𝐦𝐚𝐲𝐛𝐞~𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧

Chapter 49: Oh What An Ass

Get your mugs ready ☕️☕️☕️
And also Lumax ☺️

Max's POV

I felt my head hit the cement bottom of the inground pool, a small echo of the collision ringing in my ears.

For a moment I couldn't see and I think I might've blacked out, forgetting that I was underwater, until two strong arms reached in and pulled me out of the liquid.

"Max! Are you okay?!" Lucas looked so worried in front of me, as he clutched onto my freckled arms.

I didn't want him to be stressed out about me so I ignored the ache in my skull and nodded slowly, "Yea, I just bumped my head."

I knew he didn't believe me but he let it go, aware that I wouldn't admit to being hurt.

I turned slightly to see Mike fussing over El.

His precious Eleven. Oh what an ass.

He was acting like El had gotten hurt when I was the one she flung backwards into the damn pool.

Mike didn't even see if I was okay. A strong pang of sadness ate at my stomach and brain, along with a rush of dizziness, which made tears well up in my eyes.

I longed to be able to talk to Mike without his crazy girlfriend trying to hurt me. And I was positive that that was her intention.

Suddenly, I felt the dark skinned boy gripping my wrists again, "Max. Are you sure you're okay?"

"Fine," I stated quietly, trying to leave the area as soon as possible.

Pushing past the group, still surprised at how vacant the pool is in the middle of a hot day, I finally reached the bathrooms.

Almost not making it in time for the first tear to fall in private, I scooted to the last stall and let them cascade down my flushed cheeks.

Sobbing silently, I let my tears mix together with the chlorine filled water that clung to my skin.

It's me or her. It's never going to be both. El with never accept me. And Mike...he'll choose her. It's always been her.

And with that rush of thoughts, the weeping became harder as I gasped for breath like a child with low blood sugar.

I tried and tried to calm the crying but it was no use. Resting my head on the wall, I jumped back, feeling a rush of pain on my scalp.

I placed my fingers on the bump that was forming from my fall, my hand came away red.

Blood.

I didn't mind blood. It had never bothered me. But the pounding in my sore head and the reason why I was bleeding alone made my stomach churn.

I barely was able to drag myself to the stained toilet before heaving out the pancakes that I had eaten just a few hours ago.

Not even being able to let the dizziness pass, I threw up again, flushing the toilet immediately as to keep the remaining acid in my stomach.

Wiping my mouth, I stood shakily, knowing I'd need to clean the cut on my head before it got worse.

Leaning slightly on the wall, I ripped out a few napkins from the dispenser and dampened then with a drip from the rusty sink.

Turning to look in the mirror above the basin, I noticed how bad I looked.

There were dark rings under my eyes that were definitely not there 15 minutes ago. My face was blotchy and tear stained, puffy eyes peered back at me under damp lashes.

I was a mess. All because of a friend I couldn't have.

Puffing out a loud breath, I allowed myself to collapse against the wall.

Lucas's POV

I looked around, still waiting for Max to appear at the exit of the women's restroom.

"Hey Lucas, where's Max? Did she leave or something?" Mike asked, obviously just noticing her absence since he was occupied with splashing El and Dustin.

I nodded, "Yea she's been gone for like 15 minutes."

Mike's face flushed and he looked nervous, "Do you think she's okay?"

Not wanting to tell Mike what I suspected was wrong, I shrugged and tried to crack a joke, "She's Madmax! Is she ever not okay?"

The dark haired boy cracked a smile, "True."

Apparently I was convincing, "She's probably in the bathroom or getting food or something. I'm gonna go find her. Be right back."

Mike shook his head in agreement, "Okay," and with that, he turned back to El who was in deep conversation with Lauren.

Max, where are you?

I hoisted myself out of the shallow end, running my dark hands over my short hair.

I made sure I was discreet in entering the women's bathroom, not hearing a sound from inside.

Peeking my head around the corner, I could see Max bent down over the sink, the water running.

She was cupping her hands and transferring water into her open mouth.

"Max?"

The red haired girl didn't even flinch, she glanced over her left shoulder and stared back at me.

I turned my head towards the door again to check if anyone else was here.

"It's just me," Max said softly, tilting her head at me.

Taking multiple steps towards her, I grabbed both of her hands in mine, "What happened?"

She was gazing at our fingers intertwined when she looked up into my eyes, "I think you already know the answer to that."

I let out a short breath, "Did El...?"

Max dropped my hands and nodded, "Yea."

To be honest, it didn't surprise me. When el felt challenged, she lashed out because she believed that it was the only way to fix things. Especially when Mike was challenged, I of all knew that her powers had consequences.

With a calm expression, I responded, "Did she hurt you badly?"

She looked sad for a moment and sheepishly motioned to the trashcan.

Glancing over, I saw a pile of bloody paper towels stuffed down into the bin.

"Oh Max," I moved closer to her, ready hold her.

She put her hands out and stopped me, "I just puked so I don't think you wanna get that close to me," she had teasing in her face.

Rolling my eyes, "I don't really care," I wrapped my strong arms around her frail body, adding, "I know you want to hug me shirtless."

The ginger snorted, returning the hug, "Shut up, Stalker."

As we stood there, I could feel her gripping my shoulder like she was drawing strength from my warm body.

Oh El, what have you done?