3

Maxine

Monday came faster than I expected. I felt a mix of nervousness, excitement, and nonchalance. Going back to a school environment would definitely be triggering. Anyway, I got up as early as 5 a.m. to take a morning run. It helped me stay calm and ready for the day.

I thought I was going to miss the grey city of London, but the way the tall trees buried their heads in a thick fog gave me a strangely homely and nostalgic feeling.

Opportunity by Quvenzhané Wallis played softly through my headphones as I ran down the quiet, damp asphalt road. Damn, I should have grabbed a jacket. It was a cold morning.

I ran past my airport neighbors’ house. Yesterday I saw the redhead. I had dreaded opening my window ever since I saw the one with the glasses. I didn’t think they lived together. Are they brothers or something?

I focused on my running, reaching the end of the street before turning around and running back. A forty-minute run would do.

As I approached my house, I saw a redheaded woman in an electric wheelchair in the narrow space between my house and my neighbors’ house.

She must be one of the neighbors.

It looked like she was stuck. One of her tires had sunk deep into the wet mud.

I should help.

I ran toward her.

“Hi, need some help?” I asked, panting from my run.

“Yes, please. Thank you. My tire is stuck,” she said.

I looked down at the tire and saw that it was nearly completely sunken, making her chair tilt slightly to one side. I looked around for something strong enough to dig with and eventually found a thick stick nearby.

Using it, I dug around the mud until the tire became visible again. Then I tossed the stick aside, grabbed the handle of her wheelchair, and pulled with all my strength.

After a moment of struggle, the chair lifted free.

She quickly maneuvered the wheelchair to a dry spot.

“Thank you, angel. What’s your name?” she asked with a warm, charming smile.

“Max—Maxine. My mom and I just moved next door,” I said, pointing toward my house.

“That’s lovely. Welcome to Belmont Spring. I’ll invite you and your mom over for dinner sometime,” she said kindly.

I nodded.

“Thank you. I should go get ready for school,” I told her.

“My name is Amy. Nice to meet you, Max,” she said.

I instinctively held out my hand for a handshake, but she didn’t move.

She just looked at me, waiting for me to realize.

“I’m quadriplegic,” she said gently.

My eyes widened in horror.

“Oh… fuck. I’m so sorry,” I blurted out immediately.

I felt terrible. I should have realized.

She laughed.

“It’s okay, Max. Have a great day at school,” she said before wheeling away toward her house.

Is she their mom?

I was going to remember that encounter for the rest of my life and it was probably going to haunt me.

I slapped my forehead.

I walked back home to find my mom doing yoga in the middle of the living room while vocalizing dramatically to some random song.

I was lucky she actually had a great voice. If she didn’t, she would have been absolutely insufferable to live with.

I reached for the pot of coffee, side-eyeing her.

She waved a warning hand at me, reminding me that her answer to me having coffee was no.

And still no.

I guessed I would have to wait until I turned eighteen in a couple of weeks.

I made myself a cup of tea instead and ate breakfast. Instead of immediately taking my bath, I doom-scrolled on social media for another hour before finally dragging myself upstairs to take a hot shower and get ready for school.

Just like I expected, my uniform looked great on me.

The skirt was a little too short though.

Aunt Margery must have exaggerated my daintiness.

Aunt Margery arrived to pick me up at exactly 8:15 a.m. She worked close to my school, so she had offered to drop me off and pick me up every day. She lived just a short distance down the road from us.

I climbed into her Mercedes and less than twenty minutes later we arrived at my school.

A huge gate surrounded by tall, branchy trees opened into a long driveway that led directly to the front of the school building.

“Break a leg!” Aunt Margery said cheerfully as I waved goodbye and watched her drive away.

I began to notice other students walking toward the entrance and realized I wasn’t that different from most of them.

Although I could already spot the ones carrying designer bags and wearing expensive watches and shoes.

I walked inside the school and eventually found my way to the principal’s office.

A woman was standing there talking to a ridiculously pretty blonde boy wearing the school uniform.

Is everyone here absurdly gorgeous?

The woman had her brown hair pulled back into a tight, neat bun. Not a single strand was out of place. She was wearing a crisp dark-green suit, the skirt falling just past her knees, paired with matching heels.

She was definitely the principal.

She had that confident, charismatic aura around her.

The boy turned to leave but winked at me as he walked past.

I bit back a smile.

Maybe I did have a chance at getting a boyfriend after all.

“Maxine Holmes,” the woman said, turning to me with a professional smile.

“That’s me. Good morning, Principal,” I replied.

I reached out for a handshake, but she took my hand and gently guided me into her office instead.

I had spoken with her once on the phone before. She had sounded genuinely excited to have me join the school.

I sat in her office as we finalized the paperwork while she explained everything I needed to know. Most of it I had already read in the student handbook.

Principal Myrold eventually reached for the intercom.

“Poppy Willow, please report to the principal’s office,” she said before clicking it again.

“Student Union President, Poppy Willow, please report to the principal’s office,” she repeated.

A few minutes later, a tall, pretty redhead walked into the office.

She looked incredibly neat and put together, and she smelled amazing too.

“The new student I told you about,” Principal Myrold said, gesturing toward me.

Poppy’s face spread into a wide smile, like I had just made her entire day.

“Max, Poppy will be your student guide,” the principal explained.

“Thank you,” I said before leaving the office with her.

The moment we stepped outside the principal’s office, Poppy squealed excitedly and grabbed my arm.

“I have been looking forward to meeting you ever since Principal Myrold mentioned you. We are going to be best friends,” she declared enthusiastically.

Her overture warmed my heart.

I liked her already.