LIFE SAVER - II

Maxine draped her shoulders, then threw a smile, and replied, "I don't know, ma'am. I... Don't remember anything about it. All I remember is... I was on my way home from Fish and Chip Restaurant."

Daniela and Liam seemed disappointed to hear about it. It seems like they're expecting another version of Maxine's story.

"Let's just say that everything he was just said are the truth." insisted Maxine.

The girl got up from where she was sitting, then went into the bathroom —taking off all the clothes that wrapped her body, including a hoodie belonging to a stranger.

The next split second Maxine opened the door a little, holding out the thick navy hoodie, shouting her brother's name, asking him to put these hoodies in the washing machine. She has to return that to his owner tomorrow.

In the bathroom, Maxine chose to prepare water for her to soak in the bathtub. She took some kind of bath bomb from inside the storage cabinet behind a mirror attached to the wall. Then put it one by one, when it is almost filled with half the water.

Maxine shook her head, trying to forget some of the things that happened to her while on the way home. "Even in times of desperateness like that, I still can't turn into a wolf-like Liam."

Meanwhile, on his way back to the border, Maxim inevitably passed through the big street with several pubs as well as clubs on his right and left. Who is the one who has to be labeled unlucky and lucky, Maxim finds Mary with Sidney about to enter one of the city's famous pubs.

Without a second thought, Maxim approached the two girls and pulled one of them —taking her into a narrow alley separating one building from the other.

Mary looked nervous, but she kept acting calm as if she had done nothing wrong before. She even dared to say hello, even though her voice sounded a little stammering. "H-hey, baby. Shouldn't you be standing guard at the border?"

Mary's pleasantries really sounded stale. Maxim even shook his head, wiping his face with a rough sweep, then let out a deep sigh before finally voicing a few broken sentences.

"I found this in the woods," Maxim said as he pulled out an earring, just as it was stuck in one of the holes in Mary's ear lobe, from inside his pants pocket.

The mini hoop earring is black, with a small cross that is a compliment at the end it is perfectly embedded in Mary's left ear lobe. The other is in Maxim's hands.

"Isn't no one allowed into the forest, including the border, except those who have the task of guarding?" quipped Maxim sharply. "I also seem to see you and Sidney wandering around there, chasing someone until she almost dies being attacked by a vampire." 

Mary's eyeballs moved to the right and left with worry. She's been caught off guard. It's useless to avoid, it will only complicate the situation. Because Maxim really upholds honesty.

But Mary, as a girl who is good friends with scheming girls, always has her own way of looking astute with a trick. What most people refer to as twisting facts, or even creating a drama.

"Okay, baby. I admit I did scare that stupid girl. But I didn't know that she was going to run far enough until she entered the border." Mary launched her first drama.

Maxim seemed ordinary, tending not to show any expression. All Maxim did at that time was just put the earrings in his hand where they should be, then leave without saying anything, after driving Mary back to Sidney.

It's not good. Maxim wouldn't usually let Mary enter a pub or club without him. This time, Maxim instead delivered Mary to the pub door, without participating. He didn't even turn around after letting Mary be with Sidney.

"You guys are fighting?"

The first sentence to slide out of Sidney's mouth was just a classic question, uttered without sympathy or empathy. Because Sidney never really cared about what happened between Maxim and Mary. But she always hoped, in such a precarious situation, Mary parted ways with Maxim as she had hoped when the two lovebirds had only explored the approach stage 2 years ago.

Mary only gave her a lethargic nod as a vindication as well as an answer, which certainly managed to make Sidney smile inwardly. Instead of entertaining, giving some sedative sentences, Sidney pushed Mary into the pub.

"Let it go! Tomorrow he will come early in the morning to your house with a large bouquet of your favorite red roses!"

Although Mary initially refused and chose to go home, in the end, whatever Sidney said managed to make Mary go crazy by going into the pub and ordering several bottles of drinks at once.

It's not like what Sidney said last night. Mary's morning felt gloomy, like the sky that had only been cloudy since last night. There wasn't a big bouquet of red roses, not even Maxim himself. Mary was quite disappointed and chose to retaliate with the same anger.

While on the other hand, somehow Maxine seemed to have no trouble finding where Maxim was. Through Liam, Maxine is easy enough to find where the man she's looking for is. Because Liam is fairly close to the security that is in control of the room that is fully controlled all the CCTV in all corners of the University.

Armed with information from her brother, Maxine rushes to the only studio specifically to paint, which is no longer used. Maxim was there early in the morning. Maxine also pockets a key, worried that Maxim locks the room and doesn't know someone is coming.

Sure enough, the room was indeed locked from the inside, covering both ears with a pair of earphones. Luckily Maxim pulled out the key, so Maxine could get into the room without needing much effort.

Maxine greeted the ruler of the room by holding out two tubes of paint: black and white before Maxim. Maxine knew that since she opened the door, Maxim seemed busy groping the table around him, looking for both basic colors.

