Welcome, my eager friends. Welcome to the day you all have been waiting for!

MAXIE'S OFFICIAL DEBUT!

Also known as: In Which SHIT GOES DOWN.

Enjoy!


Chapter Eight: Off Come the Rose-Colored Glasses


After her hilarious but nerve-wracking encounter with Archie and the mix of embarrassment and giddiness that followed, May was pretty sure that the day couldn't get any more exciting. She had a hard time focusing on her homework, still a little shameful but also thrilled at the way her encounter with the older man had gone. That had definitely been flirting and she hadn't been the only one participating. She wasn't going to let her head get into the clouds or anything, but the interaction had left her feeling giddy and lighthearted. Naturally, the last thing she wanted to do was read about algebraic algorithms.

Nonetheless, she eventually calmed down enough to focus and actually made a good dent in her homework. By that point it was about dinnertime, so she cooked herself the classic and highly lauded traditional college food: Top Ramen. She let the soup cool as she switched over to her geology textbook, letting her brain take a rest from its least favorite subject.

At around 7:30pm she had finished reading chapter one of her "Earth Alive" textbook. She brushed her hair, reapplied makeup and deodorant, fixed her clothing to look less rumpled, and then head towards the subway. She had never opened or closed the store before and she wasn't quite sure how she was going to get in if the door was locked, but she trusted Maxie had thought ahead for that eventuality.

When she arrived, it turned out that he had. There was a bulky man wearing the same Red Sox jersey that Cassie and her group of friends had been wearing. He had black hair with the strangest cowlick in his bangs and was rather overweight, but also looked like he could pack a hefty punch. He intimidated her and she hesitated to approach the store until he noticed her.

"May Andrews?" the man asked gruffly.

She nodded warily, fidgeting a little at the man's gruff tone.

"Boss gave me a key and told me to let you in," the man replied. "My name is Tabitha."

May nodded slowly, not quite understanding. "Do…you work here?" she asked hesitantly. She had been working at the bakery for a little over two weeks now and she hadn't seen hide nor hair of this guy until now.

"Sort of," he responded vaguely. At her confused look, he went on. "Just go talk to the boss. You'll understand afterwards."

May was starting to wonder if she should be nervous, but Tabitha was already unlocking the door and ushering her inside. The bakery still smelled of bread and sweets, although it was not nearly as overpowering as when she worked there during the day. It was also drastically cooler inside than usual, probably because the ovens were off and had been off for a good few hours.

"Go to the back," Tabitha said, startling her. It shouldn't have surprised her that he followed her inside, but for some reason it made her stomach twist a little nervously. It was probably just the fact that no one else was here and the store was completely dark except for the glowing red exit sign over the door and the shadows cast by the lamplights outside.

May had to admit to herself that this situation was more than a little sketchy.

Trying to calm her nerves—because she was obviously being ridiculous, she worked here—May straightened her back and proceeded around the front counter and past the 'Staff Only' door. She walked down the hallway to where she remembered Maxie's office being and knocked on the door.

"Come in," came Maxie's calm voice, muffled by the walls.

May turned the knob and entered. Maxie was standing with his hands clasped behind his back, looking at a well-used calendar on the wall. He was wearing all red, as she had come to expect from the people who worked at the bakery. He wore a long red leather trench coat with black accents around the collar and sleeves, a blood red button-up, and red slacks. She had to admit that she was a little surprised at how the outfit actually suited him instead of cringing because of the garishness.

When the door closed he turned around and faced her.

"So good of you to come, May," he said smoothly. A quick glance at his watch morphed his face into one of approval. "And three minutes early. Splendid."

May nodded and smiled. "I do my best to be on time," she said. His apparent good mood put her a bit at ease, but at the same time, the atmosphere was making her even more nervous. She couldn't explain it, but she had a feeling something was about to happen that she may or may not like. She was leaning towards the latter.

"Yes, yes," Maxie agreed. He took a seat, motioned for her to do the same, and began to look over a few sheets of paper, his eyes scanning the pages rapidly. He looked particularly studious wearing his thick black glasses, but they complemented his face rather well. May didn't really like the nerdy look, but she could appreciate how it flattered Maxie at the very least. It seemed the man had some kind of talent for making the unattractive somehow attractive.

She sat quietly, nervousness slowly building in her abdomen as the silence dragged on. Maxie seemed to be a fast reader, as his eyes were darting back and forth quickly over the pages, but she couldn't help but wonder what was taking so long.

