Thank you for sticking with me. You guys are amazing.
PS Keep feeling better, Laira. You're the best. GO WITH YOUR HEART!
Part 33
“Max? Are you alright, dear?” Diane called out to him in concern. She had received a phone call from Jim Valenti a few minutes ago about Max and his health, and she was anxious to find out if anything was wrong with him. After all, the doctors hadn’t wanted to release him so early from the hospital. Maybe he needed additional treatment…
Max came around the corner and into the kitchen. He leaned heavily against the wall, “Yes, I’m fine.”
Diane and Phillip were seated at the kitchen table, some papers in front of them. Diane smiled up at him, “I’m glad to hear it. You will let me know if you don’t feel up to your normal level, won’t you?”
“Of course.” He reassured her with a weak smile before leaving the room entirely.
Phillip looked back down at the papers, “I don’t know what we’re going to do, Diane. The bills are out of control…”
“Can’t the state do anything? The bills are the result of them placing Max with that monster. It was their fault.”
“I think so, since technically we have become Max’s foster family and the state covers the financial cost of having a foster child in the home. I’ll have to call some people when I get back into work. What I’m really concerned about, though, is what’s going to happen to Max. We’re his foster family now, but for how long? It’s possible that the state might intervene because of his case’s extremity. I think there’s a good chance of that. I don’t like it, but it’s a definite possibility that they will feel that our home isn’t suitable enough to help Max recuperate.”
“Phillip, I’m so tired.” Diane looked up at her husband, interlocking her fingers in his. “I want for this to be over, so, so much. Max needs it to be. We all do. We can’t let them take him away from here.”
“I know, Diane.” He sighed, “I know.”
Max entered the kitchen, having heard the last half of the conversation. Diane and Phillip looked like children caught with their hands in the cookie jar. Max shook his head, “You don’t have to hide things from me. I can handle them.”
“We know you can, Max.” Diane smiled lightly, “We’re just doing our job as parents and trying to make your life easier.”
She talked like she was his mother and Phillip was his father. The notion warmed his heart slightly. Then he remembered what he was talking about. He went against his better judgment and told them exactly what he was thinking, “I uh… I couldn’t help but overhearing… and I think that it might be a good thing if I didn’t stay here. I mean, I can call that social worker, Mr. Baum, and he can figure out some other arrangement for me. I feel bad, being here. I know that I’m complicating your lives…,” he talked over Diane’s protests, “and I don’t want to impose anymore than I already have. It’s only for a year, anyways, and then I can get my own place. In the meantime, I could stay at Isabel’s or something…”
“Max, you can’t be serious?” Diane’s voice was thick with worry. “We love having you here. The last thing we want is for you to leave. Unless, of course, you’re not happy here?”
He was quick to reassure her, “No, no. I’m happy. I like it here. But I don’t want to impose…”
“You’re not doing anything of the sort.” Phillip shook his head.
“Okay.” Max nodded, not fully believing them. He would look into other options later. He wasn’t exactly sure what his place was here in the Evans’ home. Sure, they were nice and hospitable… but they weren’t his parents to have. They were Michael’s.
He dreaded going to bed that night. Liz and Isabel were going to dreamwalk him. He told Liz that they could. He didn’t really want them to. But they were going to.
Michael was waiting for him in his room when he got there. He moved from his spot on the bed, turned off the TV and stood. “Where have you been? You left The Crash way before me and I beat you back here.”
“I was walking around. Clearing my head.” Max responded warily.
Michael got straight to the point. “So, the Parkers know we’re aliens. Valenti, too.”
“Liz told you?” Max cursed. He knew that he would have to tell Isabel and Michael eventually, but he wanted to have a plan of attack first. “And no, not ‘we’. He knows that I’m an alien. Not you two.”
“Yeah.” Michael didn’t seem all that mad. In fact, he didn’t seem mad at all. “I wish you’d been able to tell us right after it happened, but there was a lot going on, I guess. We’re family, Max. Isabel and I would never turn our backs on you. We’re supposed to stick together and get stronger through all of this, you know?”
“I’m sorry.” Max hung his head.
Michael stopped him, “Before you get too cut-up over it, I have to tell you something. I told Maria.”
“What?!” Max’s head shot up. “When?!”
