Marlowe's Massacre | ;

CHAPTER 18

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[.20.10.8.]

"How have you been?" It seems like a simple déjà vu question for Teddy to answer but she can't say a word and then hope it'll come out sincere. Her eyes catch a glimpse at André fiddling with a cigarette in the parking lot and then she's back looking at Max. She noticed he's finely clothed in his uniform. It shouldn't sculpt him in a way that leaves her out of breath but it does, it does so much justice for his shoulders.

She moved her eyes elsewhere, they landed on his hair. That's a bad distraction again. His dark hair that is dripping blonde strands is slicked in a grand way that could've impressed any politician. He's appealing to her through his gritty-ness and composure —he's signaling that he's good but not as good as before —he's saying he's alright, Teddy can take alright but just for now.

"I'm as good as you." She smirked after lounging her satchel over her own shoulders.

"How is Dove?" He asked back and Teddy can't quite label Max's motive. Was he one hundred percent interested in how Dove was or was he a little distracted by her too, afterall they hadn't seen each other in weeks. That incident had left a sense of closure on them, an understatement in their relationship.

"Dove is fine, thank you for asking, I don't have much of a break period today to chat with you, tell the others I said hello." She said, looking at André again. Even through the sun hitting him, she could read him. His eyes were still unforgiving but his stance seemed to change, something was wrong.

"I understand, Teddy." Max's words brought her back to him, he still stood where he was. His height towering her not too far off, his chest leveled with her shoulders. They weren't that far off from each other but in the midst of it all, she kept drifting to André. She reckoned that the weight André had in his soul had something to do with Max — he wouldn't be framing himself with this much caution if it weren't, something was wrong.

"We'll catch up later."

They would not catch up later, instead she waited until Max was down the hall onto his next study before coming over to André's car. She had to make this quick, but quick was not in André's dictionary. His stupid 2017 Subaru a clear-cut to his personality; it was at this point Teddy came to see André as a parallel version of herself. A version who had ties to some type of affluence to get him where he was now. He was not born into that society, he had been placed there. He was made from the same tree bark as Teddy, just on a higher branch. It was hard to swallow that he had more of a chance to reach sunlight than she would ever have and below her, far below her sat James, growing from the forest floor.

"Can I help you Teddy?" He asked placing his cigarette box in the back of his pocket. His voice leaning more on curiosity than annoyance.

"Yeah, tell me what's wrong with Maxwell?"

"Why should I know?" He replied.

"Why do you do that? Why do you always counter act my response. You're too damn smart for yourself, you know." She said standing to the side more, she checked her phone. She had about nine minutes to make it to her class. "Just tell me what's wrong wit' him? Aren't we supposed to be cool, well this is me being cool, now answer."

Chuckling to himself, he grabbed his blazer from inside his car, put it on, clicked the cuffs and then took a single book from atop his car's roof before he answered. He liked to see Teddy wait. "And this is me being cool, and if you wanna know what's going on in 'dat head of his, knock yourself out 'cause I ain't telling you."

"Why?"

"It don't got nothin' to do wit' you, you know." Clearing his voice he fixed his tone. "Now, if you excuse me, I have a test in a few minutes. Catch me later, Theodora."