TANGLED PLANS

67

There is a lot of noise coming from downstairs when I hang up my phone call from the girls. They were talking about homecoming, and Maria was complaining about how everyone had a date except for her. Kielly and I had told her that she could come with us as friends, but she is still debating whether she will come or not. She says that she doesn't want to come and be surrounded by couples, but I told her that we would be good company anyway.

We had hung up on the phone, settling on the idea that Maria would come no matter what her personal opinion was on it. It would be nice to go to my first homecoming with the girls, anyhow. I could imagine talking to them the whole night until Max would come over to steal me away to dance to a few songs.

I couldn't wait for the dance, it seemed. I was so excited for this one because I was going to go with the person I wanted to. I feel bad for everything that went down last time. The last time I went with Justin, even though Max and I had almost kissed a week prior, it wasn't our fault, and Justin definitely couldn't be offended by it considering he had used me.

My life was a mess back then, it seemed. I wasn't even aware of half of what was happening beside me. I shake my head as I walk off my bed to turn off the music that was coming from my laptop. The girls and I had been listening to some throwback songs as we chatted.

The noise—which seemed to be the voices of people shouting over each other—comes from downstairs, which is even clearer now. I grab my phone and open the door to my room. Maybe Max was downstairs; I had wanted to say hi to him before he left. When I get to the living room, I find it empty of anyone, and the noise is coming from even further into the house.

I walk away from the living room and toward the next room to find a group of teenagers standing around the counter. She seemed to be having debates of some sort, as they all shouted over each other. My eyes pass over all the other backs of figures until I get to a familiar one. Not to brag, but I had memorized how Max had looked from the back, and it also helped that I had him sort of memorized with my hands.

I laugh at the definite bragging voice in my head and shake it off as my eyes catch onto the figure beside him. While Max was standing by the counter, the girl beside him was closer than she needed to be. I'm not saying that just because I was growing envious; I'm only saying that because there is enough space beside her on the other side. That meant that she had moved over to Max.

"Oh, that's a good idea," the female voice draws out, and then her body turns to the side as she looks up at Max. I recognize the girl, and then the voice pulls it all together. It was Ashlyn, and Max was letting her touch him.

With what I hope isn't jealousy in my step, I move closer to the table, and once I get to Max, I squeeze into the space beside him and the other guy. The other guy, one who looked sweet with brown locks on his head, makes space for me. I move my head toward Max's arm, and with my sudden touch, Max turns to me with his eyes widening.

"Daisy," Max whispers to me, and with all the people still shouting things beside him, I can't hear him too well. "Max," I say back to him, and he gives me a smile in return. I look past Max and toward the girl, who still has her arm on him. I was feeling jealous; I knew what the sudden warmth in my face meant, but there was nothing I would say to her. Let alone confront her.

So I look away from her and toward the counter, which had a few pieces of paper on it as well as the cake that I had baked a few days prior. I was supposed to take it to Max's house for dessert to impress his dad, but I had forgotten to do so. The cake was almost fully gone; there was just one more piece left. I frown at the sight of it.

Max notices my frown and says, "You can take it."

I lick my lips as I look away from it. There was definitely a warm feeling in my chest. I didn't like feeling like this; it made me feel possessive. When I had come downstairs, I had imagined that Max was down here with Brayden, and so I would sit by him while he played video games. I hadn't thought that I would come downstairs to see my cat fully gone and a girl who couldn't take her hands off of Max.