I DON'T OWN ANYTHING BUT MY OC MAX!
It seemed that his plans of trying to help others out wasn't going to last very long, at this rate.
Once summer ended, Max felt ready to get straight to business, and to start helping people. If it was about homework, he could handle anything that was thrown at them (since his GPA was a 3.7). If it was a problem with people at school, he could go into action or simply be a set of ears to listen to them. Even if it was something as simple as being lonely at lunch, he would sit by them to provide his company.
Nothing was working, unfortunately; nobody wanted to tell him, the loner, anything (the fear of getting belittled and taunted was somehow his stigma, now), people actually moved away from him whenever he approached them, and apparently he didn't look 'smart enough' to help with anything school related. Apparently, his attitude during his junior year gave everyone the signal to leave him alone.
Today seemed to be no different. There was a girl alone at one of the tables. Thinking that maybe he could change his luck, Max walked up to the table, sat down with a smile, and introduced himself.
Or he would have, if it weren't for the girl's look of annoyance, standing up and moving away to some other corner of the lunchroom. Sighing, he resigned himself to eating alone… again. A month into school, and things were still like this. Maybe the football game tonight would be a chance to break the ice with somebody.
Or it could be like the last four weeks and everybody stays away from him. People sucked.
"Watch it, Shady Summers! Get out of my way before I make you sorry."
Speaking of people that sucked, cue Duncan Matthews, star quarterback of the football team, and a thorn in everybody's side since he came here. Honestly, his football skills and 'dreaminess' were the only things keeping him afloat in the social tower. Otherwise, he was a jerk. His victim of the day; Scott Summers.
Scott was a bit taller than him, with brown hair, tan jeans, and a blue polo shirt. Most notable, however, were his red sunglasses, which he never took off. It was a little unsettling, but hey, who was he to judge? He smashed his mirror to bits in a fit of rage, and couldn't start a conversation with anyone his age to save his life. Colored glasses weren't that out of place.
Duncan was getting ready to start throwing punches, alongside his posse, when a girl's voice could be heard. "Duncan, it's time to go to the library. Don't you remember promising me we'd have a study session today?"
Jean Grey. The 'Miss Popular' of Bayville High. Long, shimmering red hair, mesmerizing green eyes, and a figure that would have ninety-nine present of all guys drooling at the sight. Duncan was definitely one of them, and Scott as well, although he was better at hiding it than his blonde rival. The only reason he could tell was because of how his eyes seemed to gaze at her longingly. Jean and Scott were good friends, Max knew that, but nothing more, and he knew it was a sore spot to Scott. Hence the constant tension between him and Duncan.
Personally, Max was rooting for Scott. He was more dependable than Duncan, and generally nicer. He really had no idea why Jean didn't see the better option, but that wasn't any of his business.
What was his business, however, was how the two looked like they were about to start an all-out brawl. If it wasn't for Jean, they would have gone at it like alpha males fighting for the alpha female.
Duncan looked over to Jean, and let a smirk form. He wrapped an arm around her waist, and sneered at Scott. "Catch ya later, Summers. Don't forget to write." With that, he left, his hand sliding down his girlfriend's back to the point of getting catcalls from the rest of his team. Scott's hands shook furiously, and his eyes were boring holes into Duncan's back. In fact, they seemed to be… glowing?
Max had to admit, Scott definitely knew how to restrain himself. He didn't think that he would be able to hold himself back like that if someone did that to a girl he liked. Tipping the proverbial hat to the anguished Romeo, the pale teen left the cafeteria. His next class was across the school, and he needed to use every second to get there. He knew he wouldn't be able to tear his mind from the situation at lunch, but hey, what was the harm in trying?
OOOOO
Apparently, there was a lot of harm, if Max's most recent test grade was anything to go by; a fifty-four in his economics exam was telling of how distracted he was. Max couldn't get the strange glow coming from Scott's eyes out of his head. There was something decidedly off about that. Maybe he could have a chance to ask him about it later. For now, he had to get ready to go to work.
Then again… tonight was the final game before playoffs. No matter how annoying Duncan was as a person, he definitely knew how to dominate the football field. It would be interesting to see the team going above fifty points for the tenth time in a row, according to predictions everyone had for the score.
Honestly, business at Burgertopia had been getting slower as the football season went on, for the sole fact that everyone at the games devoured the food at the concession stands. In a month, after the sport season switched to soccer, there would be more people to cook for. As of now, there was barely a need for a skeleton crew to keep things running smoothly. He could probably call in this one time.
After all, all work and no play made for a very boring day, and Max was most definitely having a boring day.
OOOOO
The rabid screaming of the fans was something to get used to. Between hooping, wolf whistles, and the general yelling and cheering, it was a wonder that anyone had functioning ears. Everyone was so hyped that they didn't even move away from Max when he took his spot at the bottom of the stands. Even though nobody was talking to him, he could at least pretend to fit in with the rest of Bayville High.
Speaking of Bayville, Duncan just ran the ball for a touchdown, pushing the Hawks over the forty-point wall. The third quarter wasn't even over yet; Max could easily see a score going beyond sixty, maybe even seventy!
His excitement was cut short, however, as he noticed Duncan looking back into the stands, a smug look on his face. Following his gaze, Max saw a gray hand pulling a wallet from someone's back pocket. Narrowing his eyes, he started to move behind the stands. He had to get to whomever was back there before Duncan and his goons did.
OOOOO
Todd Tolanski was having another successful night of liberating the weight held in every wallet. The suckers wouldn't see it coming.
