"Max, I think we need to talk."
"About what? Last week?"
"Yeah . . . Sort of."
"Sure, if you think it'll help. What's on your mind?'
Terry McGinnis' hands rested on Maxine Gibson's arms as if to embrace, their eyes met.
He found himself being lured into those deep brown eyes that reminded him of hot chocolate, hping to take one sip. He took a breath.
"Max, I-"
Matt picked to most inopportune time to walk into the room, "forgetting" to knock.
"Hey, is Max up? Mom's cooking and she told me-."
"Matt!" Terry dropped Max's arms as if they were hot coals.
"What are you two doing?" Matt looked between his older brother and Terry's friend.He was getting curious. . . he saw Terry's hands on Max's arms.
"What the heck do you want?" Terry asked sharply.
"Mom says dinner will be ready soon!" Matt held his arms up in a laizze-faire gesture.
"Leave." Terry pointed at his bedroom door.
"Why?" The younger boy taunted, hands on hips.
"I'm warning you, Matt." His older brother growled.
"I'm warming you." Matt repeated in a mocking tone.
"Terry, don't be mean to your brother." Max spoke, shaking herself from as if in she were in a haze. She watched him grab something off of his bed. Matt knew better then to push him so he calmly left the room.
"Get out!" The older boy demanded.
"Terry!' Max cried out in the younger boy's defense. They heard the door open one last time.
Matt said, poking his head one last time before leaving, "Max didn't say I had to." Then Matt stuck his tongue out to give Terry a sound rasberry. Suddenly a pillow went flying across the room at the door. Matt was smart enough to shut it in time to deflect the coming blow.
Terry shook his fist, "Little brat."
"We should go help with dinner." Max said, gently placing a hand on his arm after she walked up to him. Then as if she reminded herself of something, she let go and walked out of the room, gently closing the door behind her.
The conversation had folded between them.
What could he had possibly wanted to tell her?
Max picked at her meatloaf for a moment before having a thoughtful bite.
She examined the members of the table: Mrs. McGinnis chatting excitedly about her day at work (Happy to have Terry finally at home for once, for dinner no less). Next was 10-yr-old Matt playing war games with the meat and peas (Another Terry, she mused). Lastly, the Dark Knight himself playing with the mashed potatoes absent-mindedly (What's bothering him?). For a girl whose family wasn't around much, she lavished in these moments. Yes, even in the more dysfunctional ones.
Terry cleared his thorat, "I broke up with Dana."
A choking sound from Max's end of the table forced Mrs. McGinnis to slap her on the back three good times. Terry walked to her side of the table, handing her water. Matt came to aid for a moment with a napkin, abandoning his game. Max managed to tastefully spit up whatever it was into a napkin.
(Stupid meatloaf, she thought after a big chunk had lodged itself in her throat.)
Once Max started breathing again and eating, Terry resumed telling the details about the break up.
"I hope she handled it well. . . Well, as well as you can a break-up."
"I just told her we needed space. Time away from each other."
"Dana is a lovely girl. Why ever so?" His mother continued.
"It's . . ." How could he explain this to his mother? "Things were getting to be too stressful with the job and all."
"She seemed so nice. Have you tried to work things out?"
"We have two totally different lives and we're two totally different people."
"Well, Terry, I'm so sorry to hear that. But don't let this after-school job affect you being a teenager. Enjoy your youth."
Matt leaped out of his chair with satisfaction before his mother lauched into a lecture on life.
(He was at that age where girls still carried the plague.)
"Cool! No more prissy girls to deal with! Yes!"
"Matthew!" His mother scolded.
"Then you can get a shway girlfriend like Max!" Matt annoucned brightly.
The ringing of the vid-phone saved the dark-skinned female some face, "I'll get it for you, Mrs. McGinnis!"
When Max left the rooom, Terry gave his little brother a look that seemed to say sleep with one eye open tonight. Dinner resume without until the girl came back into the room fifteen minutes later.
Her face was sober with the news: Maxine's parents were already in town and waiting for her at the apartment.
