Addison's Hero

After what seemed like hours Max broke away from Addison and she started to regain her senses. She looked up into Max’s face and saw that he was grinning. She felt like hitting him. She looked over his shoulder and realised that people had followed them out to the back of the school. They had given the students at Parker High one hell of a show.

With a groan Addison picked up her bag up from the floor were she had dropped it and ran past Max and the other students. Through the halls of the school and out of the front of the building. Once again embarrassment flooding her.

When she got home she went straight up to her room. Her aunt and uncle weren’t home. Rachel had a an appointment to get the cast of her leg and Ben had took her.

Addison lay on her bed, cursing herself for the way she had reacted to Max, letting her temper control her and then letting him kiss her. Why had he kissed her? It didn’t make sense. So, ok, she had made him mad by shouting at him, and dragging him off, but he could of just shouted back. Addison was confused. What was happening to her?

She looked at the ceiling and tried not to think. She tried her best to clear her mind off all thoughts but she could’t. Addison shook her head in annoyance. The feeling she had experienced when Max had kissed her were ones she’d never experienced before...

It had been her first kiss.

Before she could think more of it her bedroom door was flung open and Lacey burst into her room. Addison sat up on the bed in shock and looked at Lacey, her blue eyes wide. Lacey closed the bedroom door behind her and turned to look at Addison.

‘Are you off your head?’ she asked.

‘What?’ Addison asked back.

‘Kissing Max Lane! Addison, do not get involved with him,’ Lacey warned.

Addison rolled her eyes at Lacey, not being able to take it in that her spiteful cousin was now trying to warn her about a guy.

‘Lacey, I’ve already been warned. Nat beat you to it. And what has it got to do with you, anyway? You don’t care about me. You should be happy if I get mixed up with him and find myself in trouble.’

‘Well, you would think so, wouldn’t you? But you see, I’ve been thinking about what my mom said about family... I may not like you and I do not want you living here but I know what Max is capable off. Mom would kill me if you ended up hurt and I could of done something about it. So I’m warning you about him. What you choose to do now is down to you. But if mom asks I’ve done my bit.’ And shaking her long blonde hair with one hand Lacey flounced out of the room, leaving Addison to once again stare after her. More muddled thoughts in her head.

---

Max Lane cursed under his breath and turned the accelerator on his bike more. He needed speed. He needed to get that kiss out of his head. He was so confused.

He didn’t have a clue why he had kissed her. He just knew that it was something he had wanted to do since he had first seen her. Listening and watching her standing there shouting at him, he had just reacted.

Max a kissed quite a few girls since his first kiss with Sara Kelly at the tender age of 12. He had thought that that kiss had been wonderful. And every kiss he’d had since... Some a little less wonderful then others. But the kiss with Addison had just blown his mind. He knew she was special.

Max slowed down for a sharp bend and when he turned he stopped the bike and climbed off it. Taking the steps needed he walked the distance to where the edge of the cliff he had rode up dropped. This was one of his favourite spots in Parker Hill, The point, everyone called it. It was a local hangout for kids but Max liked coming up here during the day before school finished, when the point was empty of visitors.

He looked out at the view below him and thought about Addison. He admitted to himself that he liked her, he really did and she was completely right, he was a jerk. He had treated her bad for no reason at all other then he got scared. Scared and stupid in the company of his friends.

Max had never felt like this over a girl before. The emotions were all new to him and he was running on terror. He didn’t have a clue on how to handle it so he had turn a cold shoulder to Addison and been mean, hoping that she wouldn’t bother him. Then he had been mean to that freshman and Addie had seen and intervened. He hadn’t been able to help himself from kissing her in front of the whole school and he did have to admit he enjoyed it.

Addison had been having a rough time, he knew that and yet he had still acted the way he had. He had thought he was just being nice, trying to cheer her up and flirting a little but instead he was just getting himself deeper in trouble so he had started to be mean to her.

And now, now he didn’t have a clue what he was going to do.


He took one more look at the view and then walked back over to his bike. He smiled when he saw it. No matter what happens between him and Addison he was determined to get her on the back of the bike, if it was the last thing he did. Addison was so sad he could tell. Her eyes where so deep and bursting with tears. He didn’t know what she had suffered but he knew that she had. She was heartbroken. She needed some fun, to let her hair down and a ride on his bike would be the perfect way to do that!

The misery just radiated off of her and he was curious as to what caused it. It wasn’t just the bad first few weeks she’s had at school. It went deeper then that and part of that was what had him running scared. He wanted to wrap his arms around her and make everything better... Weren’t those feelings a bit much for a teenage boy to have over a girl he had just met?

He climbed onto his bike and started the engine. He took the road down from the point smoothly, controlling the bike expertly and moving around the bends with a skill he had been born with. He drove through town and past the Phillips’s house and into his own drive. Turning off the engine he stored the bike away in the garage and let himself into the house.

