College life was harder than Max originally painted it. The concept of just having fun, getting girls, playing sports, and being your own free man flew out the window come his second year when things got really hard. No matter how tough it got, though, he had his best friends beside him even if it was almost a joke how PJ had a girlfriend and he didn't. The queen of the Bean Scene, whose real name was Beth Douglas but she went by Mellowny, had been dating PJ since they first met at the night club. When PJ showed his sensitive poetic side that he hid because he hung out with his bros all the time, she was his and had been for a long time. He even got a tattoo to commemorate her which had a quote from her favorite poet surrounded by stars and poppies.

It was something flowery and deep, full of meaning and mushy love. Of course, his father disapproved of it immediately but there was nothing he could do about it, no matter how much he might yell. Dating Mellowny gave PJ the confidence to stand up to his dad at long last and in a tearful fight he told him all that he felt over the years. About how much pain he caused him, about how much he was sick of being ignored, underappreciated, unloved, and most of all how he missed just being a family but his father ruined that. Peg, PJ's mom, had been going through a messy divorce with Pete and their agreement thus far was that PJ got to spend summers with his dad and every other time with her. When he was at her house, he got cookies every day and kissed on the cheek, typical mommy coddling. She hated Pete so much that she refused to go to the barbeque to send her son off and had one of her own, in which Pete did not come because she got on his nerves too.

The divorce was finalized and she gained custody of PJ because the court ruled that Pete was unfit as a father. Sure, he fed his kid, clothed him, housed him but those are things expected of a parent. However, it was also expected of them to provide a warm loving home, kindness, help when needed, and to not verbally abuse and make them feel unwanted. Often times, though he never said it, PJ was jealous of Max's dad and their relationship and wished he could tell his good pal that he was taking his old man for granted, that he should appreciate he even had someone who loved him that much. He was never bold enough to say such things so he left it in his mind. Now he lived with his mom and Pistol, his sister, and Mellowny was pretty much considered part of the family.

Peg loved her and she helped calm Pistol down when she got her father's temper. Everything was going great for him, he even got a job at the Bean Scene so he could be closer to her. For Bobby well it had seemed for a long time he was a lost cause who would never find his place in the world because of how random, weird, loud, silly, and honestly obnoxious he could be. Only Max and PJ could stand him, he was always a social outcast and before he made friends people picked on him constantly. His family was pretty lax about everything he did but also supportive of his strange ways too. Truth be told they were just as weird as he was. However even he eventually found someone to be with and something to do with his spare time, outside of hanging out and the usual. He met a girl at a comic book shop and hit it off great with her. They both touched the same comic and sparks flew. She was quirky, a bit odd, very nerdy, but all together fun to hang out with.

Her name was Cassandra, a darker skinned girl with glasses, and she and Bobby had been casually dating nothing serious for a bit. She helped him get a job as a sign spinner for the comic book store. That just left Max as the strangely odd one out. It's not as if he couldn't attract a girl, heck even his own father with his antics and goofball attitude could find someone special. Sylvia and his father had been whispering about marriage for some time now and honestly Max couldn't be happier. After his own mother passed away, there had been a missing spot in their family for a long time. There needed to be a mother figure around again and it was past time for Goofy to move on and find someone new. It was hard, admittedly for him to do that but he loved Sylvia and wanted her to be the mother his son deserved right now.

He would never stop caring about the first wife he had but Gloria was gone now and he could wager she was up in heaven looking down upon her son, so proud of him. It was time now to stop thinking about the past, mourning and feeling that pain, and look toward something brighter in his future. After much debating he finally tied the knot with her and they took a long honeymoon, traveling to all his favorite spots. She was such a corny girl, absolutely perfectly well, for lack of better words, goofy and therefore perfect for him. They liked the same things, listened to the same music, and Max swore she was the only woman who willingly went to and enjoyed Lester's Possum Park without a kid. She had always wanted kids though and now saw Max as her very own.

