In Too Deep

Max gazed into the clear water of the courtyard fountain, flicking a penny between his fingers. Wishes don’t work, he reminded himself. Nevertheless, he let the coin slide from his hand. It plopped into the water with small splash and sunk to the bottom, practically glowing in the sunlight.

“What’d you wish for?”

Max turned around to see Jackie approaching him, a smile tugging at her lips. She held two apples in her hands, and upon reaching Max, handed one to him.

“Nothing, actually,” Max responded truthfully, taking the apple.

“Why?” Jackie asked, frowning.

“The things I want can’t be obtained by throwing a measly penny in a fountain,” Max explained.

“That’s not a very positive outlook.”

“Yeah, well,” Max responded, shrugging. Wanting to change the subject, he brought the apple in his hands to eye level and looked at it suspiciously. Jackie saw what he was doing and rolled her eyes.

“It’s not poisoned,” she said, taking a bite of her own.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if the whole friend thing was a big lie, and you were just leading me into a false sense of security, only to strike in the form of a succulent looking apple!” Max exclaimed dramatically.

Jackie snatched the apple out of his hands, took a bite, and shoved it back at him. “See? I’m not dead.”

Max stared at his apple. “You just… ew… I can’t eat this now!”

“Fine, I want it.” Jackie took it once again. “You’re making me miss lunch. I’m a hungry person.”

Jackie took a seat on the edge of the fountain and looked expectantly at Max, who did the same right next to her.

“So…” Jackie said, her mouth filled with apple.

“So… I needed someone to talk to,” Max said slowly.

“That would be me.”

“Yeah.”

“Go on.”

“Um…” Max continued, shifting slightly. “I hate my family.”

Jackie stopped chewing slowly. “No you don’t.”

“Yeah, actually, I do,” Max said forcefully, gripping the edge of the fountain where he sat. “I hate them so much it’s not even funny.”

“Max, don’t say that…”

“Can you just… not interrupt? Can I just vent?” Max asked, and Jackie nodded silently. He continued. “My parents don’t listen to me. I just got an email from my dad about spring break plans.”

Jackie opened her mouth to say something, but closed it quickly, remembering Max’s request. He chuckled at this and nodded, allowing her to speak. “I thought Scooter’s parents were taking you three to California,” she said.

Max nodded. “Yeah, that’s been the plan for years. They’ve got a huge house in Manhattan Beach, just outside of L.A., and we decided in middle school that we’d go there together for spring break of our senior year.”

“But your parents…?” Jackie trailed off.

“I told them hundreds of times that I was going. They’ve known since eighth grade. They said it was fine, that I could go. I even mentioned it when we were in Europe this winter. Scooter’s parents bought the plane tickets last week and everything.”

Jackie sighed. “I think I know where this is going.”

“Dad emailed me. My brothers are all coming to our house for spring break, and I’m expected to be there. They completely forgot about my trip and got mad at me when I called and told them I had plans.”

“Is this a normal thing?” Jackie asked.

“Completely,” Max answered. “It’s always about Steven, Jason, and David—the three perfect sons with their perfect wives and perfect jobs. My parents stopped expecting anything of me years ago when they realized I could never be even near as good them.”

“Max…” Jackie said softly, but he cut her off.

“It’s been like this since I can remember,” he said forcefully. “’You should be like your brothers, Max,’ ‘Why don’t you try harder?’ ‘You better not be shaming the Leopold name over there.’ That’s assuming they say anything to me. And on the phone with my dad yesterday, I just snapped.”

“What’d you say?”

“I told him I hated them both. I told him I hated my brothers. I told him I wasn’t coming for spring break because I know I’ll either be yelled at for being imperfect or I’ll just be ignored.”

“And what’d he say to that?”

“He hung up,” Max answered, sighing. “When I was finishing yelling, I heard the dial tone. It could have been going the entire time and I wouldn’t have known. He probably hung up at the very beginning. I’m too much of a deficient son for him to even listen.”

As Max stared dejectedly at the ground, he was shocked to feel a comforting hand on his shoulder, and he turned his head to look at Jackie. She smiled at him softly. Max sighed. “Sorry to make you listen to all this.”

“Don’t be sorry,” she replied instantly. “I unloaded my problems onto you. It’s your turn.”

Max had to resist the urge to kiss her. They agreed to be friends, and friends don’t just kiss friends, right? Friends. Just friends. Damn it, Max, he thought angrily to himself. Why are you so worked up over this girl?

He was shocked yet again when Jackie’s lips met his cheek, lingering there a little too long. As soon as Max turned to her, he saw her face was red and she was hurriedly eating the second apple as she looked anywhere but at him.

“I hate you, Bodello,” Max said suddenly, smiling brightly. It seemed like the most appropriate thing to say at that moment.

Jackie responded, her mouth full of apple. “Ah hay you too, Ee-oh-pole.”

“Can I apologize for everything that happened in Paris?” Max asked uncertainly. “I’d been with my family for so long, and I thought you’d be an escape, and I just got frustrated when… you know.”

Jackie swallowed and stared at the ground. “Consider everything forgotten.”

At that moment, one of the doors to the courtyard burst open and Jeffrey came briskly in. Max was startled to see his face shining with tears. Jeffrey appeared to be walking across the courtyard to the door leading to the dorms, and he didn’t even seem to see Max and Jackie sitting at the fountain.

“Jeffrey!” Max called. Jeffrey’s head snapped to the two of them and he stopped, sighing. Max frowned. “Dude, what’s wrong? Why are you crying?”

“Did Dina do something to you?” Jackie asked angrily. “Because I will beat her up again, just like last–“

Jeffrey’s voice interrupted. “No, stop.”

“What’s wrong?” Max asked again.

Jeffrey put his head in hands for a moment, before looking up and saying, “Dina just got a call from home. Her mom died this morning in a car accident.”