"Ah, yes," Maxie said at last, setting down the papers. He adjusted his glasses and looked at her. "So, May, how have you enjoyed working here?"

May wasn't sure why, but that tone gave her a feeling of dread. Was he calling her in to be fired? It was strange that he wouldn't just do it over the phone or just tell her not to come in again when she showed up for her next shift, but the nervousness returned full force. She gulped before replying, "It's been great. Cassie has been teaching me the easier recipes and I've got the cash register down-pat." She smiled a little to show her authenticity, deep down hoping he wasn't going to fire her.

"Indeed. Cassie has informed me that you are an astute learner and something of a perfectionist." He smiled a little and it didn't seem like his face was used to those muscles making that expression, so it was a little strained. "It is a quality I find endearing in my subordinates. I will be the first to say that I believe I made a good choice when hiring you. Now…"

May couldn't help but preen a little on the inside, relieved that she was not, in fact, about to lose her only source of income and more than a bit excited about his compliments.

"It says in my records that you are making eight dollars per hour. Is that correct?" he asked.

May nodded. "Yes." Something about the way he talked so formally made her feel like she was uneducated if she talked the way she normally did. It flattered her that Maxie appreciated her perfectionism when she had often been teased for it throughout middle and high school—and it hadn't always been done in a friendly, lighthearted way.

"And are your finances doing well with that pay?"

May suddenly wondered if she was about to get a raise. The way Maxie had said it seemed like she shouldn't be making enough and implying that she could be making more. Mind whirring, she quickly tried to figure out how to best respond.

Finally, she decided up, "Well, I'm surviving," she said. "But I've always been a strong believer of the maxim, 'Wealth is not his that has it, but his that enjoys it,' so…"

Maxie looked distinctly pleased by her quote. "Benjamin Franklin? How pleasant your mind is. Then again, Franklin also said, 'Money has never made man happy, nor will it, there is nothing in its nature to produce happiness. The more of it one has, the more of it one wants.'"

May realized that there was a distinct possibility that he was testing her. She thought fast and replied in kind, "However, money is what is allowing me to go to school here, and 'an investment in knowledge pays the best interest.' So I think I'm on the right track."

Maxie was now watching her with a contemplative interest in his eyes. "So, you would not be opposed to making more money, then?"

"Not at all," May replied with a grin. She could see from his expression that she had impressed him.

"Then I would like to tell you about a little side project that I have going. If you can learn discretion, then it very well may be worth your time. However, I do stress that discretion is key to this operation, do you understand?"

May nodded, but was wondering why she would need to be discreet about the side project of a bakery, of all things.

"As much as I like you, May, I cannot say that I trust you as of yet. If you are interested in participating in this side project, there is a package I need you to deliver. A…show of good faith, if you will?"

More hesitantly now, May nodded.

Maxie nodded and his reddish-brown eyes were shining with approval behind his glasses. He pulled out a small, unmarked brown package and passed it over the table to her. "Tabitha will escort you. He knows the location of our client and will be with you to assure that all goes well."

Her palms were sweaty, she noticed. Something was going on here, something bigger than her, and she wasn't sure that she liked it. Her excitement from going toe-to-toe with him intellectually and not embarrassing herself was all but forgotten. "And if I deliver the package and all goes well?"

"You will be paid $500. After that, we will discuss your salary further."

Five hundred dollars…red warning bells were going off in her head, but seriously, five hundred dollars? For delivering one stupid package? What could be in there that would be worth that much for a simple delivery?

Something was tugging insistently at the back of her mind, but May just couldn't be bothered to remember it. Five hundred dollars! Like hell she was passing that up!

"I'll do it," she replied, taking the package and carefully securing it under her arm.

"Good," Maxie said pleasantly. "Go with Tabitha. I expect you back here in less than an hour. It's not too far away and he'll be driving you."

May nodded and walked out the door to where Tabitha was waiting for her. He took one glance at the package under her arm and nodded at her. Trying to calm the uncomfortable fluttering in her stomach, she followed him out the back exit of the store and he led her over to a large white van. It looked shady as all hell and May felt the niggling reminder of something she couldn't remember in the back of her head.

She shook her head in irritation—although who or what she was irritated with was unknown to her—and followed Tabitha into the van, taking the passenger seat.

Tabitha drove calmly and smoothly, but deep down May wondered if he was censoring his driving like Shelly had. She then remembered that she was supposed to go over to Archie's after her meeting. She hoped that this didn't take too long because seeing him and possibly flirting again would be a nice touch to the end of a long but satisfying day.