She never smothered him but she did make sure he did his work on time and that he never gave up on whatever his dreams were. Problem was he didn't know what to do now that his dream of winning the X-Games were complete. He could become a professional athlete and indeed he did try out for the football team, and got on it, but a football scholarship didn't seem to be what he wanted his life to depend on. He loved sports and they paid big bucks for someone who could go pro but it never was his calling. Still he played for fun, gaining more popularity and friends along the way. He needed money though, he could only rely on his dad to wire some to him for so long. It was time to branch out and discover what more was out there for him outside of footballs and skateboards.

He needed a real job, at least a part time one to start. Sadly, his father's connections had only gotten him so far and now the House of Mouse was closed down forever. So his time of being a valet was over. Right now that was all he was focused on, getting a job, and girlfriends could wait. His last one had broken up with him just when he thought maybe she could be the one he'd give a promise ring to, one he'd take all the way to the alter one day but those were the deluded dreams of a lovesick pup. They broke up on good terms but it still hurt him more than he was willing to show in front of her and it was awkward to say the least to try to be friends after that. He got so bitter every time he saw her with her new boyfriend, a strong tall muscular guy with bleached blonde hair and facial hair Max could only dream of growing.

He felt like she only got him for his good looks and money but that was him being salty for no reason, still feeling the sting of an old flame. So of course he wasn't really ready to look for someone new again. He looked through school jobs but found nothing that either suited him or wanted him with his low skill level. He searched for things beyond the campus but found nothing. He circled want ad after want ad and called number after number and whatever good luck he had seemed to have run out. His father told him that finding the right job was like finding the right pair of shoes. He was a good one for using metaphors and similes but all that talk and hyping him up only could go so far. Max knew if you wanted something you had to go get it and you had to work for it. Sylvia said looking for work is work itself and that was no joke.

He lived off of coffee for a while, staying up all night balancing studying for tests and finding something to get him a good paycheck. All his searching turned up nothing. Tired and frustrated he got into his new car, given to him on his last birthday, and went to take a drive and just think. He parked out on a desolate stretch of road and sat there looking at the sky for a while, thinking of what he was gunna do. He let out a groan of dissatisfaction, completely at odds with himself. Then his stomach growled and he decided he needed to go get something to eat. He felt like he hadn't eaten in days, at least real food and not power bars. There was a McDonalds not that far away and the smell of greasy fries was calling his name all the way there. It wasn't his healthiest choice but it was what he could afford and the nostalgic taste of those flame grilled patties with melted bright yellow cheese was something he could not say no to.

As a kid he lived on Happy Meals when his dad couldn't cook. It took Goofy a while to learn how to make proper meals since he was never the cook of the family before. He was always the bread maker not bread baker. So, when it came time for it he burnt so many things that the fire alarm had to be replaced because it kept going off all the time, wearing out its batteries. Cereal, poptarts, quick meals that's what Max was used to. It was a miracle the first time he made flapjacks that didn't taste like ash and cardboard and weren't dry as the desert. Max parked in the driveway of the McDonalds, thinking he was going to go through the driveway but he wanted to keep his car clean as possible so he wasn't about to eat in it for fear of a ketchup stain he could never get out of the carpeted flooring. Bobby was not allowed in his car if he had anything to eat in his hands, he was far too messy. If he wanted to do that they would use his van.

He hopped out of the car and into the French-fried kingdom, waited in line and looked at the menu. He counted his change. Just enough to get a whole meal with money left over for the next one. Score. He heard a bit of mild arguing behind the counter, what sounded like someone's boss maybe telling a girl to hurry up and get the orders done so the line could get moving. She sounded so frustrated but also upset. He felt bad for her and told himself this was not the kind of job he wanted, flipping burgers for a living while your boss breathed down your back expecting you to make food, prepare it, wrap it up, bag it, and serve it with a smile. It seemed like mission impossible for the average every day sane person to do and yet when he heard her turn to the next guest, he could hear her voice go from tense to genuinely cheerful and sweet in a heartbeat. He wondered if she looked half as cute as she sounded. Maybe he'd sneak her an extra tip for her hard work and perhaps he might "accidently" write his number on the receipt and leave it for her. Yeah, he wasn't exactly looking for a girl right now but hey maybe that's actually what he needed to help him.

