Addison's Hero

After nearly fifteen minutes of them standing there side by side, Max had enough. They weren’t doing themselves any favours thinking about dead parents and things they couldn’t changed. He looked over at Addison and saw the depression hanging over her. What that girl needed, he thought, was some fun, a good time.

‘Come on!’ he said grabbing her slim hand in his.

‘What!’ Addison looked at Max in shock as he dragged her behind him. ‘Max, what are you doing? Where are we going?’

‘We’re going to go find us some fun,’ he told her, sending her a sly look over his shoulder.

‘Fun?’ she questioned. ‘What kind of fun?’

‘My kind of fun,’ he said and came to a stop at the side of the road, by his bike.

‘Oh... no, no ,no! I’m not getting on that!’ she said when she saw him lift off his helmet and reach for a spare one from the top box fastened on the back of the bike.

‘Come on, Addie. It’s safe, I promise you.’ Max looked at her pleadingly and Addison looked at the bike.

‘Max, it’s death trap and -’

‘Addison. I’ll drive carefully I promise. You really need to live a little and this is the way to start.’

‘No, I’ll-’

‘I dare you,’ he said and grinned.

‘Oh, please. That’s so childish,’ she said and rolled her blue eyes at him.

‘I double dare you!’

‘Max!’

‘Please?’ he said.

Addison shook her head at him and then grabbed the spare helmet out of his hand.

‘Fine!’ she said and Max couldn’t stop the wide grim from spreading over his face.

This was it, he though. Time to redeem himself and show her that he wasn’t really a jerk. He would make sure that Addison had a great day. He’d make sure she had fun.

He got on the bike and helped support her weight as she climbed on behind him. Once she was settled he started the bike and pulled off slowly. Following all his safety checks he rode the bike like a expert until he got out of town and then he let rip.

Max heard the squeal that Addison gave once he picked up speed and felt her grip on his waist tighten. It felt good to have her hands on him and he couldn’t help but smile at the feel of her body so close to his.

He started climbing the steep hill leading to The point and he slowed down for the bends. Max wasn’t really sure why he was bringing Addison up to The Point. It wasn’t for the normal reasons teenage guys brought girls up to the point for, but that would be nice too. No, he was bringing her up here because he knew she would like it. She would find the peace up here that he did and he felt a need to share that with her.

He slowed to bike to a stop and got off. He then helped Addison to climb of and they both took off their helmets. Max saw Addison reach up to her hair and run a hand through it. She grimaced and he guessed she was worried over the mess of it. It did look a little messy but he liked that look on her.

‘Max, you promised to drive carefully!’ she said turning to look at him.

‘I did,’ he replied.

‘You so didn’t,’ she returned. ‘You were defiantly speeding on the road leading up here.’

‘Addison. I’m always careful on my bike and I wouldn’t ever put you in danger. I know these roads like the back of my hand. I promise you that when you are on that bike with me , you’re safety is my top priority.’ As he spoke Max moved so that he was stood in front of her and he took the helmet out of her hands and placed it on the floor with his own. ‘I promise,’ he said again looking into her blue eyes with his own deep brown ones.

Addison nodded her head slightly and braking eye contact she looked around her.

‘Where are we?’ she asked.

‘The Point,’ he told her and watched as she walked over to the cliff edge.

Railings were put in place for safety but only on this part of the road. Were it stopped. If you carried on walking up, safety was forgotten about and nature took over.

‘Wow,’ Addison said as she looked over the railings. ‘Look at that view!’

‘Pretty amazing, isn’t it?’ Max said and went to stand next to her. ‘This is like a local hangout for teenagers, mostly the ones ending dates.’

Addison sent Max a probing look. ‘Oh...’ she quietly said.

Max noticed a light blush appear on her cheeks.

‘Is that why you brought me up here?’ she asked.

Max smiled and winking at her he kept silent. Addison’s blush deepened and he decided to stop her misery.

‘No, Addison. I brought you up here because it’s one of my favourite places to come and just... be. I thought you’d like it.’

Addison looked at him for a while and then looked back over at the view.

‘I do. It’s a lovely place. Thank you for sharing it with me,’ she said.

‘My pleasure.’