'Hehe.Finders keepers, loser's weepers.' Todd thought with a gleeful smile adorning his face. He had almost eight hundred dollars from tonight alone, far and beyond what he needed to last him through next week. Once the playoffs started, he would be raking in thousands. 'So much cash, so little time.Who's next?'
A tap on his leg brought him out of his reverie, and he froze. He turned his head behind him in a robotic manner, looking akin to a deer caught in the headlights. In front of him (and below, from Todd's perspective) was a moderately build guy. He was fairly pale, with short, black hair and darker blue eyes, which were narrowed in annoyance. He was looking between him and the wad of twenties in his hand expectantly.
"I think you should put those back where they came from." The pale teen said with a steel filling his tone.
His 'suggestion' brooked no arguments from Todd, and he hurriedly nodded. "Y-yeah, yeah. I can do that, no problem." Slowly, he put all the cash he grabbed into the purses and wallets that they came from.
Before he could return the borrowed merchandise, he heard a 'hey, I got this under control!', and a hand latched onto his shoulder, yanking him down to the ground.
"Well, well. Lookie what we have here. Toadie Tolanski picking up a little spare change."
Crap. It was Duncan and two others, who were holding down the other guy, albeit with difficulty. For someone who wasn't an athlete, he sure could put up a fight. Todd, however, was way to scrawny to put up a fight, and he started backing up. "Uh, h-hi Duncan. Look, I can explain— "
"Shut it, frog-boy!" Duncan grabbed the skinny teen by the front of his shirt and pinned him to the pillars, knocking the breath out of him. His eyes widened in fear, and he started shaking when someone yelled "smash him, Dunc!"
"Let's not, Dunc." A new voice said. Everyone, including Duncan, stopped and stared at the newcomer. "The money's still there, and he was just about to return it all. Let him finish up, and you can go back to proving your superiority to everyone in the game."
Todd, ever the pragmatist, was quick to agree. "Yeah, I like that plan— "
Bayville's star quarterback, however, was fed up with Scott's 'superior attitude.' "What's it to you, Summers? You like this idiot or something?"
Scott crossed his arms, frowning. "Not really, but I'm not a fan of three on two, especially when any one of you weigh more than the two people you're struggling with combined. Why don't we settle this peacefully?" Max smirked, until his assailants tightened their grip on him. It wasn't breaking anything yet, but it was definitely uncomfortable.
"I think me and my friends are going to crush the slime-ball and Casper over here, so you and your sunglasses-at-night can bail." Duncan tossed Todd to the ground, and was getting ready to plant a nasty kick in his face, when Scott grabbed him from behind.
"I said leave him alone!" Scott threw Duncan behind him, knocking the two that were holding Max down in the process. Getting up with a small grunt of effort, he helped Tolanski to his feet–who bolted as soon as he could, mind you-and made his way to Scott.
"Thanks for the save, Scott." Max said with a grin. He meant it, too; if he hadn't shown up, there was no way he would have been able to hold off the star quarterback and the two biggest linemen on the team.
Scott rose an eyebrow. "You're welcome, but how to you know my name?"
Max chuckled. "You're Jean Grey's friend, archenemy of the 'master passer'. I'd be surprised if someone didn't know your name." Scott had to concede that point. His issue with Duncan was certainly public knowledge by now.
In a show of camaraderie and comedy, the pale teen bowed and extended his hand. "I'm Max, by the way. The quiet, avoid-at-all-times weirdo. Pleasure to make your acquaintance."
Despite the situation at hand, Scott had to admit this guy knew how to lighten the mood. That line of thought was short lived, however, as the three football players slowly got to their feet. Duncan looked beyond pissed, more like a raging bull than a person.
"You two, take Casper. Summer's is mine!" With that, the three-on-two match resumed, but things were decidedly more even this time around.
Scott and Duncan were always close to even. Scott was more calm and controlled, and could do combos relatively well; landing a left jab, followed by a right cross and knee to the stomach, was a testament to his skills. The freight train of a right hook he received in returned, however, was a testament to how much more power Duncan held.
Max, however, was having a little harder of a time. While the two dunderheads didn't have much besides their sizes, they were able to use it to separate Max from Scott. 'Casper' was cornered, and while he had some definite power to his hits, he could only focus on one at a time, leaving himself open to the other. Every hit he gave was returned with interest, courtesy of a meaty fist. After two minutes of this dance, Max was ready to change the tempo.
Fortunately, he got a chance to do just that. Unfortunately, the source of that chance was a feminine scream of "Scott, no!"
'What's Jean-?' His train of thought was interrupted with a whirr!, and a second later something exploded behind him. Something lodged itself into Max's back, and he felt multiple cracks. His pained scream outlasted the explosion, and when he finally quieted, his vision turned into a tunnel.
As darkness was overtaking him, he noticed someone huddled in a corner, with his head buried in his legs.
'Scott', Max thought. Summoning what remained of his rapidly diminishing strength, he inched his way to the terrified teen. Just before his hand reached the terrified teen, his weariness became too much, and his eyes were closing against his wishes.
'Dammit!' the lonely teen anguished. 'Come on, useless body! Not now!…not…...now….'
OOOOO
*Gasp!* Is our protagonist gone already? How are Max's actions going to change things this early on in the epic tale?Well, you just gotta wait a few weeks ;)
As for updates, in case any of you were wondering; School is picking up like crazy! There's maybe an hour a day for me to write, and I always spent forty minutes changing what I already have done, because this chapter will determine everythingthat happens after.
The first three chapters were easier because I had them plotted out already, but trying to integrate a new character in an established universe without changing existing characters drastically was a HUGE challenge!I'll probably have chapters posted every two weeks at the earliest, now, but I'm not giving up!
Goodnight, friends and fans! Sweet dreams :D