M&A by Katherine (phonics reader txt) 📕

grandmother’s garden. Even if she missed a plant the supple soil held foot prints. She hurried across her backyard, the whisper of leaves as her background music. She slipped her window open, using the plastic box that housed her old toys; she vaulted herself up and shimmied through her window. Walking on her hands as she slowly pulled her legs through. The front door banged open; Alice lunged completely through the window. She slammed in closed, promising to replace the screen come morning. Kicked her shoes off, yanked her sweated off and pulled her night shirt on, not noticing it was inside out. She slipped swiftly into bed and rolled over so her back to the door. The door open swiftly and closed just as fast. A high pitched giggles, then a low laugh floated under the door. Her Aunt had a ‘friend’ over. At least her aunt’s room was in the basement.
Max’s face flashed in her mind. She found it more than little odd that he was ever present in her mind, and how much feeling came with his face. Alice did find him attractive, very much so in fact. She shimmied out of her jeans, carelessly tossed then across her room. She put Max to the side for now and snuggled into her pillow, while Max sneaked in to her dreams.
MAX
Max toed off his boots, rolled his ankles with several satisfying cracks and popped his feet on the glass coffee table of his upstairs den. He slouched low in the center curve of the L shaped leather couch in his den. He’d got hooked in a marathon of Law & Order: SVU and almost nearly sunk completely down between the warmed cushions of the couch when his older brother, Kieran, paced slowly into the room. By the way he had his arms crossed over his chest, his shoulders straight and tense, the slow way he walked into the room, like he was in an art museum and was talking his time wandering from painting to painting, tipped Max off that something ELSE was wrong with him. Max sighed melodramatically and threw his head back looking miserably at the ceiling.
“What is it this time?” Maw sighed. He acted exaggeratedly because he was tired of every little thing ticking his brother off. “Where were you? You walked out without a word and came back and plopped down like nothing even happened.” Kieran waved his hand at his brother, sprawled over the couch with his feet up. “Get your feet off the table.” Max’s head rolled to the side and looked at his brother.
“Sorry,” He wasn’t really sorry. “I got really angry and need to cool down before I did something stupid.” Max watched his older brother run his hand over his short dark brown hair. After some thought he collapsed next to his brother; “Where’d you go?”
“If I told you that then you’ll never leave me alone then, would you?” Max’s smart-ass comment earned a ‘light’ punch in the arm. Alice’s face floated in him mind for a moment. He smiled inwardly at the picture of her small smile and laughter. The tiny light beauty mark on her left cheek bone, the other under the left corner of her mouth, just above her chin, her flushed red mouth with its round bottom lip and curvy upper lip, Max wanted to talk and laugh with her again. Watch her bite her lip in thought.
“Hey,” Kieran elbowed him. “I asked a question?” He folder his arms and looked bemused at Max’s face. “You’re making a weird face.”
“Nothing,” Max shrugged on shoulder, all nonchalant and smartass-y. “Just someone I caught.”
“Caught?” An eyebrow raise. “She fell off a wall, I caught her.” Max’s eyes were on the TV, but he vividly remembered the caching and landing incidence.
“Oh it’s a She?” Kieran laughed at him. “What’s her name? Is she…?”
“No she’s not.” Max kept her name to himself and refused to talk to Kieran about her any more. “You know how tricky it is when she’s not like us. It’s hard for humans to accept that there is a world outside their bubble. She’ll think your psycho when you tell her you’re a-” Max looked at his brother.
“Honestly? I really don’t care. Girls like us are total bitches because they can be, and it’s not like I’m gonna tell her on the first date or anything. If there is a date or anything in the future,” Max turned back to the TV and watched without really watching. Max and his overpowering brother lived in the deserted part of town. The city was much larger but after the break out many moved to predominantly human neighborhoods. The ones that stayed because they ether couldn’t afford to buy a new house and move, had be businesses, or just didn’t want to leave their home and hopped that they lived up until now and saw relatively safe future. Max’s house is in the –or was- the richer side of town. He and Kieran lived in a two story, three counting the attic, old Victorian style house with a wraparound porch with red roofing and shutter and wood baize outside. Three days passed and Max never saw Alice. After lessons, he txted his closest friend Connor. ‘Hey, u know a girl named Alice??’ his message read. It took no more than two minutes for him to answer, ‘A riddle?’ Connor asked.
‘NO, a real girl named Alice. Brown hair and eyes, tall-ish… big boobs..’ he cringed at his blunt comment, but Connor got the point. That was one of the first things he notice about every girl.
