scar
a mark left by a healed wound or burn: Her scar reached from her neck down between her shoulder blades, and a little bit over her shoulder.

outfit of the chapter
Maxine Jumpertime

Max placed the baking mold with the cookie dough inside the oven, and then she turned around and glared at Jack. She had flour in her hair, on her clothes and it was pretty much everywhere. Jack just grinned and Alex smiled a little, and started to take care of the flour on the floor.
"While you TWO take care of the flour I will go and take a shower" Max said and sighed. Alex chuckled and nodded, and let her pass when she tried to get out without stamping around in the flour. Jack chuckled as well and reached for a rug to clean up on the counter. Max took one last look at them and shook her head with a smile. Even if she only had known them for a few days she actually like them. They were nice.

She picked out her black pajamas shorts, underwear and a big jumper with dip dye pattern on it. A big towel to wrap around herself as well. Before she went inside the shower she brushed the flour out from her hair and let out a sigh. She pulled up her hair in a big bun and looked at her scar. Gently she moved her hand over it and felt how it formed under her fingers. Red and pink, and it looked like it was an alien growing on her skin. It wasn’t as high as other burn scars, but still enough to be visible if she had her hair up. That was the reason it was long and she always had it down. To hide the scar from anyone that would take a look. She took off her clothes and turned on the water, let it fall down a little to become hot and not cold. With one last look she looked at herself in the mirror.
"How did you get that scar?" Jack asked, and Max jumped. She froze at the same time and glanced towards the door. Jack stood there and he stared at her. Quickly she covered up with the big towel and let down her hair, and shivered. He had seen it.
"Don’t hide Max" he said and closed the door behind him. He stared at her. She glanced back and bit her lip.
"How did you get that scar?" he asked again.
"Why are you here?" she asked, and her voice almost cracked.
"Brianna stormed in through the door and Alex asked me to look after you, while he dealt with her" Jack said. She looked down on her feet. He was just about to walk out again when she took a breath.
"About the scar" she said and he stopped, he looked at her again.
"yeah?" he asked.
"It was my father who did it" she said and looked at him.
"You father?" he asked, a bit surprised and turned around completely.
"I was about ten years old and playing in the living room, and he was watching tv… Apparently I laughed to high, because suddenly he threw boiling water at me and yelled at me to shut up" Max said and swallowed. She shivered again and teared up. It was weird telling someone.
"My mother got furious and yelled at him, and my father realized what he had done. Since that he doesn’t speak to me again, and my mother left him. That is what I meant with my mothers house, because well… They didn’t live together" she said.
"Didn’t you say your mother passed away?" Jack asked. Max nodded with tears in her eyes, she looked at Jack.
"When my mother passed i had to live with him again. Someone who didn’t speak with me because of shame and guilt" she said, and this she let out a sob. Jack hurried up to her and wrapped his arms around her.
"It’s okay Max, it’s okay" he said and hugged her. She hugged him back and let out another sob.
"Take the shower, calm yourself down and then come back downstairs. I will go and look after Alex and Bri, and see if he got rid of her or not" he said and smiled. Max nodded and wiped away her tears.
"Please don’t tell anyone about my scar" she said.
"I won’t" he said and smiled again.
"i mean it Jack, don’t even tell Alex about it" she said.
"He will find out anyway, I guess" Jack said and shrugged.
"Yeah, and I will tell him then" she said and Jack nodded.

Taking a shower was everything that was needed to calm down. Max felt refreshed and relieved when she came out and looked at herself in the mirror. No red eyes and no tears, and her hair was wet and damp. She sighed and started to brush it again, and made it into two big pigtails. With the jumper she had decided to have on she didn’t need to have her hair hiding away the scar. The jumper would hide it for her.

She came downstairs and saw that Jack helped Alex with the cake, and when she entered the kitchen they both turned around and looked at her. Alex had bloody paper in his nose and Jack had a smile on his lips. A genuine smile that he was glad she didn’t cry.
"What happened?" she asked and stared at Alex.
"Bri have strong fists" Alex said and chuckled a little.
"She hit you?" Max gasped.
"Nope, she pushed me and I tripped on my feet and hit me head on the table" he said and showed his hands that was red and blue from the fall. She just stared and Alex chuckled again.
"I’m okay though" he said.
"Bri left when she saw that I was here as well" Jack said and nodded.
"God knows what I would look like if you hadn’t showed up" he said.
"How is my cake doing?" Max asked and walked up to them.
"It looks pretty nice" Jack said and nodded.

When Jack left and Max was taking care of the last dishes Alex walked in to the kitchen. He crossed his arms and leaned against the doorframe.
"Jack told me not to mention it to you but I can’t do that… Please show me" he said. Max looked over her shoulder and wondered what he was talking about. He looked back at her with concern.
"What?" she asked.
"What Jack accidentally walked in and saw today" he said. Max stared at him and knew what he was talking about. She bit her lip and looked down.
"Max please, you’re one of my dearest friends even if it’s been years. Let me see" he said. With shaky hands she slowly pulled the jumper over her head and stood with her back towards Alex. He walked up to her and just stared at the red and pink formations. He had seen burn scars before but never this big. But he had never seen burn scars so beautiful at the same time. It didn’t look like the rotten flesh like it should look like. This was just pink and red, and looked like a second skin. Like thicker veins on her skin. Gently he moved his fingers over them and she jumped a little.
"He didn’t tell me what happened but…" he began and she took a breath.
"My father" she whispered.
"George?" Alex gasped, and she nodded slowly. She was just standing in her black pajamashorts, and a purple bra. Slippers on her feet to keep her from shivering.
"When I was ten and playing in our living room, he was watching tv. I must have laughed just a little bit too loudly because suddenly I feel something burn against my skin. He poured boiling water over me and yelled for me to shut up. Mother was furious and he realized what he had done. He hasn’t spoken a word to me ever since. My mother left him, and when she died a few years later I had to live with him again. Except he didn’t speak to me and never came home, he was always at work" she said and Alex helped her get the jumper on again. She glanced over her shoulder at him and he gave her a small smile.
"I’m sorry that you had to go through something like that" he said.
"I’m sorry about Tom" she whispered and looked at him.
"Yeah" he said and looked down. Max took a step forward and she hugged him, and he got a bit surprised at first. Then he wrapped his arms around her as well.
"yeah" he whispered again and hugged her tighter.