Missing You | Harvey Mills

20. the mills

I hold the box of cookies nervously in my hands. My heart is beating slightly faster than usual.

Josh and Harvey were suspended for the rest of the week and Max just about got by with a detention after school for a whole week.
Speaking of Max, he's been avoiding me since the fight two days ago. When we do bump into each other, he's awkward and doesn't meet my eyes.
It seems like everyone has a problem with me these days.

I ring the bell to their house and wait. A few seconds later I hear barking and scratching at the door and a tired Mrs Mills opens it.

"Annie how nice to see you!" She says, before pushing Pippa their dog to the side as she jumps up and down.
"Hi Pippa!" I smile at her and she barks back. "These are for you and your family". I hold out the homemade box of cookies.
"Oh, you didn't have to but thank you so much," she looks grateful as she takes the box. "Why don't you come in we haven't had you over in ages"
"Oh no you don't-"
"No, please, come in! And tell your mum that I said thank you"
"Oh, um, I will"

She pushes me in and I have no choice but to go with her.
"Max! Annie's here to see you!" She shouts up the stairs.
There's some rumbling upstairs.

I decide to go into the living room and sit on the sofa. Pippa jumps up next to me and lays her head on my lap. I ruffle her fur and say, "I've missed you Pippa". She licks my hand.

Suddenly there's stomping on the stairs and Max appears by the door, wearing a black hoodie and Adidas joggers, his hair wet as if he's just taken a shower.
He looks apprehensively between Pippa and I and scratches his neck.
"Hi?"
"Hi. Um, your mum let me in," I reply.
"Do you wanna..." He points upstairs.
"Yeah, sure"
I gently push Pippa off my lap and go upstairs to his bedroom.

"Where's Harvey?" I ask as we enter the room.
"Friend's house"
"Oh, okay"

Nothing in their room had changed much since I last came, though it does look messier.
Max kicks some clothes on the floor off to the side as he sits down on his black swivel chair. I sit on the lower bunk bed and watch him spin.
"So," I say, breaking the awkward silence.
"Soooo," Max says, continuing to spin in his chair.

I notice some picture frames on top of his bedside table and pick one up.
I smile, it was my 7th birthday party. Max and I had gotten hold of some whipped cream and I used my fingers to paint some on his face after he had done so for me. I'm laughing as I smear his face while he closes his eyes and smiles.

"Remember this?" I ask and hold up the picture.
Max abruptly stops spinning and almost stumbles out as he leans in a little.
"Your 7th birthday party," he says and smiles.
He leans back into the chair and I put the picture back.
There's a short silence.
"Why were Josh and Harvey fighting?" I ask.
"That's... not for me to say"
"Was it about me?" I ask again.
"Nooo..." Max responds, looking away.
"Max, you look away when you lie"
"What? No I don't"
His eyes flickers away for half a second and then back.
"You just did now. Now tell me"
"I'm not supposed to say"
"If it's about me then I want to know"
"Fine. But you never heard this from me, okay?"
"Okay"
"Josh saw you and Harvey at the park and was being a dick and asked loads of questions about you and Harvey. Harvey wouldn't respond so he kept pressing on and then Harvey got annoyed and threw the first punch and they started fighting"
"Oh"
"Things had been pretty fragile between them before anyways. I think Harvey had finally had enough"
"I mean, I never really liked Josh anyways"
"Yeah, bit of an idiot"
We give each other small smiles.
"Is that why you were avoiding me?"
"Um". He looks surprised. "I don't..."
"It was quite obvious Max"
"Was it? I didn't mean to, I just didn't want you to find out"
"It's fine I get it"
Max opens his mouth but is cut off by the sound of the front door slamming shut.

"Mum I'm home!" Harvey yells as he stomps up the stairs, two at a time.
I don't know what to do but stay seated on the bed. He opens the door and freezes.

"Uh, hi?" He raises his eyebrows, flickering his eyes between Max and I.
"My mum made some cookies. I just came to drop them off"
"Oh"
"I should probably get going"
"Right"
I get up and make my way to the door. He moves to one side but doesn't make eye contact.

His right eye is red underneath and there's a cut on his bottom lip which seems to have swollen up slightly.
I look at him but he refuses to make eye contact.
I move my hand up to his face but he flinches away, finally looking into my eyes.
"Sorry," I mutter under my breath.
I pull my hand back quickly and walk out.
There's some murmuring in their room but I don't look back as I rush down the stairs.

"Thanks Mrs Mills for having me but I have to go!"
"Okay Annie come back anytime!"

Even as I arrive home my heart is still racing, as if I've just run a marathon, though I've only walked across the street and down a few doors.
My mind flashes back to Harvey, and the way he looked at me when he finally did.
My heart shatters; it was the look of pain, the pain that I had caused.

the way i wrote all this at my grown age of 15 is crazy. rate my writing 😜

C