Coal for the Naughty, Coal for the Nice Part I

The cold woke her. Max curled in on herself, cursing the chilly air. Why was it so damn cold? She glanced at the clock and let out a groan at the time–only 7:56. She turned to the other side of her bed as if that would make the time disappear. Just a few more minutes of sleep, that's all she wanted, but then she heard noises from the kitchen and the familiar smell of breakfast. This early?

Then it hit her.

Christmas.

Max opened her eyes, seeing a light stream in from her window through her curtains. She used to get so excited about this holiday, but not anymore, not recently. She let out a huff, then an annoyed growl when she saw little wisps of her breath.

You've got to be kidding me.

She shuffled out of bed and made her way over to the window, her blanket dragging along with her. She winced at the brightness of the light, but when her vision finally adjusted, she gasped. A massive snowfall had fallen overnight, just like the news had predicted the day before. Cliché to say, but it was like a winter wonderland–like how Max would see in movies. There wasn't an inch of the ground that wasn't covered in a thick blanket of snow. It sparkled with the light of the sun, looking as though diamonds were embedded into the fluffy white powder. It made for a great Christmas morning, at least that's what she assumed; she'd never had a white Christmas before, only a California Christmas where kids actually went outside to ride their new bikes or where some people would barbecue. A sudden urge to dive into the snow to make a snow angel ran through her, and a small smile appeared on her face.

"Breakfast is ready!"

Her mom's voice broke through her stupor. Max shivered again, holding the blanket tighter against her. Something close to disappointment ran through her stomach, and she sighed. Breakfast first…then gifts. Again. Back when it was her and her mom—and her dad—they'd always wake and jump into opening presents–the fun and excitement of it all made it impossible to wait. But not now…not since Neil.

Max tossed her blanket aside and grabbed a sweater before making her way into the dining room. Neil sat at the table already with an old paper in his hand. She wondered if he was even reading it or just holding it for something to stare at. Her mom began to place the spread on the table: eggs, bacon, and Christmas tree-shaped pancakes. She also put out a small carton of eggnog. Max shivered, only this time it was in disgust. Gross. Neil was the only one who ever drank that stuff, so why put the whole jug out?

Max sat down in her seat after she mumbled her good mornings. As soon as her mother sat down, Neil folded his paper and looked over at Billy's empty seat. Much to Max's relief, Billy shuffled his way in, a groggy, half-asleep look on his face. He sat down with a thump and rubbed his eyes. The echo of his heavy plop down into the seat made the plates rattle a little on the table, but, of course, he didn't notice. Neil cleared his throat loudly, and Billy jumped.

"You wanna try that again? Instead of trying to break my chairs?" Neil barked.

"Sorry," Billy mumbled as he stood. He carefully sat down again, cocking his head to the side while raising his hands as if to say, There, happy? Neil narrowed his eyes for a brief moment, then looked away as though satisfied.

It was clear that Billy's habit of not waking up early for school, especially because of winter break, made his grogginess worse that morning. On normal weekends, he'd sleep way past ten (sometimes even past two when he was out all night), so two hours earlier was a decent jump. But it wasn't a total surprise to Max that he joined. For whatever reason, Neil didn't care about Billy missing breakfast, and she assumed it was because he and her mom were always off to work pretty early in the mornings, and there wasn't much time for family breakfast. The holidays were always a different story because Neil and her mom always insisted on breakfast as a family. Some notion of a tradition they would have together. And after the past few years, it seemed likely that waking early on those days became ingrained in Billy. But he still looked half asleep. Could a part of it be from him sneaking out last night? Wonder how he forced himself out of bed.

"Good morning, everyone!"

Max's mom's smile was wide and almost too bright. She was jolly in every sense of the word; she even had a Santa apron on. Max could tell by Billy's sudden mean mug that it was anything but a good morning. He looked annoyed that her mom even suggested it.

Susan served everyone their plates, starting with Neil, of course. Billy, still drunk on sleep, mindlessly chewed his bacon. Max shook her head. Yeah, totally not a morning person, she thought.

"You have that training this weekend, don't you, Susan?" Neil asked, biting off a piece of his bacon.

