Textbook Romance

Surprisingly, the guys didn't drink tonight. They had a few beers but never got completely smashed. I figured that it was because I was around. Around midnight I hopped out of my bunk and wandered to the fridge in the kitchen and pulled out a beer, grinning when I got it opened and took a sip.

"What are you doing?" Craig questioned as he walked out from the back room and grabbed his own drink.

I shrugged, "Having a beer."

Craig laughed, "Aren't you a little young?"

I just shook my head. "No," I said drawing out the word, "I've been drinking since I was 16."

Craig grinned and grabbed my hand, pulling me back to the end of the bus where the rest of the guys were hanging out. "We're going to put in a horror film, come on," Craig said as he tugged me into the room.

He pulled me over to the couch and yanked me down next to him so that I was sandwiched between him and Max. I bit my lip as Monte put in the movie. I curled my feet up on the couch and tucked them underneath me. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Max glance at me and smile slightly. I paid him no mind as my eyes stared straight at the t.v screen, waiting for the movie to start and inevidently, freak me out.

"Oh shit!" I yelled as the little boy started attacking his parents, being possessed in all. I leaned over and buried my face between the back of the couch and Max's shoulder, since that was the way I was facing while I sat. I heard the guys laugh at me as I hid my eyes.

After a few minutes Max tilted his head to the side and whispered, "It's over now."

Without moving from my spot I replied, "Are you sure?"

I felt Max turn and look at the screen and then turn back to me. "I'm pretty sure."

"Well get completely sure," I squeaked.

"Mm," Max hummed as he looked back to the screen, causing his chest to vibrate, "Okay, I'm sure. The scary part is over."

I looked up slowly and my gaze met the t.v. screen. The adults were all sitting in the living room and talking to the "Josh" character as he tried to enter dream-land or whatever.

When he did make it into the "Other" I grabbed onto Max's wrist and squeezed as hard I could as I became scared again, my heart quickening it's pace as the character walked farther and farther into the darkness.

Max looked over to me but I refused to meet his gaze, embarrased by how frightened this movie was making me. I bit my lip as I felt Max's fingers slide in between mine and clasp on tight.

I glanced at our hands, knowing that I should probably pull away, but before I got the chance the "Red faced man" appeared while sharpening his claws and caused me to hide behind Max's shoulder again.

I screamed when a hand popped out of a drawer and grabbed onto the investigator man. The guys all just laughed at me as I hid myself, wanting this movie to be over already.

"I'm never watching that again," I stated as the ending credits rolled.

Robert laughed, "How about we watched another one then?"

"No!" I shouted as I stood up and tried to walk away. Max had a tight grip on my hand and yanked me back over to him.

"Stay," he pleaded, "You can even hide behind me again," he said with a smirk.

I glared and pulled my hand away from him roughly, "No thank you," I deadpanned, "I don't want to."

Craig laughed as well as everyone else and reached to pull me back down next to him. "Fine, we'll watch a regular one."

I smiled and stood back up.

"Where you going?" Craig and Max asked simultaneously, looking at each other once with a laugh and then back to me.

I rolled my eyes, "I'll be right back. I'm just going to get another beer."

All the guys shouted out, asking me to bring one back for each of them. I sighed but nodded, watching as Max hopped up, claiming he would help me. He followed behind me into the kitchen and opened the fridge, handing me a beer as he grabbed three and set them on the counter.

I gave him a weary look as he walked over to me and rested his hands on my hips, looking down at me.

"Uh Max," I started, "I have a boyfriend."

He shrugged, "It's not like we're doing anything."

I motioned between the two of us and how close we were standing. "I'm pretty sure that this is considered doing something."

Max laughed and shook his head. "I can do something if you want me to."

I glared and tried to push him back by his chest. "No Max."

He leaned down a little bit, causing me to notice how bloodshot his eyes were really. I scoffed and roughly pushed his arms off of me. "Don't touch me," I snapped.

