Thank you for all the reviews I really enjoy hearing them! There is a big time jump from the last chapter to here, but you'll catch on. Oh and just to let you know this chapter might be a bit more factual and full of dialogue to keep the plot along at some points.
Don't own the Thundermans. AN: From now on Max will be out of character because of the plot basis.
Two years later. Cherry's POV
It's been two years since Max and I first started going out. To me, it seems so much longer than that. I just can't believe that we're in our final year of High School though! Thankfully I'm graduating, but I wouldn't have done so without Max. He tutored me for a while and made learning fun. If I got something right I'd get a kiss. If I got all the questions correct without mistakes, we'd make out. I am so going to miss those lessons.
While these thoughts wonder my head, Max walks over towards Phoebe and me.
"Hey babe." Grins Max, strutting over in what he likes to call his 'swag walk.'
"Hey handsome." I beam back, hugging him from the side. Phoebe pretends to vomit into her locker and I laugh out loud. I turn to Max to see if he's laughing to, but he's not. Just a straight face looking directly ahead at nothing in particular. Come to think of it, Max hasn't laughed at anything anyone has said who's not me in about…I'd say a year.
"Come on Max that was funny." I sigh, poking his stomach. He looks me in the eye with that cold, expressionless emotion which I hate and always tell him not to do.
"No it wasn't." He says back, his tone tiresome. I throw my head back, annoyed at how serious Max has been throughout the whole year. We kind of just glare at each other for a while.
"Come on guys, don't fight. It was just…" Phoebe begins but Max grabs her wrist with such force it looks like he could break it at any moment. Shock forms across my face, but I can't talk. I can never mess with Max.
"Never interfere with my relationships." He growls through gritted teeth, leaning into Phoebe. Her hand is going purple from the lack of blood flow. She's not even speaking. She looks as if she's suffocating. Eventually, Max lets go of her wrist, his eyes cold and heartless. Tears fall down Phoebe's cheeks. Max smirks slightly and storms off. This is when Phoebe collapses.
I first began to notice something was up with Max round about this point. That glare in his eye. His expressionless face. I knew something was happening to him. To my Max. But I didn't know what. So that's why I couldn't stop it.
I immediately rush to her side. I yell for help and other students rush over and some go to get the nurse.
"Phoebe!" I cry desperately. The nurse turns up quicker than I expected, and the Principal is with her, concern all over his face for his best student. While the nurse aids Phoebe, the Principal turns to us.
"Who did this?" He booms. I bite my lip. I don't want to get Max in trouble, but I can't let Phoebe go away without the compensation.
"What do you mean Principal? Phoebe just fainted. It's obvious that this didn't happen on purpose." I say nervously. Max is the one who gave me lying lessons so if he can't help my lye I don't know who can. The Principal glares at me and out the corner of my eye I see Max smirking in the corner. I can almost read his expression: 'That's my girlfriend!'
The nurse approaches the Principal and whispers something in his ear then turns back to Phoebe.
"This was no accident. Someone took hold of her wrist very roughly, causing no blood to flow through which lead to her fainting. Now own up. Who did this!?" Yells the Principal. Everyone looks around. I stare feebly at my feet, not daring to look at Max.
After consistent murmuring that filled the room, I feel an arm go round my waist. It's Max. He's doing his stupid 'evil' smirk.
"Thanks babe." He grins into my ear, squeezing my waist. I don't know whether to be pleased I stuck up for Max, or scared that I went against my best friend. I shake it off though. Max is my boyfriend and he comes first.
"You're welcome." I sigh back, trying not to sound too shaken up. After all, Max was just sticking up for our relationship.
This was bad. Why was I sticking up for Max when he was the bad guy here? But I was in love, and that's all that ever mattered to me at this time.
As Phoebe gets taken away to the nurse's room on a stretcher and everyone else returns to their lockers, I turn to Max, deciding to confront him.
"Max, there was no need to do that to Phoebe. Our relationship is going just fine." I mumble, slightly agitated by the bemused look Max has on his face. He's not taking my seriously.
