isabel, laughing, “I feel like I’m in elementary school.”
Isabel shrugged, “It’s practical and easy.”
Liz shrugged and grabbed her and Max’s food, getting back onto her feet. Max followed her lead.
Michael frowned, “Where’re you two going?”
“To go talk.” Liz frowned back at Michael.
Maria laughed, “You’ve been talking all day. Actually, I think you’ve talked more than I’ve talked all day, Liz. Oh geeze, this is scary.”
“Shut up, Maria. We want to talk some more.” Liz turned on her heel, leaving Max to wave hesitantly before he, too, took off after her.
Max spoke quietly, his stoic manner returning, “They’re not very happy with us.”
“They’ll get over it.” Liz shrugged. She stopped walking when they had reached a picnic table shaded by massive trees in an area set way back from the lake.
They sat in silence for a few minutes, each chewing their own food. Liz glanced up at Max, only to find him staring out into the trees.
She cleared her throat softly to get his attention, “What do you like to do for fun, Max?”
“What do you mean?” He was taken aback. No one had ever really asked him that before, and he hadn’t given much thought to it, either. He’d always just tagged along with Isabel and Michael, or, more presently, their circle of friends. He’d rarely ever done anything to satisfy himself.
“What do you do when you’re not working or at school?” She questioned, not allowing the subject to be dropped.
Max gave her a hollow smile, “I sleep and eat, make sure Isabel’s sleeping and eating. Check up on Michael.”
Liz shook her head, “That’s not something you do for fun, Max. That’s something that you do because your morals don’t allow otherwise. It’s inevitable.”
He pondered this for a moment, “I like stories. Books, movies, television shows, plays, any kind of stories. Something that will just let me enter another world for any brief amount of time. Books are my favorite, though.” He took a bite of his cookie, “I rarely get the time to read. Mostly I stick to the school’s assigned booklist. It’s the only thing that I ever have the time to read, or the energy to read, for that matter.” His eyes glossed over for his next statement, “I wish I could read more than that. I love it.”
“Why can’t you read more, Max?” Liz pressed him.
He shook his head, his features darkening, “I don’t have time, Liz. I just don’t have time.”
Liz strategically changed the subject, “My mom’s coming home in a few days. She’s been off visiting my aunt and my dad’s just left town to go pick her up. He’s going to stay with them for a bit and they’ll be back in a week.”
“That’s… cool.” Max’s eyebrows furrowed, “Do you like staying home alone? I mean… will you be okay all by yourself?”
Liz smiled slightly, “I should be fine. Maria will probably be checking in on me once every hour on the hour, anyway.”
Max nodded, “That’s good.”
“MAX! LIZ! C’mon! We’re going to go play some volleyball!” Maria’s loud voice rang out through the trees.
Liz laughed, “I guess we’re missed.”
“Yeah. We should go.” Max was anxious to get out from under Liz’s piercing stares.
The rest of the day passed without further questions concerning Max. Everyone was able to relax and have a good time, but Max never cracked a smile or laughed again.
They were splitting up in the parking lot, now. Max shifted restlessly as everyone made plans to meet back at Isabel and Tess’s for pizza and a movie.
Isabel eyed Max, “What’s wrong?”
“I’ve got to get to the trailer, Iz. I can’t go back to your place.” He whispered, unsure if he wanted everyone to overhear this.
Isabel sighed, defeated, “Fine.”
Max took a step or two backwards, “I’ll just walk. It’ll only take like twenty minutes or so. Not too bad.”
“Max, c’mon, we’ll just drop you off.” Isabel whined.
“Iz, no. I’m just going to walk.” He didn’t want everyone to see where he lived. Sure, it was enough to talk about it, but for them to actually see it?
Max ignored the rest of Isabel’s protests and waved to the others, who were standing a few feet away from the pair, watching them intently. Everyone looked slightly perplexed, but they waved back anyway.
Isabel hugged Max, noting how he still didn’t make a move to return it, “Be safe, Max. Don’t let it get too bad. Use your powers if you have to.”
Max shook his head. No one understood that his powers were coming and going. When he was around Hank, they were mostly going.
Isabel interpreted his headshake correctly, “Oh God. Please try to stay safe, Max. Stay out of his reach.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow, Iz.” He whispered, before turning and walking away.
A voice, however, stopped him. Liz’s hand wrapped around his arm and turned him to face her, “Where’re you going?”
“Home.” Max hated using that word. Hank and the trailer weren’t his home. He didn’t know what was.
Everyone had scattered and it was just the two standing there. Liz nodded solemnly, “Oh. I was hoping that we’d be able to, you know, hang out some more. Or something.”
They were both swept into the moment. Each giving in to their urges, Liz lifted her chin and Max lowered his head. Just before their lips brushed, Max pulled back, “No, Liz, we can’t do this. We can’t be more than just friends.”
“Why?” Liz demanded, slightly angry. “Michael and Maria. Isabel and Alex. Why not us?”
“We just can’t.” He didn’t allow himself to be pulled back to her this time. He continued walking, unwilling to look back. It would hurt too much.
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Isabel and Michael were fairly certain that everyone was sleeping. Since they all had school the next morning, they didn’t see the problem with everyone spending the night at Isabel and Tess’s place. Stealing a moment, they slipped into Isabel’s bedroom. Michael leaned heavily against the door and Isabel collapsed onto the bed. Michael growled, “Did you see him today with Liz?”
“Yeah. He was happy. Showing emotion.” Isabel murmured out. “But Liz told me that he totally rejected her right before he left.”
Michael shook his head, “He’s going to keep trying to push us away. The only way we’re going to get through to him is to force him into doing things. Normal things.”
Michael remembered something, “My dad saw his bruise. He wanted to talk to Max alone after he saw it, but I never figured out what they said. My dad wasn’t too happy about it afterwards.”
“You mean he knows about Hank? This is good news, Michael. Why do you look worried?” Isabel scratched at her forehead before folding her hands in her lap.
“I don’t know. It’s just like he’s a totally different element that we can’t really predict. Who knows what my dad will do now that he suspects Hank. It could be dangerous.” He frowned, trying to think of a way out of this.
Isabel shook her head, “Nothing could be more dangerous than how he’s living right now. And he told me that his powers don’t work around Hank. They haven’t been working at all lately.”
On the other side of the door, Liz’s insides froze. What was there to know about Hank? How did it tie in with Max’s injuries? The only conclusion was enough to make her queasy.
But she couldn’t just go blazing into the police station with accusations. First she needed proof. And it would be a delicate, tedious task. She didn’t want to pry too much, and at the same time she didn’t want to push the issue to the back of her mind. She was playing with fire.
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Phillip Evans walked into the sheriff’s station looking rather grim. Jim Valenti’s secretary automatically ushered Phillip into Jim’s office.
Jim stood up when Phillip entered and the men shook hands. Jim smiled, “How can I help you, Phillip?”
Phillip got right down to it, “I’m worried about Max Guerin, Jim. He’s been coming to my house lately, sometimes late at night. Then, last night, he bent over and I saw a bruise on his side. I know that normally you can’t look into these kinds of things without hard evidence, but I was wondering if you could look into it.”
“Did you ask him about it?” Jim frowned. This was touchy stuff and Roswell was a small town. Things like this rarely happened here.
Phillip nodded, “He denied it, but I think that he’s lying. I think he’s scared of what would happen if he admitted to it.”
“Without any evidence, Phillip, you don’t have a case. You, of all people, should know that.” Jim tapped his fingers on his desk in thought.
“Jim, the kid could be in serious trouble. If I’m correct, and I’m ninety-nine percent sure I am, he could be in serious trouble staying with Hank.”
Jim nodded, “I know, but we still have no evidence. Knowing Hank, he’d probably have a fit if we went in there with accusations and no proof. And if you are right and we did that, then who knows how Max would suffer for it. We need to build a hard case before we can attempt to get Max taken away from Hank, especially if Max isn’t going to support our theories.
“I must admit that ever since Hank came to me and asked us to return Max to him if we ever saw him out after dark, I’ve been a little suspicious. At first I thought it was because of Max’s recent suspension and because he’s always been so withdrawn, but then I wondered if it was because of Hank. That man scares me. He’s a drunk. That’s all there is to it.
“Know that I’m on your side, Phillip. I’ll keep my eyes and ears open. I’ll ask around. Hell, I’ll even ask Kyle. It wouldn’t hurt for you to ask Michael about it, either. We’ll get to the bottom of this. I swear we will.”
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Max’s long-sleeved shirts and jeans in the midst of the heat wave did nothing to settle Liz’s suspicions. Max was making it pretty clear that he didn’t want to talk to her. Every time Liz turned his way or said something, he would just ignore it completely. It had been a few weeks since the lake and Max was slipping further away.
She was upset about it. Whatever mysterious reason there was for them not to be a ‘them’, why was it affecting their friendship, too? She deserved a better explanation and he wasn’t giving her one. She was growing angry with him.
The teacher was handing back their tests that they took two days ago. Mrs. Scott cleared her throat and spoke as she passed them back, “The grades were fairly decent this time, an improvement for most of you. However, some people seem to be taking their ‘A’ averages for granted and may find their ‘A’s soon slipping to ‘B’s or even ‘C’s if they don’t take the time needed to study.”
She laid Max and Liz’s papers face-down in front of them. Liz was content with the 95 that she’d received on the test. She had studied hard for it and it seemed like the studying had paid off. Max, however, stuffed his test hurriedly into his backpack. Mrs. Scott came up behind Max and whispered into his ear. It was loud enough for Liz to hear, “I’m worried about your grades, Max. Would you mind meeting with me after school today to discuss what’s been distracting you? You’re a straight-A student and I would hate to see that screwed up. And it wouldn’t hurt to turn in some homework once in a while. You’ve missed the last couple of assignments.”
Max nodded. For the rest of the class, he avoided Liz’s gaze and questioning looks. Liz couldn’t understand what was causing the slip in Max’s grades. From what Isabel had told her, the only way she and Max were going to be able to get to college was through scholarships. Liz didn’t think that he was sabotaging his future on purpose. What was preventing him from doing his homework and studying?
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He was exhausted. Lately he’d been getting virtually no sleep, and Max felt like he was going to pass out at any minute. His mood didn’t improve when he went into the locker room for gym.
He’d barely talked to anyone in the past few weeks. It was easier to avoid them than to answer questions about his health and sleeping patterns. It didn’t help, either, that Liz always looked so hurt by his words.
He had to tell her that they couldn’t be together. She was everything that he ever wanted, but he couldn’t accept that. He didn’t deserve her perfection. She was too good for him, and she would hopefully figure that out very soon.
Max didn’t notice his gym teacher walk up behind him when he took his shirt off. After he’d pulled his gym shirt over his head, he was tapped on the shoulder. Mr. Jones frowned at Max as he turned around, “Max, where’d you get that bruise on your back? It’s pretty large. You know that I have to ask, it’s school policy, so you may as well tell me.”
“It’s nothing, Coach. Michael and I were goofing around and I bumped into a corner.”
The coach frowned, not quite sure he believed Max’s story. He made a mental note to report it to the principal.
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Max was tired. He was tired from the seven hour shift that he started immediately after school and just finished. He was tired of avoiding everyone. He was tired of school. He was tired of going home every night only to be put through Hell.
Ever since Isabel had left, Hank had become incredibly worse. But Max had fought hard to keep the changes a secret, and so far no one had caught on that things were shifting. If they caught on, there would be exposure. And he wouldn’t risk that. He could make it through two more years of this. Maybe.
He wasn’t going to avoid Hank, either. Hank had made it pretty clear that he would have people come after Max if he attempted to stay out of the trailer at night. Max wasn’t going to test this threat. The more trouble he caused, the more attention would be drawn to him.
So he walked to the trailer, taking a deep breath before opening up the door. Stepping inside, he spotted Hank immediately.
Hank was asleep on the couch, but several beer cans were littered around him. Max stood, frozen to the spot. Hank started to rustle and Max knew that he had to leave. With the amount of alcohol Hank had already consumed, it wouldn’t be good news.
He turned and ran out of the trailer.
He ran until his limbs ached for him to stop and his breath was coming in short, shallow pants. His temporary safety did nothing to assure him. He ran and Hank would most likely send someone out looking for him. Except, something in his mind was telling him that he didn’t care.
Every one of Hank’s words and names that he’d ever called Max were right. He was always right. Max was nothing.
He didn’t care if the cops would come after him. He didn’t care what kind of a fit Hank would throw. It had been a month since the lake and he didn’t know if he could take much more of Hank.
He had to go somewhere. Where? He would have to think about that.
TBC...
Last edited by sprayadhesive on Sat Jan 13, 2007 12:55 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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sprayadhesive
- Addicted Roswellian
- Posts: 187
- Joined: Sun Mar 19, 2006 3:19 pm
- Location: Georgia
WARNING: This part includes graphic description as told by a character.
Part 14
He couldn’t bring himself to go back to the trailer, not yet. He had to get away from it, if not for just a few hours. He couldn’t go to Isabel’s, either. She would just call Michael and the two of them would hassle him all night.
But most of all, he was losing his hope. He was losing any hope of ever having Liz, ever being normal, ever being… whole. And he was okay with that. He’d accepted that he was a nothing – something rather than someone.
How I wish I could surrender my soul;
Shed the clothes that become my skin;
See the liar that burns within my needing.
How I wish I'd chosen darkness from cold.
How I wish I had screamed out loud,
Instead I've found no meaning.
As he made his way down a street, the clouds opened above him and a roar of sound emitted. Seconds after, rain started pouring down. He and his soul were lost. Lost, in all senses of the word. And at this point, nothing or no one could give him direction. There was no point.
His feet brought him to a place that he’d never expected to go. And before he even knew what he was doing, he was standing on her balcony. What was he thinking? He didn’t even deserve to be standing up here.
He was frozen in place. Liz was sitting on her bed, reading something out loud. Even in her camisole and flannel pajama pants, she was still the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen in his life. He had to go, had to get out of here. He didn’t deserve to be standing here, looking at her.
Before his body would comply with his brain, Liz looked up. She hurried over to the window, throwing it open and screaming over the roar of the rain, “Get inside, are you crazy?!”
He didn’t want to go. He didn’t deserve her. But, at the moment, his heart was controlling his motions. He walked hesitantly to the window, pausing just before he could crouch down. Liz waved him in once more, so he bent down and complied. He looked down on his feet, “I’m getting your carpet wet… I’ll just go back outside…”
“No, stop.” She gave him a weak smile, “I’ll get you a towel.”
She returned seconds later with a white, fluffy towel. He took it to dry his face and hair, and dabbed at any soaking piece of clothing. She gave him another weak smile, “It’s midnight, what’re you doing here?” It was more of an innocent tone than accusatory.
“I… just needed to get out.” He replied, hoping that he was being rather vague. Liz saw through it. After what she’d heard a month ago, she knew that something was up with Max. And she was going to find out what that was. This was her big break.
“Max, tell me that what I overheard Michael and Isabel talking about the other week isn’t true. Tell me what’s going on or I’m going to Valenti and telling him what I heard.” Liz closed the door to her room, locking it behind her. She didn’t really know why she did it; her parents were in Hondo for the night, anyway.
He shook his head, “What’re you talking about?” His stomach cringed. Liz knew something. She knew something because his supposed family couldn’t keep their mouths shut.
She screamed at him, sick of the lies, “Don’t pretend like you don’t know what I’m talking about!!”
He shrugged, “I don’t.”
“Fine. Then I’m going to the sheriff. And I’ll tell him what I suspect.” She turned around and wrapped her hand around the doorknob.
He practically jumped out of his skin, “No! Don’t!”
She turned to him with her lips pursed, “Give me one good reason why.”
“You’ll destroy my world.” He whispered. Panic and fear were mingling in his eyes.
She moved over to him, “Max, why can’t you just tell me what’s going on?! Why can’t you tell me why we can’t be together?!”
“Because.” It was simple, yet it spoke volumes to her.
She walked to the door, “Fine. Bye.”
He called out to her once more, “No!”
“Max, tell me what happens to you!” She screamed at him once more, a frustrated tear slipping down her face. She turned around to face him, surprised to find his angry expression.
“NO!” He screamed back, unable to control his temper.
“Yes!”
He had to protect his world. If they told the sheriff, he’d have nothing. He’d lose everyone. He’d lose everything. “Damn it, Liz! This isn’t your place! You don’t control everything!”
She flinched at his words, “Maybe not, but I can control this.” She turned and unlocked the door, but he grabbed her wrist fiercely, spinning her around. She cried out in pain, “Max! Let go of my wrist! You’re hurting me!”
He didn’t seem to take notice, “You don’t know what you’re talking about! God, Liz, would you just stay out of this?!”
“No. Not when I think someone’s hurting you.” Her voice trembled and another tear threatened to fall down her cheek.
“No one’s hurting me!” He shouted, pulling her by the arm and forcing her to sit down on the bed. He walked back to her door, carefully positioning himself to block her from leaving. The towel lay forgotten by the window.
“I don’t believe you, Max.” Her voice was filled with emotion, “If no one’s hurting you, why do you keep coming to school with bruises and cigarette burns? Why did I overhear a conversation between Michael and Isabel, who’re worried for your safety, discussing why you can’t use your powers?” She broke out into a sob, burying her face in her hands.
He walked over to her, hesitantly placing an arm around her. His voice softened considerably, “Please don’t cry.”
His shaking hand rose to her cheek, wiping a tear away uncertainly, “I don’t want you to cry for me, Liz. Not now, not ever. Nothing’s wrong, I promise.”
She raised her head unexpectedly, tears streaming down on her face. Her eyes seemed to focus on one thing, but before he could pull his hand away, Liz had seized it.
She studied the fresh, angry blue and purple bruise that covered most of his palm before turning to him with a surprising fierceness to her voice, “Nothing’s wrong, Max?! NOTHING’S WRONG?! IS THIS NOT WRONG?!”
“I’m not discussing this with you.” He jerked his hand away from her. How was he so stupid? He’d never be able to do anything right in his life. Never.
“Then I hope you’re ready to discuss it with the cops.” She rose to her feet and began crossing the room again.
A spark of energy surged through the room, sending a chunk of ceiling crumbling down to the floor. Liz looked back at Max with wide eyes, whom looked just as shocked, “I thought your powers didn’t work.”
“They don’t… they didn’t… I don’t think that I can control them.” He needed to find something to keep her from leaving, but this was trying his patience. His fuse was growing shorter by the minute.
“Why not?” She was turned to face away from Max.
He shrugged, “I don’t know.”
“Is it because of what Hank does to you?”
The fuse grew even shorter, “He doesn’t do anything to me!”
“I don’t believe it! I don’t believe you!” She shouted at the wall, another tear falling from her eyes.
“You’re going to have to.” He replied simply.
Liz was adamant, “TELL ME WHAT HE DOES TO YOU!”
“NO!” The fuse was growing shorter. Was there even a fuse left?
“YES!”
He was about to explode. He was trying as hard as he could to maintain control, but his body and mind wouldn’t allow it, “NO!”
“DAMN IT, MAX! TELL ME OR I WILL NEVER SPEAK TO YOU AGAIN! EVER!”
“HANK RAPES ME!” Max roared at her, completely taking himself by surprise, “IS THAT WHAT YOU WANTED TO HEAR?!”
She made to move closer to him, but he stepped backwards, continuing his tirade, giving her the entire story, not leaving out any horrible detail. He’d finally snapped. “HE ALWAYS WANTED ISABEL! HE ADOPTED ME SO THAT HE COULD FUCK ISABEL!”
“Max…” She stepped closer to him, but he dodged her once more. Her voice was smaller than normal.
“SO I WOULD LOCK HER IN OUR ROOM! OUR ROOM, THE TINY LITTLE GOD FORSAKEN ROOM! THE ONE THAT ONLY HAD ONE BED, WHICH I HAPPILY GAVE TO ISABEL. THE ROOM THAT I SLEEP ON THE FLOOR OF WITH A FEW MEASLEY BLANKETS FOR WARMTH!” He continued, looking at Liz fiercely. He wasn’t bitter at all, just trying to tell her all of the facts, “AND HE NEVER GOT TO HER! I KEPT HER SAFE, DAMN IT!”
He glared at Liz as if she was the cause of all of his problems. But she wanted to know everything, and he currently had no self-control. She made him lose it. He was never in control around her, and he hated her for it, “AND SO HANK WOULD BEAT ME BECAUSE I WOULDN’T LET HIM GET TO HER! NOT EVER!”
“HE WOULD PUNCH ME SENSELESS AND THEN PICK ME UP AND THROW ME AGAINST THE SIDE OF THE PATHETIC TRAILER THAT WE LIVE IN, AGAIN AND AGAIN, UNTIL I WAS KNOCKED UNCONCIOUS. AND AFTER THAT, HE’D STILL BEAT ME!”
“I’D REGAIN CONCIOSCNESS SOMETIME IN THE MORNING, WHEN I’D PROCEED TO HEAL MY BROKEN BONES AND BRUISES.”
“Oh God, Max. Max… please calm down… please…” She pleaded with him, sensing that he wasn’t going to stop.
His malicious screams continued past Liz’s whimpers, “AND SOME NIGHTS, WHEN HE WAS FEELING THE INEXPLICABLE URGE FUCK SOMETHING, HE WOULD WRAP HIS GRIMY HANDS AROUND MY NECK WHILE STILL SOMEHOW MANAGING TO PULL MY PANTS OFF OF ME.”
“Max… please… stop… please stop…” This was too much. She didn’t want to know in such graphic detail.
But he ignored her, “AND THEN HE WOULD USE ONE HAND TO PIN MY HANDS ABOVE MY HEAD. ONE HAND! AND HE WOULD USE THE OTHER TO PULL DOWN MY BOXERS! HE WOULD BREATHE INTO MY FACE WITH HIS ALCOHOL-STENCHED BREATH AND TELL ME THAT I’M A GOOD-FOR-NOTHING PIECE OF SHIT THAT SHOULD BE STUCK TO THE BOTTOM OF SOMEONE’S SHOE!”
“Max…” Liz had sunk to the ground
“AND THEN HE WOULD ROLL ME OVER AND FUCK MY ASS UNTIL HIS LITTLE HEART WAS CONTENT, MOANING WITH PLEASURE IN MY EAR AS HIS FILTHY, DISGUSTING BODY LAY ON TOP OF ME AND HIS FILTHY, DISGUSTING DICK MOVED IN AND OUT OF ME!”
Liz shook her head, attempting to cover her ears, but nothing would block him out. She was trembling now. Make it stop. Make it stop. Tears streamed down her face.
“AND THEN, WHEN HE WAS DONE, HE’D FLIP ME BACK OVER, LIZ! AND HE’D PRESS HIS DICK AGAINST MY MOUTH, PINCHING AT MY NOSE UNTIL I WENT BLUE AND COULDN’T HOLD MY BREATH ANY LONGER. SO I’D HAVE TO OPEN MY MOUTH TO BREATHE. AND DO YOU KNOW WHAT WOULD HAPPEN THEN?!”
“God Max, don’t do this. Not like this. Please.” She trembled, the tears still flowing down her face.
“HE WOULD SHOVE HIS COCK INSIDE OF MY MOUTH AND JAM IT IN AND OUT OF MY THROAT UNTIL HE WAS ABLE TO CUM INSIDE OF ME! AND, IF HE FELT LIKE IT, HE’D DO IT AGAIN. IF I DIDN’T COMPLY, DO YOU KNOW WHAT HE’D DO?! HE’D BEAT ME AGAIN! WHAT’S A FEW MORE BRUISES TO ADD TO THE COLLECTION?!”
“Max… stop!” She whimpered once more. It was fruitless.
“AND ON ISABEL’S 18TH BIRTHDAY, I BOUGHT HER THAT APARTMENT. SO THAT SHE COULD ESCAPE FROM THE HELL WE’VE BEEN LIVING IN FOR THE PAST 8 YEARS! BECAUSE I DON’T CARE WHAT THE FUCK ANYONE SAYS, I WOULD NEVER DO ANYTHING TO HURT HER. ALL I’VE DONE MY ENTIRE LIFE IS TRY TO PROTECT HER!”
“I know that, Max… everyone knows it… just try to calm down… please?” Liz was amazed that she could even find the words.
I guess it's time I run far, far away; find comfort in pain,
All pleasure's the same: it just keeps me from trouble.
Hides my true shape, like Dorian Gray.
I've heard what they say, but I'm not here for trouble.
It's more than just words: it's just tears and rain.
“SO SHE ESCAPED, BUT I STILL HAVE ANOTHER YEAR. AND HANK WENT TO THE SHERIFF TO MAKE SURE THAT I’D RETURN EVERY NIGHT. BECAUSE HE KNEW THAT I WAS THE ONE WHO GOT ISABEL TO LEAVE. SO HE HATED ME EVEN MORE FOR IT. AND DO YOU KNOW WHAT HE DOES TO ME EVERY NIGHT, LIZ?! DO YOU KNOW WHAT HE DOES TO ME WHEN I GO HOME?!” He shook with rage when she didn’t answer, “ANSWER ME!”
Her voice trembled. Couldn’t anyone hear him screaming? Of course not, he had come to her in the middle of the night, it was thundering outside, and her parents were long gone. She squeaked out, fearing the answer, “No.”
“HE LIKES TO KNOCK ME AROUND A LITTLE THE MOMENT I STEP IN THE DOOR. AND AFTER HE’S HAD HIS FUN, WHEN I’M TOO WEAK TO FIGHT BACK, HE ENJOYS TIEING MY HANDS BEHIND MY BACK. AND AFTER THAT? HE NATURALLY PEELS OFF ALL OF MY CLOTHES IN A DISGUSTINGLY SLOW PACE.”
Liz whimpered. No one should have to go through this. Why Max? Why him? Why didn’t they know? Why hadn’t they seen the severity of it?
He continued, un-phased by her noises of distress, “AND SO HE GETS A PIECE OF ROPE AND TIES IS AROUND MY NECK, ATTACHING IT TO A LONGER PIECE OF ROPE,” Another piece of Liz’s ceiling flew to the ground, “AND THEN, LIKE A DOG, HE TAKES THE ROPE AND TIES IT TO A HOOK ON THE WALL THAT HE INSTALLED AFTER ISABEL MOVED OUT!.”
He took a deep breath, still having no control over what was coming out of his mouth, “BUT WHAT THE HELL CAN I DO ABOUT IT?! MY HANDS ARE TIED BEHIND MY BACK AND I’M PRETTY MUCH DRAINED FROM THE BEATING AS IT IS!”
“Max…” She had to find a way to help him. This wasn’t even living. This was slavery.
“SO HE KEEPS ME ON A TWO FOOT LEASH FOR THE ENTIRE NIGHT, NAKED. AS HE SITS THERE AND DRINKS. WHEN I’M LUCKY, HE DRINKS HIMSELF INTO A STUPOR. BUT MOST NIGHTS HE DOESN’T.”
His voice grew hoarse from the yelling, so he lowered it down a few notches, “Most nights, he decides it would be fun if he tried burning at my skin!!” He ripped his shirt up, revealing harsh burn marks on his abdomen, “Or maybe if he was feeling a little horny, he’d rape me again!!” He spat out the words in extreme distaste, “Or maybe he feels it necessary to use me as a human ash tray!!” He turned around, lifting up his shirt just enough for Liz to see a fair amount of cigarette burns on his lower back, that probably continued all of the way up, “Or maybe he just wants to see me suffer. See my cheeks burn in shame as he torments me and gawks at my exposed body. Or he could just want to beat me without me putting me up a fight.”
