The One: Maxon

Chapter 3

A/N : Sorry it's so late!  I'll usually post around 6pm. EST but I had work today.

I walked down to the library where America had requested to see me.

"Knock, knock," I said smiling as I entered. America turned toward me with a worried look in her eye and she was biting her nails. "What's the matter?"

"Before I say what I'm about to say, you have to promise not to get mad," said said slowly. I halted.

"I'll try," I said cautiously. "W-"

"The rest of the girls know that I saw you shirtless," she blurted out. I held my breath, my face guarded. "I didn't say anything about your back, I promise. I wanted to, though, because now they just think it was in the middle of some big make-out session." She waved her arms around as she spoke. I let out a breath.

"Well it did kind of end up that way," I said smirking.

"Stop smiling at me, Maxon! They all hate me right now," she said, exasperated. There was a hint of humor in her eyes, but she was trying to hide it. I couldn't help myself as I leaned in to hug her.

"If it's any consolation, I'm not mad. You kept my secret and that's all I really care about. How did this even come up?" I wondered as I pulled back to see her face.

"You don't want to know," she mumbled, her neck flushing.

"Hmm, I thought we were supposed to be working on our trust, my dear," I said dragging my hand down her back and resting it just above her hips.

"We are, so just trust me when I say you don't want to know."

"Okay," I said. "So they know you've seen my super toned abs. Anything else?" She laughed into my chest before going quiet. "America?"

"They know I was your first kiss, too. And I know everything you have and haven't done with each of them." I pulled away and took a step back.

"What?"

"It's just that after I let the whole shirtless thing slip, everyone began to confess." She began to tick off her fingers. "I know that you've kissed Celeste plenty, that you haven't kissed Kriss because she hasn't let you but you would have a long time ago. I also know that you've kissed Elise a few times, too."

Kissed Elise? That part confused me but everything else just pissed me off. The fact they all know these things pissed me off. I ran my hand through my hair and turned around in a circle.

"Maxon, are you okay?"

"No, America, I'm not. To be frank with you I'm pretty pissed."

"It all just came out, it's not a big deal," she said shrugging.

"Oh so me having no privacy anymore isn't a big deal?" I huffed out.

"You know, for someone so obsessed with honesty, you ought to be grateful." I stopped my movements and turned to her slowly.

"Excuse me?" I said gritting my teeth.

"Everything is out in the open now and I, for one, am thankful for it," she said crossing her arms. I hope for her sake she wasn't about to get an attitude with me, because I definitely was not in the mood for it tonight.

"Thankful?" I scoffed.

"Yes. If you had told me that Celeste and I were around the same point with you physically, I wouldn't have tried to come on to you last night. Do you know how humiliating that was?"

"Oh so I'm some toy now? I'm no longer a person with actual feelings? America, you've said so many foolish things I'm surprised you can even be embarrassed anymore," I scoffed. I regretted the words as soon as I said them. Her mouth fell open a little and she stepped back, her eyes getting glossy.

"Okay, um, I think I'm going to go now," she said quietly. She dropped her head. "Sorry I let the whole shirt thing out," she said starting to walk away. I mentally kicked myself.

"Come on, America, I didn't mean it like th-"

"No, no. It's fine. You're right. I'll watch my words better next time." She dashed out of the library. I cursed under my breath. I ran my fingers through my hair as I considered going after her. If I did that, though, she would think she was right and even though I didn't mean to hurt her feelings, she was so out of line. Dinnertime rolled around and America was the only one not at the table. People were already halfway through their meals.

"Where is she?" whispered my mother from my left.

"We got in a fight."

"Another one?" she asked, amusement dancing on her lips. I chuckled and went back to my dinner. I didn't have much of an appetite, feeling bad about before.

"You should go see her," said my mother without looking at me. I nodded.

"Excuse me, ladies, I have something I need to attend to." I stood from the table and left the dining hall to proceed to America's room. I knocked gently. There was no response. I was about to knock again when the door opened.

"Good evening, your Majesty," said one of her maids. The tiny one. "Come in." I came into her room but I didn't see her.

"She's in the bath, Your Majesty," said her maid.

"Oh, I was hoping she was still eating so I could have dinner with her."

"She...she decided to take a bath before she ate." I could tell she was lying by the way her eyes kept darting all around the room. I also couldn't hear any water running.

"I see. Well could you have her send for me when she's done. I'd like to speak with her."

"Um, it might be a very long bath, Your Majesty." She shifted her weight, uncomfortably. She doesn't want to see me.

"Oh. In that case, could you just tell her that I came by? And tell her if she wants to talk she can send for me, regardless of the hour. I'll be there."

"Yes, Your Majesty." We stood there in awkward silence for quite some time. "Well thank you. Good night."

"Good night, sir." I walked back to my room, not even bothering to return to dinner. I lay in my bed for hours, unable to sleep.

A knock came at my door. I looked over at my clock and noticed that it was barely five in the morning. I sat up.

"Yes?"

"Your Majesty, there is some thing you may want to see. Right now," said Hunter outside my door. A guard must have notified him on his part of the huge chamber. I threw on a white shirt and some dark blue slacks and walked out of my room. I followed a guard down to the first floor where there was a pool of guards standing.

"This way," said Officer Juka. We walked into the Great Room where there were two people standing looking calm in the middle of all those buff guards.

"Who are they?" I asked.

"They're from the Northern rebel camp. The leaders."