She gave him a nod. "Yeah, still have to go. But they're going to pay us for it, which is nice."

Neil scooped the fork into his mouth, nodding as he spoke with a mouthful of eggs. "Well, since you're gonna be gone this weekend, I'm working some later shifts. It seemed fitting, since I won't be pickin' you up."

"Really?!" Max's voice raised an octave, almost too excited.

They looked at her strangely, and Neil raised a brow in question. Even Billy managed to snap himself awake for a split second.

Max cleared her throat. "I-I mean…they're still making you work during the holidays so close to New Years?"

"No one is making me do anything. I volunteered because it's double pay to work right after the holidays. Besides, too many hungover fools out there because they think Christmas is a time to act a mess and squander their jobs. Won't be seeing me do that," Neil grumbled.

Max ignored the rest of his rant to pick at her pancakes while she mulled over her thoughts. It was perfect! If both parents were gone, it would make it a little easier to sneak out that day of the arcade tournament. Though, she still had to find a way to get there, and there was still the matter of Billy not finding out she snuck out again.

"May I be excused?" Billy asked, suddenly.

"Oh…Well, we…we haven't opened gifts yet…" Susan said, sending a weary glance toward Neil.

"Can we go do that now, then?" he shot back.

Neil's fork clattered to the plate, and Billy stiffened. "Why the hell are you in such a hurry? We just finished breakfast. Are we on your time now? Is that it? I–"

"Yes!" Susan said, a little too suddenly. Neil and Billy looked her way as she scooted her chair from the table. "Let's go open gifts." She stood, and Max gulped down her last bite of pancakes when her mom gave her an imploring look. Her mom was that typical mom on Christmas–it was her day, and she orchestrated every moment, and it was clear to Max that she was determined not to let anything sour it.

Max lent her mom a hand in cleaning up the plates from breakfast, but when she offered to wash the dishes, her mom only waved her away. She'd gotten a pass for the holidays. Within minutes, they gathered around the Christmas tree that stood off to the side of the living room. There were only a few wrapped presents under the tree. Neil flopped down on the couch with a mix of a grunt and a groan, echoing the sound of the old couch as it strained under him. Max took her usual place on the floor as she watched her mom sort the gifts. Billy had planted himself the furthest away on the other couch where he rubbed his eyes again.

He probably wants to get this over with so he can go back to bed, she thought.

Max eyed the few gifts and couldn't help but note mentally that as she got older, the gifts became fewer. But that was especially true for Billy. She glanced at him away to see his arms crossed, looking over at the wall with a clenched jaw. He must really hate this. She couldn't help but wonder if he'd even gotten anything at all this year.

Neil never really gifted Billy anything besides clothes, occasionally a cassette. It was a miracle he even let Billy get his weights and the car he wanted. Susan tried to gift him things though, every year, like the time she'd gotten him a box meant to organize his cassettes, or a gym towel with his name embroidered on the corner, even the time she'd bought him a nice shirt to wear after Neil commented on his clothes one time, but he'd always end up chucking her gifts in the trash.

No surprise Max and Billy didn't gift each other anything. They never did. But this year was different. Unbeknownst to him, though, Max had to wait to get his gift–Metallica tickets. She just had to win them. To find a way to get to Indianapolis. Until then, she managed a workaround.

"Here, Billy," Susan said, handing him a small red bag. "From me and Max."

Billy raised a brow and glanced at Max, half glaring. "That's a new one," he mumbled. Gifts were always "From Susan" not "Susan and Max."

He opened it and pulled out a pair of gloves, holding them as though he were pulling gum from his shoe. The room was silent as he stared; the glare looked sharp enough to cut the gloves in two. They'd been Max's suggestion since he hated the idea of wearing a coat–it was the closest thing she could think of.

After a long couple of minutes of uncomfortable silence, Billy dropped the gloves back into the little gift bag and pushed it beside him. Neil broke the tension with a grunt. "Don't you have any manners, boy? What the hell do you say?"

"Thanks," he eventually said. It was shallow. Reluctant.