When it was his turn, she was turned away from him bagging things up while looking at the board to see what meal was up next. She tucked her hair behind her ears, mumbling heatedly to herself that she swore she was going to quit this job. Apparently one of her coworkers heard her and remarked, "Yeah yeah yeah that's what you said last time and the time before that too." He heard her let out an effeminate grunt, how she sounded so hot even when angry he didn't know. All he could tell about her right now was she had red hair tied up in a pony tail and wearing the signature paper hat with uniform. She was curvy and he didn't mind checking her out while she was standing there bending over to get the toy the kid in front of him had wanted. That same kid was standing there bounding up and down being annoying about how he wanted his toy right now. The mother looked so fed up with him honestly, she seemed like she hadn't known sleep in five hundred years. She was still in her pajamas for god's sake with slippers, curlers and all. The young woman behind the counter turned and handed the bag to the child specifically with a big smile on her face.

"Here you go sweetie. Enjoy."

He looked inside, made sure it was what he wanted, then ran giddily over to the table to start playing with it. His mother sluggishly followed after and as Max watched her he hoped for his sake she was able to keep the kid quiet. He couldn't stand noisy children. The woman turned to him and he to her. She was majorly attractive, like wow, 10 out of 10 but something about her was oddly familiar. She had the cutest little beauty mark on her cheek which flushed as he looked at her. His eyes went to her name tag and his jaw dropped.

"R-R-…Roxanne?!"

"Max?! Is it really you?"

He blew out some air and let out a small laugh though he didn't know why. "Yeah I mean…it's me…this is crazy. It's been so long. Who'da thunk I'd bump into you after all these years and here too!?"

"Yeah it's wild. So um…what have you been uh up to?"

"Oh you know just going to college, trying to get a degree, normal stuff. You?"

She frowned deeply, looking at her surroundings. Her lips thinned and her brow furrowed sadly. "This is what I've been up to. I've been working here for at least a year at this point."

"But you could do so much better than this crappy joint. I mean um no offense or anything. It's not like I don't like the food but…I'm rambling aren't I?"

She giggled. "Maybe a little. As far as working here, what choice do I have, you know? I had to do something and my dad got me in good with the manager so I'm pretty much never going to lose this job. You know how persuasive my dad can be…"

"Oh yeah…he's um…well you would know he's your dad," He said, hands deep in his pockets and leaning back, trying to seem levelheaded and cool but he was anything but. He just bumped into his teenage crush from high school and man did she ever have a glow up. She was already attractive back then but even with her hair messily tied up that way she was beautiful. He cursed himself for ever letting her go now. He wondered to himself why it was that he did in the first place. He couldn't remember anymore and looking at her now he felt like the worlds biggest goof. "Say uh…if you aren't busy later do you wanna grab something and catch up? My treat."

"Oh but aren't you like busy with school and everything?"

"No no, I'm cool. I don't have anything better to do than you…I mean to hang out with you! I mean….ah crap."

Roxanne laughed again and he laughed back awkwardly, rubbing his shoulder. "Alright Max, if you don't have to study or whatever then we can chill right here actually. I'm off in ten. We can just get some food on my discount and eat at my favorite table. It's right over there if you wanna wait for me."

She pointed to a corner table with exactly two seats. "No problem. See you then."

He waited there for her, counting off the minutes till he got to just talk with her again. He couldn't believe this, it was just a random McDonalds and here she was. She had been this close this whole time and he had no idea. Just a few miles out of the way. Was this fate? He hoped maybe it was in his favor if it was. He texted his friends what was going on as he waited for her but he was so concentrated in his last text that he didn't notice her standing right beside him until she cleared her throat. He jumped a little and dropped his phone hard on the table.

