Made of Steel

Chp 7

Sudden Craving

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Max rolled over and looked at the clock. 3 in the morning. She set up, fluffed her pillow and plopped back down with a sigh. She forced her eyes shut. A few seconds later they popped back open. She set up in bed. The lights from outside her window cast gray shadows on the wall and her face. She throw the covers off of her, got up and walked over to the window. She pushed it open. The breeze hit her face and arms. It felt good, she had been running a fever as of late.

She peered out over the city and wondered where he was. Her parents had come back about four days ago. She hadn't really talked to him much since then. He and Bruce were working hard, they couldn't link the Rodriguez boys to Cree's murder, without evidence. They needed a link. The marks on her thigh weren't concrete. Besides easing the pain she was in with her shoulder last week, the drug hadn't hurt her. Whatever it did to Cree, it wouldn't do to her. She could handle it herself.

Max shut the window. Terry had more import things to worry about. Like, the fact that She had spent more time with Dana than Terry had, which wasn't anything new but, As of Late Dana stopped really caring. She didn't ask where he was or what he was doing. Max was relieved, she didn't have to lie to her anymore. She sat on her bed and was about to lay back down but something hit her. Sweet.

She grabbed her pj pants from the floor and put them on, on her way to the kitchen. The small taping of her feet on the tiled floor was al to be heard. She reached up into a cabinet looked around for something to stop this craving. Her elbow knock a bag of chips to the floor.

She mumbled a curse and picked it up.

" Maxine? Is that you?"

Max looked up, her mom peaked around the corner a she tied her robe. Max smiled, put the bag away and pulled her shirt down quickly.

" Hey mom. Sorry I woke you."

Mrs. Gibson smiled softly. " It's ok baby. Are you feeling better?" She ask bring her little girl in her arms, She felt her forehead, then placed a kiss on her.

" It's nothing really mom, I'm fine." She said pulling shyly away. " I just got a sweet tooth all of a sudden."

Her mother walked over to the cabinet and looked in. " Well, since you ate all the ginger snap, finished off the chocolate covered pretzels and the box of Godiva your father gave you."

Max starts to feel a bit embarrassed as her mother named off her casualties. Max added the four smoothie, dozens of vanilla cokes, and seven, wait she dumped the last one on Todd...so, six banana splits She "snacked" on at the Mod these last three weeks. She rustled her hand through her hair. Her mother turned to her with a smirk.

" Oh, baby, you don't have to be shy. I know what's wrong."

Max's eyes widened. She knew about the possible link between her and the drugs?

Mrs. Gibson walked over to her and gave her another hug. " You don't have to tell me what a pain in the ass hormones are,"

"Wha......OH, yeah mom, that time of the month for me is a pain." Max lied returning her hug.

Her mother stepped back to look at her. " That's why you've been having craps and your fever."

Max smiled. Her mother turned , walked to the refrigerator, peeped inside. " I have something that always works for me." Max's mom pulled a styrofoam container from inside, grabbed a fork from the drying tray and handed both to Max.

She took both of them. " Mom is this what I think it is?" She asked, a big smile spreading across her face. Her mother nodded and answered. "Chocolate Truffle Strawberry Cheesecake."

Max opened the top, sunk her fork in, took the first bite and gave a dramatic sigh. Her other laughed and patted her on the back " I thought that would make you feel better."

Max stopped stuffing her face long enough to hug her mom. She mumbled a love you. Her mother started to leave. " Get some sleep baby, I love you too."

Max savored every fork full as she sat in bed. She stared out her window wondering again, if the Dark Knight would come. She finished her cheesecake and lay in bed until the craps stopped.

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After seeing her parents off at the airport. Max took a taxi over to Leo's house. They sat in his room talking. Leo pulled a crumbled envelope from the trash.

"The last time we were...together," He smirked, making Max smile. It was good he had those sweet memories. " I found these circles on her back."

"Track marks." Max said thinking about her own.

"That's what the cops say." Leo throw his copy of the police report across the room. Max watched him pace the floor. He was hurt. His words came out more in anger. " I know Cree like I know myself. She was happy. I made her happy. Her mom left her, Her dad leaves her alone for weeks. I held her when she cried. She told me I always made her feel better," He stopped pacing, he was looking at a picture of her on his dresser. "Cree was everything to me and I don't care what those pigs say, she wasn't a druggie," He took the picture in his hand. " She was my angel."

Max held her emotions in tack as he vented in front of her. She wanted to tell him she knew who took his angel away from him, and that she would help him rip Todd and his brother apart. But, it would only makes things worse, it wouldn't bring Cree back to him, it wouldn't make things right.

She summed it up to. " Leo, I'm sorry."

He sighed and sat down on the floor, resting his back on his bed. He pulled something from a bag of stuff next to him.

" Cree wanted to do something for you." He said handing her a small brown paper wrapped box. Max received the box. It had New Orleans address. "Why?" Max asked, pulling the tape from the sides.

Leo relaxed, letting his head fall back. " You were always real nice to her, she appreciated that."

Max opened the top, pushed the tissue away and pulled a small bracelet from inside. It had a small pouch connected to it. " She was a great person. We had a lot of fun in bio."

A flash of Cree holding the dead frog up by his arms making him dance, while Max moved his mouth to the words of Spongebob Square Pants.

Leo pointed to the bracelet in her hand. " Her aunt sent it from home. It's a gras-gras bag. Some cajans carry them for luck. She didn't have her's on the other night."

Max slipped it around her wrist. She sat the package aside and stood up. Leo stood as while.

" Leo I have, somewhere to be right now."

Leo walked her downstairs to the front door. She started to walk out but stopped. Max turned and gave Leo a warm hug. He returned it " Thanks Max." He said releasing her.

"I'll see you at school." She said leaving.

Max walked the long way into down town Gotham. She walked slowly through the park watching all the people. It felt incredibly selfish to be thinking she wouldn't have anyone like Leo if she died today or tomorrow.

She rubbed her shanking hands together as she walked.

Ever since Todd and Trevor robbed her, she felt like she really didn't have anyone. As she walked home up-set and shocked that the asshole twins attacked her in the middle of the day, she wanted for someone to just make her feel better.

That's one of the reasons why she told Terry. She wanted to see his reaction, and although the Bat showed through after he found out, she was happy to see that the McGinnis said was worried about her. At the same time, she felt that his...hers...well, their emotions were starting to turn in a way where friends don't look at each other the way they did sometimes. They both were guilty. Although she knew it was wrong, it just felt good to be on that level with someone. To bad she felt that why about someone else's man.

She hugged herself and headed to the Hamilton's football field

**** Thanks for reading. You have no idea how much fun I'm having writing this. Review plz.****