As soon as he let himself in the smoke hit him and fogged his eyes and burnt his throat. He walked into the front room and saw his father sat in front of the telly, dozens of beer cans by his feet and a overflowing ashtray on the arm of the overstuffed, stained armchair he was sitting in.

‘Geez, Pops!’ Max said, coughing. He walked over to the window and opened the closed curtains. Reaching up he opened the window wide. ‘Let some air in here!’

His father winced at the bright light now shining through the window. ‘It’s alright,’ he said, not taking his eyes off the game show on the t.v.

‘No it’s not. You can’t breath in here!’ Max replied sending his father a pitying look. ‘What do you want for dinner, Pops?’

‘Nothing!’ Mike Lane replied.

‘How about a take away?’ Max tried again.

‘I said nothing!’

‘I could bring something back form work with me after I finish my shift, if you want?’ Max said. Max worked in the local pizza restaurant over in the next town.

‘Whatever!’ Mike said. ‘You can bring home some more beers. We’re running out.’

Max looked at his father and shook his head. He turned away from the stuffy room and went upstairs to get a shower before going to work.

‘And not that light beer crap you got last time!’ Mike shouted to Max as he climbed the stairs.

Max ignored his Dad and went and got his shower. When he was stood under the hot flowing water he thought about the up coming evening. He would go to work, taking orders and cleaning tables. Go to the late store and buy his Pop’s beer, come home to find his father still in the same chair, watching reruns of the same game show and he would go to bed. The next day he would do it all again.

This was the way Max had lived his life for the last four years, ever since his Mom had died of cancer. Undoubtedly this was the way he would live his life forever. Looking after his old Pops and working his butt off to make enough money to get by. Other kids his age worried about school and grades but Max didn’t give a crap about school, he worried about his father and how long he could last the way he was. He worried about paying the bills and meeting debts.

His father hadn’t always been a lazy drunk. He had once been a real estate agent. Until Max’s mom had got sick and he’d been fired for not going to work. After his mother’s death though Mike had took things hard and dug himself into a hole that he wouldn’t climb out off. Max did the best he could. But he couldn’t ease his father’s pain.

The thing that got Max through the hard times was knowing when to take time out and have fun. Being a teenager while he still could. Before he had to go out and find a proper, full time job. Max knew how to have fun . He knew how to have a good time. He had a feeling that he would be showing Addison how to have a good time soon too.

---

Luckily for Addison the next day was a Saturday and she smiled when she realised that she wouldn’t have to go to school. She didn’t have to worry about people staring at her in halls for kissing Max and she didn’t have to confront him about kissing her. Not until Monday at least.

She lazily got out of bed and slowly dressed. She took her time over her breakfast and smiled humidly at her Aunt Rachel as she went from top to bottom of the house cleaning it. She told Addison when she had caught her smiling at her that for the weeks she had been stuck in a leg cast she had had to leave the cleaning up to uncle Ben and obviously he wouldn’t be very thorough, being a man and all. Both Addison and Rachel had shared a small laugh at this.

‘So, Addison, what are you going to do today?’ Rachel asked from the kitchen sink where she was scrubbing some pots.

‘I’m not sure, I thought maybe walk around town a bit. I’ve not really been out much. Thought I should get familiar with it.’ Addison replied sipping her orange juice. She thought it best to get out of the house before her aunt Rachel decided to drag her into the cleaning frenzy.

‘Oh, that would be good, dear,’ Rachel said and Addison could tell by her tone of voice that she wasn’t really paying attention. Her mind must be on the next item on her list to clean.

Not long later Addison got a light jacket from her room to wear she said goodbye to Rachel and left. Walking at a steady pace she made her way into the centre of town.

As she walked her mind wandered off to thoughts of Max, once again. She couldn’t get the kiss out of her head. He was irritating and arrogant as well as being mean but as she thought about it she couldn’t help but think that she would like Max to kiss her again. Was she wrong to want that? She thought. She didn’t even like him, or did she?

She had started to like him, he had been kind to her and had made her laugh but then he had suddenly turned mean. Addison shook her head. She needed to stop thinking about him. It was driving her crazy.

He properly didn’t even like her that much anyway.

As she made her way she noticed that even though Parker Hill was a small town it was quite busy. As she walked past shops she looked at the window displays but didn’t really pay much attention to them.

She decided as she walked past colourful window after colourful window and lots of busy people that she needed a new brain, for if she wasn’t thinking about Max she was thinking about her parents. She couldn’t shut her brain off.

Addison’s feet just continued carrying her around town. She walked past shops, the local library, a garage, cafes, bars and houses. It was as she was turning a corner that she saw the tall steeple of a church. She hadn’t been in a church since her parent’s funeral, she thought to herself.

She saw the gate leading to the gave yard and before she knew it she was opening it and walking through. She didn’t know what made her but she just felt the need to walk amongst the marble black and white stones. She walked past grave stone after grave stone, looking at names and dates. Addison noticed that nearly all the graves were well kept. Neat and buried in flowers.