Addison took in the view. It stretched out over the whole of Parker Hill. She could see the local shopping mall. The high school and she bet that if she had a telescope she would be able to make out her aunt and uncal’s house. She looked at the horizon and thought how lovely it would be to stand here at sun rise or sun set. A light breezed ruffled her long brown hair and she gave a soft sigh. A wave of peacefulness washed over her and she realised that for once in a long time she felt at ease. Completely relaxed. She didn’t know if it was Max’s company or if it was the location, but she was thankful. She turned to smile at Max.

And Max caught his breath. As Addison smiled at him he was hit with how lovely she was. Her brown hair waved around her head and face gently in the soft breeze and her eyes were shining with... well he didn’t know what that emotion was, he just knew that her eyes didn’t have the sad, haunting look in them that he had seen there before. The sun shined on her face and he saw the few freckles sprinkled on her nose. Her smile lit up the whole of her. She almost glowed. She looked at him with complete trust and he knew that everything from this moment on would be different.

This girl was about to change his life. About to rock the very foundations of his world.

He stood in shock of his feelings for a moment or two, not able to look away from her. He then managed to tare his eyes away from the wonder of her to look at the view. He noticed something in the distance and was hit with a idea.

‘You see that?’ he asked pointing.

‘What?’ Addison asked, looking to where he was pointing to. She squinted her eyes a little and brought her hand up to shield them from the sun. ‘Is that a big wheel? she asked.

‘A what? Oh, you mean a Ferris wheel? Yeah,’ he smiled at her. ‘The next town over is having a fair visit. Wanna go?’

Addison looked and smiled. ‘Sure, why not?’

They both turned to walk back to the bike but as Addison turned she stumbled on a small rock on the uneven path. As she stumbled Max reached for her and grabbed hold of her arms to stop her from falling. The movements brought them into contact with each others bodies and both of them ended up catching their breaths in shocked gasps. Addison looked up at Max and he couldn’t help but stare into her eyes.

He saw her lick her lips and couldn’t help himself from bending his head down and kissing her on them softly. He felt her stiffen in his arms a little but she didn’t pull away nor push him away. He took that for a sign of encouragement and changed the angle of the kiss a little to kiss her more deeply. He was gentle and took his time to explore her mouth, enjoying the feel of her against him and the soft sighs and moans she gave as the kiss changed to a more passionate one.

In the end it was lack of oxygen that had him pulling a way from her. Damn that he had to breath, he thought to himself as he opened his eyes to look at her face. He was already missing the feel of her lips.

Max watched as Addison slowly opened her blue eyes to look up at him. He worried that she would be mad that he had kissed her, but he really hadn’t been able to stop himself and he wasn’t about to apologise for something that felt right.

Addison though didn’t shout at him, or give him a ear full, instead she just simply smiled.

As they made their way back to the bike, Max agreed with his earlier thought, Addison was defiantly going to rock his world!

She was something special.

---

By the time they arrived at the fair Addison was getting use to the bike, she would even go as far as to say that she enjoyed the ride, though she wouldn’t tell Max that.

They made their way to where the fair was and Addison was hit with the sights and smells surrounding her. Children’s laughter hit her ears, the screams and squeals of delight. Running past her and Max was a group of pre-teens eating candyfloss and carrying stuffed toys. A sense of giddiness overcame Addison.

‘So, what ride do you want to go on fist?’ Max asked with a smile.

Addison turned on the spot slowly, taking in all the sights and looking over all the rides.

‘That one,’ she said and pointed to a large scary ride that looked very high and fast. She looked at Max, wondering if he would chicken out.

‘Come on then,’ he laughed and grabbed her hand.

They rode the ride and rather dizzy afterwards they made their way to another then another and another, till most of the fastest, adrenalin pumping rides had been conquered.

‘Enough!’ Max groaned as they made their way off a ride. ‘I can’t take any more. I’m not as young as I use to be. My stomach can’t take it!’

Addison laughed at the green look on his face. ‘Poor, Max,’ she sympathised mockingly.

‘Yes, poor Max,’ he agreed. ‘Come on,‘ he said taking hold of her hand once again. Addison could get use to the feel of her hand in his strong one, she thought.

