Extra Ordinary I
Chapter 17
At least once a month, they all went out to a random bar. Usually, Zane and Max ended up singing show tunes as they stumbled around completely drunk as they tried to dance. Syl and Jhondie acted sweet and innocent long enough to convince the Neanderthals that they were poor helpless women. They flipped their hair a lot, challenged them to a game of pool, and then giggled helplessly as they collected their money after whipping their a**es. Then they joined Max and Zane in the land of the belligerent. Zack was the responsible older brother, and the only one who really followed the 'no consumption of alcoholic beverages' rule that Manticore thought they listened too. Everyone else got pissy drunk and then Zack had to deal with the fun job of getting them all home in one piece. Four, sometimes five if they could talk Krit into coming, genetically engineered drunks…it wasn't a pretty thing.
One lovely evening, Zane was so drunk that he was hitting on anything that opposing genitalia. For whatever reason, Syl decided she didn't like that, and walked up to Zane and tried to punch him in the face. While Zane was drunk, he wasn't quite as drunk as Syl, and he had time to duck. Unfortunately, Zack, who had been minding his own business and just happened to turn his head at the wrong time. Zack walked away with a broken nose. The whole humor of the situation amused Syl so much, she forgot how much a pig Zane was and hopped on his back for a piggyback ride. Zack still hadn't completely forgiving Zane for ducking.
"Hey," Jhondie pushed open the door to Max's bedroom. "It's your turn to pick the bar."
Jhondie was surprised to find Max standing in front of her mirror, meticulously applying eyeliner. Max rarely, if ever, put on anything more than a quick coat of lip gloss, and maybe some mascara if it was warranted. "Sorry, I've got to pass tonight." She said mildly, turning to Jhondie and tapping the end of the pencil on the top of her dresser. "If someone would have told me that we were supposed to be going out tonight, I wouldn't have made other plans."
"It was just decided about ten minuets ago when there was absolutely nothing else to do." Jhondie narrowed her eyes slightly. "Where are you going?" She asked after watching Max meticulously apply dark red lipstick. "You aren't going over there *again* are you?" Jhondie asked in the most unflattering whine.
Max resisted the urge to sigh. She'd had this conversation, or some variation of it, with almost all of her siblings. The only one who didn't seem to be harassing her about it was Zane, mainly because he was pretty busy leering and making sick jokes. Zack said she was ignoring her work. Syl said she was ignoring her responsibilities. Krit just glared, but he was probably just jealous. Now it looked like Jhondie was going to say that she was ignoring her family. Marvelous. "Yes, I'm going to Logan's for dinner." She kept her voice smooth and calm. It was a trial, but she managed it.
"What the hell do you do over there, anyway?" Jhondie asked imperiously, disdain lacing her voice. She flopped across Max's bed; half in sulk, half in amusement in watching Max girl herself up. It didn't happen often, so Jhondie wondered if she still had film in her camera. She mentally waved the thought away. One picture wasn't worth the destruction of her camera.
Max smirked. Who'd have thought she, the queen of all that was an adrenaline rush, would be content to sit around talking. "Not a whole lot." Max said evasively.
"A whole lot of nothing always means a lot more of something." Jhondie said, wiggling her eyebrows. Max ignored the comment, rooting through her closet, grabbing shirts at random. Jhondie was humming lightly, sarcastically if it was possible, but it had Max's shoulders stiffening. Why did everyone assume that every guy she spend time with, she was automatically sleeping with them. Yeah, sure, she didn't have any platonic relationships. Hell, she didn't even really have any friends out side her family. But did that mean she was incapable of having one? Her fingers clenched around the black shirt in her hand. "I'm not sleeping with him." Max blurted, quickly and defensively.
Jhondie mentally did a victory dance. Of course Max hadn't slept with him. She would have told her, or Syl at least, by now. Now all she had to do was piss off Max enough to find out *why* she hadn't. "And why the hell not?" She asked in a low voice, suddenly picking up an edge that threw Max off guard.
"What do you mean 'why not'?" Max asked, temper rising in her voice. She un-balled the shirt in her hand, and dropped it disgustedly when she saw how wrinkled it had become. She was sick of stressing over what to wear, when there was no real point in it. She grabbed the first shirt that she could reach, and yanked it on with jerky movements.