"Oops…sorry. I didn't mean to startle you!"

"No, you're fine," he explained, internally remarking 'Yeah…real fine.' He was tempted to pull out her chair for her but she remained standing as if she wasn't about to sit down. "Aren't you uh…going to sit? Or do you prefer standing?" He joked around with a grin.

"Ha! All I do is stand all day. I can't wait to sit down with you…well I mean of course…to sit down at all….anyways! We should order first then sit."

"Right. You know what you want?" He asked her, pulling out his money.

She touched his hand causing him to blush. It had been some time since a girl touched him like that and even more time since she did. "Don't worry about paying, Max. I pretty much get everything for free. Keep the money for a rainy day."

"Well what if it rains today?"

She shook her head at him with a raised eyebrow. "You're not paying for me. I got this. Just tell me what you want."

"I feel like a total scum bag letting you pay for everything. A man it supposed to pay for a woman."

"Sure if it's a date and that's not even all the time. We live in a modern society now, women can pay for their own food you know."

The phrase "Sure if it's a date" ran hollow inside of him, reminding him that this wasn't one. They weren't dating and he was already a sleezeball for letting her leave his life at all. Why was it again? He didn't want to ask her but he also really wanted to know. He wasn't sure why his memory was failing him. In a moments time she came back with the food for both of them including a strawberry shake for herself. She sat down and unpacked the food for both of them and began to mix the ketchup, mustard and mayonnaise together to make her own dipping sauce. She dipped her fries in it then popped one in her mouth. Max chuckled to himself.

"What?"

"You still do that huh?"

"Do what? Oh you mean…yeah! You can't tell me it's not delicious."

"It is. I had never tried it before I met you. It sounded so gross to me but when I had it, I was addicted. I thought honey mustard was good."

"It actually is better when you use honey mustard instead of regular. So how's college going?"

"Pretty good. At first it was a nightmare. My dad was going to the same school I was and it was so embarrassing! Can you imagine having to share the school with your pops and not only that have him upstage you and become more popular than you?"

"Oh wow that must have been tough. My dad would have tried to keep me away from any kind of boy if he came to school with me…. but you already know how overprotective of his 'little angel' he is."

"Ohhh yeah…I remember all too well…."

Max had taken Roxanne to prom and in the photo he took with her before he left to go he made sure not to touch her so to appease her dad. He swore he felt like her father would be vindictive enough to follow them there and keep an eye on them, make sure there was no funny business. However thankfully her father stayed at home waiting for Roxanne to come back at the proper time, not too late and not too early. Just on time like he made Max swear to. His own father didn't seem to mind if he was out late but not too late of course. Max tried to enjoy himself as much as he could with the limited time he had. Back then PJ had no one to go with so he was by himself and stayed next to the snack table, getting punch and eating all the Swedish meatballs on skewers. Bobby had gone with Roxanne's best friend. They still kept in touch after they sort of broke up but lost contact along the way. Not because they wanted to but because of changed phone numbers and moving and other factors. To this day he says she was a real lady and he honestly didn't deserve her. Now he has a new girl but one has to wonder if he thinks of Stacy from time to time staring into those glasses, reminded of another pair.

"What are you studying in college?"

"That's just the thing… I don't know what I want to do with my life. I thought I could become a sports star but eh I don't know. Doesn't that seem like the easy way out?"

"What? No way! I think that would be great for you. You're strong and quick on your feet. I bet the team really enjoys having you on there too."

"Oh yeah?"

"Definitely. You're the coolest person I know and you're nice, friendly, outgoing. You've got a lot going for you. Me on the other hand…. I'm going to be stuck here for the rest of my days."

"Why aren't you in school too?"

"I tried…but…my school closed down plus my dad doesn't work so someone has to pay for things, so I had to get a job and with a full-time job how can I be expected to go to school too?"

"Geez….I had no idea. I'm real sorry about that Roxanne. Is there anything I can do to help? I'll do anything for you….anything."

