Pop - Ch. 6 Part I

                I picked up the guitar and started to play. Everything happened just as I had imagined it to be. The chords that I had been practicing all this time had become second nature to me. My fingers plucked and glided down the strings, moving in perfect time to way I had wanted them to. I was standing, the ocean breeze pulling strands of hair away from my face. I could feel it! The way Alekk felt. He would be so proud. I was finally getting it. I finally knew how it felt to enjoy knowing how to play the guitar.

                “ ‘Kay, show me what you’ve got.”

                I had been day dreaming again.

                I honestly had been practicing. The callouses on my fingertips could prove it. But the moment I picked up that guitar I knew it wouldn’t have made an ounce of a difference. I still sucked. My fingers didn’t “glide” down the guitar strings. They froze. I could start to “feel” the music, but then I would lose concentration on the chords I was supposed to play, and ultimately mess up. Alekk wouldn’t be too proud.

                In fact, I had proof that Alekk wasn’t very proud at all. He was trying to cover up the scowl on his face. It wasn’t working. The end of the song was coming, that was good. Alekk looked like he couldn’t take it anymore. Okay… one more verse… and done! The two of us looked relieved, oddly. I quickly set the guitar down and looked back at Alekk for some kind of remorse.

                “Alright,” droned Alekk, “let’s pretend you didn’t just suck at the guitar and focus on something else.” He sat down at a couch, trying to think up of what to say next. I followed, trying to think of what to say in reply.

“What do you mean by something else?” I asked.

“I mean, what do you like to do?” asked Alekk, “I mean, there has to be some hobby of yours that rates well above the guitar. Because at this rate, I am NOT going to let you play at some highly populated concert at the end of the summer.”

Alekk laughed. Laughed! And here I was, sitting there in shock. I guess it was a playful laugh, but his comment still kind of hurt. I knew I was bad at playing the guitar, but not that bad. I didn’t know whether to join in Alekk’s comic outburst or to point him out on his snide truthfulness. I started busting up, laughing. We just sat there for a couple of minutes, tears rolling down our cheeks, our sides aching. I had never seen this side of Alekk before. It was certainly refreshing.

“So?” Alekk asked after our laughter had subsided.

“Acting. I like acting.”

                It was Thursday night, which meant that Alekk was going to have his friends over at any minute. Niv and I made plans to bypass the party and go down to the beach to make some smores instead. My mind paced over what had happened earlier today – how I had seen the other side of Alekk. It was a nice change, but whether his act was permanent or not, I guess I would have to find out. I pulled on a sweater and headed downstairs where Niv was waiting.

                What a complete change, this last week has been. Never did I imagine that the outcome of this summer would be me, unofficially dating Alekk Weston’s assistant and best friend, Niv. This whole adventure had become a rollercoaster ride, but out of all of it, Niv was the good. He was cool watermelon on a hot sunny day. He helped reassure me that everything was going to be fine with Wes. Last week opened new doors. We could talk about new things. I trusted him completely.

                He smiled as I came down the stairs and walked over to wrap me in one of his warm hugs.

                “Hey Max,” he breathed. His sweater smelled of his cologne, a new favorite of mine. I could be here, just like this for the longest time, and it wouldn’t have bothered me a bit. I smiled.

                Just as we were parting, Alekk surprised us with his presence again as he descended the steps of his bedroom. I sighed. What did he want now?

                “Well aren’t you guys just as charming as a pair of my grandma’s slippers,” smirked Alekk. He walked up to us, for once not holding up a glass of brandy while wearing a tux. For once, he was dressed in casual, outdoorsy clothes. I didn’t get it. First his laughter from earlier this morning, and now this.

                “Aren’t you going to get ready for your party?” asked Niv, evidently picking up on the same odd clues.

                “On the contrary, though I do enjoy the days when you’re NOT in my house Ms. Maxine, I am not having a party. Thirsty Thursdays are no more! I’ve given up on that whole… drinking thing.”

                Niv and I stood there with shock clearly written on our faces. Alekk pretended that he didn’t even notice. He sighed, smiling in a way that made us look like a part of a joke. Niv and I quickly tried to compose ourselves.

                “Should’ve grabbed a camera for that,” said Alekk, “how long could you guys have stood there anyway?”

                Niv shook his head and held my hand. We started walking across the living room.

                “Wait!” yelled Alekk as he caught up with us.

                “Well, what do you want, Alekk? You didn’t come down from your room for nothing. Especially if you’re not having a party.” Niv looked slightly angry for once. Apparently there were sides of both Niv and Alekk that I hadn’t seen before.

