Revolt: New Haven

XXV. Guess Who's Back

A few hours had passed since the meeting with Danford, the mid-afternoon sun shining its rays down on the sea. The waves crashed against the shore as Jace and Lena walked along the shore barefoot.
They were looking up ahead at Max, his sisters, and their father on one of the docks, standing next to one of New Haven's docked ferries.
"Max seems a lot happier," Lena observed.
"Yeah," Jace agreed, before letting out an exhausted sigh, "I'm just glad Danford is back."
"Same here," Lena agreed, "That whole fight came out of nowhere."
"If Raina hadn't attacked her, maybe it could have been avoided," Jace added, his voice taking on an annoyed tone.
"...Then again," Lena said thoughtfully, "If we hadn't started fighting, maybe Max wouldn't have found the confidence he needed."
Jace paused, thinking back to the moment where Max stood up to his mother in front of everyone.
"I guess," he conceded. He turned his head, looking out to the horizon.

"So, the twins are coming back soon?" he asked.
"According to Danford, they're on their way back by ferry right now," Lena replied, "She said she would void their expulsions and re-enroll them. They should be back any minute now."
"That's a relief," Jace chuckled, "I can't wait to see them."
"Me either," Lena smiled, before letting out a long exhale a moment later, "It sucks, though."
"What does?" Jace asked.
Lena looked at him, considering her words carefully as her cheeks started to grow warm.
"It's just... y'know, we haven't been able to enjoy the island lately, or the dance..." she said.
Jace nodded in agreement, "Yeah, it sucks that our dance was interrupted."

Neither spoke for a moment, getting closer to the docks on their walk.
"Uh..." Jace spoke up, stammering for a moment, "Do you... want to dance?"
Lena looked at him before bursting into laughter.
Jace became even more flustered, "W-What?!?"
"You're literally such a stupid idiot," Lena explained between laughs, "How are we gonna dance in the middle of the beach, with NO music?"
"I-I thought it would be a nice gesture!" Jace huffed.
"Oh wooooow," Lena taunted, "Cringe."

As Lena continued to tease Jace while he desperately was trying to justify himself, neither noticed Max and his family looking over at them from the docks.
"Well, Maxie," Ty chuckled, "You certainly met some interesting characters here."
Max chuckled, "Yeah..."
"You really did find some good friends," Martha observed solemnly, "...They looked out for you better than we did."
"I'm glad you're starting to see that, Martha," Melissa replied, "Looking back... the past few years really... sucked."
Martha didn't reply, she just looked down at the wooden pier they stood on in response.
"At least those brothers are coming back," Melissa added, "So, that's good."
"Yeah," Max agreed, red starting to fill his cheeks.
Ty looked down at his son, "What brothers?"
"They were expelled for what happened at the dance last night," Melissa explained, "Matthew really started it, but... well..."
"Your mother chose to keep him out of trouble and pinned the blame on them?" Ty asked.
The three kids just nodded.
Ty scoffed, "Why am I not surprised."

He then turned to Max, "So, I'm guessing you finally met a boy, then."
Max froze, his face now completely red, "I-It's not like that!"
"Oh, come on," Ty rolled his eyes, "It's about time you got some guy's attention."
Max looked at him, embarrassed, while his sisters just giggled amongst themselves.
Max turned his gaze to the sea for a minute, noticing a ferry had come into view.
"Actually..." he said, "I did date a guy, a while back, but... Mom broke us up..."
Ty looked at him, his expression changing from a teasing smile to a sympathetic frown.
"Aw, geez... I'm sorry, kiddo," he said, placing a hand on his shoulder, "What was he like?"
Max paused, "He was nice... tall... incredibly funny. His name was Eric!"
"Didn't he have a buzz cut hairdo?" Melissa asked.
"Yep," Max chuckled, taking a deep breath, "We only lasted about a month until Mom found out... Matthew told her about us and she..."
Ty side-hugged his son comfortingly, "Your mother is just... unbelievable, sometimes... is Eric still around?"
"No," Max sighed, "He was moving to Arizona with his family anyway, so we probably wouldn't have lasted either way."
"Y'know," Martha chimed in, "At the time, I didn't trust him at all. But, looking back... I remember seeing you being happy around him... I should have done better..."
"Hindsight is twenty-twenty," Ty chuckled, "Don't worry, Martha. You made mistakes, but instead of punishing yourself for them, make sure you take the time to learn from them."
Martha nodded, "Thanks, Dad."

