Chapter 6: Max

My eyes snapped open, I felt how my breathing was harsh and a little ragged. My head hurt so much so I put both hands to my forehead and squeezed it. What had happened? I looked up, realized I was lying on the pavement near Nisha's house. My pants were half ripped and my shirt was white, dirty. I struggled to my feet, looking around. What was I doing here? It was afternoon apparently, in the distance I could see the sun setting. I looked for someone nearby, a person, but there was no one. I turned to look at the house behind me: it was quite large, two stories, green. Outside there are steps to reach the front door and into the garden where sunflowers are planted.

I knew the house, it was Nisha's; but when did I get here? I couldn't remember anything, I didn't remember walking here, I didn't remember. Maybe I had gotten drunk earlier in the day and that's why I didn't quite remember; It used to happen to me often. Although it was understandable because my head hurt so much. I have to stop drinking like this. I turned on my heel to head home, but stopped short when I saw a person walking here. It was Nisha, that girl who was going to my university and talking to Davis's girlfriend: Loren.

More than once I had met her there but I have never spoken to her. It seemed to me that she was a bit antisocial. Nisha came a little disoriented, looking both ways as if looking for something. As she got closer I noticed that her clothes were dirty and a little torn. What had happened to her? It looked like she had had some kind of accident. Deep down I was worried, I admit it. I approached her at a brisk pace.

"Nisha, are you okay?" I asked her, feeling strange that we never interacted. But the girl ignored me, what's more, she didn't even look at me. Ouch, low blow. "Okay, don't talk to me." I raised my hands peacefully and stepped aside for her to pass. But there was something that caught my eye, our elbows collided, but I didn't even feel it.

Great, the drunkenness I had gotten really bad for me. The girl looked scared and a little haggard; I didn't understand why I wanted to make sure she was okay. I did not understand me. So I followed her. "Hey, I know you and I don't get along but I'd like to know if you need anything... you look really bad."

Nisha climbed the steps of her house and reached the front door. But she kept ignoring me. Who ignores Max Stuart? Oh my God. The girl opened the door and went inside, I went inside too. Inside her house she would have to speak to me, she would have no choice.

"Mommy?" She asked, like making sure her mother was there. But she received no reply.

"Hey, you have no choice but to talk to me." I crossed my arms, facing her. But she still didn't say anything, it's like I'm not here. The girl climbed the stairs, losing herself upstairs. I debated whether to go up or not; she doesn't even tell me anything; she ignores me despite being at her house. And now she’s up the stairs and she’s gone, leaving me alone down here. I also went up the stairs with some slowness and looked for the one that is her room. At the end of the hall I could hear water falling, it was the shower, so I assumed that was hers.

I walked and went in a little. The room was small, more or less neat, and had a sink of books in one corner. I always imagined her like this. I looked for my cell phone in my pocket but couldn't find it, I just hope I didn't lose it somewhere. I had a lot of information there. I went to the bathroom, but stayed in the doorway. The shower door was glass, that's why I was looking at her silhouette from here. What am I doing? I look like a pervert. The girl comes out, her body is wrapped in a towel and she passes me like nothing.

"Will you continue to ignore me?" I wanted to take her by the arm to make her look at me, but my hand couldn't take hers, quite the contrary, it went through it. I stood there, trying to process what had happened.

What?

When Nisha takes off her towel and starts dressing I turned around, I couldn't be degenerate enough to see her. Although it wasn't like that with the other girls, why was it with her? That surprised me.

Minutes later someone rings the bell, Nisha comes out so I follow her. But it is running. When he comes down and opens the door, it's Loren.

"Thank God, Loren, I need you to tell your friend that I haven't done anything to her to make her ignore me like this." I said to Loren, but Loren didn't look at me either.

"You're finally here," Nisha tells her, closing the door.

"You look pale," she replies.

"I don't know what happened," Nisha started to tell her. "I was passed out in the sewer in the park and dirty. I'm going crazy?" I was surprised by what she said, she had also appeared passed out a few meters from me. Had she gotten drunk too? I wouldn't believe it of her. Loren hesitates a bit. I knew Loren well, she kept many secrets.

When I date with her I could tell.

"You're not," Loren replies. Well, apparently everyone today was playing the law of ice on me or was just joking with me. Did they want to surprise me for my birthday? There were still months to go. Loren sits down and bangs the spot next to her for Nisha to do it too. Loren starts saying things to her about not having eaten all day and that's why she fainted.

"I need you to tell me what's going on here." I leaned in toward both of them. "Enough of your little games, Loren, look at me." I wanted to take her by the face but couldn't. That gave me helplessness and fear spread through me.

What is this? I looked at my hands like there was something on them, but they were normal. Was he having some kind of nightmare? Because I don't understand shit about what's going on here. I sat back feeling something strange inside of me. Suddenly I felt dizzy, everything was spinning.

"... It's about Max Stuart, Nish." I paid attention to what Loren said now, yes, they were talking about me.

"And how does what happens to him affect me?" She replied, rolling her eyes. I frowned at his attitude. Apparently he hated me. Who could hate me?

"It's just that Max..." Loren sighs. I was attentive to whatever he would say about me "... it's hard to say because I dated him once so I feel strange. Buffet, Loren still wasn't over me. What seemed crazy and stupid to me is that they were pretending I wasn't here and couldn't hear them.

I just want to see how far they are capable of going with their little game. It's surely some Davis joke and Loren convinced Nisha to join in.

"Just tell me, Loren, bluntly."

"Max died," Loren blurts out. What the fuck is she saying?

"What are you talking about? As a step?"

"It was this morning." They found him in his room, Nish, he had a bullet in his head, "Loren sobs. Nish comes over and rubs her back" Davis confirmed.

Davis! Inknew it was a bloody joke on his part. I walked to the mirror that was in the living room and breathed in relief when I looked at my reflection, my breath made the mirror fog up. Davis would pay me. With my finger I drew an M on the mirror and turned to go back to the two girls who wanted to tease me.

"Davis is more so. They were best friends since they were kids. Imagine "Loren sniffed" Apparently it was a suicide. They found a note with him."

What bullshit! I went to the door and tried to open it, but my hand couldn't. I panicked when I noticed that my hand went through the door handle.

"What is this?"I snapped with some anger already. "Come on." However, I couldn't, I looked for Loren with my eyes, it was coming towards me and he opened it. I took the opportunity to go out, when I was on the street I ran as fast as I could to get to my house. I was sure Davis was there.

"You can't play games with these things, Davis," I muttered. As I crossed the street and arrived in front of my house, I stopped a bit. But I didn't feel tired, which I found a bit strange because I had run pretty much a lot. However, when I looked at my parents dressed in black and a hearse on the side, I knew something was wrong.

I swallowed thickly and approached them slowly. "Mom," I called her, but she didn't listen, "what happened?"

"My son," she sobbed on my father's shoulder. "My poor son."

Everything happened like in slow motion, everything seemed the product of a nightmare. When four boys lowered the box from the car and passed right next to me, I realized the sad reality, because inside that box I could see myself. I could see that bullet in my forehead. I could see myself pale and with my eyes closed. I could see myself... dead.

"What is this?!" I yelled to be heard. "What the fuck is this ?!" I hit my head as hard as I could to wake up from this nightmare. "Wake up!" I forced myself, "damn it, wake up!" But when I opened my eyes everything was the same. My parents crying, people coming home and giving their condolences.

I backed off because I couldn't be there; I backed up and ran down the road without any direction; I just wanted to run away from what was happening, I wanted to run away from the sad reality. I just wanted to run away from the terrible truth that it was to be dead.