‹ Prequel: Dirty Journalism

In Too Deep

Epilogue

22 December 2009
Atlanta, GA

Max pulled his heavy suitcase down the steps of the large bus and breathed in the chilly air surrounding the Atlanta Airport. It felt good after being in the stuffy bus for so long.

“Bye, Max!”

“Have a good Christmas!”

“See you in the new year!”

Max smiled at the calls from his fellow journalists, all of whom were dragging their bags into the airport, ready to catch flights to their various homes across the country and spend four whole weeks with their families. Walter Windham’s Tour Across America had been going on since July, and now the participants were finally getting their well-deserved Christmas break.

Max would be spending it alone in a Holiday Inn in Atlanta. Both Scooter and Jeffrey had offered to let him stay with their respective families, but Max had turned them down. Although he’d love to see his best friends, he didn’t want to celebrate the holidays with a big, happy family. It would be too depressing.

“Max… you’re going the wrong way.”

Max turned his head to see his mentor on the journalism tour, acclaimed New York Times writer Walter Windham. He was a tall middle-aged man with a graying beard, and Max had found him to be more of a father in six months than his own had been in eighteen years.

“Yeah, I’m not going into the airport,” Max explained.

“Your family lives here?” Walter asked. “I thought they lived in Albany.”

“They do.”

Walter frowned. “Maybe you haven’t looked at a map recently, but that’s not exactly walking distance from here.”

Max laughed slightly. “We’re not on good terms. I’m not staying with them for the break.”

“Is that who you’re always arguing with on the phone in the back of the bus?” Mr. Windham asked slowly.

Max smiled. “Oh no, I don’t ever talk to my parents. That’s my girlfriend.”

Walter just stared, but didn’t question any further. “Are you staying with a friend then?”

“If you consider an empty hotel room a friend, then yeah,” Max answered, shrugging. “I hear certain Holiday Inns leave free chocolates on the pillows, so that should be cool.”

Walter raised an eyebrow. “That sounds… delightful. Can I ask you where your girlfriend is?”

“She goes to the American University of Paris,” Max answered. “Her parents are flying there to spend Christmas with her. They’re pretty rich,” he added with a laugh.

“When did you see her last?”

Max looked at the ground as he answered, “The day the tour started in July.”

“Oh, that’s right, I remember her. Short girl… brown hair, kind of poofy?”

Max grinned. “Yeah, that’s her.”

Walter smirked. “Yes, yes, you were the two having that passionate goodbye behind a stack of luggage.”

Max’s grin dropped. “You saw that?”

“Yes, and I must say, it’s not the way we did it in my day,” Walter chuckled.

“It’s just… we’ve been through the whole separated thing before, and we knew we weren’t going to see each other for almost a year… and we’re proud to say that we’re not freakishly dependent on one another… so we just wanted to let it all out so we wouldn’t forget but we wouldn’t obsess over each other... oh my God… I can’t believe you saw that,” Max said all in one breath, fidgeting with his fingers.

Walter ignored his rant. “Max, you’ve had six articles published and gotten nice payment for each one, not to mention your salary. We’re at the Atlanta Airport. You know what’s big at the Atlanta Airport?”

Max looked at him confusedly.

Walter simply smiled. “International flights.”

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

“Jackie, dear, say it again.”

Jackie smiled. “Où sont les toilettes?”

Mr. Bodello frowned and tried to imitate his daughter, his accent sounding unmistakably American. With a sigh, he shook his head. “It’s hopeless. Never leave me alone on the streets of Paris again, you hear?”

Jackie laughed, leaning back on the couch of their hotel suite. “We didn’t leave you… you insisted on venturing to the café on your own. I told Mom that it was a bad idea!”

“And you were very, very right,” Mrs. Bodello said, entering the room with a bag of ice. She approached her husband and pressed it against a bruise that was showing on his forehead. “Although, honey, I didn’t expect you to get in a fight with the young man trying to help you.”

“He was obviously trying to get to my wallet! He was a crazy babbling man!” Mr. Bodello defended himself.

“Babbling? That would be French,” Jackie said, laughing as her mom held the ice to her dad’s forehead. For the winter holidays, she had left her dorm and was staying with her parents in a fancy hotel in the heart of Paris. She smiled happily, thinking of how much closer the three of them had gotten since the end of senior year. She hoped Michaela would have been proud.

Jackie was distracted from her thoughts when her cell phone buzzed in her pocket, signaling a new text. She pulled it out and glanced at the screen.

From: Max cell
Hey, Ms. Bodello. I’m outside.

Jackie frowned for a moment before typing her response: That’s great! Fresh air is supposed to be really good for you! Before she even had time to put her cell phone back in her pocket, it buzzed once more.

From: Max cell
Still sarcastic, I see. I’m outside your HOTEL.

Jackie stared at the screen in shock, before practically leaping from the couch. Both her parents stared at her, startled. Her mom asked, “Are you okay, dear?”

