Made of Steel
Chp 10
The Art of Rejection
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I'M BACK!!!!!!
OK, 1st, My computer crashed
2nd The cd AND the floppy I saved my work to turned on me by not having my work I saved.
3rd My muse told me to kiss it's ass it's leaving me for the mailman.
4th after my computer started working, I had to retype, cut and paste, and etc all my work back on zip drive and get back ups and VOILA!
Leochick is back!
OK, I lost the e-mails from my beta reader, so if you could e-mail me at leogirlwf@hotmail.com to remind me. That is if you still want to be a beta. Sorry!
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The first part below is the second half of THE BEGINNING. Max's thoughts from than up until now.
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Juvi happened.
Terry reemerges a changed youth. Batman is rebirth.
For the most part, Terry was changed for the better. I became his best friend and later, is confidant. He and Dana got close. It had
all meshed together very well for sometime, until Big Time popped up.
Everyone of importance to Terry, saw what Big Time did to him before. No one wanted "before" to come up and bit him in the
ass. Terry knows how much his family and friends count on him to be around, not locked up. After his fathers death he took on as
much responsibility he could, to make a difference or not to think about his dad? That's undecided. He hasn't opened up to me
about that. For responsibility sake, He kept his distance from "BT." It wasn't hard with his schedule. Big Time met Batman. After
the mutation, Big Time was locked up, shortly after he died of organ failure from the chemicals. I don't think Terry blames himself.
It's more like he blames BT for the choices he made that got him an early grave. He was only a year older that all of us.
Batman lost an enemy. Terry lost a friend.
Bruce told him, it never gets easier but you learn to deal with it.
Bruce was Batman. Years of protecting Gotham from itself, for what? Gotham left him with no thank you only bitter memories of,
what could have been; if not for. Terry wants a life after he hangs up the suit. Don't get me wrong, he loves who he is, loves the
hell out of the trill, and the difference in this forsaken city, as well as himself that, the cowl's facade brings. It's life beyond the bat
the he'll need in the long run. The reassurance that today or tomorrow if mighty Gotham sank into the ocean or fire rained from the
heavens and there was nothing he could do, someone will still be standing next to him. Bruce didn't have that, if he did he doesn't
show it, and he is to old and a bit bitter to appreciate it now. Bruce is the mask, Batman is the real man. I'll do my best to keep
Terrence, "Terry." I respect Bruce, for all that he is and what he stands for, but the undertone dejection he and all the retirees seem
to never let go of is what unnerves me.
In the back of Terry's head a thought of everyone disappearing and he'll end up like his mentor. So I'll give Terry time to "just deal"
with whatever comes along and make sure he lets it go, calm his nerves, smile every once in awhile.
Besides, I'm not ready to miss him just yet.
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RING RING
Max jolted up at the offensive phone ring. Blinking at the bright sun light shining from outside. She reached over to the bed stand,
lifted the receiver.
"Hello." She answered leaving her free hand to block the sun.
"Maxine, baby, it's mommy, can you hear me ok?"
Terry pulled his arm from around her waist and rolled over, looked at the clock on the wall. He stretched and started to climb over
her, moved to wall and pulled the cord closing the blinds.
" Mom! Hey, I can hear you." Max listen to her mother babble about bad weather and canceled flights as she watched Terry gather
his cloths.
"Mom. Mother! Calm down, cursing out the desk clerk isn't going to stop it from snowing in Michigan in November." She joked.
Terry sat on the edge of the bed putting his cloths on, not bothering to hide the smirk on his face, Max kicked him in the butt. He
looked over at her, " That's where you get it from." He whispered.
Max assured her mother she would mange 48 hours by herself ( bitting her tongue on the fact that they had been gone four day and two more days wouldn't make a difference.) She got off the phone gathered the sheet around her and stood up.
Terry finished, stood up, pulled her to him as tight as he wanted, into a kiss. " I have to be home before my mom leaves for work."
he said breaking the kiss.
Max nodded. Her intentions where to let go of him when he moved to leave, but they stood there a moments longer before a big
smile spread across Max's face. " Go." She laughed.
Terry kissed her forehead and left the room. Max waited, the smile still there, she heard the rustle of his jacket and the click of the door. She shuffled her way into the bathroom, got a hot shower. Laying back on her bed wrapped in a towel. She looked up at the clock. She had five hours until she had to do something. Leo wanted her to meet him there before he had to go to work. He had mourned himself sick, he told her Cree would be disappointed in him about it. He wanted to go, sit in their old booth, he felt like he should do that.
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"Give me about ten minutes, Fix."
The limousine pulled up to the curb. Trevor reached to the seat in front of him, gathered the bunch of flowers and gift box. He
checked himself in the mirror before moving to open the door. The glare from the glass doors of Max's building made him glance
over. Terry pushed the building doors open and started for home. Todd looked around his brother out the window at McGinnis
leaving. He smiled big, looked at his watch. " Terry just walked out your girlfriendsfront door at 6:30 in the morning." He
remarked sipping his coffee laughing.
