My Mistake, So Predictable

A little over a week had passed since the night I had left the concert. Eight days without talking to Alex and barely speaking to Max or Tabby with the exception of short, mumbled words that fall along the lines of, “Guitar store, food, or bed.” After I had gotten home in a cab, I had told Tabby a shortened version of what happened but after my eyes started to mist over, I asked her if we could talk about it later. I don’t like showing weakness; it makes others want to take advantage and hurt you even more.

No, no! I-I can’t think like that, I had promised Tabby that I would only think positive about people. I just don’t like being betrayed though, and that’s what it felt like when Alex hadn’t told me about being in All Time Low. It made me feel like a joke, someone he could mock behind their back because of their ignorance.

So I had started ignoring Alex’s phone calls and worried texts that are constantly making my phone ring like crazy. I had even taken to leaving my phone at home when I go somewhere, and silent when I’m at home. It makes things much simpler; I mean, if you ignore something then it’s going to eventually give up and disappear, right?

So here I am, curled up pitifully in my sheets on Sunday. I don’t work on the weekends so all of yesterday and today I have slept; not worrying about what’s happening on this week’s Pretty Little Liars or what new movie had come out in the movie theatre. And certainly not caring about my wickedly disgusting feeling hair that all I had bothered to do with was throw up into a messy bun. Nope, life’s certainly much easier when you can’t be bothered enough to care.

Just as I close my eyes for naptime round two, my door slams open, rocketing hard enough against the wall behind it that it ricochets and flies back into the face of the person who had interrupted my sleeping; causing them to curse and open it up with more caution.
I want it to be Alex.

No I don’t.

Yes.

No.

“Get the hell out of bed, Hailey.” The voice of Max says and suddenly he’s jumping onto the end of my bed and curling up into my side against the wall so I can’t push him off onto the floor.

“I don’t wanna, Maxy.” I whine, fake coughing as I bury my head under my blanket. “I’m sick and I don’t feel good.”

“No, you’re just being a bitch for no reason.” He answers with a teasing smile while dragging my blanket away from my face. I groan as he gently nudges me over until I’m forced to stand when my feet hit the ground. “Now, I’m going to pick out some clothes for you, you’re going to get dressed like a good girl, and then we’re going to get something to eat.” He glances at me and he chuckles when he notices my glare, “And none of that, we’re being happy today!”

He laughs and hops over to my closet, yanking out several options before handing me a blue flower patterned sun dress. I pout and he pushes it into my hands with a grin. “Come on, you’re getting pasty from being inside! Show some skin, girl!”

For the first time since the concert, I laugh. I can’t help it. Max’s goofy attempt at being a teenage girl cracks me up. I’ve never been able to stop myself from smiling when I’m around him and if we weren’t best friends, we would make the perfect couple. He’s such a sweetheart and we both know everything about the other; but we’ve always been friends and we’re both content to leave it that way.

“So hop on it, we’re leaving in ten minutes!” He smiles, noticing my change in mood and then throws me a pair of white flip flops and leaves my room, closing the door much softer then he had opened it.

I sigh and strip out of the comfy v-neck and sweat pants I had currently been comfortably curled up in. Mournfully I thrown them in the hamper and pull on the short dress Max had picked out, yank my shoes on, and grab my bag from the side of my bed. My hair stays in its bun, but I make it a bit neater with a head band and a few clips here and there. Satisfied, I step across the hall into the bathroom and brush my teeth quickly. Down the hall I hear Max butchering a Rocket to the Moon song and I roll my eyes, he’s obviously a drummer for a reason.

“I’m ready!” I say, and Max grabs the keys for his car out of the kitchen and we lock the door behind us as we leave. I don’t know where Tabby is, she had left earlier and said where she was going but I had ignored her, pissed she had woke me up. Okay, now that I think about it, I am a bitch and it had gotten noticeably worse in my last few days of mourning.

While we drive, Max teasingly plays an All Time Low song, but I make him change it with a heated glare; Tabby must have told him about the concert on Saturday. I take it back about me being a bitch, Tabitha deserves to be ignored. So instead he puts on the newest album from the Maine and we rock out, enjoying the beautiful Maryland weather. I hadn’t expected it to be so nice, the last few days I had avoided being outside as much as possible, choosing to hop quickly out of my car and into wherever I was going instead.

Max pulls up to a little café a few minutes later and we step out, him running over to my side so he can tug on my arm to get into the place as quickly as possible. Laughing, I let him pull me into the doorway and over to the counter where a small, auburn haired girl is stacking cups with obviously fake enthusiasm about her job.

Confused Max stares at the lit up menu on the wall for awhile until he mumbles, “Fuck it.” and the girl at the counter laughs at his words. “Why are your sizes so weird?” he questions, still trying to decipher what they mean and failing miserably.

The girl chuckles and points at the three different size cups that she had just neatly stacked onto the counter, “I’m new, so I’m still trying to figure it out; but basically, there’s small, medium, and large except with names that I can’t remember for the life of me.” Me and Max both laugh at this and the girl grins, showing off a genuine smile.

“We’ll take two French vanillas of the largest you can get, andddd,” He looks around and then grins madly when he spots the bakery foods, “And four of those giant sugar cookies, por favor!”

I roll my eyes at him but can’t help but laugh as his eyes light up when he’s handed the cookies in a small bag. The girl should have known better, the boy can’t handle his sugar.

“Now to the beach!” He cheers and leads the way out of the café after waving ecstatically to the girl. Amused, she smiles and waves back as we march out of the place, laughing quite hard at the faces of the other customers.

“Max, you’re the absolute best.” I smile as we get back into the car, already pointed straight towards the closest beach.

“I try.” He grins.