                “True, I gave up Thirsty Thursdays. All of our guests were getting boring. I will, however, never give up my brandy. Also, for which you are inquiring, I am dressed up like this because I have decided to take us somewhere. The Shakespeare Festival. You’ll have to pack up whatever you’ll need in T-minus fifteen minutes seeing as there is a plane to catch and cabin with our names on it. Hope you didn’t have anything planned for this evening.”

                And with a devilish grin, Alekk turned and walked gracefully back to his room.

                BANG.

                The loud slam of the door to Alekk’s room had awoken both Niv and me. We gave one knowing look to each other and bolted, knowing we had only fifteen minutes to pack for only the most amazing festival ever. I was so happy I could have exploded.

                For all the nervousness he was feeling, Alekk was beginning to think that he needed that swig of brandy. If Max was really great at acting, this would be it. This would be her start. No more normal Maxine from the Midwest. Would this make her happy?

                He picked up the old poem that he needed and carefully sifted it into his pocket. He thought of how his dad, calm and wise, gave him the poem those years ago.

                “To be honest, you’ll probably make any normal girl take off running when you read her this. But you, son. You’re not just some normal boy. I didn’t raise you that way. You’ve already taken the world by surprise. So when you read the girl this, the one who has finally caught you by surprise, I guarantee she’ll most certainly stay.”

                “Let’s hope, Dad,” Alekk said silently before turning off his bedroom light.

                The next day I awoke to Niv and Alekk arguing. We were in the cabin, and for once, the space made the whole situation crowded. The cabin was smaller than my house back in the Midwest, and with the addition of the boys, there was really no space for me to call my own.

                “Ugh, I think I got that stupid flu from the lady sitting next to me,” said Niv all the way from the bedroom. He certainly did sound sick. A large sigh ensued.

                “And that’s why you’re going to stay in here until you get better!” exclaimed Alekk in fake motherly tone, “and I love your dimples, they’re so cute.”

                “UGH! She did sound like that, huh?” laughed Niv.

                “What a creeper,” laughed Alekk, “but seriously, if it gets worse I’ll have them come get you in the jet.”

                “I know,” sighed Niv, “it just sucks.”

I was sitting on the couch when Alekk walked into the living room. I didn’t expect him to come in so quickly.

                “Oh, hello there Max. Picking up on our conversation? You know that’s bad manners.” He then resumed walking to the kitchen, trying to find something to make for breakfast. Was it me, or did he forget that I had been making his meals for the past month and a half?

                “You know how to make breakfast?” I asked. It seemed I was the one that shocked him. He looked completely clueless.

                “Uh… duh? Who do you think I was before I became famous?”

                After breakfast, Alekk and Max got ready to explore all that the Shakespeare Festival had to offer. They had only walked a couple of yards away from their cabin when Alekk saw an actress and her director arguing.

                “I can’t believe Nelly dropped. Now we don’t even have a back-up. And I’m afraid with her gone, Fred won’t want to perform either. We better hope someone can fill for her, or we might have to call off Midsummer.”

                Alekk stood in shock. This was Max’s opportunity. He didn’t understand much of the actress’s lingo, except for the part where they were obviously desperate for an actress. He turned to Max, who was oblivious to it all.

                “Max, do you know of something called ‘Midsummer?’”

                “Like the back of my hand!” Alekk’s eyes widened. He ran off after the actor and director he had seen seconds ago.

                “Alekk. WESTON!!” squealed the actress. The director looked pretty surprised as well. This was the typical reaction whenever he greeted new people, Alekk thought. He shrugged off their dropped jaws and flushed faces. He had business to get to.

                “YES. Me. Anyways, I’ve heard that you guys are short an actress. Is that true?”

                Nods from the two.

                “Well, I have a friend who is a really great actress. She knows your play like the, um, back of her hand. Could you give her a try?”

                The director was the first to compose herself. Trying now to act professional, she gave a silent pause, perusing the horizon as if some magical answer were to be found there.

                “I suppose, if it is you Alekk Weston, who has recommended her.”

                Alekk watched as Max performed right there next to the pond just beyond their cabin. All he knew was that she was amazing. She fit right in. She twirled and gasped and cried and laughed all in the right moments. He compared the guitar lesson he had with her a day ago, how he judged how she didn’t quite get it. And now she could surpass him, definitely in this. It was obvious she hadn’t had won that award he found in her room for nothing.

                With every smile that Max had given, Alekk had fallen more for her. She was everything he didn’t have anymore. He didn’t have that innocence. He didn’t have that hope or light-heartedness that Max still reserved for the world. She knew that there was still good in every little thing. All he had known was that she was good.

                “Well Max, you have my seal of approval!” beamed the director, “Meet me at nine tomorrow morning. Looks like we’ve found our new Helena.”

