New Beginnings (Camp Camp fanfiction)

Possibilities

Max wakes up the next morning to David gently shaking his shoulder. "Max, it's time to get up. We need to get you registered for school." He says softly. Max opens his eyes slightly and groans. He really doesn't see the point to enrolling; as he sees it, he's just going to ditch class anyways. He rolls his eyes and looks around, seeing Gwen leaning against the door with her arms crossed giving him a warning glare.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. You should know there's really no point, though. I mean, I tried my damndest to escape camp. Do you really think I won't do the same thing with school?" He asks in a condescending tone. Gwen stands up straight, taking a small step forward. She's ready to intervene at any moment. David frowns, looking slightly disheartened.

"Come on, Max. Please do this for me? I just want you to do well." He says with a slight hint of sadness in his voice. He looks a bit upset that this already isn't working. Gwen steps up to him and puts her hand on his shoulder, giving him a reassuring smile when he looks up at her. She looks at Max, warning him to just do as David says.

Max grins at her evilly. "Hey David, can I talk to Gwen alone for a minute?" He says slowly, not breaking eye contact with her. David gets up, giving him a somewhat forced smile as he does so. He shuts the door behind him as he leaves the room. "So, Gwen, when should I tell him?" He asks as soon as he hears the click of the door.

She gives him a nervous look, although she tries to mask it. "When should I have you sent back into foster care?" She shoots back, regaining her composure. She stands up straight, looking down and glaring at him. She doesn't like using that as a threat, but he leaves her no choice.

"It won't matter what you tell him if he thinks you're an idiot." He says, knowing he has her backed into a corner. He sits up in bed, crossing his arms and giving her a challenging look. "You can't do shit, Gwen." He says cockily, getting out of bed. He walks over to his dresser, his back turned to her. "Could you leave now? I need to change." Max pulls out some jeans and a black t-shirt, turning to face her again.

"You're not going to win this, Max." She says, feigning an attitude of superiority. She knows he has her cornered, but she won't let him think that he's won yet. Gwen walks out of the room and smiles at David. "He's getting dressed now." She says in a slightly cheerful tone, trying not to let on that anything is wrong.

David smiles in response, looking relieved. He really wants to help Max's life improve. "Oh, thank goodness. I'm a little worried about this, Gwen." He says, furrowing his brow slightly. He knows this is going to be difficult. "What if things don't get better for him? What if he ends up with depression or something? What if he just doesn't care about anything?" He asks worriedly. "I just want to fix it all for him, Gwen." David finishes quietly, looking at the ground.

Gwen puts a hand on his shoulder, using the other to lift his face so that they can make eye contact. "David. It'll be fine. Don't worry about it, please. If you're really worried about him, we can get him a therapist." She says in an effort to calm him. She can tell something is seriously wrong. Gwen notices the tears forming in his eyes and becomes concerned. "David, is... Is something wrong?" She says softly.

"I'm just worried about him. I mean, I remember how things were for me. It's just... What if he's the same way I was, Gwen? My foster parents almost didn't find me when I... I don't want anything to happen to him." He says in a helpless tone. He looks at Gwen, his tears beginning to fall.

Gwen pulls him close, hugging him. "He'll be fine, David. Nothing's going to happen to him because you're around to stop it. We both know the signs. I studied psychology in college and you lived through it. Max will be fine, I promise." She says comfortingly. She places her hands on his shoulders and pushes him back a little, smiling softly at him.

David nods slightly and looks away, a light dusting of pink covering his cheeks. He looks back at her with his heart pounding loudly. "I guess you're right." He says softly, wiping away his tears.

Max walks out of his room and rolls his eyes. "If you two are gonna make out, at least find someplace private. I don't wanna see that shit." He says, knowing they were just talking. He didn't hear what it was about, though. "Alright, David. Let's get this shit over with." Max says, walking over to the door with his hands in the pocket of his hoodie.

"Language, Max." He says, knowing that it won't change anything. He nods, following behind him. "Alright, let's do this!" David says, easily slipping back into his cheerful persona. He looks behind them hopefully. "Gwen, aren't you coming with us?" He asks, really hoping she does.

Gwen smiles softly at the two, shaking her head a little. "Nah. I was gonna hang back and read a bit while you guys are out, if that's alright. Figured it might give you two some time to bond." She says, walking over to them. She hesitates for a moment before giving him a quick hug, pulling back almost immediately. She rubs the back of her neck, blushing as Max facepalms. "Well, I guess I'll, uh, see you two later."

"Yeah. S-See you, Gwen." He says in an embarrassed tone. "Let's go, Max. The earlier we get there the better." He turns toward the child with a slight smile on his face. Max rolls his eyes, grabbing his wrist to pull him out the door.

"You two are fucking hopeless." He says as he gets in the station wagon, buckling his seatbelt. "Let's go get this done already." He mutters with a scowl, folding his arms over his chest. With that, the two guys pull out of the driveway towards Max's soon to be new school.