Thank you MalloryAlise, Bob, Nat452, Jen, idlehands452, Babyangel86, NoAngell, willow98002, GUEVERACALE452 for reviewing this little fic of mine and ML fan, for beta-ing!
huntress k - Really sorry to hear about your computer. I hope it gets fixed soon!
The Shadower - So you had a computer problem too. LoL. Everyone that reviewed seemed to hate Asha...well, except for you. I, personally, think she's okay, she just gets on my nerves sometimes and that's about it. Her character was pointless to the show anyway.
Well, here's the update...
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A/N: As always, sentences in italics are the thoughts of the characters.
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Chapter 6: Understanding
Logan walked away from Asha, away from all the staring faces, and away from all that he thought was good. He felt guilty. Guilty for walking out on a friend he'd known since middle school. Guilty for calling her a "bitch." Guilty for not feeling sympathetic for her even after she'd been physically beaten by Max.
Max.
Max.
He repeated and continued walking. Somehow, even her name could send shivers down his spine...and he couldn't understand why. So he finally meant her. Perhaps he should be happy. Yes, he should... no, he shouldn't. He was debating; a part of him didn't want to be happy. The only thing he thought he'd be able to cause her was trouble. He couldn't risk her safety. He didn't want to risk her safety. Cale, why do you care so much anyway? You don't even know the girl! Get a grip!
A strong hand landed on his shoulders. "You okay?" A deep and familiar voice asked him. He stopped walking and his head tilted to look at his best friend, who looked worried.
"I'm fine, Bling." He stared down at his sandals, dismissing the matter.
Bling led to them to an empty table and sat down. "Logan, I know you well enough. You're not 'fine' and neither is Asha." Bling sighed. "Sebastian and I saw her alone...and crying on the floor with her head on her knees. She's really upset, Logan."
Hesitantly, he looked up from fidgeting his fingers. "Thank you for stating the obvious." He scoffed.
Bling wrinkled his brow and stared unbelievably at him. "Stop being so stubborn, man! Snap out of this...this depression!"
He lifted his head up again. An angry expression flooded his face. "What do you expect me to say?! What do you expect me to do?! It was only a matter of time before I broke up with her! It can't work. It just can't... and you of all people should know." He calmed down solemnly after the last sentence.
Bling looked at his best friend warily from across the table, and then sighed. "I know."
A moment later, Logan calmed down considerably. He stood up and walked towards the shore. "I need to be alone. Need to clear my head."
Bling simply put his hand on Logan's shoulders, an act that he understood.
Logan murmured, "Not with EO starting. I can't trust her to keep the secret." He looked over at Bling, who nodded with understanding.
"You did the right thing, Logan."
Bling didn't bother arguing. He knew Eyes Only, or EO, was more important to Logan than anything else in his life.
He knew his best friend would do anything, even if it'll mean sacrificing his own life, even if it'll mean losing all that he had, in order to help others, in order to protect the citizens of the downtrodden. So his best friend wanted to be a superhero. His best friend wanted to save the world. His best friend wanted things to be the way they were before the pulse. He scoffed; he knew his friend was too stubborn. There was nothing he could do to make him change his mind, so he had agreed to help him.
He had agreed to help build Eyes Only, a streaming freedom video bulletin via top-secret informant that'll be hacked and broadcasted for all of the United States to see. No one else but Sung and Sebastian were led in on their secret project.
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Max walked towards the shore, away from it all, away from Asha, away from her annoying brother, away from people in general, and sat down on the sand, enjoying the darkness of the open sea.
"Dark, like my mood." She quipped.
She felt guilty. Guilty for having to shove Asha onto the table. Guilty for using her given transgenic powers on the girl. Guilty for walking off on Logan.
Logan.
Logan.
She repeated and sighed. Somehow, even his name could send shivers down her spine...and she couldn't understand why. So she finally meant him. Perhaps she should be happy. Yes, she should... no, she shouldn't. She was debating; a part of her didn't want to be happy. The only thing she thought she'd be able to cause him was trouble. She couldn't risk his safety. She simply didn't want to risk his safety. Girl, why do you care so much anyway? You don't even know the guy! Get a grip!
A comforting hand rested on her shoulder. She turned her head around alarmingly.
Original Cindy.
Her best friend.
She smiled and Original Cindy smiled back.
"Everything okay, boo?" Original Cindy sat down next to her.
"I'm fine." she rested her head on her knees.
Original Cindy turned her head to stare at Max warily. Something was bothering her best friend and she was sure of it.
"Max, Original Cindy knows you're not 'fine'. Herbal saw the fight... I saw it too." She sighed, hating Max's silent treatment. "I just want you to know, we are all proud of you, boo...for sticking up for yourself like that...and beating up that good-for-nothing-I'm-too good-for-anyone-ho." She giggled to try to lighten up the mood, but failed miserably. She looked over at Max and frowned. Her friend remained motionless, staring into the ocean.
There was silence as a light breeze whizzed past them.
Original Cindy shook her head. "Stop being so damn stubborn, boo. It won't do you any good!"
