"Max!" Matt called carefully. He had followed her into a heavily wooded area. He carefully looked around. "Max, it's just Matt." He soothed. Matt sprinted towards the cracking of leaves and falling he heard. He could hear Max's uneasy breathing. It was slowly getting dark. "Max?!" He looked around quickly. Max was sprawled on the ground out of breath. She was clearly in pain. Matt crouched next to her. "Max?" He asked gently. He felt her pulse, it was steady and at a good pace. She was shivering, though and was getting colder.

"I'm sorry..." Max cried childishly. She sat up and curled. She was shivering.

"Let's get you out of here, come on..." Matt offered softly. He gently pulled Max to stand. She shivered. Matt gave her his jacket. She shivered inside the soaked jacket. Matt looked around slowly. "If I can find my way out..." He mumbled. His gaze slowly trailed. He lead Max carefully towards where he came. He tracked the rout by his deep set footsteps. They were out in about fifteen minutes. Dan was waiting impatiently. He ran over when he saw Max. He tightly hugged her. Max shivered, he was soaked too. The only heat she got was the body heat.

"Why did you do that?" Dan whimpered.

"I just..." Max slowly shrugged. She hid her face. "C-cold..." She shivered. Dan sighed gently. He gently released her.

"You are in big trouble with your school and us." He warned. "You are also in huge trouble with Ren's parents. What the hell got into you?!" Dan huffed, looking at her.

"I-I... I just... I..." Max stared at the ground. She shrugged. "I dunno..." She mumbled. Thunder clapped. Max ducked with panic. Dan sighed.

"Let's get you home... Thank you, Mathew." Dan smiled sadly to Matt. He nodded. They got in the car and went back to the apartment. They'd speak to the school and Ren's family tomorrow. She was in trouble for leaving school grounds and punching Ren. She was going to be suspended.

"Max!" Steve stood quickly. He had been waiting impatiently on the couch. He scrambled over. "You're all soaked." He sighed, looking her up and down. He looked up at her and gently grazed her face. Max flinched away. Steve frowned. "Go shower." He ordered sternly. Max walked off. Steve faced the two soaked males and frowned. "Are you both okay?" He questioned worriedly. They nodded. Matt sneezed. Steve frowned worriedly. Dan sneezed next, then there was a distant harsh sneeze from Max when she went to the bathroom. Steve sighed. "I'll make something warm." He informed. He walked off to thr kitchen.

"I should probably head home..." Matt mumbled as he shivered. They were off duty for the night, they had just been looking for Max after getting off of work.

"We have some warm clothes, if you want..." Dan responded.

"Yeah..." Matt agreed. They scrambled off to change to something warmer.

Dan showered right after Max. Max locked herself in her room until dinner. She texted her friend as she huddled under her blankets for warmth. She was mostly only texting Ren, though.

Ren💩💩💩: I'm so sorry Max, I'm the worst and now you're sick and it's all my fault for being a jerk.
Max🐾😎: It's whatever... I'm sorry I punched you. Are you in trouble?
Ren💩💩💩: Yeah cuz I started a fight.
Max🐾😎: :/ I'm sorry!!!
Ren💩💩💩: You know we're both getting suspended, right?
Max🐾😎: Well, that's great. There goes my good record...

Henry🏈: Max please answer... I'm really worried...

Alyc: Max? I heard what happened... Are you okay????

A.J.🌈: MAX ANSWER RIGHT NOW YOU LITTLE SHIT

Mac😇: Max, are you alright? The entire school is talking about your outburst... Everyone is very worried.

Rich💰: Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaxxxxxxxxxxx!!!!!

Ren💩💩💩: Please just answer everyone... We're all really worried. I told them you're okay, but...
Max🐾😎: K...

Max texted the group chat, instead of everyone individually.

