Chapter Text
“I’m sorry you’re not feeling well, kiddo,” David sighed quietly as he reached out his hand to feel Max’s forehead.
Max was slumped in his seat, the heavy bags under his eyes preventing him from sitting up properly.
“Whatever,” the boy mumbled as he dug himself into his hoodie. His turquoise eyes looked over to his father… figure. “You didn’t have to pick me up… you have a fuckin’ job after all.”
David bit back a ‘language’ and responded, “Well I don’t want you staying in school if you’re sick. I called Gwen but she was about to enter a meeting. Don’t worry, though, one of my colleagues was luckily able to fill in for me for a little bit!”
Max hummed in reply and stared outside the window as a comfortable silence filled the air. There was nothing impressive on the outside, just typical suburban surroundings. Max attempted to focus on some of the houses they drove past but couldn’t. Why did he react the way that he did? His memories were slightly fuzzy, the only thing he could remember was their eyes. All of them were looking at him, mocking him. He knew that wasn’t true, he knew that their eyes were only focused on him because he’d slammed the table. So why did they feel so threatening?
David pulled up on the driveway of their small house. There were numerous plants decorating the outside, which hadn’t surprised Max in the slightest when he’d first seen them. David unlocked the car and the two simultaneously opened the doors. They walked over to the entrance. Max watched David fumble around with his keys before unlocking the main door. The two stepped inside, and Max felt the cool air of the house hit his face. Max trudged up the stairs and turned right to meet his bedroom, and David followed suit.
Max’s room wasn’t anything glamorous. The walls were painted light blue, he had a twin-sized bed in the corner with dark blue bedsheets and a carpet spread across the floor. In front of his bed, a stand held Max’s bass guitar, a red Epiphone EB-0. There was also a music stand, with multiple pieces of violin sheet music on it. The small boy jumped onto his bed and landed face-first onto the mattress. David stopped at the door.
“Okay kid, I gotta head back to work now. Call me if you need anything.”
Max replied with a quiet “Mhm,” but it was muffled by the bedsheets.
“See you later, buddy. Love you!” Then David went off, leaving Max alone.
“Max’s been in the bathroom for a while now,” Nikki commented, food in mouth.
Neil nodded, “Yeah… did anyone else think he seemed kind of… freaked out?”
“He was acting kinda weird,” Space Kid agreed.
“Should someone go look for him?” Harrison asked.
Neil stood up and slung his backpack on, and picked up his food tray to get rid of. “I will.”
“Alright. Seeya dude,” Ered gave a finger gun to Neil as he made his way out of the cafeteria.
Neil navigated through the long halls and made his way to the nearest bathroom. He opened the door and peered inside.
“Max?”
No response. He walked inside and looked around. All of the stalls were open and no one was inside. Neil let out a sigh and made his way out of the bathroom. Neil pondered over the way his friend looked before abruptly leaving. He wasn’t necessarily the best at reading people, but he’d spent enough time alone with Max to know something was off. A familiar feeling sunk into his chest; the same feeling he’d gotten when Max disappeared. In their first year of camp, Neil noted that Max was cynical, smart, pessimistic, and short-tempered. He was like a fuse ready to explode. However, Neil had gotten to know the shorter boy throughout the first summer, and he realized that Max was able to show sympathy and kindness, despite blocking those feelings out for some unexplainable reason.
He remembered the nights the two would stay up and talk, likely due to their shared insomnia. In his drowsiness, Max became much more vulnerable, which revealed a side to himself that Neil felt lucky to see. It established a special relationship between the two boys that neither of them shared with the other campers.
In their second year of camp, Max seemed a bit more drained. He was less motivated during adventures, he never tried to take charge anymore, and he seemed more upset and angry with the world. He was still an asshole, so much so that the other campers didn’t seem to notice a difference in the curly-haired boy’s behavior, but they didn’t know Max the way Neil did. It partially contributed to Neil’s anxiety over Max’s disappearance, as well as his anxiety now over his missing friend.
Now, Max seemed to have lost most of his bite. Neil couldn’t put his finger on why since his friend was barely back, but he could tell something had happened in the two years they hadn’t seen each other.