He took a deep breath, “But I’ve finally been reduced to the piece of shit that I am! And he’s absolutely loving it! And this is why my school work suffers! I’m sure you understand! Me, working until I can’t possibly work anymore, coming back to a night of being chained to a wall. So, you see, I’m sorry, but there just isn’t any time for school. I don’t even turn seventeen for a while, Liz! Don’t you understand that there’s another full year of this waiting for me?!”
A silent tear trickled down her face. She had to do something to help him.
“Another year of knowing that me, my body, my spirit, and my soul will be spit on and forever made unfit for you? Befouled like the lowlife freak that I am?!”
She could see his tame ways reclaiming him, “M-Max…” Liz was positively trembling now, still fighting off the sobs, “We can get help. I won’t let him do this to you any longer. I won’t. And you’re not a lowlife freak, Max, you’re…”
He cut her off, “You can’t tell anyone, Liz. Because with Isabel and Michael, that’s the only place I’ve ever known. The only home that I’ve ever known. And if you tell someone, my home’s going to be taken away. They could whisk me off to another city for all I know. And I’d be lost. I wouldn’t want to live.” He chose not to mention that he was already loosing the will to live as it was. What was the point now that he knew Isabel was safe?
“And there’s no way they’d let me live with Isabel. What could an 18 year old and a 16 year old possibly do to support themselves?”
His voice lowered to almost a whisper, “And I’m just a lowlife piece of shit that doesn’t deserve to be living. So why burden other people with my presence in their home?”
Sobs were shaking her fiercely. She could no longer fight the tears. She hadn’t even seen anything that would imply what Max has been going through lately. He was living a Hell that she couldn’t even imagine. How had the severity of it gone unnoticed by her?
“Oh God.” Reality snapped into place for Max. Liz’s noisy sobs had finally brought him back down from his angered tirade. He felt like he was going to be sick. He’s just told Liz everything that he’d been trying to hide about himself. Isabel hadn’t even figured out that he was being raped. He’d told Liz things he’d never even dream of telling anyone. His world was crumbling around him.
And as much as he wanted to run to Liz and comfort her, to tell her that he’d be okay, he knew that he didn’t deserve her touch. He didn’t deserve her warmth. So he did what he did best. He ran.
Tearing open the door, he vaguely noted Liz screaming for him to come back as he streamed down the hallway. He faintly remembered a very confused Maria calling after him as he shoved past her and out of Parker home, down the stairs and finally making his way into the night’s mask.
He went in the only direction he knew to go – back to the trailer park. It was the only place that he deserved to go right now. He’d made Liz cry. He made her sob. He was filth. But at least she now knew why they could never be together.
But would she tell? He was almost certain she would. He’d done so many things wrong his year. He’d give anything to go back in time and not tell her. He’d told Liz. What came over him?
How I wish I could walk through the doors of my mind;
Hold memory close at hand,
Help me understand the years.
How I wish I could choose between Heaven and Hell.
How I wish I would save my soul.
I'm so cold from fear.
The rain continued to pour down on him, and the full force of everything hit him. Tears welled in his eyes as he walked and he quickened his pace. Tears and rain streaked down his face. He messed up. He would always mess things up. He wasn’t deserving of a life. He deserved to be in his little Hell.
He faced the trailer and chills ran down his spine. While Hank wasn’t drunk when he left, he probably was now. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, fighting to stop the tears, but making no move to wipe them from his cheeks. Once under control, he opened the door and stepped forward.
I guess it's time I run far, far away; find comfort in pain,
All pleasure's the same: it just keeps me from trouble.
Hides my true shape, like Dorian Gray.
I've heard what they say, but I'm not here for trouble.
Far, far away; find comfort in pain.
All pleasure's the same: it just keeps me from trouble.
It's more than just words: it's just tears and rain.
Hank’s voice snickered from the side, the alcohol pungent, “Where in Hell have you been?”
Song: Tears & Rain by James Blunt
Part 14
He couldn’t bring himself to go back to the trailer, not yet. He had to get away from it, if not for just a few hours. He couldn’t go to Isabel’s, either. She would just call Michael and the two of them would hassle him all night.
But most of all, he was losing his hope. He was losing any hope of ever having Liz, ever being normal, ever being… whole. And he was okay with that. He’d accepted that he was a nothing – something rather than someone.
How I wish I could surrender my soul;
Shed the clothes that become my skin;
See the liar that burns within my needing.
How I wish I'd chosen darkness from cold.
How I wish I had screamed out loud,
Instead I've found no meaning.
As he made his way down a street, the clouds opened above him and a roar of sound emitted. Seconds after, rain started pouring down. He and his soul were lost. Lost, in all senses of the word. And at this point, nothing or no one could give him direction. There was no point.
His feet brought him to a place that he’d never expected to go. And before he even knew what he was doing, he was standing on her balcony. What was he thinking? He didn’t even deserve to be standing up here.
He was frozen in place. Liz was sitting on her bed, reading something out loud. Even in her camisole and flannel pajama pants, she was still the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen in his life. He had to go, had to get out of here. He didn’t deserve to be standing here, looking at her.
Before his body would comply with his brain, Liz looked up. She hurried over to the window, throwing it open and screaming over the roar of the rain, “Get inside, are you crazy?!”
He didn’t want to go. He didn’t deserve her. But, at the moment, his heart was controlling his motions. He walked hesitantly to the window, pausing just before he could crouch down. Liz waved him in once more, so he bent down and complied. He looked down on his feet, “I’m getting your carpet wet… I’ll just go back outside…”
“No, stop.” She gave him a weak smile, “I’ll get you a towel.”
She returned seconds later with a white, fluffy towel. He took it to dry his face and hair, and dabbed at any soaking piece of clothing. She gave him another weak smile, “It’s midnight, what’re you doing here?” It was more of an innocent tone than accusatory.
“I… just needed to get out.” He replied, hoping that he was being rather vague. Liz saw through it. After what she’d heard a month ago, she knew that something was up with Max. And she was going to find out what that was. This was her big break.
“Max, tell me that what I overheard Michael and Isabel talking about the other week isn’t true. Tell me what’s going on or I’m going to Valenti and telling him what I heard.” Liz closed the door to her room, locking it behind her. She didn’t really know why she did it; her parents were in Hondo for the night, anyway.
He shook his head, “What’re you talking about?” His stomach cringed. Liz knew something. She knew something because his supposed family couldn’t keep their mouths shut.
She screamed at him, sick of the lies, “Don’t pretend like you don’t know what I’m talking about!!”
He shrugged, “I don’t.”
“Fine. Then I’m going to the sheriff. And I’ll tell him what I suspect.” She turned around and wrapped her hand around the doorknob.
He practically jumped out of his skin, “No! Don’t!”
She turned to him with her lips pursed, “Give me one good reason why.”
“You’ll destroy my world.” He whispered. Panic and fear were mingling in his eyes.
She moved over to him, “Max, why can’t you just tell me what’s going on?! Why can’t you tell me why we can’t be together?!”
“Because.” It was simple, yet it spoke volumes to her.
She walked to the door, “Fine. Bye.”
He called out to her once more, “No!”
“Max, tell me what happens to you!” She screamed at him once more, a frustrated tear slipping down her face. She turned around to face him, surprised to find his angry expression.
“NO!” He screamed back, unable to control his temper.
“Yes!”
He had to protect his world. If they told the sheriff, he’d have nothing. He’d lose everyone. He’d lose everything. “Damn it, Liz! This isn’t your place! You don’t control everything!”
She flinched at his words, “Maybe not, but I can control this.” She turned and unlocked the door, but he grabbed her wrist fiercely, spinning her around. She cried out in pain, “Max! Let go of my wrist! You’re hurting me!”
He didn’t seem to take notice, “You don’t know what you’re talking about! God, Liz, would you just stay out of this?!”
“No. Not when I think someone’s hurting you.” Her voice trembled and another tear threatened to fall down her cheek.
“No one’s hurting me!” He shouted, pulling her by the arm and forcing her to sit down on the bed. He walked back to her door, carefully positioning himself to block her from leaving. The towel lay forgotten by the window.
“I don’t believe you, Max.” Her voice was filled with emotion, “If no one’s hurting you, why do you keep coming to school with bruises and cigarette burns? Why did I overhear a conversation between Michael and Isabel, who’re worried for your safety, discussing why you can’t use your powers?” She broke out into a sob, burying her face in her hands.
He walked over to her, hesitantly placing an arm around her. His voice softened considerably, “Please don’t cry.”
His shaking hand rose to her cheek, wiping a tear away uncertainly, “I don’t want you to cry for me, Liz. Not now, not ever. Nothing’s wrong, I promise.”
She raised her head unexpectedly, tears streaming down on her face. Her eyes seemed to focus on one thing, but before he could pull his hand away, Liz had seized it.
She studied the fresh, angry blue and purple bruise that covered most of his palm before turning to him with a surprising fierceness to her voice, “Nothing’s wrong, Max?! NOTHING’S WRONG?! IS THIS NOT WRONG?!”
“I’m not discussing this with you.” He jerked his hand away from her. How was he so stupid? He’d never be able to do anything right in his life. Never.
“Then I hope you’re ready to discuss it with the cops.” She rose to her feet and began crossing the room again.
A spark of energy surged through the room, sending a chunk of ceiling crumbling down to the floor. Liz looked back at Max with wide eyes, whom looked just as shocked, “I thought your powers didn’t work.”
“They don’t… they didn’t… I don’t think that I can control them.” He needed to find something to keep her from leaving, but this was trying his patience. His fuse was growing shorter by the minute.
“Why not?” She was turned to face away from Max.
He shrugged, “I don’t know.”
“Is it because of what Hank does to you?”
The fuse grew even shorter, “He doesn’t do anything to me!”
“I don’t believe it! I don’t believe you!” She shouted at the wall, another tear falling from her eyes.
“You’re going to have to.” He replied simply.
Liz was adamant, “TELL ME WHAT HE DOES TO YOU!”
“NO!” The fuse was growing shorter. Was there even a fuse left?
“YES!”
He was about to explode. He was trying as hard as he could to maintain control, but his body and mind wouldn’t allow it, “NO!”
“DAMN IT, MAX! TELL ME OR I WILL NEVER SPEAK TO YOU AGAIN! EVER!”
“HANK RAPES ME!” Max roared at her, completely taking himself by surprise, “IS THAT WHAT YOU WANTED TO HEAR?!”
She made to move closer to him, but he stepped backwards, continuing his tirade, giving her the entire story, not leaving out any horrible detail. He’d finally snapped. “HE ALWAYS WANTED ISABEL! HE ADOPTED ME SO THAT HE COULD FUCK ISABEL!”
“Max…” She stepped closer to him, but he dodged her once more. Her voice was smaller than normal.
“SO I WOULD LOCK HER IN OUR ROOM! OUR ROOM, THE TINY LITTLE GOD FORSAKEN ROOM! THE ONE THAT ONLY HAD ONE BED, WHICH I HAPPILY GAVE TO ISABEL. THE ROOM THAT I SLEEP ON THE FLOOR OF WITH A FEW MEASLEY BLANKETS FOR WARMTH!” He continued, looking at Liz fiercely. He wasn’t bitter at all, just trying to tell her all of the facts, “AND HE NEVER GOT TO HER! I KEPT HER SAFE, DAMN IT!”
He glared at Liz as if she was the cause of all of his problems. But she wanted to know everything, and he currently had no self-control. She made him lose it. He was never in control around her, and he hated her for it, “AND SO HANK WOULD BEAT ME BECAUSE I WOULDN’T LET HIM GET TO HER! NOT EVER!”
“HE WOULD PUNCH ME SENSELESS AND THEN PICK ME UP AND THROW ME AGAINST THE SIDE OF THE PATHETIC TRAILER THAT WE LIVE IN, AGAIN AND AGAIN, UNTIL I WAS KNOCKED UNCONCIOUS. AND AFTER THAT, HE’D STILL BEAT ME!”
“I’D REGAIN CONCIOSCNESS SOMETIME IN THE MORNING, WHEN I’D PROCEED TO HEAL MY BROKEN BONES AND BRUISES.”
“Oh God, Max. Max… please calm down… please…” She pleaded with him, sensing that he wasn’t going to stop.
His malicious screams continued past Liz’s whimpers, “AND SOME NIGHTS, WHEN HE WAS FEELING THE INEXPLICABLE URGE FUCK SOMETHING, HE WOULD WRAP HIS GRIMY HANDS AROUND MY NECK WHILE STILL SOMEHOW MANAGING TO PULL MY PANTS OFF OF ME.”
“Max… please… stop… please stop…” This was too much. She didn’t want to know in such graphic detail.
But he ignored her, “AND THEN HE WOULD USE ONE HAND TO PIN MY HANDS ABOVE MY HEAD. ONE HAND! AND HE WOULD USE THE OTHER TO PULL DOWN MY BOXERS! HE WOULD BREATHE INTO MY FACE WITH HIS ALCOHOL-STENCHED BREATH AND TELL ME THAT I’M A GOOD-FOR-NOTHING PIECE OF SHIT THAT SHOULD BE STUCK TO THE BOTTOM OF SOMEONE’S SHOE!”
“Max…” Liz had sunk to the ground
“AND THEN HE WOULD ROLL ME OVER AND FUCK MY ASS UNTIL HIS LITTLE HEART WAS CONTENT, MOANING WITH PLEASURE IN MY EAR AS HIS FILTHY, DISGUSTING BODY LAY ON TOP OF ME AND HIS FILTHY, DISGUSTING DICK MOVED IN AND OUT OF ME!”
Liz shook her head, attempting to cover her ears, but nothing would block him out. She was trembling now. Make it stop. Make it stop. Tears streamed down her face.
“AND THEN, WHEN HE WAS DONE, HE’D FLIP ME BACK OVER, LIZ! AND HE’D PRESS HIS DICK AGAINST MY MOUTH, PINCHING AT MY NOSE UNTIL I WENT BLUE AND COULDN’T HOLD MY BREATH ANY LONGER. SO I’D HAVE TO OPEN MY MOUTH TO BREATHE. AND DO YOU KNOW WHAT WOULD HAPPEN THEN?!”
“God Max, don’t do this. Not like this. Please.” She trembled, the tears still flowing down her face.
“HE WOULD SHOVE HIS COCK INSIDE OF MY MOUTH AND JAM IT IN AND OUT OF MY THROAT UNTIL HE WAS ABLE TO CUM INSIDE OF ME! AND, IF HE FELT LIKE IT, HE’D DO IT AGAIN. IF I DIDN’T COMPLY, DO YOU KNOW WHAT HE’D DO?! HE’D BEAT ME AGAIN! WHAT’S A FEW MORE BRUISES TO ADD TO THE COLLECTION?!”
“Max… stop!” She whimpered once more. It was fruitless.
“AND ON ISABEL’S 18TH BIRTHDAY, I BOUGHT HER THAT APARTMENT. SO THAT SHE COULD ESCAPE FROM THE HELL WE’VE BEEN LIVING IN FOR THE PAST 8 YEARS! BECAUSE I DON’T CARE WHAT THE FUCK ANYONE SAYS, I WOULD NEVER DO ANYTHING TO HURT HER. ALL I’VE DONE MY ENTIRE LIFE IS TRY TO PROTECT HER!”
“I know that, Max… everyone knows it… just try to calm down… please?” Liz was amazed that she could even find the words.
I guess it's time I run far, far away; find comfort in pain,
All pleasure's the same: it just keeps me from trouble.
Hides my true shape, like Dorian Gray.
I've heard what they say, but I'm not here for trouble.
It's more than just words: it's just tears and rain.
“SO SHE ESCAPED, BUT I STILL HAVE ANOTHER YEAR. AND HANK WENT TO THE SHERIFF TO MAKE SURE THAT I’D RETURN EVERY NIGHT. BECAUSE HE KNEW THAT I WAS THE ONE WHO GOT ISABEL TO LEAVE. SO HE HATED ME EVEN MORE FOR IT. AND DO YOU KNOW WHAT HE DOES TO ME EVERY NIGHT, LIZ?! DO YOU KNOW WHAT HE DOES TO ME WHEN I GO HOME?!” He shook with rage when she didn’t answer, “ANSWER ME!”
Her voice trembled. Couldn’t anyone hear him screaming? Of course not, he had come to her in the middle of the night, it was thundering outside, and her parents were long gone. She squeaked out, fearing the answer, “No.”
“HE LIKES TO KNOCK ME AROUND A LITTLE THE MOMENT I STEP IN THE DOOR. AND AFTER HE’S HAD HIS FUN, WHEN I’M TOO WEAK TO FIGHT BACK, HE ENJOYS TIEING MY HANDS BEHIND MY BACK. AND AFTER THAT? HE NATURALLY PEELS OFF ALL OF MY CLOTHES IN A DISGUSTINGLY SLOW PACE.”
Liz whimpered. No one should have to go through this. Why Max? Why him? Why didn’t they know? Why hadn’t they seen the severity of it?
He continued, un-phased by her noises of distress, “AND SO HE GETS A PIECE OF ROPE AND TIES IS AROUND MY NECK, ATTACHING IT TO A LONGER PIECE OF ROPE,” Another piece of Liz’s ceiling flew to the ground, “AND THEN, LIKE A DOG, HE TAKES THE ROPE AND TIES IT TO A HOOK ON THE WALL THAT HE INSTALLED AFTER ISABEL MOVED OUT!.”
He took a deep breath, still having no control over what was coming out of his mouth, “BUT WHAT THE HELL CAN I DO ABOUT IT?! MY HANDS ARE TIED BEHIND MY BACK AND I’M PRETTY MUCH DRAINED FROM THE BEATING AS IT IS!”
“Max…” She had to find a way to help him. This wasn’t even living. This was slavery.
“SO HE KEEPS ME ON A TWO FOOT LEASH FOR THE ENTIRE NIGHT, NAKED. AS HE SITS THERE AND DRINKS. WHEN I’M LUCKY, HE DRINKS HIMSELF INTO A STUPOR. BUT MOST NIGHTS HE DOESN’T.”
His voice grew hoarse from the yelling, so he lowered it down a few notches, “Most nights, he decides it would be fun if he tried burning at my skin!!” He ripped his shirt up, revealing harsh burn marks on his abdomen, “Or maybe if he was feeling a little horny, he’d rape me again!!” He spat out the words in extreme distaste, “Or maybe he feels it necessary to use me as a human ash tray!!” He turned around, lifting up his shirt just enough for Liz to see a fair amount of cigarette burns on his lower back, that probably continued all of the way up, “Or maybe he just wants to see me suffer. See my cheeks burn in shame as he torments me and gawks at my exposed body. Or he could just want to beat me without me putting me up a fight.”
He took a deep breath, “But I’ve finally been reduced to the piece of shit that I am! And he’s absolutely loving it! And this is why my school work suffers! I’m sure you understand! Me, working until I can’t possibly work anymore, coming back to a night of being chained to a wall. So, you see, I’m sorry, but there just isn’t any time for school. I don’t even turn seventeen for a while, Liz! Don’t you understand that there’s another full year of this waiting for me?!”
A silent tear trickled down her face. She had to do something to help him.
“Another year of knowing that me, my body, my spirit, and my soul will be spit on and forever made unfit for you? Befouled like the lowlife freak that I am?!”
She could see his tame ways reclaiming him, “M-Max…” Liz was positively trembling now, still fighting off the sobs, “We can get help. I won’t let him do this to you any longer. I won’t. And you’re not a lowlife freak, Max, you’re…”
He cut her off, “You can’t tell anyone, Liz. Because with Isabel and Michael, that’s the only place I’ve ever known. The only home that I’ve ever known. And if you tell someone, my home’s going to be taken away. They could whisk me off to another city for all I know. And I’d be lost. I wouldn’t want to live.” He chose not to mention that he was already loosing the will to live as it was. What was the point now that he knew Isabel was safe?
“And there’s no way they’d let me live with Isabel. What could an 18 year old and a 16 year old possibly do to support themselves?”
His voice lowered to almost a whisper, “And I’m just a lowlife piece of shit that doesn’t deserve to be living. So why burden other people with my presence in their home?”
Sobs were shaking her fiercely. She could no longer fight the tears. She hadn’t even seen anything that would imply what Max has been going through lately. He was living a Hell that she couldn’t even imagine. How had the severity of it gone unnoticed by her?
“Oh God.” Reality snapped into place for Max. Liz’s noisy sobs had finally brought him back down from his angered tirade. He felt like he was going to be sick. He’s just told Liz everything that he’d been trying to hide about himself. Isabel hadn’t even figured out that he was being raped. He’d told Liz things he’d never even dream of telling anyone. His world was crumbling around him.
And as much as he wanted to run to Liz and comfort her, to tell her that he’d be okay, he knew that he didn’t deserve her touch. He didn’t deserve her warmth. So he did what he did best. He ran.
Tearing open the door, he vaguely noted Liz screaming for him to come back as he streamed down the hallway. He faintly remembered a very confused Maria calling after him as he shoved past her and out of Parker home, down the stairs and finally making his way into the night’s mask.
He went in the only direction he knew to go – back to the trailer park. It was the only place that he deserved to go right now. He’d made Liz cry. He made her sob. He was filth. But at least she now knew why they could never be together.
But would she tell? He was almost certain she would. He’d done so many things wrong his year. He’d give anything to go back in time and not tell her. He’d told Liz. What came over him?
How I wish I could walk through the doors of my mind;
Hold memory close at hand,
Help me understand the years.
How I wish I could choose between Heaven and Hell.
How I wish I would save my soul.
I'm so cold from fear.
The rain continued to pour down on him, and the full force of everything hit him. Tears welled in his eyes as he walked and he quickened his pace. Tears and rain streaked down his face. He messed up. He would always mess things up. He wasn’t deserving of a life. He deserved to be in his little Hell.
He faced the trailer and chills ran down his spine. While Hank wasn’t drunk when he left, he probably was now. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, fighting to stop the tears, but making no move to wipe them from his cheeks. Once under control, he opened the door and stepped forward.
I guess it's time I run far, far away; find comfort in pain,
All pleasure's the same: it just keeps me from trouble.
Hides my true shape, like Dorian Gray.
I've heard what they say, but I'm not here for trouble.
Far, far away; find comfort in pain.
All pleasure's the same: it just keeps me from trouble.
It's more than just words: it's just tears and rain.
Hank’s voice snickered from the side, the alcohol pungent, “Where in Hell have you been?”
Song: Tears & Rain by James Blunt
Last edited by sprayadhesive on Sat Jan 13, 2007 12:56 pm, edited 2 times in total.
-
sprayadhesive
- Addicted Roswellian
- Posts: 187
- Joined: Sun Mar 19, 2006 3:19 pm
- Location: Georgia
Part 15
“Max?” Maria questioned. But he didn’t stop for her, he ran past her and out of the Parker’s apartment. She was about to turn and follow him when she heard Liz’s sobs coming from the bedroom.
Maria ran down the hallway. She ripped open the door to find Liz, huddled against her bed and clutching to the covers like a lifeline, tears streaming down her cheeks. Liz’s noisy sobs continued as Maria hurried over to her. Maria sat down quickly, pulling Liz’s head to her breast and stroking her hair gingerly.
She was worried. What had Max done to Liz? “Did he hurt you? What’d he do?”
Liz shook her head, speaking amidst sobs, “N-no, M-ma-ria. H-he… oh G-god” She started to hyperventilate.
Maria threw Liz’s hands above her head, sitting her friend up so that her airway wasn’t constricted, “Liz, you’ve gotta take deep breaths, babe. Try to calm down.”
Liz complied, her breathing slowly steadying, despite the tears. Maria, sensing that it was okay to release her friend’s arms, let Liz’s hands drop and proceeded to dig in her purse, pulling out a vial of fluid.
Maria uncorked it and held it under her friend’s nose, “Just breathe in. It’ll relieve your stress. You need to calm down so you can tell me what’s wrong.”
Liz inhaled deeply, wishing for anything that could relieve her of the panic she was feeling. The herbal remedy worked slightly, but she still felt anxious. She wouldn’t be fully okay until she was certain that Max was okay. And he was definitely not okay.
“What’d Max do, Liz? Why was he here?” Maria was genuinely worried. It was very seldom that Liz fell apart like this.
Liz’s tears hindered her speech, “I-I have… have n-no idea wh-why h-he w-was h-here.” She took a deep breath and was able to speak more clearly, “I n-never found out why. I-I just s-started to at-tack him…”
“Whoa, whoa, stop right there. You attacked him? Like… attacked him attacked him?” Maria quirked an eyebrow.
Liz shook her head feverishly, “N-no!! I started t-to ask him wh-what was g-going on w-with Hank be-because I overheard Is-Isabel and M-Michael saying that H-Hank wasn’t safe. At first he wouldn’t tell me what was going on, s-so I started to ye-yell at him a-and then he just snapped. A-and he t-told me everything. M-Maria he’s in s-so much trouble.”
Maria wafted more of the stress-relief beneath Liz’s nose, “What kind of trouble, Liz?!” She was getting extremely stressed.
Liz’s voice lowered to a haunted whisper, “Hank… hurts him, Maria. He hurts him so, so badly.”
Maria shook her head, a few tears starting to fall down her cheeks, “Wh-what? Oh my God. Liz… oh my God.”
Liz nodded, completely understanding Maria’s reaction. Maria, however, started rambling through her tears, “Why didn’t we ever see it? I mean, sure, he never looked happy, but he always made it seem like everything was okay in his life, you know? And Michael and Isabel always were concerned about him, but I always just figured it was because he was such a loner and they wanted him to be more social. Why didn’t I ever catch on? I’ve got to be this terrible person to not realize…”
Liz cut her off, speaking through the tears, “No, Maria, listen to me. You had no way of knowing what was going on. People lied to us, and that’s that. It’s not your fault. W-we’ve just got to be thankful that the truth is finally out.”
“Yeah, we know the truth, but what’re we going to do about it?” Maria asked with a slight frown.
Liz suddenly remembered something, “Max asked me not to tell anyone.” She saw Maria’s baffled look, “I know, I don’t understand his reasoning, either. But I’m not going to not tell someone. I have to help him, Maria. It’s not healthy.”
Maria nodded, “Yeah, Liz, I’m totally with you on this. But what do we do? Go to Valenti right now? Or what?”
Liz shook her head, “I don’t want to go behind his back. I want to give him a chance to do this with me. If he doesn’t agree to go, then I’ll go by myself.”
“I don’t think he’s going to agree to go with you. Not after he’s spent so long trying to hide it.”
“Oh crap, Maria, my parents are going to come home tomorrow morning. What’re they going to say when they find out that Max and I have gone to the police with this and didn’t tell them anything about it?” Liz bit on her lower lip in thought.
“We’ll handle that when the time comes, Liz. Just relax for now.” Maria pulled Liz’s head onto her shoulder and together they leaned back against the bed. The two friends fell asleep like that, thinking only about Max and how the confrontation would go.
