Author's Note: The obligatory 'oh crap, Lulu knows' chapter. Yeah, you knew it was coming. Could this ruin SpinMax forever? I doubt it, and I'm the author so keep faith!

PS: If you aren't reading The Luckiest , which pretty much everyone in the world is, get out from under your rock! Go check it out. As well as While We're On The Subject pretty much rocks too. So go, chop chop.


It was a grey day and the sky seemed to hang low and congested. Maxie was waiting for Spinelli outside of Kelly's. Checking her watch impatiently she tapped her foot to the beat of the second hand. She only had a few minutes left before she had to be at work and Spinelli had called and asked to see her.

Suddenly she heard footsteps around the corner and the gate swinging open. And there he was finally, his lanky and somewhat awkward body rushing towards her. His beanie was slightly askew and gave him a more comical look than usual. His limbs seemed to be twitching in his rush to get there before he knew she had to leave.

"Marvelous Maxie! I'm sorry I couldn't have gotten here any earlier. I'm so elated I got here before you had to depart," Spinelli said quickly as he made his way to stand in front of her.

"So am I," Maxie said softly. "So, what did you have to tell me?"

Maxie tilted her head and considered the boy in front of her. His hair sticking out from his beanie, which was now straightened by his ever fidgeting hands. His plaid jacket was large, and she knew from personal experience smelt wonderful. His eyes were soulful and unsettling all at the same time. She still had to wonder how she had ended up here with him, it was as if the whole thing was out of her control.

Fate? No, Maxie was too levelheaded to believe in such a crock.

"I just wanted to view your lovely face before I lost you too the racks of clothing for hours upon hours upon hours. And also, tell you to have a nice day... without me," Spinelli added somewhat glumly.

Suddenly his hand was on her arm and he was tugging her slightly to the left, away from the windows of the diner. His head darted back and forth searching for any people that would be passing and then quickly pressed a soft kiss to her lips. They had never discussed going public with whatever this chemical reaction was that they had with each other. He seemed to know though that they weren't ready to be discovered quite yet, and for that Maxie was thankful.

"Okay Mr. Jackal, I really have to go to work now," Maxie said with her hands pressing against his shoulders, playfully shoving him backwards.

"Bye Maxie Mine. Stay out of trouble," he called.

Maxie couldn't help but to spin on her heel and look at him. She threw back her head and laughed a true, complete laugh. Spinelli grinned in response.

"Haven't you heard, Spin? I am trouble."


"With a capital T," Spinelli muttered to himself as he watched her tiny hips swinging away into the distance. Deciding it would be nice to get out of the cold he went into Kelly's, still completely unaware of the person who had been standing behind the gate.

Settling into his seat he looked around for Lulu, but couldn't catch a glimpse of his Fair One. Weird. She had told him that she would be working the morning shift when they had briefly conversed over the phone. Then suddenly as if conjured from the depths of his mind his friend appeared.

"Hi Spinelli!" Lulu sat down at his table, despite the fact she was already late for her shift. Spinelli gazed into Lulu's face and noticed her forced smile and her eyes seemed to be caught in some sort of inner turmoil.

"Ah, Fair One! Good day. How are you?" Spinelli folded his hands and leaned slightly over the table.

"Fine. I'm fine," Lulu said absently. "How are you?"

"The Jackal is most wonderful on this fine day."

"Uh huh. Well, okay. I've got to get to work. What can I get you? Waffles?"

"That would only make my day many more shades of glorious."

"Waffles it is," Lulu said with a slight laugh and Spinelli finally thought that all was right in his world.


"Lulu. What an unpleasant surprise," Maxie said dryly as she walked out of her shift, day finished.

"Feeling is more than mutual."

"And yet, here you are," Maxie said feigning confusion.

"I have something I need to say to you, and for once you're going to listen to me, you witch," Lulu had now firmly planted herself in front of Maxie. Giving up Maxie looked at her with amusement.

"Before the spring line comes out Lulu."

"I saw you," Lulu spit out as her face turned red.

"Okay. Well you're not blind and I haven't had enough money to invest in my invisibility cloak, so that will happen from time to time," Maxie's voice was laced with thick sarcasm.

"I saw you and Spinelli outside of Kelly's today."

Maxie's heart froze in her chest and she tried to think of something to say but found that all her words seemed to stick in her throat. Of course, she didn't let Lulu know this with her still frosty gaze, but her world had just been turned upside down and she wasn't ready.

"So what?" Maxie finally brought herself to ask.

"You don't deserve someone like him. And he certainly hasn't done anything to deserve you," Lulu said with a snort.

"Does this conversation have a point?" Maxie began to tap her foot.

"Yeah, Maxie. It does! I don't know what your little game is and I don't know how you got Spinelli wrapped around your finger. But I swear to you, I'm going to undo this. I'm going to make sure Spinelli knows exactly who you are," Lulu said and then with a toss of her hair she was gone stomping into the late afternoon.

With Lulu gone Maxie sunk down onto the steps of her work and cradled her head in her hands. Part of Maxie had wanted to yell at Lulu, to set her straight about Spinelli. What did she know about him? If she had been paying any attention she would've been with him years ago. But another part of her, the part she had been trying to silence, knew Lulu was right.

She didn't deserve someone like Spinelli and he certainly didn't deserve someone like her.


1.

"Hey Maxie Mine. Are you still coming over? By my calculations your shift is now over. Let me know."

2.

"Marvelous Maxie, where art thou? You've been done work for two hours and I have not heard from you. The Jackal is stalking his cellphone."

3.

"Maxie, come over. I most desire your company. You can rent whatever movies you please, I won't even mock you without mercy. I promise."

4.

"Maxie, answer your phone. Please?"

5.

"Okay, Maxie. The Jackal is really starting to worry about you. If you could just call me, or send me a text message, or something. I just need to know that wherever you are, you are unharmed."

6.

"Malevolent Maxie, this is getting beyond the realm of ridiculousness. Answer your phone! The Jackal is gravely concerned."

7.

"Maxie. Where are you?"


Spinelli watched his cellphone intently the whole night. With his chin resting on his hands which were flattened on the table he stared until his eyes were ablaze. He refused to leave her anymore messages, but his fingers itched to dial her number. Suddenly more and more time passed and before he knew it midnight had rolled around.

Sighing heavily, he got into bed and drifted into a fitful dream of another beautiful girl laying broken of concrete steps, a bruised and torn neck. And long into the night the cellphone he had clenched in his hand like a childhood teddy bear never rang.