                I about fell to the ground. Me! She wanted me. I hadn’t even been outside the cabin for more than a day and I had a part in one of the most popular Shakespeare plays, ever! Happiness filled my veins. Nothing could have ever been better than what I felt right now. I was going to be in a play. In front of thousands of people. Though I never thought I would act again after high school, this was certainly the golden ticket.

                If only I could somehow show Wes.

                “Why did you do this for me, Alekk? You’ve never been nice to me. I don’t know what to expect from you.”

                I had spotted Alekk admiring the pond. The hours had flown by and it had taken until now for me to realize that Alekk was the one who landed my tryout in the first place. None of it made sense.

                “I know,” said Alekk, walking towards me, “I don’t really know what to expect out of myself, either.” I was confused by what he was trying to say.

                “Well that’s life, Alekk.”

                “No! No. What I mean to say is… I like you Maxine. I know it’s selfish, but I do.”

                The words weren’t sinking in. None of it made sense. Alekk hated me. Or at least I thought he did. I was frustrated… nothing I could think up was good enough. He wasn’t like Niv. He didn’t even like Wes. Instead of happiness, I felt rage. All I thought was that this was some sort of prank Alekk was making up. I couldn’t wait any longer for his laughter at my expense.

                “No, you don’t like me Alekk. You think quitting your parties – taking me here – is going to help? You don’t even know me. Not at all.”

END OF CH. 6 PART I

Pop - Ch.5

                It was just after breakfast and he was watching her wash the dishes. Every day for the past month – and always at this time – he would feel an almost unbearable pain. It was guilt, he guessed, for two months ago he never had the need to feel this way. It all started in fact, that month ago when Max told him of her disappointment.

                It had been a month now and Max had not shown him any hint of anger since that day. He didn’t get it. She still made him and Niv breakfast with no grudge. Not that he tried to provoke her. He didn’t want to feel that pang of guilt again. He hadn’t imagined to be in so much pain from one person except for what had those many dark years ago… the pain that he had managed to dull after all of these years.

                The pain of guilt had changed everything.

                It had been a month since I had seen Wes. Every part of my body ached to see him again. He was so skinny the last time I had seen him. I just wanted some proof to make sure he was alright. I was living in a bubble, it seemed. I knew very much the world I was in now, but as far as what was waiting on the outside, I had not a clue. That look on his face as we parted – it killed me.

                The less time I had to spend in this house, the better. Niv seemed to understand. He would take me down to the beach and we would spend most of our days swimming in the warm ocean. At first I was apprehensive, but Alekk didn’t even mind. He appeared to have his mind occupied with something else, so as long as I practiced my guitar and singing every now and then, he wouldn’t object. I think he knew that I didn’t exactly want to be around him.

                I hadn’t expected to be swimming so much, and it did take my mind off of things. Niv would buy me a couple of new suits and I would get better at swimming. I could hold my breath for almost a minute now, same as him. It was weird how Niv could make my day a thousand times better. One word from Alekk and my world would turn sour, yet Niv could flash me a glance of his sky-blue eyes and it was like whatever Alekk had said was irrelevant.

                We would actually talk about real things too, Niv and I. He would express his concern for Wes, and then tell me about the family he had back home. He said that they lived in the Midwest, same as I did. He missed them a lot. He told me it was hard to work for Alekk, because he would only see his family perhaps one week out of the entire year. But then he would take back his comment, almost worshipping the fact that Alekk was so good to him.

                What I really liked was the way Niv cared. He actually cared like a true gentleman. He would give me his sweater if I got cold. He would understand my opinion if I didn’t exactly want to dive to the bottom of the ocean to visit a nasty eel. Basically, he reminded me of Wes, when Wes and I would take care of each other. I could trust him.

                 I was getting dressed in one of my brand new bikinis when I heard a knock at the door. I quickly threw the dress I was going to wear over my head.

                “Oh good you’re almost ready!” said Niv as I let him in my room. I had gotten kind of used to this. Niv would come and get me before we both headed down to the beach. Though this time Niv had that odd smile on his face, the one where he looks as though he’s about to get in trouble. And that’s when I saw a pair of very expensive-looking car keys dangling from his hand. I gave him a look.

                “What are THOSE for, Niv?” I asked playfully. Certainly he was joking. Alekk would never let me far away from the house. Not if he didn’t even want me to see Wes. Niv gave me one of those soul-piercing stares. I might have been light-headed for a second there.

                “We’re not going to THIS beach today. We’re going to go to another beach. Come on, I’ll get the car started.” He started to run down the stairs.

                “Wait!”