“About a week ago. I’m sorry I didn’t talk to you and Isabel about it first. It slipped out. She had just finished telling me about her dad and how he left when she was seven…. And I just blurted out that I was an alien. Something came over me and I wanted her to know everything. I’m in love with her, Max.”
Max laughed lightly, “We’re quite a pair, aren’t we? Have you told Isabel?”
“No. I wanted to tell you first.”
“I uh… I handled Valenti today. He talked to me about it. I don’t think he’s going to tell anyone. And I can talk to the Parkers soon.”
Michael nodded, “I’ll do it with you. Liz says that she’s going to, but I think it’ll be easier for them to understand if we do it ourselves.”
“Isabel’s going to want to tell Alex.” Max laughed loudly at Michael’s look. “Michael, you knew she had to find a boyfriend eventually. And Alex it good for her.”
Michael looked at him incredulously, “Max, you were giving the kid death threats when they started dating. Who’re you to talk?’
Max crossed his arms, “Yeah, well, I changed my mind.”
Michael rolled his eyes, “Okay, fine. We’ll tell her that I’ve told Maria and then leave it up to her to tell Alex if she wants. And Max? I didn’t just tell Maria ‘cause I’m dating her. I’ve been talking to her to help me get through a lot, and I just… she’s a good friend to all of us. I thought she deserved to know.”
“I understand.” Max nodded. He got a small smile on his face, “How’d Maria take it?”
“Let’s say that the shit hit the fan, and leave it at that.” Michael’s eyes got huge and he ran his fingers through his hair. That hadn’t been an easy conversation.
Max laughed. He was glad to have his friendship with Michael back to relatively normal, even if he himself had changed a lot. The constant chatter took his mind off of Sean and Liz. He didn’t even have time to think about Isabel and Liz dreamwalking him later that night until he and Michael had finished viewing Gladiator for the thousandth time and retreated to their rooms for bed.
His body involuntarily shook with nerves. He wasn’t sure if he had given Liz the right answer when he had told her she could dreamwalk him in his anger.
- - -
Liz and Isabel talked quietly in a booth at the Crashdown. They had already closed and the place was empty. Sean, Maria and Alex were all at Amy’s house, visiting. Liz and Isabel had invented a reason to stay behind.Liz looked at Isabel seriously, “Max said that we could dreamwalk him tonight. We were arguing about Sean, and I asked him what he was afraid of. He said if I wanted to know we could find out for ourselves.”
“So, we have the go-ahead?” Isabel reached into her purse and pulled out her wallet. From it, she removed a picture of Max. She turned the picture over and over in her fingers.
Liz watched her, “Is that how you do it?”
“Yeah.” She nodded. “I kind of… focus on them. And then… I get sucked in. It’s hard to explain.”
“Have you ever done it with someone else before?”
“Once. Max and I dream walked Michael to see if he really was an alien, like us.”
“Is it weird?”
“Kind of. You can’t control anything that’s happening, cause it’s the other person’s subconscious.”
Liz nodded. She winced slightly, “Does it hurt?”
Isabel laughed, “Absolutely painless.” She checked her watch. It was midnight, “I think we can start trying to dreamwalk him, if you want. I don’t know what his sleep schedule’s been like lately. Diane says that he doesn’t sleep much. But maybe he’ll have passed out. Michael said that they were going to hang out tonight. So… that means watch Gladiator and have an early night.”
Liz quirked an eyebrow.
“Majority of the times they hang out, they end up watching Gladiator. After that’s over, Diane’s usually gets a snack for them in the kitchen. They use the eating time to reminisce about the movie and decide whether or not they could have been as awesome in it. Then, Michael gets tired and Max will probably follow him to his bed.” Isabel smirked, “Men. They’re so predictable.”
“Alright.” Liz nodded, “Let’s do this.”
- - -
He stood alone in his room in the trailer, his heart beating erratically. There was a pounding on the door. He heard Hank’s slurs coming from the other side. He couldn’t bring himself to move. He was paralyzed.The door burst open and Hank stumbled through. His eyes found Max and his face lit up in a maniacal grin. He pointed to him, “You… You’re mine, you piece of shit.”
Max walked backwards, only to find a wall blocking his exit. Hank had him trapped. There was nowhere to go. He was cornered. Hank came ever closer. In seconds, he was hovering over him. Hank undid his belt and held it in his hand, “You think that you’re worth something?”
