It's so weird seeing two of my stories right next to each other in the same fandom. I don't know if I'll ever be able to get used to the fact that everything I'm writing RIGHT NOW is going to be read by other people. And you know, I really should, because that is the WHOLE ENTIRE POINT of fanfiction, is it not? But anyways, I really wanted to get an update in, because after this, I don't know how fast I'm going to be able to get chapters done. And that sucks, because I'm almost at the part I've been working towards for a while now, and I want to be able to just write it out. And, like I said in the last chapter, we all know what much happen to Max now. I know this is supposed to happen sometime right after Lucy comes, but I wanted to give at least a little bit more time. And besides, after Lucy tells him, it seems like then that he has to go for the hearing. So, I'm sorry for stretching this out, but, without any more of me giving everything away, here's chapter ten!

Ellie was acting like a complete psychopath.

I don't know why either, and that was the part that was truly killing me. I mean, ever since that night when I got a little bit wasted at the bar (ah, good times there) and accidentally slept with her, she's been totally off the wall. And I'm not stupid, I know how bad that sounds, but it wasn't like it meant anything at all. We had both said that, hadn't we? That we were just friends, and it was a drunken incident, and it wasn't like it hadn't happened before. Well, not with me and Ellie. There had always been a very clear line there. But with some other girls that I knew (actually, most other girls that I knew) it was a different case.

She was very clearly only thinking about herself. Ellie wasn't usually self-absorbed, she let my sister take that one, but for some reason, I think that she completely took this one as a blow to her as a person, not just an honest mistake.

In all actuality, I had barely said three words to her since I snapped in the kitchen. And now, sitting in the little café with all our roommates after one of Sadie's shows, I was seated right next to her. She was talking to Lucy, but neither of them looked all that into the conversation. Lucy looked like she was worried about something, and kept reaching down and fidgeting with something in her lap. Ellie eyes looked distant, as though she wasn't thinking about anything she was saying. I would have asked what the matter was, but I didn't know if we were speaking again yet. I took a deep breath, deciding to suck it up and just do it, when Lucy cut me off.

"Hey, Max, something came for you in the mail a few weeks before I left." She gently lifted the folded paper from her lap, holding out her hand to me. I took the paper, glaring down at it without opening it up. Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit.

"It says I have an induction ceremony on the 7th. I've been drafted." I stared straight down at that fucking piece of paper, not quite believing what it said. The table became dead quiet, and I could feel all of them looking at me.

I slowly looked up. "What the hell am I supposed to do?" I asked, looking at them all. My eyes finally found Ellie's, and there was tears shimmering in them. That was when I really struck me, and I began to panic. "I can't go into WAR! FUCK!"

They started throwing suggestion out there in a frenzied state, but I wasn't listening to them. I turned and looked at Ellie, about to tell her not to cry. But as soon as I opened my mouth, something stopped my voice from coming out. I stared into her glossy turquoise eyes, feeling myself melt a little bit. She didn't say a word, but somehow, she didn't need to. I could feel her worry, and the pain seeped off of her in waves.

Mindlessly, I took the dreaded paper and raised it to the candle that was flickering in front of us. The paper started to crinkle in flames, and I watched it, completely memorized. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Jojo shaking his head, and I directed my stare to him.

"…you can burn that paper, boy, but you still gotta show…" he murmured, making chills run down my spine. This was happening…this was REALLY happening. No more fun, free Max. I was going to have to be a member of the United States Army. Fuck.

Lucy and Jude disappeared sometime after Lucy gave Max the letter, and I stepped out of the café to follow them. I had never felt more alone, even though I had all these new friends, then I did right there. I stumbled down the street, the sun setting high gloriously above me. I decided to head down to the dock. As I was walking, I passed a dark alley, smoke pouring out of it and hushed voices flowing like a river. They quieted as I got nearer, until one man called out.

"Hey, baby, you want a hit?"

Behind him, his friends cackled unmercifully, and I felt my cheeks darken. Keep walking, Ellie. It'll be okay, I thought, staring straight ahead. The sun hadn't set yet, but I could see it getting darker and darker. I heard footsteps from behind me, and saw the same man that had called out to me was trailing a half a block away.

"C'mon, I won't be rough!" he tried again, his voice light and teasing. For the second time that night, I wanted to cry. Though not out of worry this time, but out of horror. Please not again, please not again, please not again. I chanted it over and over in my head, silently praying that God would get me out this.

Suddenly, I felt someone spin me around, the force of his grip leaving deep red marks in my light colored skin. He stared down at me, humor littering his unattractive features, and breathed heavily, filling my nostrils with the scent of marijuana and liquor. I gagged, trying to turn away, but he shoved me into the alley that was one down from the one he had started in.

