McDonalds| Max&Chloe

[Chloe Cox]

[http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/set?id=89765287]

For the most part, Chloe was adjusting very well to high school life. She had a few friends, well if Charles counted as a friend. She still hadn’t broken out of her shell, because she was much too shy. Besides, she wasn’t popular or contributed much to school so she really was a nobody. Augustus really didn’t talk about how he was handling things, but he always seemed interested in what she was up to or what she was doing. She figured it was because he just wanted to make sure she was okay and adjusting to the new environment. If Augustus wasn’t also there at Somerset, she would feel extremely lonely.

She did manage to make Max her friend, well if baking him some sweets made her his friend. She hadn’t seen him much since he came back to school, but he looked like he was doing well. Chloe was too shy to ask how he had been doing or if there was anything she could do. The whole situation was still very upsetting. She couldn’t believe how mean people were to Max, and even his sister. She didn’t understand how people could be so cruel just because he broke up with someone he no longer had feelings for. Sure it wasn’t a gentle breakup, but making it a legal case was ridiculous.

Chloe wondered if Max even had friends anymore. She hoped so, and her gift of cookies was to show she’d still be his friend. The burn blog had been really mean as well, and she resented the bitter blogger. It spread like wild fire about Max’s suicide attempt and it broke her heart to hear about it. No one should ever feel like they need to take their life, ever. The same applied to Max, and she was glad he was still alive. It had come as a surprise when he told her to meet him at the McDonalds. It was a very odd choice of location, but even she couldn’t deny their chicken nuggets, real or not.

Chloe, not able to drive, had taken a bus from the school to a bus stop near the McDonalds. The wasn’t long, maybe a little over 5 minutes. The air was cold, and she quickened her pace to the place. Pushing open the door, she was greeted with a pretty friendly staff, and she simply smiled and nodded. What to order? “Ummm…” she looked up at the menu unsure of what to get. “Can I get a McFlurry?” she asked softly eyes still on the menu. Her stomach growled and she debated ordering some chicken nuggets,” that’s it.” She was having a sweet tooth craving, but she didn’t want Max to think she was fat. She was struggling with a self-image problem, and all she wanted was to be pretty like the popular girls. After paying, Chloe quietly slid into a booth and started to enjoy her delicious ice cream.

[Maxwell Manson]

(( www.polyvore.com/cgi/set?id=89776590 ))

"Daddy! Dad! Come on! Hurry it's cold!" Maddison ran to the building door as quickly as her little five year old legs could carry her as Max just walked normal pace not minding the cold as much as she had. "Dad! Look! "She opened the door of the McDonalds and ran over to the little case things that show what kind of toys they give away in a happy meal. "They have Monsters University! Daddy, can I get one?" Max followed her inside laughing to himself at his spazz of a child. He went up behind her picking her up as she wrapped her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck, "You can get one if you don't be as loud as you're being. That's not polite in public places." Maddison nodded and he set her down kissing her forehead before walking over to the counter to order for the two of them.

He pulled his wallet out of his back pocket looking up at the menu as one of the McDonald staff ladies was asking Maddison what she wanted.Of course like always she got the 5 piece chicken nugget happy mean with a chocolate shake. She normally wasn't allowed to eat McDonalds or stuff like that when she is with her mom because she doesn't want a fat child, but Max didn't care about her mom's rules. In his eyes, when she's with her mother it's her rules. When she is with him, they have fun. When the lady turned to Max asking what he'd like he bit his bottom lip. "Uhm... Can I just get the number fourteen with a Oreo McFlurry?"

When the lady told him how much it costs, Maddison poked Max's hand before pulling his face down to hers to whisper in his ear asking if she could pay. Max laughed and nodded having Maddison a twenty dollar bill who then handed it to the lady taking their order. Max was still is a fragile place since the whole suicide attempt, and the thought of his almost committing it now made him feel horrible. If he would have done that, Maddison would have been growing up with out a dad and she was the most important thing in his life right now. Not only that, but the guy who was trying to commit suicide that wasn't him. he didn't know what made him want to do that. Well, he did. Everyone being so cruel and mean, but to result in suicide was just depressing.

Once they got their food Maddison took the tray with all of it on there and looked up at max. "So, where is your friend we're meeting?" She asked with her big brown eyes glancing around the building, her piggy tails smacking her in the face every time she turned her head to one side. "The pretty one right there with the brown hair eating the McFlurry. That's her, go sit down." Max nudged Maddison to walk and followed her as she stood on her tippy toes placing the tray on the booth before scooting in and patting the spot beside her for Max to sit down. Max smiled when he sad down in front of Chloe. "Hey how are you? Maddison, this is Chloe. Chloe this is my daughter Maddison." He leaned over to Maddison and helped her get her food out of the happy meal box so she can start eating as he grabbed his Mcflurry and looked up at Chloe.

