Final Decisions
AN: Hey guys! I know it has been a ridiculously long time since I updated. I'm SO sorry for that. As usual, PLEASE look at the last chapter if you forgot what happened last time. Thanks!
MMPOV(Max)
Reluctantly, I open my eyes to the bright sun shining through my window. My head hurts and my throat feels dry due to lack of water, I guess. But the thing that I notice the most is the weight I feel on top of my waist. I slowly turn around to face Zack, sleeping with his mouth open and looking like the absolute image of innocence.
I smile at him, loving the fact that he was the first person I saw when I woke up. I could really get used to that.
"Zack," I whisper. "Time to get up."
As expected, I get no response from Zack.
I give him a gentle shove and say a little louder, "Rise and shine."
"Ten more minutes Maddie," He murmurs, rolling so that he's facing away from me.
Well…that stung. An indescribable jealously and rage courses through my veins at the mention of her evil name. I hate how Maddie is always in Zack's head, even when he's around me. This isn't the first time this mistake has happened. Oh, no. He frequently says her name instead of mine in casual conversation. I always laugh it off on the outside, but really, inside I'm fuming at the idea that his mind is on her.
To get Zack up, and since I'm still bitter about the wrong name thing, I kick Zack off the bed.
After hearing a loud thump, I see a pair of aqua-blue eyes glaring up at me from his position on the floor.
I can't help the bellyaching laugh that I get once looking at his expression. No sooner then I've started laughing, Zack has gotten up off the floor and plopped on top of me, on the bed and begins to tickle me.
"What was that for? Huh, Maxy?" he manages to get out between my squirming and kicking at his actions.
Refusing to answer his question due to my insecurities and just plain stubbornness, I decide to get out of his grasp with the famous groin kick. Zack is one step ahead of me though and has encircled my legs with his left arm before I get the chance to show off my awesome leg muscles.
"Well?" he asks, panting from the exertion of holding me down.
Admitting my defeat, I stop struggling and answer, "You called me Maddie."
His hold on me immediately disappears as he quickly sits up. My heart spasms at the look on his face. I know that look. It's the "I miss Maddie so much that I can't stand it, and I have to see her now" look. He clenches the sheets in his fists and squeezes his eyes shut tightly. When he opens them again, he leans his head against the bed board and lets out a large sigh.
"I've fucked up royally…again," he mutters.
"What are you talking about? What did I do wrong?" I ask, worried I've pushed him too far.
"No, Max….it's not you-"
"It's me?" I ask. "Really? Even you aren't capable of a line that corny, are you?"
Zack runs a hand through his hair in frustration before saying, "I did exactly what was expected of me. What she expected of me. I came to you."
"And was that really such a bad thing?" I counter immediately. "I mean, she kicked you out for God's sack! All you wanted was a place to crash for a couple of nights."
Zack is silent for awhile before responding. While playing with a loose thread on his clothing, he says, "I was talking about…how I kissed you. Say anything you want Max, but that was just…wrong."
"I beg to differ," I interject again. "You two are broken up, so it's not like you cheated on her or anything."
At the mention of his ended engagement with Maddie, Zack lets out a gasp and clenches a hand over his heart in pain. I know that right now I should be the nice, supporting friend, but his reaction pisses me off. He needs to get over her! And he can't do that if he lets her effect him like this.
Trying to make a joke out it, I say, "A little melodramatic Zack, don't you think?"
Zack immediately looks at me in the eyes, intense pain shining in his own, before he gets up from the bed. He grabs his shoes and frantically tries to put them on, all the while muttering under his breath in incomprehensible speech.
"Wait!" I yell, getting up and blocking his exit from my room when he tries to leave. "What the hell just happened? Where are you going?"
"Where do you think? Maddie." He replies, trying to get past me without forcing me out of his way.
"Not going to happen, Zack." I reply.
Zack suddenly drops to his knees. He grabs my legs and looks up at me sincerely before pleading, "Please Max, please. I won't touch you, because I know it upsets you. I promised not to do what your father did. But please, Max! I have to go! I need to see Maddie; I've got to apologize to her. I need to go!"
I drop to my knees in front of him, cupping face in the palms of my hands.
I hold back tears as I say, "Zack, you need to stop this. That woman is like a drug to you."
I see him roll his eyes at my analogy of her again. I ignore him and continue, "You know it's true. You were on your knees begging at me like a lunatic to let you get to her again. You were like an addict needing your heroin. Don't you see how unhealthy that is Zack? You're not the boy I knew when I was twelve…where is he? I need him back."
"You're wrong. I'm not like that." He whispers.
"You are. You can't see it…but it's so unhealthy. Look what it's doing to you." I reply back. "Let me show you what clean, real love feels like."
And with that, I lean foreword and press my trembling lips to his.
ZPOV
When Max kisses me, the world doesn't end. It doesn't kill me or pain me, like I thought kissing anyone besides Maddie would.
But, it doesn't feel good either.
