There's a Playground

Dinner was pretty…I don’t know how to describe it. Kind of like old times? Only I got to order off the adult menu and I didn’t have to fight with Max for my father’s attention. Yeah, Max pretty much always tagged along when we were younger. My mom was pretty much his second mom since his mom worked so much to be able to support him and his brother.

So yeah. There was that difference. And the fact that we talked about a lot more mature topics than the trivial pursuits of childhood. And by that, I mean I didn’t talk about how Max stole my crayon or how I had shared half my cookie with some other kid and Maxie was mad at me for it.

No, instead we talked about what I had been up to. Dating world? Hardly. I was about as experienced in the dating world as whores were at keeping their legs closed. Friends? Eh, not so much. Extra-Curricular Activities? Another not so much… Music scene? Oh yes…yes, we were able to talk quite extensively about the music the two of us listened to.

I figured out that I got my music ADD from that man. That was…not really all that comforting, honestly.

I also learned that he was dating Ronnie’s mom. Which was beyond disturbing after thinking about it for a little bit…

No way in hell was I going to be able to handle Ronnie as a step brother or whatever the fuck he would be to me. That is, if my father and his mother ever got hitched. Which I prayed would not happen.

After we’d finished eating, Dad drove me back home and I gave him my number. He said he’d call next time he was free to do something and I agreed on it. Spending time with him was almost like old times again. Almost.

Not really, though.

I went inside my home, watching my dad drive off before I went to go talk to my mom. I showed her my necklace and she ran around like a frantic teenaged girl for a few minutes before settling down again and telling me that it was good he wanted to be back in my life.

I couldn’t help but agree with her, honestly…

After that, I went down the hall to my room and pulled my blinds open. A few seconds later, Max jumped up from the ground and I nearly had a heart attack because of it. Bastard…

“Holy fucking shit, Max! What the hell!?” I growled, my hand on my chest as if that would keep my from having a heart attack over his surprise. He grinned at me and poked at the screen on my window separating us.

“You said I could come in when you got back. And you’re back.”

“Are you high or drunk?” He shook his head, grinning at me as I leaned forward and sniffed the air around him. Nope, he was definitely clean as far as I could tell. And he didn’t look like he’d been snorting anything, so that was good. I smiled at him and nodded, pushing out the screen of my window for him to crawl through.

Watching Maxwell Green scramble through my window was a really funny sight. He was really uncoordinated and he didn’t look at all like he had any grace what-so-ever. “Epic fail, kid.” I told him as he pushed himself off of my floor, standing to his full height about three inches above me. He grinned down at my shrugged.

“Whatever, you still love me, so it’s okay.”

“I do?” I asked, a sarcastic edge to my tone. His face mocked disappointment and hurt as he nodded.

“Well yeah.”

“Hm. Well, I guess. But on…” I was cut off by my phone beginning to blare Paramore at me. I sighed, fishing it out of my pocket and staring at it. It was a text from Craig.

Wendifer ;;
Watcha doing pretty lady? ;)
How was dinner with your pops?
;; Craigafer

Craigafer? Wendifer? Seriously? I smirked at that and tossed my phone back on my bed, looking up and over at Max as he stared at the posters that I had recently put on my walls.

“Who was that from?” He asked, turning his head back around to look at me.

“Craig,” I replied, shrugging and moving to go sit down on my bed, grabbing my phone and fiddling with it in my hands. Max rolled his eyes and sighed, and I wondered what the sudden animosity for the short sweetheart was. “What?” I asked and he shook his head, turning around to come sit down on my bed with me, sitting in front of me and grinning at me. “What?” I repeated, wondering what it was that he was thinking.

“Nothing. God…I still can’t believe I haven’t seen you in nine years. It just seems like yesterday that you were like…eight…” he commented and reached a hand over to brush hair away from my face. I felt myself blush at that and I looked down at my hands, shrugging slightly.

“Yeah…well. It feels like yesterday that you were still a shrimpy blonde kid that wouldn’t leave me alone.” I said, smirking and looking up at his expression of fake hurt once more.