It was when she saw the colourful flowers laying peacefully on the graves that she was hit with complete misery once again, never far from her heart the depression now seemed to take a firm hold and squeeze tight. As she saw the flowers she realised that she would never be able to lay flowers on her parents graves. At least not while she was living in America.

This thought took a hold and she felt the tears well up in her eyes. She stood by one grave that had only a single white rose on it. Even though it only had one flower on it and that flower looked a few days old, it didn’t look unkept or unloved. Her parent’s graves would though. She doubted whether or not her Grandfather would visit them and lay flowers. She doubted that he would visit them at all. He properly paid somebody to keep it neat and that would only be so that people wouldn’t notice and talk badly about him.

Addison knew that her parent’s weren’t in the ground in a field, they were here with her, in her heart but it didn’t comfort her, the fact that their graves wouldn’t be looked after by someone who loved them hurt.

A single tear ran down her cheek as she noticed a shadow fall over her. She looked up to see what had caused it and Max took a step closer to her.

‘Addison?’

Addison shook her head at him, her voice caught in her throat.

‘What’s the matter?’ he asked as another tear followed the first.

Addison shook her head again and the concerned look on his face made more tears fall. Max stepped up to Addison and wrapped his arms around her, she took comfort in his embrace and let the tears fall.

Even though her heart ached with the pain of loss she was surprised that her tears didn’t last for long. She guessed that with all the crying she had been doing recently she was running out of tears.

‘Shhh,’ Max soothed and rubbed a hand up and down her back, comforting. ‘It’s ok Addie, it’s ok.’

Addison nodded her head and felt the smoothness of his leather jacket on her cheek. She breathed deeply and smelt the scent of leather and Max. She breathed deep again just because she liked the smell. When she thought she was pushing her luck a little by hugging him for so long she pulled back. About to take a step away from him he pulled her close again and kept her within the circle of his arms.

He looked closely at her face and keeping his brown eyes looked with her blue ones he asked,

‘Why are you so upset, is it school? I know you had a bad couple of weeks but...’

Addison shook her head, ‘No,’ she said.

Max frowned. ‘Was it... was it because I kissed you?’ he asked uncertainly.

‘No, Max.’ she said and blushing she looked down at the floor.

‘Then.. Then what is it then?’ he asked again. He lifted his hand up and placing it under her chin he lifted it so that she was looking at his face. His brown eyes were deep and probing and before she knew it Addison couldn’t help but tell him.

‘I... I was upset because of the graves...’

‘The graves?’ he asked ‘I know not a lot of people like grave yards but if that’s the case don’t take a walk in one.’

‘No... It’s not that I don’t like them it’s that... that my parent’s graves are in England not here. I can’t visit them.’

Max’s eyes widened and looking at the grave with the rose on he shook his head slightly and winced.

‘I’m sorry, Addie, I didn’t know your parents were dead,’ he spoke softly, looking back at her face he rubbed a thumb over her cheek.

Addison nodded her head. ‘ Yes. They died nearly two months ago.’

‘God, Addison, no wonder you look so sad all the time. Is that why you moved here?’ he asked.

‘Yes. Lacey’s mum and mine were sisters. My grandfather didn’t want me so he shipped me here,’ she told him, slightly bitter.

‘So, you came here straight after your parents deaths, started a new school with a cousin who spreads rumours about you and tries to ruin you whole life, then you meet some guy who’s a jerk to you. No wonder you’re upset. I’m sorry...’

‘Yeah. It’s not easy being me, you know?’ Addison tried to laugh. She hated feeling sorry for herself.

She realised she was still held in Max’s arms and so she tried stepping back again. Max let her go this time and she turned to face the grave they where stood next to. She looked down at the head stone and something familiar about the name had her bring a hand up to her mouth and her eys going wide as she looked at Max and gasped.

‘Max....?’

The name on the head stone was Mary Lane.

‘Yeah, that’s my mom,’ Max said and bending to the floor he picked up a fresh looking white rose that he must of dropped when he hugged her and replaced the dying one already on the grave with it.


‘I’m sorry, Max,’ Addison said at the sad look in his eyes. She reached up a hand and touched him on the arm.

‘It’s ok, she died when I was fourteen,’ he said and turning slightly, he looked at her. ‘The pain doesn’t go away, Addison, but it does ease a little, after a while. You just have to think of all the good times.’

‘I know, I just hate the fact that I’m here and they’re over there. It’s sweet how you put a rose on her grave, Max. I can’t do that for my mum.’ Addison caught her breath, holding back the tears again.

‘Well if it helps, you can come put flowers on my mom’s grave in remembrance of your parents...if it helps,’ Max said gently.

Addison smiled up at him. ‘Thank you, Max,’ she said, the simple sweet smile still on her lips.

Max smiled back and both of them stood there for a while, looking down at the white marble headstone. Max thinking of his mother and Addison of hers.

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