“I’ll be right back,” Jackie said quickly, running to the suite door and throwing herself into the hall. She skipped the elevator, instead sprinting down ten flights of stairs. When she reached the lobby, she ignored the bizarre looks she was receiving from those around her and proceeded to throw all her weight into the wooden front door leading out to the streets of Paris.

Bad idea.

The door collided heavily with someone on the other side, causing a loud thud to resound in the room, and then a string of expletives… in English.

Jackie slowly pushed the door open all the way and found herself looking at a damp Max laying flat on his back, his hands clutching his forehead. Momentarily frozen in shock, Jackie noticed the light rain that was falling from the sky.

“We have got to stop doing this,” Max groaned, moving his hands and slowly sitting up. Jackie, still too shocked to speak, reached out and grabbed his hands, pulling him to standing position.

Max smirked at her silence. “You’re awfully quiet, Ms. Bodello–OW!”

He took a step back as Jackie roughly hit him across the shoulder. She moved closer to him, allowing raindrops to fall on her hair, making her just as damp as Max.

“What the hell are you doing here?” she demanded, smacking him one more time for good measure.

Max clutched his shoulder and winced. “Jeez, woman!” As she raised her arm to strike again, he grabbed it quickly and pulled her to him, and in seconds, her mouth was on his and he was responding with similar enthusiasm.

“Has anyone… ever… told you…” Max breathed whenever her mouth left his for a moment, “that… you have… mood swings…?”

Jackie finally pulled away, but Max kept a firm grip around her waist. “What are you doing here?” she repeated breathlessly.

Max grinned. “Making sure no French sleazebags have tried anything. What was with the hitting?”

Jackie shrugged. “It’s my natural instinct when I see you.”

“Well, I’d like to duck for cover when I see you, but I’m polite enough to restrain myself,” Max pointed out.

Jackie rolled her eyes. “You’re a jackass.”

“You’re a bitch.”

“You like it.”

“Je l’aime.”

I love it, Jackie translated in her head. “You learned more French!” she exclaimed. “Say something else!”

“Uh… j’ai un chien.”

“I have a dog,” Jackie said, raising her eyebrows. “Wow! You’re advanced!”

Max scratched the back of his neck. “Teach Yourself French Books can be complicated to understand, okay?” He gave her a look. “They’re kind of like you in that way.”

“I enjoy causing you confusion,” Jackie said happily.

Max laughed and ran a hand through his wet hair. “I hate you.”

“The feeling is mutual, Maxwell.”

“Are we back to this, Jacqueline?”

“We’re always like this, idiot.”

“Don’t forget I broke my nose for you!”

“Oh yeah, thanks for losing that fight. Good job.”

“You’re a sarcastic, uptight egomaniac.”

“You’re an inconsiderate, womanizing jerk.”

“You’re a poofy-haired, cold-hearted, unfeeling, really pretty, really funny, smart, well-endowed, partly insane freak of a human being.”

“Yeah… well… ditto!” Jackie said hurriedly, before grabbing Max’s face and making sure his lips were effectively covered with her own.

The rain fell harder, soaking the already freezing young adults, but they didn’t notice. No crazy friends. No screaming ex-girlfriends. No muggers. No strict parents or teachers.

It’s amazing how quickly life can change.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

From: jacquelinebodello@AUP.com
Subject: :-P
Date: 15 January 2010
To: max.leopold@gmail.com

Maxi-pad,

I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU LEFT WITHOUT WAKING ME UP. I don’t care if you had to be at the airport at 5 AM, I wanted to say goodbye. You suck.

But thank you for the present you left on my pillow. I’m glad I opened it when my parents weren’t in the room… they would be a little weirded out if they knew I was the possessor of a your extremely long test tube. (I didn’t know they made them that big!)

Jerk, you better call me when you get to Atlanta.

xoxo Jackie

P.S. I hate you.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

From: max.leopold@gmail.com
Subject: Re: :-P
Date: 15 January 2010
To: jacquelinebodello@AUP.com

I tried to wake you up, but then you tried to bite me in your sleep, so I gave up. See, you’re a bitch all the freaking time.

That test tube is the actual size. Hard to fathom, I know.

-MAX

P.S. I’m in love with you.
♠ ♠ ♠
And.... it's done. WAAAAAAH. :-(

Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you merci merci merci gracias danke thank you thank thank you thank you merci merci merci....

...for reading Dirty Journalism and In Too Deep! It means THE WORLD to me. I love you all so, so, so, so, so, so SO SO SO SO MUCH.

There won't be a third part to Max and Jackie's story... I don't think I could ever continue with them out of high school. The epilogue was so weird to write as it is! But I am HONORED that some of you wanted more. Hopefully I'll find a new storyline to write and new characters to develop.

THANK YOU SO MUCH! If you're not already tired of me saying that... :-)

xoxo Dems