Chapter 4 - Shadows in the Night
It was pouring rain when Max finished his visit and walked out of the hospital sliding doors.
He pulled the hood of his faded jacket over his short hair, shivering as the cold wind bit into his skin.
He had exactly two hours to sleep before he had to clock in at the warehouse for his midnight shift.
Across the street, sitting in a warm, expensive SUV, Chloe watched him walk toward the bus stop.
She had waited outside the school, followed his usual walking path, and finally tracked him to the county hospital.
Watching him stand in the freezing rain, looking so small and defeated, broke her heart all over again.
She turned on her car and slowly drove across the street, pulling up right next to the bus stop.
She rolled down her passenger window, the rain blowing into her luxurious leather interior.
"Max! Get in, I’ll give you a ride home!" Chloe yelled over the sound of the thunder.
Max looked up, his eyes narrowing in immediate suspicion as he recognized the girl who had laughed at him all year.
"I don't want your pity, Chloe, and I certainly don't want a ride," Max shouted back, taking a step away from the car.
"It's not pity, Max, please just get in out of the rain!" she pleaded, her voice cracking with genuine emotion.
Max stared at her for a long moment, the freezing rain soaking through his thin jacket and chilling him to the bone.
Reluctantly, he opened the door and slid into the passenger seat, dripping water all over the expensive floor mats.
"I live on the south side, the trailer park on 4th street," Max instructed coldly, staring straight ahead.
Chloe put the car in drive, the silence inside the vehicle feeling incredibly heavy and uncomfortable.
"Max, I want to apologize for everything," Chloe finally said, her hands gripping the steering wheel tightly.
"I was a coward, I laughed because Jason laughed, and I am so deeply sorry."
Max didn't look at her, his jaw clenched so tight it hurt.
"An apology doesn't fix anything, Chloe," he replied bitterly.
"It doesn't buy groceries, it doesn't pay for chemotherapy, and it doesn't change the fact that people like you think my life is a joke."
Chloe felt the sting of his words, but she knew she deserved every single one of them.
"You're right," she admitted softly, pulling the car up to the entrance of his run-down neighborhood.
"But I want to help you, Max, whatever it takes."
May you like
Max opened the door and stepped out into the rain, looking back at her one last time.
"If you want to help me, Chloe, leave me alone," he said, before slamming the car door shut.