"Cherry, no relationship is ever 'fine.' Ours is good, but I don't want that bitch getting in the way of it." Did Max just call his own sister a bitch?! I don't like this. He never used to be this horrible to her, it was just teasing. But this is getting out of hand.
"Don't call your sister that Max." I murmur, hiding my face behind my hair. I know this will make him angry. Max hates it when someone tells him what to do, especially me.
"You can't tell me what I call and can't call Phoebe, Cherry. I make my own decisions in life." Grumbles Max. I feel pretty bad now. Why should I be the one feeling bad? It's Max who did something wrong, not me. Or was it?
I even began to doubt myself! It was getting worse and worse by the minute.
I begin to turn away from him to go to my next class. I've gone completely red with embarrassment now. Max grabs my hand.
"Wait Cherry." He smiles and kisses me on the lips. I give him a broad smile in return, although I still feel some concern for what he did to his sister.
Max invites me round to his house after school. I really don't wanna go. Dread to think what Hank and Barb will have planned for his fate after what he did to Phoebe. In fact, his parents always go easy on him if I'm around. I groan out loud as soon as I realise this and lean on my locker helplessly.
"What?" Asks Max, leaning back on the locker. I sigh.
"You just want me to come round so Barb and Hank won't punish you as much." I grumble, annoyed at Max's lack of concern that I figured out his little plan.
"Orange, I don't care what they do to me. I'm gonna be a great supervillain one day, so I can take a little telling off." Ugh again with this stupid 'supervillain' stuff! What is Max going on about? It's all he ever goes on about. I don't even understand it!
"Besides, that's not what I wanted you to come round." He grins giving me a wink, leaning in closer to me. I giggle slightly, as I begin to relax again. Oo I'm interested now. I wonder what it could be.
"Fine. I'll go." I sigh, leaning on his chest happily. He takes hold of my hand and leads me out of school.
"Shouldn't we go and see if Phoebe's alright Max?" I ask quickly, pulling him back towards to nurse's office. But Max is way too strong for me, so pulls us back.
"Nope. Because this needs to be done now and now only. There won't be another opportunity for this." What on earth can this be? I'm almost excited for what Max has planned to do. Wait…ugh it better not be another one of his inventions, because if it is, I'm walking out.
When we arrive at the Thunderman's household, I take instant note of how quiet it is. Usually, Hank and Barb would be sat on the sofa watching TV, waiting for the time when they go and pick up Billy and Nora from school.
"Max, where are your parents?" I mumble, suspiciously. Max takes off my handbag from my arm and throws it on the sofa. I take this as an act of kindness. From Max's point of view of course.
"Shopping." Replies Max, taking my hand. He leads me down to his lair. I glance around, recalling the memories we had together in here. I remember the days I used to be slightly scared of his room. Boy, that was like forever ago.
Max sits me down on his bed and stands opposite me. He stands in silence for a while, taking deep breaths.
"Okay. I think it's time to tell you what I should have told you the day we started dating. Over the past year or so, I have learned to fully trust you. I'm not sure if mom and dad would approve, but Phoebe says now is time." Sighs Max. Wow, what is this? I'm really confused but Max seems really serious about telling me so I decide to listen. But then again, since when has Max listened to Phoebe lately without harming her?
I don't know what I thought he was going to say back then. I had many vague ideas, but none came even close to what it was. This was it. If I had walked away, maybe it never would have happened. Because there is one thing for sure. What Max did, was always my fault…
I stand up beside Max as he points his hand at a cardboard box on the opposite side of the room. I raise my eyebrows, about to laugh. Flicking his hand, the box flies across the room and lands in Max's hands. I scream.
What the hell is going on? Is Max a magician, a monster or worse? Scrambling towards the door, I try to escape but it slams shut in my face. Once again, I scream. I start to crawl up the slide but this time I get pulled back. It feels so strange. It's like there's this giant rope around my waist, dragging me through the air but there's no rope. Hot, scared tears fall down my face and I wail with fright.
Without warning I get pulled at full speed into someone's arms. It's Max. I've never felt more frightened in my life!
"Shhh, babe it's okay." Max coos, and I make my yells of desperation a lot quieter. He cuddles me close so I can't escape.