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Liz stood in front of Max’s locker the entire morning, but he never showed up. She went into Biology thinking that he just didn’t go to his locker before school. He wasn’t there, either. Liz wasn’t worried… he could just be coming to school late.
At lunch, however, Max’s usual table was vacant. Liz sat down at her old table with all of her friends, “Has anyone seen Max today? He hasn’t been in class and he’s not at his table…”
“He’s not at school?” Isabel’s eyes grew wide with worry. They quickly found Michael’s worried face.
Michael shrugged, “Don’t look at me; I don’t know anything about it.”
Liz was too distracted to even pay attention to anyone. The stress of the situation was really wearing upon her.
Kyle raised an eyebrow, “What’s up with Max, you guys? He’s been a little off lately. Something’s definitely going on.”
Alex threw up his hands in exasperation, “THANK YOU! Finally, someone else agrees with me.”
Liz stood up and practically ran from the courtyard. Maria followed closely behind her. Both ignored the strange looks they were getting from the crowd they’d left behind.
Maria caught up with Liz as she was about to exit the building, “Where’re you going?!”
Liz turned around to face Maria, “I’m going to Valenti. Max is in trouble. Did you see the look on both Isabel and Michael’s faces? They were both terrified. It’s obvious that neither of them has talked to Max at all in the last twelve hours, and I’m almost certain that he wouldn’t run away yet, so he’s got to be at the trailer. With Hank.”
Maria nodded, fully supporting Liz, “Let’s go.”
Liz nodded. The two walked, hand in hand, towards the door. As they were about to leave the building, Liz’s math teacher called out to them, “Just where do you think you’re going?”
Liz and Maria didn’t turn around. They kept walking until they had reached Liz’s car.
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Liz knocked hesitantly on Valenti’s door. She hadn’t even stopped to acknowledge anyone along the way.
Liz had asked Maria to wait outside for her. She hadn’t told Maria all of the aspects of Max’s… abuse. When Max was ready to open up to everyone, he would. It was his right.
Valenti’s voice came through the door, “Come on in.”
When she entered, he was buried in paperwork. As soon as he processed who she was, however, he dropped his pen, “Ms. Parker? Shouldn’t you be in school?”
Liz nodded curtly. The look on her face told Jim not to tread into that territory, “Take a seat. Is there anything wrong?”
Liz closed the door behind her. She sat in the chair across from him and took a deep breath, “Actually, there is something wrong, Sheriff. It’s Max Guerin.”
“Max Guerin?” Valenti frowned. That made three visits on behalf of Max in the last two months. He had to admit, however, that his interest in the boy was definitely peaked. And Phillip Evans’s concerns for the boy, as well as his reputation, far exceeded Hank Guerin’s. “What about him?”
An hour (and what seemed like thousands of questions) later, Jim Valenti had never felt sicker. How could such a thing have been happening in Roswell?
As soon as he’d heard everything Liz had to say, Jim called Phillip Evans and told him of the new confession a few minutes ago. He’d recounted what Liz had told him. Jim didn’t know why he called Phillip; it just seemed like the right thing to do.
It also seemed that the right thing to do was to tell Phillip that the police would be going to Hank’s trailer immediately to retrieve Max. There was no way that kid was staying there for another hour.
Jim also called a social worker down. Someone was going to be waiting for he and Max at the station when they returned.
The stage had been set.
“Ms. Parker, one of my deputies will drop you off at home.” Valenti stood up, placing his cowboy hat on his head.
“Wait! I thought that I would get to go with you.” Liz stood on her feet, looking worried.
Valenti shook his head, “I don’t think so. If what we both think is true, it won’t be healthy for you to come.”
“Won’t having me there help Max? It’ll do him good to see a familiar face…” Liz was grasping at straws, desperate to be taken with him.
He nodded his head in sympathy, “Alright, you win. But you’re not going to come into the trailer. You’re staying with Phillip.”
Liz nodded, taking deep breaths. She just wanted to get to Max. She suddenly remembered something, “Oh, Maria’s waiting for me outside…”
Jim gave Liz a stern look, “I don’t think that drawing a crowd would be in Max’s best interest.”
“I understand.” Liz nodded.
The two walked into the lobby and Liz pulled Maria to the side, “We’re going to go get Max, but he’ll only let one person go with him…”
Maria nodded sincerely, “Go, Liz.” She pushed Liz towards the sheriff and then added, “Call me as soon as something happens.”
Liz nodded and turned to walk out of the building with Jim.
They rode in complete silence. Valenti had ordered a few deputies to follow them for support, just in case Hank got out of hand.
Phillip Evans was waiting for them when they pulled up. After Valenti and his deputies had gotten situated, Phillip walked over to Liz and helped her out of the car. He whispered to her as the men knocked on the trailer, “Everything’ll be alright. You did the right thing.”
Liz nodded, watching them disappear into the trailer. Her stomach twisted in knots and she counted the seconds until they would reappear.
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Jim knocked on the door, “Mr. Guerin, open up! It’s the police!”
No answer came. Jim tried again, speaking a little louder this time, “Mr. Guerin!! Police!!”
A grumble came in response, “C’min.”
Jim and his deputies stepped through the door. He could immediately tell that Hank had been drinking a ton. Liquor bottles and beer cans littered the floor. Hell, the entire trailer reeked of alcohol.
Dirty dishes were strewn about the kitchen sink and counter. Some broken dish fragments lay shattered at the bottom of the far wall. There’d been a fight of some kind.
Valenti, however, couldn’t see Max in the main area. He cleared his throat, “Where’s Max, Hank?”
Hank’s brow furrowed in confusion, “Who?”
“Max. The boy who lives here.” Valenti repeated, speaking slower.
Hank nodded, “Oh. That. It’s in the other room. Filthy little shit.”
Valenti waved for one of his deputies to remain behind and watch Hank. He and Hansen moved down the hallway, pushing open the door at the end of the hall.
“Oh God.” Valenti felt like he was going to be sick. In the opposite corner, Max was tied to a hook, lying on his side and facing the doorway. There actually was a rope around his neck, with one end attached to the wall. To make matters worse, his hands were tied behind his back. And he was completely naked, only a small blanket covering up his groin.
His entire body was covered in bruises. There didn’t seem to be an area on him that wasn’t purple. On his torso, hundreds of cigarette burns (new and old) glared angrily back at them. On his abdomen, red burns were prominent.
One of his arms was sticking at an odd angle, and from what Valenti could see, it looked like one of his ankles was broken, too.
And his face was a disaster. Two fierce black eyes glistened in blood. A gash above one of his eyebrows had dripped down his face that had now caked. His hair was disheveled and matted in blood. Even his nose and his mouth hadn’t escaped. His nose looked like it had to have been broken at least once, and his lips were bright red and puffy, blood trickling out of the bottom corner.
Some of the blood even looked fresh. A few wounds were still bleeding, implying that Hank had been beating the kid less than an hour before they arrived.
Valenti crossed over to Max, ashen-faced. He gently rubbed a normal patch of skin on his shoulder, “Max? Can you hear me?”
When he received no answer, he checked for a pulse. A very faint one reassured him. He turned to Hansen, who looked as shell-shocked as Jim felt, “Get an ambulance and tell Smith to arrest Hank. Whatever you do, don’t let the girl in.”
If Jim hadn’t known that this was the correct address, he would have a hard time believing that the boy lying next to him was Max Guerin.
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Hansen gave the order to Smith and then walked out of the trailer to his patrol car. He raised the radio to his lips and ordered for an ambulance to come immediately.
As he was crossing to go back into the trailer, Phillip and Liz headed him off.
“Where’s Max?” Liz demanded.
Phillip, however, demanded something else, “Why did you just call an ambulance?”
Hansen looked at them, his face grim and pale with sickness, “We found Max… he’s unconscious… It seems like Hank beat him severely.”
Liz tried to run past Hansen and get to Max, but Hansen held her back, “I’ve got strict orders to not let you in that trailer, Ms. Parker.”
“Let me go! I have to see him! I have to help him!” Tears streaked down Liz’s face. Her words caught in her throat when she saw what emerged from the trailer next.
Smith came out first, leading a cuffed and drunken Hank.
Rage overtook Liz’s entire body. She couldn’t think or see clearly. In that instant, the only thing she wanted to do was kill Hank for all that he had ever done to Max, for the position that Max was in now. She attempted to rip free of Hansen’s grasp, but he held her firmly. Her arm twisted in its socket, causing a sharp pain in her shoulder, but she ignored it.
Hot, angry tears ripped down her face and she screamed, “Let me go! I’ll kill him! I’ll kill him!”
Phillip’s gentle hands took hers into his. He softly spun her around to face him. Just by looking at him, Liz could tell that he too was trying as hard as he possibly could to not chase after Hank as Liz so desperately wanted to.
He spoke calmly, his voice only quavering with emotion a few times, “Liz, that’s not the way to settle things. It’s out of our hands.” He shook his head when she opened her mouth to protest, “Believe me, I wish that I could…” He took a deep breath, “I wish I could make that man wish that he had never been born, but if I did, think about what Max’s reaction would be. He’d feel guilty for being the cause of my incarceration, thinking that if he had never told you what was going on, I would never be in jail for assault. And he’d be no better off than before. So we’ve got to control ourselves, Liz. For Max.”
Liz, still shaking, nodded and withdrew her hands from Phillip’s. She turned to face the trailer and took deep breaths, waiting for the ambulance to arrive.
She watched in wide-eyed fear as the two paramedics sprinted into the trailer with a backboard.
And when they reemerged several minutes later, she took off at a sprint to get to Max’s side. This time, there was no stopping her. Tears flew openly down her cheeks for what felt like the thousandth time in twenty-four hours, and their pace only increased when she was able to fully see him.
Max was dressed in a simple hospital gown, proof enough for her that he had been tied naked to the wall just as he had described the night before. The mere sight of him made her sick with rage once more, but she fought it down. Hank had already been taken off in the cruiser. There was no point in releasing her anger now.
She gently held Max’s least bruised hand and walked beside him as he was carried into the ambulance. When he had been loaded in, she turned back to face the scene before her. Even more cops had arrived. Valenti was ordering crime scene investigators around the site, desperate to get as much evidence as he possible could from the home.
Phillip was standing very close to Liz, a whisper of a tear on his cheek. His face was completely white and he was unmoving. Liz took a step towards him, touching his hand, “Mr. Evans? C-can I… g-go with Max? I don’t want him to g-go alone.”
Phillip gestured towards the sheriff. When he spoke, it was but a wisp of sound, “You’ll have to ask Valenti.”
Liz ran towards the sheriff, aware of the paramedics impending departure. She didn’t ask him, she simply stated it as a fact, “I’m going with Max in the ambulance.”
“Are you sure…?” Valenti trailed off. But, once more, the look in Liz’s eyes shunned his questioning. She wasn’t going to be parted from Max. Not when he so clearly needed someone. He simply nodded.
Liz ran back to the ambulance, jumping into the back. She resumed her position next to Max, taking the same hand into hers. As the paramedic worked around her, she couldn’t help but think that she could have prevented all of this. She could have stopped Max from going back into that trailer.
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Phillip Evans was shaken out of his stupor by a deputy, “Sir? Jim wanted to know if you needed me to take you to the hospital?”
“No. I’ll take myself. I want to call a few people and let them know the situation, anyway. Thank you for the offer.” He bid the deputy farewell and then walked to his car. As soon as he had slid in, he had Nancy on the phone.
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Isabel, Alex, Tess, and Kyle were playing cards when someone knocked on the door.
Isabel rose to her feet and crossed quickly, hollering over her shoulder, “Don’t you dare look at my cards, Kyle!”
Kyle looked up sheepishly, placing his hand back in his lap. He muttered to Alex, “How’d she know?”
Alex shrugged, laughing slightly. Typical Kyle.
Isabel frowned at Deputy Smith when she opened the door, “Can I help you?”
“You are Isabel Guerin, are you not?” He replied. After he had dropped Hank off at the station, Valenti had radioed him and instructed him to inform Isabel Guerin of what was going on and offer her and whoever else a ride to the hospital.
Isabel nodded, shakily, “What’s this about?”
“Your brother, Max Guerin…” He trailed off. How did he tell someone that their only family member had been beaten to within an inch of their death and presumably raped repeatedly?
Isabel’s voice rose, “What’s the matter with him?! Where is he?!”
“He’s in the hospital. Your foster father, Hank, he… he hurt Max pretty severely.”
“What do you mean?!” Isabel’s voice rose, the panic evident.
“Max has been unconscious ever since they discovered him, and, as of a few minutes ago, hasn’t made any signs of regaining consciousness…” He started, but Isabel stopped him.
She turned back to the other three, sitting in the living room directly in sight of the short hallway Isabel was standing in. They looked completely stunned, “Alex!”
He practically flew to her side. He knew exactly what she wanted. They took off out the door, ignoring the deputy. He heard Kyle shout after them, “We’ll meet you there!”
Alex kept glancing at Isabel as they walked down to the car. Her face looked like it was etched out of stone. She was completely still and unmoving, her face expressionless. After they’d buckled in, Alex started the car and immediately accelerated, anxious to get Isabel to her brother as fast as possible.
He took a second to glance at her, “Iz?”
But she didn’t respond. Her eyes remained glued forward, never once leaving the road ahead of them.
TBC...
“Max?” Maria questioned. But he didn’t stop for her, he ran past her and out of the Parker’s apartment. She was about to turn and follow him when she heard Liz’s sobs coming from the bedroom.
Maria ran down the hallway. She ripped open the door to find Liz, huddled against her bed and clutching to the covers like a lifeline, tears streaming down her cheeks. Liz’s noisy sobs continued as Maria hurried over to her. Maria sat down quickly, pulling Liz’s head to her breast and stroking her hair gingerly.
She was worried. What had Max done to Liz? “Did he hurt you? What’d he do?”
Liz shook her head, speaking amidst sobs, “N-no, M-ma-ria. H-he… oh G-god” She started to hyperventilate.
Maria threw Liz’s hands above her head, sitting her friend up so that her airway wasn’t constricted, “Liz, you’ve gotta take deep breaths, babe. Try to calm down.”
Liz complied, her breathing slowly steadying, despite the tears. Maria, sensing that it was okay to release her friend’s arms, let Liz’s hands drop and proceeded to dig in her purse, pulling out a vial of fluid.
Maria uncorked it and held it under her friend’s nose, “Just breathe in. It’ll relieve your stress. You need to calm down so you can tell me what’s wrong.”
Liz inhaled deeply, wishing for anything that could relieve her of the panic she was feeling. The herbal remedy worked slightly, but she still felt anxious. She wouldn’t be fully okay until she was certain that Max was okay. And he was definitely not okay.
“What’d Max do, Liz? Why was he here?” Maria was genuinely worried. It was very seldom that Liz fell apart like this.
Liz’s tears hindered her speech, “I-I have… have n-no idea wh-why h-he w-was h-here.” She took a deep breath and was able to speak more clearly, “I n-never found out why. I-I just s-started to at-tack him…”
“Whoa, whoa, stop right there. You attacked him? Like… attacked him attacked him?” Maria quirked an eyebrow.
Liz shook her head feverishly, “N-no!! I started t-to ask him wh-what was g-going on w-with Hank be-because I overheard Is-Isabel and M-Michael saying that H-Hank wasn’t safe. At first he wouldn’t tell me what was going on, s-so I started to ye-yell at him a-and then he just snapped. A-and he t-told me everything. M-Maria he’s in s-so much trouble.”
Maria wafted more of the stress-relief beneath Liz’s nose, “What kind of trouble, Liz?!” She was getting extremely stressed.
Liz’s voice lowered to a haunted whisper, “Hank… hurts him, Maria. He hurts him so, so badly.”
Maria shook her head, a few tears starting to fall down her cheeks, “Wh-what? Oh my God. Liz… oh my God.”
Liz nodded, completely understanding Maria’s reaction. Maria, however, started rambling through her tears, “Why didn’t we ever see it? I mean, sure, he never looked happy, but he always made it seem like everything was okay in his life, you know? And Michael and Isabel always were concerned about him, but I always just figured it was because he was such a loner and they wanted him to be more social. Why didn’t I ever catch on? I’ve got to be this terrible person to not realize…”
Liz cut her off, speaking through the tears, “No, Maria, listen to me. You had no way of knowing what was going on. People lied to us, and that’s that. It’s not your fault. W-we’ve just got to be thankful that the truth is finally out.”
“Yeah, we know the truth, but what’re we going to do about it?” Maria asked with a slight frown.
Liz suddenly remembered something, “Max asked me not to tell anyone.” She saw Maria’s baffled look, “I know, I don’t understand his reasoning, either. But I’m not going to not tell someone. I have to help him, Maria. It’s not healthy.”
Maria nodded, “Yeah, Liz, I’m totally with you on this. But what do we do? Go to Valenti right now? Or what?”
Liz shook her head, “I don’t want to go behind his back. I want to give him a chance to do this with me. If he doesn’t agree to go, then I’ll go by myself.”
“I don’t think he’s going to agree to go with you. Not after he’s spent so long trying to hide it.”
“Oh crap, Maria, my parents are going to come home tomorrow morning. What’re they going to say when they find out that Max and I have gone to the police with this and didn’t tell them anything about it?” Liz bit on her lower lip in thought.
“We’ll handle that when the time comes, Liz. Just relax for now.” Maria pulled Liz’s head onto her shoulder and together they leaned back against the bed. The two friends fell asleep like that, thinking only about Max and how the confrontation would go.
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Liz stood in front of Max’s locker the entire morning, but he never showed up. She went into Biology thinking that he just didn’t go to his locker before school. He wasn’t there, either. Liz wasn’t worried… he could just be coming to school late.
At lunch, however, Max’s usual table was vacant. Liz sat down at her old table with all of her friends, “Has anyone seen Max today? He hasn’t been in class and he’s not at his table…”
“He’s not at school?” Isabel’s eyes grew wide with worry. They quickly found Michael’s worried face.
Michael shrugged, “Don’t look at me; I don’t know anything about it.”
Liz was too distracted to even pay attention to anyone. The stress of the situation was really wearing upon her.
Kyle raised an eyebrow, “What’s up with Max, you guys? He’s been a little off lately. Something’s definitely going on.”
Alex threw up his hands in exasperation, “THANK YOU! Finally, someone else agrees with me.”
Liz stood up and practically ran from the courtyard. Maria followed closely behind her. Both ignored the strange looks they were getting from the crowd they’d left behind.
Maria caught up with Liz as she was about to exit the building, “Where’re you going?!”
Liz turned around to face Maria, “I’m going to Valenti. Max is in trouble. Did you see the look on both Isabel and Michael’s faces? They were both terrified. It’s obvious that neither of them has talked to Max at all in the last twelve hours, and I’m almost certain that he wouldn’t run away yet, so he’s got to be at the trailer. With Hank.”
Maria nodded, fully supporting Liz, “Let’s go.”
Liz nodded. The two walked, hand in hand, towards the door. As they were about to leave the building, Liz’s math teacher called out to them, “Just where do you think you’re going?”
Liz and Maria didn’t turn around. They kept walking until they had reached Liz’s car.
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Liz knocked hesitantly on Valenti’s door. She hadn’t even stopped to acknowledge anyone along the way.
Liz had asked Maria to wait outside for her. She hadn’t told Maria all of the aspects of Max’s… abuse. When Max was ready to open up to everyone, he would. It was his right.
Valenti’s voice came through the door, “Come on in.”
When she entered, he was buried in paperwork. As soon as he processed who she was, however, he dropped his pen, “Ms. Parker? Shouldn’t you be in school?”
Liz nodded curtly. The look on her face told Jim not to tread into that territory, “Take a seat. Is there anything wrong?”
Liz closed the door behind her. She sat in the chair across from him and took a deep breath, “Actually, there is something wrong, Sheriff. It’s Max Guerin.”
“Max Guerin?” Valenti frowned. That made three visits on behalf of Max in the last two months. He had to admit, however, that his interest in the boy was definitely peaked. And Phillip Evans’s concerns for the boy, as well as his reputation, far exceeded Hank Guerin’s. “What about him?”
An hour (and what seemed like thousands of questions) later, Jim Valenti had never felt sicker. How could such a thing have been happening in Roswell?
As soon as he’d heard everything Liz had to say, Jim called Phillip Evans and told him of the new confession a few minutes ago. He’d recounted what Liz had told him. Jim didn’t know why he called Phillip; it just seemed like the right thing to do.
It also seemed that the right thing to do was to tell Phillip that the police would be going to Hank’s trailer immediately to retrieve Max. There was no way that kid was staying there for another hour.
Jim also called a social worker down. Someone was going to be waiting for he and Max at the station when they returned.
The stage had been set.
“Ms. Parker, one of my deputies will drop you off at home.” Valenti stood up, placing his cowboy hat on his head.
“Wait! I thought that I would get to go with you.” Liz stood on her feet, looking worried.
Valenti shook his head, “I don’t think so. If what we both think is true, it won’t be healthy for you to come.”
“Won’t having me there help Max? It’ll do him good to see a familiar face…” Liz was grasping at straws, desperate to be taken with him.
He nodded his head in sympathy, “Alright, you win. But you’re not going to come into the trailer. You’re staying with Phillip.”
Liz nodded, taking deep breaths. She just wanted to get to Max. She suddenly remembered something, “Oh, Maria’s waiting for me outside…”
Jim gave Liz a stern look, “I don’t think that drawing a crowd would be in Max’s best interest.”
“I understand.” Liz nodded.
The two walked into the lobby and Liz pulled Maria to the side, “We’re going to go get Max, but he’ll only let one person go with him…”
Maria nodded sincerely, “Go, Liz.” She pushed Liz towards the sheriff and then added, “Call me as soon as something happens.”
Liz nodded and turned to walk out of the building with Jim.
They rode in complete silence. Valenti had ordered a few deputies to follow them for support, just in case Hank got out of hand.
Phillip Evans was waiting for them when they pulled up. After Valenti and his deputies had gotten situated, Phillip walked over to Liz and helped her out of the car. He whispered to her as the men knocked on the trailer, “Everything’ll be alright. You did the right thing.”
Liz nodded, watching them disappear into the trailer. Her stomach twisted in knots and she counted the seconds until they would reappear.
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Jim knocked on the door, “Mr. Guerin, open up! It’s the police!”
No answer came. Jim tried again, speaking a little louder this time, “Mr. Guerin!! Police!!”
A grumble came in response, “C’min.”
Jim and his deputies stepped through the door. He could immediately tell that Hank had been drinking a ton. Liquor bottles and beer cans littered the floor. Hell, the entire trailer reeked of alcohol.
Dirty dishes were strewn about the kitchen sink and counter. Some broken dish fragments lay shattered at the bottom of the far wall. There’d been a fight of some kind.
Valenti, however, couldn’t see Max in the main area. He cleared his throat, “Where’s Max, Hank?”
Hank’s brow furrowed in confusion, “Who?”
“Max. The boy who lives here.” Valenti repeated, speaking slower.
Hank nodded, “Oh. That. It’s in the other room. Filthy little shit.”
Valenti waved for one of his deputies to remain behind and watch Hank. He and Hansen moved down the hallway, pushing open the door at the end of the hall.
“Oh God.” Valenti felt like he was going to be sick. In the opposite corner, Max was tied to a hook, lying on his side and facing the doorway. There actually was a rope around his neck, with one end attached to the wall. To make matters worse, his hands were tied behind his back. And he was completely naked, only a small blanket covering up his groin.
His entire body was covered in bruises. There didn’t seem to be an area on him that wasn’t purple. On his torso, hundreds of cigarette burns (new and old) glared angrily back at them. On his abdomen, red burns were prominent.
One of his arms was sticking at an odd angle, and from what Valenti could see, it looked like one of his ankles was broken, too.
And his face was a disaster. Two fierce black eyes glistened in blood. A gash above one of his eyebrows had dripped down his face that had now caked. His hair was disheveled and matted in blood. Even his nose and his mouth hadn’t escaped. His nose looked like it had to have been broken at least once, and his lips were bright red and puffy, blood trickling out of the bottom corner.
Some of the blood even looked fresh. A few wounds were still bleeding, implying that Hank had been beating the kid less than an hour before they arrived.
Valenti crossed over to Max, ashen-faced. He gently rubbed a normal patch of skin on his shoulder, “Max? Can you hear me?”
When he received no answer, he checked for a pulse. A very faint one reassured him. He turned to Hansen, who looked as shell-shocked as Jim felt, “Get an ambulance and tell Smith to arrest Hank. Whatever you do, don’t let the girl in.”
If Jim hadn’t known that this was the correct address, he would have a hard time believing that the boy lying next to him was Max Guerin.
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Hansen gave the order to Smith and then walked out of the trailer to his patrol car. He raised the radio to his lips and ordered for an ambulance to come immediately.
As he was crossing to go back into the trailer, Phillip and Liz headed him off.
“Where’s Max?” Liz demanded.
Phillip, however, demanded something else, “Why did you just call an ambulance?”
Hansen looked at them, his face grim and pale with sickness, “We found Max… he’s unconscious… It seems like Hank beat him severely.”
Liz tried to run past Hansen and get to Max, but Hansen held her back, “I’ve got strict orders to not let you in that trailer, Ms. Parker.”
“Let me go! I have to see him! I have to help him!” Tears streaked down Liz’s face. Her words caught in her throat when she saw what emerged from the trailer next.
Smith came out first, leading a cuffed and drunken Hank.
Rage overtook Liz’s entire body. She couldn’t think or see clearly. In that instant, the only thing she wanted to do was kill Hank for all that he had ever done to Max, for the position that Max was in now. She attempted to rip free of Hansen’s grasp, but he held her firmly. Her arm twisted in its socket, causing a sharp pain in her shoulder, but she ignored it.
Hot, angry tears ripped down her face and she screamed, “Let me go! I’ll kill him! I’ll kill him!”
Phillip’s gentle hands took hers into his. He softly spun her around to face him. Just by looking at him, Liz could tell that he too was trying as hard as he possibly could to not chase after Hank as Liz so desperately wanted to.
He spoke calmly, his voice only quavering with emotion a few times, “Liz, that’s not the way to settle things. It’s out of our hands.” He shook his head when she opened her mouth to protest, “Believe me, I wish that I could…” He took a deep breath, “I wish I could make that man wish that he had never been born, but if I did, think about what Max’s reaction would be. He’d feel guilty for being the cause of my incarceration, thinking that if he had never told you what was going on, I would never be in jail for assault. And he’d be no better off than before. So we’ve got to control ourselves, Liz. For Max.”
Liz, still shaking, nodded and withdrew her hands from Phillip’s. She turned to face the trailer and took deep breaths, waiting for the ambulance to arrive.
She watched in wide-eyed fear as the two paramedics sprinted into the trailer with a backboard.
And when they reemerged several minutes later, she took off at a sprint to get to Max’s side. This time, there was no stopping her. Tears flew openly down her cheeks for what felt like the thousandth time in twenty-four hours, and their pace only increased when she was able to fully see him.
Max was dressed in a simple hospital gown, proof enough for her that he had been tied naked to the wall just as he had described the night before. The mere sight of him made her sick with rage once more, but she fought it down. Hank had already been taken off in the cruiser. There was no point in releasing her anger now.
She gently held Max’s least bruised hand and walked beside him as he was carried into the ambulance. When he had been loaded in, she turned back to face the scene before her. Even more cops had arrived. Valenti was ordering crime scene investigators around the site, desperate to get as much evidence as he possible could from the home.
