Maxine’s POV

We finish up last period with Razor and I sleeping in class, Mr. Waters doesn’t care if we sleep just as long as we get up to take notes.

After that we head to our lockers and get our stuff, finding Tyler to also let him know we’re leaving Friday and don’t know if we’ll come back and him giving me a hug since he also knows about my fathers’ leaving.

As we walk to Razor’s car I see my old friend Justin smoking a cigarette on the side of the school, we were pretty cool back in middle school and has always been a few grades older than me. I remember on the bus to our old elementary school we’d always sit on the bus together with our friend Sky and screw around with each other, making laughs about the bus driver and whenever he’d fall asleep he would sleep talk and Sky and I would always tell him to do things that he would never do while being awake. One time we told him he was a cow and the bus seat was grass, and he would really try to eat seat. We were silly first graders and Justin had been the crazy third grader that had also protected us too, it’s been a few years since we last talked, by the time we were in high school he was already a Senior and was graduating that year.

“Justin!” I yell getting his attention and grabbing Razor’s hand, dragging her over to Justin with me.

“Hey bug! Who’s this?” He says, using the old nickname he gave me since I loved bugs as a kid and kept playing with the caterpillars on the playground even though my teacher said no. I was such a rebel.

“This is Razor, we met back in middle school but we never got to meet up together so you couldn’t meet her.” I say to him.

“Oh so is this the Justie-Wustie you kept telling me about huh?” She says, knowing I had a huge crush on him back in middle school.

“Shut up.” I say getting embarrassed, cheeks red as fire.

“So hows it going? Did your dad come back yet?” Justin asks, knowing everything about me and changing the subject.

“Terrible, my mom is still the same way and no he hasn’t. Remember the letter? Yeah I still haven’t opened it yet” I say sadly.

“Which is why we’re leaving Friday to go on a road trip to find him.” Razor ads in.

“Let me come with you.” He says. “You have to let me come, I can’t let anything happen to my baby sister or her best friend.” Calling me his sister since we’ve known each other for so long.

“Razor? Can he?” I say to my best friend.

“Does you have a girlfriend that will want to tag along?” She asks Justin.

“No or boyfriend, I’m bisexual.” He replies.

“Okay, we leave Friday at midnight. Be packed up with snacks and clothing and anything else. Oh and bring cash just in case we need it. Meet us at Maxine's’ place.” Razor says. “Or we can go to the mall Thursday and ride to our first stop after we shop.”

“Let’s go with option two! I like shopping.” I say jumping up and down.

“Of course you do Bug.” Justin says, ruffling my hair. “What time do you want me to meet you two?”

“Meet us here same time Thursday?” Razor says.

“Good plan, I’ll also bring my stuff along with so we don’t need to stop at mine.”

“So its official, Justin’s coming with us to find your dad, but we can’t tell Harmony and Wizz that he’s coming with us. They’ll be all over us.” My blue haired best friend says.

“We gotta get going Justin, we’ll see you on Thursday and if we have anything new I'll text you.”

I give Justin a hug and he happily returns it. “I love you Justin, I’m glad you can come along.” I whisper into his chest.

“I love you too Bug, don’t worry we’ll find your dad, but remember you need to open that letter eventually.” He says kissing my forehead.

“I don’t wanna, I’m scared to.” I say pulling away from the hug.

“Razor and I will be there for you, don’t worry. We’ll both be there when you open it, plus it may help us find him.”

“Exactly Max, and whatever happens, we’ll help your out.” Razor says comforting me.

“Can we get coco now? I wanna stop feeling sad for a little bit, you guys know what day it is.”

“Yeah, come on lets go, jump on my back.” Razor says and I get on her back.

“Bye Justin! I love you!” I say as we head to the Range Rover.

“See your guys later!” My twenty year old best friend yells back to me.

---

“Can you put extra marshmallows in my coco?” I ask, sitting on the counter at Razor’s dad’s house.

“Yeah sure.” She says, while stirring the pot of the warm, chocolaty substance and pouring it in the snowman mugs.

“Should I get the whipped cream?” I ask her.

“Does Kellic exist?” She asks me as it is one of my favorite shipping couples.

“Fuck yes!” I yell, knowing her dad doesn’t mind if we cuss and getting out the whipped cream.

“So how exactly are we going to know where to go to find my dad?” I ask as I hand Razor the whipped cream and we head out to her living room and sit on the long grey couch.

“Well see that's why we need to open up that letter, it may give us a lead to find him. Were also going to need to just road trip cross country, and Canada.”

“Why Canada?”

“Because I have a buddies up there I want you to meet, they’re pretty awesome.”

“How do you know someone from Canada?”

“I know people, don’t you know this already?”

I shrug and Razor asks me if I want to spend the night, I tell her no because I’m scared that my guitar will be smashed to bits if I stay away from my house for too long, my moms drunken antics and do crazy things.

“Please stay at mine tonight?” I ask her.

“Fine, let me just ask my dad.” She says and we walk off to her dad’s office area which is really just a dining room table near the front door in a small alcove.

“Dad.” She says once, him with his headphones on. “Daddy.” She tries again. “Dad!” She yells taking off his headphones.

“Razor I’m busy what?” He says, trying to sound annoyed but not.

“Can I stay at Maxine’s tonight?” She says innocently, me laughing hard.

“Yeah, just text me if you need me and stay safe, I know how Mrs. Gaskarth is.” He says then turning to me and places his hands on my shoulders, standing up and looking me in the eyes. “I know its hard right now for you Maxine and that today is the tenth anniversary that your dad left but remember, I’ll be there for you. Also I’m going to say this when you two leave on Friday but I mean it, if anything and I mean anything I know some people that can help you. I work in a job that allows me to know people from everywhere. I care about your two very much, and though I’m not your father Maxine I love you just as much as I do with Razor.” Mr. Robins says to me, showing love through his eyes.

I give him a big hug and start crying into his chest.

“Thank you, thank you, just thank you. No one has ever truly loved me like a daughter since he left.” I say crying harder than ever and then when my crying dies down he wipes my tears away with his thumbs and pulls away from the hug.

“Now get along you two, have your sleepover and stay safe from harm.” Mr. Robins says to us.

“Wait, before we go my friend is also coming along with us. His names’ Justin and he’s been like a big brother to me since I was little.” I say.

“Okay, just as long as he keeps you two safe I’m good.” He replies and we walk out the door with our things and drive down the road to my home, or should I say a broken paradise? Let’s just hope my "home" is still okay and my mom isn’t doing anything insane as she is with her drunken antics.

Notes

I just wrote this all day and I'm really proud of it.
Also why I say Razor's dads house is because Razor's parents are divorced and she lives at her dads place every other week, switching with her mom on the weeks where she isn't at her dads.
I'll write more tonight and maybe post tomorrow night, depending if I do write more. Be thankful, I got more than 1,000 words.
Though not all chapters may be this long, some short, some long.
And sorry for the crappy chapter name, I couldn't think of anything.
Till darkness completes us,
Sarah's Butterflies