Daisies || Max Mayfield

8: Confusion.

I followed Max all the way to her house, following her instructions to stay outside when she told me to. I had my skates on, sitting on the curb while tapping my foot repeatedly on the ground, the wheels making a nice clicking sound. 

She was gone for a few minutes before my mind started wondering. 

I spent the time she was gone re-thinking everything that happened that day. Mike, Lucas, Dustin, Max, and Will had all immediately happily dealt with me. Probably a dumb, edgy teenager who thinks she's cool because she can roller skate. Of course. 

Max buddies up right away. She must be insane. I didn't do anything to make her like me. She sat in the backseat on the ride home from the airport. Maybe she really just didn't like me and was putting on a show only to stab me in the back later. There was no way she could've just gotten along with me.

Same with all of the guys. They were only being nice because I'm Steve's sister. He probably forced them to hang out with me, saying I had no friends.

She waved to someone near me in the hall today. I waved back but immediately regretted it. Then I looked around, for whoever she was waving to. There was no one.  I don't know what happened, but I do know I fucked up.

Max's screen door was thrown open, and she came running out with her skateboard, and her backpack, but I doubted it still had her books in it.

She smiled as I stood up. "We can go to Lucas's." She waved a blocky walkie-talkie in one hand, the red light on it flickering. "If that's okay with you."

I shrugged. "How far is it?"

"Oh, it's only a few blocks over." She muttered, slipping the block into her hoodie pocket. "That okay?"

"Yeah," I replied, adjusting my backpack straps. Max set off running on her board, dropping it and jumping on as I sprinted to keep up.

I don't know why she was doing it all for me. She didn't have to, so why?

She rounded the street corner, kicking again. I drifted around a pothole, taking a few more steps and crossing over to follow her.

We continued that routine for a few more minutes, eventually stopping at a two-story house on a long dirt driveway.

Max glanced at the roller skates on my feet, kicking up her board and grabbing it. 

"Uhh." She looked at my face.

"I can go on the grass," I suggested.

"Okay." She nodded. 

I stepped over the curb as it dropped for his driveway, skating across the sidewalk and stepping onto the grass. Max walked next to me.

I followed her slightly as we made out way to her front door. 

To get up the stairs on his porch, I held Max's hand and stood on the toe-stops to climb the stairs, then rolled up to the front door.

Lucas opened it just before I ran into it, smiling. "Hi Max. Hi Daisy."

"Hi," Max replied, holding a hand for me in case I needed it.

"Hi," I said.

"Oh, yeah you can take those off on the bench." Lucas supplied, pointing to my skates. "And I have to introduce you to my mom before you go anywhere."

"Okay." I held onto the side of the house and Max's hand, rolling to the bench and plopping down.

"So, you guys are just here to hang out?" The door slammed shut as he let it go, leaning against a post.

"Yeah," Max replied.

I didn't know what to say, I'd known them both for a day. Instead, I worked on unlacing my skates and pulling out my shoes from inside my backpack, the high-top fabric slightly crumpled from my bag.

"Are you just here for free food?" He asked.

"No. Just can't go to my house." Max shrugged.

I pulled my right skate off, setting it next to me. I put on my right shoe.

"Then go to hers," Lucas muttered.

I heard a whisper and glanced up. Max was shaking her head.

I pulled off my left skate, grabbing my other shoe.

"Sorry this is taking so long." I interrupted.

"It's fine," Lucas replied. He groaned as a school bus pulled up at the end of his driveway. "This won't be, though." He rolled his eyes.

"Eh." Max shrugged.

A girl in a hot pink sweater crossed around the front of the bus, walking up the driveway. She had very bright colors, almost an eyesore for the dull environment around us.

"Oh?" I asked, pulling my shoe on. I tied my skate laces to my backpack, picking it up and throwing it over my shoulder as I stood up. I stood just a bit above Lucas, definitely a couple of inches more than Max.

She glanced up. "Ready?"

"Yeah."

"Who are you?" The girl stepped onto the porch, grabbing the door. She had a slight accent, though I couldn't place where it was from.

"I'm Daisy." I supplied.

"Erica." She replied, walking inside.

"Sorry about her." Lucas muttered. "That's my little sister."

"Oh." I nodded, stepping closer to Max.

"Can we go in?" She asked.

"Yeah, come on." Lucas opened the door, holding it for the two of us. Max stepped inside first, and I followed close behind. She kicked off her shoes at the door, so I copied, leaving my converse next to her vans. Lucas followed us, allowing the door to slam shut behind him.

"Lucas? That you?" I assumed it was his mother asking from another room.

"Yeah!" He replied.

"Hi Mrs. Sinclair!" Max said, stepping across the wood floor and into the kitchen, where she was chopping carrots on an island in the middle of the room.

"Max!" She smiled, looking up. "Nice to see you. And you are?" She waved in my direction with the knife she was using.

"Daisy." I smiled.

"Oh, how nice to meet you." She replied. She set the knife down, walking around the counter to shake my hand.

"You too." I shook her hand back, butting it back in my pocket when I was done. 

"How did you two meet?" She asked, going back to her cutting board. 

"Uh," I glanced at Lucas.

"She's Steve's little sister." He explained.

"Oh! I didn't know he had a sister." She exclaimed.

"I just moved back to town." I added.

"Oh, well, let me know when someone's home, and I'll bring over some food for you kids. I'm sure your mom would appreciate it." She brought the cutting board the stove, swiping the carrots in boiling water.

"Oh, okay." I nodded. "Thank you."

"No problem!" She replied. "I'm glad Lucas finally made a new friend!"

"Thanks mom, we're leaving now." Lucas exclaimed, leaving Max and me in the kitchen.

"Alright, well I hope to see you around a little more." The woman said as I followed Max out of the kitchen.