Wind blew around Max, blowing strands of brunette hair in front of her camera. She lowered it, deciding to watch her subject without a lens. Victoria danced to no music, becoming part of the wind as it swirled around her. Her hands caressed down her body, Max's eyes following. Victoria's blouse rose up slightly with the wind, flashing a bit of the pale skin underneath. A blush spread across Max's face, her eyes quickly darting away. She turned in time to watch Nathan toss up a baseball, just missing it with the swing of a bat. "Fuck." His shout echoed back through the valley. He picked up the ball again, choosing instead to angrily toss it towards the surrounding forest. He doesn't seem to have as much control on his anger as he did. I wonder if he's still going to therapy.
Max's attention turned back to Victoria, watching the girl carelessly twirl, a blanket blowing in the wind above her. Her eyes were drawn up to Victoria's face. It was free of the usual stress lines, completely relaxed in the quiet peace of a summer evening. Max's heart sang at the rare beauty of the blonde with her walls down.
Nathan struck another baseball into the far tree line, the metal bat ringing out at the hit. His arms fell to his side as he watched the ball crash through the leaves in the distance. He dropped the bat, exchanging it for the ever present beer by his left foot, raising it to nurse it. Eventually, or rather quickly, he became bored of staring at the trees and turned towards Victoria. "What the hell are you doing?"
Victoria immediately stopped when she heard the poison in Nathan's voice. "I was just, dancing, I guess. . ." Her voice trailed off as she took a step back. One hand dropped loosely to her side, blanket clutched in white knuckles, the other self-consciously ran through her pixie cut. Her shield was immediately put back up, stress lines returning to her beautiful face.
"You guess that's what you were doing?" Nathan scoffed. "Well, you looked fucking stupid." He sat the beer down, picking the baseball equipment back up. "You've been hanging out with Lamefield too much." He tossed a ball up, knocking it after its predecessor. The metal tang echoed back, emphasizing the silence around them. This had been the theme of the day since Max woke up to shouting on Victoria's couch.
"What the fuck are you doing, Vic!?" Nathan's shout rang through the house. Max sat up, rubbing her bleary eyes. What's going on? The smell and sound of sizzling bacon filled the house. I should probably check that out. Murmuring could be heard from the kitchen. Max couldn't hear much, but had heard her name mentioned once or twice. Silence fell through the kitchen as she rounded the corner, hand running through her hair to tame the morning mess.
Nathan had Victoria pressed up against the counter, menacingly standing over her. Victoria's hands were behind her on the counter, one clasped around a spatula. Bacon and eggs went forgotten on the stove. Victoria was the first to look over, tears building up in her eyes. Nathan's gaze followed quickly after, a death glare shot at the intruder.
"Are you making breakfast?" Max innocently cut in, trying not to set Nathan off further. Victoria stepped carefully away from Nathan, leaving him awkwardly positioned in the corner.
"Ya, I thought I might make us all something to start the day off. You know, breakfast is the most important meal of the day." Victoria's voice had none of its usual liveliness, sounding drained. "I just, guess I forgot Nathan is a vegetarian." A blush grew on her face, but not one out of embarrassment. Her shoulders slumped, her eyes dropping to the floor. Her hand hung at her side, the spatula barely in her grasp.
"I don't know how you could have forgotten." Nathan quickly spoke up, stepping closer to Victoria. She cringed away, only pissing Nathan off more. "It's not like you fuck up like this every week." Max could feel his anger rising, the tension in the room quickly building with it. He stepped closer towards Victoria, slightly raising a hand.
Max cut in quick, stepping towards the two. "Hey, it's alright. We can make some pancakes too, right, Tori?" Max cautiously reached out to her friends shoulder, squeezing it encouragingly, while also placing herself between Victoria and Nathan. He's always been quick to anger, but there's something else. I need to get Victoria alone to talk to her. Victoria relaxed slightly at the touch, her face softening.
"Smart thinking, Lamefield." Victoria gave a weak smile towards the brunette before returning to the stove. Max followed, searching through the cabinets for pancake mix and a bowl to put it in. Nathan continued to glare down Max. A shiver ran down her spine.
Despite her best attempts, Max was unable to get Victoria alone all day. After slightly resurrecting the breakfast, they left the house to spend the day walking around the small town and visiting various corner stores. Nathan followed Victoria like a shadow in all aspects. A constant scowl lived on his face, never more than two steps away from her. Max continued to find the dynamic strange. I never noticed at school how possessive he was. Then again, I never saw the two of them alone often. Only ever in class or the hallway.
Victoria sat next to Max, bringing her back to reality. The blanket was wrapped over her slumped shoulders, eyes defeated. I need to figure this out. For Victoria's sake. The blonde's knee brushed Max's, goose bumps spreading down her legs. Victoria seemingly took this as Max being cold, draping half the blanket over her shoulder. The blanket was just big enough that if they sat with their sides pressed together, it covered the both of them. Max wasn't sure, but it seemed as if Victoria was leaning in to her. She side eyed her, catching Victoria staring. Max caught her eyes, holding them for a second, when the moment was broken by the sound of shattering glass.
Victoria pulled her gaze away from the girl's entrancing blue eyes as glass exploded across the field. A heavy sigh escaped her lips. Can't he not ruin something just once? She sneaked another glance at Max, catching her staring at Victoria's hands. I don't know what's going on here. But it would help if Nathan wasn't. . . . Nathan.
As if reading her thoughts, Nathan shattered the last bottle against his bat. "We're going to go now." He turned towards the girls, boredom apparent in his voice. A slightly confused look passed over his face seeing them huddled under the blanket, but it didn't faze him long. Without waiting for a response, he stalked past, back towards the car. Victoria jumped up quickly, not wanting to make him wait. I know how he gets when he doesn't take his medications. She brushed the dirt and dried grass off her shorts before taking off after Nathan.
Max followed behind them, slowly walking through the trees. She stopped a few times to snap pictures of the landscape and wildlife. When the car came into view, Max could see Victoria and Nathan seemed to be in a heated conversation. She could hear Nathan's upset voice through the closed windows. "I don't need you telling me how to live my life! You're just like everyone else!" Victoria's eyes immediately dropped at the accusation. Nathan's hands were gripping the steering wheel, knuckles white. Victoria said something, but it wasn't audible through the car as Nathan's shouting had been. They both glanced at Max as she approached the car, the tension palpable as she got in to the car.