Max Hax: I'm fine, guys. Sorry for freaking out...
Henry thr Hairy: Max!!!! 😃😃😃
Mac Hac: I am glad you are okay. Please do not punch anyone, next time you are upset.
Ren Has a Pen: It was my fault, I was asking for it. Plus, I hit her back, so we're even 👌
A.J. is Gay🌈: Max! :D
Alyc the Elegant: What exactly happened?
Rich the B*tch: Ren was being a jerk and calling Max names and Max punched the crap outta her.
Ren Has a Pen: She punched me once.
Max Hax: Self defense, she laid her hands on me first.
Ren Has a Pen: I DID NOT!
A.J. is Gay🌈: Yeah, you did, you were poking her and challenging her when she said not to.
Rich the B*tch: Oh shoot.
>>Maximillia has changed the chat name to: ._.<<
>>Alyc has changed the chat name to: Max is Safe! ☺<<
Mac Hac: Oh my... Not again...

"Max, dinner!" Steve pounded on the door. Max flinched and covered her head. She flipped her phone over and pretended to be asleep when the door opened. Steve frowned curiously and walked over. He closed the door behind him silently. He gently sat on Max's bed and grazed a hand through her hair. Max tried not to react, but her body tensed with the touch. "You know, I still remember exactly what you looked like when we met... When we were in the foster home..." Steve chewed his lip and looked her up and down. Max had kicked the covers around to cool down, so now she was mostly out of them. She was wearing fluffy pants and a lose shirt. Max laid motionless, she was internally panicking, but trying to act asleep. "You're even more beautiful now..." He pointed out almost silently. He stared distantly at her. His hand slowly retracted.

Steve heard her phone buzz and curiously took it. Max's hand lazily shifted. The group chat was being video called, Henry was trying to get everyone to join. Steve set Max's phone aside.

"You know... I know you're awake..." He slowly laid on his side facing Max. Max still didn't react. She was trying so hard to pretend. "I don't understand why you're so scared of me..." Steve whispered. His hand rested on her thigh. Max clearly tensed, he watched. Steve frowned curiously. His hand slowly moved to her hip, trailing up her body as he went. Max shivered unintentionally. The touch was like ice, cold. Steve tilted his head into the pillow. "You used to like me... We used to be close..." He mumbled distantly. He shifted closer. Max's eyes tightly closed. Steve gently planted a kiss on Max's forehead. He slowly pulled away. He looked down at Max. He bit his lip and shook his head. He pulled away and stood. He rubbed his face with frustration. "Come eat." He ordered, walking out. Max sighed with relief. She curled to the bed and hid under her covers.

"I don't want to..." She mumbled weakly. She was enjoying the fluff of her soft sweet-scented blankets. They were warm and comforting, a distraction from the world surrounding her. The only form of protection she had since she was a mere child were her blankets. She curled, ignoring her buzzing phone. She tried to ignore everything. The door opened and closed again. Max tensed.

"Hey, kid," Matt greeted gently. "You still awake?" Max shrugged. He chuckled. "I figured." He smiled amusedly. He sat in the beanbag chair in Max's room. "You've got a nice little room, really cleaned it up since last time." He pointed out. Max shrugged again. His higher, but somewhat deep voice was a comfort to Max. It was like a voice she had heard all her life, instead of only three years.

Matt examined Max's carefully decorated room. The walls were painted grey. The carpet carefully kept and fluffy. The doors carefully cleaned. No spider webs in sight. The room was clean, especially for a sixteen year old. Then again, Max was used to keeping things cleaned. In most other places if she didn't, she got beaten and she had the scars to prove it. Her dark wooden desk was carefully organized and wiped off from any snack or drink. On the desk was a water bottle and her pocket knife. Her bed side table had the alarm clock, since the desk was so far. The lights were newly changed after burning out a few days prior. The closet was built into the wall, the door was a sliding one. The closet was small, so her dresser mostly held her clothes.

Her closet was a storage with many shelves for her stuffed animals. It also had a secret room connected to it that only Max knew about. She kept that room and the entrance way clean. She kept the entrance way hidden, but easy to access if she ever needed. She hid in her closet a lot, so it had a few articles of long clothing and a bit of room for her, but was mostly just shelves. The secret room was her hide out. It had a flash light, a few books, a charger, food that wouldn't expire for a while and plastic water bottles. It also had a other knife that Max owned, but no one besides her and Dan really knew about that knife and Dan just assumed Max lost it.