Max frowned. She eyed the red bag Billy set aside, wondering if he'd throw them away too. Her heart flipped a little at the thought–it stung…the idea of Billy hating the gift so much that he'd consider it garbage. She was surprised to care so much. She never did any of the other times.

Was my suggestion so bad? she asked herself. She shook the thought from her mind and did her best to ignore Billy–his distaste for the holiday wasn't going to suddenly become hers as well. No matter how solemn this part usually was.

Max watched as her mother went next. Neil didn't hand out her gifts, just pointed from where he sat on the couch. Naturally, he couldn't be bothered to put in an effort. There were two with her name scrawled on the little tag. It was stapled shut, like he couldn't even bother to put tissue paper or tape on it. She dug into the first one and pulled out cooking utensils, wooden with a shiny, polished coating. But when she pulled out a new set of plates, Susan's jaw dropped. They were not all that different from the current set she had, just with little flowers around the edges. Max thought back to the broken plate that was thrown out—the one Billy broke—and wondered if that was why Neil had bought her some. Her mom must have thought the same thing.

"For my set?" she said, smiling. Neil simply nodded. "Aw, that's so sweet. Thank you."

The second gift was a dress, the color too bright in Max's opinion, since it looked like a giant orange had morphed into a gown with ruffles. She knew her mother wouldn't normally wear something like that. But Susan smiled as though it was just what she wanted and thanked Neil, earning a grunt in response.

She grabbed two smaller gifts from the pile and handed them to Neil, and he gave her a look. "Said I didn't want anything."

"I know, but they're small. Just little things that made me think of you," her mom said, her cheeks going red.

Max fought back a wince and the strange tightness that ran up her chest. She clenched her fists in discomfort, forcing down a gag and the food she just ate from the cringe-inducing display. What in the hell does she see in him?

Billy, on the other hand, so openly scrunched his face and squinted his eyes in disgust that she wanted to take a picture and frame it. Max was pretty sure he was regretting ever stepping foot into the living room this morning. But he quickly fixed himself, trading his appalled expression with his usual bored one when Neil turned his head.

Neil sighed, long and heavy. He finally tore off the paper of the first gift. Her mom chewed her lip and spoke up when he didn't say anything.

"It's a Swiss army knife. That new guard at the bank had one, and I thought it would be perfect for you. It has all kinds of tools and things you might need in a pinch…"

"Thanks," he said and tore open the second, staring down at the folded tie like Billy had with his gloves. Never in all the years Max had known the guy had she ever seen him wear a tie.

"In case we ever have any more dinner nights as a family. I thought the blue suited you…"

He nodded, and her mom quickly turned to her, handing her the most gifts by far. Max was just happy Neil's name wasn't on any of them. The first year her mom and Neil were married, Neil had given Max a doll for Christmas. But now that she was older, she only realized he had done so to butter her mom up. Since then, he gave her nothing, not that she was complaining. But her mom would sometimes write "From Mom and Neil" or, God forbid, "From Mom and Dad" on the tags. But Max knew it was just from her mom, never from him.

Max opened her gifts. There were two new sweaters in one bag; thankfully, both were colors Max enjoyed wearing. A new pair of sneakers and a few new comics, although she was surprised to see that her mom picked out some she hadn't already read. She'd hoped a skateboard would have been among the presents–and would have happily only had one if that was it, but sadly it wasn't. She turned to Billy as Neil gave him only one more gift.

"A new pair of jeans!" Neil announced, "Without any damn holes. And don't you go cuttin' any in them either."

Billy opened the gift, even after Neil ruined the surprise, and stared at the jeans with mild disinterest. Getting clothes wasn't that bad on Christmas, but when it was the only gift? Yeah, Max knew that had to suck. Had he wanted anything? She hadn't heard him ask. And she doubted he ever would. But even someone like Billy, tough as nails, had things he wanted, right?

Max wondered if he'd hoped for a new radio. But it mostly looked as though he hadn't expected or wanted anything at all. He stared at the jeans as though they would jump up to bite him. "Thanks," he said dryly.

"Max, what's that?"

