Breathe || Max X Reader - Camp Camp

XXXII - II

Part Two

Word Count: 971
Max's POV

  It didn't matter how high Gwen turned up the stereo volume, my cries were still louder than any other sound that could've been heard from miles away. My entire world was fucking crumbling. Everything was ripping apart at the seams.
     Trying to flee camp was a costly mistake, and I was conscious of it. I was only just now coming to terms with the idea that I had made the idiotic choice to swap my entire summer for an attempt to run away from camp. What was I thinking? To think that after years at this shitty camp, I would've eventually learned something. The truth was, I hadn't changed. After every summer at Campbell, I still had to come back to the same home. No matter how much progress I had made during the summer, it would all go away after just one day back at home.
     "Kid?", Gwen asked. "Kid?" I kept falling into the endless void that occupied my thoughts. It was hard to focus on what was happening around me. "Max!"
     My body lurched forward. Thud! I brought a single hand to my head. I had slammed into the back of Gwen's seat. "Fuck you!", I screamed. "What the Hell was that for?"
     I looked out the window. We were stopped in front of a library. "I just, I needed you to listen to me, Max.", Gwen tried. She made a turn and pulled into the parking lot of the library. Gwen turned off the radio, but left the car running. She turned her head to try and get a glimpse of me. Her eyes were red and puffy. "Max, I didn't want this. I really never expected to be saying this, but, I don't want to let you go, not back to your parents."
     I rolled my eyes. "And?", I prompted. I didn't believe Gwen. She never acted like she gave a shit about me, so why would she now? It was just too convenient, and I didn't believe in that 'tough love' shit. Gwen was just an ass. "What now? Great, nice parking lot Gwen. It was fun sight-seeing. Just get me the fuck home already."
     Gwen shook her head. "I don't know if you'd be allowed back at camp next summer, Max. You have so many strikes against your behavior. After so many strikes, it's protocol that we have to ban certain campers for safety reasons.", she explained. To me, it just sounded like Gwen wanted to defend the fact that she was a bitch. "I don't know what to do, Max. I'm at a loss. But, what I do know is that I can't let you go back to your parents. I know I don't really act like it enough, but I care a lot about you, Max...and I know that your parents..."
     "Don't?", I asked. I shrugged. "You're right. It doesn't really matter, though. I'm used to it." I reached into my pocket to feel around for a piece of candy or some shit to occupy my thinking.

     Truth be told, what happened to me was inevitable. I had always known that at some point I would finally have wish granted, my wish to leave Camp Campbell for good. Under any other circumstance, it would be a great honor to kiss Campbell goodbye. This, however, was certainly different. Leaving Campbell wasn't hard for me, it was leaving the girl who changed my life which felt so impossible. I had never gotten the chance to properly tell her, either. The only times I ever told Y/N that I loved her were the tough times, when it felt forced. I wanted to tell her from the heart. She made me feel loved, she made me feel safe. Nobody else had ever made me feel the way that she could.

     The porch of my house was stuffed with more yard junk that Mom had no clue what to do with. She had clearly been collecting more dumb shit over the summer, the usual. "David called your parents ahead of time, something about campers having an idea or something," Gwen started. She pulled into my front driveway and put the car in park. "I have to go ahead and talk to your parents when we get in here. Any pointers?"
I smirked. I stretched my arms as I stifled a chuckle. "Depends on what you plan to tell them.", I mentioned. "Why, what're you planning?"
"I'm planning on turning this car around and bringing your snotty ass back to camp!", Gwen fumed. She balled her fists and gritted her teeth as she unlocked the car doors. I unbuckled my seatbelt. "We can't give you anymore behavior strikes if you're not registered as a camper. But, to stay at Campbell without technically being a camper, it's going to take...serious effort."
I furrowed my eyebrows. "Like what?", I prompted.
Gwen stepped outside and took in a deep breath. "Get out of the car. I'm about to fuck some shit up. I don't know if you're gonna' like it, but it's what David told me I have to do.", she sighed.
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[A/N] - It's finally here, a new chapter! I'm not sure if you guys can tell where I'm going with this, but I have an idea in my head about how I plan on wrapping this story up. I appreciate you guys who have stuck with me for so long, after two years! Also, I've decided that we need to start bringing back the Comment Question of the Chapter!
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     Comment Question of the Chapter
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Are you a new or returning reader? I know I have in fact retained a few readers from two years ago, but I'm just wondering how many. Either way, I appreciate you for reading! -☁️