You + Me = a Perfect Match

chapter 3-Max

After Rae woke up April took my popcorn and we ate dinner together before we were allowed to go swimming. April asked if Rae and I liked chicken strips but I've never had them before. Mom makes me chicken sometimes and I like it, but I usually have to make my own dinner and I don't know how to make a lot. I tried to make Rae and I chicken once but I didn't cook it all the way and it made us really sick. When our plates came I cut my chicken open and smiled when I saw that it was cooked all the way through when I looked up April was looking at me with confused eyes so I just smiled at her and said "It's cooked!"

"Yeah baby it is." She said smiling at me as I took a big bite. "Were you afraid that it wasn't going to be?"

"One time when we were 10 I tried to make chicken but it wasn't cooked all the way through." I said with a shrug "Rae and I got really sick we got sal-salna-uumm"

"Salmanal." She said with big eyes "Yeah that one! Mom said it would go away on it's own but it didn't, Rae's mom took us to the doctor to get some medicine and then we got better. Mrs.Carter said she would teach me how, but I never made chicken again."

"Do you make yourself dinner often?" April asked

"Almost every night." I said.

My head snapped up as I heard Becca say "Rae look at me please."

I quickly stood up and waked next to Rae throwing my arm around her shoulder. I don't know what happened but Rae looked scared and refused to look at Becca so I knew something must be wrong. "She didn't mean to make you mad." I said quickly. "She's sorry, aren't you Rae. I promise she won't do it again. Please don't hurt her" My voice started to shake as I looked between April and Becca. I realized that I hadn't been this scared in awhile. Sure Mr. Carter was scary as all get up but at this point he was predictable. I had no idea what to expect from mad April or Becca. I couldn't believe that I had let Rae get in such a sticky position!

"Max" April said all of a sudden kneeling in front of me "Nobody is in trouble and nobody is going to get hurt. I'm so proud of you for standing up for Rae all of these years but you don't have to do that anymore." She said pulling me into a hug.

I melted into her arms before I looked over at Rae who was talking to Becca "You're not mad?" I asked as April shook her head no with a smile and I heard Rae ask Becca to use her phone. "Oops I should probably call my mom too." I said causing April to laugh as she handed me her phone.I took a deep breath before I dialed my mom's number and put the phone to my ear.

"Hello" My mom said sweetly into my ears.

"Hey Mom it's me." I said quietly kind of hoping she wouldn't hear me.

"Maxwell" I heard her say in anger. "It's about time you called. Where the hell have you been"

"Yeah sorry mom" I said with a sigh "My bracelet got turned on, and I found my caregiver, and when they unclasped mine it made me slee-"

"YOU FOUND WHAT?!" She screamed into the phone causing me to pull it away from my ear with a gasp.

"M-m-my caretaker." I said "Her names April, she's real-"

"I don't care what her name is Maxwell!" She yelled "You know what I don't care at all."

"What do mean Mom?" I asked in confusion.

" you should just thank your lucky stars I'm technically not your Mamma anymore, but I sure do feel sorry for that new lady." She grumbled before she hung up the phone. I looked at it before I handed it back to April with a small smile.

When I sat back at the small table Rae asked me how mad my mom was and I looked over at her with a sigh. Rae knows all about my mom and how she treats me. One of the things that I love about Rae is that she doesn't compare our parental situations, she lets me be mad and upset that my mom doesn't care about me without me feeling bad for having it better than she does. The funny thing is that disagrees with me because of her mom. Rae has the best mom, I love Mrs. Carter and she tells me all the time that she loves me too.