Max turned to her mom, who pointed to a gift behind her. Max had snuck it behind her as soon as they were in the living room. Max reached back to touch the gift and tried to swallow down the nerves in her stomach.

"Uh, well…" She gave the box to her mom. "It's for you."

Anticipation swirled in her gut as she watched her mom open the box. Susan paused, mouth agape. Slowly, she pulled something out. Underneath lay the scrapbook Max had done her best to piece back together. No matter how much salvaging she'd tried to do, it just didn't look the same as before…didn't look as good. She snuck another glance at Billy and waited for his reaction, but he didn't seem all that phased. Just bored, like he was waiting for the moment they could go back to doing whatever they wanted.

Her mom gasped, and she flipped through, a smile forming when she saw the taped-up photos of the both of them. "Was this the gift you were talking about? The one meant for my birthday?" she whispered, still staring at it as though in awe. She looked up, and Max nodded with a small smile.

She likes it. It's not ugly…

"It's beautiful."

"Why does it look like that?" Neil said as he cut into the conversation. "It's all torn and taped up…"

Billy kept his head down, tearing little strips of tissue paper from his gift bag.

Max's stomach rolled as she tried to think of an excuse–she couldn't very well tell what actually happened to it. "Well…we…we worked on collages in… in art class, so… I… I wanted to try something different."

She glanced at Billy again, who stared at her now with a mock expression on his face. He rolled his eyes, and she fought the urge to throw something at him while yelling, This was your fault in the first place!

"You're in art class?" Susan asked.

"Uh…yeah…but it was only one of those… class visit days. You know, where we go into other classrooms?"

"Well, I love it," her mom said, giving her a reassuring smile.

"Can't see why someone would want a tattered gift like that," Neil muttered.

"It's not for you," Max mumbled.

Neil straightened on the couch. "What was that?" he snapped, leaning forward in his seat. "Go on. Repeat that."

Frozen, Max could only blink, her heart thundering in her chest. She hadn't meant to say it, but it came out anyway. Once upon a time, Neil would just ignore her mumbled retorts, or have some of his own, but it seemed he was getting less and less tolerant.

"Neil," Susan called softly, catching his attention. His eyes lingered on Max for a long second, then he looked at her mom. And for a moment, the two seemed to have a small, wordless conversation as they held each other's gazes. "Mind helping me clean up the paper?"

The room was silent.

Finally, he huffed, giving Max another glare before standing to help. Opening gifts was over just as quickly as it began. Without missing a beat, both Max and Billy stood, gifts in their arms, and retreated back to their rooms. She tried to ignore the feeling of Neil's eyes on her as she did, but she got a strange feeling that Billy was staring too.

Max didn't waste a moment before she dove right into bed and opened up one of her comics. She told herself to take it slow so she'd be able to savor it and not finish them both in one sitting. Half an hour later, a soft knock sounded at her door. She knew immediately it was her mom. Susan poked her head in and gave Max a smile once she saw her comic in hand.

"Mind if I come in?" she asked. Max gave a small nod, and she stepped in, walking slowly before approaching the window. She pulled back the curtains, letting the light in.

"Did you like your gifts?" she asked, but her eyes were on the snow outside.

"Of course I did, Mom. Thank you," Max said.

"I don't think I'll ever get used to seeing snow," she said with a laugh. "Years of summer Christmases will do that–Max, what happened to your window?" she asked, stopping mid-sentence. Susan opened the window to get a closer look at the ledge.

"Uh… Nothing. It just got stuck, and I tried to pry it open with some scissors," Max said with a wince.

Susan sighed. "Well, next time call me or Neil to help you, OK?"

Susan closed it back and locked it, then turned to Max, leaning against the window. She fidgeted with the hem of her shirt. Max eyed her carefully, no stranger to her mother's nervous movements.

What is she warming up to? Max thought. Her mom always did this, fidget around…bringing up other topics before easing her way into what she really wanted to talk about. What could it be?

"Hey, I…I know you heard at the table…How I'm going to be away for the weekend," she said, her voice slightly shaky.

Max nodded. "For training, right?"

"Right. Sorry I didn't tell you sooner."

"It's fine, mom. So where are you headed?"