"I'm asking why you haven't slept with him." Jhondie repeated. "I mean, is there some particular reason? Or are you just afraid?"
Max snorted, but it seemed strained and panicked. "I'm not afraid of anything. I don't hop into bed with every guy I meet. But thanks for your faith in me, sister dear."
Jhondie was all too aware of Max's techniques. She didn't even give her comment half a thought. "You're afraid of more than your willing to admit. You're afraid of guns, Zack, squirrels, and clowns. Now it seems Logan can be added to that list."
Max smiled a knowing smile. "I simply choose not to use guns. I'm not afraid of Zack; in fact, I bet he's afraid of me. I'm not afraid of squirrels; I just want them eliminated from the Earth. And clowns are creepy. Logan doesn't scare me. If he scared me, I wouldn't be hanging out with him."
Jhondie was almost convinced that Max believed that. "So you aren't afraid of Logan." Jhondie said agreeably. Max smiled, pleased that she got Jhondie to quit bugging her in less time than it usually did. "So it's the intimacy that scares you." Max narrowed her eyes. She walked right into that one.
"Some one's been reading self help books." She said between her teeth.
"Avoiding the question." Jhondie shot back brightly. "Just like saying yes."
"Just because I haven't had sex with him doesn't mean I'm afraid too." Max repeated, hoping that hint of desperation in her voice was really exasperation. "And maybe, just maybe, he doesn't want to sleep with me. Think of that? Perhaps he isn't attracted to me."
Jhondie's mouth dropped open. She stared for five full seconds in complete silence. Then she burst into laughter, rolling onto her back and gripping her stomach, almost falling off the bed as she rocked back and forth. Max gritted her teeth together and walked into the closet, the sound of Jhondie's laughter following her. "Do you seriously believe that?" She finally managed, breathless and hoarse from laughter.
"Is it that far out of the realm of possibility? Is it possible that there is some man out there that wouldn't be attracted to one of us?"
Jhondie snorted. "With our flexibility?"
Max was quickly growing tired of this conversation. She walked out of the closet, pissed as hell, and wanting to get the hell out of there as quickly as possible. She had wanted to dress up, or something close to it, but somehow she ended up in jeans and a tee shirt. Then she had planned on curling her hair, yet she was yanking it up onto a ponytail. And she was blaming it all on Jhondie. All. Her. Fault.
"Are you that oblivious?" Jhondie asked. "Wait, I think you are. Well, let me tell you. I see the way he looks at you when you're not looking. I see the way you look at him when he's not looking. The two of you have no idea how truly pathetic you are. Its sickening for the rest of us."
Max was about to spit some nasty retort, but then thought about her words. Logan was checking her out when she wasn't paying attention, which was something to properly consider and debate in the car later.
"Are you attracted to him?" Jhondie waved a hand in front of her face. "Scratch that, we both know you are, and you'd just look stupid to deny it." She grinned wickedly when she heard Max grind her teeth. This was especially fun for Jhondie to finally have the opportunity to torture Max, one small payback for all the times she herself had found herself cornered by Max's roundabout arguments. "So the real question is, why are you afraid to act on that attraction."
"Would you stop saying I'm afraid?" Max snapped. "Maybe I'd just like to take it slow."
"Coming from the queen of one night stands." Jhondie muttered. Max's head whipped around so fast it was a strong possibility that she hurt herself.
"What did you say?" She said carefully, each word slow and deliberate.
Jhondie was about to apologize, she hadn't meant for her comment to hurt Max. But then she considered her options and thought against it. It could just be the kick in the a** she needed. "I find it surprising that you didn't just throw him into bed the first time he invited you to his place. Not your usual MO to be patient."
Max stared silently for a full twenty seconds before moving. "Your one to talk." She spit as she grabbed her keys off her nightstand.
"Hey, I'm not in denial about it, unlike some." Jhondie said rolling off the bed and following Max down the hallway. "Don't get all pissed at me, Maxie."
"F**k you, Jhondie." Max went down the stairs two at a time. She brushed past a surprised Syl, who may or may not have said something to her, but she was more concerned with getting the hell out of there to talk.
