𝐷𝑒𝑎𝑙－𝐸𝑙𝑚𝑎𝑥

𝐿𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝐶𝑎𝑙𝑙

MAX'S POV (present)

When I arrived home it was already close to pitch black outside. The only thing lighting up the sky were the stars and the moon that were surprisingly bright tonight. I peddled up to the front door and leaned my bike against the wall, I walked to the porch and reached in my pocket praying that I had my key today which to my luck I did. I took my key and pushed it in the rectangular hole and twisted until I heard a click. I shoved my key back into my pocket placing my palm on the handle I twisted the door knob and pushed it open slowly walking inside. I walked as quietly as I could towards the stairs as I didn't spot anyone in the living room. I made it to the stairs and just as I was about to take my first step up.

"Maxine" I heard my mom's soft voice from behind me.

          I placed my foot back down and turned my body around.

"Oh um hi" I put my hands behind my back trying to cover my bandages.

"Why are you late again? Do you even know what time it is? We were worried sick" She started to walk towards me with concern plastered on her face.

"Yeah right" I turned my head looking away from her.

"Susan!" Neils's raspy voice yelled for my mom somewhere in the house, you could hear his footsteps quickly coming towards the front of the house.

          My mom turned around quickly and started walking to him. Though he made it before her and appeared in the doorway of the kitchen.

"Maxine... your home" He looked past my mom and straight to me. "Why the hell are you late?"

""Um I went to my friends house and forgot to call you, I'm sorry"

"We didn't give you permission to go to your friends house, did we?" He pushed my mom aside and started coming my way.

"I didn't think you guys would mind" I was running out of excuses to make and needed to think of something fast before the situation got out of hand.

"Come here Maxine" He motioned for me to come to him and I obeyed taking a few steps in his direction.

"Closer" I took another step before I was almost touching toes with him. He held his grip on a beer bottle which explained why he smelled like he did. "Anything else we should know" I looked up at him and shook my head no.

          He swiftly lifted one hand and placed it at the center of my chest pushing me to the floor. My body violently hit the wooden ground making a loud thump that ran throughout the entire house. He started walking to me as I started to scoot back as fast as I could until I hit the wall not being able to go anywhere as of right now.

"Whats wrong with your hands?" He wasn't focused on me being late anymore.

"I fell and scraped them" I lied again feeling confident this time.

"MAXINE!" He threw his bottle at the wall right next to my face. It shattered the glass going everywhere, I felt the shards fly into my face cutting my skin. The remains skidded across the floor in every direction. My mom watched in terror as Neil lost his patience with me.

"Your school called Maxine! Whats that about huh!? Nothing!?" He bent down to meet eye level with me as his eyes sat wide. "What happened?" He lowered his voice to almost a whisper and started to talk again.

"I- I got suspended" I said as tears started to roll down my cheeks. It stung my face as the blood started to fall as well .

"And why is that?" He asked again.

"I- I got in a-a fight" The tears violently started to fall down dripping to the hem of my shirt, the salt from my tears burned my scars as my tears mized with my blood.