Hate is a strong word
But I really, really, really don't like you
Hate is a strong word
But I really, really, really don't like you
I really don't like you
Plain White T's – Hate (I really don't Like You)
Edited
The next morning, Maxi woke up already in a bad mood. She hadn't gotten much sleep, thanks to her sleep being filled with bad dreams. When she went to roll out of bed, she miscalculated the distance and ended up on her face on the floor. She picked herself up, sitting against the bed. Why did she feel like today just wasn't going to be a good day?
She forced herself up, going to the bathroom and taking a shower. Towards the end, it suddenly turned ice-cold, shocking her and nearly causing her to fall. She quickly got out, wrapping up in a towel and trying to heat herself back up. She blow dried her hair, curled it, and put half of it up in a crown braid. She did her makeup, hoping that at least she could make herself look good. She then walked into her closet, going straight for her favorite tunic. As she pulled it out, she noticed a stain on the front of it.
She threw it across the room, hanger and all, before walking over to a simple blue dress. She pulled that on, found some matching Aztec leggings, and a black cardigan. She then wrapped a belt around the cardigan and dress, and put on some ankle socks. She then looked through her boots, pulling on a pair of knee-high leather boots. She proceeded to go through her book bag, making sure her homework was there, and then her purse.
She checked her phone, and when she found she still didn't have any text, threw it into her purse. Maybe she had read Stiles wrong. Maybe he just wanted to be friends. As Maxi walked down the stairs, she resigned to being just Stiles' friend, the best damn girl friend he'd probably ever had.
When she walked into the kitchen, she found her dad and Gabi sitting and eating. "Where's Renny?"
"Renny left twenty minutes ago sweetheart. Said he had some research to do at the library. Did he not tell you last night?"
She dropped her bags, sitting down and placing her head on the table. "No, he didn't mention it."
"Everything alright? You're hand bothering you?"
"Its fine, I'm fine, just not having a good morning."
"Do you need me to drive you?"
'No, I'll just call Danny," she said, grabbing her purse and pulling her phone out.
She called Danny, who said he would be there in a few to get her since he needed to go get gas. She told her family bye, going to get her black pea coat out of the closet and walking out to meet Danny.
When he pulled up, he leaned over and opened the door for her. She threw her book bag in the back with his and buckled up.
"Good morning sunshine," Danny said. "How was the date?"
She looked over at Danny, an almost glare on her face. "That good?"
"That's just it," Maxi said, sitting up straighter, and running her hands through her hair. "I thought it went really well. We were flirting, we had a moment while we were bowling, and I had a lot of fun."
They pulled into the gas station, and got out of the car. "You can tell me the rest afterwards. Are you going inside?"
"Yeah, I didn't eat at home and I'm thinking that some food and coffee might just put me in a better mood."
"Can you get me some gum please?"
"Of course! Anything specific?"
"Just the usual, thanks Max."
She grabbed her purse off the floorboard and made her way into the store. She went and got her sandwich and coffee, then was standing there looking for Danny's usual gum. As she was looking, she heard someone walk up beside her, and stop.
"I love your boots."
"Thank you," Maxi said, grabbing the gum and turning to the lady. Maxi nearly dropped everything in her hands. She knew this was going to be a bad day. "Kate?"
"Little Maxine! Look who's all grown up. Well, age wise at least. Guess that explains the gorgeous boots, huh?"
Maxi didn't know what to say. She hadn't seen Kate since right before the fire, when she had accidently spotted Derek and her together.
"What the hell are you doing here," Maxi nearly spit out.
If Kate was taken aback by the tone in Maxi's voice, she didn't show it.
"My, someone got feisty over the last six years."
"Why are you here?"
"Oh, I just needed to get something's," she said, holding up a bottle of juice.
"I don't mean in this store, and I'm pretty sure you know it. Why are you back in Beacon Hills?"
"My, my, my. Someone really has grown up. I remember an itty bitty girl that could barely look at me, yet alone speak to me. Where did she go? I liked her!"
"She grew up, that's what happened to her. Quit playing games, why are you here? You better not even think about going near Derek."
"Hm, how is Derek? It's been a while since I've seen him. I bet he's all grown up too, in all the right places. You still got that huge crush on him lady bug?"
Hearing Kate use Laura's nickname for her caused her to see red. She took two steps, placing her right in Kate's space. She brought her hand up, poking Kate in the chest.
"I'm not scared of you anymore. You stay away from me, you stay the hell away from Derek. Stay away from all of us. Just leave Beacon Hills. No one wants you here."
Kate laughed, not the least bit intimidated. "Maxine, you sure have changed. You're mommy finally teach you to stand up for yourself?"
At that, Maxi's jaw dropped, and tears filled her eyes. "You were never anything more than a cold hearted bitch Kate. Derek was better off without you, and he knows that now. So don't think you can come crawling back to him, because he doesn't want you."
With that, Maxi turned on her heel and walked to the register. She placed her stuff on the counter, trying to muster a smile for the elderly gentleman behind the counter. She paid for their things and made her way outside.
When she reached the car, she saw Danny talking to Kate who was at her vehicle in the next stall.
"Danny, let's go!"
"Yeah, give me just a minute."
"Can we please just go," she said, getting into the car.
She waited a moment, and then Danny got in. As soon as he was seated, Maxi tossed him his gum.
"Okay, where did bitchy Maxi come from? It's been a while since she's been out to play."
"That lady at the pump next to us? That's Kate, Derek's ex from before the fire."
"Oh. What's she doing back in town?"
"I don't know, she wouldn't say. She was too busy insulting me and my mother to get around to it."
As Maxi said this, they pulled into the school parking lot.
She got out, grabbing her stuff and making sure her coffee was in her hand. Danny came around, giving her a look.
"Please, can we just drop it? It's just another shitty thing to add to this shitty morning I seem to be having. Let's just get to your locker, alright?"
Danny shook his head, taking his best friends hand into his own and giving it a small squeeze. She gave one back and they made their way inside.
~Anchor~
Once they made their way inside, they went straight to Danny's locker. He swapped out his books and gear, then turned to Maxi. "Your locker next?"
She shook her head, turning to go towards her locker. Maxi zoned out, not really paying attention. She couldn't believe that Kate was back in town. She couldn't believe that she had to run into her first thing this morning.
She brought her coffee up, taking a drink, thankful that it had cooled off. Suddenly, she was running into someone and her coffee lid was flying off and there was coffee all over her. She let out a shriek, and fell backwards. She landed on her butt, coffee cup rolling down the hall. Looking down, she saw that her cardigan and dress were covered in coffee.
Looking up, she saw Danny beside her, and a blonde girl standing in front of her. All the anger Maxi had been feeling this morning, towards Kate, towards Stiles, and even towards her brother for leaving her came boiling to the surface. She stood up, stepping towards the girl.