"Mmm, your skin is so soft, baby," he hissed, running his yellow stained fingertips down my arms. I shivered involuntarily, and he laughed.

"Let me GO!" I screeched, wriggling fiercely. His face dropped, and I could tell that I had made him mad. He pulled me around, so that his back was to the wall and I was pressed up against him. "AHHH!"

He growled, pushing one hand over my mouth, and slithering the other down, down towards the waistband of my bellbottoms. I couldn't make a sound, and he was way to strong for me. Chuckling triumphantly, he ripped open the button, plunging his hand inside the denim.

This situation was way too familiar to me, and I suddenly knew the way out it. I tensed the only free part of my body, my leg, and kicked it backwards, making contact with his…ahem. He grunted, his hand dropping from my mouth and letting me free. As soon as he did that, I took off, re-buttoning my pants as quickly as I could.

I was just about to the docks when I ran out of breath, and I knew that he would never follow me out here. I stopped, putting my hands on my knees and taking deep breaths. I wanted to cry, GOD how I wanted to cry, but something inside of me just wouldn't let me. The familiar pinch behind my eyes was there, and I even had a lump in my throat. But I guess I had run out of tears for the month, because nothing wet was leaking from my eyelids.

When I picked my head back up, I could just make out two figures standing on the dock. I immediately figured it was Jude and Lucy, seeing as this was their favorite place to go. I watched as Jude strode over to the wall of a building, drawing something with the burnt end of a stake. Lucy walked up next to him, and for a moment they just stood there, not talking. Then I saw them both look up, and though I couldn't hear anything, I saw them both tilt their heads back with laughter, then run around the building to the overhang. They ducked underneath, and another person -a cop- ran by them. They both kept laughing, but Jude emerged from under the ledge, chucking his stick into the churning ocean.

Lucy hung back, watching him, and I could see her lips moving, as though she were singing. I moved a little closer, and I could just making out a few tinkling notes on the breeze.

"If I fell in love with you, would you promise to be true? And help me understand. 'Cause I've been in love before, and I've found that love is more than just holding hands…."

I smiled lightly to myself heading back up the hill upon which I had just descended. However, it was really dark up here, and Jude and Lucy were still pretty far away, and I became scared again. I could suddenly feel not only the man from tonight, but Freddie's hands on me. I twitched, looking around myself all paranoid. That was when it all became too much….

~*~

"Haha, always been the funny one, Miss Eleanor. Just making everybody laugh," Freddie Malone rasped in that smoker's voice of his. I looked down, blushing lightly, and tried to not look completely like a thirteen year old girl, even though I was one.

"Always been the creepy one, Freddie," I returned, settling back into my chair and nestling my guitar into a more snug position. "But really, as funny as I might be, you need to stop with the beer. Eight is way more than enough." I gave him a stern look, and he smacked the can back down on the table.

"You," he slurred, "are a little girl who needs to mind her own business." He crossed his arms, glaring at me. This was making me slightly uncomfortable, and I thought that what I had said before was true; he always had been a little bit creepy. But, he was my dad's best friend, and if Vera and mom could put up with him, so could I.

I decided it would be best if I just left, so I picked my guitar up off my lap, sliding it back into the case and snapping the top down. I looked up, seeing Freddie watching me with an almost frightening look on his face, and was glad that I had made the decision to go home.

"Sorry, Fred, but I gotta go. Max and Lucy invited me over to over their house before I left, but I just had to stay for a little bit of the party." I gave him a slightly shaky smile, then stood up. He stood up at once, too. He watched me with heavy, drunken eyes.

"I'll…I'll walk you over then," he stuttered, licking his lips and sneering down at me. I cringed, slightly scared, but nodded, then started up the stairs. He trailed behind me, and I could not help but suspect that he was looking at me.

I reached the middle level of the house, and it was five times hotter than the lower level. "MOM!" I called into the living room where she was 'hosting'. She looked back at me irritatedly. "I GOING TO THE CARRIGAN'S!" She nodded hastily, waving me off, not even glancing at Freddie as he towered above me.

I slipped on some sandals, then ran out the front door, not waiting for Freddie and hoping he would forget about me. He didn't. He slipped out the door, too, hurrying to catch up with me. When he reached me, he gave me a crooked smile. "Thought we'd never get out of there, huh?"

This made me slightly weary. It was the sort of thing Max would say to some girl before she rolled her eyes and hastened her pace to get away from him. It was NOT, however, something that a grown man should be saying to a girl that was barely even a teenager yet.

When I didn't say anything, he nudged my shoulder a little bit harder than usual. "Huh?" he demanded, baring his teeth. I stared up at him like he was insane, and I couldn't find my voice. He pushed me again, this time intentionally harder than usual, and sent me careening into the ground. I looked back up at him, and he scoffed.

