Note: Want to start this off by mentioning something I forgot last time. Each installment of this challenge will most likely not be connected to the last; for example, Bottle has nothing to do with Again. I suppose a future word prompt could reflect a prior situation written, but I have no plans for it currently.
Want to give a huge thank you to everyone who reviewed: Player Zero, AzikaRue394, JoiZ D, Ravengal101, Kamakaze Kheri, and Kenrai! Really enjoyed hearing all of your thoughts and I hope you continue reading. Feedback is always loved.
Disclaimer: I do not own Beyblade.
Bottle
Dull was probably the best way to describe it.
Hilary had been working alongside Kenny's parents at their noodle shop for a few weeks, needing the money to eventually go away to school. Tyson had offered to get her involved somewhere in the BBA, but she turned him down. She didn't need the media and the Bladebreakers' more obsessed fangirls thinking she was getting more handouts, so she settled for the less luxurious job of waitressing.
It's not to say that the small noodle shop didn't do well, it was often packed by tourists when Beyblade tournaments were featured in town in hopes of seeing some famous 'bladers. Of course, that was when the teams avoided the shop and often opted for take-out. And the shop did have some regulars that littered the stools or their usual booths in the early morning, typically older men that suspiciously tipped her a little too well. But it also had a few hours during the day where it was absolutely empty and Hilary was left to clean the same tables over and over just so that she felt she actually earned the money Kenny's parents were giving her.
She had been pushing a broom up and down the restaurant when the bell above the door signaled a customer. Looking over her shoulder, Hilary squealed when she saw who it was and rested the broom against the counter before rushing over to the door.
"Max! You're back!" The door had barely closed behind him when the blond was suddenly bombarded by a hug, Hilary's arms wrapping around his neck tightly. He laughed returning the gesture. "How was New York?"
"Come on, we don't want to make Tyson too jealous, do we?" Hilary rolled her eyes at the statement, breaking away from the friendly hug. She didn't quite understand why the navy haired boy would care at all, but Max always made these little jokes when she hugged him. All she really knew was that Tyson had unsurprisingly pulled a bit of a temper tantrum once when she wasn't around, not that she knew what it was about. Seeing the expression on her face, Max cracked a smile, "It was good though, I just got back."
"I want to hear all about it!" Hilary smiled back at the boy. "Have you seen the guys yet, or are you just heading there now?"
"Actually…," Max scratched the back of his neck nervously, his expression becoming more troubled by the second. He cleared his throat uncomfortably, "I wanted to talk to you about something first…?"
"Oh," Hilary said somewhat confused. Concerned, she gestured for him to sit at a nearby booth so that they could discuss whatever was on his mind. "Can I get you something?"
"Sure. Uh… a pop?"
Hilary nodded, quickly running behind the counter to reach the beverages from the fridge. She returned to the booth Max was now seated at and handed him the bottle of pop she had retrieved for him. He smiled accepting the drink and twisting off the cap, acting as preoccupied as possible. She sat down across from him in the booth watching him carefully.
"Did something happen in New York?" Max was acting strange and it was starting to bother her. It was typical for him to be a little sad whenever he moved from the USA to Japan, or vice versa, but there was something different about him now. He seemed worried and reluctant to tell her something and it was easy for Hilary to see it was weighing on his mind.
Max sighed meeting Hilary's gaze again. "There's this girl…."
Hilary couldn't help herself, she squealed. The concern for her friend washed away and was replaced with ridiculous excitement. She knew that one day this would happen; one of her boys would fall in love and she could just swoon over the details as she watched them change before her eyes. "Max! What's her name? What is she like? Where did you meet her? Are you dating?" Hilary finished off her string of questions with another squeal she was unable to suppress.
Max stared at her uncertainly. He should have known this would have been her reaction. "Uh…."
"Sorry… I'll try to compose myself," Hilary smiled sheepishly. She couldn't help herself, it was a monumental day. Max was an utter sweetheart so she really wanted to hear about this girl that had him all frazzled. "So… what's her name?"
He bit his lip as he shuffled in the booth, his gaze falling to his drink. "It's Mariam."
"Mariam…?" Hilary repeated slowly. Her eyebrows furrowed together in thought as she took in Max's appearance; he remained in silence as he awaited her response. Suddenly it hit her. Hilary's mouth dropped open and her eyebrows shot upward in surprise as she leaned forward across the table, gaping at what the blond had just insinuated. "Mariam? As in… from the Saint Shields?"
Max nodded shyly. "Yeah, it's her."
Hilary didn't say anything right away, contemplating the situation. She found herself weighing even more questions on her mind, but didn't want to outright bombard the boy. She also did not want to tread on any possible sensitive subjects as it was quite obvious Max was waiting for them and he did come to her first for a reason. There were some heavy concerns in the air between the two friends and Hilary wasn't too sure how she could avoid them.
"You… just saw Mariam, not the other Saint Shields?" Hilary inquired, tapping her fingers on the table as she tried to form the conversation ahead as eloquently as possible. "I mean… are the others here…?" She didn't want to outright ask whether Max was challenged or if there was a repeat of their past ahead of them, but she saw from the expression on his face that he got the hint.
"Just her," he answered. His blue eyes then locked onto Hilary's with a trace of understanding. His features, for the most part, carried a sense of being torn on what to do. "She's travelling now. The other Saint Shields are back at home." Max ran a hand through his hair, a frown evident on his lips. He sighed. "Listen, I know what you're thinking…."
Hilary interjected, "I'm sorry Max. It's just… it's hard not to."
