The Peace Offering

FOURTEEN

Maxine

Britt and Gabby had pinned me down on the couch in the living room, with Britt shining a mini doctor's torchlight into my eyes while Gabby helped stretch my eyelids wide.

"No possible signs of intoxication," Britt said in a serious tone.

"How sure are you?" Gabby squinted her eyes at her girlfriend.

Britt rolled her eyes. "I'm a stewardess. I learnt this. It's part of the training."

"Really? It must be a concussion. I told you she might have a concussion!"

"Guys, guys! Cut it out. I don't have a concussion," I sat up and reached out to the coffee table to grab my cigarette box. "And besides, feelings come from the heart, not the head. You don't have to graduate from med school to know that."

My best friends dropped onto the couch, sandwiching me in between them. They both stared at me curiously as I continued smoking and watching the 60-inch LED TV that was plastered onto the white brick living room wall. Apparently they were playing reruns of The 100. I smiled gleefully as I saw my favourite character, Lexa appear.

"So how much do you like her?" Britt asked, still staring at me.

"I love her," I emphasised on the L word and blew a kiss to the TV.

Gabby huffed. "She didn't mean Lexa, you bimbo. She meant that River girl."

"Oh," I laughed, wasting a puff of my cigarette. "I actually like her a lot. I really do. Like I think about her all the time now."

"Don't get us wrong, Maxine Madeline Hoffman. We're totally happy for you. But it's just strange. I mean, you've never really liked anybody else," Gabby pointed out, crossing her arms.

"Yeah, you've always been about Claudia," Britt added. "No matter what it was, you still wanted Claudia."

I shrugged indifferently. "I don't want her as much anymore now, do I? But I do want River Milton."

My two best friends continued to watch me in pure amusement. They were right about me not having liked any other person besides Claudia before. Sure, everything was about Claudia because I was just so in love with her previously. Now I wasn't even sure anymore. The future I had always dreamt about with Claudia was becoming bleak.

Ever since that day I woke up after River came up to me with a peace offering, I couldn't stop thinking about the girl. I kept wondering if she was fine and eventually I became obsessed with making sure that she was all but unhappy and unsafe.

Everyday I greeted her at her locker with breakfast, walked her to class, invited her to have lunch with me and the guys, walked her back to class after lunch, picked her up after class ended and drove her home in my car after school.

At first the girl complained about my chivalry but gradually got used to it. Our friendship grew and I found that she wasn't actually that bad as a person. She was actually the nicest girl I have ever met and she was funny too. She easily got along with the boys as well and they liked her for that.

I liked River for her beautiful smile. I liked her for her witty humour. I liked her for her one-sided dimple. I liked her for eating the same breakfast I brought for her everyday. I liked her for her pouts whenever I deliberately refused to tell her that her joke was funny. I liked her for blushing every time I kissed her cheek when I said goodbye after I dropped her off at class or her house.

I could go on and on about why I liked River Milton but this story would never come to an end. Ultimately, I liked everything about her. In fact, I loved her.