Rain drizzled against the windowpane. It had been a slow Thursday, the rain clouds only seeming to drag time to a screeching halt. Max had sprawled out on her floor, her homework fanned out around her. Thumping her pencil against her notebook, she scanned through the words of her science book. Chemical names were strewn all across the page, each of them appearing longer than the last. She could comprehend them about as much as she could Latin.
A knock resounded. Max looked up from her homework. "Come in!"
Opening the door, Dana poked her head in. "Hey, Max! The football team set up a couple slip-n-slides outside the dorm. Let's go!"
"Slip-n-slides?" Max echoed before getting up. She walked over to her window and lifted the blinds. Sure enough, two large orange Slip-N-Slides stretched across the green. A couple of football jocks stood around it as well, all of them in their swimming trunks.
Dana threw Max's closet open. "So get on your swimming suit."
Max stared at Dana a moment as she rooted through her clothing. "U-uh… I don't know if-"
"I'm not taking 'no' for an answer, Max. You need to feel like you're an 18-year-old again," Dana replied before finally finding Max's swimming suit. She tossed it over to her. "Look, I get it. Life doesn't always turn out the way we expect. But we do what we can with what we have. And what you have is a friend who cares about you."
Max felt her heart fill. Dana was so open-minded, unlike the rest of the Vortex Club. No doubt, she actually cared about Max and what she was going through. With that, Max pulled her into a tight hug. "Thanks, Dana," she whispered.
"Don't thank me yet," Dana replied, hugging her back. She then released Max from the hug and took a few steps back. "And don't forget to bring a towel. We're leaving them right outside the door so they don't get caught in the rain."
Holding onto her swimming suit, Max said, "I won't forget."
"And if you aren't downstairs in five minutes, I'm sending Zach and Logan up to drag you down!" Dana threatened as she headed out the door.
"Okay!" Max acknowledged, smiling despite the threat. Once she heard the door shut, she got changed. Her bikini was ruffled and pink with white polka dots. When she bought it at the time, she had been rather indifferent towards it. She had just wanted the whole "shopping" process to be over. Now, she wondered what sort of comments the others would make about it. Victoria, no doubt, would make a jab or two.
You shouldn't care what Victoria thinks.
Grabbing her towel, Max headed downstairs. She stepped out to find everyone's towels piled on the side. She dropped her towel onto the pile and stepped out into the cold rain. Hugging herself, she watched as Logan and Zachary raced each other. They both hit their own slip-n-slides and slid so far that they fell off the back. They sprang up, both sprinkled in grass, laughing. Smiling, Max wished she had brought her camera down.
"Max!" Warren called out, jogging over from where he had been chatting with Brooke. Brooke scowled at Max but said nothing. "Glad you came out."
"Yeah. Dana came by and told me what was happening. It looked hella fun," Max said.
Suddenly, Max's hand was grabbed. "Sorry, Warren, but she owes me a slide!" Dana cut in, dragging Max off.
"W-wait, Dana!" Max objected as Dana pulled her into the line to slide.
"I'm done waiting, Max," Dana informed her. Her hair was released from its usual ponytail, plastered against her shoulders and neck. "Although I am glad that I didn't have to send the boys up to get you. I was going to have them throw you across the slip-n-slide if it came to that."
"It wouldn't have been a very pretty sight," she noted with a small giggle.
Dana replied, "But it would have gotten you out of your room for once."
Max was struck by that sentence. She had always been a homebody, finding the isolation a consolation more than anything. Honestly, the only time that it wasn't true was when she and Chloe had been together. But that was only because Chloe forced her to come out of her shell. She forced her to go down to the beach to play pirates. She pushed Max's imagination to the brink. On her own, Max felt like half the person she was when she was with Chloe.
I so need to call her.
"Max, c'mon! It's our turn!" Dana exclaimed, nudging Max back to the present.
Glancing back over at Dana, Max saw a competitive light flash in her eyes. A grin slowly spread across her face.
"3… 2… 1… Go!" Zachary exclaimed.
Max sprinted as fast as she could. However, Dana pulled ahead quickly. Her athletic form really did lend to itself in such a situation. With a laugh, she jumped and landed on her rear, facing Max as she slid. She gave Max a little wave, almost taunting, before coming to a halt just over halfway down.
"Go, Max, go!" Warren yelled.
Max leapt at that point, belly-flopping onto the slide. The water that had collected on the slide sprayed out across both sides. Dana squealed, blocking the water. Max laughed as she hit the end of the slide, sitting in the small pool there.
"And the winner is Max Caulfield!" Warren shouted, mimicking a sports announcer.
