Bambi Eyes

Chapter 3

I didn't want to leave, but I knew I had to get home. It was 11:30. My mom hadn’t texted me or rang me, in hysterical tears, terrified by my absence, but it was probably only a matter of time.

"I should go," I said.

He looked over at me. "Where do you live?"

"294 Oakwood Grove,"  

He nodded his head and turned left.

"Tell me about yourself, Charlotte,"

I hesitated.

"Anything. Everything. It doesn't matter,” he said. “Just say it, and I'll listen,"

For some reason, I trusted him more than anyone else I'd ever met in my entire life. Two words - "I'll listen" - was all it took to get me talking.

"I've lived here my whole life - in the same town, in the same house. My dad left when I was just a kid. I don't really remember him. I don't know him anymore. I've never met him. It's just me and my mom now - and her boyfriend. She has a boyfriend - Dave - but things aren't looking so good for them anymore. They fight. I had... I had a brother," I stopped, feeling a catch in my throat. He noticed. He watched me, instead of the road. "He was fine, everything was fine, and then he got really sick really quickly," I explained. "He was four years older than me. He was like my bestfriend. He passed away a few months ago."

Max didn't say a word. No sorries. No apologies. No pitiful words. He just listened.

"I'm seventeen." I said. "I go to Southlake. I'm in my last year. I wanted to go to college to study art but... I don't know if I want that anymore. Since Aaron passed, everything's been a little weird." I said. "This is weird," I mumbled under my breath.

He looked over at me again. His hair had fallen over his eyes.

"Are you okay?"

And for the first time in my life, I answered that question truthfully.

"I - I don't know," I said.

And then the car stopped.

"294 Oakwood Grove," Max announced.

He said nothing else, just waited for me to leave. I unstrapped my seatbelt and rested my hand on the doorhandle.

"Um, bye," I said.

He turned to face me.

"Charlotte," his hand reached out to rest over mine. He moved closer to me. His hand left mine and rested on my thigh, carefully sliding upwards. We were dangerously close. There was nowhere to look but at him. He kissed me - just once - a tentative, yet strong kiss - one hand now holding my waist, pulling me towards him. The kiss deepened, and I found myself lost in the brief moment of intoxication - lost, until he broke it off.

"Goodnight," Max said. "I'll pick you up from school tomorrow,"

I nodded my head like this was normal. "Okay," I whispered.

Again, I reached for the doorhandle. Again, he stopped me.

"Charlotte-"

I turned back around. He was holding out my bag towards me. I'd nearly left it there.

"Thanks," I took it from him, then stepped out of the small, black vehicle. "Bye,"

He waved me off with a limp flick of his hand. I walked up to my house. He waited until I'd gotten inside and closed the door before driving off. The house was dark and silent - everyone else was in bed. Not waiting up, worried sick for me, like I had once imagined. Sleeping peacefully, without a worry in the world.

I was fast asleep, too, within seconds.

-

The following morning, I wasn’t sure if what had happened last night had been a dream or not. The memories of Max, of his car, of Lucas, of whiskey, of kissing in the cramped passenger seat all came rushing back to me so quickly, I was sure it had all happened in my mind.  

I got ready for school quickly, but making a little bit more effort today. He said he was going to pick me up after school, after all.

I felt it again – the fearful excitement. What was he doing to me? Everything about him drew me nearer to him. I felt so safe with him. So secure. I didn’t want to wait the whole day to see him. But I didn’t have a choice. I didn’t have his number, I didn’t his address…. All I had was his name. Max.

I walked to school, thinking about him all the way there. I had Biology first thing that morning. I sat down in my usual seat at the back of the room and resumed thinking about him. My thinking was interrupted by Graham.

Newly-returned-from-Russia Graham. Graham-who-stood-me-up Graham.

“Hey Char,” he grinned, sitting down in front of me. “Sorry about last night – I really wanted to go – I just had other plans-“

“It’s fine,” I interrupted. “Don’t worry about it.”

“Cool. So how about tonight, then? We should see that new movie with Orson van Houten in it – it’s supposed to be fucking sick! What do you say?”

I shook my head. “I can’t.”

“Oh. Why not?”

“Something came up. But feel free to wait outside the theater for thirty minutes in the freezing cold for me, if you like,” I replied coldly.

He stared at me for a few seconds, clearly shocked by my outburst. In all honesty, so was I.

“You know, I heard you’d turned into a bitch, but I decided to give you the benefit of the doubt. So much for that. Forget tonight,” he stood up and walked to the other side of the room, sitting as far away as possible from me. I didn’t care. I didn’t want anything to do with him.

School passed painfully slowly as I yearned for the day to end. I could just picture Max standing in the school parking lot, leaning against his shitty old car, cigarette in hand, a dark smolder in his eyes. I wondered where he’d take me. Back to see Lucas? Lucas was friendly. He seemed to have taken up a habit of calling me Bambi. I didn’t quite understand the comparison, but I didn’t really mind. Lucas was a little cheeky, but I think he meant well.

Once school ended, I went out to the parking lot. Just as I’d imagined, he was there, standing by his car. Dark hair pushed off his face. He wasn’t smoking. He was just waiting. He saw me, and didn’t change his expression at all. No smiles or waves. Just a waiting stare.

I walked across the parking lot towards him. Once I reached him, he stepped forward, and his hand slinked around my waist.

“Hey,” he said, pulling me near him.

“Hi,” I said.

He smiled at me, kissed me softly, then opened the car door for me. I got in.

He climbed into his seat.

“You look beautiful, Charlotte,” he said, starting the engine.

“Thank you,”

He zoomed out of the school parking lot and down the street.

“Where to?” I asked.

“My place. Are you hungry?”

I shrugged. “Sort of,”

He smiled. “I’ll take that as a yes,”