Max's room had no signs of a child, but more of an adult. Her closet was the only thing that showed her childishness. Her adult-like room was more empty like the way she felt. It had no pictures other than one piece of art work. The walls were plain grey, her posters were still packed as if she'd be moving the next day. A lot of her stuff was. The boxes were all in the closet, though.

Max was curled in her queen-sized bed. The bedding was black and red. The comforters and sheets were all thrown about because of Max's constant shifting. The pillow cases were black. The pillows were fluffed after being recently cleaned. She cleaned her bedding weekly, the same day she cleaned her clothes and room. She had a trash bin by her desk and a laundry hamper by the door. Instead of a basket full of clothes, her clothes were folded and put away. She had quite the impressive room.

Matt slowly glanced to Max. She was staring at him now. He smiled sweetly, one of his signature smiles that helped scared kids. Max hesitantly smiled back.

Matt was always one to help out. He loved kids in a father-like way, he'd protect them at all costs, even if he had none of his own. Max was like a scared kid to him, one he had to protect and that was why he was always there especially when she needed him.

To Max, Matt was like a superhero. Not just because he was a police officer, but because he had the courage of a superhero. Max appreciated Matt, to her he was an older brother. The good kind that would take you out to movies on the weekend and hug you when you cried. The kind that would encourage you instead of ruining your self-worth. He was like Rich in the brotherly way.

"You okay, kid?" Matt asked, shifting closer to Max. Max shrugged. Matt frowned and rested his head in the side of Max's bed. Max shrugged again. "Okay, I won't make you." He smiled sweetly. "I will make you eat, however. Steve made some killer soup." He nodded. He stood and stretched. "And Dan gave me these rad pajamas. They're really warm." He grinned childishly.

Though, Matt was almost twenty-seven, he was a total child (unless it came to work, of course). He goofed off and played video games, he played tag with younger kids and Max even caught him on a play set once. She was pretty sure other adults were worried he was a pedophile. Matt could be careless, but he was also extremely careful. He was a good example for Max to follow. He was actually the only example Max followed.

"Come on, let's go eat." Matt beamed. Max slowly sat up, her comforters falling to cover her pajama-covered legs.

"I'm not hungry..." She quietly explained. That was true, she hadn't been hungry all day. The pain in her stomach was making it hard to have an appetite. Now with the cold, or whatever she had, she wasn't hungry at all. She actually felt sick. "I don't feel good..." She mumbled. Matt frowned and sat next to her lazily. His hand rested against her forehead. He rested his palm to her head, then the back of his hand.

"You are pretty warm..." He mumbled. He frowned curiously. Dan wandered in unannounced.

"What are you two doing?" He asked amusedly. Max shrugged dismissively. She stared at her bed as her sickening feeling grew.

"I think Max might be getting sick." Matt explained. "She might have a fever." Dan frowned.

"I'll get a thermometer." He walked out. A few minutes later he returned with Steve and a thermometer.

Max sighed as it was forced under her tongue. She sat there pouting as she had her temperature taken. She didn't have a fever, thankfully, and wasn't all that sick. The reason she was nauseous was because she hadn't eaten all day. When she ate, though, it made her feel worse because of her stomach's surprise.

Matt went home a bit after eating. Dan went to bed as well. He had work the next day. Steve was getting prepared for bed while Max was. She was already in bed, though. She was back to screwing off on her phone. Steve peered into the door. He watched her as she tapped away, telling her friends different variations of "goodnight." She paid him no mind and Steve didn't say anything before backing out of her room. That's how their interactions generally went, unless Max was feeling more kind. They usually barely spoke and when they did, it was either about school, or it was a one sided conversation. They had a lot of problems.

Max curled on her side after setting aside her phone. She winced with the throbbing of her stomach. She sighed with relief when her body calmed down and she was able to fall asleep. It was a long day, but tomorrow would be longer.