Susan shrugged. "Just a quick trip out of town. You know, just…safety training and whatnot. But, um, I wanted to ask… Will you be okay here?"

Max raised an eyebrow. "Why wouldn't I be?"

Susan hesitated, her eyes darting around the room before finally settling on Max's. "It's just that… Neil and Billy will be here, and I…I just…want to know you all will be alright."

Max's heart sank as she realized what her mom was really saying. She was nervous, worried even, about leaving Max alone with them. No surprise, she supposed. No way she hadn't noticed the tension between them. At least…the tension between her and Neil. Suddenly, Max felt a wave of anxiousness wash over her. What would happen if she was left alone with Neil?

"I'll, 'll be fine," Max said, trying to hide her own nervousness. "Billy hasn't been as much of a dick lately." She couldn't really say the same about Neil, though.

Susan gave a weak smile, a small waver still in her eyes as she lowered them. Then looked back up, smile widening again.

"You know, I noticed you and Billy have been getting closer lately."

Max frowned but kept her eyes on the comics. Another topic jump. But she couldn't help but ponder the words: She and Billy were getting closer? Were they really? The memory of them playing HORSE came to the front of her mind…and how Billy went, albeit begrudgingly, to the arcade with her…the way they spoke of her dad and his mom…

We are, aren't we? she asked herself. But her mom didn't know that they had done any of those things. Half the time when she and Billy had any decent conversation, it was far away from her and Neil. So what could it be that made her say that?

The gloves, Max thought. Could her suggestion really be enough for her mother to think they were getting along? Perhaps the advice she'd asked for before making that deal…

"Well, I mean...I guess you could say that. But sometimes I don't know…" Max eventually said. "He makes it so hard not to lash out sometimes."

"Is that why you've been…snippy with Neil?" Susan asked, and Max jerked her head up.

Neil? Then it finally hit her. The topic her mother had been warming up to.

Max sighed. "I-I…he's just…rude sometimes. There's definitely no question he and Billy are related."

Susan's eyebrows furrowed, and her mouth turned downwards, a look of concern etched onto her face as she listened. She sat on the edge of the bed, close to Max. "I know it's hard, but I need you to be nice…even when they aren't nice to you. It's better to be the bigger person, you know?"

Be the bigger person compared to a grown man? Max shook her head at the thought but sighed, thinking of Billy. "That's why he is mean sometimes, isn't it? Because of Neil? I mean…he didn't even want to say thank you for the gloves. He's not really sunshine and rainbows to you either…"

"I know I don't have a say in how Neil raises his son…I mean, I would like to be a mother figure, if you can call it that…" She sighed, eyes drifting away again. "But he won't let me…they both won't…"

She was right. Billy had always been rude and nasty to her mom. Purposely drinking out of milk cartons knowing she hated it or doing small things like leaving his trash around just to get a rise out of her. He'd mouth off if he thought he could get away with it. And Neil…it was like he could scold and discipline whoever he wanted, but if Susan even questioned his methods, he'd shut her down. Hypocrite.

"Still," her mom continued, a bit more upbeat. "If snarky comments or disrespectful acts are all I get, then so be it. That doesn't mean I won't keep trying."

Max slightly chuckled. It wasn't humorful in the slightest, but a part of her admired this determined side of her mom. "So, what you're saying is to keep being nice, even when I don't want to? Even if Neil doesn't deserve it?" Max asked.

Her mom sighed as she headed for the door. "Just try to keep the peace is all, Max. Don't go making things harder on yourself, alright?"

Max tried her best to keep from rolling her eyes, to keep from making any grunts or mocking sounds. Her mom had a look in her eye that bordered on hope and helplessness, and it seemed like Max's response would determine which side her mom would fall to.

Max sighed.

"Alright."

. . .

Christmas came and went.

And by Wednesday, things went somewhat back to normal. Susan and Neil were back to work, but Neil went to work alone today because Susan had a partial day at the bank thanks to the holiday hours. It was times like these that Max felt oddly grateful for her mom and Neil not working at the same place, not like in California anyway; they didn't need to be around each other 24/7, at least not in Max's opinion.

