– Miss Cross, I'm so happy you've made it! – said Max, opening the door for his favorite teacher.
When she stepped in, she looked around and saw two strangers standing in the middle of Max's lovely living room.
They certainly were odd. The blond woman had sex appeal and creepiness enough to leave you confused. Her faux fur coat and childish haircut could almost drive away your attention from the fact that she had half of a finger missing – almost.
Even though the man's beard and sunglasses covered most of his face, you could tell he was incredibly handsome. He was very well dressed, but his fancy suit couldn't hide the sense of defeat that was emanating from him.
– I thought there would be more people… Maybe I got here too early. – said Miss Cross.
– No, it's just us. – answered Max, with a blank look upon his face. – These are my friends.
The blond woman stepped closer, stuck out her hand and introduced herself:
– I'm Margot.
The bearded man did the same:
– And I'm Richie.
Miss Cross shook their hands wondering how Max could have such friends. Not only they looked much older than him, but something was very strange about them. She couldn't quite tell what it was, but something was definitely out of place.
– You're probably wondering how I can be friends with people so much older than me. – said Max, out of nowhere.
– I was actually thinking about that, but I didn't want to seem rude.
– You are never rude. – He told her, putting his hand on her right shoulder and looking deeply into her eyes. – You are perfect.
There was a long pause. Max seemed to have spaced out but he quickly came back to his senses.
– As I was saying, I've met Margot in a book club. As soon as we started talking, we found out we have almost exact same taste in movies. Who'd have thought? I guess I have older taste.
– Richie is my brother. – stated Margot.
– She's adopted. – added Richie.
– I'm adopted. – she confirmed.
The four shared an uncomfortable silence until Max asked Miss Cross to go to the hall with him. Apparently, he had something very important to tell her.
– What is it?
– Please, don't be mad. It's just that… I've told them you are my girlfriend.
– Max! – she screamed. – This is absurd!
– I've told them how much you mean to me and you know how hard it is for people to understand our friendship… so I just told them we are dating. Or else I would sound pathetic.
– You have no idea how much more pathetic that sounds, do you? – asked the teacher.
– Oh, Miss Cross. You and your adorable accent. I could hear it all day, every day of my life.
The teacher couldn't decide if she was mad or if she just pitied the boy for being so clueless. She didn't really know what to do, so she just rushed back to the living room. Max got terrified she would deny his story, so he rushed right after her.
– I've got to go. – ranted Miss Cross.
Max ran to the front yard and watched her get into her car. Even though he didn't want her to leave, he didn't say a word. He just looked at her as she drove away, the poor teacher feeling more confused than ever.
