Shifted #Wattys2016

LXXXI

Maxine

We made it to a motel in the middle of the night, luckily one of those shitty 24-hour ones. I was pushed outside the room as Dr. Lewis and Bloom were inside and I tried to listen in. I gave up after a while and sat down in the cheap plastic lawn chair they had outside the door.

I looked at the time on my phone, close to two in the morning.

A car pulled into the parking lot and a kid got out. Well, not really a kid. Maybe early twenties. He passed me on the way to his room, stopped a few doors down, and turned around. He walked back to me and stood in front of me. "All alone?"

I shook my head. "Just stuck out here, not really welcome inside."

He glanced at the room's door. "Mind if I join you?"

I shrugged and he sat down in the other plastic chair. He pulled a bottle of cheap liquor out of a paper sack and opened it. "Want some?"

I thought about the events earlier and nodded. I took a long sip, stopping when he said, "Careful, don't drink so much so fast."

I sat the bottle down on the table between us. He took a swig.

"So what's going on in there? Parents fighting?"

I shook my head. "My boyfriend's mother is having a miscarriage, I think. Her husband died today, and so did my boyfriend. And his sister."

"Holy shit."

I took the bottle and took another drink. "Yep. And now she's losing her baby too." That sip didn't go down right and I started to cough. I stood up and leaned over to the gravel parking lot and threw up. I started to cry. The guy put his hand on my back, comforting. I hurled again and again, until there was nothing left to throw up. I wiped the vomit off of my mouth but stayed there, my hands on my knees.

"There's two beds in my room if you want to crash on one for the night," he said.

I took a deep breath, gagged, and stood up. I pulled out my phone and texted Bloom. I told her that I got my own room, and that we could meet back up in the morning. I followed him to his room, just a few doors down from Bloom's.

"Name's Ezra."

I smiled. "Max."

I followed him into his room.

Ezra was in the shower when I woke up. My head hurt, but there was a bottle of water sitting beside the bed with a note that said in shaky handwriting: drink up

I opened the lid and took a big gulp. It was refreshing. Ezra's bed was made, almost like he hadn't even slept in it. Like he only... sat in it.

I felt uneasy.

I grabbed my things and was just about to leave as Ezra walked out of the bathroom wearing a pair of jeans, running a towel through his hair. "Morning. Sleep well?"

I nodded. "I should go. Thanks for everything,"

Ezra smiled at me, gave a little wave, and I left the room.

I walked to Bloom's room and just as I was going to knock, the door opened. "Are you ready?"

I nodded. "You need to get home before Julie gets worried." Bloom said, handing me her bag. Dr. Lewis was packing up her equipment in the room, throwing bloodied towels into a big trash bag. "Take this to the car, please,"

I nodded. Bloom hugged Lewis, said a few words, and followed me. We checked out and Bloom started to drive back to Pleasant Ridge.

I waited until we were back home, and the car was in park, to ask the question that had been nagging at me all this drive: "Did you lose it?"

Bloom bit her lip and nodded. "Go home, Max."

I nodded and got out of the car and into my own.

At home, I told Julie I was ready to go home. I went online and bought train tickets for tomorrow morning and started to pack up tonight. I texted my mom to tell her I'd come home tomorrow.

I didn't quite get to say goodbye to Bloom and I didn't say goodbye to Wane. I didn't make any other friends while here in town. So I'd say goodbye to Julie tomorrow at the station.

I didn't sleep well. Couldn't get to sleep easily, and when I was asleep I didn't stay asleep. I remembered the bottle of booze Ezra let me keep. I drank some, then some more. Then I fell asleep and stayed asleep.

In the morning, I stashed the booze into a couple of water bottles then tossed the bottle. I put the bottles in my backpack and finished packing my things. Julie drove me, and I watched the town pass by in a haze. I'd miss a lot about it, but I'm also happy to never see it again.

The rest of the hour drive was filled with farms and flat land. At the train station, I stood in front of Julie with my two bags. "Thank you for having me,"

"Thank you for coming. I'll have to come out for a holiday,"

I nodded. "Chicago gets really cold in the winter," I said. "But maybe we could come out for Christmas. I'll make sure to call every once in a while, or write letters."

Julie smiled. "I'd like that." She paused. "You said all your goodbyes, right? To Felix and everyone?"

Some sharp stabbed my stomach, an aching pain. "Yeah, I mean, I've got his number. I'll call." I said, lying. She doesn't need to know he's dead. I wonder if anyone will know. "Just uh, keep me updated on him, though. In case he decides to keep something from me."

Julie smiled and brought me into a hug. "I love you, Maxine Clarke. I've seen you grow up so much this summer."

I smiled. "Love you too, Julie. I should go," I pulled away. I grabbed my two bags, my backpack on my back and phone in my pocket. "I'll call." I said and got onto the train.

Stepping off of the train, it was dark. I had already called a taxi, so one was waiting for me. I put my bags in the trunk, a little woozy from the drinks I had on the train. I gave him my address and paid him the fee once he pulled up to the house. I thanked him with both my bags in my hands and walked up to the door.

I went straight to my room, my bed still made from the last visit home. I laid down and fell asleep.