‘OO lol her. Yeah I know her, y??’ Max growled, and typed furiously. ‘What u know about her?’ ‘She’s nice, funny, cool taste in music, turned me to some bands. Huge boobs as you seem to have noticed…’ Max growled at the screen, Connor was the only person who knew who Max really was, the secret that his brother stresses him to keep. Connor also knew how to push Max’s buttons without really angering him. When Max didn’t answer back, Connor txted him again, ‘I invite her over on Friday, were all hanging in my basement…’ Max’s hope brightened by ten folds. He txted back a quick K then headed to his room. A small, sweet smile twirled his lips.
ALICE
The thick bass thumped through her. The drum beats made the floor hop the CD case rattle against the wall. The guitar ripped up her spine, the singer’s deep voice spoke to her soul, she danced her heart out. Her feet jump to the beat, her hips rolled with the bass, her head whipped nodding to the music, she dance with her full body. Alice, Katie and Sam looked at each other, screaming into their fists as if they were on stage in with the singer in front of a huge screaming audience. They were loud, completely off key and sounded like dyeing cats.
Connor’s Mom appeared at the stairs, but stopped halfway down. Connor noticed and bounced over with a big mom’s boy smile on his face. In his Mom’s world he was at the top of her pyramid, he good little boy who could do no wrong in her eyes. She had pretty loose rules that everyone followed, and Connor enforced. She didn’t even mind when the weirdo that pass through her house eat all her food, or someone is asleep on her couch in the morning that she didn’t see when she went to bed the night before. She’d just make breakfast for them. Connor smiled at his Mom kissed her on the cheek she smiled as she went back upstairs. He stomped over to them and turned down the stereo, then pointed at Katie. “Turn that back up and I will kick your ass.” He moved back over to his seat on the couch. Sam and Alice laughed at Katie as she giggled at Connor’s threat; she loved Connor since they had first met. The girls moved over and sat on the floor. They all sat around the couch a chair or two was pulled up, they played Umbrella.
Alice got up. Sam looked up at her, “Where you going?” “Bathroom, I drank too much soda.” She fibbed. Alice, in truth was a little board and was thinking of going for a walk or leaving. Alice climbed the stair two at a time. She walked slowly through the house, when she reached the bathroom, she looked at herself. She tucked a few strands that had escaped when she was head banging and were sticking out or up straight back into her French braid down the back of her head. Her face was clear, but when she leaned closer she saw every tiny imperfection in her skin. The light beauty marks, her thin weird eyebrows, every little thing that bother her but she accepted because it was her face. She adjusted her t-shirt, then headed back down the hallway looking at all the happy photos of Connor through the ages.
When she reached the kitchen, she stopped. Alice listened to the sound from the basement, and leaned on the counter with a big yawn. Alice poured herself a glass of water. She had just about chugged half of it when there was a knock at the front door. Should I get it? Alice stepped towards the door. Yeah, I can probably fight a robber or who ever came a knocking on my door. Alice smiled at the sassy comment in her head and opened the door. Her heart nearly stopped, she face dropped in shock. Max. His sweet name passed through her mind. He gawked at her; his hair flopped over his face. She watched him reach up, ran his hand thru his hair pushing it to the side. Her brown eyes locked with his deep blue ones.
“Alice,” He breathed, like a sigh of relief. He smiled wide and right at her.
“Max,” To Alice, her voice sounded breathless, her heart was beating a million miles an hour. His grin illumined his face. The little air left in her flew the coop, but she smiled back at him a little wearily. She then realized that she was blocking the door and from him getting in. Even when it was only a little bit on the chilly side he was dressing camo skinny jeans, a plan black T and thick boots. Alice noticed he was lacking a jacket. She darted to the side and opened the door more, hiding a little behind the door embarrassed by her blushing.
“Everyone’s in the basement, I just came up for a glass of water.” Alice said as she closed the door and leaned her back on it. What does he care? She scolded herself. Her eyes were locked on the floor, or, in truth, on his sweet boots. They went up over his ankle and ended not far over that. They were buckles all the way up. She crossed her arms behind her back and shifted her weight from on foot to the other and glanced up. Max was smile happily at her. “Are you coming?” He raised an eyebrow in a suave way. She giggled when he offered his arm; she slipped her hand over his elbow into crook of it. They only paused when she pulled away to finish the glass of water she came upstairs for.
Downstairs, Connor embraced Max, slapped him on the back and stared chatting immediately. Alice moved and sat, pulled her legs up sitting cross legged on the vacant seat on the couch behind her friend Katie. Katie turned and shot Alice a knowing smile, Alice swatted at the back of her friend’s head. Max shoved in between Alice and the girl next to her. He leaned on Alice keeping their thighs press together. Alice peeked at him every so