‘I need to redeem my macho-ness,’ he said. ‘I’m going to win you a stuffed toy.’ He dragged her over to a stall where you had to throw rings over glass milk bottles. Addison had a go but gave up after a few turns and left it up to Max.

After about twenty five rings and twenty dollars Max finally got a ring over a bottle. A small crowed had gathered around them but Addison cheered and clapped the loudest when he won. Max’s grin was huge when he handed her a stuffed bear.

It was brown and had a blue bow around it’s next. It was also half the size of Addison.

‘Max, how are we going to get this back on the bike?’ she asked, giggling.

‘We’ll think of something,’ he said, holding her hand and smiling at her.

Addison felt her heart do little flips. She couldn’t believe the difference in Max from the way he had been at school on Friday. She was curious to know what had made the change in him and decided to ask.

Max looked sheepish and it was a while before he replied.

‘I’m sorry,’ he said. ‘I know I was a jerk. I can’t really explain it to you Addie. Just know that I feel bad about it. I’m not normally like that,’ he explained.

‘Oh, really? What are you like then?’ she asked.

‘You really want to know?’ he asked and wiggled his eyebrows at her. Addison couldn’t help but laugh. ‘I’m... well I’m just me,’ he said more seriously. ‘Maybe you’ll take the time to find out, get to know me better...’

‘I’d like that... If you promise not to do the jerk act again.’

‘I promise.’

Addison smiled and as they walked through the fair ground she thought about how nice it was to be with Max, her hand in his and his eyes smiling as they looked into hers. She wasn’t sure he had told the truth or all the story about being mean to her, But she was happy that he had apologised and wasn’t being a jerk now.

As she thought more about him she thought about her feelings for him. She realised that she fancied him. Every time she looked at him her heart skipped a beat. She hadn’t really thought about boyfriends before. She’d never had one, never really liking any of the boys in the UK more then being just their friend. With Max it was different though. She wanted to be his friend, yes. But she also wanted more then that. She had never felt this way before.

‘You wanna go on?’ Max’s question broke through her thoughts and she frowned at him

‘What?’ she asked, confused.

‘The Ferris wheel?’ he asked. ‘You wanna go?’

‘Oh,’ Addison said and realised they where stood right by the queue for it. ‘Sure.’

They waited in the small line for their turn and once settled into a bucket type seat Addison sat back and took in the view as the big wheel slowly started to turn.

She looked out over the fair. The sun was starting to set now and parents of younger children were starting to leave as groups of teenagers, about Addison and Max’s age, were arriving.

Addison turned her head a little to look at Max and found him looking at her. She smiled and a light blush brushed her cheeks as his hand brushed back some of her hair. She felt nervous all of a sudden. Was Max going to kiss her again? She secretly hoped that he was. She was disappointed when he turned slightly and looked out over his side of the wheel at the view.

She folded her arms across her chest and tried making conversation.

‘So, how come you’re repeating some classes?’ she asked.

‘Because I failed some. It’s no big deal,’ he said, not looking at her.

‘No big deal? Max, don’t you care about school?’

‘What’s to care about? He asked. ‘It’s just something you have to get through.’

Addison didn’t understand his attitude. ‘Well, what collages have you applied for?’ she asked.

‘I haven’t applied to any,’ he said and Addison gasped.

‘Haven’t applied to.... Max! Don’t you want to go to collage?’

Max turned to look at Addison and gently spoke, ‘Addison, some people arn’t cut out for academics. The sooner I get a full time job the better. That’s what I’m gonna do when I graduate.’

‘But... Don’t you want a career, to be happy in your choice of work?’ Addison shook her head.

‘Listen, Addie. As long as any job I have pays well I’ll be happy. I have bills I need to help out with. If I could I’d leave school now and work full time, but I promised my mom I’d graduate and I keep my promises,’ he turned back to look at the view again and Addison just stared at him.

‘I guess... If that’s what you want...’

‘It is,’ Max said quietly.

After a few minutes of awkward silence Addison spoke up, ‘I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to come across as a preacher. It’s your decision to make.’

Max looked at Addison and moving slightly he put a arm around her shoulders.

‘Don’t worry about it, Addie.’ He smiled at her and Addison forgot to breathe. Tingles ran through her body at his wide grin and making a decision she decided to take matters into her own hands and not wait for him to make the first move.

