The Monster In My Head

Chapter 6 (Edited)

Max hummed to himself as he brushed his teeth Sunday morning. He spat out the toothpaste, then swished around some water then mouthwash. He ran his brush through his hair once more, then paused to gaze at himself.

"Yep. Looking good. Like always," he said to himself. He jumped at the sudden hard knocking on the bathroom door.

"C'mon Max. It's time to go!" Nicole shouted.

He sighed and left the bathroom. She grabbed his hand, tugging her with him outside. She started to get in the driver's seat, but he laughed, snatching the keys from her hand.

"I don't think so. You haven't even been driving a full year yet. So, you're not getting behind the wheel in my car." 

She rolled her eyes but got in the passenger seat.

The drive was short and comfortably silent. He parked in front of the building and got out. He opened the door for his sister and smiled at her.

"Well, don't you look pretty?" he said. 

She blushed, taking his hand. "Shut up, Max." 

He laughed and walked hand in hand with her to the doors.

Standing at the doors was charming, good 'ole Mr. Whitmore. Mr. Whitmore greeted them with a smile, and a handshake and Max courteously asked how the missus was doing. They walked in and Max turned to Nicole and kissed her cheek.

"Gotta go. Duty calls," he told her. She smiled at him and nodded, before sitting down in one of the back rows.

Max ran through the building to the back, bursting through the tucked away door. The rest of the band was already there, working with their instruments. The band leader approached Max and Max grinned.

"Whatya need me for this time?" 

Mr. Brown laughed. "What if I say everything?" he said jokingly. 

Max feigned a stern expression. "I quit," he said. Mr. Brown laughed, and Max chuckled along. "For real though, which one?"

"You're on drums, mate." 

Max nodded. After a good fifteen minutes it was time to head on stage. They came together and said a quick prayer, then went before the audience.

Max took his place at the drum set and grinned at the people before him. He loved this place. Always would.

Second Chance Baptist Church.

***

Monday morning, Madison walked with Max to the entrance of the school. He was rambling about some video game tournament he had with his friends, but Madison wasn't really listening.

And Max noticed. He paused and grinned, poking her head.

"Yo! You aren't listening. What are you thinking about?" 

She laughed and looked at him. "Sorry. I was just thinking about my weekend." 

He crossed his arms and nudged her with his shoulder. "Why? You do anything interesting?" 

She blushed, averting her eyes. "Sort of... I went out with Brian." 

Max came to a skidding halt, an odd feeling forming in his throat. He cleared it then spoke:

"You-you went out with him?"

"Well, with him and May, that is. We got ice cream then went to his house to watch a movie." 

Max strangely felt relieved but ignored it. "Oh, okay. He was a gentleman, right? Kept his hands to himself?" he asked teasingly. 

She let out an adorable giggle, giving him a playful shove. "Yes, he was a gentleman. But—"

"But?" he asked, his eyes widening. 

She sighed. "You were right. He likes me." She went on to tell him what happened. 

Max felt the oddness return to his throat. "Well that's great! Are you two an item now?" 

Madison sheepishly shook her head. "I told him I didn't know how I felt and that I want to get to know him more first." 

Max nodded. "That's smart. He take it well?"

"Yeah, I think so," she paused and looked at him, "in one week I made two friends. Brian and you."

She tried to reach to throw her arm around his shoulders, but she wasn't quite tall enough. He grinned and threw his arm around her, pulling her close to his side.

"You sure did, Maddie. You sure did."

***

Brian jogged inside from the gym field but came to a halt when he saw Madison sitting on the bleachers. He smiled and watched her for a moment, allowing himself to admire her feathery, short hair and small stature. She sensed him staring and looked at him. After a moment, she smiled and waved him over. He came and sat next to her, briefly squeezing her to his side.

"Hey Maddie. Was the rest of your weekend fun?" 

She shrugged. "I guess. But nowhere near as fun as Saturday," she said, grinning at him. 

His heart felt warm from her words. "Glad to hear it... So, since you've spent time with me outside of school with May, would you like to spend time outside of school with me without May?" Madison laughed and he added: "I mean, not that I don't love your sis and all but I gotta work on becoming 'close friends' with you, right?" 

Madison nodded, still grinning. "Right. So, this invitation... It's not a date, yes?" 

Brian faked an incredulous expression. "DEFINITELY not a date. I don't even know why you'd have to ask that," he said sarcastically.

"Then yes, of course. I would love to hang out with you outside of school. Are you going to pick me up or am I meeting you there? What time will you be dropping me off or do I need to find a ride home?" she laughed, expecting him to feel confused from all her questions but to her surprise, he quickly responded.

"To Subway then the park. I'm obviously going to pick you up. Two o'clock, Saturday. I'll drop you off at your house at 4ish." Madison's eyes widened and he grinned, slowly taking her hand.

"I've thought about this a lot, Maddie," he admitted.