max hudson

She would probably be mad. If not at Max, then at Aaron. And if not at either of them, then at herself. Max didn’t particularly care for any of these outcomes. He didn’t want Eileen to be angry; he just wanted her to be happy. But he decided to put Eileen out of her misery. It probably wasn’t as bad as he was thinking in his head. “I may have run into Aaron...” Max said, figuring that would be enough to clue her in on what happened. He was going to leave out the fact that he accidentally ran into Aaron outside his family restaurant. Totally coincidentally. 

Something changed after he said that. Max, who thought he was decent at reading people but apparently not, couldn’t say exactly what it was. Like she thought he was going to say something else, but his answer left her unsatisfied. Which was interesting. No, he wasn’t a movie star or anything. He didn’t have the fame Eileen had. But he had enough money, and he had a small amount of influence. He wasn’t called an influencer or nothing. Still, he felt that shift in the conversation, even as she kept talking to him. “No, this is the one place I come do where they don’t pay me to pretend I like it,” said Max, scrunching up his nose a little bit at the mention of the word “influencer.” God, how he hated it. “And what do you do?” Because it was only polite he ask, right?

“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to,” Eileen ultimately decided. If Max preferred keeping the details to himself, for whatever reason, Eileen wouldn’t press him. Just support him. “I’ll take care of you no matter what. You know that, right?”

He couldn’t help but laugh, which then ended up hurting his ribs a little bit. Fuck. Eileen was right: he’d been a dumb fuck since the day they met, and he’d been a dumb fuck even before he’d met her. Max was kind of avoiding saying what Eileen was obviously looking for, but he just took a moment to appreciate being taken care of as she handed him a beer, brushed his hair to the side with gentle fingers, and placed the ice on his face. With all his “friends” and his poor excuse for a “family,” she was the only person he could trust would actually take care of him.

With no conditions, either. She even said as much, saying he didn’t have to tell her what happened if he didn’t want to. But this was Eileen. Even if she was pissed off at him for confronting Aaron, she wouldn’t be mad at him forever. “I know,” Max told her. “I’m gonna tell you but… don’t be mad.” Had ever asking anyone not to be mad ever make them not be mad?

“Craving anything in particular?” she asked, looking at her best friend. “I’m up for anything, really. Could even just go back to my place and order in, if ya want?”

They made it out to the street, and Eileen was practically stumbling all over the place. Max wasn’t exactly sober at the moment, but lucky for the both of them, Max could at least walk in a straight line because he was wearing normal human shoes and not the death traps some women wore to make themselves a little taller. He nearly groaned when he realized that Trish and Stacey were probably heading toward In-N-Out, which was fine, it was just they always wanted In-N-Out.

So when Eileen said they could just go back to her place and order in, he was definitely going to jump on that. “Let’s ditch them and order burritos,” he suggested whispering loudly even though Trish and Stacy were way ahead of him. He kind of felt like this sounded like the best idea he’d ever had in his life. “I don’t even fucking like Stacey. (He was pretty sure Eileen didn’t either.)

Her agent’s phone call interrupted Eileen before she could pull her hair out in frustration. He had good news, new auditions, call backs and scripts on the way from producers. More busy work until she got another job. If Eileen didn’t get paid, her agent wasn’t getting paid. He wanted her to sign a contract, fast. 

She put her agent on speaker as he droned on about a potential brand deal and opened up her fridge to grab a beer. Eileen hopped up on her counter, took a hit off her vape. She listened to the offer, not really interested, but said she’d read over the contract to appease him. During that time, she got a message from her doorman, letting her know Max was on his way up.

She wasn’t expecting him, but it wasn’t strange that he was stopping by unannounced. As far as Eileen was concerned, her place was his place. Max could come over anytime. She opened the door, confused at the sight before her.

Max covered his face with his arm and his voice was strained as he spoke. Eileen looked at him with concern and gently lowered his arm. “Oh, my god…” His face was a mess, like something out of a Picasso sketchbook. “What the fuck happened, Max?” she asked as she pulled him inside. Though, Eileen had her theories and none of them were good.

Eileen shut the door and immediately went to the kitchen. “Sit down,” she instructed, grabbing ice and another beer before she made her way back to her wounded friend.

He bit back a groan, not wanting to make things any worse. Based on how concerned both the Lyft driver and the doorman had been, he knew Eileen was going to be ten times worse. But then, he’d come here for her attention, come here to have someone tell him things would be okay. A doctor wouldn’t do that, his damn mother wouldn’t do that. Eileen was the only person he’d want to see, and as he expected, she slowly started to lower his arm, and he knew his face must look even worse than he thought based on her reaction. 