Five hundred dollars!

They arrived at a cross street and Tabitha expertly parallel parked the car. They hopped out and then she followed him, package still firmly tucked under her arm, into a dimly lit alleyway.

Now alarm bells were blaring. It was something Wally said, today, she was certain. Something about her boss…

Her train of thought was halted when two greasy-looking men walked around the corner. They saw Tabitha and immediately honed in on the pair, their eyes specifically focusing on the package.

"You got it?" the tall one with a limp green mohawk asked, eyeing the package in May's arm less than discreetly.

"Three hundred," Tabitha said. He motioned subtly for May to hold out her hand. Reluctantly, she did so. More than ever, she knew this was bad, and she was starting to wonder if she hadn't asked more questions about the transaction she was supposed to participate in when she was in Maxie's office.

Three Benjamin Franklins—May laughed somewhat hysterically in her mind at the irony—were stuffed into her hand and the shorter of the two strangers held his hand out for the package. May gave it to him and he snatched it, quickly tearing it open and pulling out a small clear plastic baggie of white powder.

And then it came to her.

Isn't Maxie's Bakery run by a gang leader?

May's heart stopped beating.

This was a drug deal. She was selling drugs.

"And you're sure it's pure?" the one with a mohawk asked, taking out another baggy and inspecting it.

"Give it a try," Tabitha prodded.

May could only watch with horror as they opened the first bag, dipped their pinky fingers in the pearly white powder, and then spread the substance on their upper gums. After a few moments of substantial heart-racing suspense on May's part, they nodded at each other.

"Good," the shorter one said. "See ya 'round."

Shell-shocked, May could only follow Tabitha back to the van. She had just been involved with a drug deal. She had sold drugs. The three hundred dollars, now tightly fisted in her left hand, felt dirty to her.

And just as she could have expected, when she returned to the shop, Maxie had two more hundred dollar bills waiting for her.

Of course she was going to keep the money of her first drug deal. Of course they were going to make her keep it.

Maxie was a keen observer, it seemed. It was probably clear that she was shaken up by the ordeal, but unfortunately, her boss's stoic face gave away nothing of his thoughts. Tabitha walked in after her and at first she thought he was uninvited, but Maxie immediately turned to him and nodded, as if to say, 'go on.'

"It went well," he grunted. May wasn't so sure she agreed with that, but Maxie seemed to read more into what Tabitha was saying than she was able to—maybe it was some kind of code speak?

"Take your money," Maxie told her. She thought about saying no and possibly threaten to call the police, but then she realized that she was all alone in this city. No one—except maybe Archie—would miss her for days. Maxie, while not as big as Tabitha, was still substantially taller than her, and couple him with Tabitha…well, she definitely wouldn't make it out of here unscathed. She wanted to think that they probably wouldn't kill her, but she was suddenly realizing that a lot of what she had thought about her life in Cambridge was not as it seemed.

Trying not to show her reluctance, she stepped forward and took the rest of her money, tucking the five bills into her pocket.

"Now, how would you like to join our side project? The cut is sixty-forty and you will be making sixty percent of your earnings. Tonight was a small deal. You can make copious amounts of money if you do this right." Maxie was watching her closely and May realized that if she wanted to get out of here, she needed to be as convincing as possible without actually saying yes. She could quit her job tomorrow, once she was safe at home.

"I need to think about it," she said as coolly as she could. "I'm taking classes full-time and some of the subjects are going to be difficult for me. I could really use the extra money, and I'm definitely interested, but I need to see if it's something I can fit into my schedule on top of school and my regular hours."

"Ah, yes, your day job," Maxie said with a little smirk. "We can discuss that when you come in tomorrow. I expect your answer when you arrive, May." He looked at Tabitha, who nodded.

"Come on, girl," Tabitha said, and she tried not to seem too excited to be leaving.

Maxie called after them before she was out the door. "Oh, and May? It truly is in your best interests to accept my proposal. I don't choose just anyone to work for me."

There was a threat there, oh yes there was. May could only nod, hoping that her face wasn't green from how nauseated she felt, and then followed Tabitha to the front of the shop, where he let her out.

As soon as she was out of sight, May booked it to the subway. Wally had been right. She was fucked and this was bad. She had told Cassie her address and she was now certain that Cassie was in on this drug dealing business.

May tried not to have a full-blown panic attack on her way back home, sitting alone on the near-empty subway. She took long, calming breaths and consoled herself that she was going to get to see Archie. She felt she could tell him about the mess she had gotten herself into and…

Oh shit. Hadn't Archie basically told her not to work where she was working?