Phillip was standing very close to Liz, a whisper of a tear on his cheek. His face was completely white and he was unmoving. Liz took a step towards him, touching his hand, “Mr. Evans? C-can I… g-go with Max? I don’t want him to g-go alone.”
Phillip gestured towards the sheriff. When he spoke, it was but a wisp of sound, “You’ll have to ask Valenti.”
Liz ran towards the sheriff, aware of the paramedics impending departure. She didn’t ask him, she simply stated it as a fact, “I’m going with Max in the ambulance.”
“Are you sure…?” Valenti trailed off. But, once more, the look in Liz’s eyes shunned his questioning. She wasn’t going to be parted from Max. Not when he so clearly needed someone. He simply nodded.
Liz ran back to the ambulance, jumping into the back. She resumed her position next to Max, taking the same hand into hers. As the paramedic worked around her, she couldn’t help but think that she could have prevented all of this. She could have stopped Max from going back into that trailer.
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Phillip Evans was shaken out of his stupor by a deputy, “Sir? Jim wanted to know if you needed me to take you to the hospital?”
“No. I’ll take myself. I want to call a few people and let them know the situation, anyway. Thank you for the offer.” He bid the deputy farewell and then walked to his car. As soon as he had slid in, he had Nancy on the phone.
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Isabel, Alex, Tess, and Kyle were playing cards when someone knocked on the door.
Isabel rose to her feet and crossed quickly, hollering over her shoulder, “Don’t you dare look at my cards, Kyle!”
Kyle looked up sheepishly, placing his hand back in his lap. He muttered to Alex, “How’d she know?”
Alex shrugged, laughing slightly. Typical Kyle.
Isabel frowned at Deputy Smith when she opened the door, “Can I help you?”
“You are Isabel Guerin, are you not?” He replied. After he had dropped Hank off at the station, Valenti had radioed him and instructed him to inform Isabel Guerin of what was going on and offer her and whoever else a ride to the hospital.
Isabel nodded, shakily, “What’s this about?”
“Your brother, Max Guerin…” He trailed off. How did he tell someone that their only family member had been beaten to within an inch of their death and presumably raped repeatedly?
Isabel’s voice rose, “What’s the matter with him?! Where is he?!”
“He’s in the hospital. Your foster father, Hank, he… he hurt Max pretty severely.”
“What do you mean?!” Isabel’s voice rose, the panic evident.
“Max has been unconscious ever since they discovered him, and, as of a few minutes ago, hasn’t made any signs of regaining consciousness…” He started, but Isabel stopped him.
She turned back to the other three, sitting in the living room directly in sight of the short hallway Isabel was standing in. They looked completely stunned, “Alex!”
He practically flew to her side. He knew exactly what she wanted. They took off out the door, ignoring the deputy. He heard Kyle shout after them, “We’ll meet you there!”
Alex kept glancing at Isabel as they walked down to the car. Her face looked like it was etched out of stone. She was completely still and unmoving, her face expressionless. After they’d buckled in, Alex started the car and immediately accelerated, anxious to get Isabel to her brother as fast as possible.
He took a second to glance at her, “Iz?”
But she didn’t respond. Her eyes remained glued forward, never once leaving the road ahead of them.
TBC...
Last edited by sprayadhesive on Sat Jan 13, 2007 12:58 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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sprayadhesive
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Part 16
Max had been in the hospital for a day now, but Maria, Kyle, Tess, and Alex had been practically ordered by the sheriff to return to school. He didn't want suspicions to be raised about Max's abuse quite yet. He figured that having Michael, Isabel, and Liz (none of whom could be swayed to leave the hospital) all out of school on the same day would be too conspicuous to escape attention.
Maria was counting down the minutes until school let out. When she'd left Isabel and Michael last night, it hadn't been pretty. Isabel immediately became an introvert the second the deputy had told her what was wrong. Michael, however, was livid. He wanted to kill Hank. No, not just kill, he wanted to torture Hank until the man begged him to take his life.
That want had only been fueled when the group had first seen Max a few hours after he'd been admitted and test results were getting back. From the second that they saw him, no one could talk. The sight was so vivid and gruesome that almost everyone went into shock.
They were shortly after ushered back into the waiting room.
And the moment that had everyone's knees going weak – the moment that left them all sickened – was when the doctor came into the waiting room to speak to Phillip and Diane and tell them the results of Max's tests. Naturally, everyone strained their ears to listen.
The doctors told them all about Max's multiple broken ribs, the broken right ankle and arm, the immense loss of blood, the bruising of almost his entire body.
Thankfully, a year ago, Michael had tested his own blood and compared it to human blood. The results for that turned out completely normal.
There was nothing normal about Max's other tests, though. The brain numbing words "rape kit" were spoken and everyone looked towards Max's door. It was enough to make the blood drain from everyone's faces when the doctors said words like "had indeed been raped", "multiple occasions", and " physical damage".
Max had been raped repeatedly, and no one knew anything of it. They had failed him. For his entire life and by everyone he knew, he'd been failed. Everyone that had ever come in contact with Max Guerin had failed him, and there was no denying that.
Maria was now in fifth period – her second to last of the day. It was Math and they were doing absolutely nothing. Her zoned-out state halted when the group of girls behind her started talking about Max.
The first girl giggled, "Hottest guy in school – hands down."
"Oh, I totally agree with you. And he's got that whole mysterious quiet-type thing going for him. He rarely ever talks – or smiles." The second girl responded.
Yet another girl burst into giggles, "I bet that I could put a smile on his face."
"He's just… gorgeous." Another girl responded. "Perfect."
The group laughed and Maria wanted to turn around and wipe their smiles right off of their faces. They had no right to talk about Max. They hadn't known about it, either. They hadn't helped him.
Just like her.
She shook her head and cleared it when the bell rang and she was dismissed to her last period class – German.
The entire period was clear of talk of Max or any situation relating to him, except for the last ten minutes. Somehow, the topic of suicide had spawned in the group sitting next to her. They were debating on whether or not they would be able to kill themselves – or want to, for that matter.
"The only reason I would kill myself is if someone was raping me – repeatedly. Like, on a nightly basis." A short, blonde girl stated.
Maria didn't attempt to hide her tears. She grabbed her books and walked out of the classroom, missing the last few minutes.
She felt like the world was teasing her. Max was in the hospital and she couldn't draw too much attention to it by missing classes. It wasn't like it would matter, anyway. Not after today.
Since most of the hospital staff had been restricted from learning the identity of the unconscious patient, they didn't know who Max actually was. Now, though, he was awake and he would require a lot more attention. The restrictions had been lifted this morning. Kids had parents who worked at the hospital. Those parents were bound to go home and tell their kids of that poor boy Max Guerin and what had been happening to him all of his life.
Maria knew it would happen.
Roswell was a small town. It simply loved to gossip.
She remembered how she and Michael had found out that Max was in the hospital. Maria had just sat him down in his room after school to explain to him what Liz had done when Diane came running into their room, muttering things about Phillip and Max. After Michael was finally able to calm her down, he got the truth from her. And he practically sprinted to the car, waiting just long enough for Diane and Maria to get in the car.
Maria didn't like how Isabel had found out, either. The other three had thought that distracting her from Max's absence would be the best thing for her, but they'd never been more wrong. Her need to go to Max after lunch should have been catered to.
Nancy, Jeff, and her mother had arrived only two hours after they had. They too turned pale when the situation was described to them.
Above all, Jeff felt guilty. He couldn't help but thinking that by firing Max earlier, he'd just made his life that much more difficult.
And everyone's parents continually apologized to their children for not being more perceptive.
Most of all, they all wanted to apologize to Max. But it wouldn't be. Not yet. He wasn't conscious.
So many mistakes had been made.
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A voice floated at the front of his mind. He couldn't make out the words, but he could guess who the speaker was. He would bet anything that it was Hank. And, for once, he was glad to know that Hank was so close.
He tried to strain his ears to listen, but he couldn't. The voice was growing louder now. It was angry. Hank was coming for him.
Good.
The voice sounded so close. Hank must be standing only a few weeks away from him. Why hadn't it happened yet? Why had Hank thus far been unsuccessful?
And he had such a terrible headache. There was a throbbing in the front of his head, making it hard for him to concentrate. The more he tried to focus, though, the clearer the voice got.
He was tired of waiting. It should have been over hours ago. He was sure Hank was standing in his room now. What was a little more motivation? "Finish it. Finish it! Kill me!" He spat out the words and the room fell silent.
He didn't understand. It was Hank. It had to be Hank. So, why wasn't he hitting him yet? Why hadn't the intolerable pain returned? Why was he still alive?
"Kill me. Just finish it. Kill me. Please kill me." He pleaded. He didn't want to live anymore. He didn't want to live his life knowing that Liz knew his secret. Knowing that she thought he was a disgusting being, something despicable and beneath her.
She was bound to tell everyone else, too. They would all think it. It would be unbearable.
Not that anything in his life ever had been bearable to begin with. Except for Liz. But now she was lost. She thought that he was a hideous creature who didn't deserve life. She thought that he deserved everything Hank gave him. And she had hit the nail on the head.
The headache was lifting. He could hear the voice now, but it sounded tender. "Max?"
He groaned. Hank was calling him by his name, now? The man chose this point in time to get compassionate?
"Max, wake up. You're in the hospital. Hank can't hurt you anymore. You're safe."
His eyes shot open, and he immediately regretted the reaction. His eyes were both heavily bruised, and opening them more than a few centimeters hurt terribly. He groaned. Immediately after the sound escaped his lips, soft hands clasped one of his. Another voice joined the first voice. It was female this time, "Max?! Max, can you hear me?! "
"Where am I?" He murmured. He wasn't supposed to be with people. He wasn't supposed to be alive.
He cracked his eyes open, attempting to focus long enough to see certain people. Phillip, Diane, Isabel, and Michael. They were the intruders. But this wasn't his room. This wasn't the trailer.
The walls were white and everything was very … sterile.
It was a hospital.
"Get a nurse, Michael." Diane whispered excitedly, "He's awake! Get a nurse!"
Max couldn't handle this right now. He didn't want anyone here. He didn't want anyone to make a fuss over him. He just wanted to be alone. Like he deserved.
He could hear a commotion coming from outside of the room, "I don't care if there're only four people allowed to visit at once! I want to see him!"
A thumping noise was heard against the wall and the door was opened to reveal Liz and a rather haughty-looking nurse. The nurse turned a worried eye to Phillip, "I couldn't keep her out."
Phillip frowned, "It's alright. She's fine to be in here."
But Max didn't hear any of this. His entire body had frozen when he saw her enter the door. Why would Liz even want to see him?
The hand that wasn't already being held by Isabel was taken into Liz's hands. He stared up into the ceiling, determined not to react.
He had to be in Hell. It was the only explanation. Any second now, Liz was going to tell him that he was a disgusting, filthy creature who never deserved a life.
He waited, but the words never came.
Instead, Liz's words were full of sorrow. He could hear tears in her voice as she muttered about how she should have done something sooner. That he being in the hospital was all her fault.
He withdrew his hands away from the two girls sharply when he heard them both mutter how it was their fault. His pathetic life was not their fault. He would make sure that they knew that.
He didn't want to see them cry over him. He wasn't worth it.
He was useless.
He couldn't even die properly.
"Get out!" He snapped, causing all conversation in the room to cease.
Michael stepped towards Max, "Max…"
"Get out!" He repeated harshly, his eyes still looking towards the ceiling. He didn't want to be an object of pity. He wasn't going to have people pretend that his life was worth caring about.
It was Phillip, this time, who stepped forward, "I don't think he's thinking clearly…"
"I'm thinking very clearly." Max repeated, his voice quaking in anger, "My name is Max Guerin and I want everyone to get out of my room."
The nurse nodded, "Of course…"
"You can't be serious…" Diane looked at the woman incredulously.
The nurse nodded again, "He needs his rest and obviously everyone's presence is upsetting him. I'm going to have to ask everyone to leave until he's ready to handle it."
"M-Max, don't make me go. Don't make me leave you." Isabel pleaded, tears trickling down her face. "Not again."
He ignored her. It would be too much for him if she was here.
The nurse strung together a slew of threats, throwing in jibes about security guards and too many visitors. Amongst mutterings of mutiny, the group shuffled their way out of the room.
When the door had closed, Max leaned back on the pillow, "Thank you."
"You're quite welcome." The nurse responded. She gave him a weak smile, "I'm Laura."
She was a woman in early twenties and a had a very friendly air about her.
"What happened? Why'm I here?" His voice begged for the truth. He'd been afraid to ask his questions with everyone around.
"Someone reported your abuse, dear." The woman replied while fluffing his pillows, "And it's a good thing they did. You were about an inch from death when the cops found you…"
Max tuned her out. An inch from death. He had been that close to being free, but he was still denied. If there was such a thing as God, he must really hate him. Nothing ever went his way.
"Who reported it?" He whispered. His throat felt very dry.
"That firecracker, Liz Parker. You know that she practically had her arm ripped out of her socket yesterday and she was still willing to wrestle me to get into the room. Can you believe that?"
Max's eyes opened again, worry filling his voice, "She what? What happened? Who did it?" Every fiber of his being was telling him that Hank did it to her. He got a sickened feeling in the pit of his stomach. She was hurt because of him. Because she came to find him.
"She did it to herself, trying to get into that trailer, actually. When she found out what that demon had done to you, she tried to get out of the deputy's grasp and near broke her arm in the process. She's just going to have to wear a sling for a few more days. Just a sprained shoulder or something of the sorts." The woman twittered.
"S-she was there when they found me?" His worst fear confirmed.
The woman nodded, "She even sat with you the entire way to the hospital. I don't think she would've left, but her parents made her. They said that she had to go home and get some rest because… Well, we were starting to worry even more about you, if even possile."
Max whispered gravely, "I've been out of it that long?"
"I'm afraid so – forty eight hours." The woman gave him a weak smile, "But your injuries are healing quite nicely. Everything's running smoothly. Now that you're conscious, I'm sure that you'll make a quick recovery."
A quick recovery. He closed his eyes once more, his breathing becoming heavy. A quick recovery.
Never before had he felt more cursed in his life. Where did this leave his future? Would he go back to an orphanage? Would Phillip and Diane take it upon themselves to house him? He wouldn't allow that. He wasn't going to be their burden.
He tried to sit up and he was rewarded with a piercing pain in various numbers of his ribs. Laura hurried forward and guided his torso gently back into the bed, "You've got broken ribs, dear. It's going to be a painful recuperation. You're best off staying as still as possible."
Max groaned in frustration. He could probably escape from this if he weren't in a hospital. He'd somehow harness his powers and then be set to leave the state. But he was in the hospital. It would be too suspicious to heal himself. There was no way they would let him leave the state.
He wasn't in control anymore. The level of uncertainty had been raised, and he didn't like it.
Max, for the first time, looked at his right hand. A hard, black cast covered it. How had he not noticed that earlier when Isabel was holding it? He stiffly kicked off his blanket to find out what else was cast.
His right leg, from toe to knee was cast in the same style as his hand. He continued his motion and ignored the pain, climbing out of bed.
Laura watched him cautiously, but when she tried to approach him and aid him, he waved her off. He didn't want her help.
He set his feet down on the cold floor and shivered. Bracing himself, he began to rise to his feet.
The process was slow – sinking down on the bed every few seconds to get his feet readjusted to his weight. Eventually, however, he was able to stand.
Laura tried to rush forwards again, but he held out his hand to stop her. He took a hesitant step forwards, teetering slightly. The cast, thankfully, didn't extend over his knee, so he was able to walk slightly normal with it. He lumbered to the bathroom door and turned the handle with a shaking hand.
As much as he hated to admit it, the pain was unbearable. Every breath that he took laying down hurt like Hell, and that was only amplified now that he was standing and moving around.
Somehow he managed to get into the bathroom and he closed the door behind him. He placed his hands on the edges of the sink and looked into the mirror.
What he saw disgusted him even further with himself. He was hardly recognizable. The doctors had stitched above his left eye and the cut looked nauseating. How anyone could manage to look at him for more than five seconds was beyond him.
The sight, no matter how revolting, made him smile. Hank hadn't fully given him what he deserved, but he almost had. Hank was the only one who saw him for what he really was. Hank had punished him accordingly. For once, the man had done the right thing.
After Max had finished in the bathroom, he reemerged and found Isabel waiting for him by his bed. Laura was gone and he assumed that Isabel had snuck in when she left.
He chose to ignore her and attempted to make his way back to the bed. Isabel, looking through his façade and seeing the pain, rose to her feet and took his arm softly to help him.
Max ground his teeth together, "Don't touch me."
He didn't deserve any help. Any pain that he had was deserved. He deserved it. He'd ruined everyone's lives. And he'd made Liz cry.
No – not cry. Sob. He'd made her sob.
Isabel withdrew her hand slowly, looking at him with empty eyes. She stood rooted to the spot and watched him climb into his bed.
Max closed his eyes in frustration, "Just go."
Isabel didn't move. She kept her position and looked at him stoically, "Wh-why didn't you tell me?"
Her voice's croaking was a side-effect from not talking at all during the past two days.
"Tell you what?" He snapped, keeping his eyes closed. How he wished that Isabel was still in the dark with mostly everything.
"About Hank." She whispered, her eyes sparkling with tears.
Max's exasperated tone returned, "You knew about Hank."
"Not all of it." Isabel's voice squeaked. "Why didn't you tell me? We should have done something."
Max shook his head, his eyes still closed. "They told you?"
Isabel's silence caused Max's entire body to shake with fear, "Who else?"
"The doctors," Isabel didn't know how to put this, "They were just telling Diane and Phillip… but we overheard."
"We?" Max's voice was growing smaller by the second.
"Me, Michael, Liz, Maria, Kyle, Alex, Tess, Mr. and Mrs. Parker, Mrs. Deluca…"
"Everyone." Max supplemented weakly. Now everyone knew his secrets. They knew what Hank had been doing to him. His worst fears were reality. He could no longer hide what a despicable creature he was. They all knew and they weren't going to forget.
Isabel took a cautioned step towards the bed, "Why didn't you tell me?"
Max turned his head away from her, speaking shortly, "It wasn't your burden."
"Not my burden?!" Isabel's voice grew sharper, "Not my burden?! You're my brother, Max! You're the only family I have except for Michael!
"You were the one who always took my problems and made them yours. You are the person who has protected me my entire life. And I'm the reason that all of this has happened to you. I wish I had just – I wish I had just let Hank have me, because if I had, you wouldn't be in this position right now."
Max's head snapped to look at her, a growing fierceness in his voice, "Don't you dare wish that." His over-protective feelings swelled in his chest and his rage at the mere thought caused him to be short of breath, "What we did was the right thing to do. It was the only way."
"No." Isabel shot back, "This was… I can't believe it even happened. You should have told me."
"Just get out, Isabel." Max didn't want to have this conversation. He didn't ever want to have this conversation.
"Max…" Isabel took another step forward, "Don't make me leave you. You don't have to be alone."
"I deserve it." He replied lowly, barely loud enough for her to hear. As soon as he had spoken the words, he pressed the button to call the nurse.
Laura bustled in seconds later, shooing Isabel out and giving her heaps of condescending glares. When Isabel had finally left, Laura turned cautiously to Max, "The girl, Liz Parker, she's begging me to let her see you… says she needs to explain something."
Max looked towards the ceiling, swallowing a lump in his throat. Why didn't anyone see that this was what he deserved? Why did they have to continually try to make him believe that he was worth a life when he so clearly knew he wasn't? They were wasting their time. He replied to her icily, "No. Absolutely not."
TBC...
Max had been in the hospital for a day now, but Maria, Kyle, Tess, and Alex had been practically ordered by the sheriff to return to school. He didn't want suspicions to be raised about Max's abuse quite yet. He figured that having Michael, Isabel, and Liz (none of whom could be swayed to leave the hospital) all out of school on the same day would be too conspicuous to escape attention.
Maria was counting down the minutes until school let out. When she'd left Isabel and Michael last night, it hadn't been pretty. Isabel immediately became an introvert the second the deputy had told her what was wrong. Michael, however, was livid. He wanted to kill Hank. No, not just kill, he wanted to torture Hank until the man begged him to take his life.
That want had only been fueled when the group had first seen Max a few hours after he'd been admitted and test results were getting back. From the second that they saw him, no one could talk. The sight was so vivid and gruesome that almost everyone went into shock.
They were shortly after ushered back into the waiting room.
And the moment that had everyone's knees going weak – the moment that left them all sickened – was when the doctor came into the waiting room to speak to Phillip and Diane and tell them the results of Max's tests. Naturally, everyone strained their ears to listen.
The doctors told them all about Max's multiple broken ribs, the broken right ankle and arm, the immense loss of blood, the bruising of almost his entire body.
Thankfully, a year ago, Michael had tested his own blood and compared it to human blood. The results for that turned out completely normal.
There was nothing normal about Max's other tests, though. The brain numbing words "rape kit" were spoken and everyone looked towards Max's door. It was enough to make the blood drain from everyone's faces when the doctors said words like "had indeed been raped", "multiple occasions", and " physical damage".
Max had been raped repeatedly, and no one knew anything of it. They had failed him. For his entire life and by everyone he knew, he'd been failed. Everyone that had ever come in contact with Max Guerin had failed him, and there was no denying that.
Maria was now in fifth period – her second to last of the day. It was Math and they were doing absolutely nothing. Her zoned-out state halted when the group of girls behind her started talking about Max.
The first girl giggled, "Hottest guy in school – hands down."
"Oh, I totally agree with you. And he's got that whole mysterious quiet-type thing going for him. He rarely ever talks – or smiles." The second girl responded.
Yet another girl burst into giggles, "I bet that I could put a smile on his face."
"He's just… gorgeous." Another girl responded. "Perfect."
The group laughed and Maria wanted to turn around and wipe their smiles right off of their faces. They had no right to talk about Max. They hadn't known about it, either. They hadn't helped him.
Just like her.
She shook her head and cleared it when the bell rang and she was dismissed to her last period class – German.
The entire period was clear of talk of Max or any situation relating to him, except for the last ten minutes. Somehow, the topic of suicide had spawned in the group sitting next to her. They were debating on whether or not they would be able to kill themselves – or want to, for that matter.
"The only reason I would kill myself is if someone was raping me – repeatedly. Like, on a nightly basis." A short, blonde girl stated.
Maria didn't attempt to hide her tears. She grabbed her books and walked out of the classroom, missing the last few minutes.
She felt like the world was teasing her. Max was in the hospital and she couldn't draw too much attention to it by missing classes. It wasn't like it would matter, anyway. Not after today.
Since most of the hospital staff had been restricted from learning the identity of the unconscious patient, they didn't know who Max actually was. Now, though, he was awake and he would require a lot more attention. The restrictions had been lifted this morning. Kids had parents who worked at the hospital. Those parents were bound to go home and tell their kids of that poor boy Max Guerin and what had been happening to him all of his life.
Maria knew it would happen.
Roswell was a small town. It simply loved to gossip.
She remembered how she and Michael had found out that Max was in the hospital. Maria had just sat him down in his room after school to explain to him what Liz had done when Diane came running into their room, muttering things about Phillip and Max. After Michael was finally able to calm her down, he got the truth from her. And he practically sprinted to the car, waiting just long enough for Diane and Maria to get in the car.
Maria didn't like how Isabel had found out, either. The other three had thought that distracting her from Max's absence would be the best thing for her, but they'd never been more wrong. Her need to go to Max after lunch should have been catered to.
Nancy, Jeff, and her mother had arrived only two hours after they had. They too turned pale when the situation was described to them.
Above all, Jeff felt guilty. He couldn't help but thinking that by firing Max earlier, he'd just made his life that much more difficult.
And everyone's parents continually apologized to their children for not being more perceptive.
Most of all, they all wanted to apologize to Max. But it wouldn't be. Not yet. He wasn't conscious.
So many mistakes had been made.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A voice floated at the front of his mind. He couldn't make out the words, but he could guess who the speaker was. He would bet anything that it was Hank. And, for once, he was glad to know that Hank was so close.
He tried to strain his ears to listen, but he couldn't. The voice was growing louder now. It was angry. Hank was coming for him.
Good.
The voice sounded so close. Hank must be standing only a few weeks away from him. Why hadn't it happened yet? Why had Hank thus far been unsuccessful?
And he had such a terrible headache. There was a throbbing in the front of his head, making it hard for him to concentrate. The more he tried to focus, though, the clearer the voice got.
He was tired of waiting. It should have been over hours ago. He was sure Hank was standing in his room now. What was a little more motivation? "Finish it. Finish it! Kill me!" He spat out the words and the room fell silent.
He didn't understand. It was Hank. It had to be Hank. So, why wasn't he hitting him yet? Why hadn't the intolerable pain returned? Why was he still alive?
"Kill me. Just finish it. Kill me. Please kill me." He pleaded. He didn't want to live anymore. He didn't want to live his life knowing that Liz knew his secret. Knowing that she thought he was a disgusting being, something despicable and beneath her.
She was bound to tell everyone else, too. They would all think it. It would be unbearable.
Not that anything in his life ever had been bearable to begin with. Except for Liz. But now she was lost. She thought that he was a hideous creature who didn't deserve life. She thought that he deserved everything Hank gave him. And she had hit the nail on the head.
The headache was lifting. He could hear the voice now, but it sounded tender. "Max?"
He groaned. Hank was calling him by his name, now? The man chose this point in time to get compassionate?
"Max, wake up. You're in the hospital. Hank can't hurt you anymore. You're safe."
His eyes shot open, and he immediately regretted the reaction. His eyes were both heavily bruised, and opening them more than a few centimeters hurt terribly. He groaned. Immediately after the sound escaped his lips, soft hands clasped one of his. Another voice joined the first voice. It was female this time, "Max?! Max, can you hear me?! "
"Where am I?" He murmured. He wasn't supposed to be with people. He wasn't supposed to be alive.
He cracked his eyes open, attempting to focus long enough to see certain people. Phillip, Diane, Isabel, and Michael. They were the intruders. But this wasn't his room. This wasn't the trailer.
The walls were white and everything was very … sterile.
It was a hospital.
"Get a nurse, Michael." Diane whispered excitedly, "He's awake! Get a nurse!"
Max couldn't handle this right now. He didn't want anyone here. He didn't want anyone to make a fuss over him. He just wanted to be alone. Like he deserved.
He could hear a commotion coming from outside of the room, "I don't care if there're only four people allowed to visit at once! I want to see him!"
A thumping noise was heard against the wall and the door was opened to reveal Liz and a rather haughty-looking nurse. The nurse turned a worried eye to Phillip, "I couldn't keep her out."
Phillip frowned, "It's alright. She's fine to be in here."
But Max didn't hear any of this. His entire body had frozen when he saw her enter the door. Why would Liz even want to see him?
The hand that wasn't already being held by Isabel was taken into Liz's hands. He stared up into the ceiling, determined not to react.
He had to be in Hell. It was the only explanation. Any second now, Liz was going to tell him that he was a disgusting, filthy creature who never deserved a life.
He waited, but the words never came.
Instead, Liz's words were full of sorrow. He could hear tears in her voice as she muttered about how she should have done something sooner. That he being in the hospital was all her fault.