Sighing, Max lifted her head off of her knees. She took a deep breath and after a long moment, she let her emotions get the best of her, "You don't understand, OC. What do you want me to say?! What do you want me to do?! I did it AGAIN! I used the screwed up genetics they gave ME to attack someone! I'll never, EVER escape my past...escape what they did to me. Don't you understand? One day, it'll all just go out to the open and I'll just get myself caught." She stopped at the thought. She closed her eyes and a tear ran down her cheek.
Original Cindy's hand went around her best friend's shoulder and squeezed her gently. "It's alright, boo. I know who you are." Original Cindy's head touched Max's and embraced her. Max was like a sister to her and she was not willing to let anything happen to her. Max was family, period.
Her thoughts went back to a year ago when she'd found Max shaking uncontrollably in one of the school's restrooms. Everything that happened that day still remained imbedded in her mind: She had not heard a sound coming from Max and had kicked the restroom door open to come face to face with her best friend, pale-stricken and shaking violently. Max had told her to grab some pills from her messenger bag and give it to her. After the shaking subsided, Max revealed everything to her that day, including the fact that the shaking were caused by seizures and that the pills, called Tryptophan, were used to control the seizures. She realized soon after that that her best friend was a transgenic, a test-tube baby, created to raise hell. After much deep thought, she came to the conclusion that Max was still her best friend, a loyal, caring and down-to-earth best friend at that. And knowing all that was enough for her.
Original Cindy smiled at the thought.
Max detangled herself from Original Cindy. She snapped out of her misery and felt disgusted by herself. "Wait a minute, I'm not supposed to let Lydecker ruin my life."
She stopped and abruptly wiped the tears off of her face. "What was I thinking?... That bitch can kiss my transgenic ass." She managed a low chuckle.
Original Cindy embraced her.
A tear ran down Original Cindy's face. "Boo, you scared me! I thought you were gonna do something stupid, like throw your pretty-ass into the ocean or something." Her best friend exclaimed.
"No... but, throwing Asha into the ocean would be nice, though." She smirked.
"You don't have to waste your energy on her, boo. Now that she's free, maybe Original Cindy should try hooking up with her."
"OC!"
Max burst out laughing, and then Original Cindy joined her, breaking all seriousness that had just been in the air.
Max suddenly went stiff.
Her best friend cocked her head and eyed her curiously. "What's wrong, boo?"
Max's eyes were wide and her face was dead serious. "Wait a minute, what do you mean, 'she's free'?"
"Oh, Hotboy broke up with her." She said simply.
Max looked away and nodded, immediately changing her facial expression. "Oh."
"You didn't know?"
She shook her head. "No."
"... I'm sure the whole beach knows that they've broken up by now."
"Mmm."
"... he did mention your name." Original Cindy tried again.
"Mmm."
Original Cindy's mouth was wide open. "Boo, stop giving me one-word answers! I know you've got more to say then just 'Oh!' and 'Mmm'. Just admit it, you like hot-boy." Her best friend said a matter-of-factly.
Noticing Max's inattentiveness, Original Cindy looked over at her friend, whose gaze and mind was elsewhere. Not just elsewhere, but on a guy. A special guy, to say the least.
Logan.
Hotboy. This should be interesting. No wonder she didn't pay any attention to me. Original Cindy quipped.
Logan noticed Max and began walking towards her. Max stared.
"So this guy walks up onto the shore and says..."
Max stood up as he reached her. He stood directly in front of Max, face-to-face, practically breathing down her. Original Cindy remained standing where she was, amused by the tension between her best friend and Hotboy.
"We didn't get a chance to finish our conversation before." He said, still gazing down at her.
"Original Cindy, say hi to my good friend..." Max managed to say without breaking their eye contact.
She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms on her chest. "Logan Cale." Original Cindy said as she nodded her head mockingly. When is this staring contest gonna end?
"Sorry about your girlfriend."
"Can we go somewhere and talk?" he said hurriedly.
Original Cindy looked down at her watch. "Whoop, Xena's on." She glanced from Max to Logan and then Logan to Max one last time. They didn't pay any attention to her at all so she simply slipped past them and walked away.
Max couldn't blink. Actually, she didn't feel like blinking. "Let me get my shirt."
He raised an eyebrow. "The one you're wearing?"
Max looked down at her T-shirt, the one she had slipped on hastily right after her fight with Asha. "Right." Damn, he's good.
Side by side, they strolled down the shore together. It was past midnight but the crowd still remained as loud as it ever was. Shouts and hootings were heard sporadically; loud music continued to play through the speakers.
"So you tracked me down. What do you think?" She asked finally.
He looked down at her. "Too early to tell."
She smiled and was about to about her mouth when...
Logan cleared his throat, as if afraid to say something. He looked out towards the waves and took up the courage to finally say, "That was an extraordinary display of athleticism before. A little too extraordinary..." He turned his head towards her.
"You want to tell me how you...?
She was gone.
Without saying a word or a farewell of some sort, she left again, much to Logan's dismay. Why is this girl so mysterious?
Logan ran both of his hands through his hair and looked up to realize that a hoverdrone had just passed them by from overhead.
Damn hoverdrone.
He shook his head and walked towards the beach house.
"What a night." Logan murmured to himself.
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