New Boys

5

I heard a door upstairs open and slam. I stared at the wall in front of me while sitting on the sofa, trying to understand every single thought bouncing around my head. "Leah? Max just came upstairs and he wanted me to explain. Are you ok?" I didn't even notice he'd come into the room until he spoke. I tilted my head up to him and quickly wiped my eyes. "Y-Yeah I'm fine. But w-why does Max have a b-black eye?" I tried to configure a sentence, I don't know why I was crying so much, I wasn't usually this broken. I'd only known Max for a day and a half but something felt... right. Something told me he'd be a big part of my life, which made me care about him even more. "Dylan. You know Dylan? Well he is, or he was, one of our best friends from back home. He helped us move and stayed over for a week, he was meant to go home yesterday morning. When we were talking outside he was watching us, well you in particular. As soon as I opened the front door he started saying things about you, things I don't want to repeat, he had no respect, saying he wanted to use you. I didn't think this was right, so I told him to back off. And he punched me. Max heard us arguing and he ran downstairs, asking what was going on. Dylan told him what he thought of you, and Max went ballistic. I can't really remember everything what he said because at this point I was laying on the floor, but I remember Max saying how you were the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen and Dylan needed to respect you, because you were worth everything. Dylan then started punching Max, and it went from there. Our mum said she came in to see me and Max laying on the floor, she's told Dylan's parents about what happened, and she sent him on a bus home straight away. We were protecting you Leah, and I think Max may have a thing for you." Nothing felt real anymore. Max hated me, I knew it. Surely he didn't like me, but he said I was the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen? This was to much for me too process. All these thoughts about Max were at the gate waiting to flood my mind, but I refused to let them in. This wasn't what I needed. I shut the gate and pushed the thoughts away. After cleaning myself up, getting rid of the black mascara marks down my face, we left for school. Max hadn't left his room, and I didn't see him for a week. He would wait until me and Harvey left the house before he would leave for school, and when I started to go round the Mills' house after school he would get home quickly and stay in his room until I left to go home. I don't know what I did wrong, since he stuck up for me and called me beautiful, but I didn't want to get involved with it anymore, no matter how much it caused me pain. I tried to ask Harvey why Max was avoiding me, even down the corridors at school he would turn the other way. Harvey just changed the subject every time, almost as if Max didn't exist anymore. A week had passed since I'd found out about the Dylan situation, and I decided if Max was going to keep avoiding me it was best to stop seeing Harvey for a while, so that Max could live his normal life in his house, without me invading his space. I saw Harvey at school still, although he had friends in his year he sat with me and Olivia in the music room at lunch, and him and Olivia were becoming really close. Olivia knew about everything going on, and she helped me get my head around the situation. We were all sitting in the music room, sat round the piano messing about with songs, enjoying ourselves. "My mum and dad are away this weekend. I was thinking about having a party on Saturday, would you guys be up to it?" Olivia looked at Harvey with the eyes she gave every boy she liked, she definitely wanted him to go. "Yeah sure, it'll be fun!" Harvey was certain of his answer, but me, I was unsure. "I don't know guys, I might just stay at home."
"No, Leah. You're coming. Harvey why don't you ask Max to come? We haven't seen him in a while." He looked to me to see if I wanted Max to come, and I violently shook my head. "Yeah, ok. I'll make sure he comes. I'll tell him there's beer, then he'll come for sure." Harvey and Olivia laughed about it, but I sat looking at the floor, worried about what was going to happen on Saturday. I didn't want to see Max, and he definitely didn't want to see me.