"Does it hurt very bad, Ames?" Wendy Olsen asked, mother-henning over White's split lip and bandaged up nose.

"No, it's the back of my head that hurts," White admitted. "Where that dog-boy freak knocked me to the floor."

"Perhaps you have a concussion, let me see," Wendy said, poking around the back of White's head.

"Hey -- hey! Ow!"

"Look at her," Max sneered. "Fawning over him like he's the victim." Joshua grunted in response. Max took another bite out of her bologna sandwich. "I'd beat the crap out of him if I weren't so afraid he was going to die on me, then I'd get a lawsuit." Joshua grunted again. Max looked at Joshua. "That still you in there?"

"Yes, Joshua still in here," Joshua said.

"Good. I thought you'd been replaced by someone."

"Joshua not replaced," Joshua said simply. "Don't worry." He snuck another Lays potato chip under his mask and chomped loudly. It was always an impressive feat on how he ate his lunch without removing his mask or getting crumbs on his costume ("Dry cleaning is a bitch," was Joshua's reasoning). "How is Logan?"

"Logan?" Max asked. She shrugged. "Haven't heard from him since he left for college. I thought he'd call me by now, but he must be really swamped with work and stuff."

Joshua nodded. "Yeah. Work. Logan works a lot."

"Yeah," Max sighed. "He does." Joshua looked at Max.

"Max not happy?"

"Not really," Max said. "I mean, it's like I'm really glad and stuff that Logan got into college, but I feel really sad and lonely now that he's gone."

"Hm... know what you mean."

Max's face brightened. "You do?" she asked. Joshua shook his head.

"No. I was just trying to make you feel better."

"Oh," Max said, her shoulders slumping again.

"Ooh! Ooh! I know!" Joshua said, shoving his tuna sandwich back into his paper bag.

"You know what?" Max asked.

"I know, I know!" Joshua said happily. "What time is it -- no, no, give Joshua your watch." Max handed over her watch and Joshua looked at the time.

"Are we going to do another one of those 'A Christmas Carol For Max' things again like last year? Because I don't think Brin was very happy being Future-Dead-Me..."

"'A Christmas Carol For Max' thing is only for holiday season blues," Joshua said. "It's September. So something else -- something better!" Max raised an eyebrow.

"Herbal," Joshua said, guiding Max over to the bald Jamaican who was standing by a dumpster two blocks away from the school, grinding a marijuana cigarette with his shoe. "Drop 'I and I' on Max before lunch is over."

Herbal Thought was two years older than Max. They became friends the first time Max had kicked Ames White's ass in her freshman year and got stuck in in-school isolation; he'd been there for attacking an exchange student named "Weeenston" who'd made a move on his "womahhhn". Unfortunately, Herbal Thought had been expelled that same year for smoking marijuana in the boys' restrooms, but he'd remained steadfast friends with his friends from school. Currently, he was working for a bicycle messenger service.

"And what be the matter then?" Herbal asked.

"What isn't the matter?" Max asked as Joshua checked his watch. "Renfro's worst than ever. Brin and Syl think that I slept with the boy next door -- which I didn't! I have to replace Asha in cheer squad. Logan's at college and I can barely get ahold of him. I earned enough to get a motorcycle over the summer and Deck still won't let me get one -- and I'm getting a zit!" Max raved.

"Ah," Herbal nodded. "But it is all good."

"It is NOT all good!" Max yelled. "All good would be me and Logan chilling -- me zitless and with a perfect cheer squad and no Alec and Brin and Syl being not how they are and Renfro being -- well, Renfro just being gone! White could be gone too! That would be 'all good'!"

"Fifteen minutes," Joshua chimed in.

"But you have to see everything as good," Herbal said. "Forgive the bad things that would happen. For example," he rolled his eyes, "my woman say that she just done run into Weeenston at the supa-market and she done invited him to dinner."

"Same Winston that tried to hit on your lady three years ago?" Max asked.

"Exactly," Herbal nodded. "She say that she will even cook Italia pasta for him, but she never do that for I. But do I and I say anything to stop her? No, because you have to overstand."

Max frowned. "So, three years ago when you sent Winston to the nurse's office with severe face-breakage was overstanding?" she asked.

"No," Herbal said. "That was very, very bad of I and I, and I will try not to do that again. I only hope that Weeenston will be as overstanding of I."

"Otherwise you'll bash his face in with an aluminum baseball bat again?" Max asked.

"Yes -- no! No!" Max nodded.

"I think I 'overstand' now," she said. She smiled. "Thanks, Herbal."

"Glad I could be of some assistance to ya," Herbal said, lighting up another cigarette.