It was closing in on 10, and Max fixed herself some cereal, watching her mom run around trying to make sure she had everything. Billy sauntered in, not paying them any attention. Given the look of his tousled hair and clouded expression, Max went with the fact that he must have just woken up. Judging by his low grumbling and pinched expression, he probably woke from her mother's racket.

A cabinet slammed shut.

Max looked over to see her mom at the counter. A frustrated noise escaped her lips as she tried to reach for something at the top. She slumped after the third try and turned to where Billy now sat at the table, shoving cereal into his mouth.

"Billy, could you get something for me, please?" Susan asked.

"No."

Max's mouth dropped. He said it with zero hesitation.

"Please," her mom said. "It'll just take a second."

"I'm a little busy here, Susan," he said, more annoyed as he gestured towards his bowl.

Max scoffed and shoved back from the table, throwing a glare toward Billy as she clambered onto the counter instead.

"Oh, Max…don't… I don't need it that badly. Please come down before you hurt yourself."

But she didn't. Instead, she grabbed the container and handed it to her mom. "This the one?"

Susan gave a nod and dragged Max in for a hug once her feet were back on the floor. "Have a good day! Bye, Billy!" Susan looked at him and waited for a response, but he simply ignored her and continued to eat. Something flashed in her eyes, but she only gave Max a smile before bolting from the room.

When the door slammed shut, Max spun on her heels and faced Billy. "Dude, why do you have to treat my mom like that? What did she ever do to you other than be nice?"

"Oh, so now I have to be nice to everyone?" he snapped.

"Are you kidding?" Max huffed. "You're barely even nice to me, if you could even call it that."

"Whatever, Max. Just go away and let me eat," he muttered.

"She's just trying to be nice and look out for you. Is that really so bad? To have someone who gives a damn?"

"She's not my mother."

Max frowned. "Yeah, and I'm not your actual sister."

Silence.

She didn't know why she said it. That would indicate Billy had actually seen her like a sister (and vice versa), and she knew he didn't. But she was taken aback by her own words. Billy was quiet. Like he was shocked to hear what she said. After a moment, he blinked, and his mouth opened, but nothing came out. He frowned and looked down at his cereal again.

"No… you're not…" he said, but it was like a reminder to himself.

Max swallowed before clearing her throat. "Still, you could be nice to mom," she said, "At least try. It won't kill you."

He finished the last bite without responding and then stood. "Noticed your ratty scrapbook was missing a few pictures the other day. Why didn't you include them all?"

She sighed. Of course he would change the subject. But what other pictures was he talking about? Max thought for a moment. The only other pictures she left out were a few candid photos she didn't like of her and her mom and the stack of photos of her dad. Could he be talking about those? But how would he know about them? That's when she remembered the day he barricaded her in her room. She'd left the pile of photos out on the dining table. Maybe he noticed them then.

Max went back to finish her own breakfast. "I left out some I didn't like and hid the pictures of my dad. She…wouldn't have wanted to see those." Besides, Neil would have probably flipped his shit if he saw them.

Billy washed his bowl in silence, and Max fidgeted in her seat, not wanting to leave the tension in the air. Keep the peace, her mother had said.

"Do you have any pictures of your mom?" she asked, her voice going a little quieter. She didn't know how he'd react to the question. Prying the answers out of him was hard, and this wasn't one of those times when she'd had the time to warm him up with other questions.

"Ugh, Max. I'm not in the mood for your stupid questions."

"Billy, come on. I've answered every single one of yours about my dad. Without hesitation…" she replied, hoping it wouldn't just piss him off more.

He sighed and let out a little growl of irritation. "I don't know…think Neil got rid of them. I doubt he even has any pictures of me…"

"Seriously?" She paused. "You know...I hadn't realized how terrible he could be…until I saw him at his worst…" she mumbled, hinting back to the night on the side of the road. She didn't have to spell it out for Billy to know what she meant.

Billy scoffed. "You think that's his worst?"

Max hesitantly nodded, her brow furrowing as she tried to think of how it could be any worse than that.

"Then you haven't seen him drunk before."

