Do you know the baker's girl 6
Holy crap! Finally! This new chapter sees the light of day! And I totally didn't spend an all-nighter to finish this up. Original draft started 07/17/2015. Better late than never, right?
Max laid in her bed, sleeping soundly. Snug as a bug in a rug with a jug of warm milk and a plate of cookies soundly. She probably dreamed of a childhood long gone, carefree and courageous, or just being away from the hectic badlands that was a simple bakery.
However, that did not last long. The sound of tic-tic-tic from the window filled her quiet room. Being the only sound at that time, Max immediately woke up. She grabbed her phone and looked at the time. 3:59 am.
"He's early by a minute." Max thought to herself. Sitting up, she stretched and got out. She swapped out her pajamas for her usual hipster aesthetic.
Max grabbed her knapsack, put on her shoes, and went downstairs. As she headed for the front door, she heard what was most likely Clyde ringing the bell furiously. Max rolled her eyes as she grabbed the knob.
"What a child." Max thought to herself as she turned the knob. Opening the door, Clyde looked preoccupied ringing the bell like he was making a hot beat for his mixtape.
"Ahem." Max cleared her throat to get his attention, which it did.
"Yo, Max. You all ready?" Clyde asked, finished ringing her bell. Max emerged from her home, closed and locked her door.
"Yeah. Is Kate and her friends already there?" She asked.
"Kate's already in. Come on, we'll miss the best thing out here." Clyde said, grabbing Max's hand as they ran towards the car. Clyde opened the passenger door on the driver side and pushed Max into the seat. Slamming the door, Clyde rushed to his seat, and was about to speed off, but Kate grabbed his arm.
"You're forgetting something." Kate said, clasping her hands together. Clyde rolled his eyes, turned off the radio, and joined her. Max looked around and saw the other two passengers besides Clyde and Kate did the same thing. Max sat quietly.
"Lord, we pray that you grant us safety as we proceed to travel your land. We thank you for your graces. In nomine patris, et filii, et spiritus sancti. Amen." Clyde prayed, while the others listened silently, followed by the four making that t stretching from their forehead to their heart, then to their shoulders.
Just as they finished, Clyde put the vehicle into drive and went off. Max looked around as they drove away. The girls next to her were whispering to each other. Kate looked like she was sleeping.
"Probably a good idea to sleep as well." Max thought. Max settled down in a comfortable position and closed her eyes.
...
Max's eyes fluttered open as she awoke from her nap. She looked around to see the vehicle was empty. When she looked out her window, she saw a small group sitting on a bench. Removing her seatbelt, she got out to see what they were on about.
As she approached the group, she could see what was up. The sun rose against the dark canvas night had brought. The orange glow mingling perfectly. No wonder she was picked up so early.
"Hey, sleepyhead. Nice of you to join us." Clyde said, breaking Max's trance from the sun. She looked to the bench and saw Clyde, Kate and Kate's friends looking back at her with a smile on their face. Except for Clyde, who had more of a shit-eating grin smirk thing going on.
"Hey, guys. Just wanted to enjoy the view, too." Max said, admiring the sunrise.
"Isn't it pretty?" One of Kate's friends said. Everyone nodded, agreeing with her.
"It sure is." Kate said. Clyde stretched out a bit and rested his arms on the back of the bench. It felt like forever as they watched the sunrise, not that it wasn't unpleasant. Clyde took out his phone and looked at something real quick. He quickly put it back in his pocket and got up.
"I'm gonna get us something to eat. Brb, guys." He said, walking to the car most likely. Max and the rest of the group continued to marvel at the beauty of nature. Then, Max remembered something.
"My camera." She said to herself. Getting up, she went back to Clyde's car. However, she stopped and covered her mouth.
"What?" Clyde asked, looking at Max, who looked like she was about to bust a gut.
"That's your car?" She asked, trying not to laugh. Clyde blushed a bit, looking at his car.
"Yeah. So? What?" Clyde said, clearly embarrassed. Max couldn't hold it much longer. She laughed out loud. Clyde stood there, sandwich bags in hand, pouting and red in the face in front of a stationwagon from the '90s, complete with wood panels on the side.
"You call me a hipster, yet you ride in that?!" She said between laughs. Clyde got more red.
"Yeah, yeah. And the thought of me bumping some A$AP mob while rolling in this must be very amusing to you, isn't it?" Clyde said. Max continued to laugh.