"Fuuuuuuuuuuck," May hissed to herself. The elderly lady two seats away from her looking at her disapprovingly and May was in a bad enough mood to glare right back at her.

Well, Archie would get to tell her 'I told you so' right after he helped her fix this gigantic fuck-up.

Just as she was getting off the subway, her phone rang. May looked at the caller ID and horror quickly spread across her face. It was her mother. Of all people to be calling her right now…

She couldn't very well tell her mother about her day and she decided she would have to ignore in the call in lieu of more important matters, like not becoming a delinquent. 'Yes, mom, today was my first day of class. I have a crush on my TA, which is totally not okay at Harvard, oh, and did I mention that I've been flirting with a man who's thirteen years older than me but saved my life from a bomb I found on his doorstep that I inadvertently set off? Don't worry though, everything else is fine. I just completed my first drug deal today and made five hundred dollars! No more ramen for me! Isn't that just fantastic?'

Yeah, not happening. May silenced her phone and determinedly made her way across the courtyard to Archie's front door.

If he didn't know what to do, then she was well and truly fucked.


Well, May is now officially a felon. How's that for a nice, satisfying day? A pretty long day, too...

Review time!

Drug-free cookies to all those who reviewed, including but not limited to: F. Flotsam, DragonkynNatKiasu, EnigmaUniverse, Akatsupure, 0Shadow Panther0, Almiaranger, Alex T. Wallman, mononokehime503, Guests 1, 2, and 3, j2jackson321, EndlessStorm, Felicity Dream, and Pikas.

I would like to welcome Alex T. Wallman and EndlessStorm (and all you other lurkers who just joined us) to Oral Presentation! I hope you continue to review so nicely as you have!

DragonkynNatKiasu - I am familiar with Rune Factory and I actually have Rune Factory 4. My favorite bachelors are tied between Dylas and Leon. :D Haven't gotten very far yet, though, because ORAS came out! I don't know if there are ten people in Pokemon I'd like to date, but I know for sure that my number one is Archie. Then probably Lysandre, Giovanni, Calem, Brendan, Steven, aaaand...hmm. Oh, Cyrus. And that's about it. As for the friend code, I'll send it to you in PM.

TO ALL READERS: IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN TRADING FRIEND CODES, PM ME! I'm always down for making new friends. :D

Also, TO WHOEVER ASKED IF WE WOULD BE GETTING STEVEN POV - I take back what I said previously. This next chapter has unavoidable Archie POV, and since that can of worms has been opened, there will also be randomly-placed POVs for Steven, Maxie, and maybe Wally, too. In fact, there's a chapter coming up that will not have May's POV at all, but I'm not going to spoil it for you! ;)

Almiaranger, EndlessStorm, and Pikas - It is my mission in life to make people ship pairings they never thought they'd ship. I'd consider this a job well done. ;P Thank you for helping me reach my goal my goal! Archie x May FTW!

Guest 2 - Haha! Maxie as this story's Madara? From that comment, I can only imagine that you've read my other stories, so KUDOS to you! Maxie may or may not have some Madara-like elements. I'm worried about making him OOC in that regard, since my portrayal of Madara is kinda-sorta OOC, too, and I'm trying to avoid that in this fic. I'll guess you'll just have to wait and see. :P

Guest 3 - The funniest nickname I have ever given a Pokemon was a troll I did on my little brother's Pokemon Yellow game. I went to the Safari Zone and spammed his PC boxes with a bunch of shitty Pokemon like Nidoran, Rattata, etc. and named all of them AA Airlines. I'm not sure if you're familiar with the way the GBC PC boxes functioned, but if you didn't give the Pokemon unique nicknames, you literally had to scroll through all of them just to see which one you wanted to withdraw. So he literally had like 20-30 Pokemon spammed into his PC Box all named AA Airlines. Seriously, he was SO pissed off that I did that. I'm still pretty proud of that win. I also never, ever let him borrow my games ever again...lol I was such a little shit. xD

Felicity Dream - I already PM'd you, but you still get an extra mention for being so awesome!

The award for the longest review this chapter goes to...*drum roll please* ... DRAGONKYNNATKIASU! You get a cookie cake! :D

I think the noblest goal was Lysandre. He wanted to rid the world of all its ugliness and I can totally get behind that.

Question: If you could live in any one version (NOT generation) which would you choose to live in?

You all are awesome! Please continue to lavish me with reviews and you may (probably will) get a Wednesday update!