You And I (Expanded Edition)

Chapter 1

The end.

Maxine Thomas sat back in her desk chair and stretched her arms as she wrote the last two words in her novel.

Maxine yawned and made sure to save the document to her laptop before closing the computer.

The twenty-five-year-old young woman stood up. She was in her bedroom in the small house she lived in by herself.

Maxine picked up her cell phone and exited her bedroom. As she walked through the hall to the bathroom, Maxine stopped to look at herself in the hallway mirror.

Her hair was short, brown, and very messy. Her eyes were pale blue and a pair of glasses supported her eyes. She wore nothing but blue overalls over her slim body.

Maxine lightly smiled at her reflection, then went inside the bathroom. In the bathroom, She began to fill the bathtub with warm water. Maxine emailed her editor as she waited for the tub to fill up.

The book is done. I'll email it to you tomorrow.

Maxine turned off her phone and put it on the bathroom counter.

She stepped out of her overalls and slipped into the tub. Maxine laid her head back and sighed.

She was finally relieved to have completed her newest novel, but stress was still coursing through her.

Maxine closed her eyes and tried to blot out the memory of the conversation she had last week with her parents.

There's some way to negotiate this, right? I won't have to-

Maxine's thoughts were cut off by her cell phone ringing.

She sat up in the tub and reached over onto the counter and grabbed her phone.

Maxine grinned when she saw who was calling her, and she picked up the call.

"Hey hey!" The female voice on the other line said.

Maxine smiled at the sound of her best friend's voice. "Hey, Jade."

Jade Austin continued talking. "Well? Is it done?" She asked.

Maxine made a pause for dramatic effect, something that drove Jade absolutely insane. "... it is."

On the other side of the call, Jade cheered while Maxine chuckled.

After Jade calmed down, she asked Maxine a question. "Will you let me read it now?"

Maxine smiled and rolled her eyes. "No, Jade. Not until my editor approves it."

"But Maxiiiiiiiiineeeeee!" Jade whined.

Maxine sighed. "Fine. I'll let you read chapter one. But that's it!"

Jade cheered again and Maxine couldn't help but smile again and her friend's loveable weirdness.

"Oh, that reminds me," Jade says, "we gotta celebrate tonight!"

Maxine raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"Let's go to the club!" Jade squealed.

Maxine sighed again. "Jade..."

"C'moooon!" Jade said. "It'll be fun. You've been working nonstop these past months. You could use some fun!"

"Jade, every single week you invite me to go the club with you." Maxine protested.

"And every week you say yes!" Jade countered. 

Maxine sighed, not knowing how to argue further. 

Suddenly, Jade's voice took on a much softer tone. "Hey. I don't mean to pressure you or anything. If you don't wanna go, we really don't have to."