Chapter 2
" Sheldon! Stop banging your head on the wall! I'm trying to sleep!", Leonard hissed at his roommate/best friend through the wall from the other bedroom. He was really not in the mood for Sheldon's weird and crazy antics.
" Well I can't! Penny made it nearly impossible for me to get back to sleep now! See Leonard I told you that becoming friends with Penny was a bad idea but did you listen to me, no!", Sheldon said as he continued hitting his head against the wall.
" Why are you blaming my girlfriend for this?! She has nothing to do with whatever the hell this is that you're complaining about! Just go to bed!", Leonard groaned as he rolled over in his bed.
" Wrong sir wrong! She has everything to do with this!", Sheldon interjected from his bedroom.
" How?!", Leonard groaned.
" She disrupted my perfectly organized, non-chaotic lifestyle by coming into our lives in the first place!", Sheldon said.
" Sheldon I really don't want to talk about this with you right now! Go back to sleep! We have work in the morning!", Leonard hissed.
" But I still can't sleep!", Sheldon said.
" So what do you want me to do about it you crazy bastard?!", Leonard hissed.
" I'm not sure. I don't know what the situation calls for.", Sheldon said.
" Sheldon! Go to sleep! If you don't I'm gonna take a big sleeping pill and shove it so far down your throat that you won't be able to recollect what happened to you!", Leonard snapped.
" On the contrary Leonard I certainly think I will! I have an eidetic memory and I can't forget anything!", Sheldon stated.
" Kill me!", Leonard interjected as he stared up at the ceiling in his bedroom.
" Be careful with what you wish for Leonard. You just might get it.", Sheldon said.
" Sheldon!", Leonard interjected as he pulled his pillow over his face.
Apartment 4B...
' Omg! This was the most insanely awesome night of my life! This totally helped me forget about what happened this morning! I so want to continue hanging out with these women! Also, I would really like to get to know their quirky friend across the hall! He did seem a little weird, but, they never told me that he was this cute! Wait a minute, what the hell am I even saying?! I have a boyfriend! Well, a boyfriend who's a complete, abusive jackass! Andre probably won't even care, right?! Wait, why do I suddenly even care about what he thinks?! He treats me like sh*t which is why I didn't tell him that was leaving him! And also, would this really be worth risking my new friendship with Amy over?! She did say that Sheldon was her ex-boyfriend! I'm just not sure if I should take the chance! It could be a very wrong way to start a friendship! Oh god what do I do?!', Max thought in her head as she slept on the floor next to the couch. Amy was sleeping on the couch and Bernadette was sleeping on the floor on the other side. The only sound that could be heard was Penny's soft snoring coming from her bedroom. By that moment it was nearly 1 o'clock in the morning.
The next morning, Bernadette left for work an hour before Amy and Max. Amy decided to bring Max with her to Caltech to get an interview with President Siebert in the hopes to get her friend a job there. Meanwhile Sheldon and Leonard were getting ready to leave for Caltech as well which caught the attention of Penny who was standing behind her closed apartment door with her ear pressed against the door, listening to what her friend and her boyfriend were talking about with each other. She was wearing a black long sleave shirt, black sweatpants and a black beanie hat on her head. She looked like a modern day burgular but that wasn't her goal. She had one purpose and one purpose only. When she thought they were gone she grabbed her spare key to 4A and sprinted across the hall, letting herself into the apartment. She normally went in there for what Sheldon considers ' mooching off' but this time she was going in there for one purpose and that was to take her stereo back that Sheldon took from her the night before.
' Alright, where the hell did you hide my stereo at in here Dr. Crazy?!', Penny thought as she entered the storage closet in the apartment and began to look around. It was filled with a bunch of cardboard boxes and other sciency junk which was no doubt a combination of Sheldon's and Leonard's possessions. She nearly tripped over various items as she searched the closet, cursing under her breath incessantly. She eventually spotted it up on the top shelf of a heavy duty metal storage rack that you would typically see in warehouses or garages.
' Ah ha, there it is! Come to Penny!', Penny thought with a sinister smile on her face as she reached up to grab it only to discover that it wouldn't budge.
' What the hell?! Why won't it move?!', Penny thought in frustration as she stood up on her tip toes to see what the problem was. Her frustration grew more when she saw a chain wrapped around the handle of the stereo. The other end of the chain was wrapped around the leg of the shelf with a pad lock connecting both ends which prevented the stereo from being moved.