                “What?” Niv asked as he appeared in my room again.

                “At least um, let me finish getting ready. It’s only been five minutes. Let me brush my teeth and stuff.” I requested sheepishly. I sounded retarded. Niv did his laugh.

                “Okay,” he simply replied, before bounding down the stairs again.

                I couldn’t believe it! I was getting out of this house – out of this neighborhood. I hurried to get ready as I secretly hoped that I would happen to run into Wes on our outing.

                Niv was waiting for me downstairs. Does everybody that works for Alekk look like a supermodel? I caught up to him. Alekk was still sitting at the dining room table from earlier this morning. For a split second I actually cared to wonder if he was okay.

                “Hey Alekk, we’re heading out. We’re going to be gone all day if you don’t mind.”

                I gave a suspicious look towards Niv. All day?

                “Nope,” replied Alekk. He didn’t even look over at us. He just sat there, thinking. What was running across his mind? I didn’t think I would ever have the time to understand. Niv and I then rushed out of the house and towards his car.

                Niv stopped walking when we got to what must have been the nicest car I had ever seen. It was shiny, red, and looked like it could reach way past 150 miles per hour. My jaw about dropped.

                “Niv, this is your car?! Are we really going to drive in that thing?” Niv did his laugh again.

                “Of course we’re going to drive in this ‘thing.’ How else are we going to get to the beach? Come on Max, just hop in.”

                Niv was giving me a strange look as I situated myself into his nice, fancy, expensive, jaw-dropping car. I made sure to only touch the car if I had to, which meant barely touching it at all. I took off my flip-flops, clutching onto them so that my feet wouldn’t add one speck of dirt onto the pristine floor. Once I finally sat in the passenger’s seat, I just sat there, not moving one hair of my body. I didn’t want to add creases into his perfectly molded leather seats.

                “You’re such a weirdo,” laughed Niv. I couldn’t help but laugh along with him. What a spectacle I had made myself! I could totally submit myself into the Guinness Book of World Records for slowest enter into a car, ever.

                “Hey now! The only car I’m used to is my aunt’s Toyota Camry from the 1980’s. Other than that, taxis I guess. There’s no way I’m going to allow myself to ruin this little beauty. Niv laughed again.

                Driving in the car with Niv was like a dream. The warm summer breeze was so welcoming. Niv was enjoying himself, too. I forgot that he was trapped in the house as much as I had been. It felt as though I was in a completely different world. The world where only Niv and I existed, where everything that was left on the sidelines was taken care of. Where everything was going to be okay.

                Why do I feel this way? Alekk thought. This on-going guilt was getting old. But still he couldn’t shrug it off. It had been over a month, and still he knew nothing about her. Max. Yet when she told him a month ago of her disappointment, he froze. Why? What had caught his attention?

                The thought of her crying over her beloved cousin, the way Niv had described. That was what caught his attention. He remembered crying like that years ago. Did her heart ache as his did every day? Finally he had found someone who could feel, really feel what it was like to be helpless. Everyone he met nowadays had everything they needed, laid out in front of them and yet still complained on how a certain thing was packaged. They would never understand him, much like he would never understand Max. He now felt guilty for taking her source of joy away.

                Funny how he, the joy of multiple girls around the world, could not suffice that same joy in a girl who used to have so much hope in him. He had to do something. But where to start on someone who hated your guts?

                You’re really going to do this? Alekk asked himself. He was now standing at the entrance of Max’s room. She was going to be gone all day, so this was perhaps his only opportunity. One last thought of remorse and he headed towards all of Max’s drawers, trying to find something – a hobby maybe – that she liked so that he could bring back a little of her happiness.

                It seemed like hours, but Alekk started piecing little bits of Max together. Poems were cut out and kept in a folder, all about hope and love. A bookshelf not only contained books, but plays. Her favorites, he assumed. A desk was littered with copies of screenplays from various movies and plays she had obviously seen. An award also on the desk proved that Max liked to act, and was quite good at it.

                It all made sense. While she wasn’t necessarily brilliant at playing the guitar, Alekk had found something she was good at and loved. And while he couldn’t necessarily cancel the concert for Max now, he could help put the spotlight on her with his various connections. He smiled. Maybe it wasn’t so hopeless for Max to have a happy ending after all.

                Niv and I swam practically the whole day. It was so nice to be away from people we knew for once. When we weren’t swimming we fished, and ate whatever we had caught. It was a very simple day. It reminded me of the days that Wes and I were alone, how we took satisfaction in providing for ourselves, in growing up all together.