He withdrew his hands away from the two girls sharply when he heard them both mutter how it was their fault. His pathetic life was not their fault. He would make sure that they knew that.
He didn't want to see them cry over him. He wasn't worth it.
He was useless.
He couldn't even die properly.
"Get out!" He snapped, causing all conversation in the room to cease.
Michael stepped towards Max, "Max…"
"Get out!" He repeated harshly, his eyes still looking towards the ceiling. He didn't want to be an object of pity. He wasn't going to have people pretend that his life was worth caring about.
It was Phillip, this time, who stepped forward, "I don't think he's thinking clearly…"
"I'm thinking very clearly." Max repeated, his voice quaking in anger, "My name is Max Guerin and I want everyone to get out of my room."
The nurse nodded, "Of course…"
"You can't be serious…" Diane looked at the woman incredulously.
The nurse nodded again, "He needs his rest and obviously everyone's presence is upsetting him. I'm going to have to ask everyone to leave until he's ready to handle it."
"M-Max, don't make me go. Don't make me leave you." Isabel pleaded, tears trickling down her face. "Not again."
He ignored her. It would be too much for him if she was here.
The nurse strung together a slew of threats, throwing in jibes about security guards and too many visitors. Amongst mutterings of mutiny, the group shuffled their way out of the room.
When the door had closed, Max leaned back on the pillow, "Thank you."
"You're quite welcome." The nurse responded. She gave him a weak smile, "I'm Laura."
She was a woman in early twenties and a had a very friendly air about her.
"What happened? Why'm I here?" His voice begged for the truth. He'd been afraid to ask his questions with everyone around.
"Someone reported your abuse, dear." The woman replied while fluffing his pillows, "And it's a good thing they did. You were about an inch from death when the cops found you…"
Max tuned her out. An inch from death. He had been that close to being free, but he was still denied. If there was such a thing as God, he must really hate him. Nothing ever went his way.
"Who reported it?" He whispered. His throat felt very dry.
"That firecracker, Liz Parker. You know that she practically had her arm ripped out of her socket yesterday and she was still willing to wrestle me to get into the room. Can you believe that?"
Max's eyes opened again, worry filling his voice, "She what? What happened? Who did it?" Every fiber of his being was telling him that Hank did it to her. He got a sickened feeling in the pit of his stomach. She was hurt because of him. Because she came to find him.
"She did it to herself, trying to get into that trailer, actually. When she found out what that demon had done to you, she tried to get out of the deputy's grasp and near broke her arm in the process. She's just going to have to wear a sling for a few more days. Just a sprained shoulder or something of the sorts." The woman twittered.
"S-she was there when they found me?" His worst fear confirmed.
The woman nodded, "She even sat with you the entire way to the hospital. I don't think she would've left, but her parents made her. They said that she had to go home and get some rest because… Well, we were starting to worry even more about you, if even possile."
Max whispered gravely, "I've been out of it that long?"
"I'm afraid so – forty eight hours." The woman gave him a weak smile, "But your injuries are healing quite nicely. Everything's running smoothly. Now that you're conscious, I'm sure that you'll make a quick recovery."
A quick recovery. He closed his eyes once more, his breathing becoming heavy. A quick recovery.
Never before had he felt more cursed in his life. Where did this leave his future? Would he go back to an orphanage? Would Phillip and Diane take it upon themselves to house him? He wouldn't allow that. He wasn't going to be their burden.
He tried to sit up and he was rewarded with a piercing pain in various numbers of his ribs. Laura hurried forward and guided his torso gently back into the bed, "You've got broken ribs, dear. It's going to be a painful recuperation. You're best off staying as still as possible."
Max groaned in frustration. He could probably escape from this if he weren't in a hospital. He'd somehow harness his powers and then be set to leave the state. But he was in the hospital. It would be too suspicious to heal himself. There was no way they would let him leave the state.
He wasn't in control anymore. The level of uncertainty had been raised, and he didn't like it.
Max, for the first time, looked at his right hand. A hard, black cast covered it. How had he not noticed that earlier when Isabel was holding it? He stiffly kicked off his blanket to find out what else was cast.
His right leg, from toe to knee was cast in the same style as his hand. He continued his motion and ignored the pain, climbing out of bed.
Laura watched him cautiously, but when she tried to approach him and aid him, he waved her off. He didn't want her help.
He set his feet down on the cold floor and shivered. Bracing himself, he began to rise to his feet.
The process was slow – sinking down on the bed every few seconds to get his feet readjusted to his weight. Eventually, however, he was able to stand.
Laura tried to rush forwards again, but he held out his hand to stop her. He took a hesitant step forwards, teetering slightly. The cast, thankfully, didn't extend over his knee, so he was able to walk slightly normal with it. He lumbered to the bathroom door and turned the handle with a shaking hand.
As much as he hated to admit it, the pain was unbearable. Every breath that he took laying down hurt like Hell, and that was only amplified now that he was standing and moving around.
Somehow he managed to get into the bathroom and he closed the door behind him. He placed his hands on the edges of the sink and looked into the mirror.
What he saw disgusted him even further with himself. He was hardly recognizable. The doctors had stitched above his left eye and the cut looked nauseating. How anyone could manage to look at him for more than five seconds was beyond him.
The sight, no matter how revolting, made him smile. Hank hadn't fully given him what he deserved, but he almost had. Hank was the only one who saw him for what he really was. Hank had punished him accordingly. For once, the man had done the right thing.
After Max had finished in the bathroom, he reemerged and found Isabel waiting for him by his bed. Laura was gone and he assumed that Isabel had snuck in when she left.
He chose to ignore her and attempted to make his way back to the bed. Isabel, looking through his façade and seeing the pain, rose to her feet and took his arm softly to help him.
Max ground his teeth together, "Don't touch me."
He didn't deserve any help. Any pain that he had was deserved. He deserved it. He'd ruined everyone's lives. And he'd made Liz cry.
No – not cry. Sob. He'd made her sob.
Isabel withdrew her hand slowly, looking at him with empty eyes. She stood rooted to the spot and watched him climb into his bed.
Max closed his eyes in frustration, "Just go."
Isabel didn't move. She kept her position and looked at him stoically, "Wh-why didn't you tell me?"
Her voice's croaking was a side-effect from not talking at all during the past two days.
"Tell you what?" He snapped, keeping his eyes closed. How he wished that Isabel was still in the dark with mostly everything.
"About Hank." She whispered, her eyes sparkling with tears.
Max's exasperated tone returned, "You knew about Hank."
"Not all of it." Isabel's voice squeaked. "Why didn't you tell me? We should have done something."
Max shook his head, his eyes still closed. "They told you?"
Isabel's silence caused Max's entire body to shake with fear, "Who else?"
"The doctors," Isabel didn't know how to put this, "They were just telling Diane and Phillip… but we overheard."
"We?" Max's voice was growing smaller by the second.
"Me, Michael, Liz, Maria, Kyle, Alex, Tess, Mr. and Mrs. Parker, Mrs. Deluca…"
"Everyone." Max supplemented weakly. Now everyone knew his secrets. They knew what Hank had been doing to him. His worst fears were reality. He could no longer hide what a despicable creature he was. They all knew and they weren't going to forget.
Isabel took a cautioned step towards the bed, "Why didn't you tell me?"
Max turned his head away from her, speaking shortly, "It wasn't your burden."
"Not my burden?!" Isabel's voice grew sharper, "Not my burden?! You're my brother, Max! You're the only family I have except for Michael!
"You were the one who always took my problems and made them yours. You are the person who has protected me my entire life. And I'm the reason that all of this has happened to you. I wish I had just – I wish I had just let Hank have me, because if I had, you wouldn't be in this position right now."
Max's head snapped to look at her, a growing fierceness in his voice, "Don't you dare wish that." His over-protective feelings swelled in his chest and his rage at the mere thought caused him to be short of breath, "What we did was the right thing to do. It was the only way."
"No." Isabel shot back, "This was… I can't believe it even happened. You should have told me."
"Just get out, Isabel." Max didn't want to have this conversation. He didn't ever want to have this conversation.
"Max…" Isabel took another step forward, "Don't make me leave you. You don't have to be alone."
"I deserve it." He replied lowly, barely loud enough for her to hear. As soon as he had spoken the words, he pressed the button to call the nurse.
Laura bustled in seconds later, shooing Isabel out and giving her heaps of condescending glares. When Isabel had finally left, Laura turned cautiously to Max, "The girl, Liz Parker, she's begging me to let her see you… says she needs to explain something."
Max looked towards the ceiling, swallowing a lump in his throat. Why didn't anyone see that this was what he deserved? Why did they have to continually try to make him believe that he was worth a life when he so clearly knew he wasn't? They were wasting their time. He replied to her icily, "No. Absolutely not."
TBC...
Last edited by sprayadhesive on Sun Feb 25, 2007 3:07 pm, edited 3 times in total.
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sprayadhesive
- Addicted Roswellian
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- Joined: Sun Mar 19, 2006 3:19 pm
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Part 17
Max barely slept that night. He had asked the night nurse if the waiting room had emptied, but she shook her head. Apparently people were still there, waiting for him. Just waiting.
This would be their third day of missing school.
He knew Liz was out there. He could feel her.
He had asked the night nurse if they were all sleeping, and she told him that they were. At least they were sleeping. It was bad enough that they were here. Taking time out of their lives.
Max wished that he could roll over, but his body was still too sore. He was forced to lie in the same position for hours on end. Laura entered the room with a breakfast tray.
She helped Max sit up and readjusted his pillows to make the position easier on him. He whispered a defeated ‘thanks’. He couldn’t even sit up by himself.
Laura spoke softly, “Everyone’s outside, Max. I don’t think they’re going to take ‘no’ for an answer for much longer.”
Max looked at his food absently, “Isabel, Michael, and Liz need to go to school. Liz’s trying to get into Harvard, you know. And Isabel won’t have enough money to go to college unless she gets a scholarship…”
“You care a lot about them.” It was a statement, not a question.
Max nodded slightly. Any minor movement still caused him pain.
He had refused to look in the mirror every time he went into the bathroom. He didn’t want to see how disgusting he probably looked. He wondered how Laura was able to look at him.
She continued, “They care a lot about you, too.”
Max shook his head slightly, “They shouldn’t.”
“And why not?” She sat down in the chair beside him. He needed company right now, whether he wanted to admit it or not.
He shrugged, “I don’t want to talk about it.” Laura nodded silently and Max whispered, “I wish they would go to school.”
“I don’t think you can make them, Max.” Laura replied softly.
“I know.” He closed his eyes.
Laura snapped her fingers, causing him to open them, “You need to eat. You’ve got a long day ahead of you, most likely. I know that Valenti wants to get some statements from you. A social worker’s coming with him so that you three can discuss a place for you to stay after this.”
“I don’t want…” She holds up her hand to stop him.
She giver him another smile, slightly apologetic, “You should wait to discuss everything with them. I can’t help you with it very much.”
She stares at him intently, sighing slightly, “I think that you should let them in here, Max.” No clarification of the pronoun was needed. He knew who she was talking about. Michael, Liz, Isabel, Diane and Phillip. The only ones who were allowed to stay in the waiting room today. The others had to go to school or work. “You don’t have to talk to them. Just let them sit here with you...”
“What time is it?” The question was relevant.
Laura checked her watch, “About six thirty in the morning. I didn’t expect to see you awake.”
Max spoke softly, “I… I’ll let them in. But only if they promise that they’ll go to school. Michael, Liz, and Isabel. They need to go to school.” He paused, “I didn’t sleep much last night.” Striking this bargain was the only way that they were going to go to school for the entirety of his hospital stay. He knew it.
Today was a Friday, after all. They should be able to make it through today. And however long he was going to be here. He hoped it wasn’t going to be too long. They weren’t treating him anymore. It was all recovery, and he healed quickly.
Phillip and Diane were a whole other story. He didn’t see how he was going to force them to go to work. Maybe they’d realize that they couldn’t stay with him everyday. He wasn’t going to allow them to lose their jobs over this.
He didn’t remember that Phillip was self-employed and that Diane always kept a safe reserve of vacation days in case of an emergency.
Laura smiled at him, “You’re a good kid, Max.” She exited the room, presumably to tell them that they could come in now.
Max took her absence and positioned him and his breakfast tray so that it looked like he had fallen asleep. He didn’t want to talk right now. He didn’t want to see the way they looked at him.
The door opened not a minute later, and the five poured into the room. They walked quietly and hesitantly towards Max. He seemed to be sleeping, and they weren’t going to question it.
Diane checked her watch. She knew that the kids would have to go home within the next few minutes if they were going to shower and make first period. She voiced her opinion.
Liz shook her head, “I’m not going.”
“Me neither.” Isabel replied, stoically.
Michael merely shook his head, showing that he agreed with the girls.
Diane eyed Max, “I don’t think that’s a good idea. If he’s letting us in, obviously it’s in attempt to get your guys to go to school. You can come right back here afterwards and sit with him all weekend. No one’s stopping you from that.”
“We’ll risk him throwing us out. We need to be here with him… for now.” Liz added, her eyes never leaving Max.
Diane shook her head, “When he finds out…”
“I’m not leaving.” Liz snapped.
Max opened his eyes warily. He’d hoped to avoid some kind of confrontation. That wasn’t going to happen anymore.
Isabel spotted his eyes first, and she rushed to hold his hand. Max, however, moved it below the covers. No contact. He wasn’t ready.
He spoke hoarsely, his voice not having been stressed to louder than a whisper in the past day, “Go to school or get out.”
His words caused tears to form in the women’s eyes. Isabel tried to reason with him, “I don’t want to leave you. You’re my brother…”
Max shook his head, “You need to go to school.”
“A few days out won’t matter…” Isabel retorted.
Max closed his eyes and sighed, “You’ll fall behind in class.” ‘Like me.’ He thought, but he didn’t voice it.
“That doesn’t matter to us right now, Max. All that we care about is you getting better.” Liz spoke for the first time, stepping to stand by Isabel.
“Go to school or get out.” He repeated. Seeing Liz was too much. He couldn’t handle it. Why didn’t she hate him? Was it a ploy to work up his confidence and then tear it right back down?
He played with the button to call Laura back in and ask her to take them out. When he went to press the button, though, Michael’s voice stopped him, “Okay.”
Michael’s voice was cold and distant. He hadn’t shaved in the days that he was here.
“Okay?” Max whispered, his voice cracking with phlegm.
Isabel, Liz, and Michael seemed to be having a conversation with their eyes. Max noticed all three of them glance at Phillip before their gaze returned to him. Liz and Isabel nodded, conceding to defeat.
Michael stood by the doorway, waiting for the girls to say goodbye to Max. Isabel kissed Max on the top of the head, promising to return after school. Max had been afraid of that.
Liz, however, caught him off guard when she placed a soft kiss on his cheek. He definitely hadn’t expected that. She gave him a weak smile, “Thank you.”
Thank you? “For what?” For lying to her all of his life? For bringing her into something that didn’t concern her? For making her miss two days of school? For telling her to lie to her parents and friends?
“Letting us in.” She replied softly. She knew that he had only allowed them to breach his walls slightly, but it was enough for her. It proved that there was hope in waiting. That he could be helped eventually.
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Max sat in his bed with his hands folded in his lap. He had just finished telling Valenti all about Hank and the living situation that he and Isabel had dealt with for the past eight years. They had talked for nearly two hours.
Each question made Max feel more and more violated. He didn’t want people to know all of these details. He felt like every portion of his life was now under the scrutiny of someone else. Someone who would judge him and forever label him as a screw up.
Max was tired. He just wanted to sleep.
The doctor had come in earlier to examine him. Max had been pleased when the man was astonished at how fast Max was healing. He told Max that at this rate, he’d be out of the hospital on Sunday.
Mr. Baum, the social worker, was outside talking to Phillip and Diane while the interview was in process.
Valenti ushered the man inside. Mr. Baum gave Max a weak smile and set his briefcase in the chair by the door. He smoothed a wrinkle on his pants before clearing his throat, “Mr. Guerin, I thought that I would have to come here today and tell you that we’d be taking you back to Roswell Orphanage after the hospital released you.”
Max hung his head, staring at his hands. That was exactly what he had been dreading.
“But after speaking with Diane and Phillip Evans, I think that we can work out a situation and transfer your custody over to them for the time being. You’ll be much better off with a family that you already know than in the orphanage. They said something about converting the office into a makeshift bedroom for you.”
“I don’t want them to have to do all of that for me.” Max said hurriedly, locking gazes with the man.
Mr. Baum frowned, “They’ve assured me that it’s no problem for them.”
“I just…” Max started.
Mr. Baum cut him off, “It’s that or the orphanage, Max.”
“Okay.” Max whispered, his gaze returning to his hands.
“You’ll go live with them?” he needed to clarify.
Max nodded. His stomach felt queasy. He never wanted this. He never wanted for someone to feel like they had to take care of him.
The man nodded, “I’ll leave my card right here.” He placed it on the bedside table, “Call me if you need me. Get well soon.”
And with that, he left. Max liked him. He didn’t fluff anything or attempt to make a bad situation look better than it actually was. He cut to the chase and left it at that.
Jim turned to Max, “You’re a good kid, Max. I can’t imagine what kind of strength it must have taken to go through all of this with me again.”
Max didn’t answer; he just continued to stare blankly at his hands. Jim shifted his weight, “You look tired. You should get some rest. Everyone will be getting out of school in an hour and you know that they’re all going to be here as soon as that bell rings.”
Max nodded, lowering himself on the bed. The sheriff was right. He was tired. He closed his eyes and drifted into a deep sleep.
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“Michael, I swear. If you eyeball this food one more FREAKING time, I’m going to hurt you.” Maria snapped.
The gang was in Max’s room, waiting for him to wake up. Maria had stopped by the Crashdown right after school to get some food for Max. The past hour had been filled with her fighting off Michael’s prying fingers.
The parents were all taking a much needed break and having a talk at the Evans home.
“I don’t understand why you got all of us food if you’re not going to let us eat it!” He exclaimed.
Maria glared at him, “We’re waiting for Max to wake up to eat.”
“Just let me have a bite!” Michael groaned. He tried to sneak his hand into a bag once more.
Maria slapped him again and Michael yelped.
Max, who had been awake for the latter part of the argument, opened his eyes. He eyed Michael, “Eat.”
Michael laughed, “Thank you!”
Isabel spoke softly, “How’re you?”
“Fine.” Max replied coolly.
“How was your day?” Alex asked, distributing drinks throughout the room.
Max shrugged, “Valenti asked me questions, the social worker came, I slept.”
“The social worker?” Liz asked, shocked. She didn’t think they would come so soon, “What’d they say?”
“He said that I was going to have to go back to the orphanage…” He wasn’t done, but Kyle cut him off.
“What?! They can’t do that!”
Max rolled his eyes, “I was going to have to go to the orphanage, but Diane and Phillip told him that I could live with them, and he agreed.”
“So you’re going to be staying with Michael?” Tess asked, impressed by how well the meeting with the social worker went.
Max nodded. He was trying to keep his answers as short as possible.
Maria shoved a takeout box under Max’s nose, “Will Smith burger with extra pickles. That’s a cherry coke over there.”
Liz shook her head, “Maria, they don’t let people bring food into the hospital for a reason.”
Maria glared at her, “I think Max can handle the food. Can’t you, Max?”
Max shrugged, opening the box.
They ate in silence for a few minutes. While everyone was trying to put up a friendly front, Max could still see through it. When they thought that he wasn’t looking, he would get pitying stares or have people looking at him with concern. He hated it.
Apparently everyone had talked about him while they were gone. They were trying to pretend like things were normal. Like the conversation this morning hadn’t happened.
The only person who didn’t attempt to try to hide her concern and hadn’t shown any signs of pitying was Liz. She was staying genuine.
Alex frowned, looking around the room, “We’re going to need to find a DVD player to hook up to this TV if we’re going to watch movies here tonight.”
Max shook his head adamantly, “No.”
“What?” Isabel snapped back.
“Go out.” He shook his head, “Have fun.”
“How can you say that?” Tess asked, “We want to stay here!”
Max shook his head, “Go have fun.”
“You’re acting like you’re in prison, Max.” Michael scowled.
‘Not prison,’ Max thought, ‘Purgatory.’ Constantly being judged and watched, having decisions being made over his head.
“We’re staying.” Isabel continued.
Max’s jaw tightened and he spoke through clenched teeth, “Go.”
“Okay.” Liz shocked everyone with her agreement.
“You can’t be serious.” Isabel scoffed.
Liz nodded her head, “I am. I think that everyone should go. If Isabel or Michael wants to stay – fine. They’re practically family. But we need to respect what he wants.”
Max closed his eyes in relief. Liz finally understood that he just wanted to be alone. She understood that he wasn’t worthy of their time.
The others nodded, conceding to defeat. Maria looked to Max, “We’ll be back tomorrow to visit.”
Max nodded and closed his eyes.
Isabel and Michael hesitated. Isabel spoke softly, “We’ll be back after we say goodbye to Alex and Maria.
He nodded again. No emotion. He had to keep everything inside. He couldn’t recognize his emotions.
He heard everyone leave the room and felt as Isabel kissed him on the top of his head. When he heard the door snap closed, he opened his eyes.
His shock came when Liz was still standing by the door. She crossed the room and looked down at Max with a tear in her eye, “You can’t push us away for long.”
He shrugged. She couldn’t stop him from trying.
Liz shook her head, “You’ll be living with Michael soon. You won’t be able to keep yourself distanced like you have.”
He shrugged again.
“Why’re you doing this?” Liz asked with a slight tremor in her voice.
Max stared up at her. He still couldn’t understand her. “Stop pretending.”
“Pretending what?” Liz replied, confused.
“Like you care.” He replied stiffly, looking away from her.
“I’m not.”
He swallowed, “Then you’re stupid.”
Liz touched his hand, “How does caring about you make me stupid?”
“Goodnight, Liz.” He whispered, closing his eyes.
She stood there for a minute with her hand over his. She didn’t want to leave him alone, it wasn’t healthy. He’d been alone for practically his entire life. She wanted him to know that people were going to be there for him from now on.
But he was still in denial. He didn’t realize that people cared about him and valued his life. He didn’t realize that he was loveable.
Hank had really done a number on him.
“You’re not the monster, Max.” Liz wasn’t ready to give up quite yet.
“Goodnight, Liz.”
“Hank’s the monster.” She continued. “It wasn’t your fault. You didn’t deserve anything that happened to you.”
Max set his jaw, speaking through clenched teeth, “I said goodnight.”
She hesitated and then bent over him, kissing him on the cheek.
His eyes flew open as she withdrew, “Don’t.”
“Don’t what?” Liz asked patiently.
“Kiss me.” His heart felt like it wasn’t existent for some reason. His chest felt empty. He felt hollow.
Liz stifled back a tear, “Why not?”
“You need someone whole.” He replied shortly, staring at the wall straight ahead.
Liz took a deep breath before responding, “You ARE whole, Max.”
Max closed his eyes and shakily used his arm to draw the covers over his head, “Goodnight, Liz.”
She knew that Max had been damaged, but she was determined to fix all of his emotional insecurities. She had failed him too many times.
If anything, she didn’t deserve him.
She walked to the door slowly. She couldn’t push him too hard. That was enough for tonight. Enough to make him think. “Goodnight, Max.”
TBC...
Max barely slept that night. He had asked the night nurse if the waiting room had emptied, but she shook her head. Apparently people were still there, waiting for him. Just waiting.
This would be their third day of missing school.
He knew Liz was out there. He could feel her.
He had asked the night nurse if they were all sleeping, and she told him that they were. At least they were sleeping. It was bad enough that they were here. Taking time out of their lives.
Max wished that he could roll over, but his body was still too sore. He was forced to lie in the same position for hours on end. Laura entered the room with a breakfast tray.
She helped Max sit up and readjusted his pillows to make the position easier on him. He whispered a defeated ‘thanks’. He couldn’t even sit up by himself.
Laura spoke softly, “Everyone’s outside, Max. I don’t think they’re going to take ‘no’ for an answer for much longer.”
Max looked at his food absently, “Isabel, Michael, and Liz need to go to school. Liz’s trying to get into Harvard, you know. And Isabel won’t have enough money to go to college unless she gets a scholarship…”
“You care a lot about them.” It was a statement, not a question.
Max nodded slightly. Any minor movement still caused him pain.
He had refused to look in the mirror every time he went into the bathroom. He didn’t want to see how disgusting he probably looked. He wondered how Laura was able to look at him.
She continued, “They care a lot about you, too.”
Max shook his head slightly, “They shouldn’t.”
“And why not?” She sat down in the chair beside him. He needed company right now, whether he wanted to admit it or not.
He shrugged, “I don’t want to talk about it.” Laura nodded silently and Max whispered, “I wish they would go to school.”
“I don’t think you can make them, Max.” Laura replied softly.
“I know.” He closed his eyes.
Laura snapped her fingers, causing him to open them, “You need to eat. You’ve got a long day ahead of you, most likely. I know that Valenti wants to get some statements from you. A social worker’s coming with him so that you three can discuss a place for you to stay after this.”
“I don’t want…” She holds up her hand to stop him.
She giver him another smile, slightly apologetic, “You should wait to discuss everything with them. I can’t help you with it very much.”
She stares at him intently, sighing slightly, “I think that you should let them in here, Max.” No clarification of the pronoun was needed. He knew who she was talking about. Michael, Liz, Isabel, Diane and Phillip. The only ones who were allowed to stay in the waiting room today. The others had to go to school or work. “You don’t have to talk to them. Just let them sit here with you...”
“What time is it?” The question was relevant.
Laura checked her watch, “About six thirty in the morning. I didn’t expect to see you awake.”
Max spoke softly, “I… I’ll let them in. But only if they promise that they’ll go to school. Michael, Liz, and Isabel. They need to go to school.” He paused, “I didn’t sleep much last night.” Striking this bargain was the only way that they were going to go to school for the entirety of his hospital stay. He knew it.
Today was a Friday, after all. They should be able to make it through today. And however long he was going to be here. He hoped it wasn’t going to be too long. They weren’t treating him anymore. It was all recovery, and he healed quickly.
Phillip and Diane were a whole other story. He didn’t see how he was going to force them to go to work. Maybe they’d realize that they couldn’t stay with him everyday. He wasn’t going to allow them to lose their jobs over this.
He didn’t remember that Phillip was self-employed and that Diane always kept a safe reserve of vacation days in case of an emergency.
Laura smiled at him, “You’re a good kid, Max.” She exited the room, presumably to tell them that they could come in now.
Max took her absence and positioned him and his breakfast tray so that it looked like he had fallen asleep. He didn’t want to talk right now. He didn’t want to see the way they looked at him.
The door opened not a minute later, and the five poured into the room. They walked quietly and hesitantly towards Max. He seemed to be sleeping, and they weren’t going to question it.
Diane checked her watch. She knew that the kids would have to go home within the next few minutes if they were going to shower and make first period. She voiced her opinion.
Liz shook her head, “I’m not going.”
“Me neither.” Isabel replied, stoically.
Michael merely shook his head, showing that he agreed with the girls.
Diane eyed Max, “I don’t think that’s a good idea. If he’s letting us in, obviously it’s in attempt to get your guys to go to school. You can come right back here afterwards and sit with him all weekend. No one’s stopping you from that.”
