~~~
One step forward and two steps back
She might be strange but she has a knack
She’ll lift her arms up to the sky
And say
Oh my god don’t you let him say good-bye
~One Step Forward~ The Color Green (the band from the movie “Girl”)~
~~~
Max ran a brush through her hair and stared at herself in the mirror, pausing a minute to collect herself. This wouldn’t be very convincing if they looked like they’d broken up before the event actually happened.
“You’ve got 10 seconds to get yourself decent before I come out,” Max shouted to Alec through the closed door of the bathroom. She counted to 7 and opened the door, inwardly disappointed that the other transgenic was fully clothed. Even if she was mad at him she still wouldn’t mind seeing a little skin.
“That was 5 seconds,” Alec said looking at her with a smirk.
“It was 7 and it didn’t work anyways,” Max replied, smiling hesitantly. Alec had been studiously avoiding her for the past three days and she almost missed their verbal sparing. She certainly missed his constant presence at her side but she had begun to accustom herself to the fact that he wasn’t going to be her lap dog any more. A fact which was made more painful by the tight blue t-shirt he was wearing that set off his gorgeous eyes, with an almost electric intensity.
“You ready to go?” Alec asked returning the smile. The tension in the room was palpable but he returned the smile. It would all be over soon. As soon as this stupid game of hers was over they could return to their quasi-friendship state and everything would be right again. It would have to be.
“If you are,” she replied, slipping on a leather jacket and heading to the door. Alec breezed past her, opening the door and holding it for her. Max stepped through and looked back at him suspiciously.
“I’m still the doteing boyfriend for a few more hours,” he reminded her in a strained voice. Max nodded and they fell silent. A silence, which continued through the trip and straight through their entrance in Crash.
“Whoa,” Cindy cried mockingly, “I’m sensing some hostility here.” Max and Alec both turned to glare at her and she smiled, “Kidding Boos. Just sit down and relax. He won’t be here for another 15 minutes or so.” Max slumped down in a chair and Alec sat as far away from her as he could manage while still being able to reach the table. Sketchy looked between the pair confused.
“I missed something,” he said scooting closer to O.C.
“They’re on the outs,” Cindy explained, “They’re going to fight as soon as Logan gets here.”
“They plan when they fight?” he asked, “I guess that would explain all the snappy comebacks. I always thought they were preplanned.”
“They’re a different sort of couple,” O.C. said, humoring Sketchy in his confusion.
Max watched the exchanged, through slitted eyes when she felt something bounce off the back of her head. She spun around to face Alec who was feigning innocence. She picked a toothpick out of the hood of her shirt and glared at him.
“Look the Smart Alec is rearing it’s ugly head and the maturity level is dropping,” Max shot, snapping the toothpick in half and letting it drop to the floor.
“And the wonderful 452 is practicing her comedic talents,” he replied, his face stoic.
“Which you obviously didn’t appreciate nearly enough,” Max said sullenly.
“What was that?” Alec asked, his voice increasing in volume as he rose from his seat.
“Nothing,” Max snapped, her eyes darting over Alec’s face as she sank even lower into her chair.
“You know why Max? Because it wasn’t real! It was a fucking game of pretend!” he shouted. Max rose out of her own chair his sudden height advantage becoming a little disconcerting for her.
“So why are you so worked up about it?” she demanded, her voice as loud as his, “Why are you so worked up if it was just a game? Huh Alec? You wanna tell me that? You wanna tell me the real reason you’re calling it off?” O.C. thought about getting up to mediate the argument but decided against it, she wasn’t willing to risk loosing a limb. She watched, a little uncomfortable with the intense emotional scene unfolding in front of her. This was not what they had scripted. This was not the argument they had planned for. She saw Logan approaching in her peripheral vision. Saw him hesitating and almost leaving but then coming to sit down after all.
“You changed the rules on me Max!” Alec shouted in response, unaware of the questioning stares and hushed conversations.
“Did I?” Max sneered, “No I think you just forgot them. Forgot that I was using you! You knew that and you agreed to it! You were my tool, my fucking plaything!”
“No. You see Max I wasn’t a device to make him jealous like we agreed. You made me a replacement. Everything that happened you were just transposing him into the situation. It was him you were laughing with, him you were dancing with, him you were kissing!” Alec cried, nearing hysterics.
“We weren’t designed to be CHUMPS Alec!” she shouted, delighted to finally be able to use that accusation against him, “You should’ve known that was happening. You should’ve known I’d do that. Did you actually think I would kiss YOU?!” She realized how much of a lie all this was but she had gone to far to stop. To far to turn around and apologize. To far to be able to break down and hug him, tell him it wasn’t true.
“Yeah I did Max. I thought you might actually have gotten past him and moved on. But of course not. Max the ice queen of Seattle could never open up to me. She’s too goddamn stubborn. Of course she can’t realize that I’m the only one in this shit-hole of a city who could understand her.”
Max stepped back caught off guard by his confession.
“You got emotions involved when you pretended I was him. That wasn’t in the contract and I want out,” Alec continued.
“Emotions?!” Max snorted after she regained her composure, “I’m the one who got her emotions involved?! What about you Mr. Model boyfriend?! The ring, the hand puppet, the singing, the balloons, the complements, the whole goddamn package!”
“I’d like to thank the Academy,” Alec smirked, giving a mock bow, “And now I’m going to leave. I’m going to leave you here with the man of your dreams,” he said, motioning toward Logan, proving that he as indeed aware of the other man’s presence, “And I’m going to hope that the two of you can act like mature individuals and work this out. Minus the lies and games!” he finished, pushing through the crowd and started for the door.
Max stood alone, her face flushed and her heart racing, flustered as hell but not willing to let him have the last word, “I never loved you!” she shouted as he opened the door to leave. If it hadn’t been for her enhanced hearing she wouldn’t have heard his muttered response.
“That was the problem,” he said and was gone. Max felt her legs give out under her, the emotional stress having drained her almost entirely. Cindy reached out and caught her helping her back into her seat. She looked over at Logan, saw the goofy smile on his face and felt the sudden need to throw up. Instead she dissolved in loud wracking sobs. Because it was then she realized that the real man of her dreams had just walked out of that door.
~~~