A/N: Get your tissues ready. This is the second-longest yet.

Chapter 34 – It's All Too Much

My boy was now sixteen years old. Saying that made him sound so mature. It was a Friday, exactly two weeks since his birthday. I left school, with intentions of heading to the bus stop with Prue (she was talking to me again now), when I spotted Max waiting outside the school. People were looking at him strangely. He didn't go to our school – he was an outsider. When they saw me approach him I could only assume they raised their eyebrows. Yes, he was my boyfriend.
"What are you doing here?" I asked, happily surprised.
"I just wanted to surprise you with my presence," he replied, smiling. He had gotten a haircut. It was shorter on the sides and the top was quiffed up. This made him look much hotter and more gorgeous (and older) than when he had the moptop.
"Hey, Prue," he greeted Prue, who stood with me.
"Hey, Max," she replied.
"Can I come over?"
"Sure."

The three of us walked to the bus stop together. Daniel arrived at the bus stop not long after. The way he looked at Max, I could tell he knew who he was. This was the famous Maxwell. I didn't bother introducing them. We all got on the bus when it came. Prue and Daniel both got off at earlier stops than us, leaving just Max and I on the bus. Max told me he had passed his learners' test and could now drive, which was exciting! When we got home, we made milkshakes and cracked open the cream biscuits, flopping down on the lounge to watch television. Max found great amusement in watching me juggle the biscuits, making them do acrobatics in the middle of the room.
"You are so awesome," he smiled, "I love you."

Well. That was unexpected. The shock of the statement made me lose focus on the biscuits as they plummeted to the ground, exploding crumbs. At that exact moment, Mum came in the garage door.
"Hello daughter," she called through the house.
I could not respond. My breathing had intensified as I stared at where the biscuits used to be floating. Mum came into the room and saw us.
"Oh, hello Max, how are you?" she greeted.
"Great," Max replied, smiling up at her.
"What have you done here?" she asked, hands on her hips, when she saw the mess on the floor.
"It was an accident, I'm sorry Martha," Max apologised. It somewhat was his fault, after all.
"Oh, it's not a problem!" she waved her hand and scuttled back into the kitchen.

I slowly and cautiously turned my head to look at him. He gave me an expectant look. What did he want me to say? That I loved him too? I couldn't lie. Not that I didn't love him, it's just that we were so young! How could we know what was love and what was not? He looked down at his lap. He was probably embarrassed now, with me not responding at all. Were we going to let this go and pretend it didn't happen? Or were we going to discuss it? Our problem was solved when Max's phone rang.
"Hey, Mum," he answered. I could hear the other end perfectly.
"Max, where are you?" Joan asked.
"I'm at Sadie's," he replied.
"Well you will be home soon, right? Remember Dad and I are going to the dinner at the hospital and you need to watch Harper."
"Shit!"
"You forgot, didn't you?"
"Yeah, crap, I'm sorry, Mum. I'll be home soon. Um, hey, do you think Sadie could help me?"
"Sure."
"Okay, bye."

I don't know why he wanted me to spend the entire evening with him after the awkward moment we just had. After he hung up he looked at me.
"I guess you heard all that," he said.
"Yeah," I replied.
"And you don't want to…?"
"No, I'll come. I love Harper."
"I'll drop you home, Max," Mum came into the room then. Joan probably told her about this evening; hence she knew what was going on.
"Mum, can I help Max babysit? I don't think Joan and Bob trust him on his own."
The last part was, of course, a joke, and Max elbowed me.
"If you want. I suppose you'll be having tea there?"
"Yes, I'd assume so," Max replied.
"Well, Sadie, it's a Friday, and I assume Bob and Joan will be back quite late, why don't you just sleep over?"

Max and I had only 'slept over' once, and that time was also my Mum's idea (granted, it was when Harper was born so somewhat necessary). She liked to meddle, her and Joan did. No other parent would suggest that his or her fifteen- and sixteen-year-old children (who are a couple) sleep over. But then again, our parents trusted us (if you know what I mean) and seemed to be keener and more enthusiastic about this relationship than we were. I can't believe I just said that.

I went upstairs and got changed out of my uniform whilst packing a small overnight bag. When I got back downstairs, Mum and Max were waiting for me to go. We drove to the Edisons' house. When Joan saw that I was prepared to stay the night, she didn't seem apprehensive or alarmed, like I thought she might. Just because one parent deems it appropriate, doesn't mean the others do. But she seemed fine with it. Mum, Joan and Bob chatted for a bit before Mum went back home.
"What do you kids want for dinner?" Joan asked.
Max and I looked at each other. We got to choose?
"Can we have anything?" Max asked.
"Sure. Within reason."
A short discussion (that's unusual) later and we settled on Hungry Jacks. Bob offered to take us out to get it and Max asked if he could drive. Oh dear god.