"What the hell is wrong with you? Don't you watch where you're going? My dress is ruined! Why" and before she could say anything else to the girl, Danny was grabbing her arm and yanking her down the hall.
As she was almost running to keep up with him, she noticed that she had drawn a crowd. And one of those people watching, jaw dropped in shock, was Stiles. Maxi quickly looked away, and just followed Danny to where ever he was taking her.
He dragged her into an empty classroom and pulled the door shut behind them. He let go of her once they were in the room. When Maxi finally looked at him, his face was a mixture of shock and disappointment.
"What the hell was that? Do you know who that girl was?"
Maxi dropped her bags, sitting down on top of a desk. "Not really?"
"That girl, was Erica Reyes. She suffers from seizures. Bad ones. They strike at any time, but stress is a big cause of them."
Maxi looked down at her hands, feeling bad.
"I didn't mean to snap at her, you know that. That's not me. It's just this morning has been horrible and there's nothing I can do about any of it. What happened just kind of brought it all rushing to the top and before I knew it, I snapped!"
"I don't understand what has you so upset. Before you ran into Kate even you were in a bad mood. What happened last night?"
She released a sigh, "When Stiles took me home last night, I went in for a hug. We've hugged before, I didn't think it would be that big of a deal. When I went in for the hug, he went in for a handshake!"
Danny cringed. "Really? Stiles Stilinski? Did you punch him?"
"What? No, of course not."
"I was just wondering what was up with the taped fingers."
"Oh, air hockey incident."
"What happened next?"
Maxi rolled her eyes, "After talking to my brother, I decided to test the water a little bit. I text him, telling him I had a really good time and said we should do it again sometime without the crowd."
"Okay, still not seeing the problem. He's a super awkward kid. He probably just got scared. What did he say after you sent that?"
"Nothing."
"Nothing?"
"Nothing. He didn't even bother with a reply."
Danny watched Maxi for a minute, seeing that this had really hurt her. He walked over to her, pulling her off the table and into a hug. "If Stilinski doesn't see what a great girl you are, that's his loss. He'd be stupid not to want you. But he sure hasn't seemed like he's not interested."
Maxi hugged him back, "Thanks Danny. I can always count on you."
Danny then pushed her back away, "That's right. Unfortunately, I don't have anything for you to change into today."
Maxi looked down at her now ruined outfit. So much for a nice outfit making her feel better. "It's ok, I deserve it. I'm going to have to find Erica and apologize. It wasn't her fault, I wasn't paying attention."
Danny shook his head in agreement, then made his way to the door. When he opened it, he stepped out, a smile on his face. "You're here for Maxi I take it?"
Maxi tried to see who he was talking too, but couldn't. Danny stepped out of the way, and gestured for the person to enter. Then there was Stiles, walking through the door with a lacrosse hoodie in one hand and her slightly crushed coffee cup in the other.
"Hey, I saw what happened. You alright?"
"I'm going to take off, I'll see you at lunch okay?"
"Yeah, thanks Danny."
"Remember what I said and don't jump to conclusions. Take it easy on the rest of the world today, okay?"
She shook her head and they both watched Danny walk off. "You saw all of that, huh?"
Stiles looked at her, "Yeah, it was pretty brutal. I've never seen you snap at anyone but Jackson. I was pretty surprised."
Maxi looked down, shame on her face. "I was really mean to her and I shouldn't have been. I've just had a really bad morning and took it out on her since I can't take it out on anyone else."
Stiles stepped closer, but kept some space between them. "Take it out on me, I can take a couple of punches to the chest."
Maxi smiled, "I appreciate that, but it's not going to help. I need to just go find Erica, apologize, and wear my shame all day."
"Speaking of, I know it's not the most stylish thing ever, but I brought you my lacrosse hoodie. It should cover the stain, possibly most of the dress. Doesn't really match the outfit, but it's better than nothing right," he said, holding it out to her.
"Thanks. I really appreciate it," she said, taking it and setting it on the table beside her. She then took off her belt and cardigan and pulled the hoodie on over her head. She did a little spin, "How does it look?"
Stiles laughed, "Perfect," he said, staring at her for a moment. He shook himself out of it when he heard her speak.
"Is that my coffee cup?"
"Yeah, I snuck into the teachers' lounge and refilled it. Figured it might not be horrible."
She brought the cup to her lips, taking a tentative sip. "It's actually really good."
"I added some sugar to it, and a thing of creamer. Figured it couldn't hurt."
Maxi looked at him for a second. "You didn't have to go to the trouble."
He shrugged, playing it off. "Let's get you to your locker before the ball rings."
She followed Stiles out of the classroom, carrying her wet cardigan with her. They reached her locker and he stood beside it while she sorted stuff out.
"How's your hand?"
She held it up, examining the blue tape holding her two fingers together. They were extremely bruised, and swollen. She should have iced them again.
"Fine. They don't hurt yet, that's a plus, right?"
"Definitely a plus, no pain always a plus!"
As she was shutting her locker, she saw the Erica girl walking down the hall after passing them. "Will you wait for me," she asked Stiles, handing him her coffee.
He shook his head, "Of course," and then she was off down the hall.
"Erica! Erica wait, please?"
The girl froze. She had seen Maxi at her locker with Stiles Stilinski. She really didn't want to deal with this, especially in front of him. Stiles was blinded by his adoration for the popular girl and Maxi hadn't exactly been nice to her this morning. Then when she saw her wearing Stiles' hoodie, it just hurt even more. She'd never get noticed over someone like her. Maxi was everything she hated, yet everything she wanted but couldn't be.
Erica slowly turned as Maxi neared her, she could see Stiles standing at her locker, waiting for the girl. "Erica, hi. I just wanted to apologize for this morning. It wasn't your fault at all, I wasn't looking where I was going. I have had the worst morning, and I shouldn't have taken it out on you."
When Erica didn't say anything, Maxi started to fidget. "I'm really sorry, is there anything I can do to make it up to you?"
"Like what?"
Maxi was taken back, she hadn't expected that. "Well, I don't know. Is there something you would like for me to do?"
"What do you think would make up for the most popular girl in school embarrassing me in front of everyone? What is going to wipe that from their memory?"
Maxi's eyes widen, surprised at the malice in the quiet girls voice. She hadn't raised the volume or changed her facial expression, but by the tone it was plain to see that this girl did not like Maxi.
"I'm sorry, did I do something to you before this morning?"
"No, of course not. You've probably never noticed me before this morning. Did you even know my name?"
"Well, honestly, no. But I'm sure there are tons of people in this school that I couldn't name. It's nothing personal."
"Of course it's not. We're just the lowly peasants that walk beneath you. Why would it be personal, to you at least?"
