(I might do songs every once in a while. I had forgotten this song existed until I had already posted the last chapter but it's giving major Max vibes)
-This chapter takes place in Season 3 Episode 4: The Sauna Test-
-Max's POV-
I hold up two comic books. "Which one?" I ask El. "I don't know", she answers as she snuggles up next to me. She looks like she was just walking down the streets of a haunted town or something. "Hey", I say. "There's nothing to worry about anymore okay?". El looks away for a split second before resuming eye contact with me.
"It doesn't make sense".
"What doesn't make sense?".
"Heather. The blood. The ice".
"Heather had a fever, so she took a cold bath, but she's all better now. That has to be it. I don't know where the blood came from, but we saw her. We both saw her. She's totally fine".
"What about Billy?".
I scrunch up my brow. "What about him?".
"He seemed wrong"
"Wrong is kind of like his default", I scoff. "But it's nice to know he's not a murderer. Because that would have totally sucked".
El chuckles and points to the Wonder Woman comic. "Who is that?", she asks me. I look at her like shes crazy. "See this is why you can't hang out with just Mike all of the time". I lean back into the headboard and El rests her head on my shoulder, making my heart explode. "This is Wonder Woman", I say. "AKA Princess Diana. She's from Paradise Island which is like this hidden island where there are only woman amazon warriors". I wonder if she can hear the excitement in my voice. How I'd love to go to Paradise Island. I used to have the biggest crush on Wonder Woman when I was a kid, of course I didn't realize it because I was so far deep in the closet that I wasn't completely out with myself. And society doesn't help. My mind flashes to yesterday's paper. Two women, beaten and killed for kissing in public. Not even a month ago, a gay man beat up and hospitalized, then denied treatment after the doctors figured out he was gay, then he ended up dying later that day. It sucks how the person you love could be the reason you die.
-A few hours Later-
I stare out my window from my bed. I can hear El breathing behind me. I think she's asleep but I can't tell. I turn to face her and she's wide awake. "Oh. I thought you were sleeping", I whisper. El shrugs. She has a concerned look on her face and I can tell something's bothering her. "What?", I say. The brunette looks me in the eyes for a long silent moment. "Why did we stop being friends?", she asks me. Oh. This. It's not that I purposely avoided this conversation, but even the idea of lying to El makes my skin crawl and my stomach twist. But if I told her the truth then would she still even want to be my friend?
"I don't know". I shrug my shoulders. "I guess you started dating Mike again and I guess I was jealous of him". "Jealous?", El whispers. "I know his family has a lot of money and he has a big house and his parents are together, and he has two parents he sees everyday. Even I get jealous of him sometimes but what does that have to do with us?". "No-", I say. "Forget it. Okay?". I start to turn back around but El grabs my shoulder. "Maxie", she says. I would killed her if she was anyone else. Maxie sounds like a ridiculous nickname. Unless it comes from her. Then I want to hear it a thousand more times. I flip over back to her. El wouldn't judge me I don't think. I mean she's El. Maybe her being locked in a lab her whole life will have the benefit of her not being like everyone else.
"I like you El", I say.
"Max I like you too".
"You do?".
أنت تقرأ
The Way She Makes Me Feel-Elmax [UNDER EDITING]
أدب الهواة⚠️TW: This story contains sensitive content around internalized homophobia, sexual assault, and rape. If you're trigger by these topics then please don't read this story⚠️ Max has a somewhat nice life in California, that is she did. Until her parent...