"I didn't even think of that, but thank you for the idea." She said again between laughs. Clyde rolled his eyes. Max finished long enough to get her bag and her camera.
"I was gonna give a sandwich for breakfast, but you made fun of me." Clyde said. Max grabbed her chest.
"Clyde, how could you? What about those wonderful nights we had? Snuggled close. Our heat keeping us warm in your...stationwagon." Max tried to be serious but the stationwagon Clyde had spoke for itself. Max was back to laughing. Clyde rolled his eyes again.
"Keep it up, Caulfield. Just keep it up. It's going to be real funny when I leave your ass out here when we're done." Clyde said, walking back to the rest of the group. Max joined him.
"You love me too much to do that. You know it." Max said.
"Yeah, you're right. Come on, gimme a kiss." Clyde said, puckering up. Max obliged with a playful punch to his arm.
"Fair enough." He said, walking towards Kate. He handed out the sandwiches and went back to admiring the view. Max took her camera and shot some pictures.
"How you gonna upload those to instagrum, Max? That thing doesn't exactly have wifi." Clyde asked Max, pointing out her old timey camera, probably as a way to get back at her for making fun of his stationwagon. Max glared at him.
"Touché." Max said, taking a bite out of her sandwich.
...
"Okay, kids. Are you ready for some adventure?!" Clyde asked his motivated group of friends and resident hipster.
"Yeah!" Said one of Kate's friends. With that, they started their nature walk. As the group walked, they admired the beautiful foliage. They immersed themselves in the sounds of birds chirping, and the smell of early morning air and sea breeze. Max, as expected, took photos of everything she saw. Squirrels, birds, light coming through the trees, the backsides of the rest of the group in a vain attempt at an artsy candid photo.
"Hold up. There's something I want to show you guys." Clyde said, stopping the group and venturing ahead.
"Found it! Come to me, my children!" Clyde yelled. The group followed his voice and found him standing in front of a very tall tree. Max looked up at it.
"It's just a tree." Max said. Clyde shook his head.
"Max, you naive, sexy thing. Tis not any ordinary tree." Clyde replied.
"This, my uneducated friends, is special tree. Native to Saturn." Clyde informed them, presenting the tree like Vanna White. Kate's friends replied with oohs and aahs. Max rolled her eyes and Kate gave a little chuckle.
"Really?" One of Kate's friends asked. Clyde nodded.
"Oh yes, my child. It is. I know because I planted it." Clyde answered.
"How did you get it?" The other asked. Clyde knelt down and motioned for the group to come in close. Only Kate's friends came in, Kate and Max just watched.
"Many sunsets ago, a holy messenger came down from... somewhere and blessed me with the privilege of growing my own tree of Saturn." Clyde explained with full sincerity. Max rolled her eyes and Kate just smiled and nodded.
"Did they really?" One of Kate's friends asked.
"Well, it was more like they threw me the seed to my head but, more or less, yes." Clyde clarified. Max had had enough, but did want to capture the moment. She took her camera and captured the scene in front of the tree.
...
The group had stopped at a little rest area close a trail through the forest. Max sat with Kate's friends on a picnic table while Kate was talking to her parents informing them about how they were doing and Clyde being Clyde.
"So, how do you know Kate?" Max asked Kate's two friends, sitting across from her.
"How do we know her?" One of them repeated. Max nodded.
"Yeah. I mean, I saw you enter the bakery with her that one day earlier this week and I just wanted to know." Max asked. The two looked at each other, then back to Max.
"Well, I mean..." One of them started.
"We are her sisters, so..." The other said, trying to explain how they know Kate. Max got a bit red in the face.
"Really?" She asked. They both nodded.
"Yeah. Kate's our older sister." One of them said, very evident in the awkwardness of the situation. The other shifted in her seat. Max was shaking and embarrassed.
"Well, I'm Lynn. Nice to meet you, uh?" One of them introduced herself.
"Max. Nice to meet you, too." Max said, getting up from her seat.
"I'm just gonna... yeah." Max said, walking away from further embarrassment.
...
Clyde sat on a log, looking aimlessly at the sky. Max came next to him and plopped down, her head in her arms, legs curled close.
"What's up, son? You look sullen." Clyde said, not looking away from the sky.
"I just embarrassed myself and want to pretend it didn't happen." Max replied. Clyde nodded.