Max shook his head feverishly. If he agreed, maybe Hank wouldn’t hurt him.
“I think you do. I see you all of the time, talking to Isabel about your so-called friends. They’re not your friends. They don’t even like you. They HATE you.”
“NO!” Max shouted, his anger getting the best of him. He couldn’t help but lashing out as a picture of Liz floated through his mind. She didn’t even like him as a person. How could he have deluded himself into thinking that?
Hank started hitting Max with the belt, the thin strap cutting into every piece of flesh it touched. Max cried out and sunk to his knees, his head in his hands as Hank continued his tirade.
Meanwhile, Liz and Isabel were off to the side, tears in their eyes and a sickening feeling in their stomach. Liz called out, “Max, stop it! Stop! This isn’t real! It’s not happening!”
Max didn’t hear her. They watched painfully as Hank continued to beat Max and then, when Max’s strength was sapped, start to remove Max’s pants. Max looked to the side and realized everyone he cared for was standing in the room – Isabel, Liz, Michael, Maria, Alex, Tess, Kyle, Diane, Phillip, Amy, Valenti… everyone. They were staring at him like he was some kind of freak.
He watched as one by one, they all turned their backs until only Dream Michael, Dream Liz and Dream Isabel remained.
Michael spat at him, “You’re nothing, Max.”
“You deserve this.” Dream Isabel shook her head, turning and leaving with Michael.
Only Dream Liz remained. Hank was still fumbling with Max’s pants and his own. She laughed and eerie, cold laugh. She, too, shook her head. “You could never have me. Don’t you see, Max? Hank is the only person that would ever want you. And now that I’ve seen what you really are…” She looked him square in the eyes. “I hate you.”
Max felt tears surfacing after this.
Liz and Isabel fought back their own tears. Isabel took Liz’s hand, seeing that Max’s dream wasn’t going to stop at Hank removing Max’s pants. It was going to continue. “I can’t watch this, Liz. We have to go.”
Liz tried to call out to Max, to tell him that it wasn’t real and that something like that wouldn’t happen, but it was too late. She and Isabel were already back.
Liz felt faint. She didn’t know what to do. Was this what he thought about all of them? Did he dream things like this every night?
She pulled Isabel into a hug. They would find a way to cure Max of his nightmares. She had to have faith.
- - -
Max was screaming when Michael went into his room to wake him up. Tears ran down both of his cheeks. He was covered in sweat.Michael shook him awake, “Max! Max, man, are you okay?!”
“Yeah, yeah. I’m fine. I’m sorry.” Max sat up, wiping his forehead.
Michael looked concerned, “Are you sure? That seemed like a pretty intense nightmare…” He rocked awkwardly from foot to foot. Michael wasn’t good at the personal stuff like Isabel was. “Do you uh…” He scratched his eyebrow, “Do you want to talk about it or anything?”
“No. It wasn’t anything major, Michael.”
“Max…”
“Ask Isabel if you want proof, okay?!?” Max snapped out. He could vaguely recall, now that he was out of the dream, Isabel and Liz standing off to the side, observing. He didn’t remember anything about their expressions or the looks in their eye or what they were saying, but he probably had an idea. They probably agreed with their dream personas. He didn’t know if he could handle seeing them after this. He had made a mistake telling Liz that they could dreamwalk him. It had been out of anger, nothing more.
Then again, maybe they finally had their push to get away from him. They deserved the normalcy in their lives. He was only messing that up.
Michael stared at him strangely, “You let Isabel dreamwalk you?” The thought of that had always been strange to him. Max’s dreams were taboo. No one talked about them, thought about them… anything.
“Liz and Isabel.” Max nodded. “Whatever, it’s not a big deal. Maybe now they’ll get off my back about it.”
Michael wasn’t sure what to say. He could hear the resentment in Max’s voice. He tried desperately to find the words, “I’m sure that… uh…”
Max laughed, “Michael, I’m fine.” He saw Michael about to protest. “Really. It was just a bad dream. Everyone has them.”
“Okay.” Michael nodded. He took a few steps back, “I’m gonna go down and get a drink of water before I head back to sleep. Do you want anything?”
“No, thanks.”