We geared up in the car. The L-plates were on, Bob had filled out the logbook and Max was in the driver's seat, adjusting everything. I sat in the back, ready to hold on for dear life, no offense to Max and his noviceship. This was, apparently, only Max's second drive!
We backed out of the driveway, quite slowly, and then gradually made our way up the street. The ride to Hungry Jacks was quite smooth, until we got to the drive through. Even I know those things are tight, and not ideal for a learner on their second drive. We made it to the ordering speaker alright (where we both got cheeseburger meals) but when we turned the corner we went up… over the gutter. Apart from that, Max wasn't too bad at driving.

After our near-death experience (only kidding) we made our way back home. Joan and Bob were ready to go, dressed all snazzy.
"Right, remember you're babysitting and not baby making," Bob told us.
"Bob!" his wife shrieked. Max's hand flew to his face in embarrassment. I just stood there awkwardly.
"Only joking kids."
He chuckled but then abruptly whipped his head around to give us a serious glare. With a grimace Max ushered his parents out the door, leaving us alone with the baby. It was strange being just us two and Harper. It was like we were parents. I wondered if we'd ever be parents together. We ate our dinner and looked after Harper whilst playing with our powers and watching DVDs. I used the Edisons' shower for the first time, getting into snugly pyjamas. Neither of us brought up the topic from earlier on. To be honest, I didn't want to have the conversation. Gee, I must be a really bad girlfriend if I don't want to discuss my feelings.

Just before midnight, Joan and Bob came home. After a brief conversation, we all headed off to bed. Their house contained four bedrooms – master, Max's, Harper's and Abbey Road Studios. What used to be the spare room was now Harper's bedroom. I was therefore stationed on a mattress amongst Max's 'babies'. This was certainly a strange night.

Halfway through the night I woke up needing to go to the toilet. I rolled off the bed right into Starkey, Max's drum kit, making a loud noise. I swore to myself as I quickly stopped the cymbals from vibrating. I hoped I hadn't woken anyone up. As I returned from the toilet, I heard a soft cooing. Creeping into Harper's room, I saw that she was awake but not unhappy. She simply lay there making content sounds. A familiar putrid odour filled the room. I took it upon myself to change her nappy (the second time I had tonight), being a good 'sister-in-law'. Just as I was putting her back in her cot, Joan appeared at the doorway, scaring me.
"Uh, I was just changing her nappy," I fumbled to explain, "She was awake-."
"No need to explain, Sades," she said, "Thank you for doing that."
I awkwardly smiled at her before casually mentioning how I should be getting back to bed.

It's not often I get to wake up to my boyfriend staring down at me (almost creepily).
"Wakey, wakey!" he sung.
I groaned, not feeling any urge to vacate the mattress.
"Come on, breakfast is cooking."
I inhaled sharply, trying to identify what was to be served for my first meal of the day.
"Choc chip pancakes!" I exclaimed. I had introduced the Edisons to this delicacy.
We both trudged downstairs where the other three Edisons were already waiting.
"Good morning!" Joan sang as she breastfed Harper. Bob was flipping pancakes at the stove.
"Morning," I greeted in return. Looking at the clock on the microwave, I noticed it was just past nine.
"Um, I have work at ten," Max told me. He works at McDonald's.
"I can drop you home when I take Max to work, Sadie," Bob offered.
"Okay, thanks," I said.
We ate breakfast and then Max and I both got dressed, Max into his work uniform. After saying goodbye to Joan and Harper, the three of us piled into the car. Soon I was home.

Monday afternoon, two days after my sleepover at Max's house, I was leaving school when I found my boyfriend waiting outside again.
"Max! What are you doing here?" I asked, yet again surprised.
"We need to talk," he said, "We didn't really get to the other night."
I told Prue to go ahead to the bus stop without me and pulled him aside to a place where, hopefully, no one would overhear us.
"Okay, I know something's up," I crossed my arms, "What's the matter?"
"You confuse me, Sadie," he said.
"How?"
"I don't know… you're just not very consistent… with our relationship, at least."
He looked behind me and I turned to see Anna and Patrick leaving the school.

"I saw you dancing with him," Max huffed.
"What, Patrick?"
"Yeah. At my party."
"He's my best friend, Max, of course I'm going to dance with him!" I shot back.
"Have you ever danced with me?"
"Ye- uh, well, YES!" I abruptly pointed at him, "At your birthday, remember?"
"That was hardly dancing together."
"Well I'm sorry Max, would you like to dance with me now?"
He shook his head before muttering, "It's too late."
"What does that mean?"
"You can't redeem yourself now. I just want you to respect me a bit more."
"This has been coming a while, Max," I sighed, "Maybe we should… what do they say? See other people?"
I swear I could hear something shatter.
"I don't want to see other people," he said, looking and sounding crestfallen, "I never want to see another person again."
"Well then you're going to have a pretty lonesome life, aren't you?"

