THE ACE ;;

     THE FIRST TIME ANYONE SEES or hears from max after the party is at the vigil .  he hadn’t attended classes on monday ,  nor show up for the football meetup that same afternoon .  it was uncharacteristic of the man who always seems so diligent —  so GOODY-GOODY — so for him to play hooky after already showing such atypical behavior at the party ?  it was . . . odd ,  to say the very least .

     but ,  despite that ,  he’s HERE ,  head low ,  cheekbones illuminated by the warm glow of candlelight all around him .  there are others ,  and some stare at him with hushed whispers about how he looks like a GHOST .  about how they can’t believe he could be part of any of this .  max doesn’t mind their idle gossip ,  nor does he pay it any care .  he’s too preoccupied .  the sun dips & his chest aches & it doesn’t feel real .  no matter how much he thinks about it / no matter how much he WISHED for it ,  daisey actually being gone feels like nothing more than a BAD DREAM .  he wants to wake up / damn the consequences / he wants to WAKE UP .  

     blue eyes glaze over in thought as they shift from the flickering flame in his hand to a nearby bush .  ❛❛  i keep thinking she’s going to jump out with a camera ,  ❜❜  he muses aloud ,  indiscriminate to those that could overhear .  ❛❛  like it’s all just a TEST she’s put on to see how many of us really care about her ,  y’know ?  or some . . . reality tv prank .  ❜❜  his voice cracks & he feels himself breaking to pieces .  max swallows ,  hard ,  gathering up the shards of himself quick enough to cut his hands .  HE CAN’T BREAK ;  not here / not now / not yet .

date/location: ze party, sometime early in the evening  status: closed to @maximvms

Parker made a beeline for the next room over as soon as he spotted Alex at the party. He hadn’t really meant to run, but he hadn’t properly rehearsed what he was going to say to her if and when he saw her next (so, really, what was he supposed to do). Sure enough, though, his saving grace seemed to appear in front of him, one of the few people who pledged to help him in matters like this. Parker swore he’d never been happier to see him. 

“Max, dude, thank God you’re here,” Parker pulled him away from whatever other conversation he was having. Maybe he’d usually care about the sort of thing, but the alcohol and crisis he was creating in his mind was stopping that from happening. “Alex is here. She’s right over there, and I haven’t even thought about how to get her to talk to me today. Dude, what do I do?” 

     MAX BARELY HAD A SECOND to breathe upon his entrance to the party before being bombarded on all sides .  some were there to CONGRATULATE him for a homecoming game well played ,  while others were there to DEMAND promises that he’d take a shot with them later .  meanwhile the high of the recent win still lit his nerves like F I R E ,  leaving his heart still racing & his focus fuzzy at best .  it was almost a saving grace when parker grabbed him by the wrist ,  dragging him away from all the hustle & bustle .

       at his frantic words ,  baby blue eyes blink ,  gaze following the other’s indication to the stunning head of strawberry blonde just a few feet away .  RIGHT ,  he’d promised to help parker out ,  hadn’t he ?  clearing his throat ,  he placed a hand on the other’s shoulder ,  mustering up the best advice he could find in his half-dazed state ,   ❛❛  first of all ,  you’ve gotta calm down .  here ,  TAKE THIS ,  ❜❜  he passes him a shot glass he’d been handed earlier .   ❛❛  once you’re feeling like you’re NOT going to bust at her simply breathing on you ,  go up and tell her she looks nice , or . . .  OH— !!  ask her if she enjoyed the game .  that one works pretty well for me .  ❜❜   he takes his hand off his shoulder and steps back a bit ,   ❛❛  now ,  with this in mind ,  imagine i’m alex .  what would you say to me ?  ❜❜