A few days have gone by. It was close to winter break. Lacy continued her relationship with Craig, but decided to not kiss him. Everything seemed to be alright for the past days, but Robert and Ronnie still were upset with Lacy.
Max was sitting at his desk in his classroom. “Craig has been dating Lacy, that is something I didn’t expect. I wished I had a girlfriend too.” Max thought to himself. He was staring outside the window and not paying attention that the class was about to start very soon. “I miss my mom and dad, I want to see them again, but I don’t want to make my grandpa mad.” Max sighs.
“Alright, everyone sit down.” The teacher said when she came into the classroom. “I hope everyone is having a good year so far. Alright, before we do attendance, I would like to introduce a new student to the class. “Alright, come on in.” The teacher said. A girl came into the classroom. She wore a hat and had curly hair. Blonde with blue eyes. She wore a blue dress with spenders. “Everyone, this is ‘Alana Leclerc’, she will be joining our classroom.” Max turned and looked at the girl. His face turns red and his eyes widen.
“S-She’s cute!” Max thought to himself. He couldn’t help but stare at Alana. He couldn’t take his eyes off the girl. She was the prettiest girl that he ever saw. His heart started to beat as he stared at her. He felt like he felt something that he never felt before.
“Why don’t you sit at that empty desk next to Max?” The teacher asked and pointed. Alana nods and went to sit down at the empty desk. “Alright, let’s start attendance.” Max kept staring at the girl. She was something else. He never saw anyone like her. She took her hat off and sits it on her desk.
“Max? Max?” The teacher called out but Max was too much of being in a trance with Alana. “Max Offield, I know you’re there, why aren’t you answering?” The teacher seemed to be getting mad.
“Uh…what?” Max asked and looked at the teacher.
“Thank you. Try to pay attention.” The teacher finished roll call and got started with English class. Max turned and looked back at Alana. She was looking at the board as the teacher was writing on it. “Alright, I want everyone to turn to page 102 in your English books. There is a story that I would like for you to read silent to yourself. We’ll have a worksheet to work on afterwards.” Max couldn’t think of what to read when he opened his book. He just wanted to keep staring at Alana. “Here you go.” The teacher hands Alana a book and she opens it up to the page.
“She’s so cute.” Max thought to himself. “Something about her…” Max didn’t have much time to speak with Alana all day at school. It was now the end of the school day and everyone was getting ready to leave to go home. Max approaches Alana. He takes a deep breath and decided to talk to her. “Hey.”
“Hi.” She says as she was putting her things in her backpack. She was at her locker.
“So um, Alana, right?”
“That’s my name.” She answers. Max felt nervous trying to talk to her. He wanted to speak with her. Get to know her.
“So did you just move here?”
“Yes.” Alana finished putting her bags in her locker and shuts her locker. “I did just move here. My mother and I lived in another house in another town, but we moved here because the hospital in this town can help my dad. My dad told my mother to move her and me to a new residence close to the hospital he will be staying at till he gets better.”
“Your father is in a hospital?” Max felt bad hearing that.
“Yeah, my dad gets sick a lot. He was always in and out of the hospital growing up. I gotta go. See you.” Alana was about to leave.
“Wait!” Max didn’t want her to just leave yet. “Do you want to hang with me? We can work on homework together.” Max just wanted to spend some time with her and get to know her better.
“I don’t think I can do that. My mother wants be back at home. She maybe not there, but the butler will tell her that I didn’t come home.”
“You got a butler?” Max couldn’t believe that. This Alana Leclerc girl must be rich.
“Of course! He’s really nice to me, but he worries about me too. What’s your name?” Alana had a smile on her face.
“Max. Max Offield.”
“Nice name. See you later, Max.” Alana left. Max was blushing as he watched her walk away. Craig came over to Max.
“I see you like the new girl?” Craig asked.
“Yeah…” Max said and then realized Craig was near him. “W-What?! When did you get here?!”
“I just came over when Alana left. You seem to like the new girl.”
“So what?”
“I hope you can be with her and lose your virginity man!” Craig laughs. Max didn’t think it was very funny hearing that coming from his so called best friend. “When are you going to see your parents again?”
“I am not sure. Probably soon. Why?” Max asked.
“Just curious.” Craig and Max started walking together. “My dad is going to be staying with my sister and I soon. At my grandparents’ home till dad can raise enough money to get us a place again.”
“That seems like something good. Is your dad doing better?”
“He’s doing a lot better.” Craig answered. It was true, his father was doing better. Craig was actually happy for his father and couldn’t wait to see him again. Max and Craig walked out of the school building together.
“You haven’t seen your mother in a long time? What happened between your mother and father? Are they divorced?” Max asked.
“I am not exactly sure. Mom was always nice and kind. She never seemed to do anything wrong. One day, my dad just got so angry with her and kicked her out. I don’t know if they’re still married or not.”
“That’s crazy. Your dad doesn’t know where your mother is?’
“No. He feels bad for throwing her out because he got upset about it and tried searching for her, but he gave up. Couldn’t find her.” Craig tells Max.
“Do you miss your mother?”
“I do.”
Max came home and seen his grandfather sitting in the living room. “Hey.” Max said as soon as he came into the door.
“Max, I would like to have a talk with you. Please put your bag in your bedroom and come back.” Max was confused on what his grandpa was trying to talk to him about. It seemed serious. Max went into his bedroom and sits his backpack on the floor, he then took his coat off and threw it on the bed. Max then came into the living room. “Have a seat.” Max sat down on the chair next to the soda.
“What is it that you wanted to speak to me about?” Max asked.
“It’s about your parents.”
“W-What about them?” Max asked nervously. He didn’t know what to say and didn’t want his grandfather mad if he found out that he went to see his parents. He had a right to see them.
“Your parents… Your father… and your mother…”
“He is wanting to talk about them.” Max thought to himself and began to feel nervous. He clenched his hands onto his pants.
“Your parents are still alive. I lied about them being deceased, but you already know that. Don’t you? You went behind my back and found out about them. You went and saw them. Didn’t you?” Max didn’t know what to say. His grandpa knew the truth.
“W-What do you mean?” Max tried to play it off like he didn’t know what his grandpa was talking about.
“Don’t play dumb with me young man! I know you went there! Your parents decided to show up here when you were at school!”
“W-What?” Max couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “Are they here now?”
“No! But they came over to tell me that they were going to do everything in their power to get you back into their custody.”
“T-They want to take me?” Max asked confused.
“Yes, but I will fight. I don’t want them taking you from me.”
“W-Why?! They’re my parents!” Max stood up. He felt furious with his grandpa. “Shouldn’t it be my decision?! Don’t I get a say so?!”
“Look Max, your parents don’t deserve you. They were too young when they had you, I doubt they have any mind now to take care of you.”
“So! Just because they did didn’t mean they aren’t good parents! You didn’t even give them a chance to be parents!” Max yells.
“Settle down, your mother was a 13-year-old. What did she know about parenting? All she played with was dolls.”
“Stop talking bad about my mother!” Max didn’t want to hear any more of it. When Max first met his parents, he had a good impression of them. He liked them and wanted to actually live with them. All the sadness that they had to go through. “My parents have two other kids besides me! Didn’t you know?! Why take me and not them too?!”
“Max, go to your room! I don’t want to hear anymore of this!” Max’s grandpa stood up. Max was glaring at his grandpa.
“NO!” Max ran off. He ran right out of the house. Max’s grandpa couldn’t believe it.
“Max! Wait!” Max’s grandpa tried to call out, but Max was already gone.