Max looked confused for half a second before grabbing the beers and following after me. "Why not?"

"You're fucking high right now!" I shouted, "I don't want to be friends with a druggie, Max."

"It's not like that!" Max countered, "It's just a little weed!"

I glared at him. "Don't lie to me."

"I'm not," he stated, staring strait at me.

I shook my head and turned to walk away from him. "I'm not being your friend so stay away from me." With that I walked off, being reminded of my past and not wanting to go through that again.

"Ginny," Max called after me as he ran forward and grabbed onto my arm, "Please. It's not even like that."

I shrugged, "It's none of my business, Max. So why don't you just leave me out if it?"

Max shook his head, "We're... friends, right?"

I screeched and tossed my hands in the air. "That's my point exactly! I'm not your friend, Max!"

Max frowned for a minute and pulled me back to him, wrapping his arms around my shoulders. "Why not?" he questioned like a child.

I scoffed and looked at him, shoving his arms off of me. "Because you're incapable of being just friends!" I yelled.

Max's jaw dropped, "I can be friends!"

I gave him a look. "I've known you for one day and already can't count the amount of times you've hit on me."

Max sputtered for a minute and then sighed, giving in.

"See," I stated, "You can't possibly be my friend."

Max thought about it for a minute, his face crumpling up in thought. "Let me prove to you that I can be your friend," he said a minute later.

I looked over him, catching his gaze. "Why do you care so much?"

Max shrugged and bit his lip. "I want to prove to people that I'm not such an ass. Prove to you," he smiled, "also, we're going to be on a bus together for three months. Might as well be friends."

I studied Max. His face, and his smile, and the way he was standing there, looking at me with a glimmer of hope in his hazy green eyes that were losing the red around edges, signaling that his high was wearing off.

"One condition," I murmured as I glanced to the ground and licked over my lips. "You have to get clean."

Max was silent. He didn't move or speak, he just stood there and looked at the ground like his mind was running away from him. Then he shook his head quickly. "Fuck it, it's not worth it."

I stopped short, the insult hurting more than it probably should've. Not because it came from Max but because I'd heard something similar before.

"Shut up," I demanded, "It is definitely worth it, Max."

There was only silence between us, something that had seemed completely absent in any of our earlier "conversations."

"I can't do it," Max said after a few minutes, "I just can't."

"I'll help you," I said quickly, matching the seriousness of his voice, "We can do this together."

Max swallowed harshly and looked away from me.

"Max, I can help you."

He shook his head and I watched as his faded black hair curled around his face. "I can't handle withdrawal," Max murmured, "It feels like I'm dying."

I was slightly shocked, "You've gotten off of drugs before?"

Max shrugged, "Once. Temporarily."

"Then you can do it again," I told him, "You just need a little push."

Max sighed and bounced on his heels. We were quiet again before he nodded his head a fraction of an inch.

My eyes lit up, "You'll do it?"

Max groaned and nodded again. I knew that if I hadn't noticed the first nod, he probably would've denied it and said no flat out again. I moved forward to wrap my arms around his neck, careful of the beer bottle that was in my right hand.

I felt Max's hands rest on my back as he hugged me back. "Why do you care what I'm on anyways?" he questioned honestly.

"I just don't want to see you die," I murmured into his hair, ruining the less serious tone that he was trying to bring back into the conversation.

He shook his head. "I won't die."

I held onto Max a little tighter automatically, remembering those words from a time in my past. "That's exactly what my big brother said," I whispered, "But he overdosed two months later."

"I'm sorry," Max told me as I pulled away from him.

I shrugged, "It was a long time ago."

Max nodded slightly. "Well," he murmured, "Where do I start with this thing?" he motioned to the room, even though I knew what he was talking about.

I looked up to Max's nervous face as he started to get a little shaky, nervous. I took his hand in mine and shrugged. "How about we go watch a movie and start later?"

Max looked up to me and smiled slightly before nodding and leading me towards the back of the bus, beers in hand.