Trevor eyes glared at Terry's figure until it became lost in the crowd. He throw the box and flowers across the car, knocked the
cup of coffee out Todd's hand.
Todd grabbed the box of tissue from the mini bar. " Temper. Temper."
"Fix, drive." Trevor demanded rolling up the window.
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Max sat in the rainbow colored booth watching everyone run about the vase "playground" of the Mod. She rubbed her eyes in an
attempt to stop them from stinging, when it did no good she replaced her sunglasses. Leo had come and gone, she let him talk the
entire time. Stories about who they met, the things he remembered the most, His love for her. She gave him a hug and let him leave
fore work a bit more at peace with everything then before.
The waiter walked up and sat her vanilla shake down. She smiled and grabbed for it. It had been calling her name all morning. She
stuck the straw in her mouth and took a full swig. Max spat the milkshake back into the glass, gagging loudly.
The waiter turned around and walked back over. " What's wrong?" Looking at her in a stupid way. Max took a napkin from the
table and whipped her mouth.
"You know, Could you just bring me a water instead?" She asked sliding the glass away. The waiter looked puzzle but went to get
her new order.
Max rubbed her tongue on the roof of her mouth to scrap away the horrible taste. Her tastebudes were twisting. She could still
smell the creamy rich milk scent. She pushed the glass farther over.
"Max." Dana chimed in, walking over. "There you are."
Max gave a fake smile as she sat down on the other side. The waiter sat the water down, took the rejected drink in hand. " Would
you like anything?" He asked Dana.
Max grabbed her water and washed the shake from her tongue. Dana answered no, he walked away.
" Are you ok? Trevor really got under your and Terry's skin yesterday." Dana asked.
Max head snapped up. She sat the glass down slowly and gave a fake laugh. " Oh, yeah, I'm fine."
" I was hoping he would kick Trevor's ass. The nerve of him robbing you twice."
"You and me, both." Max's were hidden but Dana knew how she meant it.
Blade sauntered up to the table. She and Dana looked at Max, Who rose an eyebrow at their faces. A smile spread across Blades
face, she pulled a platinum piece of plastic from her back pocket. Max watched her tap it on the surface of the table. Dana looked
around the room in a dramatically bored yawn. The little light bulb in Max's head clicked on. "Mall?" She asked getting up.
"Since you mentioned it."Dana exhaled sarcastically, slide from the booth to follow the two.
__________________________Three Shopping Bags Later______________________________
"It wasn't my color anyway." Dana yanked the bad fitting garment off and tossed it across the aisle into Blade's dressing room.
"You could stuff your bra." Max joked, standing in her dressing room admiring her own outfit.
Dana peaked over the divider between them and glared with evil. "It was one time."
They two girls burst into laughter at Dana's face. Blade shuttled into a dress, waited or some other woman walked by. She looked
into the mirror's reflection at Dana across the aisle.
"Speaking of bra stuffer's. Muffet cornered me in library the other day."
Max leaned over the door, looking over to Blade. "Returning her pop-up copy of Animal Farm." She said dryly.
Blade leaned over and rested on the dressing room door smirking. Dana did the same while Blade continued.
"She has been following me and Chelsea around since you two broke up. I thought I would be safe in the ancient Lit section, she's
been trying to pump me for information about Terry," Dana gave a growl. " I don't see why she is in my face. Max, You know
more about the boy then I do." She said turning back to her cloths.
"That's because she knows better. Muffet's not a dumb blonde, she just plays one." Dana answered.
"She gives us a bad name." Blade said, smoothing her hair over. "What gave her the idea Terry would talk to her anyway?"
"I can say for a fact, Terry likes his women with more class. Muffet is just trying to catch him on rebound."
Paranoia hit Max's stomach after hearing Dana's comment. She herself could agree that everything this last month or so had
happened fast, but last night her world seem to slow down, there was only the two of them and it was wonderful. At least she
thought and felt it to be. Before the official break up, Dana and terry both gave off the feeling it was a lost cause. There was a
vicious cycle of him not being there, her being to pissed to spend time with him when he had it. Her not wanting to give up and he
thinking he had no right to break up with her because he was the screw up. Make-up and Break-up etc, etc, etc. Max really didn't
take Dana seriously when she mentioned she called it off.
Last night she was heist to approach Terry, until he returned the gestures. He returned her affection, she thought, he was on the
same level she was. They wanted each other, they trusted each other...
Her cell phone rang from her bag on the floor.
"Hello?"
""Hello, Maxine.""
"Hello Mrs. McGinnis."
********Thanks for waiting. Next chapter is on it's way. Thanks for reading. Review*********
