Concerning Chance ✔

TEN

Leaving straight from school after our physics class, Max and I skate through the streets of New Ridge. This consists of our 'volunteering'.

"Beach or woods?" I ask.

"Beach." Max nods.

I was hoping he'd pick the woods, but I don't complain. There's something much more secretive and secluded about the woods in comparison to the beach. In the woods, there are so many more places for me to hide away in.

Though, considering everything I keep putting Max through, he deserves to pick where we go. Sure, we won't be able to skate along the beach, but we'll strap our boards to our rucksacks and walk all the same.

Though all the goings-on between Max and I had me questioning who should come first in our conversations; me and him, or Chance. She would triumph, as usual. But that knowledge of her success doesn't make the guilt that I now feel any lighter.

We arrive at the beach faster than I want to. Because we've stopped skating, it means I have to start talking.

We strap our boards to our bags, and I force out a word, "So..."

Max shrugs a nonchalant shoulder, cocking an eyebrow up at me and shooting me a sideways glance. "So?"

"Chance," I decide after the merry-go-round of Chance or Max circled my head a couple of hundred times. "There are... a number of reasons why that night happened."

"I'm listening," Max speaks up bluntly as we start to walk along the beach — towards the driftwood log where we sat together only a couple of days ago.

I clear my throat, beginning to list, "To start with, Chance and her younger sister, Hope, got into a car accident while Chance was driving. Hope didn't make it. Chance's mum left not long after Hope's death, although her parents hadn't been happy together for a while."

"You memorised all that?" Max butts in during my suppressed sigh of pity.

"There's more." I watch as I scuff the toes of my Vans along the sand, trying to avoid his gaze. "Her dad was working three jobs to make ends meet, Chance was trying to help too. Her mum got full custody of Chance's younger brother, Felix... And just like that she was an only child. Her mum didn't want her to see him, and they moved away. To Bridstain." I add in, referring to a city that's about 70 miles southeast of New Ridge.

"And then Chance began drinking and smoking. Like a lot, right?" Max contributes, surprising me. "What?" He frowns as I frown at him, "Just because I didn't like her, doesn't mean I didn't notice these sorts of things."

"Well, yeah... But why did you notice them?" I press him further — I always thought that no one other than me realised it. And even though I did realise it, I didn't do anything to help her.

I'm so fucking stupid.

"Maybe 'cos I was looking out for you whilst she was going off the fucking rails and dragging you down with her." He spits harshly, his words seething with anger which rose out of nowhere. He stops walking, clenching and unclenching his left fist over and over again.

"Look, if you don't want to help me with this, I get it." Facing, I tell him slowly, carefully, afraid he's going to flip out and I'll end up losing one of my two remaining friends.

"I want to help you, Rory." Max's rich, velvety cocoa eyes hone in on my cold, muted blue ones. He tore his eyes away, seemingly with effort, turning to drag his hands through his curly hair, "I'm just not sure I want to help her."

"What did she do to you?" I ask the question before I realise it's formed in my head and has been processed into words.

The muscle in Max's cheek jumps as he grits his teeth, filling me with envy — it's hella sexy and I've never been able to do it. Trust me. I've tried. Multiple times.