Baby I wasn't there

Maxine (2)

" I trust Josefa took care of it." Was the first thing Y/n said when she had walked into the shop. Maxine stood at the front counter, and gave her a nod. She had been to preoccupied with fixing her lipstick to notice Y/n giving her a strange look.

"What?" Maxine snapped, before Y/n's eyes narrowed.

"What? Maxine since when did you begin to come here looking like a flapper?" Y/n asked as she stepped behind the counter. Maxine rolled her eyes at her before going back to looking at herself.

"Since I decided to start caring. Maybe you should try it, it would lighten up the place." Maxine said before Y/n rolled her eyes.

"What crawled up your ass and died?" Y/n asked, setting her cane on the wall before walking through the curtain to tidy up her own area. Maxine scoffed before turning around to lean against the counter, watching Y/n tie the sides of the curtain to the door frame.

"Since I realized your just a scared little bitch." Maxine said, before Y/n stared at her for a moment, before walking away. Maxine laughed, pushing off the counter to follow her. " What's wrong? Mad someone finally stood up to you?" Maxine asked, following Y/n around her room.

"Hey Maxine?" Y/n said, her back to her.

"What?" She asked, before Y/n turned around, something in her hand. Quickly, she tossed it to Maxine.

"Hold this for me." She said, throwing a handful of salt at her. Quickly, Maxine grimaced, the salt etching into her skin.

"Ow! Y/n what the fuck?!" Maxine shrieked, watching her skin turn red. She began to scratch at it furiously.

"So I was right." Y/n said knowingly, before sighing. " Well, since I can't force you, I guess we'll just work with it." Y/n said and before Maxine could question it, Y/n walked to her and gave her a harsh slap across the face.

"Don't ever disrespect me in my own store again. Had it not been for me, you would be on the streets." Y/n said sternly, watching as Maxine's eyes welled with tears, her hand holding her freshly red cheek. She shuffled to the side as Y/n walked past her, walking to the front of the shop to flip the open sign. Maxine tried her hardest to keep herself under control, before deciding she needed to leave.

"I'm going out." Maxine said, tears brimming her eyes. Y/n only let out a 'hm' fixing the displays. Maxine left the store without another word, before going to the only person she knew would care.

Alastor.

⋆｡ ﾟ☁︎｡ ⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡ ⋆ ⋆｡ ﾟ☁︎｡ ⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡ ⋆ ⋆｡ ﾟ☁︎｡ ⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡ ⋆

"For the last segment of todays wonderful morning, we're ending it off with a classic, the weather. Today you may expect sunny skies with very few clouds. Tonight we have a small chance of rain but don't let that rain make you frown!" Alastor said happily just as he did every morning after his usual cafe run and newspaper scan. He sat comfortably in his booth, mind scanning over things to do for the day.

His usual times to be on air were bright and early in the morning, around noon, and then late at night. In between there, he would simply let music play. So, when he heard a knock to his door, he was very much confused.

"Come in!" He said happily, smoothing his vest over with his hands. He mentally rolled his eyes as Maxine walked through the door, taking her hat off.

"Maxine dear! There's a report for you, are you alright?" He asked, throwing on his usual facade. She nodded, before sitting across from him.

"Oh yes I'm quite fine. I just needed to clear my head." Maxine said, before Alastor nodded. She continued. " I was wondering if you wouldn't mind going out tonight? We could go dancing, or we could walk by the river? We could get a cab to take us or-" Maxine began to ramble, and before it was too late Alastor stopped her. He stood, and grabbed her hand, pulling her up with him.

"Oh Maxine, poor little Maxine." He said, leading her to a mirror on the far corner of his room. He stood her in front of it, while he stood behind it, his hands on her shoulders.

"Yes?" She asked, her eyes searching for something in his through the reflection. She found what she thought was happiness.

"You see, we have been seeing one another for quite some time." Alastor said, leaning down to brush her hair neatly behind her shoulder. " You know I've very much enjoyed our time together. But I feel," He said, the back of his hand ghosting over her cheek, taking notice to how warm her skin felt, how red it was.

"Yes?" Maxine asked, her eyes begging him to continue.

"And well, I'm sure you know how much I hate wasting time."Alastor said, smiling at her. She felt her face heat up, even more so than it already was.

"I do." She said nodding, hoping he'd ask her. Ask to be with her. Her father always told her the longer a man courted you, it meant he was unsure if you were fit to be his wife. There was nothing Maxine wanted more than for Alastor to ask her to marry him.

"Good." He said smiling, his hands resting on her shoulders again, before sliding off. "Then I trust you understand why I can no longer court you." He said, walking away from her. Maxine froze. In that moment, she felt her world crumble. As if every bone in her body had cracked shattered fallen and put itself all back together a million times. She felt her heart sink, and she inhaled sharply, before turning to face him, away from the mirror.

"Excuse me? I-I don't think I quite understand." She said, walking after him. He sighed and dug through his coat pocket for a cigarette.

"Maxine, you are a wonderful girl really-" He started.

"I must not be if you don't desire me any longer." Maxine said, her hands at her sides, clenching her hands in fists.

"Maxine, if you would let me-"

"No! No I will not! You, you-" She started, the tears falling from her eyes. She had came to him because she needed comfort, and instead, only got a broken heart in return.

Alastor sighed, lighting a cigarette and inhaling, watching her stumble over her words.

"I don't understand. Have I done something? I can be better, I promise you." She said, pleading. Alastor removed the cigarette, putting it out on a nearby tray beside him before he got closer to her, brushing the hair out of her face.

" How foolish," Alastor said, his eyes carrying an emotion she couldn't place. " Things between us weren't," He paused, thinking for a moment looking down between the two. " Exciting." He said, with a smile. Maxine felt her heart stop, and it felt as though it had been crushed. She wasn't sure how to feel, and from that point the rest of the conversation had been a mix of her pleas's and Alastor leading her to the door.

"Please, just, give me one more chance I-, I can do better!" She pleaded, her eyes searching his for something, anything she could place. He let out a tsk before sighing.

"All I ask, is that you don't hate me for what I do next." He said with a small smile to her.

"What? I- I could never hate you, why would you-"

'Oh. That was why.' She though, as Alastor had basically slammed the door in her face. He really was done with her.

The walk back to the shop was a hectic one, she'd accidentally burned herself while trying to light a cigarette while walking, accidentally inhaled too much, coughing and dropping said cigarette due to her sniffles. Dealing with a group of angry men outside of the shop, throwing all sorts of names at her simply because she worked there.

"Oh hello dear." Helen said upon seeing Maxine. She gave a sad smile, before walking behind the counter, totaling her items. "Something the matter?" Helen asked, as Maxine bagged her times. Maxine shook her head, with that same smile on her face.

"No. Just one of those days." She said, before Helen gave a sad smile back.

"Take care dear. I mean it." Helen said, before carrying her bag. Maxine watched her leave, and from her place at the counter, could see her talk to someone. As she watched her leave, she saw Alastor standing near her. 'Of course he helps his mother when she leaves here. On today of all days she just had to come by." Maxine thought, rolling her eyes.

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