Maxi swallowed deeply, uncomfortable with the way this conversation was going. She had never been mean to anyone, but maybe ignoring was just as bad. She looked over her shoulder at Stiles, seeing that he was still waiting for her, watching them. She then turned back to Erica, "Look. I just wanted to tell you I was sorry. I shouldn't have taken my bad day out on you. If other people are being mean to you, I'm sorry for that too. It's not fair. But please, don't take the bad treatment from everyone else out on me, when I'm probably the only one that has ever apologized."
Suddenly, she felt a hand on her lower back. The chills that ran through her told her it was Stiles. "Everything okay here ladies," he said, looking first at Erica, then quickly back to Maxi. He locked his eyes on her, checking to make sure she was alright.
Erica watched as the two locked eyes, and felt her anger burn. "We're fine and we're done. Apology accepted. Forget about it."
Maxi looked away from Stiles, confusion over his behavior running rampant through her. "Erica, I really meant it. I'm sorry."
Erica just shook her head and walked away.
"That didn't seem to go so well," Stiles said, hand still on her back as he directed her towards their class.
Maxi walked along with him, and she couldn't help but start to wonder if maybe Danny was right. She was incredibly tempted to ask him about the text, but if he wasn't going to mention it, neither was she.
~Anchor~
Maxi made her way through the day, careful not to snap at anybody else. She didn't need another episode like this morning. What this led to, was a quieter than usual Maxi. She was sitting in class, when she needed a break. She raised her hand, asking for a bathroom pass.
She walked out of the class, and as she turned the corner, she saw Derek and Jackson talking. Jackson looked pissed off and Derek just looked bored. Maybe a little sick. She watched as Jackson got in Derek's face and she could see that Derek was getting aggravated. As Derek went to walk away, Jackson grabbed him. Derek spun around pinning Jackson to the locker. Maxi gasped, which caused Derek to turn and look at her. He quickly let go of Jackson and walked away towards her.
Maxi watched as Derek shoved his hands in his pockets and went to walk past her. He was crazy if he thought she was just going to let him walk by her after what had just happened.
"Derek," she yelled, walking after him. "Derek, stop!"
Derek paused in the hallway, turning and waiting for her to catch up. "Shouldn't you be in class?"
"Shouldn't you not be in a high school assaulting students? What the hell was that?"
"Don't worry about it Maxi. It's none of your business."
"You're at my school, slamming my best friend's boyfriend into his locker, and looking like death. I'm making it my business. What is going on Derek?"
He turned on her, a harsh look on his face. "I said it's none of your business. Now, get away from me and go back to class."
Before Maxi could say anything else, he walked away from her and around a corner. She stood there, in shock at the way he had just spoke to her. She decided her break had lasted long enough and returned to class, ready for this day to be over.
There was one last class for the day and the girls were walking down the hall together. Maxi was only half listening as Lydia and Allison talked about Scott coming over that night.
"Right Maxi," Lydia asked, nudging her with her elbow.
"Huh? Yeah, right."
"What did I just say?"
Maxi paused, "I have no idea. Sorry. What are we talking about?"
"Scott is coming over to study, and Lydia says I should be prepared to have sex."
"Lydia! They've only had one date. Allison, don't feel like you have to do anything. Though, I wouldn't be surprised if you guys at least made out. It's bound to happen."
"Just give him a little taste, don't be a prude."
"Jesus Lydia! Allison, don't listen to her."
"Well, how much is a little taste?"
"You really like him, don't you," Lydia asked her.
"Well, he's just different," she started to explain. "Maxi, remember how I told you my plan when I first moved here?"
"Yep. No boyfriends till college, because you moved too much. I'm suspecting there's a but involved now."
"But then I met him, and he was different. I don't know. Can't explain it."
"I can," Lydia said, "It's your brain flooding with phenylethylamine."
Both girls stopped and looked at her. "What," Allison asked.
"Here's what you are going to do," Lydia said. And with that, Maxi zoned them out again.
As they reached their class, Lydia made her way inside. As Maxi went to follow her, Allison grabbed her arm and held her back.
"Hey, what's up?"
"I just wanted to know if you wanted to come over for dinner tonight, after Scott leaves. My Aunt is in town and I really want you to meet her. She's more like my older sister then my aunt really. What do you say?"
"I don't know Allison, I have had a really bad day. I'm not sure if I am the best company."
"Come on, please? It'll be a lot of fun. We can watch a movie and hang out afterwards, just the two of us. You can spill the latest on Stilinski and you. Please? Pretty Please," she begged, giving Maxi a puppy face.
Maxi laughed, shoving her friend into the classroom gently, "Fine, fine. I'll have my Dad bring me over. What time?"
"7:00 should be fine. That will give Scott and me about 3 hours to study."
"Study? Please. I bet you guys barely study once your mouths touch," Maxi said, smiling as they sat down and Allison slapped her arm.
~Anchor~
Class was finally over, which meant Maxi could go home and try to change her mood. She met her brother at the truck, throwing him a look.
"Why do I get the feeling that you're mad at me?"
"Do you have any idea what kind of day I have had?"
"Umm, I'm going to take a wild guess and assume it was a bad one. What do I win?"
"Very funny. You could have told me last night that I needed to find a ride to school this morning."
"Shit, sorry Max. I completely forgot. We were talking about your hand and the kid and it just slipped my mind. Seems like you got here fine though."
"Yeah, cause I called Danny. Which in turn led to me going to get gas with Danny. Which led to me running into someone I never thought I would see again." Suddenly, Renny slammed on his horn. "What is with this traffic? It's a school parking lot for Christ sakes."
Maxi tried to look around to see what was going on, but she just saw a long line of cars.
"It looks like it's your buddy that's holding up the line."
"Stiles?"
"His jeep looks to be at the front."
"What the hell?" Cars behind them started to honk too, and Maxi could see Allison and Jackson getting out of their cars. As Maxi started to get out and walk towards the front, she watched as Stiles sped off, with someone in the passenger seat.
Maxi waited for Allison, walking up to her after she was done talking. "What was that about?"
"I don't know. Stiles was giving Derek a ride somewhere. You know anything about that?"
Maxi shook her head, "No, I have no idea why they would be hanging out. See you tonight?"
"Yeah, I gotta go, meeting Scott."
Maxi shot her a wink and made her way back to the truck.
"What was that about?"
"I'm not sure. Something is going on with Derek though. He was at the school earlier today, fighting with Jackson and just now he was getting a ride with Stiles."
"Weird," he said, finally pulling out of the parking lot.
"Yeah, strange," she said, looking out the window.
"So what are you doing tonight?"
"I'm going to dinner at Allison's house at 7, her aunt is in town and she wants me to meet her. But till then I think I'm just going to nap or something. After I take a shower," she said, pulling at the large lacrosse hoodie.
"Yeah I was going to ask about that."
"I ran into someone this morning and spilled coffee all over myself."
"That was you?"
"You heard about it?"
"Just that someone ran into the seizure girl and let her have it."
