it could be worse ~ lumax

sprints and skateboards

Max has only been a sophomore in high school for a month and a half, and she is already over it. School is filled with pretentious assholes. That is the main reason why Max only has a few friends. She likes to keep her circle small and close.

Eleanor, or El, as everyone calls her, has been Max's best friend since the 3rd grade. A few others have been in and out of their friend group, but Max and El always stuck with one another in the end. The only other person who has stuck with them is El's boyfriend of 2 years, Michael. While he prefers people calling him Mike, Max annoys him by calling him by his official name. The two constantly bicker, acting like siblings, annoying El to another extent. However, she was grateful the bickering was always playful. El had no clue what she would do if her best friend despised her boyfriend.

The three always FaceTime after school every day and do homework together. They yell at each other if one gets off-topic, so they always stay pretty focused. It also helps them stay off their phone and not procrastinate on work.

"Shit. My mom is here. You guys finish up without me. I'll do it by myself later." Max explained once she heard the car horn honk. They said their goodbyes and see you tomorrow quickly before Max hung up.

Since Susan doesn't live in Max's school district, the bus drops Max off at her dad's, and Susan picks her up after work on her days.

The typical 25-minute ride took almost 40 today.

"Seems like people just forgot how to drive today," Susan commented. Max agreed, seeing the idiots in front of them going ten under the speed limit. Conversations about school and work filled the lengthy drive. 

Once they finally pulled up to the white, beaten-up house, Max changed into different clothes and slid her Vans on to go skateboarding. She hadn't explored down the street very far, so she decided that would be her route for the day.

Max pushed off the ground for a while until she got to the smooth pavement. A taller, dark figure seemed to be running sprints up ahead. Once she got closer, her brain registered that it was Lucas. Part of her wanted to go up and talk to him, but she thought it would be rude to interrupt his running. Taking advantage of the smooth pavement, Max decided to practice mastering her kickflip.

A mixture of drums, bass, and electric guitar filled Lucas's ears, but that did not prevent the sound of wheels making continual contact with the ground. It took him a minute to catch his breath and scan his surroundings. He quickly noticed the redhead on a skateboard.

"Hey, Max!" The boy yelled, walking over to her. Her head shot up immediately.

"Oh, hey!" She smiled.

The two began to walk down the street side by side. 

"Are you homeschooled?" Lucas randomly asked.

"God, no," Max couldn't even fathom being at home 24/7.

"I just haven't seen you at school yet. What grade are you?"

"Oh, yeah, my dad lives a few towns over, so I still go to school over there, and I'm a sophomore."

"That makes a lot more sense," Lucas understood. "And you're a sophomore. That sucks," He laughed.

"Yeah, and what grade are you in?" She knew he couldn't be that much older than her.

"I'm a junior."

"Isn't junior year supposed to suck way more than sophomore year?"

"Yeah, it is" He admitted. There was silence between the two teenagers for a little while. It was the kind of comfortable silence that made you feel at ease.

Lucas decided to break it. "So Max, what are you into other than skateboarding, of course," He gestured towards the board tucked under her arm.

Max hated talking about herself. There was never much to say. She only had so many interests and didn't think anything was fascinating about herself.

"I like music, traveling, and uh reading. What about you?"

"Well, I play basketball and like to hang out with my friends, but other than that, I don't have many hobbies."

Relief spread through Max's body. She didn't know why maybe it was the realization that he was just another teenager who didn't know much about themselves.

"I'm gonna assume the little girl with you the other day was your sister?" She asked.

"Yeah, she's annoying as hell." That made Max laugh, which caused Lucas to smile. Her laugh sounded so elegant to him. "You got siblings?"

"Not really. I have step siblings kinda." Max never knew what to refer to them as.

"Kinda?"

"Our parents aren't married, but we live together, so yeah, kinda."

They slowed down once they reached their houses.

"Well, I'll see ya around Lucas Sinclair." Max voiced as she made her way to her house.

"Do I get your last name?" He shouted.

"Mayfield. Don't go stalking me, nerd!" Lucas chuckled as they both made their way into their houses.

Max decided to shower quickly before her mom finished making dinner. Steam filled the bathroom while the vent roared. The soft smell of coconut and shea butter lingered on her skin from the various soaps and scrubs she used. Max threw on one of her dad's old t-shirts and a pair of shorts. While Max didn't have the best relationship with her father, the t-shirt reminded her of when she was younger, and everything was simple.

The night came, and Lucas couldn't help but look Max up on Instagram. Surprisingly, her account was public, but there was only one post. It was with some girl, probably her friend, they were at the beach. Both girls were waist-deep in the ocean while the sun was setting in the background. Lucas was glad he was by himself at that moment because Max's smile in the picture made the corners of his mouth lift and a smile engulfed his face. 

Lucas didn't know it, but Max was doing the same thing. It shocked her that they had mutual friends. Mike and a few other boys followed Lucas on Instagram. She made a mental note to ask Mike about that tomorrow.

Lucas decided to bite the bullet and follow her. She rolled her eyes, smiling when the notification popped up.

I hope you liked this chapter! I was planning on finishing writing this book from start to finish before I began publishing chapters but that didn't happen. So, my posting schedule will probably be all over the place. I'm still in basketball season, and I have school and work so if I don't post for a while my life is just busy. I have a solid layout for this book, unlike my other book.