Séance || The Black Phone

5

"WHAT am I doing here? I thought I died? How can you guys see me?" Robin questioned, very confused at the whole situation.

Him and Finney were in the same boat. They both had thought the last time they would ever see each other or interact was in the shitty basement.

I guess there was other plans.

both of their eyes shot to the girl, she could be the only cause of this happening.

"I thought if I summoned Robin, you could have some sense knocked into your head" Max explained, she wasn't dumb she knew what exactly was going on with Finney.

He had survivors guilt.

which was basically where he felt guilt that the other victims of the Grabbers suffered a different fate than he had. carrying the guilt that he wished there was a way that he could've done more.

Finney did, but he himself didn't believe so.

He gave closure to the other boy's family and friends, like Max with Vance. The victims families no longer had to constantly worry on what happened to them, where they could be, and if they would ever come home.

Now they knew, their children wouldn't be coming home, they would never see them again, and could only hold on to the past memories they had with them.

It was the sad truth, but it was reality.

"I know you don't see me as me Fin, that's completely fine, it's a way of coping with grief" The said boy couldn't help, but feel a little bad that she knew why he'd constantly hangout with her more than usual.

Max gently let go of Finney's hands, giving him and Robin a small smile. "I'll give you guys a moment to talk" she said, before leaving the area to the kitchen.

______

"what was that about?" Vance asked, staring at Max with a hard look in his eyes.

"I'm giving Fin the closure he needs, just like how you are giving me" she simply stated, staring right back at her best friend with sad eyes.

Max knew soon enough, she'd have to let Vance go (even if she just got him back temporarily) and properly say their last goodbye.

she definitely wouldn't be ready or prepared for that, but who is?

"I don't wanna have this conversation right now" Vance was aware where this talk would lead up to and he didn't want to have it right now, or ever.

"it's inevitable, we're going to have this conversation sooner or later, we both know it, so why don't we just have it now?" Max suggested, she didn't wanna have this talk either, but she'd rather get over with it now.

"the thing is I don't want to have this conversation Max, so why should we" He hissed, starting to feel annoyance build up

"why not? it's best to get it over with than worry later" she reasoned, furrowing her brows at him

"what? so you can get rid of me and move on with your life? and soon forget about me and what we had? I don't think so" He stated angrily, a frown on his face.

"you're putting words in my mouth Vance, how could I ever forget about you? haven't you realized yet, just how much you mean to me? when I caught wind that you went missing, I was searching for you, day and night, hoping that we'd soon reunite and that we could go through with the things we had planned" Max explained, making him silent

"if you weren't important to me, do you think I would do all that?" she asked, rhetorically.

Max and Vance stared at each other, waiting for the other to make the next move. she had tears once again threatening her waterline, while he was just silent as a mouse.

"you have like major anger issues Vance" Max laughed, laying ontop of an abandoned car with said boy beside her

"you're one to talk, shithead" He scoffed, crossing his arms looking away from her with a frown on his face.

"hey! at least I don't get mad over losing on a pinball machine" she defended herself, a small smile on her lips

she loved to mess with the easily tempered boy, it was hilarious, to her at least.

"whatever" Vance replied, trying to remain pissed off at her. he couldn't though, he couldn't be mad at her, making him more mad at himself than her.

"you know, once I graduate or find some way out of this shitty town, I'm taking the chance" Max stated, her personality doing a 180.

This made Vance turn to her, albeit surprised to see her facing him already. "I'll be taking you with me, only if you'd want"

"anywhere you go, I'll follow dipshit"
____

Vance didn't know how to verbally respond to what Max had said, he hated talking about his feelings, preferring to show his emotion through his fists, but he couldn't go about it that way.

not with Max, never.

He was at fault for jumping to conclusions without giving her a chance to explain herself, but he was afraid. afraid that she'll soon forget about him.

Vance was afraid of being forgotten.

"I'm not ready to go, I don't wanna go back to reality cause that means you'll live on without me and I'll still be dead, and watching" Vance said, a bit bitterly.

"we're just kids and sometimes we don't deserve what fate had in store for us, I know you and all the other boys didn't deserve what happened" Max paused, moving her hand to rest on Vance's face while staring down at him softly.

"and that's why I'll do anything to figure out a way to change the way things ended"