Maxi sighed, feeling horrible all over again. Maybe she'd bake some cookies and take them to Erica. No, that would be too much. She'd just leave it alone. She had made it pretty clear she didn't want anything from her.
"Yeah, that was me. I apologized but she didn't seem to want to hear what I had to say."
"From what I've heard, she hasn't had the easiest time. Cut her some slack."
Maxi shook her head, wanting to just forget this day had ever happened. When they pulled into the garage, Maxi was quick to get out and head upstairs. She quickly stripped out of her coffee stained clothes and pulled on her robe. She then went and threw her clothes and Stiles' hoodie into the wash.
Once that was done, she made her way into her parent's room, and went to their bathroom. She grabbed some of the bath salts her mother always used to use, and started a hot bath in their Jacuzzi tub. She then went to her room and grabbed her iPod. She knocked on Renny's door, letting him know where she would be, asking him to throw her clothes in the dryer soon. He threw her his tape, telling her to make sure and rewrap after the bath, and she then locked herself in the bathroom.
She turned a soft jazz playlist on and immersed herself in the hot bubbly water. She breathed the scent of eucalyptus and spearmint in deep, letting the scent wrap around her and remind her of easier times.
It was days like today, that really made her miss her mom. She no longer had that person that she could come home to and just vent. Sure Dad and Renny would listen to her, but they wouldn't understand like her mom would have. The low blow from Kate this morning had just reminded her of how much she'd lost.
Not wanting to think about it, Maxi dunked her head under the water, holding her breath. She stayed under as long as she could, before coming back up and gasping for breath. She leaned back against the back of the tub, and just laid there till the water started to grow cold.
When she crawled out, she lathered up with her mother's lotion, something that hadn't ran out yet, and that Maxi would willingly continue to replace for the rest of her life. Once that was done, she wrapped up in her towel, wrapped her fingers, and made her way back to her room. She pulled on some matching undergarments and her robe and then went to check the laundry. Renny had thrown her clothes in. She grabbed them out of the dryer and made her way back upstairs. It was only a little after 4. Maxi put her clothes away, pulled Stiles' hoodie over her head and pulled on a pair of shorts. She then climbed into bed, set an alarm for 6:30 and quickly fell asleep.
~Anchor~
Maxi woke up to her alarm. She rolled out of bed, feeling much better than when she had fell asleep. She walked into her closet, grabbed a pair of socks and pulled them on first. She then grabbed a pair of dark wash skinny jeans and pulled them up.
She always got nervous when meeting new adults for the first time, she wanted to make a good impression. No, this wasn't Allison's parents, but it was still an adult, and obviously someone that she looked up too. She looked through her blouses, finding a cute water color silk top. She then paired it with a black blazer with ¾ sleeves. She ran the straightener over her hair, then did some soft makeup. She pulled on a pair of red buckled booties and some jewelry.
She looked herself over in the mirror, deeming her presentable to adults. She grabbed her purse and phone and made her way downstairs. She found her Dad and Renny in the living room, watching something about cars.
"Where are you headed off too," Hank asked, pausing the show.
"Allison invited me over for dinner tonight, to meet her aunt. Would you mind dropping me off?"
Before Hank could say yes, Renny got up. "I got it. I'm headed out anyway. You got all your stuff?"
"Shoot. Is it okay if I stay the night Dad?"
"Of course."
Maxi ran back upstairs, throwing some pajamas and clothes for tomorrow in a bag. She then ran back downstairs to find Renny still waiting. "Ready?"
He shook his head, and they left the house. The drive way quiet, until Renny spoke up.
"Call me if you need anything okay?"
"Thanks, I appreciate you driving me."
"Anytime. You feeling better?"
She shook her head, "Yes, much. Bath and a nap, solves everything."
"Especially when you come out smelling like mom, right?"
Maxi looked at her brother, "Especially. It's almost like she's here."
"I know you think I don't like to talk about her, but its okay. We can. I miss her too." Renny pulled into the driveway, putting the car into park. "I just don't want to make you feel like you have to be quiet about her around me."
Maxi turned her body so she was facing Renny. "I'd really like that. Sometimes I feel like I'm going to forget her. Do you ever feel like that?"
"I have moments, where I wake up in the morning, and I forget that she's gone. I'm more afraid of forgetting she's gone, then forgetting her."
Maxi shook her head, knowing exactly what he meant. "Thank you Renny."
"No problem midge," he said, smiling at the use of the name he had used when they were little. It had been a long time since he'd used it, but it seemed like a fitting time. Maxi leaned over the center console, pulling her brother in for a hug.
"I love you Renny."
"I love you too Maxi. Have fun tonight, go make your great impression on the Aunt. Call me if you need a ride home."
"Night!" Maxi jumped out of the car and made her way to the front porch.
She straightened her blazer, fixed her hair, and finally rang the doorbell. She could hear someone telling her to hold on, and knew it wasn't Mr. or Mrs. Argent. A moment later, the door flung open and standing before her, was Kate.
"Maxine? Your Maxi that Allison can't stop talking about?"
"And you're the aunt she wanted me to meet so badly."
Kate stepped back, motioning for Maxi to come inside. Maxi stood there, not sure what to do. She really didn't want to spend an evening with this lady, but how could she explain showing up and immediately leaving. The answer was, she couldn't. She walked into the house, stopping in the entryway.
"Kate Argent. That would have been nice to know a few hours ago."
"I bet. Come on, we're all in the dining room. You almost missed the show."
She placed her bags by the bottom of the stairs. Maxi was confused by her statement, until she walked into the dining room and found Scott seated beside Allison. She shot Scott a confused look, then turned to Allison. The poor girl looked mortified.
"Maxi, you can take the seat beside me," Kate said sitting across from Allison.
"Thank you," she said, pulling her chair out and sitting down. "Good evening Mr. and Mrs. Argent. It's nice to see you again."
They both greeted Maxi, "You look very nice this evening."
"Thank you. I love your necklace by the way."
Mrs. Argent placed her hand on the necklace, "Thank you dear. Allison got it for me for my birthday a few years back."
Food was served and everyone started eating.
"Would either of you like something to drink besides water? Scott? Maxi?"
Maxi quickly replied, "No, thank you." It took Scott a moment, but he soon gave the same reply.
"What about a beer?"
Both the kids turned to look at Mr. Argent.
Scott was quick to answer, "No, thanks."
Mr. Argent then passed his gaze over to Maxi. "No thank you sir. I'm not much of a beer drinker. I prefer Pepsi."
"What about tequila? Can I get you a shot?"
"Dad. Really?"
Mr. Argent gave her a shrug, then turned back to Scott. "You don't drink Scott?"
"I'm not old enough to."
"That doesn't seem to stop many teenagers," Mrs. Argent said.
"No, but it should."
"Good answer," Kate said, causing everyone to look at her. "Total lie, but well played, Scott. You may yet survive the night."
