The new girl - Elmax

Chapter 22 : The crushes

Will was with Jane and Max, in direction of the field for athletism. He was definitely not missing sport and hoped to not do a group sport. Last time with Troy was embarrassing enough, he didn't want to live that again.

The friends separated, as usual, to go to their respective changing rooms. While they were changing, Max couldn't help but watch Jane changing her tee-shirt. She quickly looked away when she felt the heat growing in her cheeks and didn't want the others to notice. Maybe it was just attraction, nothing more, not love. She looked at the other girls. She found them pretty and quite interesting, but she wasn't feeling the butterflies in her stomach or her face burning like with Jane. She turned again to her friend and noticed she was really quiet and seemed concerned.

- "Hey, is everything okay?" Max softly asked.

- "Yeah, yeah, I'll be better next week," Jane answered, looking at her tee-shirt she was putting.

- "If you need to talk, I'm here."

- "I'm fine, I'm fine, just...complicated things, that's all."

- "You're sure you're okay? You're a bit pale," Max stated, caressing her cheek.

Jane slowly looked at Max, feeling her heart racing and her breathing accelerating. The two girls stared a moment without moving or talking. Like if there were no one around. Alone.

Max understood what she was feeling but didn't know what to do or to tell. Maybe Jane wasn't interesting in her, but she had this feeling inside her telling her the contrary. She could see it in her eyes.

- "Let's go girls!" their teacher yelled from outside.

The two girls started and quickly broke the eyes contact. They finished to get ready and went directly on the field, joining Will.

Today, it was the one hundred meters. Max and Jane were sitting on the floor, watching the others doing their races.

- "Your lace is untied," Max told.

- "Oh, thanks," Jane answered, leaning to her shoe.

- "Is it bad?"

- "What?" Jane asked with a shaking voice.

- "What stresses you."

- "Oh...um, it's...personal..."

- "Yeah, okay, sorry, I didn't want to be intrusive...I'm just worried, I guess."

- "Don't, it's not the first time. It's hard...emotionnally, that's all."

- "I'm sorry..." the redhead apologized.

- "Don't be, you can't do anything and me neither," Jane reassured.

- "Are you sick or something like that?"

- "No, no, I'm okay," Jane soflty smiled.

They stopped talking because it was Will's turn on the race. Max was glad it didn't become weird between them, she didn't want to lose her.

Jane was wondering what happened while they were changing. When Max touched her, she couldn't hide her excitment, and maybe Max saw it and understood she was lesbian. She hoped she wouldn't tell anyone, she didn't need to live that again.

The race ended and Will arrived at the last position, out of breath. Troy crouched next to Jane, under the killing eyes of Max.

- "You know what's Will's problem?" Troy began.

- "Be careful of what you're going to say," Max threatened.

- "He ran on his heels instead of his soles of his feet."

- "Why don't you tell him?" Jane asked.

- "You know why...he would think I would mock him."

- "I wonder why!" Max sarcastically said.

Jane had a small chuckle and gave a small tap to Max to tell her to calm down.

- "Yeah, I'm sorry about that..." Troy told, looking down.

- "Don't apologize to us but to him and the others," the redhead snapped.

- "Well, I know a girl who has a pair of boobs and a pair of balls."

- "Oh fuck, you heard about it?" Jane chuckled.

- "Everybody had! It's awesome! Like when you spat (points at Max) on him, it was awesome too!"

- "Why are you nice with me!?" Max frowned, on the defensive.

- "I, I, I, I don't know...I should go, I don't want to scare Will."

Troy stood and walked away with a smile for Jane. Max didn't like how she was looking at him, there was too much...love, she wanted her to look at her instead of him.

- "Do you suck his dick to make him feel better!?" Max replied with a sharp tone.

- "Max! It's gross! He was trying to be nice and you rejected him like a garbage!"

- "But he is a garbage, it's too late to be nice now!"

- "It's never too late to change! I don't ask you to be friend with him bu—"

- "I hope not! He is a cunt," Max angrily cut.

- "He is changing," Jane stated with an irritated tone.

- "I don't care! See, be friend with him if you want, but I won't be nice just because he has a crush on you and is nice just for you."

- "I...he...no, he doesn't have a crush on me!"

- "Then, you are the blindest person ever! I'm glad he is changing, but when you tell him you're not interested, do you think he will still be nice with me!?"

Jane found nothing to answer. First, because she didn't know why Max was yelling at her, and second, because she thought she was clear with Troy. Maybe she was right, Troy was nice just to flirt with her, but, he had no chance with her, even if he didn't know. Maybe she should stop everything while it was time. Or maybe Max was paranoïd, and Troy didn't have a crush on her.

At the end of the class, Jane didn't change. She joined Mike who proposed her to walk with her to the store.

- "Who is your celebrity crush?" the boy asked.

- "Lady Di," Jane answered without hesitation.

- "Oh, nice one!"

- "You?"

- "Michelle Pfeiffer."

- "Hmm, Scarface, good choice."

The two friends kept walking in silence. Jane was still disturbed by Max's behavior earlier, and couldn't think it was because she understood she was lesbian and that she didn't like it. Like, she was homophobic and was totally against it.

- "Hey, you're okay?" Mike frowned with a concerned tone.

- "What? Oh, yeah, yeah, sorry...Do you...do you think Max and the others, would have a problem with me?" Jane asked with a small voice.

- "A problem with you? About what?"

- "Come on Mike, try to follow a bit."

- "Oh ! About...this. Um, I don't think so, why?"

- "Dunno, just wondering," Jane told, fidgeting.

- "Hey, someone told you something?" Mike asked.

- "No, no, Max was angry in sport, I thought it was because of it..."

- "Don't worry. Max can have a bad temper, but she is probably one of the most tolerant persons I know," the young boy reassured.

- "Yeah...if you say so..."