𝐦𝐚𝐲𝐛𝐞~𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧

Chapter 48: Don't Let Her Win, Maxine!

Max's POV

"Oh my god, Mike! You could've landed better!" I shrieked at him, rubbing my side because he practically landed on top of me.

His eyes were squinted from laughter, "I'm sorry!" I burst out laughing too, except at his cracking voice.

Red locks stuck to my face, getting in my already blurry eyes. I felt his fingers ripping the hair from my wet cheeks, making me wince slightly.

I slapped his hands playfully, "Dammit Mike! Stop hurting me."

The dark haired boy shrugged, "I'm sorry! Just do it yourself little miss picky!"

Giggling, my cheekbones felt sore from all the smiling I did when I was with the party.

Suddenly, I was squeezed around the middle, being lifted up and spun around by strong arms.

"Lucas!" I screeched, letting out a mixture of coughing and snorts.

Setting me down, he turned me towards him (Peter Kavinsky style 😏) and met my eyes with a mischievous grin.

I felt myself go silent when I looked at him. It was very unlike how I felt around Mike. And I wish El knew. With Mike I felt very comfortable. Almost like I was just like one of the guys. But with Lucas, my stomach swirled and I found myself tucking hair behind my ears like a little lovesick bitch.

"Whatcha thinking about?" He said softly, making a shiver go up my spine.

Letting out a breath, I try to hide my blush, "Nothing."

"NO IMPREGNATING IN THE POOL!" Lucas and my head's whipped around to see none other than Dustin, leaning against the side of the pool.

He frowned at the pair of us, "Why're you looking at me?! I don't always make the inappropriate jokes around here!"

I could hear laughter coming from the stairs of the pool. Will was wading into the water again,  snickering next to a red faced Lauren, both of them beaming ear to ear.

"Oh quit it you two," Lucas exclaimed in a fake stern voice, being the literal dad he was.

I smiled, watching Will hide behind Lauren as Mike and Lucas attacked them with splashes of the warm water.

I peeked a short glance at the cute girl, still sitting on the edge of the pool, already quite dry from sunbathing.

She was watching Mike with a tiny smile, but her eyes also seemed sad.

I wasn't sure why that was exactly but curiosity was surging in my belly, making my throat constrict slightly.

Almost turning my head away from her too late, she pivoted her gaze to me.

My eyes shot down to the distorted view of my prune-like toes, nervous to look up again.

I fingered the lace on the edge of the almost plain olive green bikini, making myself look less conspicuous.

Soon enough, I could look up again, being greeted by a grinning Mike with a goofy expression on his face and cowlick in the back of his head.

"Wanna play chicken again?" He asked excitedly, and I was ready to accept the offer.

"Can I have Max this time? I don't think my shoulders can handle Dustin's fat ass again," Lucas shook his head.

I snorted at the slight gasp and hand to his chest that Dustin performed. His impressions were actually hilarious sometimes.

Mike chimed in, trying to smooth down his hair, aware of the craziness that chlorine caused, "How about El on my shoulders and Max on yours?"

I froze in my tracks. There was no way. There was no way in hell that I would chicken fight eleven the telekinesis badass. There was no. Fucking. Way.

Surprisingly, El hopped down into the pool swiftly, obviously getting used to the water by now.

"I'll do it," she stated matter of factly.

Well shit. I'm gonna die.

Hesitating only for a moment, we both climbed onto the chocolate skinned and pale teenagers' shoulders, trying to let them have a little break before we started.

I felt myself move towards the sky as Lucas stood up, clutching my pasty thighs.

El looked shaky as Mike rose out of the chlorine filled water; she steadied herself as the curly haired boy got a hold of her legs as well.

Mike's hair was dripping water, creating tiny ripples in the surface and he might as well have been a wet dog.

I snickered at him, "Yo Sweaterboy, you look like a fucking dog after a bath!"

El had gone tense on top of his shoulders as Mike laughed with me.

I didn't just say that...shit.

The curly haired girl had obviously caught the nickname I had called her crush.

Lucas chimed in, "Okay guys let's play already."

Mike nodded competitively at his opponent as he adjusted his grip on El's chicken legs.

For the first time today, El and I met gazes and I saw something in her eyes that I was all too familiar to me.

Hate.

She was angry. Angry that I "liked" the same boy that she was totally head over heels for.

If only she knew about the butterflies I was getting from Lucas touching the bare skin on my thighs.

Gulping nonchalantly, I tried to steady my breath because I was genuinely terrified of the girl in front of me. She had a look of fury in her eyes that seemed to only be noticeable to me, like my presence alone made her sick.

Lucas and Mike advanced closer to each other, El and I putting our hands out to start the fight. I guess she learned quickly.

She grabbed my hands, pushing me back. El was weak at hand to hand fighting. I didn't want to win in fear that she would be even more angry at me, so I let her push me back slightly.

Dustin screamed towards me, "DON'T LET HER WIN MAXINE!!!"

Mike scrunched his face up, "Cheater."

I sucked in a breath. He didn't know what she would do if I won. What he doesn't know is that girls are at least ten times more competitive than guys.

Rolling my eyes, I decided to fight back. I guess she would be angrier but I did long to win this.

I shoved her in swift movements, her legs slipped slightly from Mike's shoulders, her hands flailing to grab him.

El became steady and looked at me with a look so intense that I wanted to chicken out.

She whispered something so quiet that I barely caught it, but what she said made my stomach churn.

No more.

And with those mouthed words, she pushed me straight off of Lucas, plunging me into the warm water with a sickening crack.