"C'mon, baby, get up," he cooed, offering his hand. I was too scared to take it, instead hoisting myself up on my own and taking off down the street. He was much bigger than me, however, and caught me within seconds. He clawed at my shirt, forcing me back.

"Please! I have to go! Max-"

This was obviously the wrong thing to say. Freddie's face completely clouded over, and Found back, letting his arm go suddenly and punching me full force in the nose. "I'd rather see you dead, little girl, than to be with another man."

My fingers flung up to my nose, where blood was flowing out, and I felt around to see if it was broken. It wasn't, though as soon as my ginger fingers touched it, I cried out in pain. I started to cry, and tried to back up. Unfortunately, I was so teary I couldn't see, and I fell right down in the middle of the street.

Freddie knelt down next to me, but I couldn't see his face. "GET AWAY!" I shrieked, trying to scoot away, but jostling my nose, which caused another round of mind blowing agony. I screamed as loud I possibly could, but Freddie decided to punch me right in the stomach, so my breath came out short.

"Well, I know I'm a wicked guy," Freddie hissed, leaning down into my ear. "And I'd rather see you dead." My stomach started convulsing, and I genuinely thought that he was really gonna kill me. I tried to wriggle free, but he pulled my face up to his, like was, going to kiss me, and socked me one right in the eye. I fell back, my hitting the pavement with a dull thump.

It was then that I heard it. "EEEELLLLIIIIEEE!!!"

I tried to open my eyes, but the left one was so painful that I didn't want to. However, I knew exactly who my savior was. I pried my right eye far enough open that I could see Max Carrigan, my best friend Lucy's older brother, lunge at Freddie, punching him as hard as he could in the side of his head. Max must have been pretty strong, because Freddie was knocked down to the ground.

Max reached down, grabbing me up in his lanky arms. I was quite light, he could easily support me. Once I was there, I folded into his chest, sobbing, and smearing blood onto his blue T-shirt.

"Don't you know it's gonna be alright," he whispered into my hair, "alright, alright."

I tried to find my breath for words to thank him, but I could. My tears just kept flowing, and he kept stroking my head. It was minutes before Feddie started stirring again. He turned his head, his eyes alight with rage, and started getting to his feet. Max grabbed my hand, and before he even started to sway after us, we we're rounding the corner.

He stopped abruptly, calling out, "You better run for your life if you can, little girl!" These words sent chills spiraling down my back. I shuddered, and my nose hurt even worse. We came up upon Max's dark front porch, and I sat down, my sore head falling into my hands.

"We've gotta tell." Was the first thing that Max said to me. I looked up at him like he was crazy, and he looked back at me the same way.

"We can't! That's the guy that saves my dad's ass every time he gets thrown into JAIL!!! My dad would kill me if he found out about this." I shook my head, already decided upon what I should do.

"Ellie, that guy just threatened your life, then BEAT THE SHIT OUT OF YOU!" Max's yelling was making my head hurt, and I just wanted him to stop until I could think straight through the pain. This was just too much for that, though.

"I can't tell. Please understand! It could have been a lot worse if you hadn't shown up, and even right now it's not that bad." I stood up, walking over to him, and he embraced me again. I melted into that hug. "Thank you SO much. I don't know…" I couldn't finish that sentence, because I really just didn't know.

"That's what I'm here for, El; to save your scrawny ass." He sighed, pulling away and staring me straight into the eye. "I won't tell, but only for your dad. But I'm never leaving you alone with that bastard again, I can promise you that. Never." The solitary word hung alone in the night air, ringing in my ears and echoing through my head. He was never going to leave me. Never. My Max.

And that was the first time Freddie Malone almost killed me.

~*~

The complete remembrance of the memory left me in a state much like the one I had been in when Max knocked down my wall. My knees began to shake with the effort of holding myself steady, and I sunk to the ground. All I wanted in the world right now was to melt into it like I had to Max's hug that night. I crumpled into a ball, wrapping my arms around my legs right there on top of the hill, just willing myself to cry, but not being successful.

One thought coursed through my mind, and that was that Max HAD broken his promise. He was leaving me.

Just so you know, I didn't intend for that to get so violent. Actually, I didn't even know I was going to add that in yet, so sorry for those of you that don't like violence. The saddest part of ATU; Max leaving for Vietnam. That is SO sad. And now you know about Freddie Malone, and the craziness that is him. Yes, he is a drunken pedophile, but you don't know about that second part yet. Oops. That's about it, so leave me a review and tell me if you think I did a good job in creating that intense moment for Ellie. PEACE!