“We’ll risk him throwing us out. We need to be here with him… for now.” Liz added, her eyes never leaving Max.
Diane shook her head, “When he finds out…”
“I’m not leaving.” Liz snapped.
Max opened his eyes warily. He’d hoped to avoid some kind of confrontation. That wasn’t going to happen anymore.
Isabel spotted his eyes first, and she rushed to hold his hand. Max, however, moved it below the covers. No contact. He wasn’t ready.
He spoke hoarsely, his voice not having been stressed to louder than a whisper in the past day, “Go to school or get out.”
His words caused tears to form in the women’s eyes. Isabel tried to reason with him, “I don’t want to leave you. You’re my brother…”
Max shook his head, “You need to go to school.”
“A few days out won’t matter…” Isabel retorted.
Max closed his eyes and sighed, “You’ll fall behind in class.” ‘Like me.’ He thought, but he didn’t voice it.
“That doesn’t matter to us right now, Max. All that we care about is you getting better.” Liz spoke for the first time, stepping to stand by Isabel.
“Go to school or get out.” He repeated. Seeing Liz was too much. He couldn’t handle it. Why didn’t she hate him? Was it a ploy to work up his confidence and then tear it right back down?
He played with the button to call Laura back in and ask her to take them out. When he went to press the button, though, Michael’s voice stopped him, “Okay.”
Michael’s voice was cold and distant. He hadn’t shaved in the days that he was here.
“Okay?” Max whispered, his voice cracking with phlegm.
Isabel, Liz, and Michael seemed to be having a conversation with their eyes. Max noticed all three of them glance at Phillip before their gaze returned to him. Liz and Isabel nodded, conceding to defeat.
Michael stood by the doorway, waiting for the girls to say goodbye to Max. Isabel kissed Max on the top of the head, promising to return after school. Max had been afraid of that.
Liz, however, caught him off guard when she placed a soft kiss on his cheek. He definitely hadn’t expected that. She gave him a weak smile, “Thank you.”
Thank you? “For what?” For lying to her all of his life? For bringing her into something that didn’t concern her? For making her miss two days of school? For telling her to lie to her parents and friends?
“Letting us in.” She replied softly. She knew that he had only allowed them to breach his walls slightly, but it was enough for her. It proved that there was hope in waiting. That he could be helped eventually.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Max sat in his bed with his hands folded in his lap. He had just finished telling Valenti all about Hank and the living situation that he and Isabel had dealt with for the past eight years. They had talked for nearly two hours.
Each question made Max feel more and more violated. He didn’t want people to know all of these details. He felt like every portion of his life was now under the scrutiny of someone else. Someone who would judge him and forever label him as a screw up.
Max was tired. He just wanted to sleep.
The doctor had come in earlier to examine him. Max had been pleased when the man was astonished at how fast Max was healing. He told Max that at this rate, he’d be out of the hospital on Sunday.
Mr. Baum, the social worker, was outside talking to Phillip and Diane while the interview was in process.
Valenti ushered the man inside. Mr. Baum gave Max a weak smile and set his briefcase in the chair by the door. He smoothed a wrinkle on his pants before clearing his throat, “Mr. Guerin, I thought that I would have to come here today and tell you that we’d be taking you back to Roswell Orphanage after the hospital released you.”
Max hung his head, staring at his hands. That was exactly what he had been dreading.
“But after speaking with Diane and Phillip Evans, I think that we can work out a situation and transfer your custody over to them for the time being. You’ll be much better off with a family that you already know than in the orphanage. They said something about converting the office into a makeshift bedroom for you.”
“I don’t want them to have to do all of that for me.” Max said hurriedly, locking gazes with the man.
Mr. Baum frowned, “They’ve assured me that it’s no problem for them.”
“I just…” Max started.
Mr. Baum cut him off, “It’s that or the orphanage, Max.”
“Okay.” Max whispered, his gaze returning to his hands.
“You’ll go live with them?” he needed to clarify.
Max nodded. His stomach felt queasy. He never wanted this. He never wanted for someone to feel like they had to take care of him.
The man nodded, “I’ll leave my card right here.” He placed it on the bedside table, “Call me if you need me. Get well soon.”
And with that, he left. Max liked him. He didn’t fluff anything or attempt to make a bad situation look better than it actually was. He cut to the chase and left it at that.
Jim turned to Max, “You’re a good kid, Max. I can’t imagine what kind of strength it must have taken to go through all of this with me again.”
Max didn’t answer; he just continued to stare blankly at his hands. Jim shifted his weight, “You look tired. You should get some rest. Everyone will be getting out of school in an hour and you know that they’re all going to be here as soon as that bell rings.”
Max nodded, lowering himself on the bed. The sheriff was right. He was tired. He closed his eyes and drifted into a deep sleep.
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“Michael, I swear. If you eyeball this food one more FREAKING time, I’m going to hurt you.” Maria snapped.
The gang was in Max’s room, waiting for him to wake up. Maria had stopped by the Crashdown right after school to get some food for Max. The past hour had been filled with her fighting off Michael’s prying fingers.
The parents were all taking a much needed break and having a talk at the Evans home.
“I don’t understand why you got all of us food if you’re not going to let us eat it!” He exclaimed.
Maria glared at him, “We’re waiting for Max to wake up to eat.”
“Just let me have a bite!” Michael groaned. He tried to sneak his hand into a bag once more.
Maria slapped him again and Michael yelped.
Max, who had been awake for the latter part of the argument, opened his eyes. He eyed Michael, “Eat.”
Michael laughed, “Thank you!”
Isabel spoke softly, “How’re you?”
“Fine.” Max replied coolly.
“How was your day?” Alex asked, distributing drinks throughout the room.
Max shrugged, “Valenti asked me questions, the social worker came, I slept.”
“The social worker?” Liz asked, shocked. She didn’t think they would come so soon, “What’d they say?”
“He said that I was going to have to go back to the orphanage…” He wasn’t done, but Kyle cut him off.
“What?! They can’t do that!”
Max rolled his eyes, “I was going to have to go to the orphanage, but Diane and Phillip told him that I could live with them, and he agreed.”
“So you’re going to be staying with Michael?” Tess asked, impressed by how well the meeting with the social worker went.
Max nodded. He was trying to keep his answers as short as possible.
Maria shoved a takeout box under Max’s nose, “Will Smith burger with extra pickles. That’s a cherry coke over there.”
Liz shook her head, “Maria, they don’t let people bring food into the hospital for a reason.”
Maria glared at her, “I think Max can handle the food. Can’t you, Max?”
Max shrugged, opening the box.
They ate in silence for a few minutes. While everyone was trying to put up a friendly front, Max could still see through it. When they thought that he wasn’t looking, he would get pitying stares or have people looking at him with concern. He hated it.
Apparently everyone had talked about him while they were gone. They were trying to pretend like things were normal. Like the conversation this morning hadn’t happened.
The only person who didn’t attempt to try to hide her concern and hadn’t shown any signs of pitying was Liz. She was staying genuine.
Alex frowned, looking around the room, “We’re going to need to find a DVD player to hook up to this TV if we’re going to watch movies here tonight.”
Max shook his head adamantly, “No.”
“What?” Isabel snapped back.
“Go out.” He shook his head, “Have fun.”
“How can you say that?” Tess asked, “We want to stay here!”
Max shook his head, “Go have fun.”
“You’re acting like you’re in prison, Max.” Michael scowled.
‘Not prison,’ Max thought, ‘Purgatory.’ Constantly being judged and watched, having decisions being made over his head.
“We’re staying.” Isabel continued.
Max’s jaw tightened and he spoke through clenched teeth, “Go.”
“Okay.” Liz shocked everyone with her agreement.
“You can’t be serious.” Isabel scoffed.
Liz nodded her head, “I am. I think that everyone should go. If Isabel or Michael wants to stay – fine. They’re practically family. But we need to respect what he wants.”
Max closed his eyes in relief. Liz finally understood that he just wanted to be alone. She understood that he wasn’t worthy of their time.
The others nodded, conceding to defeat. Maria looked to Max, “We’ll be back tomorrow to visit.”
Max nodded and closed his eyes.
Isabel and Michael hesitated. Isabel spoke softly, “We’ll be back after we say goodbye to Alex and Maria.
He nodded again. No emotion. He had to keep everything inside. He couldn’t recognize his emotions.
He heard everyone leave the room and felt as Isabel kissed him on the top of his head. When he heard the door snap closed, he opened his eyes.
His shock came when Liz was still standing by the door. She crossed the room and looked down at Max with a tear in her eye, “You can’t push us away for long.”
He shrugged. She couldn’t stop him from trying.
Liz shook her head, “You’ll be living with Michael soon. You won’t be able to keep yourself distanced like you have.”
He shrugged again.
“Why’re you doing this?” Liz asked with a slight tremor in her voice.
Max stared up at her. He still couldn’t understand her. “Stop pretending.”
“Pretending what?” Liz replied, confused.
“Like you care.” He replied stiffly, looking away from her.
“I’m not.”
He swallowed, “Then you’re stupid.”
Liz touched his hand, “How does caring about you make me stupid?”
“Goodnight, Liz.” He whispered, closing his eyes.
She stood there for a minute with her hand over his. She didn’t want to leave him alone, it wasn’t healthy. He’d been alone for practically his entire life. She wanted him to know that people were going to be there for him from now on.
But he was still in denial. He didn’t realize that people cared about him and valued his life. He didn’t realize that he was loveable.
Hank had really done a number on him.
“You’re not the monster, Max.” Liz wasn’t ready to give up quite yet.
“Goodnight, Liz.”
“Hank’s the monster.” She continued. “It wasn’t your fault. You didn’t deserve anything that happened to you.”
Max set his jaw, speaking through clenched teeth, “I said goodnight.”
She hesitated and then bent over him, kissing him on the cheek.
His eyes flew open as she withdrew, “Don’t.”
“Don’t what?” Liz asked patiently.
“Kiss me.” His heart felt like it wasn’t existent for some reason. His chest felt empty. He felt hollow.
Liz stifled back a tear, “Why not?”
“You need someone whole.” He replied shortly, staring at the wall straight ahead.
Liz took a deep breath before responding, “You ARE whole, Max.”
Max closed his eyes and shakily used his arm to draw the covers over his head, “Goodnight, Liz.”
She knew that Max had been damaged, but she was determined to fix all of his emotional insecurities. She had failed him too many times.
If anything, she didn’t deserve him.
She walked to the door slowly. She couldn’t push him too hard. That was enough for tonight. Enough to make him think. “Goodnight, Max.”
TBC...
Last edited by sprayadhesive on Tue Feb 27, 2007 12:26 am, edited 2 times in total.
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sprayadhesive
- Addicted Roswellian
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- Joined: Sun Mar 19, 2006 3:19 pm
- Location: Georgia
Part 18
Michael and Maria stood in a virtually empty hallway in the hospital. Michael looked down at Maria’s feet. So many things had been bothering him lately.
Maria, however, beat him to the subject he was trying to avoid, “I uh… I haven’t asked yet because… i-it’s hard for everyone. B-but I want to know… h-how long did you know that Hank was h-hitting Max?”
“That day when you and Liz came to lunch and told me about the cigarette burns on his arm…” Michael said softly, hanging his head.
“That’s what all of those questions were for… the ones you asked me a couple weeks ago when we talked about what I would do if anyone was hurting Liz.”
Michael nodded, “I didn’t know what to do. Max had forbidden me from even talking about it to him, he kept saying he was going to run away, but at the same time I knew that it wasn’t safe for him to stay with Hank… I should have done something. I could have prevented all of this from happening!”
Maria nodded slowly, “You’re not the only one to blame, Michael. We all are. None of us wanted to acknowledge what was staring us right in the face.”
“No, Maria. I am to blame. Max has been fighting off a monster all of his life to save our sister and what have I been doing? Playing house with my two adoptive parents and complaining if I didn’t like what my mom ate for dinner.” He turned towards the wall and placed his hands on the wall above his head, leaning forwards.
“You were only eight years old when you met them…” Maria was trying her hardest to reason with him.
Michael shook his head, “But I knew them for so much longer than that. I always felt this… unsettling in my stomach. I ignored it because I didn’t want my perfect life to go away. I knew that I had left two people out in the desert. I didn’t go back for them.”
Maria turned Michael around to face her and pointed a finger into his chest, “That is all in the past. You need to focus on telling Valenti everything that you know, minus the Spaceboy stuff, and then hope that it puts that bastard Hank behind bars for the rest of his life. You need to focus on helping both Max and Isabel heal. Yeah, both of them. I can’t even begin to tell you how psychologically affected they both must be from having to spend years with that man. We all need to focus on starting to heal them. Mostly Max. And speaking of Max, he’s doing enough self-blaming for the both of you. I will not tolerate you falling into the same cycle, do you hear me?”
Michael opened his mouth, “But I…”
“Michael, we were all at fault and we all need to talk about it – together. Individually blaming ourselves isn’t going to do any good.” She reiterated.
Michael nodded. While it was hard to stay away from blaming himself, Maria had a point. The group would only make it through this if they worked together.
“Now go to Max. Make sure that he knows that we’re not going away now and we’re not planning on going away ever. Make sure he knows that we’ll be behind him every step of the way.” Maria pointed Michael towards the door.
Michael stepped closer to her, drawing her into a hug. The two stood there for a moment, silence holding them.
Michael exhaled deeply and stepped back, smiling weakly at Maria, “Go home and relax. I can tell that you haven’t gotten much sleep in the past couple of nights.”
Maria shrugged, “I’ll try.” She stared just as intently back at Michael, “You get some sleep, too.”
“I’ll try.” He nodded.
“We’ll be back tomorrow, bright and early.” Maria added, giving Michael a quick kiss.
Michael nodded and the two parted ways. While they both knew that neither had fully psychologically healed, they had begun.
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When Isabel and Michael returned to Max’s room, they weren’t surprised to see his eyes closed.
Laura came in after them and checked on Max’s vitals, making sure that everything was still continuing to get better. She smiled meekly at Isabel and Michael, “How’re you two holding up?”
Apparently she knew that Max’s sleep was genuine.
“Fine.” Michael and Isabel replied at the same time.
Laura nodded her head, and then looked back at Max, “He’s getting better very quickly. He’s become quite a healer.”
“A what?” Michael asked a little too quickly. Laura’s words hit very close to their secret.
“I’ve been in this hospital for about two years. People come and go. One thing that I’ve noticed, though, is the hop that is either present in a patient’s eyes or it’s not. When Max first woke up, I couldn’t find any trace of that hope. His healing was going slow. When we started to talk to him about you guys, though, I thought that I saw a glimmer of that hope. He started healing better.” She gave them a weak smile.
Isabel and Michael both nodded. Laura looked around the room, “If you want, I’ll bring you guys in some extra pillow and blankets. And I’ll have maintenance bring in a couch. I wish that I could bring in a cot, but they’re all being used right now.”
“You don’t have to go through all that trouble.” Michael protested.
She smiled at him, “I know. But I want to, and you guys need the rest. If Max gets out of here the day after tomorrow, it’s not going to do him any good to be surrounded by exhausted people.”
Isabel’s ears perked up, “The day after tomorrow?” She didn’t think that it was possible for him to check out so soon. It had only been five days… he was so hurt…
“I told you, he’s healing exceptionally fast. It’s miraculous, really. He was on the brink of death a few days ago and now….”
“He’s always healed fast.” Michael tried to justify it.
Laura shrugged, “Whatever it is, he’s healing quickly and the doctor believes that there’s nothing more that we can do to help him. You guys will just need to keep him on bed rest for a few days, and then for a couple of weeks he shouldn’t do anything strenuous.”
“That’s it?” Isabel asked.
Laura nodded. She suddenly remembered something, “Oh, and we’ve had quite a few deliveries come in today…”
“What kind of deliveries?” Isabel’s wracked her mind, trying to figure out if she had asked anyone to bring in Max’s books to keep him occupied.
“Why don’t I just have some people bring them in, too?”
Isabel shrugged and her eyes followed Laura the entire way out of the room. When the door had closed, Isabel smiled, “I like her.”
“She’s nice.” Michael agreed.
The door opened five minutes later and a trickle of nurses carried in various vases of flowers, stuffed animals, cards, and candies. Apparently the news of Max Guerin’s hospitalization was running rampant through the town.
Isabel’s mouth hung open in shock. As Michael thanked the nurses, she traveled forward to one of the flower arrangements in a daze.
She didn’t think that this many people knew Max. He was always the quiet boy that no one seemed to pay very much attention to. He certainly didn’t have any friends except for the ones that had been at the hospital during the past few days.
Her trembling hand reached forwards and opened the card on the vase.
Max-
Our thoughts and prayers are with you. We’re thinking only of a speedy recovery. You’re a good kid.
The James Family
The James family. Isabel didn’t even know who they were.
Michael followed Isabel’s path around the room and opened another card.
Max,
Wishing you a speedy recovery.
Roswell Nursing Home
The notes, letters, and cards all wished Max a ‘get well’ of some sort.
There were people that Isabel had never heard of, all sending Max a ‘get well’ because they had heard of his situation.
Max wasn’t going to be as invisible in Roswell as he was going to want to be. He was now going to be recognized by virtually everyone on the street.
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Max opened his eyes and slowly he came to realize that a distinct floral scent was wafting around the room.
It also didn’t take him long to realize that Michael and Isabel had returned. His head turned to look at the clock: 8:00am.
His vision came even more in focus as he blinked a few times and he saw the arrangements that had been brought in while he was sleeping.
“What’re those?” He asked, muttering. He could never fully talk in the mornings just after waking up. It always took him a few seconds to regain his voice.
“Stuff that people sent you to make you feel better.” Isabel replied.
Max’s brow furrowed, “What?”
“People around Roswell.” Michael raised one of his eyebrows.
Max rolled his eyes, “Like who?”
Michael shrugged, “We only vaguely know, really.”
“Random people are sending me ‘get well’ gifts. Everyone knows, then?” Max asked softly. This time, by ‘everyone’ he meant the town of Roswell. The community that he had to live in.
Isabel shrugged, “Looks like it.”
“I don’t want their pity gifts.” Max said icily.
“We were thinking about that.” Michael responded, “And I think we have a solution.”
Max looked at him skeptically, “You can’t mulch the flowers and send them back, Michael.”
“I wasn’t thinking that!” Michael protested, “Isabel and I were talking and we thought it would be a good idea to have the nurses go bring everything into the children’s ward. Just distribute everything throughout the rooms and hallways and stuff.”
Max nodded, “Okay.”
He distance between the three of them was still present. Nothing had changed over night. Max was going to continually push them away.
They had a few nurse aides come in and remove the gifts with strict instructions to bring them into the children’s ward.
As the last vase left, Liz, Maria, and Alex entered.
Maria immediately sat on Michael’s lap, giving him a quick kiss and hug. Alex wrapped his arms around Isabel, muttering something in her ear.
Liz walked hesitantly towards the bed. She placed a hand on the blankets, only millimeters away from Max’s hand. She spoke softly, “How are you?”
“Fine.” He replied.
“You look more like yourself today.” She said in attempt to keep him talking.
He shrugged. Liz continued, “I’ve been talking to Laura. She said it would be okay for us to go for a walk. If you want. We can get out of the room for a while.”
Max glanced at Isabel, who looked like she was about to go over the edge. He knew that his current actions were making her sick with worry.
He wasn’t pushing anyone away like he had hoped. He was driving them closer. And trying to push them away wasn’t helping them, either. Not by the looks of it. All of them looked physically and emotionally exhausted.
He could put up a front. One just like what he had been using his entire life. He could bury his real emotions, couldn’t he?
He could.
Except for recently. His walls had cracked recently. He had failed.
But maybe that was only because he allowed Liz to get close to him. Maybe she was the cause of his walls splintering.
He would have to risk it. For Isabel. For everyone else. Because they knew that he was fragile, and he needed them to forget it. He needed for them to think that he was alright.
He nodded to Liz, not looking her in the eyes.
She moved forward to help him out of bed but the icy glare that he gave her made her take two steps back. Max let out a grunt of pain that caused Liz to wince.
He groaned when he saw a wheelchair by the door. He could walk. He’d do it by himself. He tried to pass it, but Liz stopped him. “Laura said that the only way you can leave is if you take it easy and use the wheelchair.”
He glanced over his shoulder at Isabel once more. He would have to swallow his pride for her. He’d let someone help him, if only briefly, for her.
He sat down, but this time he was able to swallow the grunt that wanted to escape. He stared intently at his lap, his head hanging.
“We’ll be here when you get back.” Isabel whispered.
Max didn’t acknowledge her. He couldn’t. He didn’t want her to be here when he got back. He wanted all of them to go home. And rest. Forget about him. Get their minds on something else.
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He didn’t bother to open them when he felt Liz start to push him. He didn’t want to see the unwelcome sight of the white, sterile walls and long hallways. He didn’t want to see if anyone he knew was lurking around the hallways.
Liz brought him out into a little courtyard that was unoccupied. It was the spot that Laura had suggested to take him to.
She sat down on a bench opposite and smiled softly at him, “You can open your eyes. We’re not in the hospital.”
He was hesitant to open them. Had Liz really taken him from the hospital? Would it be too much to hope for that he could simply open his eyes and be anywhere but the hospital?
He opened them slowly, but it was bittersweet. While Liz hadn’t removed him completely from the hospital, at least he was outdoors.
She scanned the area, taking in what was left of the flowers in the middle of November and sighed, “It’s nice.”
Max shrugged. He stared down at Liz’s feet instead of her face. Her face would just make him feel even more hopeless.
They could never be together. She was far too good for him.
“I can take you back if you don’t want to be here.” She replied simply, but still kindly. When he didn’t respond, she rose to her feet.
His quiet, timid voice stopped her, “No. I-I don’t want to go back yet.”
She sat back down, “I’m not here to judge you, Max. I’m not afraid of you. I just want to be here for you and help you get through all of this.”
“You shouldn’t.” He replied, raising his eyes to meet hers. He regretted the shift immediately, but now he couldn’t back down.
Liz ran her hand through her hair, frustrated, “I should. You’re my friend. Friends help friends. They’re there for one another through anything.”
Max shook his head slowly, “You don’t have to help me. You probably just feel like you have to, but you don’t. You don’t owe me anything, Liz. I did what I did in September because it was the right thing to do…”
Liz cut him off, growing angry, “Don’t you dare think that the only reason I’m here right now it because you healed me! Don’t you dare!” She tried to calm down, but she was doing a terrible job of it, “Why can’t I just care about you out of my own free will? Why does there have to be something that’s forcing me into caring?!”
“I just…” Max protested feebly. He lowered his eyes to the ground.
“Stop! Stop making excuses. You have people who love you and who care about you, Max.” She looked around, seeing that the courtyard was still empty, “And I’m not taking you back to your room until you admit to it.”
“What?” He asked darkly, completely disbelieving of what he was hearing.
Liz put her hand under his chin, raising his eyes to meet hers again. She spoke softly, her cool demeanor returning, “You heard me. You’re not leaving until I hear you say ‘I, Max Guerin, have people who love me and care about me because I am a good person.’”
Max shook his head, “You can’t.”
“Do what? Not take you back?” She asked skeptically.
Max nodded.
She shook her head slowly, “I won’t. Don’t test me.”
“Isabel.” Max reminded her.
“She won’t worry. She knows that I’m with you. And she’ll give us as much time as we need.” Liz replied.
“Laura.” Max suggested weakly.
“Same as Isabel.”
Max looked around the courtyard, looking for anyone that he could use as a scapegoat. No one was in sight.
He tried to lower his head, but Liz’s hand stopped him. He spoke softly, painfully, “Please.”
“You need to do this. You need to hear yourself say the words. And you need to accept them.”
“Please,” He continued his begging, “I can’t. Please.” He was shaking, trying to hold back the tears. He couldn’t say something that wasn’t true. It wasn’t fair to lie to Liz. She deserved the truth, not her delusions, “Please. I can’t. Please.”
Liz got down on her knees, placing a comforting hand on his cheek, “You need to say it. You need to see what everyone else sees in you.”
He began his protest again, still fighting back the tears, “It’s not fair to lie to you.” He seemed to regain some composure, “Just like it’s not fair that you feel obligated to be here…”
“Why do you keep saying that?!” She raised her voice again.
“…with me. I should have wiped your memory of me healing you. You wouldn’t be in this…”
“Stop it!”
“…situation right now and you’d be living a normal life…”
“I don’t give a damn about normal!”
“…and to you, I’d be just another kid in the shadows. Someone…”
“You wouldn’t have been that kid to me, even if you had wiped my memory! I already cared about you! I already liked you!”
Her confession made Max stop mind-sentence. He turned his head to the side, closing his eyes and breathing heavily, “I think you should take me back now.”
“No.” Liz responded, tears glistening in her eyes.
Max’s voice shook, “Take me back.”
Liz couldn’t back down. Not now. “Not until you say the words.”
“TAKE ME BACK!” Max shouted as loud as his hoarse voice could muster.
“No!” Liz protested once more.
Max didn’t have a chance to argue back. A nurse came into the courtyard, looking at them curiously, “Is everything alright?”
“I want to go back to my room.” Max said without opening his eyes. He couldn’t bring himself to look at Liz. He wouldn’t want to see her hurt.
The nurse wheeled him slowly out of the courtyard, and for all he knew, Liz was still standing there, silent.
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Hours later, everyone had finally left to get lunch. Everyone. He was alone.
Alone, like he should be.
Even if it was only temporary.
He closed his eyes, sighing deeply. Liz had returned to the room shortly after him, but she hadn’t said a word the entire time. He felt her eyes on him for hours, but he had refused to meet her gaze or acknowledge her the entire time. He was shocked when she followed the others out of his room.
Max stared at the ceiling above him. He couldn’t wait to get out. He’d get to the Evans home, start talking to Phillip about maybe getting his own place, and be out before the week was over. It sounded good in his head, at least.
His eyes snapped to the door when the handle turned. His heart plummeted. He knew who it was. He knew why she was coming. What he didn’t know is if he could get to the bathroom with enough time to avoid her.
There wasn’t enough time. As she has just propping himself onto his elbows, the door had been opened and she walked through purposefully. She locked the door behind her. He heard the distinct ‘click’ and he knew that his battle had just gotten harder. He stared to the right of the door, still not wanting to meet her eyes.
He should have known that she would double back. He should have known.
He continued to stare at the wall in front of him until her warm hands on his cold cheeks moved his face. His eyes met hers and he knew that it was over. She had already won this battle. His weakness for her was far too great.
He had to try, though. He had to attempt to stop her from getting any further into this. He had to make her understand that he was better off alone.
Liz dropped her hands from her face, folding them across her chest. She stared at him with her jaw set, speaking commandingly, “Say it.”
He shook his head wearily, “I can’t.”
“The door’s locked. I’m not leaving and no one’s coming in until you admit it.”
The hole that Max had felt in his chest for years ached. He couldn’t admit it. People shouldn’t care about him. People shouldn’t love him. He was a monster. He didn’t deserve kindness.
He was fine without them. He had almost failed at keeping himself alive, but he was fine. He’d accepted it. What was his life really worth, anyway?
Probably nothing.