' Oh balls! You got to be kidding me! Well played Sheldon, well played!', Penny hissed in her mind as she then began to search for the key to the pad lock.
' Dammit Sheldon! How is it that you're this evil of a genius?! I can't find that stupid key anywhere! Where the hell did you put it you whackadoodle?!', Penny hissed in her mind under her breath when she couldn't find the key. She continued looking until she eventually found it in the crease of a book that was sitting on the bookshelf in the living room. But the second she reentered the storage closet with the key to the pad lock and unlocked the chains she could hear voices out in the living room which she recognized to be Sheldon and Leonard. Apparently Sheldon had forgotten something which was very rarely as in he has an eidetic memory and never forgets anything.
' Oh hell, you got to be kidding me! What do I do now?!', Penny thought as she silently gasped. She then looked around for a place to hide until her eyes looked up a the ceiling. The ceiling was kind of high off the floor and it had rafters which looked like the perfect place to hide a person.
' You know what, I'm going to hide on the ceiling like Spiderman. Hopefully Dr. Whackadoodle won't notice me up here. Well, here goes nothing.', Penny thought as she quietly climbed the storage rack like a ladder and pulled herself up onto the rafters, wrapping her legs around them and gripped the rung of it with her hands as she let the upper half of her body hang downward like Spiderman. She may have been a terrible actress but she did seem to know a little about impersonations.
" Sheldon hurry up! We're going to be late for work!"
" Excuse me Leonard but that's very rude! I would appreciate it if you didn't scream at me please! And another thing, why is our apartment door unlocked?!"
" I don't know! It was locked when we walked out of here! Sheldon just grab what you need and let's go!"
" Alright alright, geez! What a grouch!"
As the voices continued Penny silently hissed, " Oh my god what the hell are you two idiots doing?! Just leave already! I can't hang up here forever!" Penny could feel herself beginning to slip because the laws of gravity were beginning to affect her.
" Oh son of a bitch! Ahhhhh!", Penny interjected with a scream as she fell from the ceiling and crashed to the floor. Her stereo fell off the shelf and crash landed on top of her. The sudden impact and noise caught the attention of Sheldon and Leonard.
" What the hell was that?!", Leonard asked as he looked at Sheldon.
" I'm not sure but if my suspicions are correct, that sounded like Penny.", Sheldon said as he walked over to the storage closet. Leonard followed him and when Sheldon opened the door both men were taken aback when they saw Penny laying on the floor looking up at them.
" Penny?!", both of them exclaimed.
" Oh hhey guys! I bet you're wondering why I'm laying here, right?!", Penny nervously laughed as she stared the shocked face of her boyfriend and the disappointed face of her friend.
" Indeed we are. Why?", Sheldon asked with a scowl on his face as he crossed his arms in front of his chest, narrowing his eyes at her.
" Oh, it's a funny story Sheldon! Um, this isn't what it looks like!", Penny nervously laughed.
" That statement is completely false! It appears that you're trying to take your stereo back after I precisely told you last night to not retrieve it until further notice!", Sheldon interjected.
" You want to catch me up on that Sheldon? Did you go over to Penny's last night?", Leonard asked as he stared at his best friend.
" Yes, but that was only to scold Penny and the other women for being disruptive and obnoxiously loud.", Sheldon said.
" Oh come on Sheldon we were just having fun, it was a sleepover! We were drunk and we still had a little bit of energy left!", Penny shot back at him.
" Yes that was quite obvious which is why you each received a strike when you blatanly disregarded what I said if I heard that obnoxious racket again before sunrise.", Sheldon said.
" Ok I can understand you giving Amy, Bernadette, and I strikes for this, but, why did you give one to Max?! You don't even know her!", Penny interjected.
" That's true, I don't, but Dr. Sersen was involved in these ridiculous pending nuptials in the first place so it's only fair that she receive one as well.", Sheldon said.
" That doesn't make any sense Sheldon!", Penny shot back.
" On the contrary Penny, it does.", Sheldon said.
" Who's Max?", Leonard asked.
" She's Amy's new friend. Amy brought her over to join us for a Girls Night Out last night and we totally hit it off with each other. After the 4 of us had several drinks we came back to my apartment to have a sleepover.", Penny said.
" Amy has a new friend?! When did that happen?!", Leonard shockingly asked.
" I don't know. They must have met yesterday.", Penny said.
" And she's a doctor?", Leonard asked.