Jhondie kept an even pace with Max, following behind her, hoping she didn't go over the line, but knowing it was too late to worry about it. Max stormed through the kitchen, Zane and Krit perking up when Max slammed the door with enough force that the windows rattled. Jhondie pulled the door open and jogged after her.
Syl walked in from the hallway, brows knit in question. Naturally, they all moved onto the porch to watch the genetically engineered cat fight that was about to take place.
It was early yet, the sun just starting its descent, the rays bouncing off the pond, the water seeming gold in the dimming light. Jhondie caught up with Max about twenty feet from her car. "Max, wait up." When she didn't slow down, Jhondie grabbed her shoulder. Max made a low sound deep in her throat, then turned, already taking a swing. Jhondie blocked the fist with her forearm, sidestepping and grabbing Max's wrist at the same time, quickly twisting Max's arm behind her back. Damn, she's bad off, Jhondie though when she took an elbow to the stomach. It nearly knocked the breath out of her, but she recovered quickly and pushed her foot in the back of Max's leg, forcing Max to stumble forward. Max regained her footing, whipping around in a deadly spinning kick. Jhondie blocked the kick and shoved Max back again. "Maxie's in love." Jhondie taunted with a feral grin, then spun, Max's fist coming close enough to brush past her ear.
Syl leaned against the railing, flanked on either side by Krit and Zane. When Jhondie's head snapped back, she sighed and jumped over the railing. "Where are you going?" Zane asked, proud of Max for going for the mouth, proud of Jhondie for paying her back with a fist to the stomach. No sister of his was a hair pullers or scratchers.
"They are going to hurt each other." She called over her shoulder.
"So?" Krit muttered. "It'll be good for them to knock some sense into each other."
Syl pushed into the middle of the fight, fists and feet flying narrowly close to her head. God help either of them if one of them actually connected with her. "Cut it out," Syl snapped. She shoved Jhondie back, hooking her arms through her elbows from behind and dragging her back. Jhondie put up little fight, her tense muscles instantly relaxing. Max, on the other hand, wasn't one to give up quite so easily. Jhondie quickly leaned to the side to avoid Max's punch, which instead grazed off Syl's cheek.
Max didn't know how, but she found her self slammed up against the side of her car in a chokehold, Syl's face dangerously close to hers. "I don't know what the hell your problem is, but you leave me the f**k out of it!" She shouted in one of her rare shows of temper. Zane chuckled from the porch.
"Don't get messed up Max." Jhondie said, brushing imaginary dust off her hands. "Logan might think you're into the rough stuff."
Max shot forward again, making it less than a step before Syl shoved her back again. "Uh uh. You wait till I'm out of the way before you start this shit again. Hell if I'm getting hurt because you two are complete dumb a**es."
Max brushed a loose tendril of hair out of her face with the back of her hand with an exasperated sigh. "F**k it, you're not worth it." She said, angling her chin towards Jhondie. "You can't say shit like that to me…like I had a choice. I'm the queen of one-night stands? Who the hell do you think you are?" Max shook her head and rounded the hood of her car. "You know as well as I do what its like not to have a choice, but you still say that too me. I appreciate having my mistakes shoved into my face." She yanked open the car door, then slammed her hands on the hood. "And you know what? I am scared. For the first time in my life, I'm scared. But I don't need you shoving it down my throat." Max slid into the driver's seat and slammed the door shut.
Syl didn't catch anything more than the last third of the argument, but she was perceptive enough to figure it out. "Did it ever occur to you that you're scared because Logan is different?" Max's knuckles turned white on the steering wheel. "That you're scared because you wont be able to just walk away when your done, like the rest of the men you've been involved with?" It was completely silent for a moment, Max staring blankly ahead, before reaching up with a shaky hand and starting the engine. She pulled out, actually driving slowly for once in her life, and her car disappeared around the corner before any of them moved.
"Jhon…honey, little tip. You want to get a point across to someone, can you please do it when I'm not home so I don't feel the urge to intervene?"
Jhondie wiped the back of her hand across her mouth and stared blankly at the small smear of blood. "I could have drawn her a map or something, but I thought action spoke louder than words in this case."
Syl put her hands on her hips and sighed. "You may have just gotten Cale laid."
Jhondie smiled as they turned back to the house. "That or killed."
"Twenty bucks on a slow painful death."