She smiled gently up at him, trying to hold back the tears in her eyes. "See that's what I mean? Your willingness to help people even when you have so little of your own, I admire that. I always have."

"You admire me?"

"Yes. I wish I could be you, I wish I could have your energy, your zest for life but… working here…being treated the way I am… it gets harder and harder to stay positive. Do you feel me?"

"I feel you," He told her sincerely. "That's why I can't stand seeing you work here. Even before I knew it was you I was feeling bad for whoever it was that was working. Are you sure there's nothing else you can do?"

"What talents do I have? I can't make art, I can't do math really well, I'm no good at athletics."

"You used to work for the newspaper. Hey yeah. That could be something you could do. I heard that the tribune has an opening. You could write articles expressing your opinion on things."

Roxanne paused for a moment and thought it over, going back and forth over whether or not she could actually do something like that. She had thought of every other venue but not of this one. She loved to write and she loved to talk about what she thought of things but no one listened to her. Would they listen to her if her opinions were in print? It seemed like a stretch but what did she have to lose really? This lame job where she was not even going to make it to the top without her father threatening someone? Roxanne tossed off her hat and threw it on the table.

"You're right! I've been wasting my life here when there's more for me out there besides this. I could be a writer, I could make a difference in the world!"

"There you go!"

"I'm going to go up to that bossy manager of mine and tell them right now that I'm quitting once and for all. I'm done with this place. Oh thank you Max!" She exclaimed, coming over to hug him tightly. He rose slowly and hugged her back, wanting to stay like that for a while but she let go quickly and turned red, laughing to herself. He laughed too until it turned into his signature laugh that he got from his father. He covered his mouth, blushing brighter because of that.

"I've missed your laugh," She admitted, moving her foot across the floor while smiling coyly.

"Me too. Your laugh, not mine. I mean obviously yours how could I miss my own…ugh. I'm really bad at talking to you… but that's always been the case. You've always made me tongue tied."

"I noticed… you used to stumble over your words even after we had been together for a long time. Why is that?"

"Because Roxanne… I had never met someone so…"

"So what?" She questioned, moving her hair out of her face.

"So beautiful… inside and out. I don't know why on earth I even let you go. It was probably a stupid reason too…"

"No it wasn't. We were diverging into different paths, going different places, and we didn't think long distance could work out. I think we were both afraid of what might happen if we couldn't see each other all the time. It's been forever though, I'm surprised you still remember me."

"How could I forget? The moment I saw your beauty mark I knew it was you."

She touched her cheek where the mark was and smiled so much her cheeks dimpled. "I used to hate this but you loved it so much that I grew to love it too. I was always told moles were unattractive."

"No way. It's actually kinda…. no. I can't say it…. It wouldn't be appropriate to say to a friend."

"Who says we have to stay just friends…? Of course, if you have a girlfriend already…."

His eyes widened at what she was saying. Was she trying to get back together with him even after all this time? Even after him breaking them up? He looked at her and saw no lying or joking in her eyes. She meant what she was saying. He wasn't about to let this opportunity go once it had presented itself. Who knew when or if it would ever come again? It might not ever. If this was destiny then he was going to take it by the reigns and make sure his life would go right by his own decision. He closed his mouth because his jaw was slack but then immediately opened it again to talk to her.

"No no no. I don't have anyone. But…I…are you…do you want to…try again with me? Even though it's been so many years?"

"Yes…because even though it's been this long I never stopped thinking about you and I never moved on. You were my first love and I never got over it. Maybe you did and that's fine but for me it was hard. I still have all the love letters you wrote me, every sticker you gave me, every movie ticket, every piece of paper I doodled your name on. It's silly though….isn't it….?"

"I don't think it's silly. I'm glad you still thought about me and that you could recognize me that quickly. I still have some of the things you gave me too. I guess, deep down, we never really wanted to be apart even if we had moved on, we still remembered."

"Mhm. So do you want to give it another go? If it doesn't work out again then that's fine too. I just want to see… if I was right."

"Right about what exactly?"