" She's an experimental physicist and before you say anything Leonard, don't get any ideas. You're my boyfriend, remember?", Penny said.
" Penny I would never do that to you.", Leonard said.
" Good to know.", Penny said. Then she hissed in pain, " Ow! Could you guys help me get up please?!"
" Sure Penny.", Leonard said as he walked up to his girlfriend and bent over to help her up. Sheldon reluctantly helped as well.
" Ow! Don't touch my left arm! That hurts!", Penny hissed in pain as she looked at Sheldon.
" You said you wanted us to help you Penny!", Sheldon interjected.
" I know I said that but the way you're gripping my arm hurts!", Penny shot back.
" Well good Lord woman, make up your mind!", Sheldon shot back at her as him and Leonard were slowly walking her out of their apartment.
" Don't push it Sheldon!", Penny hissed.
" I don't appreciate that tone and by the way, what you just did is strike 2.", Sheldon said. Penny rolled her eyes as the three of them continued their way down the stairs and out to Leonard's car. The two physicists dropped Penny off at the hospital before heading to work. Meanwhile, after a brief interview with President Siebert and Dr. Gablehauser, Max was hired and was escorted to one of the labs. She was introduced to a new work partner and got right to work. On her lunch break she met up with Amy in the cafeteria.
" Hi Max.", Amy said as she sat down at a table with her tray of food.
" Hi Amy.", Max said as she sat down at the table across from Amy.
" How's your first day going so far?", Amy asked.
" Pretty good. Thanks again for setting up that interview for me, it was greatly appreciated.", Max said.
" No problem.", Amy said. As they talked to each other about work related things and the events of last night they failed to notice the 4 guys staring at them from across the cafeteria.
" Who's that woman with Amy?", Raj asked.
" I don't know but she looks sexy.", Howard said in a very low, horny voice. This earned him an unexpected slap on the head from Sheldon.
" Ow! What was that for Sheldon?!", Howard shrieked as he rubbed the back of his head from where his friend slapped him.
" She is not for you!", Sheldon interjected.
" What?!", Howard asked in confusion.
" Not for you! You're married to Bernadette!", Sheldon interjected.
" Dude stop hitting on women that you know you don't have a shot with! If anything it should be me hitting on her!", Raj interjected.
" You can't talk to women Raj!", Howard shot back at his best friend.
" So, that doesn't mean that I don't have a shot.", Raj said.
" Uh, yeah it does.", Howard said.
" Excuse me, but, I believe that I just said that she is not for you!", Sheldon interjected as he narrowed his eyes at his two friends.
" You guys knock it off and what do you mean by that Sheldon?! Do you have a crush on Max?!", Leonard interjected at his friends as he stared at Sheldon.
" Max?!", Howard and Raj exclaimed.
" Oh please Leonard, don't be ridiculous! I have more important things to think about than to persue another relationship! This is precisely why Amy and I have terminated ours several months ago!", Sheldon said with a derivitive snort.
" Don't fall for that Leonard, he's totally crushing on her. I can see it in his face.", Howard said with a sinister smile on his face.
" You dawg! No wonder why you couldn't get to sleep last night!", Leonard exclaimed with a smile on his face as he stared at his best friend.
" Excuse me, but, what part of ' I have more important things to think about' do you not understand?!", Sheldon scolded as he shot dagger-like eyes at Leonard.
" Oh sure, sure! I thought you didn't have a deal!", Leonard said with a smirk.
" I don't! Good Lord you frustrate me Leonard Hofstadter!", Sheldon interjected as he dumped his tray and stormed out of the cafeteria. His friends started laughing at this reaction. They thought it was so funny to think that their bat-crap crazy, egotistical, emotionless robotic friend actually had feelings for someone other than Amy. In fact, to them, it was so funny that it was scary at the same time. They could only imagine that if Amy ever found out that Sheldon was falling for someone else, she would most likely be hurt especially if she found out that someone was her new friend Max. The thought of that made them shut up immediately.
" Hey Max what's that on your arm?", Amy asked as she suddenly noticed what looked like a marking on Max's arm. It was partially sticking out underneath her lab coat arm.
" Oh this? It's just a tatoo of my boyfriend Andre. I'm thinking of having it removed actually.", Max said as she revealed her tatoo.
" Why?", Amy asked.
" Because I don't want to be with him anymore. I actually moved out of his apartment 2 months ago without saying a word to him.", Max said.