Ty then noticed the ferry coming towards the docks.
"You think your brother friends are on that boat?" he asked.
"Probably," Max said, his eyes glinting in the sun with hope.
Lena and Jace then joined them on the dock.
"Hey, Max," Lena said.
Max turned, and without a word, hurried over and practically flung himself onto Lena, the red-haired girl stumbling back unexpectedly.
"Lena...!" he exclaimed.
Lena smiled as the two separated, "How are you?"
Max took a deep breath, "Better. Way better."
"Good," she grinned, "Remember Jace?"
"Yep!" Max turned to the mixed boy.
"Hey, Max," Jace smiled, "We came over 'cause we saw the ferry."
"Oh, yeah," Max smiled, when realization hit him, "Guys, meet my dad!"
Ty came over upon hearing this, and extended his hand, "Pleased to meet you both," Ty greeted.
"Likewise, uh, sir," Jace uttered as he shook the man's hand.
Ty just laughed, "Please, just call me Ty."

Before long, the ferry came to a stop at the dock. The ramp down slowly opened, and not a second later, Dai and Kai descended the ramp hastily with their bags.
"Daiiii!!!" Max shouted, running up the ramp and meeting him halfway, flinging himself onto the taller.
"Woah, hey!" Dai chuckled as Max's arms were wrapped tightly around his abdomen, "Good to see you, too!"
Kai just rolled his eyes as he stepped past the two and onto the dock, where Jace approached him first.
"Hey," he smiled.
"Hey," Kai replied, glancing at Max's father and sisters, "We heard a lot changed since this morning."
"It did, alright," Lena said, joining them.
Jace approached Kai and pulled him into a hug, Kai returning it eagerly, before looking over at Lena.
"Come on, Lena," he said, extending an arm out.
"Ew, no way," Lena huffed.
Kai then tried to grab Lena's arm, only for the double Gifted to recoil back, sticking her tongue out at him.

Back on the ramp, Max still hadn't let go of Dai, having pressed his face firmly against his chest at this point.
"Uh... Max, I'm glad to see you, too, but..." he started.
Max opened his eyes, his cheeks going bright red once more.
He quickly let go, brushing himself off, "Right, uh, sorry! I just... I'm really glad you're back, you know!"
Dai smiled down at the shorter boy, shaking his head.
"I missed you, too," he said calmly.
Max just looked at him, before looking away and placing his hand over his own chest. A strange feeling was filling him.
"I heard quite a bit changed just today," Dai continued, "Uh... you mind filling me in!"
"Oh, uh! Not at all!" Max replied excitedly, "Wait, first, meet my dad!"
"Huh-" Dai started before Max grabbed his hand and led him down the ramp onto the dock.
Ty approached him, a smile on his face as he extended his hand.
"Heyo, I recognize you and your brother from Gifted Battling," he said, "We went to a few of your games when you were kids. I'm Ty."
Dai was slightly taken aback, before taking his hand. "Uh... I'm Dai, it's a pleasure to meet you."
Melissa and Martha then approached him.
"I guess now is a good time to get properly acquainted," Melissa smiled, "I'm Melissa, Max's older sister, and this is Martha, mine and Max's older sister."
"Uh, nice to meet you?" Dai said, unsure, "Well, I guess we've already met."
Laughs were shared as Lena came over and approached the ice Gifted.

"Welcome back," she said, "You missed everything."
"So they keep saying," Dai replied.
"I'll fill you in!" Max chirped up, "It's mostly good, trust me!"
Dai smiled in surprise at the shorter boy, "I'll say, you certainly seem more chipper. Mind if we talk after I get my bags back to my dorm?"
"Oh, sure!" Max nodded.
"Fair warning; Luke will be a whole mess when he sees you two," Lena rolled her eyes knowingly.
Dai sighed, "Oh, I'm sure."