                I thought about the drive over, before we had arrived at the beach. I could tell Niv was inching his hand closer to mine. I didn’t even have to look at him. I remembered I blushed a deep shade of red, before I pretended to brush my hair with the hand he was trying to reach. I’m not sure exactly why I did that. The feeling was nice, the almost-touch. It just didn’t seem like the right setting, or time.

                I was now standing on the shore, watching Niv all the while as he swam. He never looked so alive. Every now and then he would glance over to me and flash his smile. And my heart would skip a little. Like right now. Instead of continuing to swim however, Niv made his way over to the shore to join me.

                “Come on!” yelled Niv excitedly, “There’s a dance going on. We have to join it!” He grabbed my hand and ran over to where everyone else was dancing. I noticed I let him hold my hand, this time. For some reason, unlike those weeks ago, it felt as though I had just held onto a lightning bolt. Chills ran down my arm.

                Niv and I danced to the upbeat salsa music. I could tell none of us really knew how to dance, but it was okay. Even with all of the people there, it felt as though it were only us dancing together. We didn’t care that we didn’t know any dance moves. It didn’t matter how graceful everyone else was. All I knew was that I couldn’t help but stare into Niv’s eyes, which in the dark looked like sapphire. All he could do was stare back into mine. And I really didn’t want to look anywhere else.

                It was like I was afraid – of what I was getting myself into. But at the same time, the way I felt safe around him outweighed my feelings of being afraid. I began not to admire his eyes, or how he treated me, but him as a whole.

                Later, after the dancing had subsided, Niv went to go put everything back in his car and came back to me looking out towards the ocean.

                “Thank you for everything, Niv.” He smiled.

                “My pleasure,” he replied innocently.

                I paused for a moment. We were actually gone all day. I started to add things up. Niv was nice to me. He took me out in his really awesome car. We not only swam all day, but he took care of me. We danced. He tried to hold my hand twice, and succeeded once. That could only mean…

                “Niv?”

                “Yea?” he asked, not really expecting a question.

                “I couldn’t help but think. Were we… I mean did we just-,”

                “Go on a date?” laughed Niv slightly, “I was wondering when you were going to figure that out.”

                My heart pounded. It was like my brain wouldn’t wrap itself around what I had just heard. As I took that moment to decipher what Niv had just said, my face started to blush its unattractive shade of red again. I couldn’t believe it. And then I blushed some more. This wasn’t what I was expecting, but it wasn’t something that made me want to disapprove at all. In fact, I was quite happy. More than that. Very happy. I froze.

                “Are you okay, Max?” Niv asked, concerned at the face I was making apparently.

                “Why do you like me, Niv?”

                “Because,” Niv replied, “you’re the only person I can have a real conversation with. You’re simple, like me, and I mean that in the most admirable way. You care for your family, like I do. And plus, those face expressions you make are kind of cute.”

                Oh please, just let me melt. I couldn’t even feel the afternoon breeze. I couldn’t hear the ocean anymore. I couldn’t feel the sand beneath my feet. I could only see Niv.

                “Max, do you like me?” Niv asked, stepping in closer. Chills ran down my spine.

                “Yes.”

                 And then he brushed his lips so lightly against mine that they felt like air. I could have been caught in a snow blizzard, for that was how I felt. His hand found mine, and I didn’t let go. I never wanted to let go. Days could have gone by and we wouldn’t have known. We were in our own little world.

                As we parted, Niv smiled. It was a different now. I had never seen so much joy on his face. I guess I was smiling too. I could have stayed like this, exactly, forever. I would be happy like this, just so long as Wes ended up being happy too.

                After precious minutes went by with us just holding hands however, Niv and I both knew that the day was ending, and that we had to get back to the vacation house. So with one quick glance and smile, we both made our way back to Niv’s car and drove away from the beach.

                “Goodnight,” said Niv as he walked me upstairs to my room.

                “Goodnight, Niv. Thank you for today.”

                “My pleasure,” Niv smiled. He kind of stood there awkwardly. He knew what part of the date this was. It was always so gloriously portrayed in any romantic movie. Guy brings girl home from date. Guy wants to make lasting impression before leaving the girl to her parents. Then boom.

                I kissed Niv. It was my turn, anyways. I really did love it. He looked so shocked afterwards. He kind of just laughed at his shock and then shyly turned to go back down the stairs toward his room.

                I sighed. Oh Max, what did you get yourself into?

                Alekk had seen the whole thing. They didn’t notice him. Not as they barged into his house. Not as they flicked on the hallway lights. Not as they made their way up the stairs. Not even as they kissed. Niv didn’t even notice him as he went downstairs toward his room. That was forgivable, Alekk thought. Niv had lost all concentration. It made sense. It all did, actually.

