The rest of the day went by quickly, with no sign of Preston. Max was more than relieved he didn't have to deal with the overdramatic teen anymore. Stepping outside the school, he put in his ear buds and started walking home.

  He didn't want to admit it, but he liked being alone. He didn't have to worry about friendship problems, or being productive, or any bullshit whatsoever. It was only him and his thoughts- though they could sometimes be depressing.

   He got home fifteen minutes later, finding the house empty. The teen was used to it. He dropped his denim book bag at the door and made a beeline for the kitchen.

   On the fridge was a note. Max knew what it was: his parent's empty apologies about having to work late. Out of boredom, he read it anyway.

   Max,
       We're so sorry we can't make it home tonight. We should be back on Wednesday. There's two bowls of ramen in the cupboard. We'll see you soon.
   Lots of Love,
      Mom and Dad ❤

   "Ramen, nice..." he grinned, throwing the note away. He stood on his tip toes to open the wooden door hiding his precious food. He felt around for the bowl.

   Nothing.

   With an irritated sigh, he climbed onto the counter. He reached his hand back into the cupboard and found it.

   "Yes," he cheered quietly, jumping down.

   After placing the bowl in the microwave, Max returned to his book bag. He slung it over his shoulder and began taking it to his room when a piece of paper fell out. "The hell?" He picked it up.

   Text me when you can, Neil. The teen's number followed it. He sighed and continued on his way to his room.

   Time flew by. Max had managed to eat his ramen, add in Neil's contact, get added into a group chat with Neil and Nikki, and then waste three hours playing Mario Kart.

   "Shit," he muttered once he saw the time. 1:34 a.m. He put everything away amd crawled into his bed, exhausted. But no matter how tired he was, his thoughts kept wandering. The last thing he remembered before drifting off was something about Preston...