The rain fell down outside of Maxie's bedroom window as she lied on her bed. She listened to the soothing pattern of it hitting the ground, but it did little to calm her. She turned onto her side and stared out the window up to the sky. Is that where all the people she loved and lost were? Were they looking down, ever watchful?
Sometimes things were okay. Sometimes she could forget, shed her grief like a snake it's skin. Then the quiet would come, a moment where she had too much time to think. And that's when she felt like she was going to drown in it.
Her cellphone slept next to her, equally as silent. Maxie closed her eyes, but when she did she could almost smell Georgie's perfume, or see the eyes of Coop, or hear Jesse's laughter. The silence was slowly, effectively killing her.
Picking up her cellphone she dialed a number that was becoming more and more familiar. She listened to it ring and ring. No one answered and it went to voice mail.
"Greetings! You've reached the Jackal Hotline. Unfortunately, we cannot attend to your call at this moment, however if you wish to leave a -" That's where the message cut Spinelli off, and she couldn't help but to smile a little. Then she realized the beep had already passed and it was her turn to speak.
"Oh. Uh, hey Spinelli. It's just Maxie. Uhm, I don't really need anything. Just nevermind. Okay, bye," Maxie said slowly. She flipped her cellphone shut, and then replaying her words in her head her cheeks turned pink. That had to be the lamest message ever.
Turning her cellphone off and tossing it onto her hamper of clothes she turned back onto her side and closed her eyes. If she couldn't fight the memories then there was nothing let them drag her down. Time seemed to stop as the memories came in fragments, each a little more painful than the last.
Maxie was pulled out of her thoughts by an insistent pounding on the door. She checked her alarm clock and saw that it had been almost a hour since she had called Spinelli. Sighing, she ran a hand through her hair and bounded down the stairs, assuming Mac had locked himself out again.
Opening the door widely, Maxie was surprised to see Spinelli standing in front of her. His hair was wet, but with it's thickness not yet soaked completely. His bag was slung over his shoulder, and his fingers were playing with the strap.
"Spinelli, what are you doing here? Is something wrong?"
"The Jackal could inquire the same to you, Wounded Blond One," he said. Maxie pulled her eyebrows together trying to figure out what he meant. "You called me."
"Oh! Yeah, but I said-"
"I don't mean to sound pushy, but could you invite The Jackal in out of the wrath of the God's?" Spinelli said, holding his hand up as if to display the rain. Maxie laughed awkwardly, feeling bad she hadn't thought to let him in. She moved to the side and let him pass.
"I said I didn't need anything," Maxie finished her thought.
"Better to err on the side of caution," Spinelli said running a hand through his hair and Maxie watched water droplets hit the floor. "Besides, you called with a purpose in that somewhat devious mind of yours, did you not?"
"In English?" Maxie said as she led him into the living room.
"Better safe than sorry. Besides you, like, obviously wanted to talk to me," Spinelli said imitating an airhead. Maxie laughed and hit his arm and Spinelli smiled at her. "So, what can The Jackal do for you on this less than temperate night?"
"Spinelli, I'm not really sure why I called. I was just-"
"How are you not aware of why you called me?" Spinelli asked, genuinely confused.
"Well, I mean, I suppose I know why..."
"Well," Spinelli said slowly, "I suggest we start there. We can figure the rest out together."
"It was too quiet," Maxie said. Spinelli looked her in the eyes, waiting for her to continue. "It was too quiet, and I just started thinking about Georgie, and Coop, and Jesse. I just felt like I was drowning."
Spinelli blinked at her whispered confession as she shifted awkwardly on the couch. She had revealed more than she had meant to, but that always happened with Spinelli. He looked at her so patiently with his brown eyes, and she just cracked open and spilled her guts to him.
"God, see!" Maxie exclaimed. "I told you it was stupid and to nevermind. You can go, Spinelli."
"Or I could stay," he offered quietly. "I don't mind. Really, I was having the same problem myself. The rain certainly does provide the perfect soundtrack for depression."
"Well, if you want to stay..." Maxie said, unwilling to let him know how much she really did want him there. Needed him, even. Spinelli smiled widely, and she had a feeling he knew anyway. That's probably why he had rushed over here in the rain.
Spinelli took his laptop out from his bag, opened it and began Jackalling information for Jason. Maxie picked up the remote and turned on the fashion channel. Spinelli would comment on what he was doing every so often, or tell her something random about his day. Maxie would tell him about what she thought of the new designs, or shoes, or handbags. God, she loved fashion.
At one point Spinelli had shown her something on his computer, and she hadn't moved back to her original spot. Their arms were brushing, and Spinelli's shirt was still a little damp. Maxie didn't care, it felt nice.
"Thank you for coming, Spinelli," Maxie whispered and then yawned.
"Any time. Are you fatigued? The Jackal could depart. It is getting late," he said.
"No. Stay," Maxie said as her head drooped onto his shoulder. Minutes later she was asleep. Spinelli closed his laptop afraid his typing would wake The Tired Blond One. He tried to reach the remote, but after minutes of trying declared it impossible. He watched the fashion channel, but his eyes too started burning. He decided to close them for just a minute... just a minute...
Mac came home to find Spinelli and Maxie asleep on the couch. Her head was resting on his chest, and his arm was curled around her. Mac wanted to yell at the little freak to get out of his house and away from his daughter.
But his conscience, in voice that sounded a lot like Georgie asked: When was the last time you saw Maxie look so peaceful, so happy? Begrudgingly he left them sleeping on the couch, but not without plans to put the fear of God into Spinelli tomorrow.