Thunder

The thunder was booming over the Brooklyn dump Anna now lived in, and the lightning shining through the window was more beautiful than anything she'd ever seen before. For so many years, everything had looked gray to her, with no color and no emotion. Wide awake, Anna couldn't stop smiling, but she also couldn't stop listening for the front door to creak because a murderer was surely going to burst in at any moment. Looking up at Chris's dreadful stucco ceiling, she wondered what had happened to Max. It was plaguing her mind not knowing, because if she didn't know, how could she help? Her thoughts were abruptly interrupted by an ear-shattering shriek.

"NO!! STOP IT!! PLEASE! HELP ME!! RACHEL, RUN!!"

The screams shook the walls. Anna knew it was the murderer she had been waiting for as she shot up, looking panic-stricken at the door. Not two seconds later, Chris barreled through the door, sprinting to Max's room.

"CHRIS!" yelled Anna. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"

But he never answered, she just heard Max's door swing open and shut.

Anna thought she heard crying, but she couldn't be sure, so she slowly crept toward Max's room trying to get the scoop.

Anna heard a floorboard almost snap underneath her foot. "Shit!" she whispered emphatically, looking up at Max's door and hoping no one had heard her.

The coast clear, Anna continued on her journey across the giant trash bag of a home until she found herself pressing her ear against the door.

"It's going to be okay, Max. I'm so sorry, love."

Max was crying like Anna had never heard anyone cry, hyperventilating as if she were taking her last breath.

"Why won't it stop?" she sobbed. "I can't keep doing this." She mumbled, almost every word inaudible.

"I know it feels that way, but you just have to remember that you are right here, you are right here with me." A sob burst through the air as Chris continued, "You will never be in that situation again. I will always be here, right by your side."

Max continued to cry.

"Shhh," whispered Chris, "you are right here. You are right here."

Anna had tears in her eyes listening to what sounded like a regular nightly event in her new home.

"Chris, it never gets any better," Max whispered back to him. "I can't breathe and then I wake up, but I feel it, I feel everything, like it is still happening . . . " She let out another loud scream. "WHY?! WHY WAS IT ME?!"

"Max, look at me."

Anna heard Max sniffle and for a moment it sounded like her tears were subsiding.

"You are here. Hold my hands, look at me, breathe with me."

Anna heard them breathe together, but Max was breathing like a maniac. Anna's tears were getting harder and harder to hold back as she heard Chris say, "Let me get you some water."

Anna's eyes widened and she tiptoed fast back to her pull-out couch. She didn't see Chris again that night — she assumed he stayed with Max to make sure she was safe. Anna admired Chris's kindness toward Max, and was unable to stop thinking about him ceaselessly as she fell asleep.

The bedroom door opened slowly around 6 a.m. as Anna pretended to still be asleep. Chris flung himself on his bed and went out like a light. He was undoubtedly exhausted from being up with Max all night and Anna figured she should try and go to sleep as well.

She hoped that Max had found some calm, at least enough to sleep.

Anna woke up hours later to an empty room, wondering why it was so quiet in her new cave-like home. Hoping Max hadn't taken off, she got up too fast and staggered out of the bedroom door only to find Chris reading peacefully on the couch.

He looked up at her with a tired smile. "Morning, roomie."

Anna smirked and thought he was even more handsome than yesterday. Once again, she laughed nervously and responded, "Gooooood morning! I would ask you how you slept, but you look like hell, so I think I know the answer to that one."

He tilted his head to the side, clearly not used to her type of blunt conversation skills.

"Well, aren't you a little too honest for the morning!" He laughed and proceeded to stand up and face her.

"It was a long night," he said as he squinted his eyes. "But you know that already, DON'T you?"

Anna knew she had been caught. "I don't know what you're talking about."

She bit her lip in a way that said, "I'm guilty, but I'm hoping you think my detective skills make me adorable."

She shyly smiled. "I'm sorry. I couldn't exactly ignore the screaming, it was so damn loud. Does this happen a lot?"

Chris's eyes suddenly lost their shine. "Every night."

Anna's pain deepened for her friend. So many years of devastation and no way to escape.

"Who the heck is Rachel?"

"That, I don't know. She always mumbles about a 'Rachel' in her sleep, but she hasn't told me and honestly, I have never asked."

Anna could think of nothing to say. She just took a deep breath and nodded.

They stared at each other until, as usual, Anna broke the silence.

"What are you reading? You looked quite into it before I distracted you."

Chris turned back toward his book and said, "Oh, it's actually mine. I wrote it and now I'm editing it."

Anna was certain she could fall for this cute, and now talented, boy, but proceeded with caution. Something Anna never did.

"You're a writer? Chris, that's amazing. May I read it?"

Chris looked back at the disheveled papers anxiously, causing Anna to quickly hope she didn't overstep.

"Sure. When I'm done I'll hand it over."

She let her breath out and smiled in the most inviting way.

"Morning," a scratchy voice said after swinging open the bedroom door across from Anna and Chris. "I see you haven't left yet." Max rolled her eyes and stumbled toward the bathroom.

From the toilet behind the tattered curtain, Anna could still see her friend's feet, and unfortunately also hear her peeing.

