confusion // elmax

Chapter 4 - conversations

Will POV

I keep giving Max sly looks during breakfast when El isn't looking. I don't know if anything happened with them, but I'm rooting for them. I've had a feeling that El might like Max, at least. She's been asking a lot of questions about if girls can like girls lately, and she's been spending a lot more time with Max. I'm not gonna assume something went down though. I glance over at Max and mouth: What happened? She glares at me. Nothing! She shoots back.

Right then the doorbell rings.

"I'll answer it." I say. I get up from the table and walk down the hall to the front door. I open it and Mike is standing right there, looking annoyed.

"Oh. Hey Will."

My face goes red immediately. I try desperately to hide it before answering.

"Hi Mike! What's up?"

"Um, is El here?"

Of course he wants El. I love my sister, but I just don't get what he sees in her romantically. I don't see what he sees in girls romantically, but I might be a little biassed on that one.

"Yeah, she's just inside. But Max is-"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever."

He pushes past me to go find El. Love hurts sometimes.

I race back to the kitchen table to see Mike standing there looking pissed off, El looking upset, and Max looking mad.

"So you're telling me you can't answer my calls for two days straight, but you can have a sleepover with her? What the fuck?"

"Mike, my walkie-talkie is broken, and I-"

"I don't wanna hear it! This is bullshit!"

"WHAT THE HELL?!"

Max stands up, enraged.

"So you're telling me that you can force her to kiss you when she doesn't want to, then get mad when she doesn't want to hang out with you for two days in a row, because yeah, what a crime that is, then storm to her house all pissed off and get angry with her for having fun with a friend?! And cutting her off when she tries to explain?!"

"This isn't your conversation, Mayfield! Go piss off!"

"Mike, please-" El tries to cut in.

"No! I wanna have a private conversation with my girlfriend! You hear me? My girlfriend, Mayfield! She's not yours!"

"And yet you act like she's your personal human being that you own!" Max practically screams back at him and runs out of the room, tears in her eyes. I feel like crying too. Why does he have to be so mean? He wasn't like this 2 years ago. He's just so... different, now. Bad different.

"Will! I said a private conversation, please!"

I look over at El, who seems to be on the brink of tears, but nods at me.

"P-please, Will, we won't t-take long..."

I rush out of the room after Max.

She's on El's bed, sobbing. I don't blame her. I feel like sobbing too. I go over and put my hand on her shoulder. We've never been that close, but we appear to have more in common than it seems at first glance.

"Sorry" she begins to try and apologise, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"I didn't mean to start crying, I just-"

"Yeah, I know. It's ok."

We sit and listen to raised voices coming from the kitchen for a while. Loud enough to hear, but not loud enough to know what they're saying.

"I just- I keep feeding into this delusion that she likes me back. Like, when we were getting changed this morning, I could've sworn I felt her eyes on me. And when I, I don't know, grab her hand or something, I'll blush, and then I'll momentarily see her blush too. And I swear we almost kissed this morning. But I'm just imagining it. There's no way that she actually likes me back."

"It feels like that a lot with me too. But lately, El has..."

"What about El?" Max's head snaps up.

Well... lately she's started asking these questions."

"..."

"Questions about gay people. About girls liking girls. About how it works. Asking if being gay is allowed, and acceptable."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah. It could be genuine curiosity, but I don't know. I've just been getting this... gay feeling from her."

"And how did you respond? To the questions?"

I told her the truth, of course. Being gay is fine, but lots of people judge you for it"

"How did you phrase it exactly though?"

"Jeez! I can't remember exactly. Something along the lines of 'I don't think gay is bad, but most people don't like gay people because it's against the Bible.'"

"Will! Why on earth did you phrase it like that?!"

A slam from the kitchen makes us both flinch. We jump up and run into the kitchen, and...

I don't think I've ever been more heartbroken. Mike. I love him. I've loved him since we were 12.

How could he..?

Max POV

That son of a bitch.

Another cliffhanger??? Almost like I want you to keep coming back to read more...

Also sorry for the short chapter <3