[Chloe Cox]

She had definitely made the right decision by ordering ice cream. It had thoroughly soothed her sweet tooth, and she couldn’t be happier. Now with something in her stomach she wasn’t quite as hungry as she was before. She didn’t want to look like a fatty in front of her friends or anyone else. The problem started when she came to Somerset. Everyone was so beautiful that Chloe felt like she couldn’t compete. She’d spend forever in the mirror looking at her-self and visualizing a perfect body. She just wasn’t graced with naturally beautiful features like everyone else seemed to be. She wondered what it would be like to be the most popular girl in school, or be the girl every guy chases. But she was simply Chloe, and that wasn’t going to change.

Chloe was lost in her thoughts till she heard the voice of a small child. A smile graced her lips at the thought of kids. She had always had a weak spot for them, and she spoiled them so much whenever she baby sat. They were quite an Achilles heel for her. Now that she thought of it, maybe she should try to find some families who needed a baby sitter. That would get her mind off of some things, and maybe even make her happy. It was worth a shot right? You could never go wrong with kids, or at least she didn’t you could.

Chloe had a habit of zoning out when she wasn’t paying attention. She blinked a few times as a kid placed a tray on the table. The kid was young, maybe five? Chloe wasn’t quite sure what to do, but as she looked at the kid something struck her as familiar. Where had she seen this kid before? Suddenly a larger figure emerged out of the corner of her eye revealing Max. Oh! It was Max’s kid! “Well hello there!” she greeted the small child with enthusiasm. What an adorable child! Chloe was beaming at the child in front of her. “I’m good,” she said totally focused on the kid before her,” I’m good.” She felt like she was smiling like an idiot, but the little girl was so cute.

She glanced at Max before looking at Madison once more,” Hello, Madison,” she waved,” It’s nice to finally meet you! Your dad has told me so many wonderful things about you.” Max had told her about his kid before the whole messy situation. He’d even shown her a picture of the beautiful little girl. It was crazy to think he had created that, not because he was incapable, but it just amazed her. When Madison seemed to become more interested in her meal, Chloe’s attention switched to Max. “How are you doing,” she said softly, looking at him with concern,” everything okay?” She was genuinely concerned about him. He looked so fragile in front of her, and she feared touching him would make him break. She hoped he was holding up okay, and she was there to support him.

[Maxwell Manson]

"Really?" Maddison looked up at Max when Chloe had said Max said wonderful things about her. "Yes really, silly." Max stuck his tongue out at the girl before turning his attention back to Chloe. Since everyone had heard about the burn blog, all the "how are you?" questions were starting to effect him less and less. It didn't want to make him trigger any sudden feelings of sadness anymore. It actually made him happy to know some people actually cared. Max ate a spoon full of his McFlurry before nodding.

"I'm hanging in there, doing a lot better then I was." Max smiled at the girl before leaning over and placing his hand over hers. "I really do appreciate you asking all the time how i'm doing and being so thoughtful about the whole thing after it got announced on the burn blog. You honestly are a good friend." He couldn't help but feel so thankful for having someone like Chloe in his life. She had been calling him just to let him talk to her lately, and or just anything he needed she was there for him.

Max leaned over and grabbed his box of chicken nuggests from the tray before putting them in the middle of the table opening the box. He grabbed out a chicken nugget before taking a tiny bite out of it. "I hope you know I expect you to have at least half of these." He laughed before looking down at Maddison who poked his side. "Daddy. Can I go get a drink from the water fountain by the bathrooms?" She asked slightly pressing her tiny hands against his side to push him up from the seat. Max laughed and nodded getting out of his seat before Maddison took of skipping to the fountain and he sat back down.

[Chloe Cox]

Chloe couldn’t help but laugh at Madison’s child innocence. She looked so young and sweet, and very much like her father. She took a moment to watch their interactions with each other just as father and daughter. It was heartwarming that even after he had been through, he was still strong for his daughter. Perhaps that’s what was keeping him going, his love for his child. She had heard from somewhere that parents almost had this intuition about their child, and how they would stop at nothing to protect them from harm. Chloe knew firsthand the effects of not growing up with your parents. Parental deaths were hard, and she couldn’t of imagined little Madison going through something like that.

She tried not to shovel her ice cream down in a hungry fit, but it was so good. It was all about outer body image. She sighed in relief at the mention of him doing alright. However, a part of her wondered if he was really telling the truth. What if he was just saying that because they were in the presence of his daughter? She tried not to doubt him, but maybe she’d ask later when they were alone when he didn’t feel the need to act strong. Chloe was caught off guard by the sudden contact on her hands and a slight pink pigment stained her cheeks. She knew it was friendly, but she didn’t hang out with enough boys to not be shy about anything. “I just want to make sure you’re okay,” she said looking up at him,” you shouldn’t have through all of that.”

It was true, she’d been checking on him quite often now that she thought about it. She was just concerned for his wellbeing, and she knew just because he looked fine on the outside didn’t mean everything was okay in his mind. If he needed anything, she’d be there for him. She looked down at the chicken nuggets offered to her and as she almost denied them her stomach let out a soft painful growl. She really was hungry,” okay just a few.” She grabbed one and took a bite and she was immediately ready to eat a million more. She was breaking her diet already.

