It All Started With A Ride

42. FaceTime & Planning

"Okay, I'm going to hang up now" Max informed me with a smile.

"No, I'm going to hang up" I replied.

"No you're not," she said with a small, sleepy chuckle.

I shook my head, and with the widest smile I've ever had on my face, I said, "You always say that and never do!"

Believe it or not, this had become a nightly routine for Max and me- since the last time I visited her at night ended up with my car keys getting a curfew of nine o'clock.

So, through the magic of FaceTime, whenever U would desperately miss Maxine Parker, I'd call her- and the two of us would stay on the phone for what felt like five minutes, but was actually five hours.

I didn't mind this- neither did Max. But you know who did? Madison- who would let out loud groans whenever Max and I got to the "I'm going to hang up" phase of the call.

Spoiler alert: we never actually hang up we just end up falling asleep on the phone.

With Max, even the most silence-filled conversations, felt like they mattered- sometimes, we'd just do our own things and it felt as if we were with each other (even when in reality, my parents had become super clingy over the last few weeks of November, and wanted me home more than they wanted me gone).

Since Malaya was super whiney about her lack of Elizabeth Harland- aka Lizzy, my parents sort of let her off the hook- but not me.

I had to be home by eight forty, we had to have family dinner now, and my parents were thinking about getting a dog. Things had certainly changed over this year.

I can definitely say that. Most nights I would sit in my bed and think about how at the beginning of the year, Malaya wanted a stray dog she found behind the convenience store, and my parents swore they'd never get a dog- now they wanted to adopt some puppy M.D's colleague's dog had.

At the beginning of this year, Malaya and I were sure our parents were getting a divorce- now, their arguments had slowly become less and less until they were practically none existent.

Did my parents still have cute couple's banter? Yes. But they never actually argued anymore (not that Malaya and I knew about).

"Ugh, we get it, you like each other!" Madison groaned from somewhere in Max and her's bedroom. Malaya, who was passing my bedroom with a popsicle- girl, it's almost winter- stopped in the doorway and laughed, "For real, they never shut up, I can hear it from my room!"

"Hey, don't gang up on us!" Max chuckled.

"Oh Tabitha, I'll never hang up on you" Madison mimicked Max in a squeaky voice, causing Max's face to flush red and a crimson blush to cross my cheeks- since well, Max was cute when she blushed.

Malaya laughed, "Oh Max, I can't live without seeing your face!" She mimicked me, it was my turn to blush hard.

The two began to laugh while Max and I looked like tomatoes, "I don't sound like that!" I defended myself.

"You sure?!" Madison popped her head into the screen.

"As the more attractive Thomson daughter, I disagree" Malaya smiled proudly. I raised my brows, "you're more attractive?"

"I don't know, Malaya- TabithaMs pretty cute-" Max said teasingly, the blush on my cheeks couldn't become more apparent than it was at that very moment.

"Your opinion's biased!" Madison protested.

"Exactly!"

"Glad to know you two are friends" Max rolled her eyes and I laughed, "Maddy- Max, help I burned noddles again...!" Henry's voice yelled from somewhere in Max's apartment.