Break For You - Max Mayfield

Chapter Two - Did I Zone Out Again?

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It had felt like hours had gone by, since they have been calling random numbers to try and find Eddie.

"You're sure, you don't know where Eddie is?" Lake groaned, into the phone outside sounding frustrated. He had been doing this for hours, and he just so happened to be standing right underneath the burning sun.

"No, I'm sorry, I haven't spoken to Eddie since the last campaign." The voice from the other end answered. Lake nodded his head like they could see him.

Lake took a deep breath and sighed again. "Okay then, you have a nice day." He smiled while speaking but he was not happy. At all.

Lake slams down the phone softly back on its ringer, before taking a low deep breath. He heard the bell ring on the door as someone exited the store. Max looked over at Lake, who was leaning up against a wall next to the phone booth.

"Any luck?" Max asked softly, admiring his figure. Lake met Max's eyes taken aback, before standing up straight, nervously.

Lake shook his head. "Nope." Max looked away from him. "You?" He said putting his hands in his pocket. Max looked back up at him shaking her head suppressing a smile. Lake noticed this, wow it really had been a long time since they spoke.

The Mayfield girl turned back around to walk back inside before Lake stopped her.

"Wait!" Lake cringed at himself for being so surprisingly, loud. Max stopped dead in her tracks and turned back to face him. "Can we... At least... Talk?" Lake muttered out softly.

Max just stared at him not answering, like she was debating if she wanted to talk or not. "Please." Lake was desperate, he just wanted to speak with her. Be with her. Kiss her. Have her in his arms again. He hated when they would fight.

Max shrugged telling him to continue.

"Look, I know we haven't spoken in like, what?" Lake stuttered nervous. "Five months?"

"Four." Max corrected shifting in place, uncomfortably. Lake nodded. Shit. He was already messing this up.

"Right... I just..." Lake was trying to find the right words, even though he had been practicing ever since they had broken up.

Before Lake could finish talking Dustin walks outside. "Hey, guys. We got a lead." Lake cursed to himself, as Max pushed pass Dustin walking back inside without a word.

Lake groaned to himself as he exhaled deeply. "Did I... Ruin something?" Dustin asked finally reading the room.

Lake dragged his hands down his face and shook his head. "It's okay, I would have just fucked that up too." Lake walked over to Dustin patting his shoulder, before walking inside.

"What's the lead?" Dustin followed behind Lake as they both entered the store. Lake not daring to look in Max's direction, he was ashamed.

Ashamed of himself for fucking them up in the first place. For letting his emotions get the best of him. For letting Lucas be there for her when he should've been.

He was mostly ashamed of being himself. His complicated, selfish, easily angered, sensitive self. He has never hated himself as much as he did right now.

He just wished Max knew. If she knew he was sorry, truly sorry. Deep down he had never forgiven himself. He spent hours, days, weeks, months blaming himself and pushing others away. It ran through his head day after day, after day. There wasn't a doubt that this messed him up mentally and emotionally.