In and Out of Love-Chapter 9

By MyNameIsCAL

Gazzy gets whatever we need after he gets out of school. Max and I are confined to the apartment for most of the day. The reporters are desperate to hear our story, but the only people we plan on telling are the judge and jury. It wouldn't take long for someone to realize who we were. Itex would resurface in the news and the scientists would be calling us up again, asking to "observe" us.

We couldn't even stand to watch the news anymore. They would show the reporters outside of the apartment. The phone would ring more than once an hour. We stopped answering. If it was important, we would answer. Although if it was important, and usually important meant from Mom or Iggy or someone else in the flock, they would call our cell phones.

"This is ridiculous," Max sighed as we on the couch.

I stretched my leg. This could easily be all of Max's fault for getting involved with George, but I would never say that to her face. Even if that was the truth, I would be biased to hate George. It was always hard to hate the people you loved the most. Especially the people you were trying to win back, the one person that I needed the most.

"It'll get better." My mouth worked faster than my thoughts.

Max smiled at me. "I know."

Just as I went to say something else, Max's phone rang. She answered. "Oh, hey, Carter…Now?...Yeah I guess it would be alright…No we don't need anything…Ok, bye."

I waited for her answer.

"Carter is coming over. He needs to go over some things for the case. We're going to court next week." Max threw her phone onto the coffee table. "I guess we have to get our stories straight."

"I thought our stories matched up," I said.

"They do, but Carter, being a lawyer, has to recheck them. In fact, he'll probably tweak them," Max explained.

Lawyers. Professional liars, if you asked me. I think it was the one reason Max and Carter never lasted. She didn't trust him. Trust had always been an issue. Maybe out of desperation she had fallen for George. But from the beginning I knew it wouldn't last. If I had been a better friend, maybe I would have told that to her. Then we wouldn't have had to go through all of this. Well, it was too late now.

"I was stupid, wasn't I? Falling for George, and all." It was like Max was reading my mind.

"Nah, you weren't stupid," I replied.

She shrugged. "It's ok, you can admit I was."

"Well, I never liked George. I never liked any of the guys you dated. Well Carter was alright," I admitted. "I don't know, my opinion is swayed."

Max grinned. "Of course it is."

I smiled back.

Carter has been here for three hours now. It was about time Iggy and Gazzy came back to the apartment. Iggy wouldn't be happy about seeing Carter again. Lawyers made Iggy uneasy, like most people he didn't know.

"Hey, you wanna go out to dinner?" Carter asked Max.

Max shook her head, no hesitation. "I don't think that's a good idea, Carter."

"Oh, alright," Carter sounded hurt.

We watched him gather his things and head out the door. In my eyes, he overstayed his visit, drank all our coffee, and depleted Iggy's supply of sandwiches. Carter was going to turn into someone I didn't like. And I really hoped it didn't have to be this way.

"I gotta make more sandwiches," I said as soon as Carter closed the door.

Max sighed, watching me try to imitate the way Iggy made his sandwiches. She said, "You mind as well give up. Iggy will notice. Just let him get mad at Carter."

I resisted the urge to throw the sandwich against the wall. Instead, I put it on a plate and placed it on the table. Iggy's sandwiches looked like they were from a deli, but they actually tasted good. My sandwich looked like I had dropped it, stepped on it, and tried passing it off as good to eat.

Max laughed. "Nice try."

I rolled my eyes. "Oh just get rid of it already."

She picked it up and ripped it in half. We sat there eating the sandwich until Iggy and Gazzy came in, luckily, holding grocery bags.

"The reporters have given up, I think," Gazzy said as he placed the bags on the counter. "There's not much of a story when you two don't go out."

Gazzy had acquired a new earring since the last time we had seen him. I wondered how observant Mom was to that. Maybe she didn't care.

"I'm so hungry," Gazzy yawned. "And tired."

"There are sandwiches in the fridge," Iggy replied.

Max cleared her throat. "Carter came and ate them all."

Iggy frowned. He looked like he was going to hurt someone. "You let him eat them why?!"

Max and I fell silent. Iggy was very protective of his food. I remember one time he was marinating this steak and I decided to cook it because he wasn't home. It took him a week to get over it. That was the week I had to order take out every day. We might have been all grown up now, but in many ways, we were still childish, trying to hold on to all those years we should have spent enjoying being kids.

"I don't know," I answered quietly. "I'm sorry."

Iggy shrugged. "I told Gazzy I would have food for him so he could go home."

"Nah, it's alright. I'll wait around. Cook me up a real meal," Gazzy grinned.

We helped unpack the food. Everything had to be organized into an exact location so Iggy could find it easily. The whole ordeal took about an hour. It took another hour to cook. By the time we were able to sit down and it, the sun had set and it was already eight.

But as always, the food was amazing.