A/N Beware the continuity error! I'll fix it later!
Enjoy the chapter!
I manage to have no appearances by either Nathan or Eliza for 2 weeks. Maxx’s friendship and mine bloomed over those 2 weeks and I now talk to him on the bus. In those 2 weeks, we’ve also seen no sign of Addison, though I can sense she’s okay. Dazed, slightly injured, and scared, but okay.
I’m sitting in my room hoping to finish my homework when Maxx calls. Addison and I aren’t aloud to have a phone in our bedroom, so I know Maxx calls when my dad walks up the stairs, phone in hand, and mouths ‘boy’.
I roll my eyes at him and put the phone to my mouth. “Hello?”
“Miss Abbigail,” he says. It’s become his catchphrase of sorts. Whenever he sees me he calls me ‘miss Abbigail’ since he knows I hate being called Abbigail, but, being Maxx, he does it anyway. “How’s the search for your sister been?”
That sentence stops me cold. I’ve never told him that Addison was missing. I told him she was sick at home. “What… What do you mean?”
“Addison. Your sister who’s missing?”
“She’s not missing, Maxx.”
“That’s not what I’ve heard. That Renee of yours isn’t a good secret keeper. Better work on that Abbs.”
“She told you that Addison was missing.” It’s more of an observation, than an accusation. I’ve always known Renee to be a horrible secret keeper but I thought this time it was different. “Yeah,” he says. Then to get off this topic he starts, “So, wanna ditch that homework?”
“I didn’t tell you I was doing homework.” I tell him. “Look out your window.” He tells me. I stand up slowly, and move the blue curtains away from the window. Sure enough, Maxx is standing directly below me, waving. “I see you,” he says. I hang up the phone and yell down, “What are you doing here?”
“Figured you needed a break.” He hollers back. I shut the curtains behind me, grab my jacket and phone, and run down the stairs. I just barely miss my mom, who’s standing in front of the staircase. “Where are you going in such a rush?” she asks me, steadying me so I don’t topple over. “I’m going to Renee’s house,” I’ve been getting better at lying in those past 2 weeks too. Actual convincing lies.
She watches me walk out the door. Before I get far outside though, I hear Nathan’s voice in my head.
You’re rebounding fast, Abbi.
“What are you talking about?” I say aloud, stupidly. I’m pretty sure Maxx is in hearing range.
I don’t trust him.
Again, what are you talking about?
And just like that, he’s gone.
I shake that off and walk around the house to Maxx. “I was worried there for a second.” He says when I’m standing next to him. “Worried about what?” I ask, tightening my jacket around me. “Worried that you weren’t gonna come down.”
“Well I’m here. Does that surprise you?”
“Not at all, Abbigail.” I roll my eyes and him and ask, “So, why did you summon me down here?”
“We’re going on a date.”
“A... A date? Maxx I know I told you that my boyfriend just died. I’m not ready yet.”
“We can pretend it’s a not-date? Just two friends going to get something to eat?” Something about the way he says that makes me think he wants to be more than friends. But I’m not ready for that yet. “A date that’s not a date.” I tell him. “Totally.”
“So where are we going, Mr. Dean?” I ask him, linking elbows. “A place.” He says vaguely. “What a good description!” I say, feigning amazement. “Thank you, thank you. Hold the applause.” he says, bowing. I laugh at him and then let him lead me to his car.
I learned he had a car last week. I asked him why he didn’t just use it, instead of riding the bus. He told me he doesn’t like using his car.
Maxx has a black Chevy Impala. “I still feel like I’m in Supernatural.” I tell him as I sit in the passenger seat. “Has that ever been a bad thing?” he asks me, turning the car on. “As long as I don’t get attacked by a demon or anything,” I say, as I buckle my seatbelt. He stares at me as if I joked about, I don’t know, his hair or something, which, by the way, he is very sensitive about. I learned that the hard way. I dismiss this almost immediately, thinking I’m reading too far into his emotions, which I tend to do with almost everyone. Slightly shaking my head I assume my anti-social stance and stare out the window.
A half hour later, we arrive at a place that surprises me. I try to hold myself together as Maxx opens my door into Nathan and my favorite restaurant, which just so happened to be the place that housed our last date, when he was still alive.
We have a pretty awkward not-date, as Maxx insists on calling it. He decided to try and 20 questions it up again, which didn’t work too well, considering I was bent on not answering any of his questions. “So,” he starts, “You told me you have a sister, correct?” he asks. I nod, considering my mouth is full of carrot cake, which he insisted on making me order. “So why haven’t we seen this mystical sister of yours?”
I knew he would ask me this eventually and for that reason, I had thought up an excuse. I swallow and say, “She’s visiting our grandparents for a few months.” It seems to convince him, at least a little, because he doesn’t ask me about Addison for the rest of the night. Instead, he asks me countless questions about Nathan, which I shoot down with questions of my own. If a stranger would be observing us, they’d probably think we were on a blind date, not two friends who had known each other for two weeks.
“When is she coming-“ he starts to ask me, but is interrupted by a news anchor. A picture of my sister appears on the screen and Maxx does a double take. “Fifteen year old Addison Martin is still missing after 2 weeks with no leads as to what has happened to her. If any one has any information on her disappearance you are urged to call us here, at this number,” she says, as a phone number flashes on the screen. Maxx looks at me, the confusion very clear on his face. “I thought you said she was with your grandparents.” he says, his blue eyes boring into my grey-green ones. “She’s not,” I whisper, hopefully loud enough for him to hear.
I’m pretty surprised he hasn’t seen any of the countless news coverages of her disappearance. “She’s been missing for two weeks and you’ve decided to let a news anchor tell me? Nice to know I’m trusted that much.” he says, standing up and walking out the door, leaving me staring at my clammy hands in my lap.