"What you do?" He asked. Max curled herself tighter.
"I didn't know the other girls were Kate's sisters." Max answered.
"Oh, yeah. Them. Well, you didn't ask, so I didn't bother." Clyde said, scooting closer to Max. Max leaned in towards Clyde, who allowed it.
"Hey, Clyde. What's wrong with Max?" Kate asked, coming up to them.
"She just met your sisters." Clyde answered.
"Oh, right. I didn't introduce them from our first meeting." Kate remembered. Max curled up even tighter.
"Don't worry, Max. I'm not offended. It was my fault I didn't introduce them before." Kate reassured Max. Max peeked up from her ball of pity.
"You sure?" Max asked meekly. Kate put a hand over her heart.
"I assure you I am not." Kate said. Max relaxed a bit, unballing herself and sitting normally.
"So, what else is there to see?" Kate asked.
...
The group continued in silence through the forest. Max trotted on behind the whole group, still embarrassed from her earlier incident. Though Kate assured her, Max was hesitant. Then, she felt a tap on her shoulder. Looking toward where it came from, she found Lynn looking at her, concerned.
"Are you okay, Max?" She asked. Her concern was genuine. Max gave a little smile.
"I'm fine. Thank you." Max answered softly. Lynn pouted.
"If it's about earlier, its okay. I wasn't offended. I'm sure Kate wouldn't be offended, either." Lynn told Max, trying to make her feel better. Max nodded.
"You sure?" Max asked, unsure about it still. Lynn grabbed both her hands and wrapped them with her own.
"I'm positive." She said, with a serious face on. Max nodded.
"Hey, slowpokes! Come on!" Kate yelled, snapping the two out of their moment.
"You heard, Kate. Come on!" Lynn told Max, taking Max by the hand and bringing the both of them back to the group. When they rejoined the group, they were at the top of a slope, looking down at another part of the forest. The canopy below was gorgeous, reminiscent of a scene from Jurassic Park or The Sound of Music.
"Isn't beautiful?" Lynn asked out loud.
"It sure is." Max replied. She looked down to the younger Marsh sister. She noticed that she still held Max's hand as she looked toward the view below. Max didn't bother removing it.
...
"Today was amazing." Lynn said, walking with Max, hand in hand, as they returned to Clyde's stationwagon. Max hummed in reply.
"It really was." Max agreed. The two hadn't let go of each other since Lynn caught up with the group. When they finally reached the stationwagon, Kate opened the passenger side door next to the driver and sat down. Kate's other sister opened the hatchback and sat in the back with the supplies they brought with them. Clyde joined her to get something among said supplies.
"You feel better, Max?" Lynn asked, looking at her as they walked.
"Yeah, a lot better. Thank you, Lynn." Max answered. Lynn gave a beautiful smile. Almost angelic.
"Just like her sister." Max thought. Lynn let go and went towards the passenger seats in the car. Max looked on, content with today. A whistle caught her attention. Max looked to see Clyde resting on the hood, motioning her to join him.
"So, I see you've made peace with Kate's sisters. Good on you." Clyde congratulated Max. Max smiled and blushed.
"Yeah, you could say that." Max said, sitting next to Clyde.
"Looks like Lynn took a liking to you, and vice versa." Clyde said, commenting on Max's interaction with the younger girl.
"Yeah." Max said, still smiling. Clyde chuckled to himself.
"Well, can you blame me? She's just so sweet and kind. How could you not?" Max asked. Clyde shrugged.
"Well, I can't see anyone. But then again, I'm pretty sure she's like ten or something." Clyde replied. Max just smiled on, but moved her face into Clyde's chest. Clyde patted Max's head, knowing what she was doing.
"I'm a bad person, aren't I?" She asked, muffled by Clyde's chest, embarrassed that she might have been enamored by a ten year old.
"Yes. Yes you are." Clyde said matter of factually. Max just shook her head in his chest, reveling in the fact that she may be a "bad" person.
"But hey, so am I. And that's why I love you, Max." Clyde reassured her, bringing her into a one armed hug. Max returned the gesture with a hug.
"Thanks, Clyde." Max said, voice still muffled by his chest.
"Don't mention it. Now, about that kiss..." Clyde said, about to pucker his lips. Max rectified that with a punch to his guts. Clyde smiled and groaned through his teeth quietly.
"Touché." He said quietly.
Until next time, strangers.