As the big wheel jerked to a stop with them almost at the top, Addison reached for Max’s head and cradled it in her hands. She lent forwards and kissed him.

She could tell by the way that Max kept perfectly still that she had shocked him, she hoped that she hadn’t made a big fool of herself and was about to draw back when Max’s hands reached for her waist. He smiled against her lips and Addison felt her heart float away with the stars twinkling above them.

---

It wasn’t too late when she got home. And she wasn’t surprised to find her aunt or uncle still up watching TV.

She floated into the house with a dreamy expression on her face, clutching at the stuffed bear that Max had won. He had kissed her again when he had dropped her off, before going the short distance to his house.

‘Addison?’ Her aunt’s voice called to her.

Addison walked it to the front room to see her uncle turn of the TV.

‘We’d like to talk to you,’ he said.

Addison nodded her head and sat down on one of the armchairs in the room.

‘Where have you been?’ Rachel asked.

‘Oh, well I went for a walk like I told you, ‘ Addison explained, wondering if she was in trouble. ‘I bumped into a friend and we went to the next town over to the fair.’

‘Would this friend be Max Lane?’ Ben asked her, his tone a little accusing.

‘Yes...’ Addison said and noted the worried look her aunt and uncle shared. ‘Why?’

‘Lacey told us you were becoming friendly with the boy...’ Ben told her.

Lacey! Addison should of guessed! She looked out into the hall at the stairs and saw a shadow on the wall. Lacey was obviously standing on the landing listening.

‘Is there a problem?’ Addison asked.

‘Well dear...’ Rachel started. ‘It’s like this, you see? Max isn’t what we would call a good influence for you.’

‘Really?’ Addison questioned.

‘No, he’s the wrong type. Always in trouble and riding off on that death trap of his!’ Ben said. ‘Oh God! You haven’t been on it have you?’ he asked.

Addison couldn’t stop the guilty look appear on her face and heard Rachel let out a gasp.

‘Addison, we do not want you going on that bike,’ Rachel said.

‘Max is careful. He goes slowly,’ Addison said, defending him.

‘In fact,’ Ben said raising from his seat and standing in front of Addison. ‘We do not want you seeing Max. You’re to stay away from him, understand?’

Addison frowned at her aunt and uncle. She had just had the most enjoyable day with Max. It had been the best day she had had since moving here and now they were telling her she couldn’t spend any more time with him.

‘I’m sorry,’ Addison said quietly. ‘But Max is the only one out that school to be kind to be and give me a chance. Why shouldn’t I see him any more?’

‘He’s trouble, Addison and you’re in our care. He’ll get you in trouble,’ Ben said.

‘Because you’ve heard rumours of Max getting girls into trouble doesn’t mean that they are true.’

‘So you know?’ Rachel said.

‘That Max supposedly got a girl pregnant and left her to deal with it on her own? Yes I know about it,’ Addison replied and watched as her uncle walked over to the window. He looked out on the street in the direction of Max’s house.

‘So it’s true,’ Rachel said.

‘What?’ Addison said. ‘I never said it was true, I just said that I know about it. Max never told me. Someone else did.’ Addison looked at her uncle and aunt and shook her head. ‘I’ve not asked Max if it’s true, it’s nothing to do with me. But if it was, what does it matter? I’m not stupid enough to get into that situation. You can’t tell me who to be friends with and who not to be friends with. Max is nice. I like him. That’s enough for me. It’s nice to have someone to talk to at the moment.’

Addison got up from her seat and not believing her own lack of respect for her aunt or uncle she walked out the room. As she walked up the stairs and reached the landing she heard Lacey’s bedroom door shut close.

When Addison was inside her own room she lay on her soft bed and looked at the now very familiar ceiling.

She was always very respectful to her aunt and uncle. She loved them, she did. She was also thankful that they had given her a home. She just didn’t understand how they could be so prejudice.

So they had heard bad stuff about Max and they didn’t want her to get hurt, she could understand that, but they didn’t have to demand that she not see him again. They could of just voiced their opinions and trust her to make the choice herself, whether it was the right one or not.

That’s what her parents would have done.