You Idiot! You Weren't Supposed To Come Back!

“I still don’t get why you couldn’t just let Justin shoot him.” Chaz grumbled as we sat in the living room, watching some lame re-run TV show.

We got home a little while ago. As soon as we got back, Alex went straight to Kayla’s and mom got home an hour later. We told her we all went out for ice cream and she didn’t even notice anything different, thank god. We didn’t feel like explaining things.

“You weren’t there Chaz, you woulda stopped him too.” Collin said.

“Yeah but now he got away and he could come back.” Ryan muttered.

“Then we’ll be ready. The cops are tracking his every move and he wont even get close enough to try something. Just relax guys and stop thinking bout it. We got a lot of summer left and were not gonna waste it worrying bout some creeper boy coming to kill me.” I said.

“Don’t say it like that.” Justin glared softly and I rolled my eyes.

“Okay, okay. Now come on, who wants to help me make dinner?” I asked as I stood up.

“Your making dinner?” Haley asked.

“Ehh…kinda.” I smirked before jumping over to the phone and dialing a number.

“Little Caesar’s Pizza, what can I get for you today?”

“Hi, I’d like 2 large pepperoni pizzas and 3 2-liters please.” I grinned when the guys started laughing.

They asked a couple more questions before telling me the price and saying they’d be over in 20 minutes. We sat around until the doorbell rang, to which I grabbed the money and jogged over.

“That’ll be-” The voice cut off and I looked up from counting the money.

A guy who looked to be maybe 17 or 18 was standing in front of me. He was well-built, had blonde hair, and sparkly green eyes…that looked very familiar.

“Hey, you’re the guy from across the street right? You just moved in.” I stated more then asked. The guy blinked as if in a daze and smiled big, showing me his pearly whites.

“Yeah, and you’re the girl next door who was mowing the lawn yesterday.” I nodded and chuckled.

“Yep, that was me. So your only here for a day and you already found yourself a sucky job, that should be a record.” I joked and he laughed.

“Yeah but hey, it helps. So I never got your name.” He smirked and I chuckled.

“That’s cause I never gave it.” He waited as if I was going to say more but when he realized I wouldn’t, he spoke.

“Well I’m Will, it’s nice to meet you…” He drew off, waiting for me to fill the blank.

“It’s nice to meet you too Will. So where’d you move from?” I changed the subject.

“Well we used to live in New York but my parents split up and me and my little sister Allie came to live with my mom here in Stratford.”

“Oh, that makes sense then. Well, you should probably get back to work. I’ll see you later. Bye Will.” I went to shut the door but he stopped me.

“Hey wait. When, by any chance, will you be seeing me again?” I raised my eyebrows and he just grinned cheekily at me.

“Oh don’t worry, my mom will probably make brownies for the new neighbors or something.” I smiled and he laughed.

“Sounds good. See you later then…” I smirked when he drifted again.

“Bye Will.” I heard a light laugh as I shut the door, somehow carrying everything through the house.

“Jeez, I was bout to send out a search party. Who was that guy?” Haley wiggled her eyebrows at me and I rolled my eyes.

“New kid on the block. He just moved in the house across the street yesterday and he’s the pizza guy.” I shrugged nonchalantly and we started to dig in.

***
*Justin’s POV*

Will.

God, I hate that name. I hate that guy. I hate the name, the guy, and the way he looked at Maxx when he came to deliver pizza. But what I mostly hated was myself.

For being so jealous. And for being too slow.

The guys were right, a girl like Maxx don’t wait around forever and I was too sissy to make a move so now this Will guy is gonna come up and swoop her away. Actually, no. I cant let that happen.

I just gotta up my game.

*Maxx’s POV*

I kept taking secret glances at Justin as we ate our food. He looked deep in thought and I wanted to ask him what he was thinking bout but fought myself and didn’t say anything. Maybe I would ask later.

When we finished eating, we went back into the living room to watch more TV and my mind started drifting.