"Did you enjoy the show last night?" Max said, devoid of emotion as she scared Anna, yanking the curtain open with a foul look on her face.

Anna tried to ignore Max's bitter demeanor. "I'm sorry, what show?" Anna knew full well, of course, what Max was talking about. Max stared at Anna for a few seconds before rolling her eyes again and walking toward her bedroom, where she proceeded to open and shut the door without looking back. Anna couldn't help but stare at the door longingly, wishing that Max would talk to her.

"Well! I am off to work!" Chris said abruptly. "I'll see you later this afternoon, roomie."

Anna looked away from Max's door with a surprised look on her face.

"Where do you work?" She grinned sheepishly.

"I work for a magazine that no one reads, but they pay me here and there for my stories and other pieces."

Anna's mind was bouncing around. There HAS to be something wrong with him, she thought.

At the moment, Anna could not see a single thing she didn't like about Chris.

"It is a shit job, but what can I say? I love it."

He turned away, headed toward the outside world, but just as he was taking off Anna stuttered loudly, "Wow! That's amazing! Um . . . see you soon! Uh . . . have a great day!" She instantly regretted sounding like a character from the Disney channel, but he replied with a small chuckle. "Thank you. I'll see you soon."

The door shut behind him as Anna's stomach filled with butterflies. Damn it, she thought. DAMN it.

She was brought back down to earth from her thoughts about Chris by her worry for Max. It was consuming her, fluttering through every inch of her skin. She was going to try to get her talking today. It WAS going to be a good day, even if she had to force it to happen. With her confidence gleaming and head held high, Anna went to Max's door and knocked decisively.

"What?" snapped Max.

It made Anna jump, but she hopped right back into her positivity bubble.

"Max, I just want to sit with you, for God's sake. I'm coming in, geez." She slowly made her way into the room, each step as careful as the last.

Max didn't even look up. She just continued playing her guitar and humming along to a lovely melody Anna had never heard before.

"It sounds beautiful, where did you learn to play?" asked Anna.

She quickly regretted it, however, as she saw Max's face fall and turn into a shadow of what it was a few seconds ago.

"I'm sorry," said Anna. "You don't have to tell me."

"I taught myself," Max replied curtly. "I just found a book and taught myself."

Anna looked at her old friend in amazement. She always knew that Violet, or Max, was capable of brilliance, and this was just another indication proving that theory.

Anna took a breath, hoping to continue the conversation, but hunched down finding she had nothing to say. She couldn't make small talk anymore. This was the moment she'd yearned for after so many years.

"You know, Max, I never meant to come here and make your life more difficult."

For the first time in twenty-four hours, Anna noticed Max was looking directly at her and seemingly listening.

"I just . . . I needed you." Anna began to tear up, trying her best to keep herself together. "I really needed my best friend."

Anna wanted Max to know that. To know that life had gotten worse and worse since the day she'd lost her, to know that she'd never stopped loving her.

When she saw Max, she felt a flicker of happiness that she hadn't felt since she was eleven years old.

She thought Max looked guilty and on the verge of a breakdown, but she couldn't really tell.

"I'm sorry too, Anna."

Anna's eyes widened, then scrunched back down, wondering what sarcastic, bitchy comment was to follow.

"All of this talk about me, and I haven't asked you a single question."

Anna was treading lightly, but entertained this tempered version of Max.

"Okay . . . what do you want to know?"

Max pursed her lips, looking deep in thought. "Well, how is your family?"

Anna cringed at the thought of discussing her family with Max, as if she didn't have enough problems running in her brain. The Johnston family bullshit was hardly worth her time.

"Fine."

She saw confusion flicker across Max's face.

"That's all I get?"

"Guess so," Anna muttered bitterly.

"What happened? Something is wrong. You're being quiet," Max sneered. "It's so unlike you."

Anna let out a hefty sarcastic laugh. "Oh okay, so I guess you're a comedian today. Yeah everything is fine, it's whatever."

"Anna, you're freaking me out. Your dad, is he okay?"

Anna nodded her head up and down. "Yup."

"Okay, great! How about your mom?"

Anna cringed again at the thought of giving her mother any more space in her mind, but found herself blurting out, "She was a bitch when you left, and she's a bitch now."

Anna took a moment to collect her anger and laughed quietly, trying to pass off her comment as a joke.

"Wow, really? I honestly thought you guys would resolve that at some point."

"Well, you thought wrong, so yeah." Anna looked at the floor, feeling like all of the light had been drained out of her.

"I'm so sorry, Anna."

"It's fine," she muttered.

Anna jumped when Max raised her voice considerably. "Would you stop saying that? It's fine? Obviously it isn't."

She continued to stare at Max's disgusting floor, dully remarking, "It doesn't exactly hold a candle to what you've been through—"

"Of course it does!" Max interrupted emphatically. "Of COURSE it does."

Anna's head jolted up, almost offended that Max would even say such a thing.

"Are you kidding me? How the hell could my dumbass mom come even close—"

"BECAUSE," Max said sternly, "it doesn't matter how your life gets damaged. It just is. We both went through crappy things and one isn't more important than the other. Screw your mom, and screw Eric."

Anna's eyes widened as Max sucked in a breath.

"Max . . . is that . . .?"

"Yes," she said shortly through gritted teeth.