You Have 86,400 Seconds To Find Me

4:00am (54,000 Seconds Remaining)

   "Recognize anything yet, Maxwell?" Kelly asked, for the fifteenth time this past hour. We had been walking down what I had assumed to be the main road since we left the car. Nothing we walked by seemed to ring a bell. It was all just random roads and lots of trees. I had no idea where we were. And contrary to the look of serenity on my face, I was worried. I didn't want Kelly to freak out though, so I kept my brave face on. I didn't want her to know I thought we were only getting ourselves more lost than we had been when we started. 

   "Not yet. But, the field can't be much farther. I know we're headed in the right direction. It's just taking longer because we're on foot."

   Kelly sighed and looked to her left, staring across the deserted road. "I feel like at any moment some guy in a white mask carrying a butcher's knife is going to jump out from the shadows," she said, looking back over at me. "You know, like in a horror movie? I feel like I'm an extra in Friday the 13th. Except my name is Jamie Lee Curtis and I'm going to die."

   "Oh, stop," I said, because I had to admit, the atmosphere around here was a little eerie. My house sat right off of a main road, so I always had a little bit of background noise at night. I was used to it. I guess you could say I too was a little creeped out by this seemingly never-ending silence.

   "Hey, you never know," Kelly mumbled, spinning around and walking backwards for a few strides. "I'm just saying, Max. Every now and then, I would glance behind us. Just in case we're being followed."

   "Seriously, Kell, stop it. You're creeping me out."

   "What? Don't like horror movies?" Kelly, taunted with a wicked grin creeping across her face.

   "No, actually, I don't. I prefer a good comedy or action movie."

   "Just like Macy," Kelly said aggitatedly, turning around and walking straight again. 

   "What? Is that a bad thing?" I asked.

   "Nope, just highly predictable."

   "Why are you so annoyed about it then? If it's high predictable then you should have assumed we would have the same taste in movies. And besides, what's it to you?"

   Kelly looked over at me for a moment, her jaw set in a hard line. Then she shook her head and looked away, not bothering to respond. 

   "Okay then," I said, turning towards the empty street ahead of me. If she didn't want to talk, then neither did I. "If you would rather not talk, that's fine. But just know that it is going to make this little walk of ours a hell of a lot quieter if you don't." 

   Macy had always hated horror movies. When we were in the fourth grade, I would always try and talk Macy into letting us watch Friday the 13th during sleepovers. I remember telling her that she didn't even have to watch it. We could pig out on popcorn and ice cream, talk about boys and give each other pedicures while it was on so really, it would only be there for background noise. But still, she had always said no. Hearing Maxwell tell me now that he didn't like horror movies only further confirmed how annoyingly perfect he was for Macy. 

   I really wish it didn't bother me so much.

   I wish that I could stand here, happy that Macy found a guy who compliments her every quirk so perfectly. I wish it didn't make my insides rumble and quake because it seemed like I had been looking for a guy like that just as long as Macy had but I still hadn't found him. Of course, Macy had. It all came so easy for her. 

   I had been wrestling with these feelings, these emotions, since I first saw Maxwell sitting at table 16 earlier tonight. It figures, I had thought. He's sitting in the exact same booth Macy always sits in. Why didn't that surprise me? Ever since Macy's first suicide attempt, I had tried my best to keep an eye on her. I noticed when she didn't show up at school, or when she didn't come in to iHop for breakfast on Sunday mornings. I worried about her when she looked upset during English and when she seemed sad during our bus ride home. Just because Macy and I didn't talk anymore, doesn't mean I stopped being her friend. I always cared, I never stopped trying to make ammends for having left her behind that night.

   I missed her. She had always been the only person who could know exactly what I was about to say before I had even said it. She knew all my favorite songs and she knew exactly what to say to make me feel better after a bad day. Macy was the sister I never had and seeing her replace me with Maxwell all these years had been really hard for me. It made it even harder now, knowing that he truly did love her and was perfect for her in every way. 

   I wanted someone like that. I wanted someone who would go through all this trouble to find me in the middle of the night. Someone to tell me they loved me and win me stuffed teddy bears from the county fair. I wanted the kind of love Max and Macy had, even if Macy didn't quite know it yet.  

   I didn't know how I was going to make it through the rest of the night in my current state. I was severely lacking caffine and I had no idea what to say to Maxwell anymore. It seemed every single thing that came out of my mouth was a rude comment directed at him and Macy. I didn't mean for it to come out that way but it did. And I didn't know how to stop it.

   I sighed in frustration.

   "A sigh qualifies as talking," Maxwell said, as we trudged on, taking the medophoric midnight train to nowhere. What I wouldn't have given to have my iPod with me right now. I needed my Journey fix.

   "Since when?" I asked. 

   "Since now."

   I knew he was trying to get me to talk about whatever it was that was bothering me. Even worse than that, I knew he would understand. That was even more annoying. The only thing stopping me from feeling better was myself. 

   "Look," Maxwell said, as he took a deep breath. "I know Macy is important to you. If she wasn't, you wouldn't be here right now. But just because Macy is important to you, doesn't mean you can't be mad at her."

   "Why would I be mad at her?"

   "Because she replaced you with me." Maxwell said, looked over at me with a tender smile. "I know that must have sucked. I don't know what I would do if Macy found some other guy and left me behind in the dust."

   "But she would never do that," I said, the uncontrollable aggitation and annoyance once again rising up in my voice. 

   "Why are you saying it like that?" Maxwell asked, geniunely confused.

   "Because you're perfect and it makes me sick!" I yelled, as I threw my hands up in the air dramatically, glancing over to find Max staring at me with a very quizzical expression on his face. 

   "Because I'm perfect?" He asked. 

   "Ugh, yes! You're perfect for Macy, right down to a T. You are everything she has every wanted for a boyfriend and then some. It makes me sick because I want that. And of course, to make it worse, you are perfect for me! You are everything I ever wanted for myself. I'm over here acting like a physco and yet you are still trying to help me through it and make me feel better even though I don't deserve it! So PLEASE Maxwell, just stop being so goddamn wonderful and this night will be much easier on me." 

   "Whoa," Maxwell said with a laugh as he began to smile. "Where have you been storing all that?"

   "I have no idea," I answered, my voice a little sore from yelling. 

   "You feel a lot better though, don't you?" 

   "Yeah," I said, looking over at Maxwell and smiling in spite of myself. "Yeah, I think I do."

   "You will find someone who is exactly what you're looking for, Kelly, I do believe that. And you will fix your friendship with Macy. I'll help you, I promise."

   "Thanks, Maxwell," I said, reaching over and punching him gently in the arm. 

   "Speaking of, what is all this Maxwell talk? Most people just call me Max."

   "No, Maxwell, your friends call you Max." I said, matter of factly.

   "Well guess what, Kells. You just crossed over into friend territory."

   "Oh really?" I said, laughing. "And how exactly did I manage to do that?"

   "You said I was goddamn wonderful," Maxwell, sorry. Max said with a smile. 

    "Oh, brother." I said. "Could your head get any bigger?"