Oh, Sis
“Max!”
Max glanced up, and was met with the image of a widely smiling Chloe.
“Steph said yes!” she said - and her cheeks were flushed a light shade of pink, she was a little out of breath, her beanie was askew and the top button on her dress shirt was undone, so Max could catch a glimpse of her pale skin and sharp collarbone.
Max blatantly ignored the way her stomach turned, and did her best to smile. “That’s great, Chloe.”
“Hello all.”
Max glanced to the side - and let out a relieved breath when she saw Brooke. Not because she’d been worried about her, but because Brooke never provoked weird, bubbly feelings in her stomach - much less that sickening churning that was happening now.
“Brooke!” she chirped - Brooke raised both her eyebrows at the cheerful introduction.
“Max,” she said, before glancing at Chloe. “And company.”
Chloe offered Brooke a grin. “Hey, kid. Guess who’s got a date for the Hogsmeade visit?”
Brooke stuck her hands in her pockets, and raked her eyes up and down Chloe’s form, once. “Judging by your disheveled state, blush, and incredibly stupid looking smile - oh, I don’t know. Nathan Prescott?”
Chloe grimaced. “Ew, no. That little weasel couldn’t get a date if one was smashing his head into a wall. No - it’s totally me, kids!”
She did a loose pirouette, and began to saunter out of the room again. “If you don’t mind, I’ll leave ya’ll to it. I’ve gotta start thinkin’ about what to wear. Peace.”
She tipped them a last two-finger wave, and left.
Max sighed.
Brooke glanced at her.
For a long moment, she just stared - and then, slowly, pulled out the chair across from Max.
“Alright. Spill.”
Max blinked, and glanced up at her. “What?”
“You’ve got a kicked puppy expression,” Brooke said, raising an eyebrow at her. “It’s so obvious, even I noticed it. So, get to spilling. I’ve ranted enough at you over the years, it’s about time I returned the favor.”
Max shook her head, and gave her a smile. “I really don’t know what you’re talking about. But thanks anyway.”
“Liar,” Brooke deadpanned, eyes sharp. “Come on. Fill me in.”
“It…” Max fumbled for a way to put Brooke off this trail. Because there really wasn’t anything to say.
Sure, Chloe was dating Steph now, and that made Max kinda sick for some reason, and sure, the new punk look on Chloe made her feel a little weird, and okay maybe that little conversation they’d had day before yesterday about Chloe being gay was really weird and confusing and was kinda making Max think a lot about things she had never questioned before, like what it might feel like to run her hands through Chloe’s hair or what she looked like when she was sleeping in the dorms that were only a door away from Max’s own bedroom or what it sounded like when Chloe moaned-
But nothing was wrong. Or weird. Or anything that might suggest that this wasn’t just a weird little thing that would pass really quickly and meant nothing about her, or Chloe, or her and Chloe’s friendship.
“It’s just - I mean… okay, like, it’s not anything like what you’re probably thinking,” Max said quickly.
Brooke raised an eyebrow at her.
“I just - like, I don’t think Steph would really be a good girlfriend, y’know? She’s so… weird, and dorky, and. I just don’t think she’s right for Chloe, is all.”
Brooke just stared at her.
Max fidgeted. “What?”
Brooke didn’t say anything. Just stared.
Max shifted in her chair. “...Okay, and maybe I’ve also been having some weird feelings when Chloe’s around, but like, it’s nothing important. It’s just. A phase, or something. It’ll go away.”
Brooke stared.
“...And like,” Max said, glancing away from Brooke and tugging at her hair, “I’ve also kinda been thinking a lot about this conversation me and Chloe had-”
“Chloe and I,” Brooke corrected softly.
“About this conversation Chloe and I had,” Max said, the words fumbling out of her, “where she asked me if I was gay - and, like, obviously I’m not, but it’s kinda been messing with me a little - and like, at lunch today, I couldn’t help but notice that Chloe kinda licks the corner of her lips a little whenever she finishes eating something, and she taps her fork or spoon or whatever whenever she puts it down and stares at it like she’s trying to tell it to stay there or something, and she kinda, like, does this little thing with her nose whenever she’s confused, and it’s not quite a wiggle but it’s really subtle and - and I almost can’t believe I haven’t noticed any of this before, because she’s my best friend and all, but I’m only just starting to really pay attention and notice these things, y’know?”
Brooke didn’t say anything.
“And okay, yeah,” Max bit out, “maybe I’ve kinda been having these weird feelings whenever she gives me a smile in the hallway - but that’s normal for friends. It just makes me feel nice that she’s happy to see me. That's how friends feel, right?”
Brooke didn’t say anything.
“And also I noticed this stain on her neck after a potions class,” Max said, “and I told her about it but I almost kinda didn’t want to because it looked really good in a weird way that kinda made me want to not see it but also, like, keep it there forever? Or something?”
Brooke didn’t say anything.
“...And also I kinda wanted to kiss her the other day,” Max muttered quietly, gripping the bottom of her dress shirt. “But that’s. I’m just confused. It’ll go away.”
Brooke leaned over and put a hand on her shoulder.
“Oh, sis,” she said quietly - Max almost startled, because Brooke calling someone sis was really weird.
Brooke stood up, and silently patted her shoulder.
“I’m so sorry,” she said.
Max stared at her. “What? There’s nothing to be sorry about.”
Brooke just shook her head - and walked away.
Max stared after her, and was unable to shake the feeling that Brooke knew something very, very important about her that she didn’t.