Getting up, Max laughed before offering Dana her hand. Dana took it and used it as leverage to hoist herself up. "Best two out of three?"
"Sure!" Max replied.
They got back in line, standing behind Stella and Ashley this time. The boys were getting a bit more daredevil with it, trying to always outdo the last person. This amounted to spinning whilst sliding, flipping off the end, trying to synchronize slides, and so on. The girls were far more straight forward, and a touch louder with their fun. When they went the second time, Dana won the round, as Max tripped right before her slide. The third time, though, Max out-slid Dana easily.
"You win," Dana stated, throwing her arm over Max's shoulders in an almost-hug. "You wouldn't let it be best three out of five, would you?"
Max laughed at the joke. "I think I'll take my win. Thanks for the offer, though."
"Worth a shot," Dana responded. Logan started to walk over when Dana abruptly turned both of them away from him.
Surprised, Max looked at her. "Everything alright?"
"Yeah. I just figured you would want to talk to Warren," Dana said. It was only then that Max realized they were making a straight line for Warren and Brooke.
Max didn't completely believe her, but she knew better than to push the matter. Walking over, Max offered Warren and Brooke a small wave. While Warren waved back, Brooke merely rolled her eyes.
"Oh, hey, Max," Brooke commented dryly, crossing her arms. She was in a cute black one-piece with purple and blue stripes cutting diagonally across.
Max offered a weak smile. "Hey, Brooke. Having fun?"
"As much fun as H2O will allow, considering it's basically the kryptonite for any my tech," Brooke responded.
"Max, we should go slide together," Warren exclaimed, his grin spreading wider across his face. Brooke's scowl deepened.
"Why don't you and Brooke go instead? I think I'm a bit splashed out, you know?" Max nervously suggested, hoping Brooke would stop glaring at her.
Brooke blinked a few times. "Yeah, I'd be willing," she mumbled, barely loud enough to be heard.
"O-okay," Warren said, deflating a bit.
I wish he wouldn't make it so obvious.
With that, Brooke and Warren headed towards the slides. Max and Dana exchanged glances. "Alright. Note to self: don't get in between Brooke and Warren," Dana stated with a somewhat nervous laugh.
"No kidding," Max said under her breath. "I think they would make a cute couple, though."
"Do you?" Dana pressed, examining Max carefully.
Flustered, Max sputtered, "Y-yes, of course. Why wouldn't I?"
"Well, I just mean that Warren clearly has a thing for you. You don't-?" Dana pressed, raising her eyebrows.
"No!" Max scoffed out. First, Mr. Jefferson, and now, Dana. "I mean, he's a good friend. But that's all."
"You could certainly do worse than him, though," Dana noted, watching as Warren and Brooke took their turns.
Max felt as though she was almost being rebuked. "I know. But I just don't want him. Is that wrong?"
"I mean, he's nice. Funny. Smart. He thinks the world of you. Clearly, Brooke would murder to have what you got," Dana said. Frowning, Max started to feel guilty. There was no good reason for her to not like him, she knew. "But no, Max. There's nothing wrong with you not liking him back. Some people click. And some people don't. You are not obligated to him because of his feelings. But… have you told him yet?"
Warren sprang up at the end, his eyes already locked onto Max. "No."
"You should," Dana murmured as Warren got closer. "It'll be better for both of you in the long run."
Max knew she was right. After all, she had no intentions of being anything more than friends. And Warren clearly wanted more. But he had never outrightly asked her out. And she really didn't want to cause any drama in their friendship. Indecision seized her. Risk Warren now? Or risk him later?
Suddenly, Warren's face appeared in front of her. She almost jumped out of her skin. "C'mon, Max!" With that, he grabbed her hand and started to pull her over the line. She refused to look towards Brooke, knowing the girl would be brooding at that point.
The rain was starting to pick up, not that anyone particularly cared. Max hugged herself, standing just a foot or so off from Warren. The rain was starting to get a bit too cold for her now that she wasn't huddled with Dana like a penguin. Rubbing her arms, she looked at the grass in front of her. She couldn't tell him now. Not in public like this. Not when she wasn't even sure she wanted to say anything.
"-ax? Max?"
Blinking, Max looked up to find Warren waving a hand in front of her eyes. "Yeah?"
"You good?" Warren asked.
Why does he have to be observant now of all times?
"Yeah," Max replied, waving off his concern.
They reached the front of the line, and both stepped up to the starting point. Lowering himself into a runner's position, Warren looked over at Max. She lowered herself as well.
Once she was ready, Zachary began his count. "3… 2… 1… go!"
