❛ AFTERGLOW ❜ - 𝖼𝗆𝖻 ✓

033; you can't promise that

nicole🌷
max just texted me and he said mollie's
back but she can't reply to us bc her phone
is broken so he told me to tell you she is fine
and she just won't reply until she gets a
new phone

nicole🌷
which max is in the processing of buying

corbyn🔥
how did her phone break

nicole🌷
idk she didn't tell him

nicole🌷
but she's safe

corbyn🔥
thank fuck

nicole🌷
and also we're both invited to eugene's
funeral as well as ur family and monica bc
julie wants saskia to meet monica

corbyn🔥
uh okay?

corbyn🔥
thank u for letting me know by the way
jesus christ i feel so relieved

nicole🌷
anytime u know ily

corbyn🔥
ily too

––––

third person.

"i'm sorry," mollie looked up at max, the two sat across the table from each other as max shook his head and shrugged.

"it's not your fault," max replied, "but i think it's better if mom stays here when she wants to see us rather than you going to her."

"i think that maybe i should move in with her," mollie shrugged, watching her brother immediately look up at her with a hint of confusion on his face, "so you can do the things you want to do."

"what?" max furrowed his eyebrows, glancing over at astrid who had been looking around their kitchen, "mollie i always say i don't mind living with you."

"but you'd prefer not having to make sure i don't hurt myself," mollie told him as he tilted his head, "it's fine, i won't do anything."

"you can't promise that," he sighed, "i can't let you live with mom."

"but it'll be better for both of us," mollie argued as max's eyes began to tear up, "you can live with astrid and i can try figure out what i want to do i-"

"no," he shook his head once more, "mollie no, i don't want you moving three hours away just so you can never talk to me again."

"but i can talk to you," she looked at him, watching a tear fall down in his face as her eyes shortly began to fill with water, "max please i just want you to be happy."

"i know i can't force you to do anything and i never will, but every time you go to mom's no one hears from you, can't you see that's not okay?" max asked.

"she said she just wants to have time with me," the girl shrugged as astrid watched them from a distance, a frown on her face from seeing the two cry, "it's only three hours away."

"what if your anxiety gets bad? she doesn't know how to help with it."

"then i'll cope by myself." mollie folded her arms before shrugging.

"but you shouldn't have to," max stared at her, "mom doesn't know about any of your bad habits or your struggles and even then she thinks people just fake them, you don't want to live with her."

"yes i do." she rolled her eyes as the girl watched max wipe his, "we can both get on with our lives and you can go live in england with astrid like you wanted to and i can i don't know do whatever, it's going to help us so much."

"okay," max mumbled, slowly nodding while watching her wipe her eyes and stand up before she grabbed her belongings and took them up the stairs.

"max.." astrid walked over to him, placing her hand on his shoulder while he bought his head to his hands, "you just need to convince her a little more."

"it'll cause a bigger argument." max shook his head, the girl taking a seat beside him as she grabbed a hold of his hand, "i can't do anything about it."

"but what you're doing right now is enough to try convince her," astrid replied, stroking the back of his hand with her thumb as he turned his head towards her, "and we all know julie won't let her go, julie will force her to stay."

"i don't want her to be forced to do anything," he shrugged, "it's her decision, she's an adult."

"i know but julie would prioritise her safety rather than what she wanted," astrid said as max slowly nodded, "plus she has everyone here, you and corbyn and nicole, she wouldn't want to move from them."

"and eugene's funeral is in a few days, so when corbyn's mom meets yours then surely that might make mollie realise something," she shrugged, "maybe how much people care about her here and how bad of a person monica is..?"

"mollie just doesn't realise how much effort i put in to making sure she was okay," max admitted as astrid's face slowly fell, "i do so much and i did so much growing up and she doesn't appreciate it."

"i'm sure she appreciates it more than she shows,"
astrid argued, "she's just not good at expressing her feelings, you told me how long it took for her to admitting her feelings for corbyn."

"i think mom broke her phone," max blurted out, turning towards the girl, "because she wouldn't tell me what happened to it, i think mom broke it to stop contact with us."

"that's a bit extreme, are you sure...?"

"she's done way worse than that before," max shook his head, "it's just the start of it, mom just wants to be in control and have that power over a fucking nineteen year old."

"let's just see how the funeral goes and see how saskia and monica meeting goes, okay?" she suggested, receiving a small nod, "because i'm sure saskia will have something to say sooner or later."

"okay.." max sighed before giving astrid a small smile, "thank you for being such a good friend, i needed someone to talk to about this."

"yeah.. friends." astrid forced a smile, letting max place a small kiss on her forehead before he walked over to the kitchen, the girl following behind as she let out a sigh.

♡

a/n

OKAY LISTEN, this is the only book i wanna update rn so deal with the daily updates 🙄🙄🙄 i know i said i wouldn't update but we know i never stick to my words

but also hehehe the funeral of eugene and the meeting of saskia and monica ;) oh and collie content ;) prepare for next chapter folks