Lover's Lake | Eddie Munson

18

"Max, max. seriously!" Steve called out, running after the red-haired girl, "Seriously. I'm not driving you anywhere."

Ann looked up from her spot under the shade that the tree in front of the wheeler's house provided and watched as Max stormed out of the house and straight to Steve's car, determined.

"-In the armpit that is mike wheeler's basement, then you're out of your mind. So, either take me where I need to go, or tie me down." Max fiercely said, waiting for Steve or anyone else to answer.

"Tying max down would technically be kidnapping of a minor, Steve." Quipped Ann, who had made her way to the car too when she noticed them leaving the house, "what's going on, where are we going?" she ended up asking, confused.

"Not helping, Ann." Steve said through gritted teeth, but max just looked at Ann and then turned her focus to walking towards her seat in Harrington's car.

"Exactly. Technically kidnapping of a minor, and if I live to see another day, Steve, I swear to God, I will prosecute." Max tugged on the locked car door and faced Steve. "Open the door."

The boy shook his head, "Uh, no."

"I know a good lawyer" added max, staring the older male down.

"Can someone please fill me in?" Ann begged from what felt like the sidelines and dusting leaned towards her ever so slightly

"Max wrote her will, and now she wants to go somewhere that the walkie talkie will reach Penhurst." Dustin said, exasperated.

"If you don't want to take me. Fine." said max after observing Steve's continued silence. "Ann will take me. She knows how to drive."

"What? Hey- I've committed grand theft auto already; I'm not trying to stack up the number of times I do it." Ann replied, holding her hands up.

Steve scoffed and pointed to Dustin, annoyed. "Henderson, that super walkie of yours? It better reach Penhurst."

Ann walked over to the passenger side of Steve's car and opened the door, looking at max who was slowly turning to look at something in the distance.

"Max!" Ann said loudly and slammed the door, walking over to the redheaded girl. "No, I don't like this. Henderson, you sit passenger. I'm staying next to her."

Snapping out of her trance, max blinked at looked at Ann, who was slightly crouching down to look at the girl. "What? I'm fine."

"No, that wasn't normal." Ann deadpanned, putting a hand on the girl's shoulder and guiding her into the burgundy car.

The car ride was tense all the way to Penhurst. They'd stopped at the trailer park before so max could drop off some more letters.

She came back from there dishevelled and panicked.

"Hey, that was longer than 20 seconds- are you okay?" Steve asked, climbing back into the car.

"I'm fine, just drive." The young girl snapped and from inside the car, Ann knew something went wrong.

"Did something happen?" Dustin asked max from the passenger seat, and max looked outside, ignoring the boy.

"You saw him?" whispered Ann, looking at max and the redhead girl stilled.

Slowly, max nodded and Ann's lips formed a tight line. She put her hands on Max's hand and squeezed, trying to silently comfort the girl.

Once they reached Penhurst, Max was the first one out of the car, and Lucas ran after her.

Steve, Ann and Dustin stayed put as the two talked.

Ann was the one to break the silence in the vehicle. "Are those two dating?" she asked, and Dustin turned to look at her.

"don't we have bigger things to worry about? Maybe like, max dying?" he replied sassily.

Ann sighed and slid towards the door, grabbing the handle, and pulling on it, opening the car door.

"Max" Steve yelled, catching the young girl's attention. "I don't know what you want to do here but hurry up!"

Lucas walked back to the car, joining the others. everyone watched as max climbed the hill and went to her stepbrother's grave.

"How long do you think she needs?" Ann asked Steve, who was sat inside his vehicle. "I don't know, but I don't like this." He replied.

"What, is your babysitting instinct telling you something's wrong? She needs this right now, I don't like it either, but it's important to her." Ann told Steve. "Just give her a little time. Then we'll go see her if she hasn't come down."

"*author's note*"

nothing about this is proofread but i got a bit of inspo and wrote this. im getting back into my writting groove.