Chapter 9 – Parental Concern

Max huffed, almost growling in frustration as she closed down the video call with her parents. The recent conversations with them always coming back to the same topic was really beginning to get to her, but not in the same way as it used to in her first semester. Her mother always meant well, she genuinely wasn't trying to upset or annoy her, but Vanessa's inability to drop a subject unless her father realised it was going too far and had to play referee to try to placate both of them. In fact, she had felt so wound up about her mother's fussing over her weight and exercise routine that she had snapped toward the end of the call and refused to discuss the topic any further.

It didn't seem like all that long since she'd left home for Blackwell, but even since her trip back at Thanksgiving she felt like she was fair less willing let her mother's comments go unchecked which had led to recent calls being a bit more tense on both sides. Although, chuckling a little to herself, she couldn't help but think Chloe would be proud of her for standing up for herself even if it was something relatively minor in the grand scheme of things.

It was another sign of how much more relaxed in herself she had started to become as her relationship with Chloe developed. Although on the surface they still did all the same things they did before, that added dimension to everything they did made it feel even more special, even if all they were doing was lying around in Chloe's room talking nonsense or walking around the promenade after school.

A ding from her laptop drew her attention from her musing over how much she had changed across the last 6 months or so. Upon seeing that the email was from her mother she was tempted for a second to slam the lid shut and ignore it but that felt a bit childish she thought as she opened up the message.

Hi Sweetheart,

I didn't mean to upset you earlier. You're doing so well with your schoolwork and your father and I are proud of you for winning that contest and getting your work published. It's amazing to see you so much more confident and making the most of the opportunities Blackwell has, you're growing up so quickly and it's hard to let go of the idea of the shy girl that struggled to even ask us about applying for Blackwell last year.

Living away from home is a lot to get used to at your age and I know you need to learn how to do things for yourself, but it's hard to not want to help when I'm used to you needing our input. I'll try not to bring it up as often, but I do want to make sure you have all the information and support you need to help you with your weight loss as I know you've still been struggling. I've attached some different exercise guides that might be easier to start with and ideas on healthier things you can get from the school meal plan.

We love you so much and we just want you to be happy and healthy.

Love, Mom and Dad

Rolling her eyes, it was more of the same as they had said on the call and while she entirely understood that from their point of view that she had changed a lot in a short time it was frustrating to have to navigate especially when she was still trying to figure things out with Chloe, and her own feelings about her body. But right now, she didn't have the time for that introspection as she needed to get ready to meet Chloe for lunch as she was again spending the weekend over at the Price-Madsen household.

There wasn't a great deal of well-fitting clothes left in her wardrobe she though as she tugged down on the hem of her black deer head motif shirt for the umpteenth time this afternoon already. An extra 60 or so pounds wasn't exactly a small amount of weight and most clothes would only stretch so far. Thankfully Chloe knew of a place she'd never heard of before at the edge of town that sold much larger sizes that regular clothing stores.

She'd been able to find a few new pairs of jeans and a new hoody that fit far more comfortably than her old ones, although the store didn't really carry any shirts in styles that she liked, so she was still wearing whatever ones showed the least amount of under hang while she waited for the few she'd ordered online to arrive.

Her thoughts drifted to the last few weeks and how things had changed. Ever since they pair had made up after their still fairly recent difficulties, they had been going on walks around the quiet parts of town again in the evenings once more. Starting off slow as Max worked on building up her stamina back to the levels she had before, but as much as the exercise had helped make her feel not quite so out of shape, she certainly hadn't lost any weight or inches from around her middle it seemed. If anything, she figured she'd continued to put more on weight if a bit slower, although she hadn't actually checked in a couple weeks.

Pulling out her new hoody she slipped into it with a lot more ease that her older one, zipping up smoothly instead of it being tugged tightly around her middle, it even covered the larger strip of skin showing under the hem of her t-shirt. Grabbing her bag and laptop etc she made her way out of her room and into the hallway where she could hear music coming from the room across the way. Victoria had been mostly avoiding her and surprising quiet during class but at least she hadn't been trying to further antagonise them both, but she figured she'd best get out of the dorm before the blonde poked her head out and started anything.

Other than that, it was quiet as most of the other students were still out doing afternoon extra curriculars and clubs that met on a Friday after half day classes, so she was able to waddle down the stairs and out into the still cool February air without anyone seeing her. Unfortunately, since Chloe wouldn't finish work for another half an hour, she had to make her way all the way to the bus stop at the bottom of the main drive, rather than the shorter trip the car park.

Even with her improved stamina she was still out of breath by the time she got there, not to mention taking the bus meant an uncomfortable ride across town on the rickety old bus that hadn't been replaced since she was a kid riding it down to the Two Whales Diner. In the time it took the bus to arrive she'd managed to get her breath back, lumbering up the steep steps and finding a seat she tried to get comfortable, listening to music to tune out the various conversations of the other passengers.

The scenery passed by the window, the open campus disappearing behind her as they drove through the thicker forested hills down to the main town before they trees gave way to buildings of the older part of the town. At the very least the journey wasn't too long but arriving at the diner, she couldn't wait to get out of the increasingly cramped bench seat and stretch her legs on the short journey across the road.