It especially wasn’t worth Liz’s time. He couldn’t believe that after hours, she still wanted him to say something that was an absolute lie. He wasn’t a good person. He’d damned his own sister to eight years with a psychopath. He had been befouled by the same man. He wasn’t worth anything.
But she was still standing there, waiting to hear the words. And she didn’t look like she was going to give him a moment’s rest until he said the words.
Why did she care so much? She had to learn to accept the fact that he was nothing.
But for now, that acceptance wasn’t in sight. She was going to keep trying. And he would have to cater to her insanities if he wanted her to unlock that door sometime today. He needed her to unlock that door. Her mere presence was suffocating him. It was giving him false hope. He couldn’t have her. He never would be able to have her.
That thing inside of him that was pulling him towards her, that was nothing. It was just his mind’s attempt to make him look towards a goal that he could never reach. A false hope.
And at the same time, he was well aware of how the hole in his chest twitched every time she placed a kiss on his cheek. He wanted to feel that twitch again.
It was selfish of him, but he wanted it terribly. He shouldn’t want it. He should feel unworthy of her touch. But he cherished it. He couldn’t help it.
Her piercing gaze brought his attention to the matter at hand. She spoke softly, demanding his attention yet still holding her kindness, “Say it.”
He opened his mouth. He had to say it. It was the only way to stop his incredible urge to feel her lips on his cheek. It was the only way to get her to back away from his bedside. The only way to remind himself that he would never be able to have her as his own. His mouth gaped a few times, and he closed his mouth in frustration.
He could do this. He could lie to her once more. He’d done it before, and he’d do it again.
“I, Max Guerin, have people who love me and care about me because I am a good person.” The words were stiff and emotionless. He became detached from himself, not believing that he had succumbed to her will.
He had lied to her. Again.
Tears welled in his eyes, but he fought them back. She had seen him break down too many times. Once was too many, twice was over doing it. Even if the first time had been briefly in that alleyway. She wouldn’t see him like that ever again. He had made that promise to himself after he had returned to Hank’s, after his visit to her.
He tore his eyes away from hers. He couldn’t look at them now. Her pure, innocent eyes would only be corrupted by his.
And then she did something completely unexpected, but also subconsciously wanted by him. She kissed him softly on the cheek. She spoke gingerly as she moved her face away from his, “Thank you.”
Her hand slid silently down the side of his face, and then he felt it.
The twang in his chest that was too becoming familiar for his liking.
He began a mantra in his head, ‘I don’t deserve her. I’m a monster. I don’t deserve her. I’m a monster. I don’t deserve her. I’m a monster.’ It continued until the rest of the gang returned, a half an hour later, and began to distract him with frivolous conversations that he merely listened to.
TBC...
Michael and Maria stood in a virtually empty hallway in the hospital. Michael looked down at Maria’s feet. So many things had been bothering him lately.
Maria, however, beat him to the subject he was trying to avoid, “I uh… I haven’t asked yet because… i-it’s hard for everyone. B-but I want to know… h-how long did you know that Hank was h-hitting Max?”
“That day when you and Liz came to lunch and told me about the cigarette burns on his arm…” Michael said softly, hanging his head.
“That’s what all of those questions were for… the ones you asked me a couple weeks ago when we talked about what I would do if anyone was hurting Liz.”
Michael nodded, “I didn’t know what to do. Max had forbidden me from even talking about it to him, he kept saying he was going to run away, but at the same time I knew that it wasn’t safe for him to stay with Hank… I should have done something. I could have prevented all of this from happening!”
Maria nodded slowly, “You’re not the only one to blame, Michael. We all are. None of us wanted to acknowledge what was staring us right in the face.”
“No, Maria. I am to blame. Max has been fighting off a monster all of his life to save our sister and what have I been doing? Playing house with my two adoptive parents and complaining if I didn’t like what my mom ate for dinner.” He turned towards the wall and placed his hands on the wall above his head, leaning forwards.
“You were only eight years old when you met them…” Maria was trying her hardest to reason with him.
Michael shook his head, “But I knew them for so much longer than that. I always felt this… unsettling in my stomach. I ignored it because I didn’t want my perfect life to go away. I knew that I had left two people out in the desert. I didn’t go back for them.”
Maria turned Michael around to face her and pointed a finger into his chest, “That is all in the past. You need to focus on telling Valenti everything that you know, minus the Spaceboy stuff, and then hope that it puts that bastard Hank behind bars for the rest of his life. You need to focus on helping both Max and Isabel heal. Yeah, both of them. I can’t even begin to tell you how psychologically affected they both must be from having to spend years with that man. We all need to focus on starting to heal them. Mostly Max. And speaking of Max, he’s doing enough self-blaming for the both of you. I will not tolerate you falling into the same cycle, do you hear me?”
Michael opened his mouth, “But I…”
“Michael, we were all at fault and we all need to talk about it – together. Individually blaming ourselves isn’t going to do any good.” She reiterated.
Michael nodded. While it was hard to stay away from blaming himself, Maria had a point. The group would only make it through this if they worked together.
“Now go to Max. Make sure that he knows that we’re not going away now and we’re not planning on going away ever. Make sure he knows that we’ll be behind him every step of the way.” Maria pointed Michael towards the door.
Michael stepped closer to her, drawing her into a hug. The two stood there for a moment, silence holding them.
Michael exhaled deeply and stepped back, smiling weakly at Maria, “Go home and relax. I can tell that you haven’t gotten much sleep in the past couple of nights.”
Maria shrugged, “I’ll try.” She stared just as intently back at Michael, “You get some sleep, too.”
“I’ll try.” He nodded.
“We’ll be back tomorrow, bright and early.” Maria added, giving Michael a quick kiss.
Michael nodded and the two parted ways. While they both knew that neither had fully psychologically healed, they had begun.
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When Isabel and Michael returned to Max’s room, they weren’t surprised to see his eyes closed.
Laura came in after them and checked on Max’s vitals, making sure that everything was still continuing to get better. She smiled meekly at Isabel and Michael, “How’re you two holding up?”
Apparently she knew that Max’s sleep was genuine.
“Fine.” Michael and Isabel replied at the same time.
Laura nodded her head, and then looked back at Max, “He’s getting better very quickly. He’s become quite a healer.”
“A what?” Michael asked a little too quickly. Laura’s words hit very close to their secret.
“I’ve been in this hospital for about two years. People come and go. One thing that I’ve noticed, though, is the hop that is either present in a patient’s eyes or it’s not. When Max first woke up, I couldn’t find any trace of that hope. His healing was going slow. When we started to talk to him about you guys, though, I thought that I saw a glimmer of that hope. He started healing better.” She gave them a weak smile.
Isabel and Michael both nodded. Laura looked around the room, “If you want, I’ll bring you guys in some extra pillow and blankets. And I’ll have maintenance bring in a couch. I wish that I could bring in a cot, but they’re all being used right now.”
“You don’t have to go through all that trouble.” Michael protested.
She smiled at him, “I know. But I want to, and you guys need the rest. If Max gets out of here the day after tomorrow, it’s not going to do him any good to be surrounded by exhausted people.”
Isabel’s ears perked up, “The day after tomorrow?” She didn’t think that it was possible for him to check out so soon. It had only been five days… he was so hurt…
“I told you, he’s healing exceptionally fast. It’s miraculous, really. He was on the brink of death a few days ago and now….”
“He’s always healed fast.” Michael tried to justify it.
Laura shrugged, “Whatever it is, he’s healing quickly and the doctor believes that there’s nothing more that we can do to help him. You guys will just need to keep him on bed rest for a few days, and then for a couple of weeks he shouldn’t do anything strenuous.”
“That’s it?” Isabel asked.
Laura nodded. She suddenly remembered something, “Oh, and we’ve had quite a few deliveries come in today…”
“What kind of deliveries?” Isabel’s wracked her mind, trying to figure out if she had asked anyone to bring in Max’s books to keep him occupied.
“Why don’t I just have some people bring them in, too?”
Isabel shrugged and her eyes followed Laura the entire way out of the room. When the door had closed, Isabel smiled, “I like her.”
“She’s nice.” Michael agreed.
The door opened five minutes later and a trickle of nurses carried in various vases of flowers, stuffed animals, cards, and candies. Apparently the news of Max Guerin’s hospitalization was running rampant through the town.
Isabel’s mouth hung open in shock. As Michael thanked the nurses, she traveled forward to one of the flower arrangements in a daze.
She didn’t think that this many people knew Max. He was always the quiet boy that no one seemed to pay very much attention to. He certainly didn’t have any friends except for the ones that had been at the hospital during the past few days.
Her trembling hand reached forwards and opened the card on the vase.
Max-
Our thoughts and prayers are with you. We’re thinking only of a speedy recovery. You’re a good kid.
The James Family
The James family. Isabel didn’t even know who they were.
Michael followed Isabel’s path around the room and opened another card.
Max,
Wishing you a speedy recovery.
Roswell Nursing Home
The notes, letters, and cards all wished Max a ‘get well’ of some sort.
There were people that Isabel had never heard of, all sending Max a ‘get well’ because they had heard of his situation.
Max wasn’t going to be as invisible in Roswell as he was going to want to be. He was now going to be recognized by virtually everyone on the street.
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Max opened his eyes and slowly he came to realize that a distinct floral scent was wafting around the room.
It also didn’t take him long to realize that Michael and Isabel had returned. His head turned to look at the clock: 8:00am.
His vision came even more in focus as he blinked a few times and he saw the arrangements that had been brought in while he was sleeping.
“What’re those?” He asked, muttering. He could never fully talk in the mornings just after waking up. It always took him a few seconds to regain his voice.
“Stuff that people sent you to make you feel better.” Isabel replied.
Max’s brow furrowed, “What?”
“People around Roswell.” Michael raised one of his eyebrows.
Max rolled his eyes, “Like who?”
Michael shrugged, “We only vaguely know, really.”
“Random people are sending me ‘get well’ gifts. Everyone knows, then?” Max asked softly. This time, by ‘everyone’ he meant the town of Roswell. The community that he had to live in.
Isabel shrugged, “Looks like it.”
“I don’t want their pity gifts.” Max said icily.
“We were thinking about that.” Michael responded, “And I think we have a solution.”
Max looked at him skeptically, “You can’t mulch the flowers and send them back, Michael.”
“I wasn’t thinking that!” Michael protested, “Isabel and I were talking and we thought it would be a good idea to have the nurses go bring everything into the children’s ward. Just distribute everything throughout the rooms and hallways and stuff.”
Max nodded, “Okay.”
He distance between the three of them was still present. Nothing had changed over night. Max was going to continually push them away.
They had a few nurse aides come in and remove the gifts with strict instructions to bring them into the children’s ward.
As the last vase left, Liz, Maria, and Alex entered.
Maria immediately sat on Michael’s lap, giving him a quick kiss and hug. Alex wrapped his arms around Isabel, muttering something in her ear.
Liz walked hesitantly towards the bed. She placed a hand on the blankets, only millimeters away from Max’s hand. She spoke softly, “How are you?”
“Fine.” He replied.
“You look more like yourself today.” She said in attempt to keep him talking.
He shrugged. Liz continued, “I’ve been talking to Laura. She said it would be okay for us to go for a walk. If you want. We can get out of the room for a while.”
Max glanced at Isabel, who looked like she was about to go over the edge. He knew that his current actions were making her sick with worry.
He wasn’t pushing anyone away like he had hoped. He was driving them closer. And trying to push them away wasn’t helping them, either. Not by the looks of it. All of them looked physically and emotionally exhausted.
He could put up a front. One just like what he had been using his entire life. He could bury his real emotions, couldn’t he?
He could.
Except for recently. His walls had cracked recently. He had failed.
But maybe that was only because he allowed Liz to get close to him. Maybe she was the cause of his walls splintering.
He would have to risk it. For Isabel. For everyone else. Because they knew that he was fragile, and he needed them to forget it. He needed for them to think that he was alright.
He nodded to Liz, not looking her in the eyes.
She moved forward to help him out of bed but the icy glare that he gave her made her take two steps back. Max let out a grunt of pain that caused Liz to wince.
He groaned when he saw a wheelchair by the door. He could walk. He’d do it by himself. He tried to pass it, but Liz stopped him. “Laura said that the only way you can leave is if you take it easy and use the wheelchair.”
He glanced over his shoulder at Isabel once more. He would have to swallow his pride for her. He’d let someone help him, if only briefly, for her.
He sat down, but this time he was able to swallow the grunt that wanted to escape. He stared intently at his lap, his head hanging.
“We’ll be here when you get back.” Isabel whispered.
Max didn’t acknowledge her. He couldn’t. He didn’t want her to be here when he got back. He wanted all of them to go home. And rest. Forget about him. Get their minds on something else.
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He didn’t bother to open them when he felt Liz start to push him. He didn’t want to see the unwelcome sight of the white, sterile walls and long hallways. He didn’t want to see if anyone he knew was lurking around the hallways.
Liz brought him out into a little courtyard that was unoccupied. It was the spot that Laura had suggested to take him to.
She sat down on a bench opposite and smiled softly at him, “You can open your eyes. We’re not in the hospital.”
He was hesitant to open them. Had Liz really taken him from the hospital? Would it be too much to hope for that he could simply open his eyes and be anywhere but the hospital?
He opened them slowly, but it was bittersweet. While Liz hadn’t removed him completely from the hospital, at least he was outdoors.
She scanned the area, taking in what was left of the flowers in the middle of November and sighed, “It’s nice.”
Max shrugged. He stared down at Liz’s feet instead of her face. Her face would just make him feel even more hopeless.
They could never be together. She was far too good for him.
“I can take you back if you don’t want to be here.” She replied simply, but still kindly. When he didn’t respond, she rose to her feet.
His quiet, timid voice stopped her, “No. I-I don’t want to go back yet.”
She sat back down, “I’m not here to judge you, Max. I’m not afraid of you. I just want to be here for you and help you get through all of this.”
“You shouldn’t.” He replied, raising his eyes to meet hers. He regretted the shift immediately, but now he couldn’t back down.
Liz ran her hand through her hair, frustrated, “I should. You’re my friend. Friends help friends. They’re there for one another through anything.”
Max shook his head slowly, “You don’t have to help me. You probably just feel like you have to, but you don’t. You don’t owe me anything, Liz. I did what I did in September because it was the right thing to do…”
Liz cut him off, growing angry, “Don’t you dare think that the only reason I’m here right now it because you healed me! Don’t you dare!” She tried to calm down, but she was doing a terrible job of it, “Why can’t I just care about you out of my own free will? Why does there have to be something that’s forcing me into caring?!”
“I just…” Max protested feebly. He lowered his eyes to the ground.
“Stop! Stop making excuses. You have people who love you and who care about you, Max.” She looked around, seeing that the courtyard was still empty, “And I’m not taking you back to your room until you admit to it.”
“What?” He asked darkly, completely disbelieving of what he was hearing.
Liz put her hand under his chin, raising his eyes to meet hers again. She spoke softly, her cool demeanor returning, “You heard me. You’re not leaving until I hear you say ‘I, Max Guerin, have people who love me and care about me because I am a good person.’”
Max shook his head, “You can’t.”
“Do what? Not take you back?” She asked skeptically.
Max nodded.
She shook her head slowly, “I won’t. Don’t test me.”
“Isabel.” Max reminded her.
“She won’t worry. She knows that I’m with you. And she’ll give us as much time as we need.” Liz replied.
“Laura.” Max suggested weakly.
“Same as Isabel.”
Max looked around the courtyard, looking for anyone that he could use as a scapegoat. No one was in sight.
He tried to lower his head, but Liz’s hand stopped him. He spoke softly, painfully, “Please.”
“You need to do this. You need to hear yourself say the words. And you need to accept them.”
“Please,” He continued his begging, “I can’t. Please.” He was shaking, trying to hold back the tears. He couldn’t say something that wasn’t true. It wasn’t fair to lie to Liz. She deserved the truth, not her delusions, “Please. I can’t. Please.”
Liz got down on her knees, placing a comforting hand on his cheek, “You need to say it. You need to see what everyone else sees in you.”
He began his protest again, still fighting back the tears, “It’s not fair to lie to you.” He seemed to regain some composure, “Just like it’s not fair that you feel obligated to be here…”
“Why do you keep saying that?!” She raised her voice again.
“…with me. I should have wiped your memory of me healing you. You wouldn’t be in this…”
“Stop it!”
“…situation right now and you’d be living a normal life…”
“I don’t give a damn about normal!”
“…and to you, I’d be just another kid in the shadows. Someone…”
“You wouldn’t have been that kid to me, even if you had wiped my memory! I already cared about you! I already liked you!”
Her confession made Max stop mind-sentence. He turned his head to the side, closing his eyes and breathing heavily, “I think you should take me back now.”
“No.” Liz responded, tears glistening in her eyes.
Max’s voice shook, “Take me back.”
Liz couldn’t back down. Not now. “Not until you say the words.”
“TAKE ME BACK!” Max shouted as loud as his hoarse voice could muster.
“No!” Liz protested once more.
Max didn’t have a chance to argue back. A nurse came into the courtyard, looking at them curiously, “Is everything alright?”
“I want to go back to my room.” Max said without opening his eyes. He couldn’t bring himself to look at Liz. He wouldn’t want to see her hurt.
The nurse wheeled him slowly out of the courtyard, and for all he knew, Liz was still standing there, silent.
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Hours later, everyone had finally left to get lunch. Everyone. He was alone.
Alone, like he should be.
Even if it was only temporary.
He closed his eyes, sighing deeply. Liz had returned to the room shortly after him, but she hadn’t said a word the entire time. He felt her eyes on him for hours, but he had refused to meet her gaze or acknowledge her the entire time. He was shocked when she followed the others out of his room.
Max stared at the ceiling above him. He couldn’t wait to get out. He’d get to the Evans home, start talking to Phillip about maybe getting his own place, and be out before the week was over. It sounded good in his head, at least.
His eyes snapped to the door when the handle turned. His heart plummeted. He knew who it was. He knew why she was coming. What he didn’t know is if he could get to the bathroom with enough time to avoid her.
There wasn’t enough time. As she has just propping himself onto his elbows, the door had been opened and she walked through purposefully. She locked the door behind her. He heard the distinct ‘click’ and he knew that his battle had just gotten harder. He stared to the right of the door, still not wanting to meet her eyes.
He should have known that she would double back. He should have known.
He continued to stare at the wall in front of him until her warm hands on his cold cheeks moved his face. His eyes met hers and he knew that it was over. She had already won this battle. His weakness for her was far too great.
He had to try, though. He had to attempt to stop her from getting any further into this. He had to make her understand that he was better off alone.
Liz dropped her hands from her face, folding them across her chest. She stared at him with her jaw set, speaking commandingly, “Say it.”
He shook his head wearily, “I can’t.”
“The door’s locked. I’m not leaving and no one’s coming in until you admit it.”
The hole that Max had felt in his chest for years ached. He couldn’t admit it. People shouldn’t care about him. People shouldn’t love him. He was a monster. He didn’t deserve kindness.
He was fine without them. He had almost failed at keeping himself alive, but he was fine. He’d accepted it. What was his life really worth, anyway?
Probably nothing.
It especially wasn’t worth Liz’s time. He couldn’t believe that after hours, she still wanted him to say something that was an absolute lie. He wasn’t a good person. He’d damned his own sister to eight years with a psychopath. He had been befouled by the same man. He wasn’t worth anything.
But she was still standing there, waiting to hear the words. And she didn’t look like she was going to give him a moment’s rest until he said the words.
Why did she care so much? She had to learn to accept the fact that he was nothing.
But for now, that acceptance wasn’t in sight. She was going to keep trying. And he would have to cater to her insanities if he wanted her to unlock that door sometime today. He needed her to unlock that door. Her mere presence was suffocating him. It was giving him false hope. He couldn’t have her. He never would be able to have her.
That thing inside of him that was pulling him towards her, that was nothing. It was just his mind’s attempt to make him look towards a goal that he could never reach. A false hope.
And at the same time, he was well aware of how the hole in his chest twitched every time she placed a kiss on his cheek. He wanted to feel that twitch again.
It was selfish of him, but he wanted it terribly. He shouldn’t want it. He should feel unworthy of her touch. But he cherished it. He couldn’t help it.
Her piercing gaze brought his attention to the matter at hand. She spoke softly, demanding his attention yet still holding her kindness, “Say it.”
He opened his mouth. He had to say it. It was the only way to stop his incredible urge to feel her lips on his cheek. It was the only way to get her to back away from his bedside. The only way to remind himself that he would never be able to have her as his own. His mouth gaped a few times, and he closed his mouth in frustration.
He could do this. He could lie to her once more. He’d done it before, and he’d do it again.
“I, Max Guerin, have people who love me and care about me because I am a good person.” The words were stiff and emotionless. He became detached from himself, not believing that he had succumbed to her will.
He had lied to her. Again.
Tears welled in his eyes, but he fought them back. She had seen him break down too many times. Once was too many, twice was over doing it. Even if the first time had been briefly in that alleyway. She wouldn’t see him like that ever again. He had made that promise to himself after he had returned to Hank’s, after his visit to her.
He tore his eyes away from hers. He couldn’t look at them now. Her pure, innocent eyes would only be corrupted by his.
And then she did something completely unexpected, but also subconsciously wanted by him. She kissed him softly on the cheek. She spoke gingerly as she moved her face away from his, “Thank you.”
Her hand slid silently down the side of his face, and then he felt it.
The twang in his chest that was too becoming familiar for his liking.
He began a mantra in his head, ‘I don’t deserve her. I’m a monster. I don’t deserve her. I’m a monster. I don’t deserve her. I’m a monster.’ It continued until the rest of the gang returned, a half an hour later, and began to distract him with frivolous conversations that he merely listened to.
TBC...
Last edited by sprayadhesive on Sat Jan 13, 2007 1:01 pm, edited 3 times in total.
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sprayadhesive
- Addicted Roswellian
- Posts: 187
- Joined: Sun Mar 19, 2006 3:19 pm
- Location: Georgia
Part 19
Max had been out of the hospital for a week now.
His powers had somewhat returned to him for a few hours yesterday, so he healed himself. It was easier to do that than sit through the pain. He didn't care how suspicious it would be to the hospital or anyone else, for that matter.
He'd gone as far as to remove the cast on his leg. When Diane first saw it, she had been beside herself with worry. Max, however, proved to her that it was completely healed by walking across the room and after that she was fine with it. She'd warned him not to do the same with the cast around his hand, so he hadn't.
Some cuts and bruises remained on his face, but they were minor.
He hadn't been allowed out of his room, yet. On the doctor's orders, he was to remain there for a week. One long week during which the doctor had forbidden Max from leaving his bed, except briefly in the morning. And he wasn't supposed to do anything strenuous, either.
He didn't care for those instructions.
It was the middle of the night and everyone was sleeping. No one would know if he left. He rolled out of bed slowly and looked through the pile of Michael's clothes for a sweatshirt and sweatpants.
The trailer was still a crime scene. No one could enter. They'd be removing the tape tomorrow. He'd be able to go and get his stuff. Not that there was much of it, anyway.
He donned the articles and then strained his ears to listen. Sound was still absent.
Working quietly, he opened the window slowly. He poked his head out of the window, looking down. It was only two stories up; the climb down shouldn't be bad. He was going down a tree, after all.
His feet scratched roughly against the bark. He'd forgotten shoes. They didn't matter right now, though, did they? He was just going for a run.
The silence of the street was comforting. He hadn't been left alone for longer than an hour in the past week. It was suffocating.
Liz had been by to visit everyday.
He took off at a jog, heading down the street that he knew the best.
She would just sit with him. After that night at the hospital, she hadn't tried to force him to do anything. She'd just sit there and watch him.
Max couldn't ever bring himself to look back at her. He knew that she was expectant. She wanted him to talk to her. She wanted him to talk to anyone.
He hadn't talked to anyone since leaving the hospital.
He didn't know if he could remember the sound of his own voice.
He increased the speed of his run. His body tried to protest with him, it hadn't moved this much in a long time. He ignored it. He needed to keep running.
Michael, today, gave him an update on how everything was going outside of the bedroom.
"Are you sure you want to go back to school tomorrow? The doctor said you can wait…" Michael spoke.
Max nodded his head.
Michael ran his fingers through his hair, "It's not going to be easy to get back into your old routine, Max."
He nodded again.
"Tess says that Isabel cries herself to sleep each night now." Michael said softly. He didn't want to tell Max, but he needed to know.
Max's body tensed. Isabel was crying herself to sleep. Because of him.
"She misses you."
Max shrugged. He was right here. There was nothing for her to miss, really. Just a shell of a person walking around, fighting down emotions.
"We all miss you."
Michael had been good for telling Max the truth this week. He had tried to talk Max out of going to school tomorrow on multiple occasions. But Max needed to go to school. He couldn't fall behind more than he already was.
Liz had been bringing him the school work that he missed. It wasn't the same as attending the lectures.
Max's pace increased again. He was running down Main Street. When he reached the front of the Crashdown, he distracted himself by looking left. That was a mistake.
The UFO Center.
He'd received an unwelcome call from Milton the first day at the Evans house.
"Max, is that you?"
"Yeah, it's me."
"How are you?"
"Fine, thanks."
"I just wanted to let you know that I've been thinking lately, and I've decided that I want to give you some time off from work. At LEAST two weeks, and we can go from there."
Max's heart sunk. Work, he had hoped, would be his only escape. Without it for two weeks… he wasn't going to have a reprieve from everything.
"I need this job, Milton. I need to work. I have bills to pay, now, and…"
"It'll be a paid ‘vacation.’ This isn't a debate. You need the time off."
"I can't let you pay me for sitting around…"
"It's not really an option. I'll send the paychecks to you at the end of each week."
"Milton, I…"
"Get well soon, Max. I'll talk to you later."
Diane handed Max the first paycheck two days ago, but Max hadn't opened it. He set it on the nightstand next to the bed. He wasn't going to let Milton pay him for lying in a bed.
Max turned down another road, the one taking him towards Isabel's apartment. As he neared, he realized that the light in her bedroom was on. She wasn't sleeping like she should be. He could see that whenever she came to visit him.
That was his fault, too.
He would need to set up another façade in front of everyone. Not talking with them wasn't working. He'd try to pretend like none of this had ever happened. That could work.
He stopped short at the end of the road. The road in front of him would eventually lead him to the trailer park. He wasn't ready to go back there yet.
He turned around and wiped his brow with the sleeve of his sweatshirt. Without another hesitation, he jogged back down his route. Thoughts of how tomorrow would go plagued his mind.
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Max trailed behind the others as they walked through the parking lot to get to school. He kept his eyes on the ground, but he could almost sense when heads turned in his direction. The backpack slung over his shoulder was the only thing separating him from the piercing stares on his back.
He dug his left hand into his front pocket and gripped the strap of his backpack tightly with his right. Putting his feet one in front of the other was the only thing that was keeping him together.
He never realized how hard it would be to come back.
It only got harder when they walked into the building. The hallway that had seconds before been bustling with people froze as soon as the door behind Max closed. All heads snapped to stare at him, and then the whispering started.
Max froze, too. He didn't know what to do. Every piece of his being was telling him to turn and run, not to stop until he reached the edge of Roswell.
Alex, Maria, Kyle, Tess, Michael, and Isabel had also frozen, but further up the hallway. They thought that Max was right behind them, and when they heard the silence of the hallway they knew that they had been wrong with their assumption.