Chapter 17
At least once a month, they all went out to a random bar. Usually, Zane and Max ended up singing show tunes as they stumbled around completely drunk as they tried to dance. Syl and Jhondie acted sweet and innocent long enough to convince the Neanderthals that they were poor helpless women. They flipped their hair a lot, challenged them to a game of pool, and then giggled helplessly as they collected their money after whipping their a**es. Then they joined Max and Zane in the land of the belligerent. Zack was the responsible older brother, and the only one who really followed the 'no consumption of alcoholic beverages' rule that Manticore thought they listened too. Everyone else got pissy drunk and then Zack had to deal with the fun job of getting them all home in one piece. Four, sometimes five if they could talk Krit into coming, genetically engineered drunks…it wasn't a pretty thing.
One lovely evening, Zane was so drunk that he was hitting on anything that opposing genitalia. For whatever reason, Syl decided she didn't like that, and walked up to Zane and tried to punch him in the face. While Zane was drunk, he wasn't quite as drunk as Syl, and he had time to duck. Unfortunately, Zack, who had been minding his own business and just happened to turn his head at the wrong time. Zack walked away with a broken nose. The whole humor of the situation amused Syl so much, she forgot how much a pig Zane was and hopped on his back for a piggyback ride. Zack still hadn't completely forgiving Zane for ducking.
"Hey," Jhondie pushed open the door to Max's bedroom. "It's your turn to pick the bar."
Jhondie was surprised to find Max standing in front of her mirror, meticulously applying eyeliner. Max rarely, if ever, put on anything more than a quick coat of lip gloss, and maybe some mascara if it was warranted. "Sorry, I've got to pass tonight." She said mildly, turning to Jhondie and tapping the end of the pencil on the top of her dresser. "If someone would have told me that we were supposed to be going out tonight, I wouldn't have made other plans."
"It was just decided about ten minuets ago when there was absolutely nothing else to do." Jhondie narrowed her eyes slightly. "Where are you going?" She asked after watching Max meticulously apply dark red lipstick. "You aren't going over there *again* are you?" Jhondie asked in the most unflattering whine.
Max resisted the urge to sigh. She'd had this conversation, or some variation of it, with almost all of her siblings. The only one who didn't seem to be harassing her about it was Zane, mainly because he was pretty busy leering and making sick jokes. Zack said she was ignoring her work. Syl said she was ignoring her responsibilities. Krit just glared, but he was probably just jealous. Now it looked like Jhondie was going to say that she was ignoring her family. Marvelous. "Yes, I'm going to Logan's for dinner." She kept her voice smooth and calm. It was a trial, but she managed it.
"What the hell do you do over there, anyway?" Jhondie asked imperiously, disdain lacing her voice. She flopped across Max's bed; half in sulk, half in amusement in watching Max girl herself up. It didn't happen often, so Jhondie wondered if she still had film in her camera. She mentally waved the thought away. One picture wasn't worth the destruction of her camera.
Max smirked. Who'd have thought she, the queen of all that was an adrenaline rush, would be content to sit around talking. "Not a whole lot." Max said evasively.
"A whole lot of nothing always means a lot more of something." Jhondie said, wiggling her eyebrows. Max ignored the comment, rooting through her closet, grabbing shirts at random. Jhondie was humming lightly, sarcastically if it was possible, but it had Max's shoulders stiffening. Why did everyone assume that every guy she spend time with, she was automatically sleeping with them. Yeah, sure, she didn't have any platonic relationships. Hell, she didn't even really have any friends out side her family. But did that mean she was incapable of having one? Her fingers clenched around the black shirt in her hand. "I'm not sleeping with him." Max blurted, quickly and defensively.
Jhondie mentally did a victory dance. Of course Max hadn't slept with him. She would have told her, or Syl at least, by now. Now all she had to do was piss off Max enough to find out *why* she hadn't. "And why the hell not?" She asked in a low voice, suddenly picking up an edge that threw Max off guard.
"What do you mean 'why not'?" Max asked, temper rising in her voice. She un-balled the shirt in her hand, and dropped it disgustedly when she saw how wrinkled it had become. She was sick of stressing over what to wear, when there was no real point in it. She grabbed the first shirt that she could reach, and yanked it on with jerky movements.
