Bruises in Miniature Form

It turns out Max is a faster runner than I first planned as he had dashed away until he was out of sight.
When I returned to the camp my mood was foul and I had begun putting Daryl’s plan into action.
I was going to be childish about this; if Max was going to throw my feelings in my face then I would throw them right back at him.
The boys were still howling with laughter, though Robert was the first to ask if Max was dead yet.
I quickly informed them all, that he would be once he returned with his tail between his legs before stomping to the free chair beside Omar.
It was growing increasingly dark as the hours ticked by; I was having a lot more fun without Max looming in a corner.
Ronnie was singing while making the new fire, his voice sounding familiar yet new all at the same time.

“I’ve heard you singing before” I mused to myself, watching Ronnie bob his head.
“I’ve never sung around you, I don’t think, Nettie” He answered me with a shrug of his shoulders.
“Maybe Max showed her the CD” Bryan suggested, lazing on a chair opposite Omar and I.
As if a light bulb went off in my head I shouted a, “That’s it!”
“He showed you the CD?” Bryan looked at me with knitted brows.
“No, that was when he stole my underwear, so I took his CDs. I listened to a few and one of them was blank. That was you guys? It’s really good”
“We know” Ronnie joked.
“I’m starting to get worried about Max. Think he got lost?” Robert voiced, glancing between us all.
Throwing a stick onto the crackling small flame Ronnie stood up to his feet and brushed at his knees, “Nah. With all the time we’ve spent here, I doubt any of us can get lost. He’s probably hiding out at the river till he thinks Newton’s calmed down, or at least gone to bed”
“Chicken” I muttered darkly.

Ronnie laughed loudly at my response and patted my knee lightly, “I can’t wait to see the next fight you two come up with. It’s always valuable entertainment! I think we should record it too, so a few years down the road when you two are making babies we can show you and laugh!”
“Making babies?” I choked, “NEVER!”
Bryan howled in laughter, “Can you imagine what they’d look like!”
Omar joined the laughing fit quickly, “No, no, no!! Think of how they’d act! Max would be like ‘I love you son, now go to bed’ and he’d be all, ‘screw you daddy’ while Newton’s flipping out in the background that her son swore”
“I’m right here! And I’m not having kids with Max! That’s disgusting! That’s like saying... Max and Ronnie having kids”
“I can see them having kids,” Robert huffed, “They’d be little alcoholic sex-crazed demons though. Yours would at least have a halo handy after they get in trouble”
“Can we please not talk about this!” I snapped, annoyed.
Ignoring me Ronnie carried on into the conversation, “I can’t see Max being a stay-at home mother. Definitely not the bread-maker either though. I don’t wanna take care of our kids by myself!”
“I’d babysit” Omar offered.
“Yah, ‘sit’ being the keyword. You’d be teaching them to get you beer while watching tv” Bryan laughed.
“Would not. They’d already know how to get me beer, Ronnie’s their dad, remember?”
“You guys are idiots” I huffed, exiting my chair to make my way inside mine and Bryan’s tent.
“Awe, come on! Don’t leave us. We’ll go back to talking about yours and Max’s kids if it makes you feel better?” Ronnie teased at me as I zipped up my tents flap to block them out.

Turning to face my mattress I almost jumped from my skin and had a heart attack when I saw a sleeping Max Green on my mattress.
“YOU WERE IN HERE THE WHOLE TIME!?” I screamed, waking him up and alerting the men outside.
Max jerked away and eyed me carefully before his blinking eyes took in the situation and his body reacted with a quick squeak.
“Shit! I wanna see this! Open the tent!” Ronnie whined and I heard the zipper being struggled with as I rounded on Max.
His eyes bulged from their sockets as I pressed my hands into his shoulders and took him down to the ground.
He landed with a thump and groaned, “I’m not awake enough for this. Do me a favour and go make some coffee, Newt, eh?”
“We don’t have coffee’ I told him sweetly, sitting up and releasing my hold on him.
“Wah?” His confusion shone brilliantly and made me grin inside.
I was going to turn his emotions back on him, and shove them in his face.
As Daryl said ‘You’re a woman, use it against him’.
Admittedly, we women are manipulative bitches.
“Whoa! She’s killing him already!” Ronnie chuckled as the tent’s entrance flap was pushed aside.
“Mind getting her off me?” Max scowled.
Grinning down at Max I glanced wickedly back at Ronnie before turning my attention to his lips.
“Wha-what are you doing?” He stuttered nervously, fidgeting beneath me.