Without being sure who was coming, Maxim suddenly swears and throws his cynical gaze at Maxine. The girl was just staring at him with an expression that was hard to guess the meaning of.

"How do you know me—"

Maxine just smiled. In line with a meaningless smile, but managed to make Maxim silent, not finishing what he wanted to say. That's why Maxine was sobbing, for the first time.

Maxim realized that he seemed to enjoy her laughter and smile, Maxine immediately changed the expression on her face, as usual. Maxine hurriedly placed the hoodie she was wearing overnight, on Maxim's lap.

"I just want to give this back," Maxine conveyed her ultimate goal after she managed to hide all her laughter and smile. "Thank you very much."

Maxine passes from Maxim's face before the man tries to prevent her. But as expected, even though she dodged, Maxim still did it —call her name. Inevitably Maxine had to stop her steps, then turn around and stare at him interlocutor. Classical. But that's what Maxim desperately needs.

Like guessing what Maxim was trying to say, Maxine opened her voice first. She looked at Maxim straight, folding her hands on her chest. "I'll treat you if that's what you want in return. In addition to the gratitude, I said earlier."

Maxim was shocked. But he managed to recover quickly. He almost laughed if Maxine didn't suddenly change the way she looked. Cold and sharp.

Maxim cleared his throat before finally making a speech again. "That's not what I want to say, Max."

Maxim shook his head quickly after realizing his words. "Sorry, it's so strange. It's like saying my own name," he muttered to himself.

Maxine sprayed her eyeballs. "What do you want to say?"

"Sorry for everything that happened to you last night," Maxim hissed smoothly.

His baritone voice sounded smoother than usual. Soft and... sincere. Even the way he looked at Maxine looked so soft. It was much different from what he often showed Mary. 

Instead of accepting Maxim's apology, Maxine chose to shake her head —rejecting it. It's not Maxim's job to do it, it's Mary and Sidney. Obviously, Maxine just rejected it.

"It's not your job to do what everyone else should do, Max. And I'll never accept that apology, just because you're his girlfriend. She has to take responsibility for what she's done. You have absolutely no responsibility for that. Stop doing it, Max. You have the right to do what you want, and not to do what is beyond your will. Also, don't show guilt in any form when one day your girlfriend comes back to fool me. I don't like to see people who look so sorry for me," Maxine explained at length.

After all this time, despite any problems that befell Maxine all those years ago, this was the first time Maxine had been able to convey something in one breath so loudly and so clearly.

"Do I look like I'm feeling sorry for you?" cried Maxim.

Maxine gave him a nod without hesitation. "Yes. Stop feeling sorry for me."

Not wanting to engage with all sorts of unnecessary conversations, Maxine passed again. But once again, Maxim held her back —summoning her name in a way that felt different from before. Gentle yet full of emphasis, as her late father often did.

Maxine turned back. But there was no sharp spotlight or cavalier attitude that she showed like before. She just kept quiet, stared, and let the young man in front of her speak again.

It took a long time for Maxim to get back on his voice. He let all the silence spread. There was only the sound of the squeak of the wooden floor as Maxim got up and stepped.

"What about the treats? Is it still I can get?"

Maxine snorted. The next split second she sprayed her eyeballs, as she and Maxim faced each other. "Okay. What do you want to eat and where?" she urged impatiently.

Instead of giving a straight answer, Maxim held out his phone in front of Maxine. "Gimme your number."

Without a doubt, Maxine struck Maxim's metal-body phone, then entered several digits of her new mobile number. "Text me as soon as possible."

Maxim nodded, then replied, "I'll call —"

The sound of the door knocking managed to make Maxim clench his mouth, as did Maxine. Both of them were quite surprised to hear the loud impact from the outside. With the immediate anger she had, Mary came and poured everything on Maxim blindly.

Mary is crazy, like a lover, or a wife who is catching her partner having an affair with another woman in plain sight. Mary pelted Maxim with all the beautiful earrings that complimented her appearance as if they were Maxim's gift and she wanted to return them in that way.

"You know? I'm looking for you to almost the whole campus, Max! I'm even waiting for you to call, or send me a message. But everything I wanted not to come. And now, you're being alone with this bitch? Absolutely beyond belief."

All the sentences that slid out of Mary's mouth were completely uncontrollable. Maxine chose to leave when she heard Mary call her a bitch. She did not want to complicate the atmosphere, letting the lovers finish all their business.

Mary was about to chase Maxine when the tall girl disappeared behind the door, but Maxim swiftly held her back. Instead of easing down, Mary became more and more. Whether intentional or not, Mary floated her palm to one side of Maxim's face, until the young man was transfixed and stared at her expressionlessly.

When her brown net was met with Maxim's cold-looking and wounded green bead, all of Mary's anger subsided. Unfortunately, as Mary was about to approach, trying to rub Maxim's right cheek, the young man spontaneously retreated—rejecting her.

"A-are you okay, babe?" asked Mary to Maxim.

Maxim turned his back on his face for a moment, then looked back at Mary with an injured spotlight. "I think I needed some space, Mary."