Max

Max stood with astounding patience beside Angel at the door to her classroom. Deep blue eyes studied the door with a mix of anxiety and enthusiasm as her small hand gripped the strap to her backpack.

"Ange." Max began with a sigh, crouching down to the younger girl's height. She tucked away a loose strand of blonde hair before placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Everything will be fine, give it a few days and you'll have a ton of friends. You'll love school." Angel gave an unconvinced look that had Ma pausing to consider the crap she was trying to feed to this child. What was wrong with her; that she could even say such things with a straight face? School. Fun? It didn't matter if hell froze over or pigs grew wings and started flying their curly little tails off. School would never be fun.

"What if nobody likes me?"The brunette's mouth nearly fell open at the seven year old's worries. What on earth gave her reason to believe she wouldn't be absolutely adored by her classmates – her teacher for sure. She was angelic personified! "I didn't have any friends at my old school." It was Angel's downcast expression that let Max know the girl wasn't joking. For a moment she was unsure how to respond; sensing her uncertainly Angel explained further. "I wasn't like everybody else." She whispered, eyes trained on her sneakers. "They only wanted friends who were 'normal'."

The little blonde was surprised by the hand that settled on her head and looked up to see Max's solemn expression. "Kid, it's just a fact of life – there's always going to be someone who doesn't like the way you act or the way you look. Age makes no difference, there are shallow people – shallow kids – who care about things that don't matter." The older girl smiled reassuringly. "But they aren't the only kind of people. Don't you think they're just as scared as you are now?" She waited for a nod from the young girl. "Ignore those kids who might try to make fun of you, or think you're too different – they're not worth a second of your time. Ignore them and you'll be able to find the people who do matter. Chances are they're just like you, and don't know what to do, either."

Hopeful eyes looked up at her, thought tinged with doubt. "Do you really think so, Max?"

"I do." She assured, "Trust me on this one. So, do you think you can do it?" There was a moment of hesitation before Angel nodded, smiling brightly and stepping up to the challenge.

"Good, now let's get you in this classroom." Max suggested and the blonde haired, blue eyed girl agreed, her previous anxiety overshadowed by a new found anticipation. The rest was short work and Max stood by as Angel was introduced by the teacher and given a seat before being dismissed with a slight nod in her direction. Max took her leave, although she quickly took note of the fact that despite Ella's earlier warning, she was indeed late for school. As the brunette turned a corner it became apparent school was going to be knocked down another notch on her to do list.

Just down the street a boy, somewhere in the range of her own age, sat dejectedly on the curb. Strawberry blonde hair stuck out in every direction and hung over abnormally pale blue eyes. Assuming the state of his hair was the result of the fingers currently running through it, it took no stretch of the mind to understand he was not having the best of days – a remarkable feat considering it wasn't much past eight in the morning. Max stood for a moment, contemplating her next move. It was no well kept secret that the dirty blonde was not the most proficient of people when it came to patience and compassion. It was within reason, then, to say the majority of it she had spent comforting and encouraging Angel. She wasn't entirely sure she was capable of so much caring in such a short span of time.

Despite her internal reasoning, a moment later she found herself striding toward the boy. She stopped beside him, expecting some sort of acknowledgment before she began her second pep talk of the day. She was surprised – and particularly peeved – however when her intrusion was meet with silence. The bugger was ignoring her. She had half a mind to walk away then and there, and was half a step from doing so when something caught her eyes.

The boy's clothes were unusually worn and dirty, in a way she was quite familiar with.

"I'd love to hear what you've been up to." She hmmed, sitting down lightly as though it weren't the slightest bit strange. "Running away isn't all it's cracked up to be, is it?" It was her comment rather than her intrusion of his personal space that cause his head to jerk up and his form to tense. A startled noise escaped him before he fought to conceal his unease. He then glared, alerting Max to yet another startling revelation. "You're blind."

"Oh, really? I hadn't noticed," was his immediate retort and one he used often, she mused. Max could imagine the irritation it would cause, hearing the obvious stated time and time again especially of a debilitation. Which was why Max allowed the comment slide, although for his own good she hoped he would not keep it up.

"Alright, smart guy. What exactly do you plan on doing?" She jabbed, raising an eyebrow that was entirely lost on him. She gave him a quick once over. "By the look of you I'd say you've got no cash, no place to crash, and no plan." With a sneer he stood, distancing them a step or two before sizing her up as well.

"Mind your own business, how about?" With his last comment the lanky male whirled around and began to storm away. And inadvertently stormed right into a wall. Again Max stepped lightly toward him, casting a shadow over his prone form and resting her hand on her hips, feeling just the slightest bit smug.

"Tell me when you're ready to suck it up and accept my help. I'll wait." A few moments passed in silence be for he released a sigh of resignation.

"How'd you know I left home?"

"Two years ago, did the same thing." She explained. "Hold your arm out, unless you plan to lay there all day." With no complaint he did as she suggested and she gripped his hand, hauling him up with little trouble. "See, not so hard, is it?" Max pulled her phone from her pocket to check the time and winced slightly.

"Any chance you were heading toward school?" He snorted.

"I ran away, why on earth would I be going to school?"

"Point taken." She grimaced, it looked like school was out for today. "Where were you heading then?" There was an awkward silence as it became clear she had been correct in her earlier assumption that he had nowhere specific in mind. She sighed. "Alright, you're coming with me." Idly the young woman began to consider their options. They would fine for the immediate future – both her mother and step father were at work, and would be unavailable for any questions that would certainly arise. In her contemplations she unconsciously reached her hand out with the intent of guiding the male, only to freeze as her hand brushed his back.