I mean, sure, its okay and all, but I don't get the jolts of electricity, the burst of colors before my eyes, or the invincible feeling I get when I kiss Maddie. Maybe Max is right though. What if my relationship with Maddie has been all about the highs I feel when being with her?
Before I can let my head get anymore confused, my phone rings. I break apart from Max's embrace and take my cell phone from my pants pocket. When I open it, I see that I've received a text from London. I hesitantly open it and read:
You need to go back home ASAP.
I just dropped Maddie off at the apartment, to her request, but she looked really distraught.
Yeah, I can use big words like that.
But really Zack, make this right or I will come after you.
When I last looked at her, her make-up was smeared (eek!) and she was dry heaving/crying into the sink.
It's not pretty.
London
When I'm done reading London's text, I let out a large breath I didn't realize I was holding. I'm thinking about what the quickest way to get home is, considering that I don't have my car with me, when I look up to see Max's confused face looking at me.
"You need to drive me home." I say to her.
For the last thirty minutes, I've been a fidgety mess.
My breaths have been trembling, my legs shaking, my hands playing and fiddling with anything I could get my hands on.
After Max reluctantly agreed to drive me home, she's been completely silent. Normally, this would worry me, but I don't have time or energy to think about Max right now, as cruel as it sounds. The only thing that I can focus on is Maddie: getting to her, wondering how she's doing, thinking about what I'm going to say to her…the list goes on and on.
When we finally enter the parking lot, Max pulls into a parking spot and turns off the engine. I'm ready to sprint out of the car as soon as we stop, taking my seatbelt off and grabbing the door handle.
"Wait," Max says softly. "I need to tell you something before you go."
With all my willpower, I release my grip on the door handle and face her.
She takes a soft breath and says, "I love you, Zack. I know that you know that but…I wanted to remind you of that one more time before you left. And you said you loved me too; I know you didn't lie about that. We could be…so perfect for each other. I wouldn't hurt you like she does. I know that you think that what you feel for her is love, but it's not. I've said it before, and I'll say it again. She's a drug, Zack. A bad, powerful drug that has complete control over you. It's not safe and it's not healthy."
I look at Max for several moments, trying to process all of what she has said. No matter how I hard I try to see through Max's eyes though, I can't make myself believe that Maddie is harmful to me. Her comparison of her being a drug seems too daunting, too evil to be my Maddie.
Suddenly, the perfect way show how wonderful and beautiful Maddie is pops into my head.
"She's not a drug," I say to Max. "She's the sun."
Getting no reaction from Max, I continue. "Maddie is that light in my life that makes me get up and work hard. I do need her, yes, but it's much different then a need for a drug. She makes me happy, she brightens my life, she fills me with joy, and at the end of the day, she still shines…just like the sun. And just like the sun, she will always be around me everyday, as I will be with her."
Max stares at me with a blank expression.
"I guess you could also explain my need for her, like air." I carry on. "I need her, but being with her doesn't bring harm me, like a drug would, but fills me with life, just like air.
"There is no way to put into words how amazing Maddie is or our love for each other. I can't even begin to describe it, but I hope you understand a little better now, Max. Hurting you is the last thing I want to do, but…it's her. It's always going to be her. She's it for me; my soul mate."
"No," Max says stubbornly, shaking her head. "That's not true."
"If I decided to stay in this car and be with only you for the rest of my life, my mind would always be thinking of her, my dreams would be filled with her, I would always compare what we did to memories of her and me. It's not a debate in my mind anymore, Max. I've made my decision.
"I know it will be hard, but you've got to get over me. You need to find your "Maddie"".
I lean over the gearshift to give a light kiss on the cheek, and whisper in her ear, "You'll be okay. I know you will."
Deciding that there is nothing more that I can say or do to help the situation, I get out of the car on weak legs and head towards our apartment, ready to do whatever I have to in order to get my sweet thang back.
AN: Hi everyone! I know it's been a ridiculously long time since I last updated, but I got really bad news last week and was in a shitty mood for a while. I didn't want to write when I was in such a state, because I didn't want to let my emotions effect what was supposed to happen in the story. I probably would have ended up doing something stupid, like killing a character off, so it wasn't a good time to write for me. Anyway, I'm sorry again, and I am feeling much better, so I'm back to writing. I hope you all liked this chapter and had a great Thanksgiving!
Not a ton happened in this chapter, but next chapter is going to be EPIC! I can't wait!
To my anonymous reviewers:
Bails:
Thanks a ton for the review, as always! Haha, I know you were really frustrated with Max, so I hope this satisfies you a bit. I'm so sorry I didn't update sooner! Trust me, I do have a plan. Haha. Always keep hope alive! (If what I wrote didn't really make a lot of sense, sorry. You reviewed awhile ago, so I don't know if you remember what you wrote, but I answered all your questions. Haha I'm so awkward!)
Sweetsandwichmuncher:
Your penname makes me hungry, lol. Anyway, thanks for the review and I hope you like what Zack decided!
Lady alice101:
Thank-you for the review. I'm really sorry to keep you waiting so long for this chapter, but I hope it was worth it!
