Behind The Curtains
Chapter 5- You're In
Act One, Scene Four (Max)
[Max has confronted Maya, and she falls off the stage]
Max stood there, mouth agape, as her twin sister Maya fell to her doom. Next thing she saw was Maya was on the floor, clutching her knee painfully. What happened? Max thought to herself. She could tell that Maya wanted to cry, but she bit her lip to prevent tears from falling out.
"Call an ambulance, freak!" Maya shouted with an agonized cry out to Max, who was standing there dumbly, still in shock.
She hurriedly closed her mouth and pulled out her cell phone. "Yeah, is this 9-1-1? Hi, um I need an ambulance… Yeah; we're at 2604 West Point Drive… Okay, uh…um…thanks?" Max turned to Maya and said, "They should be here in a couple of minutes."
Maya's groan was loud, as she leant back, clutching her leg, tears streaming down her close eyelids.
[The hospital; about 15 minutes later.]
"Excuse me, where are Maya Ride's family and friends?" Ironically, Max was the only one who stood up in the room full of people.
"I'm her sister," she said to the nurse.
"Yeah, hi," the nurse said hurriedly. "Your sister is extremely injured, and it'll take a while to heal." Well I know that, Max sardonically thought to herself, adding in a mental snort, but nodded outwardly. The nurse went ahead and continued. "Yeah, so, she injured her leg severely, and she can't walk or anything like that for about — at least — 3 months. At least, that's what the doctor's assuming; it may take even longer."
Max's jaw dropped wide open, and she stared blankly at the nurse for a long time. How the hell are we supposed to do the show now?! she screamed mentally. "No, uh, she needs to walk," Max tried explaining to the nurse. "We've got a big Broadway show coming up —"
The nurse clicked her tongue sympathetically and said, "Sorry dear, but it'll have to wait."
It can't wait! Max wanted to scream, but instead she just solemnly nodded her head and the nurse lead her into Maya's room.
Maya was sitting up on her bed, reading a Teen Vogue magazine. She seemed perfectly fine to Max, as if nothing had happened to her leg.
"So Maya will be in the hospital for about a month, at least, so we can check on her every day, as she severely injured her leg," the nurse explained to Max. She simply nodded, prompting the nurse to continue. "We'll most likely let her out after a month, but she'll have a boot, along with a pair of crutches, and she won't be able to walk very much at all. Three months is what we're guessing as to when she'll be able to walk again."
Maya, just now hearing all of this, looked up from her magazine and screeched, voice extremely angry. "WHAT? Oh, my God, no! 'Boots,'" she said the word with utter disgust, "are so not in season right now!"
Max sighed, shutting her eyes for a second. "Sorry, dear," the nurse said somewhat-sympathetically, "Max told me about the big show, and it's just going to have to wait." Maya's eyes widened, and she glared at Max.
"You," Maya sneered at Max. "THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!" she boomed at her, causing Max to want to slap Maya. "It was all your fault! I know you've been out to get me, since who knows how long, but this is way too low, Max! This is LOW, even for your standards!"
Max was astounded that Maya would even think that. "I don't know what the hell your problem is Maya," Max replied in a deathly-calm voice, "but I sure as hell didn't do that to you on purpose - or, at all, really."
"Why the hell should I believe that?" Maya screeched at Max, arms flailing about. It reminded Max of her sister's old temper tantrums from when they were kids. "For all I know, you were out to kill me!" she said outrageously. "I'm pressing charges for attempted murder!"
"Yes, because that's what I do," Max snapped sarcastically. "I go around trying to kill people but instead they just break their legs – ooh, especially my twin – freaking – sister!"
"She even admitted it!" Maya yelled at no one in particular. The nurse had left already; whether it was to avoid the commotion between the two sisters, or check up on another patient, no one knows, and probably ever would.
Max sighed, and then looked at her bed-ridden sister. "It was sarcasm, you moron!"
"Guys," said a new voice, entering the scene, "calm down."
"Don't tell us what to do!" both Maya and Max simultaneously snapped at the voice. Max whipped her head around to see who it was, expecting either her dad or mom, but instead, she saw… Nick?
Max groaned and said, "What the hell do you want, Nick?"
"Nick, thank God!" Maya said gratefully. "Tell her that I'm pressing charges for attempted murder! She doesn't seem to understand it when I say it!" Maya looked up at Nick in an attempted pout, which didn't at all go with her messed up hair, or hospital gown.
Nick's lip quirked upwards, and he asked, "Now when did she try to kill you?"
Maya face-palmed, in attempt to be cute and appealing to Nick (which wasn't really working), and said, "That's right! You weren't there! Okay, so what happened was, I was rehearsing, and Max just comes up and pushes me off the stage! SHE TRIED TO KILL ME!" Maya added, with extra emphasis. Max held back a snicker at her pathetic sister, imagining Maya as the Red Queen from Alice in Wonderland.
"Wow," Max muttered to herself. "She's actually good at acting," she scoffed, burying her head in her hands.