Will. What a nice name…but Justin’s a nice name too.

Whoa. Nice name? What am I thinking? I shook away my weird thoughts and Haley gave me a strange look before nodding her head towards the basement, towards my room. I nodded back and she got up.

“You boys talk amongst yourselves, I need to ask Maxxers here a question.” I rolled my eyes at what she called me and the guys just looked confused as Haley pulled me down to my room.

“What are you thinking about that’s got you head shaking?”

“Head shaking?” I smirked. She rolled her eyes and I laughed before she stared at me with the ‘look’.

You know, the ‘tell me what I wanna hear or I’ll get you’ look. Yeah, that.

“Don’t give me that look.” I stuck my tongue out at her.

“Tell me!” She ushered.

“I don’t know. I was just thinking bout Will…” I trailed off, not wanting to say the rest. Haley smirked.

“And…?” She smirked.

“And nothing. That’s it.”

“You wouldn’t be thinking so hard about a guy you just met. There’s something else.”

“Maybe I was thinking bout getting to know him a little better?” I shrugged.

“But maybe you were also thinking about someone else.”

“Like who?”

“Like ‘you know who‘.”

“Whose ‘you know who‘?”

“Oh, you know who ‘you know who’ is.”

“But I don’t know who the ‘you know who’ is that your talking bout.”

“Oh, I think you do.”

“No I don’t.”

“Yes you do.”

“No I don’t.”

“Yuh-huh.”

“Nuh-uh.”

“Yuh-huh.”

“Nuh-uh.”

“Yuh-huh.”

“Nuh-uh.”

“Oh, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD!” A voice yelled from the steps and me and Haley both screamed. “We tried listening in on your conversation but damn, you guys are speaking in code with the ‘you know who’s’ and then the ‘nuh-uh, yuh-huh’ nonsense. It’s just…UGH!” Ryan yelled frustrated and me and Haley laughed.

“That’s what you get for listening in on our conversation.” I smirked and he rolled his eyes.

Collin, Chaz, and Justin followed right behind him and all sat around my room. All the guys were smirking except for Justin who looked…sad? And almost angry.

“What’s wrong Justin?”

“Nothing, I’m fine.” He said kinda harsh.

I raised my eyebrows, looking to the guys who shrugged and just ignored it. But I noticed something in Ryan’s eyes that gave something away. It looked like he felt bad for Justin but I couldn’t tell. I narrowed my eyes and Ryan turned away from the pressure. I just shrugged it off, figuring I could talk to him later.

“Well what do you guys wanna do?” Haley asked.

“Well I wanna take my girlfriend out on a date….if that’s okay with you.” Ryan smiled nervously at Haley, who giggled and kissed him.

“Okay okay, save it for your date. So what do you guys wanna do?” I asked towards the guys.

“Well no offense to you or anything Maxx, but we gotta have a guys night.” Collin said.

“Aren’t you guys the ones always saying I’m a guy?” I raised my eyebrows with a smirk. Chaz chuckled nervously and spoke.

“Yeah but you have boobs, curves, and an ass now. So it’s different.” My eyes widened slightly.

“Yeah dude, that didn’t sound completely awkward.” I said sarcastically. “You guys don’t have to make excuses, I was only kidding. Just call whenever boy’s night out is over.” I smiled.

“Your not mad?” Chaz asked hesitantly.

“Why would I be mad? I’ve been with you guys ALL summer. I think I’m fine with a break from you airheads for a night.” I smirked.

They gasped dramatically and I just laughed and ushered them out the door. Once everyone left, I went to sit on the couch in the living room. It was so quiet and awkward. It’s weird having no one around. Oh god, I’m becoming a loner!

“Honey, I’m home!” I heard my mom yell, followed by her laugh from her lame line.

“Hey mom.” I said in a monotone and she gave me a weird look.

“What’s up sweetie? Where are all your friends?”

