Inertia

Chapter 11

I turned the ignition off and slumped forwards, hitting my head on the steering wheel in the process. It was Wednesday morning, and I was ten minutes early for school... which was quite a feat for me. Usually, I was running extremely late.

After I'd been dropped off yesterday, I found a note on the table from my mom, saying that she and John had gone off to California on a business trip. So, I was all on my own for the rest of the day. Mark had dropped off some homework for me, asking me if something was wrong. I shook my head, and just told him I wasn't feeling well. Max called a couple times, but I didn't want to talk to him. I just stayed in bed and studied all day, and when I was done, started reading The Three Musketeers again.

I sighed, and stumbled out of my car to make my way into the school. Of course, I'd forgotten my umbrella, so I had to run all the way to the school entrance in the rain.  I used my body to open the front door to the school, pushed my hair into a different part, and shook it out.

"Fancy..."

I looked up suddenly. In front of me stood... Ugh, you know who stood.

"Fancy... what?"

"Fancy hair thing."

The look on my face must've been pretty funny, because Noah burst out laughing. It died quickly, however, when he saw the disapproving look on my face. "What? What's wrong?"

I sighed. "Noah, I--"

"Maya!" A strange, wild force came up behind me and swept me into an enormous bear hug. "Blargh!" I blurted out in a strangled voice.

Once I'd been put down, I turned to face a beaming Maxwell McKay. "How come you didn't call me back?" Max asked eagerly. He didn't look offended, just seemed concerned. I answered tentatively, "I was a bit hung up on some stuff. Just needed to be home yesterday."

A crease appeared in the middle of Max's brows. "What kinda stuff? You're okay, right?"

"Max, of course, I'm fine," I laughed. I swatted his hand off my arm in a playful manner, but really, I was a bit uncomfortable with him touching me. 

He didn't seem to get the hint. He slung his arm around me instead. "So, you wanna do something on Friday, or what?"

I didn't even have time to answer before Noah did for me: "Ah, no, Max, you have that thing on Friday."

Max's brow furrowed. "No, I don't. What thing?"

"That thing."

"Dude, Noah, what thing?"

"You know, that thing... in the place..." Noah said awkwardly, reaching for the back of his neck. Was he stalling for me? Max stared at him for a bit before replying, "Nah, I'm not doing anything Friday."

Over us, the bell rang, loudly, signalling that we were officially late to class. Noah whipped out a pink pad of passes, and scribbled out one to each of us, even though we were headed to the same place. He handed Max one, and me the other. I took it anyway, because it was too late now.

"Thanks, man," Max said, steering me away from Noah. Max babbled on about something or the other on the way to class, and any other day I would've gladly listened, but the feeling of his arm around me was just too suffocating. I had to step away to get a drink, and continue to maintain distance between us just so he wouldn't touch me again. I looked down at the pass in my hands, and noticed something scribbled across the lines.

Meet me during lunch in my classroom? I sighed, folded up the note, and stuck it in my back pocket. I'd decide later whether or not I would go to see him.