Saturday, January 28, 2006

AEGFF, Chapter 22!!!!
YAY!! Chapter 22! I might actually be moving the plot along! *Le gasp* I personally hope I do; remember I write these not too long before I post 'em.

Chapter 22

Tera limped her way to the cafeteria; she was still practicing her lines all the time. Fortunately, Max had remembered to return her books before, so she did fairly well on the test. Max and P.J. had also done well, and Bobby had skimmed past, just as they’d done the previous years. Max had managed to convince the other guys to go to the play, and now there was a huge campus group going just for Tera. The idea that Max had started it all made her heart swell.

“Howdy there, stranger.” The comment had surprised her, but she relaxed when she realized the source of the voice was Joyce, “you’ve been out a lot… something bugging you?” Tera looked down at her meal, but nodded nonetheless. In the first year at Ohio College, Joyce had sort of become a maternal figure. She was wiser than she seemed to be, but that was because she’d been practicing to be a psychiatrist.

“It’s about that Max guy… isn’t it?” Joyce probed, receiving another wordless nod, “wanna talk about it over dinner? Sometimes it’s better to open up when you’re smothering your sadness in food.” Despite herself, Tera found herself laughing. Then, she nodded again, before digging into her food. It seemed weird that she didn’t want to talk about it then, but she didn’t care; hunger had taken over.

***

“Hey Max.” P.J. said, looking up from his book when Max entered the dorm, “you’ve got a crush on Tera, don’t you?” Max, who hadn’t been paying attention, now had his attention focused on his chunky roommate. P.J. took note of his friend’s expression, and knew he was right. Max resigned and sat down next to P.J., deciding he might as well listen to what his friend had to say.

“You’re still technically dating Roxanne… so that’s not a good idea.” P.J. said, “besides… it’d ruin the big surprise me and Bobby worked out.” This sparked a little curiosity in the college student. What could they possibly have arranged to surprise him?

“Surprise? What do you mean?” Max asked, looking puzzled at his friend. Then, almost as if to answer his question, there came a knock on the door. P.J. forced his friend off the bed and told him to get it. Then, he was reacquainted with an all too familiar girl. She had auburn red hair, and was wearing a blue, long –sleeved shirt and brown pants. Then, she waved at him, a large smile on her face.

“Hi Max… miss me?”

***

Tera met Joyce at the Bean Scene, where she’d been joined by Jeanne, who’d been rather bored with all her good friends out of town. They’d been having a long conversation about relationships, mostly about Tera’s “friendship” with Max. They’d seen right through it, although Max and Bobby were both still oblivious of her feelings.

“Y’know, Tera… I heard that Roxanne was back in town…” Joyce said, her words stinging Tera somehow, “if it’s true… you won’t have a chance for Max. He’s probably still nuts over her.” Of course, she herself knew that Max was torn between his relationship with Roxanne and his affections for Tera. She just wanted her friend to find that out for herself. Tera didn’t look very happy anyway; she was the only one who was unfortunate enough not to have experienced a true relationship.

“Well… if I’m lucky, they might break-up…” Tera smiled, “well… here’s to romance… and not knowing why it plays with our hearts and hurts like a bitch.” She raised her glass of soda, clinking it against her friends’ glasses. Inside, she was completely torn. She wanted Max to be happy… the only problem was… she wanted the source of his happiness to be her.

“Y’know what?” Tera said suddenly, startling her friends as she stood up, “I’m going to go tell him. For real, this time. Nothing’s going to stop me! Not even Roxanne…” The last sentence had been muttered under her breath, and she ran off, heading for Max’s dorm. It was dark and stormy outside, but she didn’t care; the idea of having a chance to be with him as more than a friend had overwhelmed her psyche.

Ha, hope you enjoyed... I'm not sure this was as good as the previous chapters. Read and Review... like always!
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