"Maxwell, when are you going to be heading back to school?" Mrs.. Carrigan asked, stabbing her fork into her potatoes and ignoring the uncomfortable silence. She saw her son, with hair longer than the previous thanksgiving, glance up at her, "You can't possibly be thinking of staying in New York."

"Mom!" Lucy glared, shaking her blonde head of hair. Max was surely going back and her parents couldn't refrain him from it, plus, she and Jude were living together, she needed an excuse to go back. Max turned to his sister and gave her a look that told her not to defend him, than he faced his mother again, dropping his fork onto the plate.

"Mom, I'm happy in New York alright?" He informed her, he than looked at his father, "Dad, you can't tell me that you think I'll actually graduate," Max heard Jude snicker, but suddenly stop. Still, he held his gaze on his father.

"You could graduate Max, if you only put your effort into something other than stupidity!" His father's voice was raised. Though that wasn't unusual, it didn't scare Max at all. Actually, it somewhat amused him, knowing that his father got angry over things that he did, "What do you do in New York?"

Max didn't want to reply with, 'Hook up with tons of girls and smoke dope daily', or anything a long those lines. Plus, he was old enough to get away without his parents questions and remarks, "Anything I want to do," He told his father, watching his face fall.

"How are you going to start a beautiful family, have kids, get married?" Mrs.. Carrigan added, she pushed her plate away from her slightly, feeling her appetite dissolving away. She looked sad and that's the part that Max actually felt bad about. Lucy patted her mom's shoulders.

"Why can't I start a family up there?" Max asked. He backed off a bit, he didn't want to make his mother feel worse. Plus, if he went into his cocky, angry mode he might spill about Lucy and Jude and Lucy would kill him if that ever happened.

"There aren't any nice enough girls up there," Mrs.. Carrigan said, looking into her son's big eyes, "There all drinkers, partiers or 'groovy'," her use and air quotations around the word made Lucy roll her eyes, "Here you can find a beautiful, intelligent girl," Jude was turned to face Max, wanting to see his reaction.

"Mom," he sighed, crossing his arms across his chest and ignoring his father's facial expression, "I'm not looking to be tied down anyways, it's not like I want to be married any time soon I still have time," Jude and Lucy glanced across the table, smiling at each other, "Plus who in this dump of a town could actually put up with me?"

"We found one," Mr.. Carrigan interrupted, causing the table to once again, fall silent, "She's coming over later, we wanted you two to get better acquainted," Max glared at his dad and than to Lucy, who shrugged, "Maybe you'll thank us and change your mind about throwing your life away."

"What, you set me up?" Max asked, cringing slightly, "Jesus Christ you guys are really trying to keep me in New York aren't you?!" he glared, staring at his upset mother, "I can't believe this!"

"Wait," Lucy interrupted, staring at her dad and waving a hand in Max's face so he stopped talking, "You said, 'better acquainted', so Max knows her already?" Max slowly looked from his sister to his father, the bitter look still on his face. His father nodded.

"Who?" Max asked, "I'm leaving tonight, screw this, I'm not-."

Somebody knocked on the door and Max instantly stopped talking, "Shit," he muttered. Mrs.. Carrigan got up quickly, throwing her napkin onto the table and rushing towards the door. Max stared at the entrance realizing that he wouldn't be getting out of this. He let out a groan and looked at Jude who held a smirk on his face, "Shove it man," he glared.

"Oh my god!" Lucy cried in a whisper. She turned to Max, jaw dropped, staring at him with wide eyes, "I can't believe them!"

"What, Who?"

"Emily!" Mr.. Carrigan shouted, welcoming the brunette with a large smile on her face, "Sit down, grab a plate!" As she sat down, Max stared at Lucy in shock. They set him up with her friend, the one that had filled out nicely, but regardless, this is who they chose and no, he wasn't happy with it.