My Sweet Bully

We walk side by side down the beach, gently brushing shoulders and arms as we pick up litter. I want to ask him so many questions, but I don’t. I don’t want to ruin this moment, whatever this might be.

Max is calm, relaxed, his shoulders back and muscles loose. It’s nice to know he isn’t always a giant ball of tension, ready to explode at any point in time. Then again, what the hell do I really know about him?

Nothing.

I know he’s a senior at Burton Ridge High School. I know he’s good at basketball. I know he has an older brother and isn’t well received by other kids at school. And I know he doesn’t make the best choices. But that’s it.

Wiping his hands on his pants, he ties the garbage bag. “Looks like we’re done. You can go home now. Your good deed for the month is finished.”

“I didn’t do this as a good deed. I’m not asking for any recognition for being here.”

“Well, whatever it was that made you come, it’s over, time to go. I appreciate the company; it was better than the other times I’ve been here.”

“Wow, did you just give me a compliment?” Cocking my head, I curl my lip into a smile.

“No, that’s not what that was.”

“Yeah it was. You basically just said I’m awesome. You’re being so nice right now.” Giggling, I give him a playful shove with my shoulder.

Shaking his head no, he wags a finger. “Don’t get confused. I have to be nice because of G.I Joe over there.” Tilting his head in the direction of the officer, he purses his lips.

“You know what I think?” Tapping a finger against my chin, I smirk.

“Please, enlighten me.”

“I think you’re not as mean as you want people to believe.”

“Oh yeah, is that right?” Rolling up his sleeves, he carries the bag over to a garbage bin and drops it in. “You think you got me all figured out, huh?”

“No, I didn’t say that. I just think there’s a lot more to you than you want people to see. I think people put you in this box—the bad boy, the troublemaker, the bully—and you just go along with it.”

“Well, look at you, a modern day Nancy fucking Drew.”

Laughing, I point a finger at him. “Yeah, but I have a nicer ass than Nancy Drew.”

“And a prettier face,” he says quickly with a smile and a wink.

My cheeks flush and I can feel the heat radiate down my neck. I know I’m turning red, and there’s nothing I can do to stop it.

Biting my bottom lip, I smile back and look at him from the corner of my eye. “You need a ride home?”

Max cocks his head, and glances around. The officer gives him a nod, so Max starts taking off his gloves and dropping them into the garbage. Looking at the parking lot, his sexy lips thin as he crooks his jaw to the side. “I was going to walk, but yeah, I could use a ride.”

Tugging my keys from my pocket, we head in the direction of my car. “I’m over here.”

“I know which one you are. I remember from this morning.”

“Right, right, I forgot about that.” Looking off, I run my hand through my hair, and pick up my feet as I walk.

Unlocking my door, I climb in and hit the button. The passenger door lock clicks open and Max drops in beside me. A wave of salty ocean air mixed with his cologne sweeps across my face.

I inhale a long slow breath instinctively, drinking in that scent. I smelled him when he caught me at school, and now all I want is more. My mind locks away bits of this moment, saving them for later.

Max looks down at the footwell at the collection of garbage, and then looks at my backseat, also covered in trash. “You ever clean this thing out?”

“I know, it’s a mess. But,” I say, putting the key in the ignition, “I keep up on the oil changes and stuff.”

Turning the key, I expect it to purr like a well-oiled machine. It doesn’t. It gags and spits like it did this morning, stuttering and dying out with a gasp.

With closed lips I smile and turn the key again. The engine fumbles and shakes, only to collapse on itself.

Max chuckles and shakes his head. “Pop the hood,” he says as he climbs out of the car.

Doing as he asks, I pull the hood lock and it jumps open. Max pushes it up, burying his head so I can’t see what he’s doing.

He’s under there for a couple minutes, then leans back and says, “Give it a try now.”

Turning the key, it starts instantly, sounding smooth. I’m stunned, shocked that he was able to fix it so easily.

Getting back in, his hands are dirty, but he doesn’t care, he wipes them on his jeans. “All set.”