Chapter 2
"Max, is something bothering you?"
"No. Nothing's wrong, Ray." Judging from his tone, this statement was a lie.
"Come on, Max. You can tell me." Ray sat next to him. Ma switched off the movie and sighed.
"Well...doesn't it seem that Topaz is throwing a lot of sweet looks at Kai lately? And the affection doesn't seem one-sided."
"Impossible. You're just imagining things. She talks of mainly nothing but you."
"And the rest of the time, it's Kai, right?" He really did think their relationship was in jeopardy.
"No. Just blading, having fun, games, and stuff," lied Ray. Topaz had mentioned Kai a few times, though after realizing what she was doing, she quickly changed the subject. She didn't seem like the cheating kind of girl. And she acted like she really did love Max. He debated telling him this, but decided against it. The last thing they needed was more hostility between team members. Kai and Tyson's feud over who should be leader wasn't exactly fun to think about. After all, Mr. Dickenson had chosen Kai.
"Max, she loves you. And you love her. That's the way it'll always be. Why would she be disloyal?"
"I dunno. Maybe you're right."
"Of course I am. Now stop worrying." They parted.
Elsewhere
"Kira!" shouted an evil, unknown voice. The area is dark and spooky. This guy is more than a gang leader.
"Yes, master," whispered the girl softly. By a light from a window, the vision of a brunette in braided pigtails and ribbons appears.
"You will destroy them, correct?" The demanding voice received the answer it wanted.
"Yes master."
"Then go." Kira left.
"I'll attack the weakest first. Max's heart will be his downfall," she mused to herself and headed toward his hotel.
::A Few Days Later::
"Maxie! I'm back from the pool!" Topaz ran down the hall to meet her "snuggle bunny" after an hour of swimming. It was just so boring without Max.
No answer replied to her announcement. That wasn't normal. "Max?" she called again.
She slipped her card key into the lock and jerked it out. A loud squeak was audible all the way down to the lobby, but she ignored it. The room was deserted. That was strange, too. This was getting scary.
She tiptoed to the boys' bedroom. There was no squeak as she opened this door, but she immediately regretted that she had. Her pack dropped to the floor as a tear escaped from her eye. "Max?" Her voice was full of hurt. How could he do this to her?
Max released Kira, and their lips swiftly parted. She smirked as she saw Topaz, but Max knew that what he had done was wrong. "Topaz...I-I can explain..."
Topaz shook her head. "Max, if there was another, you could've told me. You know that." Why couldn't she stop crying? A boy was not worth this. Isn't that the way she had been taught?
"No - Topaz - you don't understand," Max desperately tried to maintain his calmness.
"Maybe it's time I left," interrupted Kira. She slipped a folded piece of paper into his hand, smiling as she did so. Topaz slammed the door behind her, not caring if it hit that vixen, never taking her eyes off the one who had destroyed her. He spoke.
"Look, Topaz. I know what this looks like. But - she just - I never liked her, honest."
"At least, not the way you did me, right?" her counter was chock-full of sarcasm.
"Yes!" He shrugged off the sarcasm. "What I'm trying to say is...you mean the world to me, Topaz."
"Apparently not." This comment was neither cruel, nor sweet, but hurt. And the next one pained her even more. "It's over." This took strength. Letting go the one you love is never easy. She walked away, not listening to the protests by her ex, and not realizing that Max was hurt as well. He'd blown it with one mistake! She didn't want to hear him.
She closed the hotel door behind her, aware of the fact that Max was following her. She walked to the elevator, despising the cheery royal-looking carpet and matching wallpaper surrounding her. She got in and the door closed before Max could reach her, and he slammed his fist in frustration against the metal shielding her.
The ding of the elevator reaching the first floor calmed her. She had decided to go where no one would think to look for her: the weight room. She wasted no time in reaching it.
"Predictable," she whispered as she saw Kai, once again absorbed in training, working out. He set the weights down.
"What's wrong with you?" He didn't sound curious, but more angry that she would show weakness. Tears still covered her face, and her complexion was a little blotchy.
"How can you be so heartless?" she cried. "Max tossed me aside for another like a rag doll. How could he -" She couldn't finish her sentence. She burst out crying again.
Kai stood up. He had a weird impulse to go to her. He had been trained to ignore sympathetic emotions, but it was hard to resist now. It had been like this since Max had brought her to the team. The majority of the time, he couldn't take his eyes off her. He softly said her name, wishing he could hold her, but it wasn't his place. She ran into his arms, granting his wish, allowing her tears to fall on him. He said nothing, but savored the moment.
She stayed there, not wanting to pull away. She felt something new with him. It was like now, she felt her safest, nothing could harm her, not even herself. She wanted to stay, wrapped in his arms for eternity. For a split second, Max no longer existed to her. Wait - Max!
She pushed herself away from him. "I'm sorry," she stated simply as she realized what she had done, looking away. Then she ran out of the weight room, not noticing the team leader stare after her, playing in his mind over and over what had just happened.