Michael left and Max lay, face up on his bed. He couldn’t get back to sleep after that. A half hour later, there was a knock on his window. He jumped. It was Liz. He had no idea how she had climbed up to it, but she had.
Max helped her through the window. He grimaced. She was here to tell him everything that she had said in the dram. That she hated him. That she wanted him to stay away from her.
“Max…” She started.
He shrugged, “Liz, listen, it’s okay. You don’t have to come here and try to explain anything. I understand.”
She was confused, “Explain what?”
“How you don’t want me around you anymore.” The words left his lips a mere whisper, his voice cracking with emotion. Liz had always been his one hope of normalcy. In his mind, if he ever was with her, he knew that it was going to be okay. And now he was losing any future hope for more days at the lake like they had had together.
“I didn’t come here to tell you that.” Her heart broke. Did he really believe in those dreams? Her voice gained strength, “I came here to tell you that what happened in your dream… that would never happen. None of us think that of you. You didn’t deserve anything of what Hank did to you. He was a sick, twisted man that preyed on an innocent child. He was the one in the wrong, not you.”
“You keep saying that.” Max said in a flat voice, “And yet, if that was the case, why would fate allow me to choose Hank as a guardian for Isabel and I? Why would Hank get sent to prison and be allowed to escape?”
“It wasn’t your fault, Max. I don’t know why these things happen to you – I really, really don’t – but you need to understand that they are going to make you a stronger person, not a weaker one. I’m amazed by you, because you could go through all of what you went through because of your brother and sister. You did it to protect them. That says more about you than anything that Hank ever did to you.”
“Liz…”
“No, Max.” She stepped closer to him, he tried to take a step back but the bed was in the way. She looked him straight in the eyes, “I understand if you’re hesitant about a relationship with me. I’m not going to push you. But, I want you to know that no matter what, no one around you could ever hate you. You are the most strong, beautiful, amazing person I know. And I swear I’m going to help you realize that.”
He simply nodded, too tired of the argument.
She continued, “If you’re really serious about going to therapy, Max, you need to tell her about your dreams. You need to really want to get better for it to work. It’s not going to happen overnight and it’s not going to be easy. But I swear it will be worth it in the end.”
He nodded again.
She leaned forward, stood on her toes and placed a kiss on his cheek. She smiled sadly when she saw him wince, “And, hopefully, one day you’ll be able to tell me why you hate it when I kiss you… and why you aren’t able to kiss me.”
He hated her dejected tone. He watched as she turned to leave. “Liz, I…”
He couldn’t tell her.
She would laugh at him. She would tell him that he was right. He wouldn’t be able to stand that.
“Never mind.” He shook his head.
Liz nodded to him. She perched herself in the window, trying to hold back the tears that were threatening to fall. “Goodnight, Max.”
“’Night.”
- - -
“How are you feeling since the other night, Max?” Dr. Richfield asked, her hands folded in her lap. Max had told her how he felt uncomfortable when she took notes during the sessions. So she stopped doing it. She would do anything to get him to open up and reveal his problems to her.Max shook his head. “I can’t do this.”
“What? Max, you’ve been doing such a good job in our sessions…”
He wrung his hands restlessly, staring at her with pleading eyes, “No, you don’t understand. Everywhere I turn, I can’t escape it. I see him and what he did to me everywhere I turn. There are memories around every corner in this damn town. I hate it. I think about it when I sleep. I think about it when I’m awake. I can’t stop. You have to help me stop.”
“I’m trying, Max. Tell me what happens when you sleep?”
“E-everyone I care about is there.” His voice was breaking with every word. “T-they w-watch a-as H… Hank hits m-me and then he starts to… he starts to… and t-they just t-turn away. Mi-Michael and Is… t-they t-tell me I deserve it. Liz tells me… that she hates me.”
He could feel the pressure of the dreams lessening slightly, if any.
- - -
Max tried to ignore the fact that Liz and Sean were sitting in a booth together in the Crashdown sharing an ice cream sundae when he walked in. So, instead, he walked straight to the booth with Michael in it. He was, assumingly, waiting for Maria. That’s why Max was shocked when he saw Isabel exit the bathroom and walk towards them.Max sat down opposite Michael, greeting him. Isabel did the same when she sat down. Max had things that he wanted to tell them… but he had to get the courage to do it. He needed time to think it through.