" Is there a reason why?", Amy asked.
" Because he's very controlling and emotionally and physically abusive to me. I was afraid that if I had said something I would have gotten seriously hurt or worse.", Max said as she shuddered at the thought of what could have happened to her if she hadn't made the decision to leave Andre.
" Oh my god that's horrible!", Amy exclaimed as she gasped. She couldn't believe what her friend just said.
" Yeah, and I just know that my dad will be very happy about it. He never really liked Andre from the very beginning. He always thought of him as a bad influence.", Max said.
" Why's that?", Amy asked.
" Because Andre is a member of a very violent street gang.", Max said.
" You're in a relationship with a gang member?!", Amy exclaimed as she stared at her.
" I know that it seems very unlikely that a brilliant experimental physicist like myself would be romantically involved with a gang member, but, the truth is, Andre and I started our relationship before I received my Ph.D in experimental physics.", Max said as she nodded her head.
" When did you two get together?", Amy asked.
" We started dating each other when I was 15 against my father's wishes that I stay away from him, but, I couldn't help myself. I was so stupid and so much in love with him that it was like nothing my father said about him phased me. I just continued to be this dumb, young rebellious teen that eventually I found myself getting into a whole bunch of trouble. I was doing things that I really shouldn't have been doing and once I almost made the mistake of having unprotected sex with Andre. Lucky for me I had enough sense to not go through with it or else I would have gotten pregnant or an STD.", Max said.
" Max that's horrible! What about your mother?", Amy asked.
" My mom passed away when I was just a baby. I don't have many memories of her. It was mainly just me, my 3 sisters, my brother and my dad while I was growing up. I wish I knew what she was like when she was still alive.", Max sadly said.
" I'm sorry. That must have been very hard for you growing up without a mother.", Amy said with a sad sigh.
" It was. I had always wondered what had happened to her and when my dad told me the truth one day which was that she died from an undetectable kidney disease I… couldn't handle it. I cried for a few months, but, eventually I found closure.", Max sadly said as she began to feel a tear slide down her face but flicked it away with a finger.
" Who are your siblings?", Amy asked.
" My sisters names are Jordynn, Leni, and Samantha and my brother's name is Brandon.", Max said.
" You're lucky, I'm an only child. I've always wished that I had a sister but you got 3.", Amy said.
" That's true and I have a brother who's very immature at times. Brandon does the stupidest things to me sometimes that it just makes me want to shove him in cardboard box and ship him off to Timbuktu.", Max said with an evil-like smirk on her face.
" Yeah but you wouldn't actually do that, right?", Amy asked.
" No of course not! My dad would litterally kick my ass for that! Plus, it's illegal to ship your siblings!", Max laughed.
" You know, the way you said that it sounds like a reference.", Amy said.
" It is. It's from a Disney channel show I used to watch when I was younger.", Max said.
" And what was that?", Amy asked.
" KC Undercover.", Max said.
" Interesting. I've never heard of that show.", Amy said.
" Well neither did I until I started watching it.", Max said. They continued talking until their lunch break was over and they went back to work. When they got off work a few hours later and the two of them began walking out of the building into the parking lot talking to each other, a black colored Toyota with dark tinted windows suddenly sped into the parking lot and parked in an empty parking space that was 3 spaces away from where Amy's car was parked. As the two women approached Amy's car, a 6 foot 4 African American male with a medium sized afro stepped out of the passenger side of the other car and began approaching them. He was wearing some gold chains around his neck, a black t-shirt with a black leather jacket over it, blue jeans that were sagging a little bit revealing his boxers and black slides on his feet. He also had some tatoos on his hands as well as his forehead. He also had a red scarf tied around his head and he was also wearing sunglasses.
" Yo Max! Where do you think you're going?!", Andre, Max's abusive boyfriend demanded.
" Oh god! Get away from me Andre! I don't want to talk to you!", Max screamed as she tossed her work bag into Amy's car.
" Just ignore him and get in the car Max!", Amy interjected as she opened the driver's side door and stuck her key in the ignition.
" With pleasure Amy! See ya Andre!", Max interjected as she opened the passenger side door.
" Na na na, you're not going anywhere! We need to talk! Now!", Andre interjected as he shook his head.
" There's nothing to talk about Andre Brix! Go away!", Max hissed as she tried to get in her friend's car but Andre blocked her path.
" Get out of my way Andre! Now!", Max screamed.