Everyone went back to their food, but the quietness was quickly disturbed by another question from Mr. Argent.
"You ever smoke pot?"
Scott nearly spit out his water he was so surprised. Maxi let out a small laugh, locking eyes with Allison.
"It's not funny," she mouthed, "Don't laugh."
"Sorry," she said back, going back to her food.
"Okay, changing the channel to something a little less conservative," Kate intervened, "Allison tells us you're on the lacrosse team. I don't know anything about that. How do you play?"
"Um, well, you know hockey? It's a lot like that, only, um, played on grass instead of ice."
"Hockey on grass… Is field hockey."
Maxi let out a laugh, causing the table to look at her. "Sorry, sorry. It's just I said the same thing to my brother when he tried explaining it to me the first time."
"You're brother plays too," Kate asked.
Maxi looked over at her, not liking her asking about her family, "Yes, he's starting line, along with Scott."
Allison gave her a grateful smile, "It's like field hockey, but the sticks have nets."
Maxi watched as Scott looked down at his lap, obviously checking his phone.
"So can you slap check like in hockey," Kate asked.
Scott looked up, "Uh, yeah. But it's only the gloves and the sticks."
"Sounds violent," Kate said, appearing intrigued. "I like it."
"Scott's amazing too. Dad came with me to the first game. Wasn't he good?"
"He was fine."
When Allison didn't get the reaction she wanted, she continued, "He scored the last shot, the winning shot."
"True, but he didn't score at all until the last few minutes."
Maxi intervened again, "To be fair, Scott was the new guy on starting line. Some of the guys, including my brother, weren't very happy about him taking the spot away from their senior friends. They intentionally kept the ball away from Scott, until Scott got tired of it and took it from them. I am sure in the next game now that he's proved himself, they'll be more than ready to pass to him."
Maxi shot Scott and Allison a smile, and went back to eating her food.
"His last shot, ripped a hole through the goalies net. It was incredible," Allison continued.
"Well, I think the goalie was probably playing with a defective stick, so…" When Allison heard this, she slammed her glass down on the table and sat back, obviously not happy with her father.
"This dinner is really good, Mrs. Argent did you make it," Maxi asked, trying to break the tension.
Before Mrs. Argent could say anything, Scott spoke up, seemingly trying to do the same thing Maxi was.
"You know, on second thought, I think I'll take that shot of tequila."
Slowly, everyone's eyes traveled to Scott, and then they were all laughing.
"You were kidding, right?"
"Yeah, of course."
Maxi and Mrs. Argent sat talking about the meal, when Scott got up and excused himself to the bathroom.
"So Maxi, what about you? What are you into?'
"Oh, well, I am sophomore class president. I am a tutor, but only currently tutoring one student. And in the fall I run cross country."
"My, what a busy bee," Kate said.
"She was my own little welcoming committee when I started school. Showed me my locker, took me around and showed me where all my classes were. I would have been lost without her."
Maxi smiled at Allison, taking a drink of her water. "What about outside of school," Mr. Argent asked.
"Well, with all the activities' I'm involved in, I'm usually pretty busy. Lacrosse games for Renny, soccer games for my little sister Gabi. Any other free time I have is spent with my friends."
"What do your parents do Maxi," Mrs. Argent asked.
"My dad, he's an architect slash contractor. Builds home and office buildings and stuff like that. He actually built a few of the homes in this division, possibly yours."
"And your mother," Kate pressed.
Maxi brought her napkin up, wiping her mouth, "Um, my mother actually died after we were in a car accident about a year ago."
Mrs. Argent placed her hand on Maxi's arm, "Oh dear, I'm so sorry. We had no idea."
Maxi looked up, and could see the looks of pity on the families face. She could feel the emotions swirling in her chest, and suddenly, she couldn't breathe. "Can you excuse me for a minute, please?"
"Of course," Mr. Argent said.
Maxi walked away from the table, going to the part of the house she knew had the closest bathroom. She made it about half way there, before she couldn't catch her breath. She stopped, leaning against the wall. She tried to calm her heart, taking steady breaths. She bent over, trying to keep the sobs from breaking.
"Maxi, everything okay?"
Maxi tried to put a smile on her face, but it didn't work. She quickly wiped the lone tear that fell from her eye.
"I'll be okay, thanks. Sorry to interrupt. Everything okay with you?"
"Yeah, everything's fine. Just got a call walking to the bathroom. Figured I might as well answer it."
Maxi looked down at her feet, then back up at Scott. He had pulled the phone away from his ear, and was just watching her.
"Is that Maxi? Are you talking to Maxi right now? Is she okay? What's going on? Scott, don't ignore me." Stiles yelled through the phone.
Maxi let out a small laugh, "Is that, is that Stiles," she asked, and Scott could hear the hopeful tone in her voice and rise in her heartbeat.
"Actually, yeah. He thought I'd be out of here by now, and wanted to see how the studying went."
"This is probably weird, but I can talk to him really quick?"
If Scott was bothered by her request, he didn't show it. He quickly handed her the phone, "You can take it with you and just give it back to me when you're done."
She gave him a small smile, then made her way into the bathroom.
"Hello? Is anyone there? Scott, you better not have hung up on me!" Maxi laughed, "Maxi? Are you there? I swear I thought I heard her laugh."
"Stiles, it's me."
"There you are. What is going on, are you okay? You sound upset, like you've been crying."
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just, remember how I told you I was having a bad day earlier?"
"Of course."
"Well, I thought I had gotten over it and that everything was better, but then I got here and turns out that one of the reasons for my bad day was here."
"Is Scott one of your reasons?"
Maxi let out a laugh, "No, Allison's Aunt is actually someone I used to know. I just, I really don't like her. And it's just weird being here with her."
"I'm sorry, that doesn't sound like a fun night."
"It wasn't going too bad, until her parents asked about my parents."
The other end of the line went quiet. "Maxi, was this your first time having to explain to someone?"
"Basically. Everyone else is from here, they all knew what happened to my mom, and there was no reason for anyone to ask. It just kind of threw me. I nearly bolted from the dinner table, I couldn't breathe."
"I'm sorry. I know how hard that can be. Are you okay now?"
"Yeah, talking to you helped cheer me up, thanks."
"Anytime."
"You're always taking care of me."
"It's my pleasure."
They both sat there, neither saying anything. Then they both went to speak at the same time.
"Go ahead."
"I hate to cut this short, but you should probably get back to dinner. Can you do me a favor though?"
"Sure, what do you need?"
"Can you send me your number again? Last night when I got home, I dropped my phone in the sink. I had to get a new one during lunch today. Lost everything."
Hearing this, Maxi got a huge grin on her face. He hadn't ignored her, he just hadn't gotten her text. Suddenly her mood was ten times better.
"Yeah, of course. Not a problem. I'll send it after dinner, okay?"