“They left me. Ryan and Haley went on a date and Justin’s having some type of man sensitivity issue so Collin and Chaz are having a ’guy’s night’.”

“Man sensitivity issue? You mean you don’t know what’s wrong with him?” I thought I saw my mom smirk as we walked back to the kitchen. She went to the fridge and started grabbing stuff out.

“Nope. We got pizza and when I came back he was all awkward and silent. Then Haley came to talk to me so we went downstairs and of course the guys eavesdropped and he looked even more sad and-”

“What did you and Haley talk about?”

“The pizza guy.”

“And what was special about the pizza guy?”

“He just moved in across the street and he saw me mowing the lawn the other day. So we talked for a minute when he dropped off the pizza.”

“And when you came back, Justin was upset right?” Now the smirk was definitely on her face.

“Mom, why do you have that look on your face?” I raised my eyebrows.

“Oh nothing. So go on, what did you and Haley say about the pizza guy?”

“I don’t know…I cant really remember.” I lied.

“Maxxi May, don’t lie to me. I’m your mother.” She pointed a wooden spoon at me and I rolled my eyes.

“Well she was asking what I was ’head shaking’ bout and I told her I was thinking about Will and then she goes ’and who’ and I was like ’who’ and she goes ’you know who’ and I goes ’whose you know who’ and she goes ’you know who you know who is’ and I was like ’nuh uh’ and she goes ’yuh huh’ and back and forth and back and forth until the guys barged in.” I said quickly. Mom raised her eyebrows and chuckled.

“What’s so funny?”

“Oh, nothing.” She sang.

“Don’t lie to me, I’m your daughter.” I mocked and she turned to stick her tongue out at me.

“Touché. I think…well I know, Justin’s in love with you.”

“Why does everyone jump to that idiot conclusion!?” I yelled exasperated. Mom just looked at me with a smirk and I sighed before running a hand through my hair.

“Why do you automatically assume he doesn’t?”

“Because mom, it’s just not possible.” I sighed again. She raised her eyebrows.

“You sure it’s not anything else?” I sighed before muttering,

“No.” I grumbled.

“Tell me why then.”

“He’s too good for me mom. I’m not…I’m no celebrity. I live in Stratford, I go to school, I eat like a pig, my hair’s insane, my face is ugly, my body is just yuck, I have the personality of a guy and I’m just…average. Below average even.

“I ride a motorcycle or my skateboard around, not a tour bus. I go to parties, not concerts. I play on regular sports teams, I don’t show up on TV.” I mumbled.

“So you think that Justin cant love you because your not famous?” Mom asked softly.

“It’s not that mom. I’m just not good enough for him. He’s got a lot of stuff going for him and I’d only hold him back. People could see us together and it would make him look bad. He’s better off with some other chick…let him date Selena Gomez or something.” I grumbled at the thought.

“Baby, you’re a beautiful girl. You don’t have to be famous to be important. Justin would never look bad because of you, everyone would notice how much happier he looks. Do you not see how he looks at you everyday?” She chuckled when I gave her a confused expression.

“Honey, you don’t even know, do you? Justin stares at you with the biggest amount of love in his eyes, I’ve never seen anything like it. He likes you just the way you are. Even if you do eat like a pig, if you ride a motorcycle, if you skateboard, that don’t matter to him. You wanna know why?”

“Oh please tell me why mom.” I joked.

“Because he loves you.” She grinned and I rolled my eyes.

“Please don’t say that word.” I grimaced and she chuckled. “What are you doing anyway?”

I hadn’t really noticed mom was throwing herself around the kitchen, grabbing things outta the fridge and the cupboard and mixing it in a bowl.

“See, your so busy thinking about Justin that you didn’t even notice I was making brownies for the neighbors next door?” She smirked at me. “Now come help me with these. I know you wanna see that Will boy.” I rolled my eyes and grabbed the plate of brownies, taking them next door.

We walked across the street and I looked around the house a little as my mom clicked the doorbell. We only waited bout 5 seconds before the door opened.