Although, as she approached their usual booth, she remembered how much smaller the bench seat was becoming these days, having learned to slide and twist into the seat to avoid her belly getting in the way and bumping off the table. But once she was seated, she was comfortable enough for now, despite her belly pressing into the edge of the table quite a bit. Ordering a coffee to drink while she waited for Chloe, she grabbed the menu quickly looking over it in case anything different stood out to her today rather than her usual favourite.

It seemed she had fallen into a bit of a trance while considering her options as she was surprised by the sudden contact of someone's arm around her and a body sliding into the booth beside her.

"Hey, babe," Chloe greeted placing a quick kiss on her cheek, chuckling at Max's red face at the squeak she gave out. "You ordered yet?"

Max shook her head; she hadn't quite gotten used to the open flirting and public affection, but she wasn't complaining.

"Was waiting on you," She smiled coyly back at the punk as she slid round to the opposite side of the table as the waitress came back over.

"What can I get you girls?" Tina drawled, notepad in hand as she fished her pencil from behind her ear once more.

"Oh, um," Max realised for all her staring at the menu she hadn't actually made her mind up yet as she picked it back up.

"I'll go for the double cheeseburger and fries," Chloe ordered without even looking at the menu, obviously familiar with all the Two Whales had to offer.

"And, I'll have the Waffles as usual," the temptation of her favourite too strong to deny after all it seemed.

"So, one double cheese and fries, and one Belgian Waffles, extra cream and syrup too hon'?"

Max nodded in agreement as Tina wrote down the order, confirming what they wanted to drink before heading off behind the counter once more.

Feeling Chloe staring at her, she turned her attention back to the punk, reaching out to hold hands across the table. Enjoying the fact that she could do this at any time and that Chloe would always respond by gently squeezing her hand affectionately. She knew they were now grinning stupidly at each other, but they were young and in love after all.

It didn't take long before lunch was served. Chatting about their day as they ate, the rest of lunch was quietly pleasant, however, when it came to talking about her morning Max sighed still not entirely sure what she felt after the earlier call.

"Take it, it didn't go well?" Chloe probed, she knew what Max's parents could be like at times and figured there must have been something more that happened if Max was still feeling upset by it.

"I don't know, I got a bit shitty with them even though I know they think they're trying to help but…" Max trailed off, stabbing at a chunk of waffle frowning, she could hear her mother's voice repeating the same advice she'd given several times over by now. "I kinda hung up on them and I haven't replied to Mom's email."

"Vanessa must be loving that," Chloe commented with a small amount of snark, she had experience of winding up Max's parents when they were younger and taking the brunt of any fallout from their adventures, especially when they had snuck out or gotten into trouble. "What did she email you about?"

"Diet plans, again" Max sighed again deeper this time before taking a bite of the waffle on her fork and chewing contemplatively for a second. "Can't she just be happy that I'm happy?"

"Anything I can do to help?" Chloe asked gently, knowing her immediate desire to call Vanessa up and yell at her probably wouldn't be appreciated even if it would be cathartic for both of them.

"Probably not about that, I doubt my Mom will ever change at this point," Max shrugged but added, "Just don't let me start feeling sorry for myself too much. I don't want our time together to be ruined because of this."

"Hey," Reaching out again, Chloe squeezed her arm reassuringly, "no time has been ruined. I'm your girlfriend, I want to make sure you're ok, ok?"

Max smiled gratefully. She never liked feeling like a burden even over small things, but Chloe knew what she needed to hear.

"Ok, but for today can we forget about my parents?" Max asked needing time to consider what she wanted to do about that situation, "I want to enjoy my waffles, hang out with you, maybe take a walk later if it stays nice out, and, um, maybe later..."

Chloe grinned knowing exactly what Max was stumbling over. With the change to their relationship had come a more physical side, and although they hadn't really done much more than making out, it was clear they both enjoyed that level of intimacy. It felt like a natural extension to how physical they were with other even if they had both agreed to take things slow to start with.

"Are you propositioning me, Caulfield?" came the teasing response through a chuckle as Chloe enjoyed the blush that took over her girlfriend's face but putting her at ease before she burnt up "Because if you are, the answer is most definitely a yes."

"Oh dog," Max groaned shaking her head, although glad that she wasn't alone in feeling that way but still embarrassed about how shy she still was at talking about what she enjoyed or wanted to try. But if Chloe had anything to do with it, she'd soon get over that or die of shock, she wasn't sure yet.

With the mood back to the previously cheery level they got back to the easy flowing conversation in no time. With no rush to go anywhere in particular and free from any responsibilities for the day they took their time finishing their meals before ordering a couple of donuts for dessert, only leaving a few hours later when the diner got too busy for them to keep hogging the booth. But with the rest of the day ahead of them still, they could simply take their time on the walk back to Chloe's truck to plan the rest of the weekend. Movies, snacks, walks, and a trip to take photographs on the outskirts of town were all on the board, but the most important part was that they could spend that time together.