My Friend Max

By Adam Decker

Overview: Greg and Sarah meet Max, another extra with OCD.

Disclaimer: I do not own Arthur. This is the second installment in the extra series of mine.

To Review: Not much to review, except that I am focusing writing a story on characters that make frequent appearances but have yet to be focused upon or even have speaking roles. Today marks the first appearance of a new extra.

It was a quiet day in the school cafeteria. The school was trying something new with the younger students. Because recently they were talking too much during lunch and not getting their meals eaten so they were forbidden from talking during lunch. (Author's Note: Do you think that's strange? So did I when it happened when I was in grade school.) It was a weird thing to do, but stranger things have happened. Here is where we meet a quirky young student named Max. He has Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. It would obvious in the way he ate his food. You might not care about how you eat your food, but he cares very much about what foods in what order he would eat them in. He would normally eat his least favorite of all the foods on his plate first, such as the vegetables or fruits. Then, he would continue eating the next worst of the foods on his plate until he finished with the one he liked most. He refused to mix the foods. He only ate one at a time. He would take a sip of his drink every time he was finished with one portion and went on to his next. Only nobody ever told him that it was a strange way of eating food because it was normal to him. Nobody, that is, until today.

Sarah, a yellowish rabbit, and Greg, a brownish rabbit were brother and sister. Nobody noticed that they had existed at Lakewood Elementary this whole time. They mostly appeared in the background, but had never said a word. They didn't really belong in the world, except to make it seem like more people existed there. When they noticed Max, an aardvark that looked like a whiter version of Arthur, they saw that he was eating his food that way. They wanted to ask them about it, but the time limit before they could start talking was not up yet. They didn't talk after the time limit was up because others talked to them first.

After school was over, the two talked to Max about his strange habits. "What are you talking about?" asked Max. "The way I eat my food isn't strange. The way everyone else eats their food is strange. I'm the only one who eats my food a normal way."

"That sounds stupid," said Greg, "how can you be the only person who eats your food a normal way?"

"You shouldn't eat more than one food in more than one bite. Food shouldn't be mixed together like that. You ruin it that way."

"I can't think of another person who does what you do," said Sarah. "Besides, it all gets mixed in your stomach anyways."

"That's a dumb argument," said Max. "You don't eat what's in your stomach after you swallow it. Therefore, the point is moot and void that because it all gets mixed that means you'd have to taste it again."

"Why are you using such complex words?" asked Sarah.

"Because people don't understand a simple concept," said Max. "Food tastes better when it isn't mixed. If it didn't, it wouldn't be given separately in the first place."

Before Sarah or her brother had a chance to reply to this unusual person, his mother came and picked him up. Both Sarah and Greg decided to talk about it with each other. They were both confused as to what was making Max behave that way. They talked more about it at their house.

"Do you think that Max is a strange person?" asked Sarah.

"Well," said Greg, "I've been thinking that he might actually have a point. While we don't find it normal, to him it makes sense to not combine food together."

"But that's not the only strange thing that I've ever noticed him do," said Sarah. Thinking back, she recalled various other times that he did something weird and told them to her brother. Like, they noticed how he wouldn't step on the cracks between two pieces of sidewalk. If he did do this, then he would step on the next crack in the same way with his other foot. Then they though more about his food eating habits and that his food was always eaten in the same order each time. "The order doesn't even make sense," continued Sarah. "Whenever there is a cold fruit, he eats that before the hot food. Who does that?"

"I'm not sure," said Greg. "Should we ask him about this sometime?"

"We might as well," responded Sarah.

The next day at school, the siblings sat next to Max at lunch and waited until the time limit was gone before they talked to him.

"Why do you eat your food in a strange order?" asked Sarah.

"The order isn't strange at all," replied Max. "What do you find strange about it?"

"You always eat the apple before you eat the pizza," said Sarah. "Why do you do that?"

"I like the pizza more, so I save it for last."

"You know," said Greg, "that actually makes a lot of sense."

"I always eat my food in order of least favorite to most favorite," said Max. "Why do you find that strange?"

"I guess that I didn't think of that," Sarah replied.

"You must be wondering about my habits," said Max. "Was that the only one you noticed?"

"No," said Greg, responding for Sarah. Sarah gave him a look. "Um, I mean…"

"I guess that SHE noticed them," responded Max in kind.

"I didn't think that it was weird," said Sarah.

"Yes you did," said Greg. Sarah once again gave him a look.

"I think that she wants you to stop talking," said Max. "Now I think that my behavior was caused by OCD."

"What's that?" asked Sarah.

The bell dismissing them from lunch rang. "I'll tell you about it after school," said Greg. The students then went back to their classes.

After school, Sarah scolded Greg for his cluelessness. "Like I was the only one who didn't know things," Greg shot back. He and his sister didn't always get along. Sadly, that is quite common among siblings. After an uncomfortable silence as they waited outside for Max to show up, Greg spoke up again. "I'm sorry."

"I forgive you," said Sarah. Now their relationship was repaired again. It was easier sometimes than others. But normally they were okay after their fights.

Max came out of the school and approached the siblings. "You want to know what OCD is."

"Yes," said Sarah.

"I just thought that they were three letters," said Greg, attempting a joke. Sarah rolled her eyes at him.

"He thinks that he's funny," she said.

"I am," defended Greg. She glared at him again in response.

"Well," said Max, clearly not used to how the siblings were," OCD stands for obsessive compulsive disorder. It basically means that I have habits that I do over and over again in the same way. While my habits make sense to me, it doesn't always make sense to someone else. Apparently the order I eat my food in is strange simply be having an order in the first place. Someone once said that you should save the best for last. Ever since then, I eat my food in order of what I like least to what I like most at the end."

"That actually makes a lot of sense," admitted Sarah. "Can you explain all your other weird habits?"

"Well, um, that would probably take too long," admitted Max, "but I can sit with you and your brother during lunch and talk after the time limit is up. We could learn a lot about each other."

"That would be nice," said Greg.

"You know," said Sarah, "this could be the start of a beautiful friendship."