love me {bwwm}

C H A P T E R 9

After Ebony had left the house, Max realised how much he messed up with Ebony, she was the one person he actually felt something real with.

"I'm going to my room" Max said while walking away, not facing any of them, he walked past the hallway where he punched the hole in the wall. He couldn't stop thinking about how he almost him her.

What's wrong with me, why can't I control myself? He thought to himself.

Opening the door to the theatre room to get his phone he stared at the pillow fort that he made for Ebony, they didn't even get to use it, next thing he knew, he was throwing the pillows around the room and started ripping them apart, destroying the room and everything in it.

Feeling no better after ruining the room, he stalked to his bedroom and laid on the bed, he couldn't sleep after what had happened. He didn't do anything wrong but why did he feel like it was all his fault.

If I had just been honest with her maybe none of this would happen he thought.

He was just protecting his family, she was a total stranger he couldn't just tell her that he was in the mafia, that's not just casual small talk. He had to convince himself that he wasn't in the wrong, for his own sake.

But none of this would've ever happened if he didn't talk to her and try to be her friend, none of this would've ever happened if she never said yes to coming round to his house.

None of this would've happening if I never met her, if he wasn't so infatuated with her.

It's not my fault.

Days passed since he had seen or heard from Ebony, but he didn't care any way, she's not his problem anymore.

I don't care about her, I try to convince myself of that every day.

Even though Max was purposely avoiding Ebony in class, she hadn't been in school since that day, he hoped that she wasn't sick but reminded himself that he shouldn't care about her in anyway.

The school is no different other than the fact that Ebony wasn't there, because of that Max's grades had been dropping, for the life of him, he just could not focus on anything but her, nor had he had a good nights sleep since then, he couldn't blame anyone other than her.

Months had passed and December had come, still no Ebony.

Max had done well to keep his head down, he didnt want to get into it with anyone so he just stayed with Alex and Enzo, they don't ask any questions or try to talk to him, they knew not to say anything anymore after he cussed them both out after offering him some food. All Max had been doing was fucking whoever was there, smoking weed and drinking. But it wasn't his fault.

It was the last day of school before the Christmas holiday but he had a free period. He wasn't going to go into school but they called his parents and told them that if his grades kept slipping he'd have to come in every day to be supervised while doing his work; but all he was doing was scrolling through his phone.

"So Max, what do you say we ditch and go to my house" Max heard a nasally voice from behind him say, feeling hands on his shoulders he decided to turn around in his chair.

He quickly recognised her as the girl he had been hooking up with from time to time. Ellie Cabban, she was, in the words of the jocks, a hoe but a good lay, Max had slept with her the first weeks that he hadn't seen Ebony, he wasn't her first choice but she was the first one to show that she was available and desperate for anything. However, after finding out that she had been slept with most of the football players at the same time as him, he stopped, safety was his main priority and he was not about to get an STD, since then, he had stopped entertaining her.

He turned back around and went back to scrolling.

"Hey! I'm talking to you!" She said while grabbing his arm in an attempt to turn him around, that was also another reason as to why he stopped talking to her, she was clingy, and not in the good way.

"Get off" he lowly enough for her to hear him but not to make a scene.

"Why? Are you upset that your little black buddy ain't here, you sure didn't have a problem with me when we were fucking" she said while pulling his arm.

She was trying to get a rise out of him and it was definitely working.

He stood to his full height and turned to her, "Get. Out. Of. My. Face. She's everything you aren't, she's better than you by so much, so go away and fuck some football player and leave me alone you STD infested rat" Max hadn't even given her all that he wanted but nevertheless she still looked shocked.

Well someone had to tell her the truth he thought to himself.

After realising what he said she slapped him. It hardly hurt him but it would definitely leave a mark.

"You have no idea who you're dealing with, so if you ever touch me again, you'll find yourself six feet under, got it" he said while looking directly into her eyes, after seeing every ounce of fear in her eyes made him feel powerful, an evil glint appeared in his eyes along with a devilish smile, he stayed for a moment longer and then walked away.

It was then that he realised everyone was staring at him, he quickly made his way to his car but bumped into Miss Blue as soon as he got out of the cafeteria.

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to I wasn't thinking or looking" he said while picking up her papers from the floor.

"It's alright Max, so umm have you been to see Ebony" he looked at her in confusion after he finished picking up the remaining papers.

"What do you mean been to see her" he asked while handler her, her papers.

"Oh well I just assumed that you would have gone to see her seeing as you guys looked pretty chummy, especially on the first few that you arrived at Oak Grove, or am I mistaken?" she questioned.

He looked at her questioningly, he didn't get what she was trying to get across at all.

"Miss Blue is it okay for me to talk to you about some... stuff, I haven't really got anyone else that I can really talk to..." she looked at him and then guided him into her classroom, "so what seems to be the problem?" She said while pulling up a chair and sitting on it backwards.

He told her everything that had happened since he moved from Ohio, making sure not to mention all the mafia stuff, she was a cool teacher but he didn't want to have to kill her, instead of saying anything about the mafia he made up some fake reason as to why he had to move and that he hadn't told Ebony why, and that was the reason for her getting mad.

"Well that's a lot Max, when did you say that Ebony left your house, if you don't mind me asking?" She questioned, he tried to remember, but it hurt him to think back to that day, "probably the 24th of September or the 25th", her face paled and she looked to the floor.

"Miss are you okay? What's wrong?" He asked.

He got up and got some water from her desk, placing it next to her and fanning her with a thick wad of paper, she finally regained a bit of colour and started to speak,
"The 25th... on the 26th Blake was found just a few minutes from your house I think, they said that a couple hiking in the morning found her, apparently she had been there in her car for 11 hours" she finished.

Suddenly he dropped to the floor, it felt like someone had ripped the life out of him, how didn't he know that, why hadn't anyone been talking about it, why wasn't it on the news, he should have known.

This is all my fault.