"About us…being together for…well…"

"Forever?"

"Something like that," She admitted, looking off to the side, riddled with sudden shyness.

"I'm game if you are. Ah that wasn't how I wanted to say it but…you know what I meant."

"Yeah okay… I'll give you my number and we can start talking. We'll take it slow we don't even have to be formally dating we can hang out or whatever until we think its time to take things another step."

She took the receipt and wrote her number on it, the very thing he was going to do with her when he didn't know who she was yet. She handed it off to him then turned her head hearing a loud honking coming from outside. Her dad was there in his beat-up pickup truck waiting for her. She said she had to go and gave him one last hug before departing. He watched her leave but this time she wasn't leaving his life for good, she was entering it again cautiously, scared of getting hurt again and so was he. This time though he wasn't going to screw things up. This time he would make things right. As she said they took it slow but even though that was the case his friends still assumed he was dating and couldn't be happier for him that he found the girl he had liked in his younger days.

It was some type of sign that he went there to that specific place and she was actually on her shift and that he took that drive. All of it lined up like the pieces to this broken puzzle called their life they were picking up and putting back together. Day after day, month after month, they went from talking to dating and Max finally thought that perhaps becoming a professional extreme sports player wasn't such a bad idea after all. So he did just that, he still studied and got a degree but when he graduated he went on to try out for the big leagues. At this point he and Roxanne had been dating full time, she had met Sylvia and was welcomed back into the family like it was yesterday. Goofy asked no questions about anything and just accepted her and their rebudding romance. On the day that Max was accepted into a real team and made it as part of the league he took Roxanne out to a fancy dinner, on the very top of a building where they could see the city and night sky.

It was a celebration of his success and they toasted with champagne and he spoiled her with whatever she wanted from the menu. That wasn't all that he did though. He took out his fork and tapped it on the champagne glass, gathering everyone's attention. He got up and made a grand speech about how Roxanne changed his life, how she had always been there from the start, helped better him, loved him, supported him through all adversity, and that through it all despite everything never left his side even when he might deserve it. He was starting his own life now, they were both working and making money enough to move out, and he wanted her to be a part of that life. So he got down on one knee and pulled out a small velvet lined box with a sizable diamond ring in it. Nothing overly complicated, something simple yet elegant like her. She cried her heart out and through her tears she readily accepted his proposal. That day was one of the best in his entire life, one he would never forget.

The same could be said of his wedding. PJ was his best man of course and everyone was invited. Pete and Peg had to sit far far away from each other but they both came, after all Peg was still on good terms with Goofy and was glad to receive an invite. Pete just came for free food honestly. PJ was already watering up and the music hadn't even started yet. When Roxanne came down the aisle, Max couldn't help himself but to get emotional too, and he told himself he wouldn't but he did. She was absolutely stunning with her hair in orange waves about her face like rays of golden sunshine, a long-sleeved white dress with bouquet of pink flowers and golden rods. He felt so happy he could die when she was beside him and took on his last name. Their honeymoon was spent in loving embraces under moonlit skies and watching sunsets while cuddled close.

Their life was blissful and couldn't get any better or so he thought. Then their family he was surprised to find out would be growing from the two of them to three. He was over the moon when he found out she was pregnant with their first child. Boy or girl he didn't care as long as it came out healthy and happy. The day came where they would welcome their child into the world and it turned out to be a girl, a beautiful girl with black hair like his, like his father's and her eyes. She was beautiful and in honor of his mother he named her something based on that. Goofy nearly drowned in his own tears hearing that, it was the most touching moment in their lives. Roxanne cradled her baby girl with Max by her side, looking down so proudly at what they had created together. PJ was named godfather and Bobby second godfather. Goofy held their child bouncing her up and down making her laugh. She laughed exactly like her father and her grandfather and that laughter made everyone else laugh in the room. Happiness radiated in that room that day and Max was so glad he took that drive that day. If he hadn't, he might not have ended up with the girl who he knew now was the only one truly meant for him and he for her.