"What are you?!" I cry, feeling betrayed. Max leans close to my ear and whispers very quietly.
"My family are superheroes. I was born like it. My dad is Thunderman, one of the greatest ever known." Flash backs come at me at full speed. My brothers used to be obsessed with Thunderman. They had his action figures, pencil cases, posters…everything. Then one day he just disappeared and was never seen or heard of again. But I thought he was just a reality TV star. Is Max telling me that superheroes are real? And that he is the son or the almighty Thunderman.
It should have made sense. The same surname was an easy indicator, but it never occurred to me. I mean sure people have the same surnames all the time and I'd just happened to never have heard 'Thunderman' before, but come on I'm not that smart.
But this would mean…Is Phoebe one too? I'm so confused. I have so many questions.
"Max?" I ask quietly, no longer in that shaky voice I had before from crying.
"Yeah?" He replies in a calm voice. I smile slightly for the first time since Max showed me his power.
"Why did you show me this? Why now?" I ask, sighing slightly. I take hold of Max's arm that is across my chest and grip it tightly for comfort. He sighs loudly and flings his head back.
"Because Cherry…We supes, as us superheroes call ourselves, are never allowed to reveal our identity to a human…But there's one condition. This has only ever happened once in superhero history, but some guy, I can't remember his name, fell in love with a non-supe. After a lot of conditions from the superhero government, they were allowed to be together." Max says, his face grimacing. I shove his arm off and run to the end of the room.
Tears are falling down my face again. Is Max saying he loves me? Like, really truly loves me enough to get his government to accept me? But this doesn't make sense…
"Wait, you have to get permission to be in love with somebody who isn't one of your kind. What kind of bullshit government do you have?" I yell, wiping my face. Max looks taken aback by my outburst of swearing, as I very rarely do but come on, this is a lot to take in.
I was feeling neglected and alone. I didn't want to believe that Max wasn't human, well not entirely, but it was true. How could some government I'd never heard of decide your future? It just seemed so effed up to me.
"Cherry, you don't understand what our world is like. And you wouldn't. You'd have no idea! It's very different…But you see, I'm not a superhero. And I don't want to be. So who am I to need permission?" Max practically laughs. I'm so confused. Can you give up your powers or something?
"What do you mean Max?" I ask helplessly, collapsing onto his bed. I feel clueless and stupid. Slowly, Max walks up to me. His expression is serious, and it's that dark one with the cold eyes I'm beginning to grow fond of. I mean, he does look so hot when he does it.
"I mean that I'm not like them Cherry. I don't want to save the world. I want to destroy it."
I don't know what I should think. I don't know what I am thinking. What does he mean by 'destroy it?' But I do know why he's telling me this. He's telling me this so if I don't want to ever be involved in this or him ever again, I can walk right out through that door to my left, and leave.
I'm not going to though. Because I am in love with Max. And I am going to stick by him whatever it takes.
I stand up cautiously and walk towards him, careful to not fasten my pace so I don't look to 'pushy.'
"So I'm guessing this is what all the 'greatest supervillain ever' stuff was all about, and you want me to be a part of all this?" I grin cheekily, my stomach bubbling with excitement and nerves, while adrenalin pumped through my veins.
"Every second." Max replies, that glint once again in his eye. He then grabbed my back and forced me into a long kiss. It felt different. But good different. Although every part of me is telling myself that I shouldn't get myself into this. I mean, does he have more powers? What about his family? Is he leaving everything behind to do this? And am I the only one who knows about this? Max was right. I have no idea.
I now know what was different about the kiss. It was evil. It wasn't a kiss that two teenage lovers were sharing. It was like a kiss of vengeance, or force and mischief. Well that's what it was to me. To Max it was a celebration kiss towards his future. His evil future. They always were, always will be.
There never was an 'old Max' like I believed there was. The evil always pumped through his blood like the mischief genes that yearned for trouble that ran through mine. That's why I went for Max in the first place. He seemed trouble. And I loved every minute of it.
I'm not really sure about how good this was or not, but I tried to keep the plot moving so hopefully it was okay. See you next time. XD