She pulled him inside, and he winced at the sharp movement, hoping she didn’t notice. She instructed him to sit, and Max didn’t need to be told twice, collapsing on his back onto the couch. “I’m a dumb fuck, that’s what happened,” he groaned, adjusting his position on the couch, eyeing the beer she was grabbing. Yeah, he wanted that. 

He had no plans whatsoever to defend Aaron; the guy was a piece of shit for breaking up with Eileen in the first place. Yeah, maybe Max had been a complete dick to him, but the ass beating had been a little much. So, no, he wouldn’t lie to Eileen and say he was mugged or something. She’d know exactly who’d done this, but Max would also take responsibility for his own part in it. He wanted Eileen to be happy, didn’t want to make this thing with Aaron worse. But she deserved the truth, didn’t she? 

Aaron saw red.

Without much thought, Aaron flicked his cigarette onto the concrete, right before he grabbed a fistful of Max’s shirt. In one fluid moment, Aaron’s knuckles met the side of Max’s face rather harshly. He maintained a hold of Max’s shirt, looking him dead in the eye.

“Don’t fucking talk about my dad ever again.”

It had been Max’s intention to get a rise out of Aaron. So he really shouldn’t have been so surprised when he did, indeed, get a rise out of Aaron. Perhaps he’d expected the other guy to tell him to go fuck himself or to leave or something. He didn’t expect Aaron to come at him so quickly. Fuck, did the guy not have a modicum of self-control?

Max couldn’t even think, couldn’t even take a second to figure out what was happening, that was how quickly Aaron moved. Max probably had about three inches on the guy, but Max had always preferred to hit things that didn’t hit back. He wasn’t prepared for this kind of thing. Aaron’s fist hit the side of his face, and Max’s head snapped back. He didn’t fall to the ground, but probably only because Aaron was holding onto him.

“Yeah. I’d be worried about him too if he’s even half the pussy you are,” he spat, and oh… was that blood in his mouth? Probably not the thing to say to the guy who’d just socked you in the face. But Max was feeling reckless tonight, and figuring he might only get one hand in before he got his ass beat, he put everything he had into swinging his fist, connecting with Aaron’s face.

Luckily for him, he’d at least gotten in one good hit. Maybe two. He didn’t feel too bad for himself, considering Aaron was a boxer. It would have been really embarrassing for Aaron if Max had put up a decent fight. Aaron would likely need to consider a new career.

Max hadn’t gotten a great look at himself, just the selfie camera on his phone. One of his eyes was definitely about to be swollen shut, and the other didn’t look much better. He had a few cuts on his face, and he was sure his abdomen would have some bruises also. He also felt like he’d had the wind knocked out of him, which he basically had.

The concerned Lyft driver had wanted to take him to the hospital. Max had very nicely said he was fine, even though he thought he might puke, and fortunately, the guy didn’t ask him any more questions. He just brought him to Eileen’s place like Max was fucking paying him to. When he got there, it was the doorman’s turn to ask if he should be going to a doctor, and Max just wanted everyone to leave him the fuck alone because he wanted to lie down. A little ice and he’d be fine. Since the doorman knew him well, knew he was Eileen’s friend, he didn’t say much more and let him right up.

When Max got to the door, he leaned on the doorframe, finding it hard to stand with all the effort it had taken him to get here in the first place. Good thing this wasn’t New York and her building had an elevator. He leaned his forehead against his arm, his face hidden from view when Eileen opened the door. “I did something stupid,” he whined, his voice muffled.

The thing stood taller than Marcus and while it seemed a good idea at the time of purchase, he had to wonder if it was too tall for his ceilings. It wouldn’t go through his door without a fight, that much was certain. “It’s Black Friday wayfair deals at work is what it is.” He scolded, looking it over scornfully. So what if he’d knocked two hundred off the price, this was one that should’ve gone on the ‘when I buy a big ass house’ wishlist. Anytime his parents came over, they remarked, it might be time to clear some of this stuff out. What he instead heard was, it’s time to buy something bigger so you can make that dinosaur greenhouse you fantasized about as a kid. Sure, it was a little unconventional, but it’s not like he was a big car fanatic. He didn’t have a wife or kids, nor any plans to ever have any. Reality was, one day his luck would run out and he’d see a cell, or the barrel of a gun and he’d have no time to regret the money sunk into his happy little habit.

“It seemed like a good call, half a bottle in. Now? Not so much. But you gonna help me or not, man? Otherwise I gotta keep moving.”

