Chapter Text
The small houses didn't seem to move out of sight too slowly , and the insistent dumb pop music playing from the car's radio, additionally flavored with the terrible singing of Kyle and Jason, didn't help Max relax at all .
- Jason, for God's sake, speed up already , we're not riding a fucking bike.
From Max's irritated tone, it immediately became clear to both of them that, first of all, it was better for both of them to shut up, and Jason should really speed up .
A few seconds later, Kyle's voice came from the backseat.
- Max, are ya sure ?
- of course I'm fucking sure , do you think I'm dumb or something ?
Jason joined the conversation , trying to reason with his " friend , " even though he couldn 't understand his motives .
- bro, it's just that the abstinence camp is really not the place to break into against the law. I was there, and believe me -
- I don't give a shit that you were there, Jason! The only thing that worries me is that Grace is there. I want to see Grace, so I'll see her. IS THAT CLEAR?
The rest of the " trip " was spent in silence, Still, it 's unlikely that anyone would want Max to lose his temper again , and for them he obviously won 't spare his fists . And what a joy it was that Jason was driving the car , not Max . Although he insisted on sitting in the front seat anyway , clearly despite the fact that Jason wasn 't too comfortable mentally with someone so irritable was sitting on his right .
It was only when he saw the small and rather thin fence of the abstinence camp that Max had a smile on his face. Clearly looking forward to seeing Grace .
The others in the car just had to take a deep breath , and it 's not clear from the irritation that they will also have to help Max climb the fence or from the fact that they won 't see at least this short ( or not ) period of time .
A few minutes later, Max was practically behind the fence , well , he was climbing , and it seemed like he could blurt out something stupid again .
- YEA IM THE JAGER -
Before he could finish his sentence, Max fell with a thud onto the grass , which was on the territory of the camp.
Hearing this sound outside the fence, it was hard to hear the whispers of Jason and Kyle, who clearly did not want to be near Max at that moment. Yes , of course they were his friends . . but is it located illegally on the territory ? They obviously didn 't want to .
And Max didn't want them around right now. As well as trying to hear their whispers . And from the unexpected fall, Max's brain initially noticed that he fell and did not finish the sentence , rather than the fact that his leg was starting to hurt decently . It was only after a few seconds that he decided to think about looking at his legs and, most likely, the bruised parts of his body .
After all , he was often injured and at least felt how his leg and ass hurt .
As soon as he realized that the wound on his leg was burning decently he heard footsteps and was ready to attack ( as much as possible in an awkward sitting position ) even before you turn your head and see the owner of these steps .
But there was nothing to prepare for the attack for . When he turned around , he saw only he wanted to see so much that he almost forgot About his aching leg .
How ironic.
Grace Chasity.
Seeing her ( and seeing that she noticed him ) he just tried to look typically smug and covered his bleeding knee with his fingers ( without realizing it , just hoping that his hand could ease the pain ) and as usual , play charmer in front of her .
- Hey Grace what are you going ?
Grace just froze in place , she obviously did not expect such a gift from heaven . Her first thought was to rush to boy Jerry and girl Jerri. He didn't even have a virginity rocks for boys T-shirt! But she stopped the impulse .
- Max Jagerman !? I'm the one who should be asking what you're doing here!
- Nothing sinful ! I just wanted to see something or someone . .
He said before groaning painfully . What the fuck is it hurting him he's Max Jagerman he shouldn't be hurt !
Grace just seemed more surprised and raised an eyebrow, blinking as if in disbelief. But in any case , if a person was in pain even if it was someone like Max she should have helped him .
- does it hurt much ?
- does something hurt me? C'mon Grace, i'm Max Jagerman -
- Can you walk?
- Of course , even though I can carry you at the same time .
Max said, trying to calmly get to his feet completely and looking charming at the same time ( which he did very well ) and it 's like the pain in his legs doesn 't bother him at all ( and he's bad at that ) . And Grace didn't seem to buy it for a second.