"Thanks Maxi, now get back to dinner. They are probably getting ready to send a search party for you. Don't let her Aunt get to you, she sounds like a real bitch."
"I haven't said anything about her."
"There has to be a reason you don't like her."
"Thanks again Stiles."
"Bye Maxi."
"Bye."
Maxi hung up Scott's phone and put it in her blazer pocket. She turned the tap on, washing her hands, and then heard talking. She dried her hands and opened the door. She saw Scott walking to the guest room and Kate watching.
"Scott!"
They both stopped, looking to Maxi. Maxi made her way to Scott, to give him his phone back.
"Thank you," she said, giving him a small smile and handing him his phone back. He shook his head, then made his way into guest room and shut the door behind him.
When she turned back, Kate was gone. She walked back to the dining room, taking her seat.
"Maxi, don't feel like you have to finish. It's not a big deal, really," Allison said, giving her a small smile.
"Thanks. The food was delicious Mr. and Mrs. Argent.
"What's with the tape on your hand," Kate asked.
"Oh, um, when I was playing air hockey with a friend of mine I wasn't holding the mallet right. It smashed into my fingers. They aren't broke but they're pretty painful."
Scott came back in, "Hey, I should get going." He turned to Mrs. Argent, "Thanks for dinner."
Before Scott could leave the room, Kate was speaking up. "Oh, no, no, no. You have to stay for dessert. I wanna know more about you. Sit down."
Scott gave Allison a glance, then Maxi. Maxi gave him a sympathetic look, but there wasn't much else she could do.
"Okay."
"So, Allison was just telling us that you work for a veterinarian," Mrs. Argent inquired.
"I told them how you put the cast on the dog Maxi and I hit."
"Oh no, that was all you. I was just along for the ride," Maxi said.
Scott looked down at his lap, obviously checking his phone again.
"What does your boss think of the animal attacks," Mrs. Argent asked him, "Any theories?"
Maxi perked up, interested to hear what he had to say, since anything that could lead to Laura's killer would be helpful.
"Yeah, does he have any idea what's out there?"
Scott looked between Mr. Argent and Maxi, "Everyone was just saying it's a mountain lion."
"It'd have to be a pretty large mountain lion," Kate said.
"So, it's not a mountain lion," Maxi asked the adults.
"What do you think, Scott?"
"I don't know. We usually get cats and dogs at the vet. Nothing that vicious."
Mr. Argent spoke up, "Never had to deal with a rabid dog?" Scott shook his head. "Oh, I grew up with a lot of dogs. I saw one get rabies from a bat. It was transferred through the bite," he paused. "You know, people think that a rabid dog just suddenly goes mad. It's a lot more gradual. First stage is subtle changes in behavior. They're restless, morose. It's the second stage that people know, the furious phase. That's when they attack. And we're talking any moving object. Did you know that a caged rabid dog will break its own teeth, trying to chew through the bars? It'll even rear back and snap its own spine. Can you imagine the amount of force it would take to do that? It's a complete character reversal. This harmless animal… Turned into a perfectly vicious killer. And it all started with one bite."
Allison broke the awkwardness, "But it died, didn't it?"
"Yes, because your grandfather shot it," Mrs. Argent cut in.
"Because he wanted to put it out of its misery," Allison said.
"Because it was too dangerous. Something that out of control is better off dead," Mrs. Argent corrected her.
"What about you Maxi, you ever have any pets," Kate suddenly said, trying to cut the tension.
Maxi gave a nervous chuckle. "My older brother Renny is really allergic to cats and dogs, so we never had either. I did have a couple of goldfish, each one named Goldie, but they died pretty quickly."
The table let out a laugh, glad for the change of subject.
"Allison, would you mind clearing the table please?"
Allison got up, and Maxi followed. "Let me help."
They quickly cleared the table, and then Allison went up to get Scotts stuff from her room.
Maxi and Scott stood in the entryway, waiting for her to come back.
"Scott?"
"Yeah," he said, turning to face her.
"Thank you, for letting me talk to Stiles earlier. Dinner just got to be a little too much, and talking to him really helped make me feel better."
"Oh, it's no problem. I'm glad he was able to help," he said smiling. "He really seems to like you."
Maxi blushed, smiling at the words. "I really like him too. He's a great guy, and he's been a big help these last few weeks with everything."
"Yeah, he said you've been going through some things," he caught himself. "Not that he tells me what you're going through, because he doesn't. Just that stuff is going on. He wouldn't do that to you."
Maxi laughed, watching Scott get flustered. "I understand. I trust him, I know he wouldn't betray that."
Scott shook his head, looking up as they heard Allison coming down the stairs.
"I'm so incredibly sorry, to both of you," Allison said, handing Scott his backpack.
"For what?"
"For that being the worst, most horribly awkward dinner ever in the history of horribly awkward dinners."
They all laughed.
"No. Uh, it wasn't the worst. There was this one dinner where my parents told me they were getting a divorce," Scott said.
"Oh, one time at Christmas, my Aunt got super drunk, and fell asleep face first in the yams. My uncle just moved her face to the side so she could breathe and kept her at the table. We just passed the food right over her."
"This comes in at a close second," Scott told Allison.
Allison leaned in, pulling Scott towards her. "And that is my cue to turn away," Maxi said turning to face the living room.
"You're dad's watching," Scott whispered.
"Good."
Maxi laughed, quickly covering her mouth with her hand. "Sorry."
"You can turn around now."
Maxi turned, watching Scott open the door.
"Wait a second, guys," Kate said walking into the room. She looked at the three teens.
"What is it," Allison asked.
"Uh, I have to ask Scott something."
Everyone turned to Scott, "Me?"
She leaned across him, shutting the door. "Yeah, you."
"Okay."
"What'd you take from my bag?"
Maxi's jaw dropped. She couldn't really think that Scott took something from her, could she?
Allison turned, looking at the ground.
"What," Scott asked.
"My bag. What'd you take from it?"
Scott looked to Allison, who looked incredibly uncomfortable.
"Do you need me to repeat the question? Maybe enunciate more clearly?"
Mr. Argent walked in, "What are you talking about?"
"My bag was open in the guest room, and when I left it was shut. And Scott comes in to use the bathroom, he leaves, my bags open."
Allison finally spoke up, "He didn't take—", but is quickly cut off.
"Something was taken from my bag."
Maxi started to feel uncomfortable, "Maybe I should just go?"
Kate shot her a look, "You, shh. Or you'll be next."
Maxi's eyes grew wide, and she shook her head. She stepped back to where she had been, and continued to watch the train wreck before her.
"Something was taken from my bag. Now, look… I hate to be the accuser here, Scott, because I really do love those adorable brown eyes, but I don't know if you're a klepto, if you're curious, or—or if you're just stupid," she said, laughing.
As she spoke, the uncomfortableness on Allison's face was slowly morphing into something else. It almost looked like quilt.