                A new pain had welcomed itself to Alekk. It wasn’t in his heart, but in his mind. He had never felt so at war with himself until this moment. His blood boiled. He found himself slightly clenching his fists. Nothing he knew could make himself feel better. He could play music on the nicest guitar and it still wouldn’t do justice. He could win every award known to man and it still couldn’t return him back to normal, before this moment.

                But he did know this. That before he saw Niv kiss Max, he was okay. And now he wasn’t. He finally figured it out. Jealousy. Everyone he had met already knew what it was, how it felt. Jealousy was new to him, and he hated how exhausted it made him feel. He rubbed his head in defeat. He knew why jealousy fit so perfectly in his situation – in what he had been feeling for the past month.

                He was falling in love with Max.

 

END OF CH.5

Pop - Ch.4

                I had just fixed the boys chocolate chip pancakes - to which Alekk asked where I stashed the cookbook; I wasn’t aware there was one – and was now washing the dishes. The breeze was now lightly brushing its way through the windows and into the wide expanse of the kitchen, dining room, and living room. I can’t believe that I had already been here for a little over a week.

               I decided not to take too much into Alekk being as big-headed as he always is and instead enjoy my time here while it lasted. I ignored his sneers as I picked up his laundry, his dirty shoes as he walked across a freshly mopped wooden floor, and his fingerprints as he peered out of a window that had just been cleaned.
                He lied about his many friends, by the way. Alekk did. The multiple parties I had expected to clean up after were only few, and the people invited were usually ignored towards the latter part of the night. As far as I could acquire, the only true friend that Alekk had was Niv. Maybe that was why I didn’t mind his pungent attitude. How sad to be so famous and so known, yet to only have one friend to count on during all this time.

                Alekk wouldn’t let Niv help me in anything I did. I’m not sure of what point Alekk wanted to get across, but if it were to isolate me it didn’t work. Some days it did, I’ll give him credit for that. I would call up Wes, crying because I missed him so much and felt so guilty. He would get upset though, and try to convince me to leave the house and come stay with him. I would tell Wes that I wanted to, but I also didn’t want him to carry my burden, to have to pay for my expenses as well. Then he would retreat on his argument, and realize that I was right. There was no way he could take care of the both of us. It was hard enough just to take care of himself.

               Don’t get me wrong, Niv would seriously try to help me out. I don’t know why. I don’t get why he was so different from Alekk, I mean. But then Alekk would tell him something about how they worked so hard to get to where they are, and that they couldn’t go back, no matter what. I wondered what that meant.
               But today Alekk was gone. Off to do a show or something. He was going to be gone about every weekend to do a show, he had said. Summer is apparently a very popular season.
                So I was there washing the dishes. Niv reached up behind me and turned off the faucet.

                I was about to turn around and ask what he was doing, when he grabbed the sponge out of my hand and threw it in the sink. I probably had the weirdest look on my face.

               “Oh hey there, Cinderella! Did, or didn’t you notice that Alekk is gone?” smirked Niv. What was he doing? I needed to get those dishes done.
               “Uh, yea… so what?”
               Niv paused. He had this odd smile going on. The best way I could describe it was like a kid who was about to get into trouble, but didn’t mind caring. Then the biggest smile I had ever seen flashed across his face.
             “C’mon!” His blue eyes were huge.

                “Why?” I started to ask. But before I could make the word sound like a question, Niv grabbed my hand and we were running! Running out of the kitchen, out of the house and down the steps, now on grass and running towards the beach where the ocean met in sheets of waves. I was out of breath.

                “What are you doing?” I exclaimed, yanking my hand free of Niv’s. He was so excited. I had no clue why.
                “Nobody is here, Max!” yelled Niv slightly, “Usually there are a ton of people here, but not today! We have the entire beach to ourselves!”
                “Niv, I have to finish those dishes. Alekk is going to be mad!” Niv’s excited look dimmed, but hadn’t disappeared completely.
                “Like I said Max, Alekk isn’t here. Just have one day to yourself. Do the dishes later. Right now, enjoy THIS,” he replied, arms extending out to the sky. He started running closer to the waves.
                 He was right. I couldn’t let this pass me by. I ran after him.

                Until I noticed that he was taking his clothes off. Immediately I closed my eyes.