" No and what did I tell ya about callin' me that?! It's Wolfgang!", Andre shouted as he made some gang related sign with his hands.
" That's just your stupid gang name and I'm not calling you that! Now get the hell out of my way and leave me alone!", Max shouted.
" No! Not until you tell me why your belongings are missing from my apartment!", Andre demanded.
" I'm not telling you crap! Now please go away so I can go home! You are embarrassing me! This is a science university!", Max shouted.
" Yeah so just leave her alone!", Amy shouted.
" Shut up! What the hell are you doing here?!", Andre demanded.
" I work here you idiot! I told you I'm an experimental physicist! I just got off work and now my friend Amy and I are going home!", Max shouted. As the shouting continued and tensions flared this caught the attention of the guys who were making their way out of the building as well.
" What's going on over there?", Howard asked as he looked in the direction of the commotion that was going on by Amy's car.
" It looks like Max is arguing with some guy.", Leonard said.
" Very obvious assumption Leonard.", Sheldon said.
" What do you think they're arguing about?", Raj asked. Before Sheldon could answer that he suddenly gasped along with his friends when they saw Andre suddenly grab Max's wrist in an aggressive, rough manner causing her to scream.
" Did you guys see that?!", Raj exclaimed.
" Yeah, that guy just grabbed her wrist very aggressively! We got to do something about this!", Leonard exclaimed as he pointed at the scene going on before them.
" And we most certainly are Leonard! Follow me gentlemen!", Sheldon interjected as he stormed over to his ex-girlfriend's car. His friends followed him.
" Ow! You're hurting me Andre! Don't manhandle me like that!", Max screamed as she tried to pull away.
" Shut up bi**h! I'll do what I want! Now let's go!", Andre shouted as he continued to try dragging Max with him toward the other car.
" No! Let go! I'm not going anywhere with you! I told you it's over between us! It's been over for the past 2 months since I moved out of your apartment! Amy help me!", Max screamed as she continued to struggle against her ex-boyfriend's grip.
" Get your hands off her!", Amy screamed as she tried to shove Andre away but he shouted in her face, " Don't ya dare touch me! Buzz off!"
" Excuse me but that's no way to treat a woman! I demand you release her and leave this instant!", Sheldon angrily shouted at Andre as he stood in front of his friends with his fists clenched at his sides.
" You ain't the boss of me nigga! Back off!", Andre shouted like a gangster.
" Excuse me?!", Amy shouted.
" I don't appreciate that vulgar language addressed to me! Please leave now before my friends and I are subjected to calling the police! You are acting very unruly and disrespectful!", Sheldon shouted.
" I said you ain't the boss of me! This is between me and my girlfriend!", Andre shouted.
" I'm not your girlfriend anymore Andre! I told you it's over! Leave me alone!", Max screamed as she pulled away from him.
" I said shut up bitch!", Andre shouted as he pimp slapped her across the face so hard that he broke her nose. She stumbled backwards into Amy and screamed, " Ow! Andre you idiot you broke my nose! What the hell is wrong with you?!" Blood began dripping down onto her lower lip causing the guys to gasp in anger as well as Amy. Sheldon's nostrils flared in anger as he suddenly walked up to Andre and punched him right in the face. The hard blow was enough to knock him off his feet causing him to smack the back of his head on the concrete.
" Ow! Why you little faggot I'm gonna...!", Andre shouted as he clambered to his feet and was about ready to hit Sheldon back but Max shouted, " Don't you dare hit him Andre Antonio Brix! Get out of here! Now! I never want to see you again!"
" Fine! I will leave but this ain't over!", Andre shouted as he flipped her off and threw up some gang sign with his hands before he stormed off toward the black Toyota. He got back into the passenger side before the car suddenly sped out of the parking lot. An obnoxious bass boomed out of it before it faded into the distance. Max started to cry in pain as she held her bleeding nose with her good hand.
" Are you ok Max?!", Amy exclaimed in concern as she gently placed her arm over her friend's shoulder.
" No I'm not ok Amy! That stupid jerk broke my nose!", Max cried.
" Come on let's go home!", Amy exclaimed as she proceeded to help Max get into the car but Sheldon said, " Amy, why don't you go home. Leonard and I will take her to our apartment."
" Are you sure Sheldon? I can drive her home. It's no problem.", Amy said.
" Leonard and I will drive her home later. You just go home.", Sheldon said.
" Alright.", Amy said.
To be continued...