"You actually went through with it," I said, not quite sure how to start up the conversation. I knew I had to say something. Unfortunately, eloquence was not a factor a my personality, and it certainty didn't appear when trying to compliment someone. Because Maximum Ride doesn't do compliments.
Maya shrugged. "I don't see why you thought I would be lying when I said I would. It's not like it was emotionally challenging or anything like that."
I frowned slightly, rubbing the back of my neck. "You know that isn't what I meant. But whatever. You look... nice. It seems like your style."
Earlier in the day, after much internal debate, Maya had gone and gotten her hair cut. Of course, she didn't tell me exactly what she was going to do to her hair. When she came out, almost all of her hair had been cut off, and the natural color was gone, replaced by a rather lovely shade of auburn.
Maya rolled her eyes and shook her head. "I swear Max, you are hopeless."
"Hey," I said defensively. "Most of my life has been spent running from experiments, protecting a handful of kids and insulting adults. It's not like I ever had a crash course in compliments. It's not a very active part of my personality. Plus we were usually sweaty, dirty and bloody. Anything nice I had to say was usually just a thought, nothing more."
Maya ran a hand through her newly styled hair. "Somehow I believe you. But I don't believe that part of your personality doesn't exist. It's there somewhere. We'll have to work on it."
X X X
Author's Notes: So, another short little installment. I figured that Maya would change her looks sometime in the future. More than a magenta streak, I mean. I wanted Max to be kind of awkward, and unsure of what to say. After all, she never really had to compliment people much anyhow. So there you have it.