"But answer the question," Kate finished. "What did you take?"
"Nothing, I swear!"
"You don't mind proving it, do you?"
"Are you serious," Allison asked.
"How about you show us what's in your pockets?"
"Dad," Allison said, looking for some support.
"Come on, Scott. Prove me wrong," Kate nearly challenged.
Allison waved her arms, "Uh, I'll prove you wrong. It wasn't Scott going through your bags. It was me."
Maxi's jaw dropped, she had a small idea where this was going, and if they thought things were awkward now, it was probably about to get worse.
"You," Kate asked, not sounding like she believed her one bit.
"Mm-hmm, me," Allison said, pulling a condom out of her pocket and holding it up for the room to see. Scott looked around to see what she had held up, and when he saw it the shock was written across his face like a billboard sign.
Allison kept her face straight, and just stared her aunt down. Shock was written across everyone's face. Scott looked like he just wanted to get out, Kate appeared to be trying not to laugh, and Mr. Argent just glared at his sister.
"I'm going to go up to your room and let you say goodnight Allison. Meet me up there, okay?"
Allison shook her head, and Maxi grabbed her bag and made a run to Allison's room.
Maxi shut the door behind her and flung herself on the bed. Poor Allison. She was probably going to be a little bit, so she grabbed her purse and pulled her phone out. She scrolled to Stiles' name and started a new message.
M- Hey, it's Maxi. Wanted to make sure you got my number again. Here's a pic too.
She then fluffed her hair a bit and took a selfie. She sent it off, and laid it beside her. She stared at the ceiling, lost in thought, waiting for Allison.
About twenty minutes later, she finally came in, looking exasperated.
"That was the worst night of my life. I am so sorry you had to be here for that. I really thought Scott would be gone before you got here, and we could have a normal dinner and then just hang out."
Maxi laughed, patting the bed beside her. "Don't worry about it. I think it would have been weird either way, what with me freaking out over a little question."
"Please, don't beat yourself up over that. We had no idea about your mom. Why didn't you tell me?"
"It's not really something I like to start off introductions with Allison. I would have told you eventually, I've just never had to tell someone before, ya know? Everyone in this town knew me, knew my mom and my family. I never had to tell someone that my mom was dead."
Allison grabbed her hand, squeezing tight. "I'm really sorry Maxi. I know that probably doesn't mean much, but I am. I can't imagine."
Maxi shook her head, gripping Allison's hand. "It's been such a long day. Would you completely hate me if I didn't stay?"
Allison shook her head, "No, of course not. Do you want me to take you home?"
"No, Renny told me to call him if I needed anything. He's out and around tonight. It won't be a big deal." She got up, grabbing her stuff and they made their way downstairs.
They walked into the living room. "Thank you for dinner. It was delicious."
Kate looked up, "Are you not staying?"
"Sorry, no. I'm just not feeling up to it tonight, it's been a long day."
"Aw, I hope it wasn't something we said."
Maxi mustered up the best, fakest smile she could manage. "No, of course not. Really, just a long day. I'm not the best company."
"Do you need a ride home dear," Mrs. Argent asked.
"No, thank you. My brother is going to come get me, once I call him."
"Okay, it was nice seeing you."
"You too. And Kate, it was nice to meet you."
"Likewise Maxi. I'm sure we'll see each other around."
With that, Maxi followed Allison out of the room and out the front door. They sat down and as Maxi pulled her phone out to call Renny, it began to ring.
"Is that your brother? What timing!"
Maxi looked at the caller I.D., "Actually, it's Stiles. Let me see what he needs real quick."
Maxi swiped across the screen and pressed answer. "Hello?"
"Maxi?"
"Yes. What's up?"
"I just wanted to check in, make sure you were still doing okay."
Maxi smiled, "Actually, I was just getting ready to call my brother though, see if he could come get me and give me a ride home. Can I call you back?"
"I can come get you. I'm already in my jeep, on my way home. I can be there in less than 5 minutes."
"Are you sure? I don't want to put you out."
"No problem, seriously. I'm on my way."
And before she could argue, he had hung up.
"What was that about?"
Maxi put her phone away, turning to Allison. "Stiles is going to come get me, give me a ride home."
Allison's smile grew, and she clapped her hands together. "You two are so cute. You're going to make a great couple."
Maxi laughed, "I don't know about that. We're just friends Allison."
"Maybe."
Maxi looked at her, seeing that she really meant it. "Do you really think he likes me like that?"
Allison adamantly shook her head, "I've seen the way he looks at you."
"How's that?"
"The way Scott looks at me when he thinks I'm not looking."
Maxi had seen that look on Scott's face, the look of adoration. She wanted a guy to look at her like that, and she really wanted to believe Allison. Maxi startled as she heard Stiles' jeep pull into the driveway.
"No time like the present to find out, right?"
She looked at Allison, then back to the jeep. Maybe she was right. She smiled, "I'll keep ya posted."
"You better. That's what best friends do."
She watched as Stiles jumped out of the jeep and made his way over to them.
"Ladies, heard dinner was a blast."
Allison laughed and rolled her eyes. "A hoot."
He then turned to Maxi, taking her overnight bag from her hands, and holding his hand out to her, "You ready?"
She smiled shyly, suddenly feeling very self-conscious, and took his hand, "Ready."
Allison watched as Stiles opened Maxi's door, threw her bag into the backseat, and then waited for her to buckle up. When she couldn't get it, Allison laughed. Stiles leaned over Maxi and buckled her in. Maxi looked at Allison, seeing her send a wink her way. She shook her head, waving bye. Stiles shut the door, said bye to Allison, and got in himself.
He pulled out of the driveway, turning the radio down.
"You sure you're okay?"
She shook her head, turning to face him. "Yeah, I am. Perfect timing on the call though. I was seriously just about to call Renny."
"Well, I had a pretty crappy night, and I figured if I could cheer you up, maybe you could cheer me up too."
"I'm sorry Stiles, what happened? Does it have to do with you taking Derek home today?"
Stiles looked at her, trying to think quickly about what to say. "Yeah, I actually had to take him to the hospital. He was pretty sick. They got him all fixed up though I guess."
"You guess? Did you take him home?"
"No, he wanted to stay, said something about visiting his uncle?"
"He was going to see Peter?"
"Is that his Uncle?"
"Yes, that's Uncle Peter."
They got quiet for a moment, "So, what does Derek have to do with you having a bad night?"
"Oh, um, I just hate hospitals, and I spent most of the evening there. Making sure Derek was okay."
For some reason, Maxi had a feeling that Stiles wasn't telling her the entire truth. "Stiles, if there's something you can't tell me, please just say you can't tell me. Don't lie to me."
Stiles stopped at the red light, and looked at Maxi. "What?"
"I know you heard what I said. So I'm going to assume that was more of a shocked what, right?" He shook his head. "I don't like being lied to. So, if you can't tell me something, just tell me that. You've never given me a reason not to trust you, so I'll just have to trust that you have a good reason."
