Summary: Max feels like he's losing his friendship with Ray to Kai. He desperately tries to hang out with him, but Kai is always dragging him off somewhere. But when Ray's allergies start up, Max is gonna make sure that Kai stays out of the way.

Max's Story

Written by LightShadowAngel

February 22, 2006

Chapter 1: When it all begins

"Now is your chance to lose your best friend." I started, the anger in my light blue eyes, pouring into Ray's golden orbs. I was starring into the eyes of who I thought was by best friend, and the gray eyes of who was ruining my friendship with him. It was Kai Hiwatari. Ray's body was shaking, because we had just had a heated argument. This isn't really how it all started. I guess I should explain everything.

Mr. Dickinson had just rented us a house for a little alone time, so we could get ready for the next tournament. Each of us had our own room, we had a living room, a bathroom, a really sweet backyard, and a kitchen. It was really nice and all, but something had been on my mind and I could have really cared less.

"Achoo!" I heard Ray's sneeze and immediately grabbed a tissue and headed for his room. I knew what that meant, allergies. How did I know? Spring time was definitely Ray's allergy season. He always got a little warm, and his nose wouldn't stop running. Kai had been hanging out with Ray all week and I was getting annoyed. Ray was my best friend, and I wasn't ready to forget that. As I ran past Tyson he smiled at me.

"Max, to the rescue!" He sang in a happy voice. I held the golden handle in my hand, turned it, and slowly pulled it open. I began cussing to myself as I saw him there, already.

"K-Kai… how'd you get here so fast?" He had already given Ray a tissue and was smirking at me.

"I walked." That was really shallow, considering that fact that my room is closer to Ray's and I ran. I backed out of the room, just as Ray released the tissue from his red nose and smiled at me.

"Hey Max, you want to go catch a movie later?" I stopped in my tracks. Finally, some alone time with my best friend.

"Yeah, just us?" Ray shook his head and I frowned, that only meant one thing. That Kai was coming too.

"Kai too, and maybe Tyson if he's not hanging out with the chief tonight. So what do you think?" I shrugged my shoulders and Ray sort of tensed up, "Didn't you just say yes?" I would have definitely said yes if Kai wasn't coming.

"I changed my mind, is that a problem?" I slammed the door shut and walked back down to my room. I shouldn't have done that, because it would get our friendship even more distant apart. I think the way I had been acting around him with Kai, changed the ways he thought about me. Tyson ran up to me through the hallway.

"Hey Maxie!" He yipped, his eyes full of excitement, "I was going to go with Ray and Kai tonight with the movies, but me and Kenny are gonna hang out around the park by ourselves. Unless you want to come." I nodded.

"Sure." I needed something to get my mind off of Ray.

Tyson, the chief, and I had gotten home around 5:30 PM. Tyson and Kenny ran inside to find something to eat, and I the stairs to see Ray. He wasn't in his room. So I went to usually hiding spot. Back down the stairs and out the back door. Of course, there he was in his chair. I walked up to him and put my finger on my chin.

"Did you steal that chair out of Tyson's room?"

"Yup," came the short reply. He didn't even bother to look up at me, his head was practically buried in a book.

"It's not yours." I was still in a bad mood. Ray looked up at me, not smiling. He held out the palm of his hand and got out of the chair. He clenched a fist and poked out one finger. His nails were sticking out, and they were like tiger nails, shaped like them, and ripped through almost anything. He ripped at the back of the chair until it said "Ray Kon" on it. He smirked and sat back down, followed by a loud sneeze, that could have blown me over if I was standing by him.

He picked his book back up and continued reading, "It was mine anyway, Max. Tyson stole it from me." I instantly felt bad for starting at him.

"Didn't you just start that book today?" I asked Ray as I noticed his bookmark nearly six pages away from the end.

"Yeah, why?" I shook my head. I should have known, Ray was a wicked fast reader… even if it was a 400 page book. I was about to say something when he cut me off, "Hey Max?" He started, his face turning pale as another sneeze left his red nose. I looked at him, starring into his amber eyes, "I'm trying to read, mind if we do this another time? Maybe when you're not so annoying?" I didn't understand, and immediately felt my emotions gathering up. Ray had just asked me earlier if I wanted to go to a movie with him, and now he wants me to leave, get out, don't bother him.

The big picture was, it looked like Ray was pained to say it. It looked as if he didn't want to say it but the words poured out of his mouth, and couldn't be stopped. Ray held his forehead as he looked down and sighed.

"Look Max… I… I didn't mean-" I didn't even let him finish. I turned away from him and went back into the house. I couldn't believe the words that had just escaped his mouth. His mouth that hadn't spoke two sentences to me in the past week, those golden eyes that hadn't dared to look at me for the past month, his tiger glare which had appeared at me often now, all these things were bugging me. His tiger glare, was the look on his face when he didn't want me there, or wanted me to leave, or was just mad. I heard footsteps coming up from behind me, "Max, give me a break." I ran away, thinking that Ray wouldn't follow. I was completely right.

My chin hit the ground when I fell over Tyson's dark gray skateboard. I picked my self back up slowly. I was about to pick it up and move it, but since I wasn't in the mood, I left it alone. I ran into the bathroom as blood dripped from my chin. I took the small patches from the cabinet and placed it over my chin. 'How embarrassing.' I thought.

Suddenly a noise struck through my ears. I pressed my right ear up to the door and listened.

"Ray, what's wrong?"

"Nothing…"

"Come on, you can tell me, you know I won't tell the others."

"Kai… Max is acting so different lately. I just don't…" He sighed, "I don't know." I sank backwards onto the door. I had no idea that Ray felt that way too. But yet did I know that this was only the beginning of the torture, and the worst was yet to come.