I'll keep you safe

Chapter 116

At Steph's house, Maxine was putting some flowers into a vase. There was a curry cooking on the stove, and music was playing in the living room. Janeece was dancing and humming around the kitchen. Maxine giggled.

Janeece grabbed a spoon, tasting the curry sauce. To her surprise, it tasted great!

"Check you out, 'Nigella what-ser-face!'" she chuckled

Maxine laughed

"This is the least I can do. I was so mean to Steph earlier" she sighed

"I think hearing that you've binned Earl will do the trick, Max" Janeece replied

Maxine smiled.

"You know what the best thing is? After him, anyone else you go out with from now on will seem like Prince Charming!" Janeece joked

"No way! I am DONE with boys! They are nothing but aggro! I'm going to become a nun!" Maxine huffed, carrying the vase of flowers toward the living room

"Yeah, right!" Janeece scoffed

"I'm dead serious!" Maxine insisted

"What about... Gary Entwhistle?" Janeece called from the kitchen

Maxine wrinkled her nose in disgust.

"You're joking? The nose on him! It'd be like snogging an elephant!"

Janeece laughed, following Maxine through the hallway.

"Steven McDermott?" she suggested

Maxine scoffed

"No way! He went out with Tanya Evans, he'd need disinfecting!" she joked, arranging the flowers in the vase

"Pete Williamson?"

"Oh, alright, if you're twisting my arm!" Maxine giggled

Janeece suddenly fell silent in the hallway. Maxine watched as her best friend walked into the living room backwards. The colour had drained from her face and her eyes were staring at something Maxine couldn't see. Janeece looked like she'd seen a ghost. Maxine smirked, thinking Janeece was having a laugh.

"What?" she laughed, frowning at Janeece's odd behaviour

The smile quickly died from her face when she saw what Janeece had been staring at, or who, actually. Her blood ran cold as her eyes locked with Earl's.

"Maxine" he breathed

She stood up abruptly, backing away from the coffee table. The way he was acting frightened her. He was unnaturally calm, his cold, black eyes devoid of emotion. She stared at him, her heart hammering against her chest.

"You need to listen to me" he told her

"Nothing you say is going to make any difference, Earl" she replied firmly, backing further away

"Besides, you can't come in here, telling her what to do. She dumped you, deal with it!" Janeece piped up

Earl turned to Janeece, his demeanour eerily calm.

"Get out" he whispered

Janeece scoffed.

"Who do you think you are?" she growled

Earl reached into the waistband of his trousers, pulling out a gun. Maxine stared at it, glued to the spot.

Janeece saw it too, her eyes darting to Maxine.

"I said, get out" Earl repeated

Janeece refused to move, her concern for her best friend only increasing. She was terrified. But she wasn't leaving Maxine. Not now.