Max flashed her his brightest smile, hoping the dancing and distraction was helping her feel at least a little bit better. He was clearly distracted as hell himself because he didn’t see their other friends until Eileen pointed them out. His eyes followed Eileen’s line of sight to see Trish and Stacey; apparently they were going to get a late night snack. “Yeah, you know I’m always starved when I have vodka,” Max laughed, starting to lead the way off the dance floor. Plus, this night was supposed to be all about making Eileen feel better. So if she was ready to go and wanted to get something to eat, Max would oblige.

She shook her head at his assumption that she’d been spending her life since much better than he had. Her life more recently hadn’t been so bad, or at least it wasn’t until the assasination which had put her on edge more. Before that though it’d taken some bumpy turns, ones obviously too personal to tell so she’d stick with vaguely going over life since. “ I haven’t been doing anything too cool. Mainly just working really which doesn’t sound nearly as fun as being a menace.”

They both probably knew they weren’t likely to see each other after this. But still, they’d make their jokes, he’d promise to remember her. Maybe he’d look her up on Instagram after this, send her a follow request. The fans would go crazy as they did nearly every time he followed someone on Instagram because he didn’t follow personal accounts all that often.

“I’m pretty sure everything causes cancer these days,” agreed Max, which was kind of sad, but also true. It was like every day a new article popped up: diet coke, Twinkies, computers, you name it. At some point you just had to give up. “Yeah, can confirm being a menace is way more fun than working,” Max agreed again, like he was letting her in on a secret. Technically, the only work he did was related to his Instagram, and he knew most people wouldn’t even consider that work. “But hey, you did nearly spill your coffee all over me. That’s pretty menacing if you ask me,” he teased.

‘Well, it’s the least you can do.’

Aaron rolled his eyes. It’d be easy to pick a fight with Max. It all depended on how far Aaron was pushed. 

He handed Max a cigarette and lighter. 

“Much worse,” Aaron replied, exhaling away from the blonde. He eyed Max, giving little to not thought on whatever snarky remark was about to leave his mouth. Would it even be worth it? Did it matter? Not really.

“Is Eileen close? Wherever she goes, you’re usually not far behind.” A pause. “…kinda like an annoying, desperate lap dog.”

It seemed Aaron was about as interested in talking to Max as Max was in talking to him. So why had Max come here? For Eileen’s benefit, obviously. If he could get some answers, maybe he could help his friend. Or maybe he just wanted to deck the guy, even if he’d have to let Aaron beat him up afterward. 

When Aaron offered the cigarette and lighter, Max snatched them, lighting the cigarette before handing the lighter back. Now it was his turn to roll his eyes as Aaron pointed out that the guy looked much worse, like that was supposed to scare Max or something. It didn’t. He already knew Aaron could probably kick his ass, even if he was a little bigger than Aaron.

He snorted at Aaron’s attempt to make a dig at him. Yeah, he’d been called Eileen’s puppy before. He’d heard it plenty in high school, especially because Max was apparently a dog name. He didn’t care; if being a loyal friend made him an annoying, desperate lap dog, then so be it. Really, Aaron just sounded jealous. “Nope,” said Max, taking a drag of the cigarette. “She’s been busy, so I’m on my own tonight.” Did wallowing at home count as busy? Probably not, but better to let Aaron think Eileen was having a grand old time keeping herself busy without him. “Hey, how’s your dad doing?” Max asked in a way that indicated he didn’t give a shit about how Aaron’s dad was doing. But if Aaron was going to try to make digs at him and call him a dog, Max would make those digs right back.

She kissed his cheek as they danced. “Thanks for taking care of me,” Eileen said into his ear. “Don’t know what I’d do without you.”

They made it out to the dance floor, dancing close in the packed crowd, their bodies sweating. He was definitely feeling the tequila shots, and though he wouldn’t say he was wasted, he was definitely tipsy if he wasn’t drunk. She leaned in to kiss his cheek, and Max brushed back some of her hair as she spoke to him. They were close because she’d had to lean close to his ear in order to be heard over the loud music. “Probably die of depression and boredom,” he said through a laugh. He always tried to keep things interesting. “But you don’t have to worry about that.” He’d had some complicated feelings about Eileen over the years, but one thing was certain: he’d always be there for her, no matter what. He owed her that much.

He walked out of Il Salone to get some fresh air and, more importantly, smoke a cigarette. His left eye was slightly bruised, thanks to an underground fight in Brooklyn (he’d won). He heard footsteps approach, and while Aaron didn’t particularly feel like talking, he still opened his mouth.

