Opening Day

Chapter 11: The Line

Max drummed his fingers on the steering wheel, his eyes darting to look at Jonesy from the very peripherals of his vision. He was attempting to read the expression on her face, searching for any kind of sign that she might know that something might be off. The guilt of what had happened between him and her sister had finally begun to sink its teeth into his mind. He knew he fucked up, he tried to tell himself that it was nothing but an accident, but he knew the truth. It was no use trying to lie to himself when the swirling, floating, euphoria and dread he felt in the bubbling stew of his stomach told him all he needed to know about how he truly felt about Gina Jones.

Jonesy held her gaze firmly out the window of the van, smoking a cigarette tightly between her lips, and tapping the ash out into the wind. She could feel Max's eyes on her. Did he know? She blew smoke out the window and sucked on her upper lip. How could he know? That's crazy, right? Can he hear my thoughts?? No, she chuckled internally, no no, pull yourself together, Jones. She looked at Max, who was, indeed, staring at her, his eyebrows scrunched with concern. She smiled at him like a distant cousin at a mandatory family function. Max waved politely.

They both turned from each other, unnerved.

Max pulled into the Dreamland Theatre parking lot, "Oh thank god."

"What's that?"

"I mean, like, oh thank god...we're finally here! At the theater!" Max laughed and gestured emphatically.

"I know, right? It feels like it's taken an absolute eternity for us to finally get to this fuckin' movie, right?" Jonesy returned his laughter wearily.

Max hopped out of the van, stuffing his keys into his jacket pocket and taking a deep sigh. Jonesy followed suit, closing the door behind her, she took a moment to look at the stars that had washed over the night sky. They both still wore a tender, pink, domino mask on their faces from the pepper spray, but they had managed to clean themselves up just enough not to look concerning to the public.

Jonesy and Max were at a bit of a loss about what to do. Keeping secrets from each other was a foreign concept to them. They were always honest, always rushing to tell the other any new development in their lives. And when it came to girls? Any potential for sex and romance? These were headline news, top stories! Any other daily minutiae was relegated to absolute irrelevancy. Jonesy and Max's hearts broke silently and longingly, unable to find the words that wouldn't wound the other with their betrayal. They both walked briskly, noticeably silent, to the front of the theater. Neither knew how to pretend that everything was normal.

"Hey Max..." Jonesy found a scrap of courage and tried to come clean as they rounded the corner.

"Yeah, J-" Max began to reply before his eyes fell upon what he had been fearing all day, stopping him dead in his tracks.

The line for the latest Chain-Slaughter was even bigger than he had anticipated. Their adventure at Snap-Mart had delayed them just long enough for the line to grow healthy and fat.

Max stumbled, lightheaded from the interminable blows to the soul he had been enduring all opening day from the cold, cruel universe. He fell to his knees, striking the pavement with a rueful fist.

"Damn you," He choked through gritted teeth, "Damn you all to HELL!" Max bellowed into the night sky.

Some of the people in the line turned to see what the commotion was all about, Jonesy flipped them off.

"Fuck off!"

Some scowled, others turned their attention back, away from the scene. Jonesy hooked her arm under Max's and helped bring him to his unsteady feet.