                “Relax!” laughed Niv. He must have noticed my reaction, “I had my swim trunks underneath.” I opened my eyes to find him running towards the huge waves. My heart raced for a second. Those waves were pretty big. But then again, I had never really seen waves up close before.
             “C’mon!” he yelled as he reappeared above the water’s surface. I froze. I didn’t know if I could do it. Go in the water like that, with those waves. I shivered.
                “You didn’t tell me I was going to need my suit!” Niv laughed again.
                “Just jump in with them on! I can buy you some new clothes afterwards if you want. It’s not that big of a deal.”
                And then I realized. This was Niv. Not Alekk. I didn’t have to perfect every part of my being around him. I could be myself, for the most part. That’s when I felt the warmth of the sun. The mesmerizing breath of the wind. The mist of the ocean. I ran towards the frothing waves. And jumped in.
                As soon as my face awoke to the return of air, Niv motioned me to come to the deeper part of the ocean where he was. We were out there for hours, swimming or floating on our backs allowing the sun to caress our skin.

                Time had found us hours later sprawled across the lawn, fast asleep. All of that swimming made us feel as though our bones had melted. We didn’t seem to mind as the warmth from the sun wrapped us in its cocoon of a blanket and begged us to close our eyes.

                I would open mine every once in a while, just to make sure that Niv was still there, that he hadn’t run off to go drag Alekk over here and prove all the “wrong” that I had done. That he wouldn’t leave me alone. I hated to be alone.

                “What are you thinking about, Max?” Niv asked. I guess I hadn’t noticed, but we had both had our eyes open for a while. All I could do was to look back into his. Those eyes could make any heart stop. I could look into them forever. They were safe – familiar.

                “I miss my cousin, Wes.” I hadn’t expected to say that, but Wes was on my mind. What I wanted to say was, “I hope this day never ends,” or at least something cordial like, “thank you for taking me to the beach.”

                 Niv kind of smiled at me. I could tell he wasn’t frustrated by what I had said. It was an understanding smile.
                “Where does he live?”
                “He lives here in town, but we haven’t visited each other because of-,” I paused. I was about to tell Niv about how all of the stuff I had to do for Alekk was preventing me from visiting my cousin. Why would I do that? I was grateful for being here. I didn’t need the slightest bit of under-appreciation to anyone. Certainly I was more humble than that.
                “Invite him over,” Niv said softly. I froze. Niv did his casual laugh.
             “C’mon. How many times do I have to remind you that it’s your day?” He got up swiftly and started walking back up the house. Adrenaline rushed through my veins. I couldn’t believe it. I would see Wes today!

                An hour later Wes was on his way over to the house, while Niv was panicking over which type of popcorn would be appropriate for the plethora of movies he had picked for all of us to watch together. He really looked just as excited as I felt! I just couldn’t believe it. I noticed the pool had also been cleaned, but not by me however.

               “Why are you doing all of this?” I asked Niv. He had been wandering around the house, trying to find anything that was out of place – I had finally finished the dishes – but couldn’t necessarily find anything. At my voice he turned, his huge smile returning to his face.
               “Because Wes is your family, right? Family is very important, to me anyways.”
               I hadn’t expected Niv to say something like that. I also hadn’t expected the guilt to pour into my mind like it had. I had left my Aunt Karen. True she had left me first, but like Niv had said, she was my family.
                 Before I had time to think about anything else Niv and I heard a knock at the door. Wes!

                “Who is he and why is he at our house, Niv?” oh…… and Alekk. My heart that was previously beating fast now fell to my feet. I peeked behind him and there stood Wes, anxiously waiting for me to let him in the house, and very shocked that he was standing only a couple feet away from the famous star that now caused both joy and misery in our lives.

                “He is Max’s cousin,” chimed Niv nervously.
                “Wes!” I shouted. He came a little closer. Something was wrong with the way he looked.
                “Hey you, scrawny kid, I want to talk to you. Why are you at my house?”
                “I was told I could come over,” replied Wes meekly.
                THAT was the problem, I thought. How thin Wes had gotten. It had only been a week, but I could tell that he wasn’t taking care of himself as well as he should have. He looked so weak. He never would have replied back to Alekk in that tone. The Wes I knew was stubborn, and while that would have been annoying any other time, right now I wished he would for once be stubborn to this excuse of a man.
                “You were told to come over to this house, correct?” Wes shook his head.
                “Well guess who owns this house. I do. Not Niv, not Max here. I didn’t invite you over. So get off my property. Now.”

                Wes froze, then started backing away.

               “Wait!” shouted Niv, trying to reason with him. My blood was boiling. Wes needed help. And either way, I was not going to see him leave while I was trapped in this house. I shoved my way past both Niv and Alekk, anger clearly showing on my face.
               “Just let her tell him good-bye,” stated Niv calmly as he pulled Alekk back. I pushed their words to the back of my mind. I needed to see Wes.
               As soon as I was close enough, I pulled Wes in a tight hug. His bones protruded more in a few places. He still was the same Wes though, and it took all me not to cry. He was my only family, and I couldn’t be with him.
               “You have to take better care of yourself, Wes,” I sighed, “I need you.”
               “I know,” he replied. And I trusted that he knew. The tone of his voice was apologetic.
               “You have one more minute and then I’m calling the cops!” shouted Alekk. It felt as though someone had punched me in the chest. Any second and I would break down. I hugged Wes one last time.
               “I miss you so much.”
               And he was off again, like last time, only it was much worse now. I reluctantly walked back toward the house.

