S I X
Much to my disappointment, Max was in every one of my classes. Lit and History, Math, Science, Art, Health you name it, and Maxwell was in it. And, in every class, he sat near me. Even in Health, where our hippie-teacher Gary let us sit where ever we wanted in 'The Friendship Ring', Maxwell just had to sit next to me.
There were threereasons why I didn't like Max.
One, he associated with me by choice. No one except Blaze, Spike, Jazz, Is, and Lyn was supposed to talk to me. I liked it that way. If the new kid started talking to me, other people might, and then I'd never be alone again. Even now that was looking unlikely, thanks to my stalker.
Second, I was sure that Max was my stalker. He looked the the man from The The Rouge and my house, and he followed me like a stalker. He just happened to want to talk to an outcast-and-proud-of-it, had the same schedule as me, and enrolled in Liberty right after I noticed the man stalking me.
Third, my friends liked him. He followed me to lunch, and sat at our table. Then, he did the unforgivable.
He started to make my friends his friends.
They had invited him to movie night... At my house. I tried to protest, but the effort was futile. So here I am, sitting, four days later, three blocks away from Max's house (he lived much. much to close), on my couch, waiting for my 5 friends and their friend to show up so that we can watch monthly Saturday night movies in my movie theater (conveniently located on the fourth floor of my house) while my parents and my brother are at the beach house.
The door is thrown open. I don't even have to look to tell that my guests have arrived.
"We're HEEEERRRRRRRREEEEEEE!" sings Lyn, "Did ya miss us?"
"Some of you," I grunt.
"Ok," says Blaze, "I brought three movies, and Maxdawg here brought seven. We've got Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, Spider-Man 3, All of the PoTC movies, RV, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory-You've got Max to thank for that one, Kim," he says, naming my favorite movie, "Oliver Twist, and The Chronicles of Narnia."
Just as I'm about to opt for Charlie, Jazz tugs my arm. "You guys pick," she says, and pulls me out of the room.
"What is up with you and the Maddog?" she asks.
I look confused."Who?"
"Maxwell."
"None of your business."
"We're still BFFs, right?"
"Right."
"Then that makes it my business. If you hate someone, I deserve to know why." On 'I' and 'my', she jabs a finger to her chest.
I sigh. "If I don't tell you, I don't get to go back in there, do I?" I point to the door.
"That's the deal."
"Your gonna think I'm crazy."
"I already do."
"Hmph!" I say defiantly before telling her why I think Max is stalking me.
When I'm done, she says, "Max isn't stalking you. He lives close to you, so he walked down your street. He was at the The Rouge because he was hungry and they have good food. He tries to talk to you because he likes you-Not like that. He happens to have the same schedule as you. And you have no proof that it was him watching your house. You said it was dark, and it sounds like you saw him in the same spot as the tree Gretchen planted last week."
I don't like admitting I'm wrong, so I just grunt.
"Promise me you'll be nice?" she puppy-pouts, and her blue, chin-length-thanks-to-extensions hair falls in her face, creating a funny image.
I laugh. "Promise."
Jazz lets me back into the room, where Max is standing, looking like he was waiting for me. "Hey, Kim, I'm sorry. I guess I sorta freaked you out at school. Can we, you know, start over?"
I would have said 'Yes. Now leave,' but Jazz would be so ticked if I said that, so I just said, "Sure, I guess."
"Great," he said.
"Hey, I'm Max."
"I'm Kim," I say, trying not spit, or grit my teeth, or do anything offensive.