Peace in a Storm

31 - Audrey

"Nieves?" Tony asked, startling me.

I looked up from my torturous math homework. Tony's eyes didn't meet my gaze. Instead, they were fixed on Max.

My boyfriend was pounding away at the black punching bag in front of him with sweat dripping down his face. His bare torso was glistening with the salty water droplets, and his dark curls were damp from the moisture. A tight frown lay on his lips, and his eyes were livid with a raw fire that I hadn't seen since middle school.

"Is he alright?" Tony asked.

I opened my mouth, debating if I wanted to answer honestly. I'd heard about what happened the night of Max's birthday. Not from Max, of course, but from the whispers swirling around our school. According to the rumor mill, Max organized for his cousin's crew to grab Carter and Tommy and damn near beat them to death. Then, he pointed a gun at Tommy and almost shot him. Carter claimed Max would've if Cristian hadn't stepped in.

When I questioned Max about it, he didn't deny it, but he didn't want to talk about it either. From the line on his lips when I'd asked, I knew not to push him too hard about it. If Cristian was involved, then I knew he'd already gotten an earful about it. I just held his hand and reminded him that I was here when he was ready to open up about it.

He'd been awfully quiet over the past few weeks, rarely speaking to anyone. His silence was a novel behavior for everyone around him. Usually when he was upset, he'd initiate screaming matches and fist fights, desperate to unleash his anger. He'd never bottled all of his emotions like this. I'd never admit it aloud, but I preferred his explicit rage over his silent facade. At least with the former, I could clearly tell how he was feeling. Being shut out like this, I had no idea what was occurring in his mind, and the endless possibilities had me worried sick.

"I don't think so," I replied to Tony's original question.

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

I shrugged. "Keep him busy, I guess."

He looked down at me. His dark eyes observed me for a brief moment before his head tilted the slightest bit. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," I said. "I'm fine."

He raised an eyebrow, not buying my blatant lie.

Sighing, I wrapped my arms around myself. "My biological brother convinced me to give my mother a second chance," I told him. "I'm going to see her again tomorrow afternoon."

"Have you given any thought to what you're going to say to her?"

"I don't know if there's anything for me to say," I admitted. "Honestly, I'm not even expecting her to say much. She's made it very clear how she feels about me. A half-assed apology isn't going to change anything."

"You're right; an apology isn't going to do shit. But telling her how you feel and being honest about the demons you've been wrestling with - that might go a long way. Not for her sake, but for yours."

I smiled at him. "Thanks, Tony."

"Don't mention it." He nodded in Max's direction. "Grab your boyfriend and head on out of here; it's getting late."

I got up from my seat and walked over to my childhood crush. I gently set a hand on his bicep to stop him from punching the large bag. I waited for him to take out his earbud before speaking. "We need to start heading home before Tony kicks us out," I told him. "Do you wanna grab some hot wings and fries on the walk home? Maybe we can watch movies at your house and I can spend the night?

He nodded, silently agreeing to the plans.

We walked hand-in-hand to one of Max's favorite local restaurants to grab our dinner before heading back to our townhomes.