                Alekk had this kind of smirk on his face that only someone clueless would love. I wanted to make that smirk leave. As if Niv had read my mind, he backed off a couple of steps. I came right up to Alekk, making sure I had his attention.

                “What now?” he asked.
                “You know, I’ve had my share of people who have disappointed me. I hadn’t imagined that you would be one of them.”
                I turned away just as Alekk’s face cringed. It was the first time I had actually seen him hurt.

                I managed to go up the stairs and into my room in time so that just as I closed the door, tears would start pouring down my face. And they did. The way Wes looked would haunt me forever, it seemed, and my tears increased as I thought of how much worse it would have been had I decided to live with him. I heard a knock at my door. I tensed up, suddenly trying to make my tears disappear.

               “It’s just Niv.” A huge sigh from me followed. I opened the door. His calm composure drooped to a more empathetic stance.
               “Oh, what’s wrong?”
               “Something’s wrong, Niv. My cousin, he’s lost a lot of weight. And I can’t help him. I just want to make sure he’s going to be alright. He’s the only family I have.”
              “Shh, it’s alright. I’m going to fix this. It’s my fault I let things get so out of hand today.”
               Niv wrapped his arms around me, holding me as the rest of my tears escaped. I had never let him be so close to me before. It was frightening, but at the same time I had no one else to go to. I just stood there and let him comfort me, trying to make sense of how he could be so nice when Alekk never had been.
                “I’m going to talk to Alekk. Get some sleep, Max. It’s been a long day and once again, I’m sorry,” consoled Niv as he left me by myself and went down the stairs. I glanced around my room. It seemed so cold now.

                “Alekk, we have to help him out,” gasped Niv as he let himself into Alekk’s room, two flights of stairs later.

                “Who? Max’s cousin?”
                “Yes. Max said that he’s been losing a lot of weight. She’s worried about him,” Niv replied. Alekk gave an annoyed sigh.
                “He’s just scrawny, Niv. And she’s just upset that she can’t always get things her way,” he smirked.
                “No, it’s worse than that, Alekk. I caught her crying about him.”
                For a second, Alekk showed a hint of worry. For a moment his problems and the problems of Max paralleled, and the hurtful pain grabbed at his heart in a chokehold. He knew that Niv was watching him though, and so before it was noticeable at all, the hint of worry was masked by a neutral, stone-cold face.
                “I’ll take care of it. Don’t worry so much, Niv.”

                Alekk was looking into the face of a stern-looking Wes McKinley. He was beginning to think that this was a bad idea, but he couldn’t exactly do anything about it now, could he?

               “I used to think you were pretty cool and stuff,” was the first thing that Wes said. What odd timing to be thinking of that, Alekk thought. He had nothing good to say back, except for what he came for.
               “I came over to help you. I’m worried about your… nutritional habits.”
               “What?” scoffed Wes, “first you want me to get off your property, and now you’re worried about what I eat…”
                Alekk let out a deep sigh.
               “Max is worried about your health. Supposedly you’ve lost a lot of weight. I think you just look scrawny, but apparently you need help. So here, this should be enough to buy groceries for a month. If you need more let me know.”
               Wes held the wad of cash in his hand. This was way more than enough to feed himself for a month. It might have sufficed for a tall, muscular football player and one extra teammate. Wes was shocked. He had never held this much money in his entire life. Quickly thoughts of the abandonment of his mother filled his mind, however.
                He wasn’t going to be like her, getting money the easy way. The wrong way. He shook his head and shoved the money back into Alekk’s hand. Alekk’s brow furrowed in misunderstanding.

“I have a job now. I’ll be okay. I’ll admit, this last week was hard. Deposits for rentals aren’t cheap, but I’ll be fine.” Alekk nodded in slight agreement and started to turn away. Wes stopped him.

              “As for thinking that you ‘care’ for Max by trying to give me this money however, you are as close to ‘caring’ as I am to the moon. If you EVER pull that on me again, or say that you’re about to do something because of Max, you better prove… and I mean PROVE that you truly care for her.”
              “Okay,” Alekk replied humbly. With one more understanding look at Wes he got into his car and drove back to his vacation home.

END OF CH.4