"I'm asking why you haven't slept with him." Jhondie repeated. "I mean, is there some particular reason? Or are you just afraid?"
Max snorted, but it seemed strained and panicked. "I'm not afraid of anything. I don't hop into bed with every guy I meet. But thanks for your faith in me, sister dear."
Jhondie was all too aware of Max's techniques. She didn't even give her comment half a thought. "You're afraid of more than your willing to admit. You're afraid of guns, Zack, squirrels, and clowns. Now it seems Logan can be added to that list."
Max smiled a knowing smile. "I simply choose not to use guns. I'm not afraid of Zack; in fact, I bet he's afraid of me. I'm not afraid of squirrels; I just want them eliminated from the Earth. And clowns are creepy. Logan doesn't scare me. If he scared me, I wouldn't be hanging out with him."
Jhondie was almost convinced that Max believed that. "So you aren't afraid of Logan." Jhondie said agreeably. Max smiled, pleased that she got Jhondie to quit bugging her in less time than it usually did. "So it's the intimacy that scares you." Max narrowed her eyes. She walked right into that one.
"Some one's been reading self help books." She said between her teeth.
"Avoiding the question." Jhondie shot back brightly. "Just like saying yes."
"Just because I haven't had sex with him doesn't mean I'm afraid too." Max repeated, hoping that hint of desperation in her voice was really exasperation. "And maybe, just maybe, he doesn't want to sleep with me. Think of that? Perhaps he isn't attracted to me."
Jhondie's mouth dropped open. She stared for five full seconds in complete silence. Then she burst into laughter, rolling onto her back and gripping her stomach, almost falling off the bed as she rocked back and forth. Max gritted her teeth together and walked into the closet, the sound of Jhondie's laughter following her. "Do you seriously believe that?" She finally managed, breathless and hoarse from laughter.
"Is it that far out of the realm of possibility? Is it possible that there is some man out there that wouldn't be attracted to one of us?"
Jhondie snorted. "With our flexibility?"
Max was quickly growing tired of this conversation. She walked out of the closet, pissed as hell, and wanting to get the hell out of there as quickly as possible. She had wanted to dress up, or something close to it, but somehow she ended up in jeans and a tee shirt. Then she had planned on curling her hair, yet she was yanking it up onto a ponytail. And she was blaming it all on Jhondie. All. Her. Fault.
"Are you that oblivious?" Jhondie asked. "Wait, I think you are. Well, let me tell you. I see the way he looks at you when you're not looking. I see the way you look at him when he's not looking. The two of you have no idea how truly pathetic you are. Its sickening for the rest of us."
Max was about to spit some nasty retort, but then thought about her words. Logan was checking her out when she wasn't paying attention, which was something to properly consider and debate in the car later.
"Are you attracted to him?" Jhondie waved a hand in front of her face. "Scratch that, we both know you are, and you'd just look stupid to deny it." She grinned wickedly when she heard Max grind her teeth. This was especially fun for Jhondie to finally have the opportunity to torture Max, one small payback for all the times she herself had found herself cornered by Max's roundabout arguments. "So the real question is, why are you afraid to act on that attraction."
"Would you stop saying I'm afraid?" Max snapped. "Maybe I'd just like to take it slow."
"Coming from the queen of one night stands." Jhondie muttered. Max's head whipped around so fast it was a strong possibility that she hurt herself.
"What did you say?" She said carefully, each word slow and deliberate.
Jhondie was about to apologize, she hadn't meant for her comment to hurt Max. But then she considered her options and thought against it. It could just be the kick in the a** she needed. "I find it surprising that you didn't just throw him into bed the first time he invited you to his place. Not your usual MO to be patient."
Max stared silently for a full twenty seconds before moving. "Your one to talk." She spit as she grabbed her keys off her nightstand.
"Hey, I'm not in denial about it, unlike some." Jhondie said rolling off the bed and following Max down the hallway. "Don't get all pissed at me, Maxie."
"F**k you, Jhondie." Max went down the stairs two at a time. She brushed past a surprised Syl, who may or may not have said something to her, but she was more concerned with getting the hell out of there to talk.