That wasn't completely true. She had seen Neil drunk once, the first year he and her mother were married. But Susan stayed away from him like that and had Max stay away too. She'd taken her out that day until it was completely dark, and Max grew tired. She hadn't done so much in one day before–shopping, eating, watching a movie… Max hadn't realized it then, but now she figured it was long enough for Neil to sober up. She never saw him drunk since.

The front door slammed open, yanking them both from their conversation. For a moment, they both froze, staring at one another like they were caught in a trap, even though neither of them had done anything. Why would he be home right now? Max asked herself, her heart thundering in her chest. They both went to take a step, but Susan rushed in, her eyes wide and frantic. Max and Billy's shoulders fell as relief swept over them, but then curiosity quickly followed. They didn't move, just followed her mom with their eyes as she moved around the kitchen.

"Can't be late," she mumbled to herself as she rushed back into the kitchen, picking up the phone. She had the receiver to her ear and went to dial a number, but squeezed her eyes shut and let out a pained noise. "No, no. I can't call him…he won't be able to leave work now."

"Mom, what's wrong?"

"I missed the bus. And I can't be late." She picked up the phone again, dialing a number. Max could subtly hear the ring through the phone, but no one answered. Her mom winced. "Annie must have headed to work already…

"Alright, alright I'll just call Neil…" she said to herself, as though she was talked into it. All Max could do was stare at her in shock. She couldn't even remember the last time her mom was late to work, let alone missed the bus. It was clear Susan herself was feeling the pressure.

She hung up with a heavy sigh and turned to the two of them with a hesitant look on her face. She chewed her lip and then moved to leave the room, sprinting down the hallway. They could hear her footsteps from the kitchen. Max glanced at Billy, whose jaw was set firmly, and he looked as though he was prepared for some kind of fight.

Her mom shuffled back into the room, and her eyes bounced from Max to Billy, who stiffened at her sudden gaze. "Billy…I need to ask another favor…and this one I really need," she said and held out a set of keys. Billy's eyes went wide, and he started to shake his head. "Can you drive me to work?"

"No. Hell no!"

The words were forceful and quick. Billy rushed to storm out of the room, but Susan sidestepped to block him, her coat tail flailing behind.

"Billy, please—"

"Hell no! Are you crazy? Ain't no way I'm risking my neck."

"Billy...please…I can't just take the car since Neil is supposed to pick me up, and I also can't really drive a manual that well…especially since it has been getting darker lately."

"Have you lost your mind? No way I'm getting into trouble just because you missed the damn bus!"

"No, no. I'll talk to Neil–have him understand that I asked. You won't get into trouble, Billy," she said, offering the keys again.

Billy gave a disbelieving scoff, then huffed out a furious breath and turned to maneuver around her. But he stopped when Max hit his vision. He glanced at her, holding her eyes for a moment as if deciding. Max raised a brow, unsure what that look implied. Unsure what was running through his already raging mind. But then, her face slowly fell, heart sinking. Max remembered Billy's mix of annoyed, questioning, furrowed brows and wavering eyes. The same look he had just before playing HORSE. The same look he had just before going into that arcade. The very same look he had now that made Max know without a doubt that he'd give in and do it.

He turned away too soon before he could see Max shake her head no. Billy sighed and reached out for the keys. "Let's go."

Without a word, he rushed to throw on his shoes and his jacket, not even bothering to change out of his pajamas as he rushed out the door with Susan close behind. Max just stood there in utter shock.

No, this isn't happening. This can't be happening… Why would he—

"Max, let's go!" Billy shouted.

Of course she'd have to go along with them since Billy wouldn't dare add to the mix by leaving her at home. The only thing that could come from this was more trouble–

With an anxious huff, Max threw on her coat and followed them. Billy was all types of things—aggressive, bold, spontaneous—But to take this risk… The dread started in her chest and trickled down to her stomach. Billy had already made up his mind, and there was nothing she could do about it, nothing she could do to prepare herself except to swallow down the dread and hope it didn't come spilling up later.

This isn't going to go well…Max thought as her stomach sank. We are so getting into trouble for this.

To be continued…