Stiles let out a breath. "Okay, I can't tell you what I did tonight, only that I was with Derek."
"And Scott's involved."
Without thinking, he agreed. "I mean, shit. Yes, Scott is involved."
"Were you really at a hospital?"
"Not exactly? But I really can't tell you anything more."
"It's okay. I meant what I said. I trust that you have a reason for keeping things from me, and I won't press. Can you tell me one thing?"
He pulled into her driveway, placing the jeep in park, "I can try."
"Let's go sit on the porch."
They both got out, and made their way to the swing they had sat on the other night.
"What did you want me to try and tell you?"
She sat down, folding her leg beneath her and facing him. She scooted close, taking his hand in between hers. "Are you guys in danger," she nearly whispered, fear trickling through her tone.
Stiles looked down at their hands first, enjoying the jolt that traveled up his arm. This girl was amazing. Without thinking about it, he brought her hands up to his lips, and placed a gentle kiss on top of her knuckles.
"You are the best, you know that?"
She stuttered, trying to rid her body of the chill that had just ran through it, "WH-what, why do you say that?"
"Even though you know I'm not telling you everything, you're not badgering me, you're not attacking me for answers. You just want to make sure were safe."
"Well, I care about you, about all of you. I'd hate for something to happen to you guys, especially you," she gave his hand a squeeze, and he tried to hide it, but she still saw it. He flinched in pain. "What? Are you okay? What's wrong with your hand?"
"Let's just leave it as I punched Derek, and his face won."
"You punched Derek?" Stiles just shook his head. "Let's go get you some ice, okay?"
"Yeah, let's do that," he said, getting up to follow her. She opened the door, announcing herself. When she didn't get a reply, she led Stiles into the kitchen.
"Have a seat," she said, going to the freezer. She pulled an icepack out, wrapped it in a towel, and took the seat beside him. She brought his hand to her lap, placing the wrapped pack on top of it.
"Do you want to go sit in the living room? At least be entertained while I play nurse?"
Stiles choked on his own saliva, naughty thoughts running rampant through his head. When Maxi saw his eyes bug out, she realized what she had said and how it sounded. "I really hope that if I was playing nurse, you wouldn't need to be entertained first of all. Second of all, get your head out of the gutter."
She let go of the ice and led the way to the living room. Stiles stayed standing while Maxi looked for the remotes. She finally found the ones she needed, and took a seat on the chaise lounge part of the couch. She noticed that Stiles was still standing.
"You can sit by me, if you want. I'll even let you have the corner."
Stiles looked around the room, then decided to take a chance. He took the spot beside Maxi, and internally rejoiced when she scooted a little closer.
"If you want to put your feet up, we can scoot this way."
Maxi shook her head, scooting closer into Stiles' side. Stiles couldn't believe the luck he was having right now. No parent, no siblings, and she was all about being close to him. Once they were both situated on the chaise, she grabbed his hurt hand and brought it closer for inspection. She rubbed her thumb over the bruised knuckles.
"The ice should be enough. It's just bruised. It'll be tender, but that's it. No need for a doctor," she said. She grabbed the ice pack from him, let his hand rest on her thigh, then put the ice on top, and then her hand to hold it there. She grabbed the remotes with her other hand, turning on the TV and other devices. She then started flipping through the channels, trying to find something to watch.
"Let me know if you see anything you like. I watch just about everything," she said, continuing through the channels.
"Is that the newest episode of Game of Thrones," he asked.
"Yeah, do you watch it?"
"I try. I'm usually a little behind, but I'm only missing this past Sundays."
She clicked on it, seeing that one was just ending and another beginning. "Looks like it's the most recent one, do you wanna stay and watch the whole episode?"
Stiles shook his head, and then started to protest when Maxi got up. She paused the show, making her way around the room. Stiles realized she was turning the lights off. He swallowed deeply, feeling his palms start to sweat. He quickly wiped them off on his pants, and tried to act cool. She kicked her shoes off by the front door, then came back into the room.
"Do you want a snack or a drink or something?"
"Water," he said, his voice squeaking a little. "Water, please. My throat is a little dry."
She smiled, "I'll be right back."
As soon as she was out of the room, Stiles pulled his phone out texting Scott.
St – At Maxi's, on the couch. Think were cuddling, watching GOTs, and she just turned all the lights off. Panic mode is activated full throttle!
He quickly shoved it back into his pocket, making sure it was on the side opposite of Maxi. He quickly did a breath check, just in case, and deemed it passable. When Maxi came back in, he tried to play it cool, taking the bottle of water she offered him.
He twisted the cap off, and started chugging. Suddenly, it was like he couldn't stop. Maxi watched him, raising her eyebrows as he finished the bottle off.
"You were thirsty. Do you want mine too," she asked, offering him the bottle.
"No, I'm okay now. Let's watch the show."
She took her spot back, sitting so that their sides were completely touching. At first Stiles sat straight, stiff almost.
"Are you comfortable?"
"Yeah?"
"Why did that come out more like a question then an answer?"
She looked over at him, "You know, friends cuddle sometimes Stiles. It wouldn't be weird if you put your arm around my shoulder, or if I laid my head on your chest. At least, I wouldn't think it was weird, would you?"
Stiles looked like a fish out of water. Was she really making excuses so that she could cuddle with him? No, she just wanted to be comfortable, and she was right. Friends could cuddle. It wasn't a big deal.
"No, It wouldn't be weird at all," he said, lifting his arm to wrap it around her shoulders. Once his arm was situated, she snuggled into his side, making herself comfortable. All Stiles could think, was that she fit perfectly. It wasn't uncomfortable, it wasn't awkward, there weren't boney limbs stabbing people. It was perfect, comfortable. He burrowed into the couch a little bit more, and pulled her in a little tighter. If this was the only chance he got to do this, he was going to do it right. He rested his chin on her head, and she started the show.
An hour later, the show ended but neither of them moved. They had gotten so comfortable, that they had both fallen asleep.
Another chapter down, and a whole episode in it!
Threw in a couple of curveballs there, hope you enjoyed them.
I am so excited, because we're finally starting to get into the action!
I hope you are all still enjoy it.
Don't forget, 100th review gets a special requested one-shot of their choosing.
We're currently at 93, so who will it be?
Special thanks to emele807, BrittWitt16, .heart, poorxbrokexcollegexkid,
YellowSubmarine93, Guest Hanna, LionHeartMisfit, prettyargents, brook330, and Mannequinjourney
for their reviews. They mean so much to me! 3
Also, I just want to give missecharlotte a special shout out, as most of my
chapters wouldn't happen without her talking me off the edge of deleting
EVERYTHING!
Check out her stories, she does Isaac/OC and Stiles/OC, and they're great!
Read, review, and Merry Christmas!