Jhondie kept an even pace with Max, following behind her, hoping she didn't go over the line, but knowing it was too late to worry about it. Max stormed through the kitchen, Zane and Krit perking up when Max slammed the door with enough force that the windows rattled. Jhondie pulled the door open and jogged after her.
Syl walked in from the hallway, brows knit in question. Naturally, they all moved onto the porch to watch the genetically engineered cat fight that was about to take place.
It was early yet, the sun just starting its descent, the rays bouncing off the pond, the water seeming gold in the dimming light. Jhondie caught up with Max about twenty feet from her car. "Max, wait up." When she didn't slow down, Jhondie grabbed her shoulder. Max made a low sound deep in her throat, then turned, already taking a swing. Jhondie blocked the fist with her forearm, sidestepping and grabbing Max's wrist at the same time, quickly twisting Max's arm behind her back. Damn, she's bad off, Jhondie though when she took an elbow to the stomach. It nearly knocked the breath out of her, but she recovered quickly and pushed her foot in the back of Max's leg, forcing Max to stumble forward. Max regained her footing, whipping around in a deadly spinning kick. Jhondie blocked the kick and shoved Max back again. "Maxie's in love." Jhondie taunted with a feral grin, then spun, Max's fist coming close enough to brush past her ear.
Syl leaned against the railing, flanked on either side by Krit and Zane. When Jhondie's head snapped back, she sighed and jumped over the railing. "Where are you going?" Zane asked, proud of Max for going for the mouth, proud of Jhondie for paying her back with a fist to the stomach. No sister of his was a hair pullers or scratchers.
"They are going to hurt each other." She called over her shoulder.
"So?" Krit muttered. "It'll be good for them to knock some sense into each other."
Syl pushed into the middle of the fight, fists and feet flying narrowly close to her head. God help either of them if one of them actually connected with her. "Cut it out," Syl snapped. She shoved Jhondie back, hooking her arms through her elbows from behind and dragging her back. Jhondie put up little fight, her tense muscles instantly relaxing. Max, on the other hand, wasn't one to give up quite so easily. Jhondie quickly leaned to the side to avoid Max's punch, which instead grazed off Syl's cheek.
Max didn't know how, but she found her self slammed up against the side of her car in a chokehold, Syl's face dangerously close to hers. "I don't know what the hell your problem is, but you leave me the f**k out of it!" She shouted in one of her rare shows of temper. Zane chuckled from the porch.
"Don't get messed up Max." Jhondie said, brushing imaginary dust off her hands. "Logan might think you're into the rough stuff."
Max shot forward again, making it less than a step before Syl shoved her back again. "Uh uh. You wait till I'm out of the way before you start this shit again. Hell if I'm getting hurt because you two are complete dumb a**es."
Max brushed a loose tendril of hair out of her face with the back of her hand with an exasperated sigh. "F**k it, you're not worth it." She said, angling her chin towards Jhondie. "You can't say shit like that to me…like I had a choice. I'm the queen of one-night stands? Who the hell do you think you are?" Max shook her head and rounded the hood of her car. "You know as well as I do what its like not to have a choice, but you still say that too me. I appreciate having my mistakes shoved into my face." She yanked open the car door, then slammed her hands on the hood. "And you know what? I am scared. For the first time in my life, I'm scared. But I don't need you shoving it down my throat." Max slid into the driver's seat and slammed the door shut.
Syl didn't catch anything more than the last third of the argument, but she was perceptive enough to figure it out. "Did it ever occur to you that you're scared because Logan is different?" Max's knuckles turned white on the steering wheel. "That you're scared because you wont be able to just walk away when your done, like the rest of the men you've been involved with?" It was completely silent for a moment, Max staring blankly ahead, before reaching up with a shaky hand and starting the engine. She pulled out, actually driving slowly for once in her life, and her car disappeared around the corner before any of them moved.
"Jhon…honey, little tip. You want to get a point across to someone, can you please do it when I'm not home so I don't feel the urge to intervene?"
Jhondie wiped the back of her hand across her mouth and stared blankly at the small smear of blood. "I could have drawn her a map or something, but I thought action spoke louder than words in this case."
Syl put her hands on her hips and sighed. "You may have just gotten Cale laid."
Jhondie smiled as they turned back to the house. "That or killed."
"Twenty bucks on a slow painful death."