Max knew this; fully expected it from his team mates. "Believe me, I know. My Mom brings it up all the time…." Hilary saw his eyes flicker in annoyance at the comment, but it disappeared in seconds. "It took forever to convince Mariam I wasn't suspicious about her being in New York. I promise you Hilary, she's not up to anything like that."
"I…," Hilary bit her lip, hating the situation she was in. "You're not the one I have a hard time believing." She really didn't want to say that so bluntly and it bothered her even more when she saw the hurt look on Max's face.
"I found her in New York by accident," Max revealed, he took a quick drink from his pop and looked at the brunette hopefully. "Michael and Eddy heard about this female beyblader in the park and, you know how they are… I followed to make sure they didn't get into too much trouble. Then… there she was. I was as surprised as you are. Honest. I'm not going to say we didn't have a battle or two, but it was nothing like before."
Hilary pulled a smile for her friend. "She's travelling…?"
"Yeah. She can't really stand being at home for too long, I guess. Feels she doesn't fit in there." Max studied Hilary from across the table, seeing through her cool headed act quite easily. "If there's something that is bothering you about this, you can tell me. I wanted to talk to you about this first because… well, I know how badly the guys are going to react."
Hilary agreed. The other boys were going to have quite the fit. "I just… you're sure the Saint Shields aren't after the bit beasts again? I mean, sending Mariam after you like this would be a pretty good tactic. I just don't want to see you hurt." She let out a deep breath, finally letting her deepest worries out in the open.
Max cracked a smile at her statements, confusing Hilary. "I guess that would make sense if she didn't try to avoid me for the longest time. Getting Mariam to believe that I didn't think she was after Draciel and give me the time of day took a lot of effort. It was important to me that she didn't see us as enemies anymore and… it would also mean a lot if you didn't think that way either. Please, just give her a chance."
His eyes held so much hope as he looked at her pleadingly; it was quite startling to Hilary. She had never seen Max like this, sitting across from her with such dedication in his voice. This was important to him. Nothing else in the moment mattered. He had such confidence in Mariam that Hilary felt it would be ridiculous to not give her the benefit of the doubt. The way he talked about her, the fondness in his voice as he retraced his memories, it was like nothing else she saw from the flirty blond. Hilary smiled slyly as a realization dawned on her. "You're in love!"
Max blushed instantly deciding to break their eye contact so that he could take sudden interest in his drink once again. He really didn't know what to say to the comment and Hilary was giggling at the news with sudden fascination. Rubbing his neck sheepishly, he figured that she could be telling the truth; it would explain his lack of sleep and how his thoughts always travelled back to Mariam. He hated that they had to go their separate ways – him to Japan, her to China – after such a long time and it left a pang in his heart whenever he gave it some thought.
"I guess I am…," he admitted softly. Sort of obvious, Max figured, after actually thinking about it. If his feelings had always been this noticeable it would also explain Mariam's reluctance around him for some time back in New York and the skeptical looks she would send his way. The blond had believed his pining over the blue haired girl was well hidden, now looking at Hilary he was not so sure.
"So she's your girlfriend now?" Hilary asked curiously, leaning somewhat forward on the table with her elbows. She perched her head in her hands and waited for his response, excited about this new development in Max's life. Sure, Mariam wasn't her ideal choice for the boy, but the least she could do was support him. He was definitely going to need her there when Tyson and the others found out; maybe she should bring some earplugs with her to the dojo.
"Uh… I don't know," Max shifted around in his seat again at the question. "We haven't really talked about that…. We plan on seeing each other soon, but… I…. I really don't know."
Hilary rolled her eyes. She didn't really expect this from Max, out of the team, he was the most in tune with women and was often ashamed alongside her with how the others acted around girls. Always the flirt, she assumed Max would know if a girl was really interested in him or not. "Well, have you kissed?"
Max's face turned the darkest shade of red she had ever seen; it was up there with Kenny whenever he got within a foot of a girl. "Yeah." It was true, they had kissed. A lot. What started out as chance happenings whenever he thought he saw a glimpse of more than friendship turned into something he needed as much as air; at least, when he was around Mariam. She sort of made it a game to kiss him whenever his Mom was around as well; enjoying the trouble she caused most of the time. But then there would be times where they'd be alone and out of nowhere she would kiss him, gaining the upper hand. Either way, they had spent a good amount of time with their lips on each other.
Watching his expression change with his memories, Hilary snorted. All of a sudden Max seemed dreamy and a lot further away than across the table. "I'm sure she considers you her boyfriend," she giggled, breaking him out of his reverie.
"What makes you say that?"
"Just how you looked right then; I could tell." Hilary looked at him thoughtfully, finding traces of doubt still lingering on his features. "If you think about it, I guess both of you are in the same situation. I can't imagine how the rest of the Saint Shields are going to react. Maybe she just doesn't want to jump into anything too fast?"
"That sounds like Mariam…."
Hilary smiled. "I'm sure you two will make a cute couple."
"Thanks, Hilary." Max smiled back at her genuinely, a little more relaxed about the situation. He scooted out of the booth, drink in hand, as he gave a glance toward the door of the restaurant a little reluctantly. "I guess I should go see the guys now… I hope they have an open mind about this like you do. I really appreciate it."
Hilary stood up from the booth as well, understanding his desire to not tell the rest of the team of the new events in his life. "Max, if she makes you as happy as you look, I don't have a problem." She put a hand on his arm and gave it a squeeze for comfort. "You know what, I'll go ask Kenny's parents if I can leave early today so I can give you some support!"
"You don't have to do that, Hilary. Really. I already know what to expect…."
"Nonsense! You need someone on your side and I have experience in dealing with Tyson when he's on a tirade…!"
And to think, the day started off as dull.