Neil roamed the halls for a bit longer before the bell rang. Neil took his schedule out, which was neatly folded in his pocket, and realized that his next class was English. Max is in that class too, right? Neil put his schedule back into his pocket and made his way to the classroom, in hopes that he’d find his friend there. When he entered the classroom, he noticed Harrison seated in the front. Oh yeah, he’s here too. Neil took a seat next to the magician.
“Oh hey! Any luck finding Max?” Harrison asked, noticing the scientist taking a seat next to him.
Neil shook his head and sighed, “No, but he’s in this class so hopefully he shows up.” Harrison nodded in response and turned to the front. Neil eyed the door in hopes that Max would enter.
The late bell rang, and there was still no sign of the short boy. The teacher walked to the front and began talking about class expectations and such before pulling out a clipboard and taking attendance. Neil drowned out the multiple names and responses being called, still eyeing the door.
“...Maxwell Jones?” That caught Neil’s attention. There was silence in the room.
“No Maxwell? Huh, missing the first day of school, what a shame.” The teacher sighed, shaking her head.
Fuck… I don’t think he’s coming. Where is he?
The rest of the day went by, and there was still no sign of Max. He wasn’t present in Geometry either. Neil had questioned the rest of his friends, and they had all said that there was no sign of the Indian boy. Shit.
Neil was waiting outside for his dad’s car, pacing around nervously. Nikki had opted to take the bus today, so he was on his own. How the hell can I contact him?
Suddenly, Neil remembered something. He reached into his backpack pocket and pulled out a slip of paper. Max had exchanged phone numbers with him during lunch! Neil sighed in relief and dialed the number on the slip of paper.
Max hadn’t moved from his spot on his bed. His eyes were heavy yet sleep could not take over his body. At some point, he began playing some music on his phone to fill the silence of the room. Right now, it was playing some 80s song David had shown to him, Where Is My Mind? By Pixies. David had found the song fascinating since it was supposedly played on Mars, but Max just liked the consistent melody that played throughout the song.
With your feet on the air and your head on the ground
Try this trick and spin it, yeah
Your head will collapse
But there's nothing in it
And you'll ask yourself
Where is my mind?
Where is my mind?
Where is my mind?
Way out in the water
See it swimming
The brief instrumental that played after those lyrics was interrupted by the sound of Max’s ringtone. The boy lightly groaned and begrudgingly lifted his phone, assuming it was David. To his surprise, it was an unknown number. Against his better judgment, Max answered the call.
“ Hello? Max?! ” Neil. Max could recognize that obnoxious yet endearing high voice anywhere.
“Neil?” Max replied weakly.
“
Max! Where are you? You weren’t in class.
”
The boy replied nonchalantly, “Home.”
There was a brief silence on the other end. “ ...Are you okay? ”
“Yeah. Just wasn’t feelin’ well.”
“ Will you be in school tomorrow? ”
Oh. Max hadn’t thought about that. Damn, he really sucked at thinking about his future. “Uhm… yeah, probably.” David probably wouldn’t like it if he’d stayed home when school was just starting.
“ That’s good. ” More silence on the other end. “ ...Are you sure you’re okay? Like… in general. ”
Max did not expect that question. He was left in a brief stunned silence while he tried to stammer out a response, “Uh… y-yeah dude… Why wouldn’t I be?”
He could hear his other friend give a small sigh, “ Nevermind. Hey, would you maybe want to… hang out sometime? Like, maybe this Friday? ”
Huh? That’s a fucking weird topic change. Something in Max’s brain was screaming at him to decline, but something in him really wanted to hang out with Neil. “Uh… sure? I think I should be free.”
“ Great! My dad’s here, so I have to go. Talk to you later? ”
“Yeah. Bye.” Max hung up the call and threw his phone to the side. He closed his eyes as the music continued, taking over his brain.
I was swimming in the Caribbean
Animals were hiding behind the rock
Except the little fish
Bump into me, swear he's
Tryin' a talk to me, say wait wait
Where is my mind?
Where is my mind?
Where is my mind?
Way out in the water
See it swimming