“Oh… I’m touched that you noticed that, though,” he said, grinning at me as I rolled my eyes.

“Noticed what? The fact that you wouldn’t leave me alone?” I looked up more, raising my chin with my gaze to watch him grin and nod.

“Yeah. Believe it or not, I had like…this huge crush on you when we were little.” Alright. Definite blush right there. I smirked, though, not wanting to seem like I really thought anything of it.

He’d said “when we were little” so it didn’t really mean much. Right?

“Okay then,” I said, not really sure what else to say. He smirked at me and rolled his eyes at me as I frowned at him. “What!?” Loser…making fun of me…

He chuckled, which only made my frown deepen. Ass hole…

“You’re cute when you get all flustered, Wendy,” Max commented, grinning at me before laying back on my bed. I laughed when he fell off the edge.

Dumb ass, forgetting that he had been sitting on the edge of my bed…

“You’re cute when you’re being a clumsy ass hole,” I exclaimed between my giggles. He pulled his legs down into his chest and then sat up, grinning at me like a dork.

“Aww, you really think I’m a clumsy ass hole?” he asked and I nodded, still giggling slightly. “Well thanks, Wenders. I appreciate it.” I rolled my eyes and then scooted back on my bed to make room for Max again. Maybe if I sat up against my wall, he wouldn’t be a dumb ass and fall off my bed.

My phone buzzed again and I flipped it open, smirking as I saw that I’d gotten another text from Craig.

Wendifer ;;
Bitch, wtf you doing?
Psh, fine. Don’t message me back
See if I care.
X3
;; Craigafer

I smirked at his text and rolled my eyes, hitting ‘reply’ as Max crawled back onto my bed.

Craig ;;
Psh, fine. Maybe I don’t love you enough!
I’m actually chillin with Max right now
Dinner was good.
I see you tomorrow, yes?
;; Wendy

I hit ‘send’ right as Max shoved his face in mine. I jumped slightly, squeaking and causing Max to laugh at me again. “Craig again?” he asked and I nodded, folding my phone closed and dropping it on the bed beside me. The boy leaned back, frowning slightly. “Hmph.”

“What?” I asked, my brows furrowing. What was so wrong with Craig? He was sweet and, unlike Max, didn’t do drugs. As far as I knew, anyway.

“Nothing. He just seems to like you a lot, that’s all.”

“And that’s a bad thing?”

“No.”

“Are…are you…jealous Max?” I asked, completely incredulous. What reason would he have to be jealous. He frowned at me, turning his gaze away and with that, I had my answer. Sighing, I smirked and shook my head. “You do have a girlfriend, you know…” I commented and he shrugged, looking at me from the corners of his eyes as he leaned against one of the walls my bed was pressed into.

“So?”

“So you shouldn’t be jealous.” He rolled his eyes at me, as if it were the simplest thing in the world. Apparently, he was allowed to be jealous that someone…a friend had, apparently, a crush on me. Boys made no sense…

I sighed, rolling my eyes and shaking my head at his behavior.

Max sighed too, making his more exaggerated than mine and smirking as he mocked me. I rolled my eyes at him and reached over to punch him playfully in the shoulder. To which he responded by falling over dramatically and acting dead. “God Max, I had no idea that you were such a drama queen…”

His head shot up as he stuck his tongue out at me. I rolled my eyes again and then looked at my phone for the time. It was almost nine and I still needed to shower and do homework. Shit.

“Max, you should probably go. I have to bathe and shit…” I said, sighing and looking over at him. He frowned, shaking his head and cuddling into my bed more.

“But your bed is so comfy!” he whined and I smirked. “Can I stay longer?”

I shrugged, why not? It’s not like…well, it’s not like he would be seeing me naked at all. I nodded, smirking as he shot up and reached over, hugging me and pulling me into his lap. “Yay!” He squealed and I hushed him so as to not bring my mom into this. I wondered why she hadn’t come barging in here already…