Grace and Max were surprisingly silent for half the way to the Health center of the abstinence camp ( it was not always possible to heal children only with prayers ) . Max was just pleased to be with Her , and not with some nerds from this camp. Grace, on the other hand, had to fulfill her Christian duty , how to help a person who needed it. Even if he's a lost man .
- Graaace -
- You still haven't answered my question.
- Which one?
- What are you doing here?
- I just wanted to see you.
- What are you doing here?
- I just wanted to see YOU .
- Max, don 't joke .
Max just sighed , clearly not happy about Grace's distrust of him . Oh right, he's just a sinner and blah blah blah.
But after Grace's words, they reached the medical center, and Max was about to open the door, but Grace suddenly slapped His hand, as if he was doing something very, very wrong.
- Let's knock first! It's a sin not to know the basic rules of decency, Max!
Max just sighed (after all, it was difficult for him to be angry at Grace, he was more angry at the door that these rules were not written on it) and he knocked on the fucking door three times before how to hear " Come in, who's there? "
Grace was the first to enter the health office only after that , the culprit of this " celebration " himself came in .
The nurse just gasped , and obviously not because they brought her a boy who limps as if he 's been shot in the leg , but because
- Where's his camp T-shirt?
- He .. Somehow he got here, he's not from the camp.
- I'm just a gift from God.
Both the nurse and Grace frowned. Grace turned her head over her shoulder to him, clearly indicating that it was better for him not to talk here.
- If he's not from the camp, then I have to tell boy Jerry and girl jerri about it! This is not normal!
- I agree! But we must fulfill our duty to God, to help someone who is in a bad way!
And the nurse already looked like she didn't want to do anything even for this teenager .
- I can help Him myself if you need to go to boy Jerry and girl Jerri.
- you're a golden child , Grace. Do you know where everything is?
- .. Remember.
As soon as the nurse left the office, Grace pointed Max to a short sofa, where he obediently sat down, watching with fascination as this " golden child" tried to find gauze and hydrogen peroxide.
- how do ya know where anything is, Gracie ?
- I've been here almost every summer in my life. Everything here is like home . Do you remember where your first-aid kit and icons are at home?
- Not at all .
Grace turned around after these words with gauze and hydrogen peroxide. Frowning slightly at Max 's words , he doesn 't seem to have any icons in his house .. and first - aid kits .
- I can do it myself .
- you'd better pray to God that it doesn't burn too much. You know the prayers, right?
Max left her with no answers , and she was right , it was burning hard . It burned like hell . And Max didn 't remember a single Prayer , but trying to remember at least something strangely helped to at least distract from this burning in his knee. When she applied the gauze , for a second it seemed as if he saw God in an instant then this feeling subsided almost like the pain although it made itself felt .
- fuck, no matter how many times I hurt myself everything is also burning from hydrogen peroxide .
- First of all don't use such words. Secondly, " hurt myself " ?
- Not in this regard ! Well bruises injuries scars I'm a football player after all . I know that for "hurting myself" I'm going straight to hell.
Hearing the word hell, Grace strangely softened , to find out that such a reckless man like him had something in common ( As she thought ) with her was .. nice. Grace was clearly pleasantly surprised by this conversation , so she pulled up the nearest chair to sit at least in front of him .
- Are you afraid of hell too?
- I don 't think there will be anything after death . Although it would be fun to become a ghost. I'd scare the nerds.
- What a typical answer for you..
Max grinned smugly , taking a good look around the office When the pain slowly subsided .
- Is it also a library here?
He pointed to a small bookshelf.
- This is the Bible. Have you read it?
- When I was a kid . There is no time for that now.
- if you have time for sinful parties and football practice, then you also have time to read the Bible!
Grace said without asking Max 's opinion getting up from her chair and going to the shelf she took one of the books .
- so you have a lot of free time here.
Max just groaned in displeasure , but did not say a single word against it. They were both stubborn, and Grace was the only person he indulged in without realizing it.
The next time passed very strangely. Most likely for both of them, Grace rarely encouraged sinners like Max with her presence, but here she was, reading the Bible to him like he was a little kid. And the strangest thing is that for Max it was even.. soothing .
But he definitely wasn't complaining.
- The bible is pretty cool