it could be worse ~ lumax

2 a.m.

Max began to stir in her sleep when she heard a bang come from another room. It practically jolted her and El awake.

"What the hell?" El asked groggily. Max groans when she realizes it is Matt in the bathroom.

The only bathroom in the house shares a wall with Max's bedroom. Unfortunately, the vent is a pure hole in the wall, meaning Max can hear every noise in the bathroom from her bedroom.

"He wakes me up every damn night," Max says with a stoic expression.

"You need to get a thicker wall because I can hear everything that's going on in there," The apparent disgust on El's face makes Max chuckle. El rolls over and catches a glimpse of the time. "2 A.M.? I'm wide awake and thought it was at least 7!"

Max felt the same way. "Do you want to go get food?"

The two girls grab a few snacks and make their way outside so they would not wake Susan up. Cold air surrounds their bodies as they hug themselves tighter to bear the frigid temperature.

"And it is in the middle of the night every night?" El is surprised Max has not thrown a fit about it. El could not even imagine what she would do if her dad's girlfriend woke her up every night by being loud.

Their conversation is interrupted when a car pulls into the driveway across the street.

"Don't wake mom up when you go inside. I'll tell her I got you from the sleepover in the morning." The boy says as he watches the younger girl go inside. Max and El could hear the sigh he let out from across the street.

"Wait, isn't that-"

"Shhhh," Max cuts El off quickly, but Lucas's head shoots up, noticing the two.

"Max?" Lucas questions walking across the street to them.

"Hey Lucas," Max can hear the awkward tone in her voice. "Uhh, this is my friend El."

"Nice to meet you," El smiles.

"Yeah, you too. Aren't you guys cold?" He couldn't help but notice the sweatshirt and short combination they were wearing.

"We're fine," Max supplies.

"Speak for yourself, I'm freezing!"

Lucas laughs at El's expression. "I know it is late, but I have an outdoor heater and fire pit on my deck if you guys want to come over?"

Before Max can say no, El practically jumps at the opportunity. The next thing Max knows, she is sitting on a cushioned chair while the warmth from the fire smothers her face. A bunch of twinkle lights provided light above them. Max remembered them from the time they FaceTimed.

"So, what were you doing driving around this late at night?" El questions.

"Jesus El. That is none of your business," Max sighs.

"I'm just curious!" The redhead rolls her eyes in response.

"No, it's alright. My sister was at a sleepover, and she had a bit of a panic attack, so I picked her up," Lucas explains.

Max's face softens when he speaks. A part of her wishes she had a sibling who was as caring as Lucas seemed. The wanting feeling nags at her.

"What about you two?" Lucas wondered why they were sitting out in the cold at 2 in the morning.

"Someone's stepdad was being too loud and woke us up."

"To be fair, he probably had his headphones in and couldn't hear how loud he was being," Max defended him.