❛ AFTERGLOW ❜ - 𝖼𝗆𝖻 ✓

042; as bad as me

third person.

mollie had been asleep on the couch almost the entire day, and had only half woken up just past seven that evening with her bedsheets wrapped around her.

she had placed herself there that morning after a night of no sleep with netflix showing the 'are you still watching' screen that hadn't been touched, despite both julie and max sitting in the same room as her.

"nana," max spoke up, glancing up from his phone as julie looked over at him, "are you here tomorrow?"

"i can be if you want me to," julie replied with a nod.

"mom is coming over," he told her, watching her roll her eyes before he let out a small laugh, "she's coming for dinner."

"why is it always a dinner?" mollie mumbled, her head buried into one of the cushions she had surrounding her.

"it's just what she suggests," max shrugged, "you need to eat something, besides you said your therapist was helping and giving advice for that."

"doesn't mean i need to listen."

"you're having the dinner," julie told mollie, the girl replying with a groan, "have you eaten today?"

"nana she only woke up an hour ago," max looked at her confused before a frown appeared on his face and he glanced over at his sister, "are you still moving in with mom?"

"no," mollie shook her head.

"you're not?"

"i spoke to saskia about it." she shrugged, building up a drop of energy to sit herself up and engage properly with the conversation, "i'm just going to start distancing myself."

"she doesn't take no for an answer," julie mumbled, "you'll have to do more than just distance yourself."

"are you still going to stay over there for some nights?" max asked her, watching her shrug but shake her head before he let out a sigh of relief.

"maybe one night a week but i'll start to stop going," mollie told him, "i don't know, saskia gave me a lot of advice so.."

"i haven't seen corbyn in a while." julie frowned as she folded her arms, "you're still together aren't you?"

"hm? yeah." she slowly nodded, forcing a smile onto her face before tucking her hair behind her ears, "yeah we're just quite busy at the moment so we haven't had a chance to see each other."

"he's such a sweetheart." the lady smiled as max and mollie glanced at each other, knowing she was about to ramble on about the boy, "i really do love that boy, always up for a chat and seeing what things i've knitted, so sweet."

"and i'm not a big fan of the way monica treats him," she raised her eyebrows, her hand going to her chest as mollie immediately glanced at the floor, "i'd love to knock some knowledge into that woman, what an absolute bitch."

"thank you nana," max nodded, "we get the idea."

"monica can go shove a pair of scissors up her-"

"nana," mollie interrupted julie, "let's not get violent."

"sorry i get carried away," she shook her head, "usually grandpa would listen to all this."

"i miss grandpa," mollie sighed as max glanced at the two of them.

"i just miss it being us four," max shrugged, "which sounds rude but i mean, with no worries about mom, you know? our only worry was mollie getting suspended."

"that didn't even happen senior year." mollie argued, "i stopped when senior year started."

"no you just met corbyn," julie pointed at her, "and he stopped you from being so aggressive."

"well he didn't because he's aggressive himself." mollie furrowed her brows in confusion, "he's as bad as me."

"wasn't our only worry mollie being arrested-"

"okay now we're just making me look like the disappointment." mollie threw her hands up, "let's stop that, let's not remind ourselves of high school me."

"there's not much difference to who you are now," max laughed, "you still act the same."

"i don't run from the cops every weekend."

"she's got a point." julie nodded.

"i just miss when we didn't have so many things to worry about," max explained, the two girls nodding in agreement, "me and mom don't get along, there's no point in her talking to me."

"you don't get along?" mollie furrowed her brows as max looked over at her.

"well... yeah she doesn't really talk to me or make an effort, whenever we talk we just argue." max replied, "plus she's psycho."

"i don't get why she can't just stay with our aunt while she's seeing us and then get an apartment closer to here," mollie shrugged as julie looked over at her confused.

"what aunt?"

"the one you wouldn't let us see..?" max said.

julie slowly shook her head, "what?"

"mom said we have an aunt and she was staying with her, she said that our aunt tried to see us but you wouldn't let her." mollie told her grandma, who still looked at the two of them confused.

"nana," max tilted his head, "we have an aunt."

"no you don't." julie said, "your dad was an only child and your mom fell out with all her family, and even then she only has brothers, you have no aunt."

mollie and max glanced at each other confused before they both turned back to julie, who's face of confusion slowly turned into slight anger as she put down her knitting equipment.

"why would she lie about that?" max asked, running his fingers through his hair, "nana are you sure we don't?"

"she told you this?"

"yeah," mollie nodded, "the aunt lives a few blocks away."

"no dear," she shook her head, letting out a sigh and putting her head in her hands, "you don't have an aunt, i don't know why she told you that."

"what?" the two said in unison, confused expressions stuck on their faces as they both leant back in their seats.

"i mean it makes sense," max mumbled, "she never offered for us to go see our aunt, we don't even know her name."

mollie slowly nodded as she let out a sigh, "well if she can lie about that, then what else is she lying about?"

"i don't know," julie shrugged, "you'll have to find out."

♡

a/n

SECRETS OUT 😩😩
no but like seriously not monica lying about that 🙄

what is our thoughts rn ?!

also who do we want next chapter focused on?