As Snow Falls on Desert Sky

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~Ricky’s POV~

“I am never letting you drive my car again!” I screamed as I flopped down on Max’s living room couch.

I had just let Max drive my car to her house after that disastrous encounter with Sid and believe me when I say I will never let that happen again.

“I don’t see what the big deal is. I mean, I got you here alive-”

“Barely,” I said cutting her off.

“Oh shut up,” she said before looking at the clock posted on the wall. “And I got you here in record time too.”

“Yeah, and in the process you managed to do doughnuts on two lawns and scare five pedestrians off the sidewalk. How the cops didn’t manage to come after us, I’ll never know, but what I do know is that you will never drive my baby ever again.”

“Rick I think you’re over reacting.”

“Yeah, well tell that to my car.”

“Whatever, come on let’s get you set up upstairs.”

As I got up from the couch, a woman who looked like an older version of Maxine came in and hugged me. “Ri’Kaylah.”

“Hey moms,” I said hugging her back.

Mrs. James has been like a second mother to me since I first met Max at the park at the age of ten. She didn’t know about my situation at home and Max and I have been doing everything in our power to keep it from her. All she knows is that I left for a couple years when I was eleven, but she thinks that I went to a boarding school somewhere in Massachusetts.

“How very nice it is to see you again dear. Let me look at you,” she said pulling away and spun me around. “You’re as skinny as beanpole, have you been eating?”

I glance at Max and she just rolled her eyes.

“Um, mom, Ricky and I were on our way to my room.”

“Oh of course don’t let me stop you. Are you staying for dinner?”

“I’m hope you don’t mind, but Max invited me to spend the night,” I said in a very polite and respectful voice.

“Of course not, you’re always welcome here. You’re like the daughter I never had.”

“Mom you have a daughter,” Max said.

“I know, I was just kidding. Now, go on upstairs and I’ll call you when dinner is ready.”

“Oh thanks mom,” she said before pushing me up the stairs. “Go Ricky.”

I ran up the stairs with Max at my heels. When we made to her bedroom door, she practically pushed me inside, before throwing my bag in a corner and flopping down on her bed. Once I regained my balance, I looked around her bedroom.

She had various posters over her wall, just like mine but hers were neater. She had a poster from all her favorite artist from the rap and R&B genres and pop genres. The one thing that caught my attention was the fact the she had a whole wall dedicated to the pop tarts. I walked over and sat in her computer chair backwards in order to face her.

“I hate it when she does that,” Max said capturing my attention.

“Do what?”

“Act like I don’t exist.”

“Max, moms was just joking. She and I haven’t seen each other in minute. Don’t read too much into it.” There was a silence before I spoke again. “What happened to your room?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well that,” I said while pointing to the Jonas wall. “Wasn’t there last time I was here. It was all MCR.”

“Oh, I took all the MCR down.”

“Why?”

“Cause, I’m just not that into them as I use to be.”

“Oh.”

“So what do want to do?”

“I don’t know. Wanna watch a movie?” I asked.

“Okay! What about ‘Camp Rock’?” she questioned holding the DVD case in her hand. I looked at her incredulously.

“Uhh no.” I said getting up and walking over to her DVD collection. “What happened to all your Tim Burton movies?” I asked noticing that Beetle Juice, Sleepy Hollow, Charlie and the Chocolate factory, Edward Scissorhands, Nightmare before Christmas, Corpse Bride and Sweeny Todd were missing.

“I gave them all to Eric,” she said dismissively. “How ‘bout watching ‘Beauty and the Beast’? I know that’s your favorite.”

“No. What do you mean you gave them all to Eric?”

“He asked for them.”

“Oh.”

“I know something you would want to watch,” she said holding up a green DVD case. Upon closer inspection I realized it was TMNT.

“TMNT, Max?” I questioned. “For real?”

“Quit faking Rick. You know you want to watch it.”

I smirked at her. “You know all to well. Put the movie in.”

Max and I sat and watched the movie, giving our own commentary as we did. When it the ending credits came rolling around, Max and I heard a distinct “Dinners ready!” and she and I bolted out the door and to the kitchen. Dinner passed with idle chatter, Mr. James working late. Once dinner was over, Max had put in another movie.

“The Little Mermaid?” I asked.

“My favorite,” she confirmed.

As we were watching that movie, we sat up the airbed in the middle of the floor for me. She gave me one of her pillows and an extra set of covers before going into the bathroom to change into her pajamas. I changed into mine as well. Max came back in and I almost vomited when I saw what she was wearing.

“What?” she asked.

She was wearing sky blue pajama pants with red hearts all over them and a matching shirt, but it was on big red heart on the front that said Jonas Brothers. I looked at her skeptically.

“What?” she asked again. “I have OJD.”

“OJD?”

“Obsessive Jonas Disorder.”

“…You just made that up. Don’t be throwing no fake made up disorders at me.”

“No I did not just make it up.”

“Whatever.”

“Oh please, like your pajamas are any better.”

I looked down at my pajamas. Black pajama pants with little purple dragons and swirls of orange fire coming out of their mouths and black long sleeved shirt. “These were a gift… from you.” I said with a slight laugh.

“Oh. Go to sleep.”

Laughing I laid down in my airbed as she laid in hers.

“Rick,” she called.

“What?”

“What’s going on between you and Nick?”

“Nothing. Why?”

“Oh, no reason. Just thought I asked.”

“Uh huh. You know you’re weird right?”

Laughing she said “Yeah, and you’re just so normal.”

I laughed too before saying “You know now that you’re single, you should give Halo a call.”

“I’ll think about it,” she said simple before turning off the movie and TV with the remote.

Lying in bed staring at the dark ceiling, I began looking back on my day, and I fell asleep thing about my mother.