"Why?" he asked in a barely audible voice (even with my hearing – that's how soft it was). I didn't really have a reason. I just knew this was what I had to do. I thought that's what he was suggesting at the start of this conversation, but obviously not.
"Well, uh, things haven't been very smooth lately, have they?" I said.
"Maybe they would if you put more effort in," he retorted. Ouch.
"What?" I spat.
"I dropped the L word – that's what scared you away, isn't it?"
"No! Well, kinda, yes, it was abrupt and I wasn't ready and we talked about this! At the beginning! We said it was a slow and steady relationship, no full-on business. And you go and drop the L bomb? What were you trying to do?"
"Fuck, Sadie, I can't help it if I love you! It wasn't about keeping the relationship 'steady' anymore. I fell in love with you. We've been going out for nearly a year, Sades. At what point was it supposed to progress to a deeper relationship?" he started tearing up and put his hand to his chest, "You don't know how much it hurts, Sadie. I confess my genuine love to you and this is how you respond? By breaking up with me? That is the most inhumane thing I can think of possible."
"Max, it's not a two way street! I don't have to love you just because you happen to love me!"
"So now it's about 'having to' love me? Not actually having legitimate feelings for me? God, you sicken me."

He turned around with his hand cupped on his forehead.
"I'm sorry Max, but this is just getting too complicated," I said, "It's getting out of control."
"Was any of it real?" he spun around.
"What?"
"The whole relationship… did you kiss me because you felt like you had to? Did you put up with me and have a fake relationship with me to keep up an appearance? To maintain your status or something?"
"The relationship wasn't fake! It was real!"
"Then why are you acting like none of it existed?"
"I am in no way brushing aside the existence of our relationship. These have been the best months of my life. I've had a blast being your girlfriend and having my first boyfriend. But things aren't what they used to be. The spark isn't there anymore, for me anyway. All my actions towards you were genuine. It may not have been full-on love like you but it was enough to keep us together and happy. You're too good for me, Max. If you've already fallen in love from having only one taste of romance, then there's something special about you. Some girl out there deserves you."
"I don't think you understand the concept of love, Sadie," he responded, "It's like adulthood – once you're in, you're never out. Well, mostly, you're stuck there. It's unlikely to meet another person who you can love in the same way or more. Think about that."

We didn't speak for a few moments. He wouldn't meet my eyes: instead he used his blazer sleeve to wipe his. It was a strange concept watching a man cry. That's how I knew I had done some damage. I reached my arms out to hug him, as a final, breakup-defining embrace. He accepted the hug, weaving his arms around me as if he never wanted to let go. We hung there for a few moments. Eventually he broke away. I didn't want him to though: his hugs were exhilarating. I realised I would never get to hug him again. Oh no… what have I done? I was now realising just how special and unique he was. I didn't want to let him go… but the damage had been done. I couldn't just turn around and suddenly reinstate the relationship. It was irreparable.
"Well good luck with everything," I awkwardly farewelled, "Be careful with the moon tonight – it's an eclipse. Who knows what will happen."
"I guess I'll have no one to watch out for me now," he said.
Without warning, he turned around and walked away, probably to the bus stop, more calmly than I expected him to. The sudden realisation of what I'd done crept in – I had broken Max's heart. And I was single.

Joan

I was in the lounge room ironing when I heard the front door open and then close soon after. I knew Max was due home soon so I assumed it was him. When I didn't hear him come into the room or go up the stairs I knew something was wrong. I put the iron down and went to see what the matter was.
"Max?" I called out.
I was nearly at the front room when I saw him, crouched in child's pose, his arms over his head. His keys and bag were discarded near him.
"Max," I rushed towards him, starting to panic now.

I crouched down and gently placed my arms around him. He fell onto his side when I touched him, revealing a puffy, red and wet face. His hair was stuck to his forehead, his nose was dripping and his eyes were swimming in tears. It had been quite a while since I had seen him like this.
"What's the matter?" I asked, extremely concerned for my son. He just let out a deep cry, flicking his head back as he truly and intensely sobbed his little heart out. I could guess what the matter was. Only one thing, his one fear, would upset him this much. Oh, no. We had a hard and confusing road ahead of us.

