curious | abbymax

bad idea!

Max and Abby were having a typical sleepover at Max's house the day that it happened. It was late at night, they had just finished a movie marathon of movies starring their respective celebrity crushes. The pair were lying down on Max's bed side by side, when Abby asked a question that would go on to change everything.

"Max, how did you know you were gay?" Abby asked out of the blue. Max looked over at her, surprised at the random nature of the question, but Abby wouldn't meet her eyes.

"Well, it wasn't like I woke up one day and just knew. It was like I always knew, but I was very young so I wasn't aware of the concept of gay people, so when I learned about it from a friend at school, it all clicked." Max tried her best to answer her but it seemed that wasn't quite the answer Abby was looking for as her brows were furrowed and she looked even more confused.

"Why are you asking anyway?" Max knocked her shoulder into Abby's lightly.

"No reason, I was just curious." Abby answered unconvincingly, still avoiding meeting Max's gaze. Max raised an eyebrow at her, suspicious.

"Are you questioning your sexuality?" Max asked gently, as if talking to a wild animal, she didn't want to risk scaring her away.

"What? No. You know I'm not like that." Abby responded defensively.

"Okay, okay, I got it." Max still wasn't convinced.

"But, hypothetically, if I was, how would I know for sure?"

"Well, I guess you would have to kiss a girl. Hypothetically."

Abby groaned and threw her head back onto one of Max's pillows. "Well, what if, hypothetically, there are like, no girls for me to kiss? I mean, who would even want to kiss me, anyway?" Abby said self-deprecatingly.

"Hey, don't say that. Tons of people would want to kiss you. At least I would. You're a very kissable creature."

"Creature is crazy," Abby chuckled. "Thank you, but still, finding someone to experiment with in Wellsbury seems next to impossible. Hypothetically." Abby sighed.

"Okay, can we stop acting like this is hypothetical? You're clearly having a sexuality crisis and I want to help."

"There's no way you could possibly help me. I'm doomed." Abby proclaimed.

Suddenly, an idea sparked in Max's brain. A crazy one, but an idea nonetheless.

"What if there was a way I could help you?" At this, Abby did look at her.

"What are you thinking up there in that crazy little brain of yours, Maxine Baker?"

"Maybe there is someone you could experiment with. Me." Abby's mouth opened and Max quickly clarified. "Just one kiss, just to see."

Now Max was the one avoiding eye contact, nervous. Max's words hung in the air so tangible she felt like she could reach out and pull them back inside of her.

Abby remained silent for a beat longer than normal and Max started to get scared, and just as she opened up her mouth to take back her words, Abby spoke.

"Okay."

"Okay?"

"Yeah, why not? What's the harm in just one kiss?" Abby said, voice wavering.

"Are you sure? We don't have to if you don't want to-"

"I'm sure."

Max looked at her and saw pure determination in Abby's eyes. "So, how are we gonna do this?" Abby's confidence faltered.

Max sat up and turned to face Abby, manhandling her friend and putting her in the same position. "We have to get in place first."

Max ignored the blush spreading on Abby's cheeks, convincing herself it was just her LED lights, and scooched forward. They were mere inches apart now.

"Now, we kiss." Max stated confidently.

"Just like that?" Abby asked, uncertain. Max nodded enthusiastically, placing her hands on Abby's waist. She could hear her friend's sharp intake of breath.

Abby leaned in a tad, their foreheads now nearly touching. "I'm scared." Abby muttered.

"Don't be." Max breathed into her mouth. In one fell swoop, they were kissing. And it was unlike anything Max had ever felt before. She got the tingles as their lips brushed together. Abby's lips were a little chapped, but kissing them still felt like crashing onto comforting pillows at the end of a long day. Max needed more, she suddenly decided, so she deepened the kiss impossibly. Max traced Abby's lower lip with her tongue, begging for entrance. Abby quickly opened her mouth in acceptance, allowing Max inside of her. They were now one. The thoughts of their classmates, Press's stupid comments, the irreparable consequences this kiss would have on their friendship, none of that mattered. It was just the two of them. Max had never felt more in the moment.

Suddenly, someone's turning Max's doorknob and pushing her door open. Max swears she had never jumped apart from someone so quickly.

"Girls, are you still awake?" Ellen says lightly. Max and Abby are currently three feet apart, paralyzed.

"Yeah, Mom?" Max manages to squeak out.

"I just got off the phone with your mother, Abby. She's picking you up at nine. Okay?"

"Okay." Abby whispers in a low voice.

"I'm gonna head to bed now. Goodnight, girls!" Ellen walks away, leaving the door open by a crack. Typical.

They sat in awkward silence for a few minutes until the footsteps dissipated and the coast became clear to speak.

"Abby, I-"

"So I'm gonna-"

They spoke at the same time. Laughing nervously, Abby was the first to say something. "I think I'm gonna shower then go to sleep. I'm pretty beat." Abby examined the bedsheets carefully as she spoke.

"Okay. Have fun!" Max's voice cracked. Abby nodded, then got out of bed. The red headed girl looked through Max's drawers to borrow some of her clothes with ease, knowing exactly where everything belonged having been there so many times throughout her life.

Max's heart ached. Why did she have to go and mess everything up, just like that? And who tells someone to have fun in the shower, anyway? What a mess.