Chloe admired how Max was able to interact with his kid so warmly and not bitter after what he had been through. She glanced over her shoulder as Madison walked away and she looked up at Max smiling,” she’s a really sweet kid.” Such a little bundle of joy. But now that they were alone she wanted to know the truth,” are you really okay?” She was very concerned about everything. “You’ve been through a lot,” she said looking down at her lap,” it’s not fair what they did to you.” She was angry about it too. She didn’t understand how people could be so cruel. As she looked up, she couldn’t help but notice how frail he looked, like damaged goods. “You know I’m always here for you,” she said softly, out of instinct reaching over to grab one of his hands,” you deserve to be happy.”

[Maxwell Manson]

Max kept his eye on Maddison the best he could as Chloe began to talk to him. "I'm really doing alright. I'm disgusted in myself for even trying to do that. If it wasn't for my sister coming into my dorm when I was about to..." He paused looking over at Maddison who was standing at the water fountain waiting in line for other kids to finish drinking. "My little girl would be without a father, and at this point in my life. She's the only reason I want to be alive. She's the only thing that truly makes me happy anymore, and I couldn't imagine life without her."

Max looked down eating another piece of chicken watching Chloe was she hesitantly took the chicken. "The charges got dropped and Brielle is no longer bring me to court because she's friends with my younger sister Justine and she convinced her to drop them for the sake of my family. So she did." Max smiled and stood up when Maddison came back up to him. She hopped up into the seat and Max sat back down looking at Chloe. She was a pretty girl and the way she was acting around the food made him think. He was around his younger sister Thalia who's seventeen her whole life watching as her eating disorder made her shrivel into nothing.

Thalia was fifteen when she was submitted into a rehab center for her eating disorder and the doctors had told her that if she didn't go get help, she would die. "My sister was fifteen and was weighing eighty five pounds. She was diagnosed with anorexia and bulimia when she was fourteen. If her doctor didn't tell us to admit her into a rehab center for her eating disorder, she wouldn't have seen the next year. He told her along with my family that the first time he had checked her weight. There was no question about it. " He looked up at Chloe and gave her hand a small squeeze.

"I've been around Thalia for years watching her with her disorder, I know signs of it. I can look at someone and almost instantly tell. So, I just wanted you to know that if you need someone to talk to, let me know. I can talk to you, Thalia's switching to this school and she's not scared to share her story with anyone if it means possibly helping them. I can see it by the way you acted when I offered you the chicken. Stop while you're ahead. Please. You're beautiful and I don't want to see something happen to you." Max looked down at Maddison who was still eating very slowly before turning back to Chloe giving her a faint smile.

[Chloe Cox]

Chloe was glad that he was being honest with her, and it’s all she could ask for. She knew he wasn’t completely fine, but it would take for him to heal. “But you’re alive,” she said, blue eyes into his,” and she still has a father.” He kept thinking of all the things that couldn’t have happened or would’ve happened if he had taken his life. But that was the past, and he had to understand that he had his whole life ahead of him. “You’re still here, and you’ll be able to watch your beautiful daughter grow up into a bright young woman,” she reassured him softly with a smile. It was great that he had found something to live for, to keep him moving. Her brother was sometimes the thing that kept her grounded and not feeling alone.

She listened with interest as he began to describe the case and how they went about getting the charges dropped and everything. “That’s great!” she exclaimed in her ‘indoor’ voice. Chloe smiled again at the young girl who finally returned to her seat next to Matt. She couldn’t imagine having a child at such a young age. She didn’t even have parents for crying out loud. Augustus and herself had to basically raise themselves, because they only had each other. She ignored the way Max seemed to be watching her eat, so she decided to just stop eating the chicken all together. “I’m just glad you’re finally back,” she said warmly, it was great to have him back.

The tone of the conversation seemed to switch, and she was caught off guard. He was suddenly talking about eating disorders, bulimia, and anorexia. Chloe could only blink as he continued on with his story. His sister had an eating disorder? She didn’t even know how someone could not eat properly. Surely she didn’t have an eating disorder; it wasn’t like she was really starving herself or something. She was speechless and just stared at him confused as he looked up at her and offered her hand a squeeze. Skipping a few meals wouldn't harm her. 

It was like suddenly he was studying her like some specimen. Showing signs? Was she sick? Showing symptoms? It wasn’t like she had some sort of disease that needed emergency help. She was fine, she felt fine, she looked normal. She didn’t know how to feel. She was confused about the whole situation. Her eyes flickered over to the small child as if it was some stranger sitting in on her doctor checkup with a lack of doctor patient confidentiality. Chloe didn’t know what to look anymore and she bit her lip as she tried to think. “I’m fine,” she said softly, pulling her hand away from his to cross her arms tightly against her chest. “I don’t have some eating disorder,” her eyes were trained on her lap as she reasoned with herself. “There’s nothing wrong with a little dieting,” she said quietly, finally looking up at him with a small fake smile.