Leaning down I pressed my lips against his, smiling as his hands flailed and eyes popped to their widest state.
Ronnie made some sort of gurgling noise behind us before laughter bubbled up his throat.
When I pulled away Max fell back with a thump, his hands pressed against my shoulders.

“What the h-hell!?” He spoke defensively, though his voice wavered near the end.
“You guys just missed ‘em going at it!!!” Ronnie howled, lanky body crawling closer to us, “That was fucking hilarious, do it again!”
“She will not do it again!” Max spluttered, turning on his friend quickly, “What the hell do you want anyway?”
“Wanted to see that” Ronnie replied easily, eyes dancing between us.
Climbing off Max I pressed my hands into my hips triumphantly, “Don’t worry Max, I won’t be doing that again. I’ve got someone else anyway, someone a lot better”
Scoffing Max leaned up and eyed me, “I highly doubt that”
Looking over my shoulder I quickly made the choice Daryl talked about for nearly half an hour, “Yah, and he’s here too”
“WHAT!?” Max shouted before bounding out of the tent, fingering Ronnie and I on his way out, “Who the fuck’s dating Newton?”

Grinning in satisfaction I exited after Max and stared politely at the three confused boys.
“Whoa, one of us is dating Nettie? Why the fuck isn’t it me?” Ronnie joked, though his face was beginning to get worried.
Rounding on me Max pointed his finger at my chest, “My friends wouldn’t date you, Newton”
“Actually, we just didn’t want to tell anyone yet. We were worried how you would take it” Bryan spoke up, moving quickly to stand between us.
“What?” Max’s eyes looked bewildered.
“It’s not much Max, we’re just having fun right now. Nothing serious, so I didn’t think I had to share it”
“This is fucking ridiculous!” Max cried.
“Wait, Bryan.... your dating Newton?” Robert’s mouth twisted into a frown.
“It’s between Newton and I... Come on” Bryan quickly turned away from everyone and began walking towards the rivers trail.
I followed after him without complaint, watching Max hiss furiously at everyone and yell towards our backs.

“Can’t believe you did that” Bryan sighed heavily when we were encased in the darkness.
“What else was I supposed to do!?” I snapped.
“Anything but that!” he countered, “Anyone else and he would’ve started a fist fight. I might’ve just fucked up our friendship and you’re just smiling to yourself. This isn’t a fucking contest”
“He kissed me and shoved it in my face!” Bryan’s words hurt, striking my heart into a guilty conscience.
Bryan rounded on me then, looking like a flaming lantern with his hair, “Are you trying to make him jealous using his friends? Answer me honestly”
“I want him to feel...” Jealous? Angry? Hurt? All these things and more, I just wanted him to suffer for a few minutes, “I want him to feel bad about treating me this way”
Bryan shook his head at me, “Tomorrow I’ll drive you back home. I’ll get Omar to call your dad and see if he’s still here”
“You don’t think he deserves this? I never meant to drag you into this, you spoke up!”
“Cause he would’ve killed anyone else!”
“I just want to feel justified for once Bryan. I’ll tell him I lied, okay?”
Sighing Bryan stopped his walking pace, “I warned you not to get involved with Max. Just get out now, okay? I’ll be your excuse”

“That’s why Vanessa left, isn’t it?” The thought suddenly struck me.
“What?”
“You told her to leave” I confirmed my suspicions aloud.
Nodding his brown eyes moved away from me, “I had to. Max kept breaking her heart. Newton, I don’t need you breaking my friends heart back”
“She never fought back?”
“No”
Running my shaky hands through my hair I bent my knees and heaved a heavy sigh, “You’re enabling him Bryan. How the hell is he going to learn to treat people properly when you send everyone who stands up for themselves away?”
“What you did was not standing up for yourself. That was a bitch move. If you want to stand up to him, you do it, but don’t you sink to his level!”
“Okay. Then let me stand up for myself, please?”
Smiling Bryan clasped his hands onto my cheeks and kissed my forehead lightly, “Please don’t make me regret keeping you around. I like you Newton, but I don’t want to have to clean up anymore hearts. They’re messy”
“I’m going to go apologise,” I whispered quietly, “I’m sorry Bryan”