Surprisingly, Michael was the one who started talking first. “Isabel, I have something to tell you.”
He gave her the speech he gave Max about loving Maria and wanting her to know what was going on since she had been so supportive. Isabel was strangely okay with it all. Max suspected that it was because she wanted to tell Alex herself, anyways.
Max zoned out for their entire conversation. He was too busy trying to find the courage.
Finally, after thirty minutes of not knowing what was going on, he blurted out, “I’m leaving.”
Michael and Isabel stopped mid-conversation.
Isabel turned her head to him, “What?”
“Max…” Michael started.
Max shook his head, “Dr. Richfield and I have been talking. She wants me to get out of Roswell this summer. There’s this retreat for kids… like me… during July and August. It’s a two month thing. I’m going to go. There are sessions that are sooner, but I want to finish up this year of high school first.”
“Max, are you sure?” Isabel’s voice with soft, almost hesitant.
“I’m surer than I’ll ever be. I can’t stay here anymore, Isabel. It kills me being in Roswell. Listen, it’s all taken care of. She says the state will pay for it, because of my case’s history.”
“Okay.” Michael said firmly. He looked between the two of them, “If this is what you need to do to get better, Max, you should definitely do it. You deserve it.”
Those three words sounded odd to his ears. Someone was telling him that he deserved something positively. It didn’t make any sense.
“I’m leaving the day after school gets out, though.” He said softly.
“What?!” Michael’s brow was furrowed, “Where the hell are you going to go if that camp doesn’t start until July?!”
“I’m just gonna… go. I have to. I can’t stay here anymore, Michael. I need to get my shit together before I can stand to be in these streets.”
“You’re going to have to take this up with everyone else.” Isabel said pointedly.
“I know.” Max nodded. “Believe me, I know.” Michael and Isabel noticed the way Max’s eyes kept straying to Liz and Sean’s booth.
- - -
Two nights later, Max was playing a board game with Diane, Phillip and Michael. It was fun to sit around and pretend to be a normal family. He liked to imagine, sometimes, that Diane was his mother and Phillip was his father and Michael was his brother. He got a warm feeling in his heart when he imagined that. Usually, though, the feeling was replaced with a sense of inferiority because he would never actually have that. Tonight, though, he was filled with a sense of calm when he thought about it.He still hadn’t told Diane or Phillip his plans for the summer. He hadn’t told anyone else.
“Max, the school called today.” Diane said off-hand.
“Why?” Max jumped.
“Apparently you’ve been getting better and better grades since you’ve moved in here and you’ve been nominated by some of your teachers for Honors Night up at the school.”
“What?” He frowned.
“It’s a good thing, Max.” Diane smiled at him.
He nodded. He guessed it was a good feeling, being acknowledged. He wasn’t used to it, though.
The front door banged open and Isabel ran into the room with a letter in her hand. She was shaking, but she had the biggest smile on her face that Max had ever seen.
“I got in! I got in to UCLA!”
The entire room jumped to their feet, drawing Isabel into a giant hug. Max couldn’t help but think that this was his family… but that thought was quickly replaced with the sinking feeling that he would never actually have a family, much less be a part of this one.
“And they gave me a good package! I can afford to go!” She positively beamed.
Max hugged her tightly as everyone else pulled back. “I’m so proud of you, Izzie.”
“Max, you don’t have to pay for me to go to college. I’ll be able to do it myself. So you have all of that extra money that you’ve been setting aside, now! Isn’t that great?!?!” Isabel was so excited at the prospect.
Max remained neutral. “We’ll talk about that later, Iz.”
Diane and Phillip were grinning. Phillip smiled at Isabel, “Well, this is a special occasion. Tonight, we’re celebrating. I’m taking everyone out to eat. And ice cream afterwards.”
A few minutes passed and the plans were set. As they were walking out of the door, Diane and Isabel were chatting happily about all of Isabel’s college plans.
Max felt another sense of satisfaction wash over him. Isabel had gotten into a great college. She was going to go. She got what he had always wanted her to get.
Maybe, just maybe, he wasn’t a complete screw up.
He hadn’t held her back from getting into college.
She was in.
He was happy.
TBC...
I'm so confused lol.
Thanks for being so awesome all of the time and always having my back with my nonsense! hahaha
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