“Cigarette?” He offered. 

He definitely wasn’t, like, stalking the Solanos or anything. Max just thought maybe he’d head by their restaurant. He’d pretend he was going to post about it on Instagram or something if anything weird happened. Not that they needed the business and not like he’d actually say anything nice about the family of the guy who’d completely destroyed Eileen but.. it was a plausible explanation. 

What he hadn’t expected was to just straight up find Aaron there, with no problem. He was standing on the street, and now that Max was here, he thought maybe he should just leave. Eileen had told him everything; it wasn’t like there were answers Aaron would have that Max didn’t already have himself. Except the actual reason Aaron had dumped Eileen, which even Eileen didn’t have.

So fuck it, he approached Aaron, snorting at his words. “Well, it’s the least you can do,” he said, holding out his hand. It would be easier if he had something to do with his hands. “Let me guess. The other guy looks worse?” he asked, in reference to Aaron’s eye. Which reminded Max that, yeah, Aaron also wasn’t a huge guy, but he, at least, was a boxer. And Max was… Max.

“ How’ve you been, you know since I guess 2014?” Lucia asked. She had never been close to him herself, so she hadn’t actually known much of what he’d been up to since the years of her graduation except for what came across her social media feeds occasionally. Now was as good as anytime to catch up and get to know him, she hadn’t had too many close ties to that part of her life anymore and maybe this could distract her from why she’d been so tired before. 

Lucia Moreno. He should have remembered that. It wasn’t like he knew that many Lucias. And it wasn’t like she was one of the twelve Emmas they’d gone to school with. He was glad he’d just been honest and told her he didn’t remember her name. That was better than calling her by the wrong name, right? “Lucia Moreno. I’ll definitely remember this time,” Max told her. Not that it really mattered. LA was a big city; he doubted he’d see her again after this.

Her question amused him a little, and he took a sip of his coffee before giving her a shrug. “Oh, you know, being a menace to society and wasting away my youth attached to my phone or whatever it is that old people are always saying,” he said, waving his hand dismissively. Old people were always saying that shit to him. They were just jealous they didn’t know how to use the Internet. “I’m sure you’re doing something better,” Max added with a chuckle. She probably was.

Head dizzy and blood pumping, Eileen raised her hands over her head and shimmied her body to the music that blasted through the club. Thoughts of Aaron faded from her mind as the alcohol took hold. 

“Let’s dance!”

Eileen took another shot, and Max followed suit. He wasn’t exactly a huge guy, so a few shots would be enough to get him drunk. He hadn’t been good and drunk in a whole three days, which really was far too long. Eileen clearly needed it too, and Max was always available to help his best friend when she was in need.

“You heard the woman, she wants to dance!” Max shouted over the crowd, putting Eileen back in frame for a moment before focusing on himself. “We’ll be back later for that sex on the beach.” He gave the camera a suggestive smile. “Or maybe we’ll be too busy.” It was all for show; anything to keep the fans happy. Happy followers equaled more money in his pocket. 

He ended the live and put his phone in his pocket, his attention going to Eileen, his hand reaching for hers so he could pull her away from the bar and farther onto the dance floor. The more people, the more distractions, the less she thought about Aaron Solano.

She wasn’t sure if he had noticed her looking over in hopes of placing the familarness, or if he himself had been wondering first. “Yeah, actually class of 2014.” Lucia answered, recognition flooding her mind as windward and him clicked in her mind. Yes, she knew him from school maybe that is why the memory of him seemed so distance. He was younger than her, a few grades back if she remembered right. He had made a bit of a name for himself, a class clown of the school really and that is how he stuck out in her mind. “Max Hudson right?” She asked, mostly sure she’d gotten it right. It would be a bit embarassing if she wasn’t, but she’d already walked into him so no real dignity to lose.

A broken phone would have been worse to him than a coffee spilled on him. Even if he could just get a new phone tomorrow, just the idea of not having his phone for even a few hours made his skin crawl. It was very Gen Z of him, he knew, but it was what it was. Without his phone, how would he check his notifications?

When she said that, yes, she had gone to Windward, it instantly clicked. Yeah, he definitely knew her, and she seemed to know him. She’d even remembered his name. “Yeah, I was 2016,” Max answered, nodding his head. “But now I’m embarrassed because I don’t remember your name.” He gave her his best sheepish look, hoping she’d forgive him. He knew realistically it wasn’t that big of a deal, but it would have been nice at least. Perhaps he’d been a little too self absorbed in high school.