They Always Told Me I Was Gorgeous In A Way

"What do you think of him, Maxxie?" Eddy says as we trip back to her house at dusk, my parents knowing full well I wont be home until Sunday night, just before school.

"Ronnie?" I say, still in a daze from the hive of activity we've just left.

"No, Max," Eddy spits sarcastically, her face twinkling in her smile, "The stick man we made! Of course Ronnie, dickbrain!"

She's happy, from meeting new people, hopping from one foot to the other along the dirty pavement.

I smile, watching as the sky stains orange from the leftover light, "Yeah, he's great, good guy." I take a deep breath and look at my best friend, my fingers tapping her arm before linking it with hers, "What about you?"

"Yeah," I watch as my best friend portrays the first sign of shyness I've seen in all the time I've known her, "Yeah, he's cool." She stares at the ground and her cheeks flush red. I pull my grip on her arm and smile a little.

"Do you laaaik him Eddy?" I say, nudging her arm to be deliberately annoying, and she hits my own arm back.

"Shut up Green."

"You do don’t you Eddy! You laaik him!"

"Shut up Green!" She pushes me into the road and my stumbling form almost hits a car. The screeching of tyres hits my ears and Eddy pulls on my arm and a head leans out of the car.

"'The fuck you doin' Green?" I note it as my new nickname and look at the driver of the car. Ronnie's eyes meet mine and his lips grin, his whole torso almost hanging from the window of his beat-up black Mustang.

"Want a lift you two?" He asks, throwing a hand over his shoulder to the otherwise empty car.

I go to check with Eddy, but she's already climbing into the car, hopping over the door seeing as the roofs down. I let her go in the front as I guessed she wanted to be with Ronnie.

I sit back and shield my eyes, watching Eddy flirt for her life with the boy only half concentrating on driving. I knew he was going to be my best friend, I just felt it. When him and Eddy exchange numbers I ask Ronnie if I can have his too, and, of course, he obliges, his nature far too giving for him to disagree. Eddy smiles when she says her address and I swear I see a sparkle in Ronnie's eyes. I really hope they get together, my two best friends, and when Ronnie pulls into our drive Eddy does a coy little wave she reserves only for the rockstars we meet at Warped Tour.

"Girl, you've got it bad," I murmur in her ear as we walk up the path. I smirk and she pushes me again, making me fall down the steps.

"No more pushing him onto the road Eddy!" Ronnie says to Eddy with a smile as he drives off. She blushes, even through the dark, and I get the feeling she'll do whatever he wants.

-x-

The weekend passes with every day down the park, and I'm gradually getting better and better friends with Ronnie, and Eddy is flirting with all her might.

"Maxxie?" Eddy muses from my side, as we finally walk back to my house for the first time of the weekend, "Would you... talk to Ronnie for me?"

"About what?" I say, adjusting my sunglasses and chewing my lip a little.

She pushes me a little then giggles like a schoolgirl, "About me silly!"

I look at her through my glasses, then frown a little and lift them off my face, "Are you blushing Melody?" I smirk, "Are you blushing over Ronald Joseph Radke, Eddy? Oh my God you are aren't you?"

She smiles and pushes me again, but this time pulls me into a hug after, "I really like him."

"I will." I say softly, but for some reason, I don’t want her taking him away from me, I liked my best friend. He was my age, my sex, completely my personality and we understood each other and got along so well.

Eddy stops us on my doorstep and envelopes me in a hug. I breathe in her scent and smile, realising how comforted I really felt, "Night Maxxie," She says in my ear and I smile.

"Night Eddy," I say back, digging my keys out and letting myself in. I stand on the doorstep and see her skip back off to her house. I close the door and yell that I'm back to the house.

"Don’t yell Max. And don’t be so late next time!"

"Yes Mum," I say back tiredly as I trudge up the stairs to my room and push open my door. The smell of hairspray, Lynx and clean sheets meets my nose and I smile, closing the door behind me. I pull my phone and iPod out my pockets, putting them both on charge, and collapse onto my bed, it being way past midnight and school tomorrow. I run my hands through my hair and over my eyes, smiling when my fingers are black from the eyeliner. I groan, tiredness suddenly covering me, and kick and pull off all my clothes, leaving them in a heap next to my bed. I slide between the covers and my eyes drift closed.

My phone vibrates from next to me, emitting a chopped up version of Girls Girls Girls by Motley Crue, and I roll over, flipping my phone open and reading a text message from Ronnie.

Yo Max, wanna come mine tomorrow after school and chill?

Sure thing, I text back, C u 2mz, have things need 2 tell u 2 kid.

Like what?

Telll u 2mz, I say, almost losing my confidence, Night Ron.

Fo' sho. Night Green.

I wake up the next morning at least half an hour later and literally roll straight from my bed right into the shower, stripping on the way. I turn the water to cold to wake me up and I emerge a few minutes later bright eyed and ready. I get dry and hop out of my bathroom still drying one leg. I pull on my uniform, black trousers, white shirt – never tucked in – blue and black striped tie, and a black blazer with the school badge that I never ever wear. I throw said blazer over the back of my chair as I dry my hair and spray a bit of hairspray in it for the messed up look.

I pick up the stick of eyeliner Eddy left and put it back down again, knowing full well I'd only look like a panda.

I grab my messenger bag, not caring whether I'd got the right books, and trip out down the stairs and out the house in record time. I stumble down the road, still half asleep, and find Eddys house, knocking on her door and attempting to smile before the person behind the door sees me.

"Morning Mrs Whithers, you okay?" I smile, leaning on the door frame a little.

"Yes I'm fine thank you Max Green, and you?

"Tired." I say simply, and Eddys mum lets me in with a smile.

"Sit down love, Melody'll be here in a minute, do you want some breakfast?" Mrs Whithers says as she leads me through the hall, shouting to Eddy on the way, "Melody, Max is here! I'm doing you two some waffles! Hurry up!"

"Yay!" I say softly as I take a seat at the island counter, "Mrs Whithers Miracle Waffles!"

Eddy tumbles down the stairs a few minutes later, bang on time as the waffles are placed in front of us both.

"Morning Maxxie-Pooh!" She says brightly, her smile almost too wide.

I grunt under my breath and down my miracle waffles, hoping for them to wake me up. I sit there for a while, until Eddys Mum ushers us out the house and I wake up a little, Eddy chatting excitedly beside me.

"So did you talk to Ronnie?" She says, smiling widely at me.

"No, but I will today, I was too tired last night," I leave out the fact I'm going to his house, because I get the feeling she'll try and tag along.

"Yay!" She says, dive tackling me and almost making me stumble into the road again. Once again a car almost hits me, and once again a head is watching me curiously.

"Once again, 'The fuck you doin' Green?'" Ronnie smirks, and without him even asking we're both vaulting the car doors and taking our seats.

"So you live round here then?" Eddy asks sweetly and I smile from my back seat.

"Good," She says, hitting his arm lightly, "You can pick us up in the morning then!"

Ronnie smiles and makes a small 'Pshh' noise, and yet I know he will. I lean back and soak up the sun in the ride to school, that seemed so much shorter in Ronnie's car. I watch Eddy flirt again and think that maybe I'd feel a little left out when they got together, three best friends, one couple.

Hello I'm Max Green, third wheel, how are you?

Nice.