Daisies || Max Mayfield

43: Mixed Signals

Everyone groaned as Nancy spun the entire car in front of Bradley's Big Buy to park.

We all climbed out of the car, bloody, bruised, and exhausted. Mike and Max helped El out of the car while Nancy and Jonathan searched the ground for something.

"What are you looking for?" Will asked.

"A rock to break the window," Nancy replied nonchalantly.

"Oh." I cringed, swinging my crowbar into the door. The glass shattered around it, and I reached inside and unlocked it. My hands stung, definitely open wounds.

"Thanks," Nancy muttered, walking through it.

I followed Jonathan after her, then Max, El, and Mike, and then finally Will and Lucas. Nancy led us down the medical aisle, grabbing a bottle of rubbing alcohol, and a box of gauze. 

"Set her down." She said.

Mike and Max crouched, helping El lean against the shelves, sitting beside her.

"Okay, lemme see." Nancy crouched by El's leg, slowly lifting her pant leg to reveal the bite mark.

It was all bloody and stuff, with two deep wounds full of dark red oozing pus and good, kind of like the mind flayer. Everyone cringed at the sight of it, including me.

"Holy shit," Mike whispered.

El groaned as Nancy reached for the rubbing alcohol.

"Woah what are you doing?" Max asked, stopping her.

"Cleaning the wound." Nancy uncapped the bottle.

"No, no, first you need to stop the bleeding, then clean, then disinfect, then bandage!" She raised her eyebrows at Nancy, before frowning. "I skateboard, trust me."

Max scoffed and put a gauze pad over the bite, grabbing Mike's hand and putting it over it. "Hold this. Keep pressure on it, okay?"

Mike nodded, holding El's hand as she groaned in pain.

"We're gonna need water, soap." She nodded to Nancy and Jonathan. They both got up and walked to the next aisle.

Lucas had my backpack for some reason, which he dumped on the floor and stared at Max. "Does any of this help?"

"No. Go get me a washcloth and a bowl."

"A bowl?"

"Lucas."

Will rolled his eyes and dragged Lucas out of the aisle.

Max frowned, then looked back to El.

"Woah who's blood is on me?" Mike asked. He lifted his leg, and there was a small smear on his shin.

"What?" Max made a face. "That can't be El's she was on your other side."

"Oh." I glanced at my hands. "Sorry, must've brushed you in the trunk."

"Huh?"

I held up both my hands, covered in scratches from the crowbar. 

"Woah, how'd you do that?" Max asked.

"When I was hanging from my crowbar, I think." I shrugged, wiping the blood off on my shirt. "The paint ripped the skin right off my hands I think." 

"Oh my god-" She groaned, putting a piece of gauze between my palms. "Wrap the handle, or your hands next time, okay?"

"Yeah, sure."

"It's probably all infected because you go it from a fucking junkyard."

"You got it in a junkyard?" El asked.

"Yeah, when I got impaled last year because of a bad school bus building." I smiled, showing her the back of my hand with the scar on it. "You know, Max put a tourniquet on it."

"What's a tourniquet?"

Mike scowled. "Nevermind, just stop bleeding everywhere."

"Eleven is literally sitting in a puddle of her blood, and you're mad at me for getting a little bit on your leg?" I asked. 

He nodded.

"Jesus Mike-" Max groaned, standing up. "I'm gonna go find Lucas and Will, they should be back by now.

I followed her, finding Will and Lucas fawning over the fireworks display.

"That doesn't look like a bowl." She said.

"Nah, it's way better." Lucas grinned. "There is a reason this warning label says eighteen and over. This sucker is filled with 150 grains of black powder. AKA gunpowder. Strap two of these together, and it's bigger than an M-80. Five of em, and we got ourselves a stick of dynamite."

Max held the box in her hands, frowning. "You wanna kill that thing with fireworks?"

"Do you have a better idea?"

"Uh, yeah, Eleven." She threw it back at him.

"Against that thing? She's gonna need some backup."

"Oh my god-" She groaned, grabbing my arm and walking away.

Jonathan and Nancy were busy in some other aisle, probably making out, and Mike was trying to confess his love to El, from what I overheard. 

Max and I found an empty aisle, out of earshot from everyone else.

"What's going on?" I whispered.

"I wanted to talk to you." She leaned against the shelves behind her, full of cake mix.

"About what?"

"About everything?" She shrugged. "You, holding my hand, and that whole thing at the pool-"

I frowned. "Sorry?"

"The whole Phoebe Cates thing." She continued. "I just-I don't believe you."

"You don't believe what?" I asked. 

"That you're not a lesbian." She crossed her arms.

"Why do you care? I thought we already went over this." 

"Yeah, and then you held my hand for like, half the time at the cabin!"

"You started it!" I whispered, leaning closer so she could hear. "You put your hand on mine, and then you didn't let go."

"You're a lesbian." She concluded. She leaned in as well, leaving only a few inches between us. I could feel my heart getting faster as the butterflies returned.

"What does that have to do with anything?!"

"Everything, that has everything to do with everything!"

"Why?"

"Why?" She scoffed. "Why do you think, Daisy?" She was barely an inch away from me. "What clues from this situation make you think why I'm wondering-

"Max!" Lucas shouted. "We found the bowl!"

She stared at me, then pushed me away and ran back down the aisle. "Good!"

I left through the other end of the aisle, finding everyone gathered around a bowl of water and soap.

"Good." She repeated, crouching beside El. "And I'm sorry to say, but someone else has to fix up Daisy while I work on El."

"What's wrong with you?" Nancy asked.

I held up my hands, the dried blood cracking on my palms.

"Jeez-" Will groaned.