“My parents?” Maxx replies, glancing over his shoulder and then pausing when he sees how hard I’m struggling to keep up. He waits for me to catch up and then keeps pace with me which, for him, means slowing down drastically. “They’re alright. A little single-minded sometimes, but who isn’t when they’ve got a passion?”
“For motocross?” I clarify, wondering if he’s ever taken Maxine out on a bike. I bet she’d like that. To be honest, I’m pretty sure Maxx and Maxine are a match made in heaven. Hell, they even have the same damn name.
“If they had their way, I’d skip out on college and work on my motocross career instead, be the next Chad Reed or Ricky Carmichael. Be more like my sister, really.” Even though I can tell this is a bit of a sore spot for Maxx, he doesn’t whine or complain; it’s more like he’s stating basic facts. “They were excited to hear I decided on athletic training for my major though.”
“Athletic training?” I echo, realizing now more than ever that Maxx Wright is essentially the opposite of me. Parrish is basically me with a penis (and an entitled rich boy mantle) while Chasm is a little of both. In academics, Chas is my opposite; in emotions and experience, we’re fairly similar. Aaaand why, exactly, am I comparing the three boys? Either to each other or to myself … It’s a fruitless exercise.
“Just a gateway degree for my career in sports medicine.” Maxx flashes another one of those pretty smiles at me. “How about you? Any career plans in mind yet? I know you’re only a sophomore, but it’s never too early to start planning.”
“Are you sure you’re only nineteen?” I grumble, and he chuckles at me, this deep, warm masculine chuckle that’s annoyingly charming. Seriously, my sister won the lottery here. I manage to steer the conversation away from future career plans. When I told Tess that I wanted to create things, I meant it. It’s just … I have no clue what I want to create or how to make money doing it.
Just when I’ve decided that imminent death is upon me—Gamer Girl needs water badly; Gamer Girl is about to die—we come to a crossroads in the trail, and I hear the first sound of running water.
If I had cat ears, they’d have perked up at the sound.
“We’re here?” I choke out between breaths and Maxx nods, giving this dramatic flourish of his hand to show me which of the three paths to take.
“After you, milady,” he says, and we make quick work of the remaining quarter mile, coming around a bend to find a massive waterfall and a picturesque creek. For a moment, I just stop and stand there, my hands curled around the straps of my backpack, my heartbeat racing from the trek, sweat pouring down my spine. “Was I right?” Maxx whispers, leaning down from behind me, so close that his breath seems to tickle my ear. “Was it worth it?”
“So worth it,” I breathe, making my way across a small cement ‘bridge’ that looks like some leftover remnant from a dam or … something. It’s just wide enough for a single person to cross and only about six feet long. I plop down right in the center of it and start by taking my shoes off. With a deep groan, I drop my hot and achy feet into the cool water and let my head fall back. “This is heaven.”
Maxx joins me, taking his shoes off, too, and then unzipping my backpack for me.
“Drink,” he commands, handing over my water bottle. For a good twenty minutes, we sit in near silence, catching our breaths, drinking water, and munching down on some hippie-as-hell granola bars that Maxine packed. Mine has a note wrapped around it with a rubber band. Eat every bite to refuel! Love you fierce, and I knew you could do it—you’re at the waterfall, aren’t you? A smile takes over my lips unbidden; only an older sister could know you this well. A real sister, which is what Maxine will always be.
Kimber would’ve sent me with a death wish.
“I’m afraid Tess will never feel like a mother to me.” The words come out, even though I don’t mean them to. There’s something about sitting here alone with Maxx after a long-ass hike, in front of this beautiful waterfall, that makes me want to talk. “I’m afraid I’ll be stuck here for two years and then, once I’m eighteen and I’m free, I won’t know where I belong anymore. I’m not even sure that if I went back to New York now, that I’d fit in there. So, I guess what I’m saying is, I don’t feel like I fit in anywhere now.”
Maxx is quiet for a long time, so long that I end up looking over to see if he’s even listening to me. He’s leaning back, staring up at the falls with a contemplative expression on his handsome face. Eventually, I realize that he’s genuinely mulling over my words and carefully weighing his response.