"Sadie?" I asked pityingly. Just her name made him bawl even harder, confirming my suspicions.
"She didn't, did she?"
He nodded whilst still bawling. I was so surprised I raised my eyebrows.
"Oh, honey."
I stroked his head, trying to comfort him and calm him down. What I couldn't understand was why she did it. They always seemed perfect and happy. I know Sadie adored Max, and vice versa, so it was a shock to hear of what she'd done. A few seconds later, Bob came home through the garage door. I could hear him greeting Harper, who was in her bouncer in the dining room, and then he came towards us on his way to the home office.
"What's going on?" he asked concernedly, seeing Max and I on the floor, Max curled up and bawling his eyes out.
"Max has just gotten his heart broken," I said in a low, soft and solemn voice. I mouthed 'Sadie' to him.
"Oh, shit," was all he could say.

He put his backpack down and came to kneel next to us.
"What happened, mate?" he asked Max.
"I don't know how it happened," Max replied, speaking for the first time since he'd been home, choking on his tears, "We were just having a discussion – more like an argument, actually – when she said we shouldn't be together anymore."
"Did she give a reason?" I asked.
"Not exactly. I think I might've scared her away by dropping the L bomb though."
"Oh, crap," Bob sighed, "Not the L word? Max, why did you say it when she was breaking up with you?"
"I didn't! I said it the other night, and I meant it too! A hundred percent! She doesn't have the same feelings though."
Well, this just got a lot worse. My Max was truly and deeply in love with Sadie, only to have her chicken out and break up with him. I had a feeling that this revelation wasn't the only reason though.

The only comforting thing I could think of to do was to hug him and speak soothing words. There was an exclamation from the kitchen and Bob got up to attend our daughter. Max and I remained on the floor. A few seconds later, Bob brought Harper into the room and as soon as she saw Max crying, she started to as well. It was an extraordinary feat for a near-month old. At that moment, as if it were reflecting Max's tears, it started raining.

Martha

I was on my way home from work, pulling into the driveway. Coincidentally, Sadie happened to be coming home from the bus stop at the same time and briskly overtook my car to make it into the garage that I had just opened with my remote. Peter's car was there so I knew he was home. Sadie didn't look happy. She stalked through the door into the house. As quickly as possible, I parked the car and got out to see what was the matter. I rushed inside to see Peter sitting on the lounge looking confused and surprised.
"Something's up with Sadie," he said, "She was crying."
I immediately went to the stairs, where I knew she was headed, and caught the tail of her going up. She slouched unhappily and I heard sniffling.

I followed her up to her room where she was lying on her bed.
"Sadie? What's wrong?" I asked.
I sat on her bed and placed my arm on her shoulder.
"I did it," she mumbled through tears into her pillow.
"Did what?" I asked, fearing the worst.
"I broke up with Max," she confessed, rolling over to face me.
I froze in shock. I honestly never thought they would break up. I'm sure others thought the same.
"What? Why?" I managed to spit out.
"Oh, I don't even know. I told him things weren't smooth enough anymore and that they were getting complicated. I told him he was too good for me."
"Are you upset because you regret it now?"
"Yeah, kinda. It doesn't help that he told me he loved me. And then I just told him that I don't return the feeling. I think I might've ruined him for good."

I could only think of poor Max right now. He is probably in a much worse condition that Sadie is and is probably being comforted by Joan much like I am comforting Sadie. It was no secret to anyone that Max had stronger feelings for Sadie than she did for him – well, at least that's what we guessed. Now he's probably heartbroken, damaged beyond repair. It was obvious Sadie was feeling guilty for hurting him so much, but there was no turning back. I kissed her head and went downstairs to tell Pete.
"She's just broken up with Max," I stood in front of him and told him.
"What?" he exclaimed, "I never thought that would happen! Why did she do it?"
So I told him what she told me but expressed my skepticism.
"Sadie obviously had reasons," I said, "It's not like she loved him like he did her."

I decided to call Joan. She answered after a few rings.
"How is he?" I asked.
"Not good," she replied, "He's in bed. He doesn't want any dinner. I've never seen him like this."
"Yeah, Sadie's pretty upset too, but I think she'll be eating."
"Do you know exactly what happened?"
"No, her story's a little rusty. She must've had outstanding reasons. How badly hurt is he?"
I was very concerned for Max. He was such a sweet boy and I had looked forward to becoming his mother-in-law one day – I guess that wasn't going to happen anymore.
"I've never seen him this upset," she replied, "I think it's pretty bad."
"Well Sadie feels guilty, if that's any consolation."
"I guess we won't get to be in-laws anymore."
"No, I guess not."

A/N: How dramatic and sad was that?! Poor Max. Please leave a review telling me what you thought! Also… Team Max or Team Sadie?