"I don't think that's what happened, Maya," Nick said, just loud enough for the two girls to hear.
Maya had an icy glare on her face as she said, tone low, "What did you say?"
Max's head shot up from her hands and she looked at Nick, wide-eyed. "What did you say?" she asked him, in a softer voice than Maya had asked him the same thing.
This time, louder and with more confidence, Nick repeated, "I said, I don't think that's how it happened. In fact, I know that's not how it happened."
"Now, Nick, don't jump to conclusions," Maya said, daring him to object her. "It's how it happened."
Nick gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. This is why he'd broken up with Maya. She was clingy, desperate, and a liar. A huge liar, that's what she was. "Maya," he said calmly, trying his best to restrain himself, "I saw it. I saw the whole deal, and it's not how it happened."
Maya's eyes widened a fraction of an inch, and she stuttered, "W-what?"
Max, all the while, was watching the two intently, ready to spring up and leave if it ever got ugly. Max too, repeated what Maya had said, and asked, "What are you talking about?"
Nick coughed, smothering a chuckle, and said, "This is going to sound kind of creepy, but I was watching you rehearse, Maya, and I witnessed the whole thing. About how Max came in, and how you tripped yourself, Maya. You're the one who injured yourself."
"Nicky, what are you saying?" Maya asked softly, and manipulatively.
His hands were clenched even more now, nails digging into his flesh, enough to draw out blood. "Don't call me that," he snapped, eyes narrowed at Maya.
She recoiled, and then, gaining her confidence back, she said, "Well whose side are you one? Mine or hers?" she shot a glare at Max as she spat the final word.
He sighed, and then said firmly, "Not everything can go your way, Maya. You understand that? I'm on her side."
Maya shrieked, not knowing that her "plan" would backfire. She said venomously to Max, "You tell him! Tell him that it's not like how he saw it!"
Max was still there, watching the two while they conversed, but this time her mouth was agape, shocked at the fact that Nick stuck up for her. Max shut her mouth and said to Maya, "You know what Maya? No, I won't. What he said is the truth, the actual truth, so no, I'm good. Plus, why the hell would I lie to him and say, 'Why, yes, I did attempt to kill her in a jealous rage'!" she snorted, rolling her eyes. "You need your head checked if you think I'm gonna do that for you."
"Yeah, and you know what Maya?" Nick asked her. "Don't expect me to come crawling back to you, okay?" he told her, knowing very well that that was why she had signed up for this show in the first place. He left the room, fists still clenched, his knuckles white, and an awkward silence enveloped Maya and Max.
Before Maya could scream at her, Max ran out of the room, closely following Nick.
"Why'd you do that?" she asked him.
He whipped around, ready to sock her in the gut (on force of habit), lowered his hand, and then said, "Because you don't deserve to be treated like that."
"You don't even know me," she replied, eyebrows raised.
"I don't need to know someone to stick up for them," he murmured, and then walked away from her, leaving Max looking after him in shock.
[At the auditorium, two hours later]
"Hey guys!" Anne said to Nick and Max, jogging up to them. "What happened with Maya?"
Before Max could say anything, Nick simply stated that she had severely hurt her leg and couldn't walk for at least three months.
"Max!" Jeb called up to her. She whipped her head around, eyes locking on her father as she smiled, averting her attention to him, and away from Anne and Nick, who were now just calmly chatting about the accident.
"Hmm?" she asked Jeb, walking up closer to him.
He grinned at her and said, "Now's your time to shine, baby girl!"
"What are you talking about?" she wondered him, genuinely confused.
Jeb's grin got wider, and he said, "I convinced Lissa and Anne to let you play the part of Max!" He opened up his arms for a hug, and then slowly let them down when he realized that she wasn't going to give him one.
"What?" she asked incredulously instead.
He smiled at her, and said, "Be excited! You'll do great!" Max hugged him now, thanking him for the compliment. She laughed lightheartedly, but on the inside, she was nervous.
Would Maya get mad if she told her this?
She probably would. And who knows? Maybe she'll come back for revenge when she can actually walk.
Max shrugged all of these doubts off for now, and joined the rest of the cast and crew as they congratulated her.
[Blackout]
Author's Note: And BAM! She got the part :)
Bubbles: Teehee. BAM! SHE GOT THE PART :D Review please?
Fluffy: BOOYAH! Hehe, felt like saying that. Anyway, MAX GOT THE PART — LIKE A FREAKIN' FANGIRL PRO! Can I get a WHOOP WHOOP?
Anna: THAT FANGIRL PRO THING IS MINE! (Hehe, I felt like saying I own something…SINCE WE DON'T OWN MR! WHICH FREAKIN' SUCKS!) Anyways…MAXIE IS A STAAAAAAAAAAAR! *Wipes away tears.* She grew up so fast… :')
Fluffy: I felt the need to add this. ANNA, the pro thing is us all! Ah. Now I'm satisfied :)
=) SACA BAF (=