Disclaimer: I don't own Wizards of Waverley place of any of its amazing characters...
The List
Max Russo smiled to himself as he finished off the last number of his list. He'd been working on it the entire afternoon and by now, the sun was setting and the last of the Subway's costumers were leaving. It took him some time to find the perfect five for his list.
"Hey, Max… what're you working on?" Justin asks, walking behind the counter and dropping the last serving tray on the rack. "Homework?".
"Not exactly," comes the youngest Russo wizard's reply.
Justin grins and walks over to his brother, "Ah, love letter to Janine?" he guesses as he leans over the counter to see what was written on the piece of paper.
Max's arms quickly folds over the paper and he forces himself to grin, "No. It's nothing." he says, instantly regretting his all-too-quick reply. But, instead of continuing teasing, Justin smiles fondly and ruffles his brother's hair before walking into the kitchen to finish the dishes.
"Hi!" Harper chirps as she enters the Subway.
She sits next to Max and leans her chin in her hand, "Alex said we're going to go watch Slumber Sorority Party ….part twelve tonight… where is she?" she asks and looks around.
Max swallows dryly and rests his head in his hands, hiding the reddening of his cheeks successfully. "She's grounded until she finishes her overdue Maths assignments… she's got eight to do…" he answers after a moment, his voice sounding painfully soft and squeaky. He silently thanks his brother for not commenting on his new vocal pitch.
"Aww… bummer… that's OK…. We'll just go Friday," Harper says after a moment. He can't help but smile at her optimistic nature. "So… what are you doing?".
He wonders if there wasn't somewhere a spell that could cause him to be sucked into the earth… because, right at that moment, he felt he needed it. "Um… nothing!" he says.
"Lemme see!" she says with a grin and snatches the paper from him. He still can't figure out how she had managed that trick. "Oh! A list!".
Trying to keep his dignity in tact, he tries to make a non-chalant attempt of snatching the paper from her hands, "Y-yeah… nothing important!".
She laughs and starts reading.
1. Never forget her birthday
2. Let her win when playing games – She's competitive.
3. Smile when she's around
4. Make a picnic for her on a Saturday afternoon in the park –bring brownies.
5. Make time for her
She finishes the list and quirks an eyebrow, "This is cute! Is it for your girlfriend?" Harper asks and looks over the Max.
He shakes his head and replies, "No…. I just… made it up… i-it's not special".
"Can I keep it?" she asks after a moment, smiling brilliantly.
Max nods and tries to smile, but can't help but feel his stomach dropping down to the ground.
She squeals, gives him a one-armed hug before grabbing the note and trotting out the door.
Justin walks over and puts his hand on his brother's shoulder. He knew exactly with whom Max had in mind while creating the list … and how much it hurt not to be noticed by the one person who you have fallen in love with.