They looked at the countless faces around them and couldn't believe it. They were isolating Max He hadn't done anything, he'd been a victim in his own home, and now they were practically making him a victim at his own school.
Liz was the first to react. She turned back towards Max and her heart felt like it was going to shatter. His eyes were shifting restlessly on the floor, scanning the area around him like his life depended on it. He looked like he couldn't bring himself to move.
She walked to him quickly. The way his weight shifted from foot to foot, like he was getting ready to run. She had to get to him before he did that.
His vulnerability was painfully evident.
She stepped next to him and cleared her throat lightly.
He looked at her shoes. He'd recognize her presence anywhere, "I…"
"Let's go get your books out of your locker." She took a step forward, but he wasn't following.
She placed her hand on his arm. He withdrew from her touch almost immediately, "Please, don't."
She nodded, silently. In any other situation, she would have protested. She paused for a beat, "Move your feet, Max. Walk."
This time, he was able to do so. With his eyes trained on Liz's heels, he was able to safely maneuver through the crowd without once looking higher than two inches off the ground. When they walked by the group, they followed, silently making a circle around Max, so as to shield him from the stares of their peers.
As soon as they turned the corner, a burst of chatter broke out behind them. The hallway they were now in, however, was a repeat of what had just happened.
And it continued like that until they reached Max's locker. The mutterings continued, but at least everyone wasn't staring directly at Max.
Max slowly opened his locker, taking out his Biology book and replacing it with a math book. He stared into the empty locker, "You guys should go get ready for class."
"We've already got all of our stuff." Michael replied. They'd planned it so that Max wouldn't have to walk anywhere alone.
Max kept his eyes in the locker, "You're babysitting me."
"We aren't. We're just watching out for you." Michael replied, somewhat defensively.
"I can take care of myself."
"We know, but we're going to be here for you." Alex responded.
Max shrugged, "You shouldn't."
He turned and fixed the strap on his backpack, holding his hand there. He needed something to hold on to right now. Kyle slung his arm around Max, not noticing how Max's entire body stiffened at the gesture, "You're not getting rid of us easily, you now."
Max somehow maneuvered out of Kyle's grasp and turned back to the group, still looking at their feet instead of their faces, "I can walk myself to class, thanks."
"I have first period with you, anyway." Liz responded softly.
Max nodded, beaten. How could he have forgotten about Biology with Liz?
Liz turned to the others, "See you guys at lunch."
They all nodded. Isabel looked pointedly at Max, "See you at lunch."
They dispersed one by one, until only Liz and Max were remaining. Liz asked lightly, "I don't suppose you'll let me hold your hand?"
"I can't." He balled his free hand into a fist.
She held up her hands in her defense, "I was just thinking that if everyone saw us holding hands… it would distract them from… what happened. Give them something else to talk about"
"No." Max replied flatly. "I refuse to allow you to become a subject of discussion for them."
"It wouldn't matter to me." She stated matter-of-factly.
Max set his jaw. This was a minor battle in the war that he called his life. He wasn't going to let Liz be a casualty.
He kept his fist balled and gestured to the room not far down the hallway. "Let's go."
"Oh, crap!" Liz casually dropped two of her books on the floor. She forced a blush, bending over to pick them up. Max beat her to it.
He held the books out to her, "Why do you have so many books?"
'Because we all decided not to go to our lockers this morning in order to keep the attention off of you?' Liz thought. Instead, she responded, "I wanted to study a little during the downtime."
Max eyed her arms once again. They were completely filled with books, "What happened to your book bag?"
"I decided to leave it at home." She shrugged.
Max nodded and started to walk, her two books still in his arms.
Liz let herself have a brief smile before she called out to him, "Max! My books?"
"I'll take them for you." He replied, waiting for her to catch up.
And as they walked to class together, Max carrying Liz's books, Liz couldn't help but smile. She didn't have Max holding her hand, but he was carrying her books. And maybe that would be enough to shift some of the attention from him to her.
But, as Liz looked around, she realized that the whispers were increasing. She hadn't decreased the rumors and talk about Max, she'd increased them.
She silently cursed herself. It had sounded like a good plan in her head…
They walked into the classroom just before the bell. Once again, the room grew completely silent.
"Max?" Mrs. Scott looked at the young boy. Her heart really went out to him, the poor thing. The entire staff loved him; he was a model student, except for that fight a few weeks back with Michael Evans. A few of the teachers had broken out into tears at the staff meeting this morning when the principal had briefed them all about his ordeal. She smiled at him, "Good to have you back."
Max nodded, but kept his eyes on the floor. He dropped his bag on the table, rummaging through it. When he had the papers that he needed, he walked up to Mrs. Scott's desk and handed them to her.
She looked shocked, "I wasn't expecting these so early. You could've taken your time…"
"It wasn't a problem." He reassured her. He actually felt like begging her for more work, anything to keep his mind occupied.
He walked silently back to his seat, avoiding everyone's stares.
As the class progressed, Max found himself tuning Mrs. Scott out. He had thought that coming back to school would settle his mind, but it was doing the exact opposite.
As if someone had suddenly turned up the volume, he oddly focused on a conversation in the back of the room.
"…he raped him and hit him." The girl concluded. Max had known her since elementary school, but he couldn't be bothered to remember the name right now.
"No wonder he was always so quiet…" April Jenkins, another girl he'd known since elementary school responded.
He closed his eyes tightly, trying to tune them out again. He had to think about other things. He had to try to focus on Mrs. Scott.
She kept his attention for the rest of the period.
Second and third period were extremely close in nature to first period. The teacher would give him a 'welcome back' of some kind, he'd turn in his work, and then he'd attempt to tune out the conversations that were happening on the side… all about him.
When he finally got to lunch, he was thankful to catch a glimpse of his familiar table. It wasn't unoccupied, though. Maria, Michael, Kyle, Tess, Liz, Isabel and Alex were all there, waiting for him. He desperately looked at their old table, hoping to find it empty. No such look. A group of kids had already taken it.
Before he had a chance to go and try to find someplace else to sit, Liz had already spotted him. He could feel her gaze on him.
He walked over to them without another choice. The only place left to sit was between Liz and Isabel.
Alex looked at him, "How's the first day back going?"
Max shrugged, there was nothing to talk about, anyway.
The others attempted to get him to join the conversation, too, but he didn't. He would merely shrug or nod or shake his head at anything they said.
So they continued on without him, talking the entire lunch period away.
Liz turned to Max just before the bell rang, "I'm giving Michael a ride home today, if you want one…"
Max shook his head.
"It's not like you two are going to two different places… besides, you don't have any other way to get there."
"I've got a ride," he lied.
Liz opened her mouth in shock, "With who?"
"That's not important." He replied softly. He was aware that the conversation at the table had ceased and everyone was casually listening to them.
The bell rang and Max quickly gathered up his stuff. Liz spoke louder, attempting to speak over the sudden commotion as others scrambled to their next classes, "I'd better not see you walking home, Max Guerin, or I'll stop and shove you into my car!"
Max, with his back to her as he walked away, shook his head. It was a good thing he didn't plan on walking.
At the start of his last period class, the teacher was out of the room when the bell rang. A football player stood up, walking down the rows and handing a flier to each student. He spoke loudly so that everyone could hear, "There's going to be a party at my house this weekend. The 'rents are out of town!" Some of the people cheered, "Everyone's invited. Feel free to bring anyone or anything!"
Max rolled his eyes and folded the piece of paper, placing it in his back pocket. He'd never even been to a party. He had too many things to be doing.
The period went by in a haze. Max was thankful that his seat was in the back corner of the room. No one dared to turn around in their seat and stare at him.
And when the bell finally rang, Max hurried out of the room and into the parking lot. He'd walked down to the corner of the road before cars even started coming out.
As he was walking down the second road, however, he started to shiver. Why hadn't it been this cold last night? The November winds had rolled in, replacing the heat wave that occurred only a few weeks ago, and apparently no one had bothered telling Max.
It wouldn't matter. He'd never been sick before. He was probably immune to human viruses.
As he walked down the road, though, he realized that cars were slowing down to get a better look at him. He regretted not healing the cuts on his face when he had the chance.
A car slowed next to him, much slower than the others. He looked up and saw Michael and Maria sitting in the back seat. His gaze went up to the driver's seat and he saw Liz staring at him.
Their gazes locked for at least ten seconds before Max realized what he was doing. He was allowing himself to be lost in her eyes… her beautiful, brown, brilliant eyes.
He was disgusted with himself. How dare he think that? How dare he even look at those eyes?
"Get in the car," Liz pleaded, "Please."
"You're blocking traffic." Max looked behind the car stubbornly.
"I'm either going to drive at the pace that you're walking for the rest of the way," Liz couldn't help but smile at the notion, "Or we'll avoid pissing off more than half of the population of Roswell High, and you'll get in the car."
Max groaned. He almost thought about taking off at a sprint, but when he saw Michael's warning expression, he knew that Michael would have tackled him to the ground before he even went ten feet.
He sighed dejectedly, making his way over to the passenger seat. Once he was seated and the door was shut, Liz nodded, "Thank you."
Max didn't respond. He was silent until they pulled up in front of Maria's house. To Max's surprise, Michael followed Maria out of the car. They both thanked Maria and started walking towards the door.
Max, thinking quickly, realized that he was going to make Liz go completely out of her way to drop him off at Michael's. He reached for the door handle, but Liz's hand caught his.
He froze completely. He stared down at her hand touching his like it was something vile, before he slowly pulled his own, shaking hand away. He spoke slowly, "Please don't touch me."
"Why not?" Liz knew and hated the answer, but she couldn't stop herself from asking.
Max shrugged, unwilling to talk about it any further than they already had.
Ten minutes later, despite Max's protests, they were in the Evans's driveway. Max muttered, "Thanks."
Liz gave him a small smile, "No problem." She realized how Max had been looking at the floor the entire day, though, and stopped him from leaving. She spoke, her voice raw with emotions, "Would it kill you to look at me?"
Max swallowed, "I wish it would."
And with that, he left her car, not allowing her to speak.
He entered the house and Diane greeted him in the hallway. He noted how she was covering up her worry with a smile, "How was the first day back?"
He shrugged. She frowned, "Are you okay? Not sore or anything?"
"I'm fine."
"If you're sore, we can keep you out of school for a little bit longer. I'm sure your teachers wouldn't mind."
"No, I'm fine. Really." He responded.
Diane shrugged, "I've got some cookies in the kitchen if you're hungry…"
"No thanks. I think I'm just going to go up to my room and listen to some music." He replied.
In vain, Diane tried again, "Dinner's at six."
"I probably won't be hungry." He replied emotionlessly. He didn't want to intrude on a family dinner.
"I'll have Michael bring something up, anyway."
Max nodded. When he got to his room, the day really weighed upon him. He was an outsider everywhere he went. He would never not be an outsider. It would follow him around for the rest of his life.
Whatever life he had left, at least.
The point to living was disappearing even more quickly.
TBC...
Max had been out of the hospital for a week now.
His powers had somewhat returned to him for a few hours yesterday, so he healed himself. It was easier to do that than sit through the pain. He didn't care how suspicious it would be to the hospital or anyone else, for that matter.
He'd gone as far as to remove the cast on his leg. When Diane first saw it, she had been beside herself with worry. Max, however, proved to her that it was completely healed by walking across the room and after that she was fine with it. She'd warned him not to do the same with the cast around his hand, so he hadn't.
Some cuts and bruises remained on his face, but they were minor.
He hadn't been allowed out of his room, yet. On the doctor's orders, he was to remain there for a week. One long week during which the doctor had forbidden Max from leaving his bed, except briefly in the morning. And he wasn't supposed to do anything strenuous, either.
He didn't care for those instructions.
It was the middle of the night and everyone was sleeping. No one would know if he left. He rolled out of bed slowly and looked through the pile of Michael's clothes for a sweatshirt and sweatpants.
The trailer was still a crime scene. No one could enter. They'd be removing the tape tomorrow. He'd be able to go and get his stuff. Not that there was much of it, anyway.
He donned the articles and then strained his ears to listen. Sound was still absent.
Working quietly, he opened the window slowly. He poked his head out of the window, looking down. It was only two stories up; the climb down shouldn't be bad. He was going down a tree, after all.
His feet scratched roughly against the bark. He'd forgotten shoes. They didn't matter right now, though, did they? He was just going for a run.
The silence of the street was comforting. He hadn't been left alone for longer than an hour in the past week. It was suffocating.
Liz had been by to visit everyday.
He took off at a jog, heading down the street that he knew the best.
She would just sit with him. After that night at the hospital, she hadn't tried to force him to do anything. She'd just sit there and watch him.
Max couldn't ever bring himself to look back at her. He knew that she was expectant. She wanted him to talk to her. She wanted him to talk to anyone.
He hadn't talked to anyone since leaving the hospital.
He didn't know if he could remember the sound of his own voice.
He increased the speed of his run. His body tried to protest with him, it hadn't moved this much in a long time. He ignored it. He needed to keep running.
Michael, today, gave him an update on how everything was going outside of the bedroom.
"Are you sure you want to go back to school tomorrow? The doctor said you can wait…" Michael spoke.
Max nodded his head.
Michael ran his fingers through his hair, "It's not going to be easy to get back into your old routine, Max."
He nodded again.
"Tess says that Isabel cries herself to sleep each night now." Michael said softly. He didn't want to tell Max, but he needed to know.
Max's body tensed. Isabel was crying herself to sleep. Because of him.
"She misses you."
Max shrugged. He was right here. There was nothing for her to miss, really. Just a shell of a person walking around, fighting down emotions.
"We all miss you."
Michael had been good for telling Max the truth this week. He had tried to talk Max out of going to school tomorrow on multiple occasions. But Max needed to go to school. He couldn't fall behind more than he already was.
Liz had been bringing him the school work that he missed. It wasn't the same as attending the lectures.
Max's pace increased again. He was running down Main Street. When he reached the front of the Crashdown, he distracted himself by looking left. That was a mistake.
The UFO Center.
He'd received an unwelcome call from Milton the first day at the Evans house.
"Max, is that you?"
"Yeah, it's me."
"How are you?"
"Fine, thanks."
"I just wanted to let you know that I've been thinking lately, and I've decided that I want to give you some time off from work. At LEAST two weeks, and we can go from there."
Max's heart sunk. Work, he had hoped, would be his only escape. Without it for two weeks… he wasn't going to have a reprieve from everything.
"I need this job, Milton. I need to work. I have bills to pay, now, and…"
"It'll be a paid ‘vacation.’ This isn't a debate. You need the time off."
"I can't let you pay me for sitting around…"
"It's not really an option. I'll send the paychecks to you at the end of each week."
"Milton, I…"
"Get well soon, Max. I'll talk to you later."
Diane handed Max the first paycheck two days ago, but Max hadn't opened it. He set it on the nightstand next to the bed. He wasn't going to let Milton pay him for lying in a bed.
Max turned down another road, the one taking him towards Isabel's apartment. As he neared, he realized that the light in her bedroom was on. She wasn't sleeping like she should be. He could see that whenever she came to visit him.
That was his fault, too.
He would need to set up another façade in front of everyone. Not talking with them wasn't working. He'd try to pretend like none of this had ever happened. That could work.
He stopped short at the end of the road. The road in front of him would eventually lead him to the trailer park. He wasn't ready to go back there yet.
He turned around and wiped his brow with the sleeve of his sweatshirt. Without another hesitation, he jogged back down his route. Thoughts of how tomorrow would go plagued his mind.
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Max trailed behind the others as they walked through the parking lot to get to school. He kept his eyes on the ground, but he could almost sense when heads turned in his direction. The backpack slung over his shoulder was the only thing separating him from the piercing stares on his back.
He dug his left hand into his front pocket and gripped the strap of his backpack tightly with his right. Putting his feet one in front of the other was the only thing that was keeping him together.
He never realized how hard it would be to come back.
It only got harder when they walked into the building. The hallway that had seconds before been bustling with people froze as soon as the door behind Max closed. All heads snapped to stare at him, and then the whispering started.
Max froze, too. He didn't know what to do. Every piece of his being was telling him to turn and run, not to stop until he reached the edge of Roswell.
Alex, Maria, Kyle, Tess, Michael, and Isabel had also frozen, but further up the hallway. They thought that Max was right behind them, and when they heard the silence of the hallway they knew that they had been wrong with their assumption.
They looked at the countless faces around them and couldn't believe it. They were isolating Max He hadn't done anything, he'd been a victim in his own home, and now they were practically making him a victim at his own school.
Liz was the first to react. She turned back towards Max and her heart felt like it was going to shatter. His eyes were shifting restlessly on the floor, scanning the area around him like his life depended on it. He looked like he couldn't bring himself to move.
She walked to him quickly. The way his weight shifted from foot to foot, like he was getting ready to run. She had to get to him before he did that.
His vulnerability was painfully evident.
She stepped next to him and cleared her throat lightly.
He looked at her shoes. He'd recognize her presence anywhere, "I…"
"Let's go get your books out of your locker." She took a step forward, but he wasn't following.
She placed her hand on his arm. He withdrew from her touch almost immediately, "Please, don't."
She nodded, silently. In any other situation, she would have protested. She paused for a beat, "Move your feet, Max. Walk."
This time, he was able to do so. With his eyes trained on Liz's heels, he was able to safely maneuver through the crowd without once looking higher than two inches off the ground. When they walked by the group, they followed, silently making a circle around Max, so as to shield him from the stares of their peers.
As soon as they turned the corner, a burst of chatter broke out behind them. The hallway they were now in, however, was a repeat of what had just happened.
And it continued like that until they reached Max's locker. The mutterings continued, but at least everyone wasn't staring directly at Max.
Max slowly opened his locker, taking out his Biology book and replacing it with a math book. He stared into the empty locker, "You guys should go get ready for class."
"We've already got all of our stuff." Michael replied. They'd planned it so that Max wouldn't have to walk anywhere alone.
Max kept his eyes in the locker, "You're babysitting me."
"We aren't. We're just watching out for you." Michael replied, somewhat defensively.
"I can take care of myself."
"We know, but we're going to be here for you." Alex responded.
Max shrugged, "You shouldn't."
He turned and fixed the strap on his backpack, holding his hand there. He needed something to hold on to right now. Kyle slung his arm around Max, not noticing how Max's entire body stiffened at the gesture, "You're not getting rid of us easily, you now."
Max somehow maneuvered out of Kyle's grasp and turned back to the group, still looking at their feet instead of their faces, "I can walk myself to class, thanks."
"I have first period with you, anyway." Liz responded softly.
Max nodded, beaten. How could he have forgotten about Biology with Liz?
Liz turned to the others, "See you guys at lunch."
They all nodded. Isabel looked pointedly at Max, "See you at lunch."
They dispersed one by one, until only Liz and Max were remaining. Liz asked lightly, "I don't suppose you'll let me hold your hand?"
"I can't." He balled his free hand into a fist.
She held up her hands in her defense, "I was just thinking that if everyone saw us holding hands… it would distract them from… what happened. Give them something else to talk about"
"No." Max replied flatly. "I refuse to allow you to become a subject of discussion for them."
"It wouldn't matter to me." She stated matter-of-factly.
Max set his jaw. This was a minor battle in the war that he called his life. He wasn't going to let Liz be a casualty.
He kept his fist balled and gestured to the room not far down the hallway. "Let's go."
"Oh, crap!" Liz casually dropped two of her books on the floor. She forced a blush, bending over to pick them up. Max beat her to it.
He held the books out to her, "Why do you have so many books?"
'Because we all decided not to go to our lockers this morning in order to keep the attention off of you?' Liz thought. Instead, she responded, "I wanted to study a little during the downtime."
Max eyed her arms once again. They were completely filled with books, "What happened to your book bag?"
"I decided to leave it at home." She shrugged.
Max nodded and started to walk, her two books still in his arms.
Liz let herself have a brief smile before she called out to him, "Max! My books?"
"I'll take them for you." He replied, waiting for her to catch up.
And as they walked to class together, Max carrying Liz's books, Liz couldn't help but smile. She didn't have Max holding her hand, but he was carrying her books. And maybe that would be enough to shift some of the attention from him to her.
But, as Liz looked around, she realized that the whispers were increasing. She hadn't decreased the rumors and talk about Max, she'd increased them.
She silently cursed herself. It had sounded like a good plan in her head…
They walked into the classroom just before the bell. Once again, the room grew completely silent.
"Max?" Mrs. Scott looked at the young boy. Her heart really went out to him, the poor thing. The entire staff loved him; he was a model student, except for that fight a few weeks back with Michael Evans. A few of the teachers had broken out into tears at the staff meeting this morning when the principal had briefed them all about his ordeal. She smiled at him, "Good to have you back."
Max nodded, but kept his eyes on the floor. He dropped his bag on the table, rummaging through it. When he had the papers that he needed, he walked up to Mrs. Scott's desk and handed them to her.
She looked shocked, "I wasn't expecting these so early. You could've taken your time…"
"It wasn't a problem." He reassured her. He actually felt like begging her for more work, anything to keep his mind occupied.
He walked silently back to his seat, avoiding everyone's stares.
As the class progressed, Max found himself tuning Mrs. Scott out. He had thought that coming back to school would settle his mind, but it was doing the exact opposite.
As if someone had suddenly turned up the volume, he oddly focused on a conversation in the back of the room.
"…he raped him and hit him." The girl concluded. Max had known her since elementary school, but he couldn't be bothered to remember the name right now.
"No wonder he was always so quiet…" April Jenkins, another girl he'd known since elementary school responded.
He closed his eyes tightly, trying to tune them out again. He had to think about other things. He had to try to focus on Mrs. Scott.
She kept his attention for the rest of the period.
Second and third period were extremely close in nature to first period. The teacher would give him a 'welcome back' of some kind, he'd turn in his work, and then he'd attempt to tune out the conversations that were happening on the side… all about him.
When he finally got to lunch, he was thankful to catch a glimpse of his familiar table. It wasn't unoccupied, though. Maria, Michael, Kyle, Tess, Liz, Isabel and Alex were all there, waiting for him. He desperately looked at their old table, hoping to find it empty. No such look. A group of kids had already taken it.
Before he had a chance to go and try to find someplace else to sit, Liz had already spotted him. He could feel her gaze on him.
He walked over to them without another choice. The only place left to sit was between Liz and Isabel.
Alex looked at him, "How's the first day back going?"
Max shrugged, there was nothing to talk about, anyway.
The others attempted to get him to join the conversation, too, but he didn't. He would merely shrug or nod or shake his head at anything they said.
So they continued on without him, talking the entire lunch period away.
Liz turned to Max just before the bell rang, "I'm giving Michael a ride home today, if you want one…"
Max shook his head.
"It's not like you two are going to two different places… besides, you don't have any other way to get there."
"I've got a ride," he lied.
Liz opened her mouth in shock, "With who?"
"That's not important." He replied softly. He was aware that the conversation at the table had ceased and everyone was casually listening to them.
The bell rang and Max quickly gathered up his stuff. Liz spoke louder, attempting to speak over the sudden commotion as others scrambled to their next classes, "I'd better not see you walking home, Max Guerin, or I'll stop and shove you into my car!"
Max, with his back to her as he walked away, shook his head. It was a good thing he didn't plan on walking.
At the start of his last period class, the teacher was out of the room when the bell rang. A football player stood up, walking down the rows and handing a flier to each student. He spoke loudly so that everyone could hear, "There's going to be a party at my house this weekend. The 'rents are out of town!" Some of the people cheered, "Everyone's invited. Feel free to bring anyone or anything!"
Max rolled his eyes and folded the piece of paper, placing it in his back pocket. He'd never even been to a party. He had too many things to be doing.
The period went by in a haze. Max was thankful that his seat was in the back corner of the room. No one dared to turn around in their seat and stare at him.
And when the bell finally rang, Max hurried out of the room and into the parking lot. He'd walked down to the corner of the road before cars even started coming out.
As he was walking down the second road, however, he started to shiver. Why hadn't it been this cold last night? The November winds had rolled in, replacing the heat wave that occurred only a few weeks ago, and apparently no one had bothered telling Max.
It wouldn't matter. He'd never been sick before. He was probably immune to human viruses.
As he walked down the road, though, he realized that cars were slowing down to get a better look at him. He regretted not healing the cuts on his face when he had the chance.
A car slowed next to him, much slower than the others. He looked up and saw Michael and Maria sitting in the back seat. His gaze went up to the driver's seat and he saw Liz staring at him.
Their gazes locked for at least ten seconds before Max realized what he was doing. He was allowing himself to be lost in her eyes… her beautiful, brown, brilliant eyes.
He was disgusted with himself. How dare he think that? How dare he even look at those eyes?
"Get in the car," Liz pleaded, "Please."
"You're blocking traffic." Max looked behind the car stubbornly.
"I'm either going to drive at the pace that you're walking for the rest of the way," Liz couldn't help but smile at the notion, "Or we'll avoid pissing off more than half of the population of Roswell High, and you'll get in the car."
Max groaned. He almost thought about taking off at a sprint, but when he saw Michael's warning expression, he knew that Michael would have tackled him to the ground before he even went ten feet.
He sighed dejectedly, making his way over to the passenger seat. Once he was seated and the door was shut, Liz nodded, "Thank you."
Max didn't respond. He was silent until they pulled up in front of Maria's house. To Max's surprise, Michael followed Maria out of the car. They both thanked Maria and started walking towards the door.
Max, thinking quickly, realized that he was going to make Liz go completely out of her way to drop him off at Michael's. He reached for the door handle, but Liz's hand caught his.
He froze completely. He stared down at her hand touching his like it was something vile, before he slowly pulled his own, shaking hand away. He spoke slowly, "Please don't touch me."
"Why not?" Liz knew and hated the answer, but she couldn't stop herself from asking.
Max shrugged, unwilling to talk about it any further than they already had.
Ten minutes later, despite Max's protests, they were in the Evans's driveway. Max muttered, "Thanks."
Liz gave him a small smile, "No problem." She realized how Max had been looking at the floor the entire day, though, and stopped him from leaving. She spoke, her voice raw with emotions, "Would it kill you to look at me?"
Max swallowed, "I wish it would."
And with that, he left her car, not allowing her to speak.
He entered the house and Diane greeted him in the hallway. He noted how she was covering up her worry with a smile, "How was the first day back?"
He shrugged. She frowned, "Are you okay? Not sore or anything?"
"I'm fine."
"If you're sore, we can keep you out of school for a little bit longer. I'm sure your teachers wouldn't mind."
"No, I'm fine. Really." He responded.
Diane shrugged, "I've got some cookies in the kitchen if you're hungry…"
"No thanks. I think I'm just going to go up to my room and listen to some music." He replied.
In vain, Diane tried again, "Dinner's at six."
"I probably won't be hungry." He replied emotionlessly. He didn't want to intrude on a family dinner.
"I'll have Michael bring something up, anyway."
Max nodded. When he got to his room, the day really weighed upon him. He was an outsider everywhere he went. He would never not be an outsider. It would follow him around for the rest of his life.
Whatever life he had left, at least.
The point to living was disappearing even more quickly.
TBC...
Last edited by sprayadhesive on Mon Oct 30, 2006 8:50 pm, edited 1 time in total.