Max took off again, running with a conservative amount of energy. Warren pulled ahead and threw himself with a cheer into his slip-n-slide. Just as Max leapt, a commotion sounded out from the direction of the principal's house. She slid and looked over to see two umbrellas sticking up over the crowd of students sprawled out. At the end of the slip-n-slide, Max could barely made out Principal Wells.
"What on Earth is going on here?" Principal Wells exclaimed, his voice carrying easily over the rain.
Freezing, Max felt a sense of dread wash over her.
"We're just having some fun," Logan stated, approaching Principal Wells. It was probably for the best. The football team was only second to the Vortex Club in getting away with shit. And part of it was because a lot of them were in the Vortex Club.
Nathan Prescott also stepped forward, his hands on his hips. "There's no rule against it either."
"That be it as it may, as the principal of this school, I have to watch out for the wellbeing of its students," Principal Wells objected, raising his head high. Max was surprised he was standing up to Nathan Prescott, of all people.
"They're just having a bit of harmless fun," a second voice objected. Max recognized it almost immediately. "And I'm sure they'll pick everything up once they're done. Right?"
"Of course, Mr. Jefferson," Nathan Prescott said, his voice taking on an almost unnaturally polite tone.
Victoria, in her designer bikini, flounced through the crowd. "Mr. Jefferson, you really should give it a go. It'll be fun!" she purred, taking hold of his arm.
Mr. Jefferson smiled, although it was strained. "None of you want to see an old man like me throw out his back, I assure you." His gaze then landed on Max. Eyes widening, he looked at her for longer than she expected.
She realized she was still in the pool. Getting up, she hugged herself again, shivering. She definitely had had enough of the slip-n-slide. As she headed over to the front door, Warren caught up with her. "Do you not want to go again?"
"No. I think I'm good," Max replied as goosebumps crawled across her skin.
The weather was definitely colder now. Stepping under the awning, Max started to feel the cold really seeping into her body. She was going to have to take a warm shower. She rooted through the towels to locate her own, a white towel with a floral pattern in its borders. As she continued to hunt, she became more frantic. She knew that she had brought it down and remembered exactly where she put it.
Where could it have gone?
Max felt another ripple of goosebumps. Rubbing her arms, she bounced a few times as she tried to warm herself up. She worried that someone might have taken it by accident. She couldn't very well go in, dripping wet. Turning back, she noticed Victoria was still attached to Mr. Jefferson. And that's when she saw what was in Victoria's hand. Victoria must have been distracted in the middle of stealing it by Mr. Jefferson's presence.
Walking over, Max felt more dread than before. She hadn't thought it possible. She squared her shoulders and steeled herself. As she got close enough, she called out, "Excuse me."
"Yes, excuse you. We're in the middle of a conversation," Victoria snapped, scowling.
"I believe you have my towel," Max stated, crossing her arms more to keep herself warm than out of impatience.
Confused, Victoria then glanced down at her hand. She flustered, almost dropping the towel as if it was evidence of her guilt. But she composed herself, offering it to Max. "Sorry. I don't know why I picked up such a raggedy thing. Clearly, it's not mine."
Max snatched it away. She was dismayed to find it was already wet from the rain. It wouldn't do her much good. Wrapping herself up in it anyway, she shuddered as the cold towel touched her skin. She definitely was going to take a shower.
The rain stopped, but Max could still hear it pouring around her. She looked up to find Mr. Jefferson standing over her with his umbrella. "I'll walk you to the door. You should see if one of your friends is willing to grab you a dry towel."
Nodding, Max did her best not to press closer to his warmth as they walked to the front door. The slides were already being rolled up by the grumbling football players. Max barely managed to catch Dana before she went in. Dana was only too eager to help Max out. As she waited there, she bounced a few times.
"It's good to see you enjoying your time here again," Mr. Jefferson abruptly noted. He leveled Max with a heavy gaze. "But don't forget about the 'Everyday Heroes' contest."
Before Max could reply, Mr. Jefferson headed off. She watched his retreating form, including how Victoria fell in line with him. His words left waves in her mind, as a stone would a pond. Honestly, she had never considered herself unhappy at Blackwell. But she also knew that it wasn't the same. Her rose-colored glasses were gone. Girls here were just as vicious, boys just as awful, and friends just as complicated.
At least Saturday's hella close.
As Dana handed her another towel, Max felt a smile sprawl across her face. "Whoa, what are you so happy about?" Dana inquired.
"Nothing. I just thought of something funny," Max lied.
No one could know. Not ever. But Max sort of liked that. Her own little secret, shared only with Mr. Jefferson. It made her feel special. And unlike her towel, that was something Victoria could never take from her.