Chapter 32 ~ Unconvinced.

Maxine
was in the library. The cool, calm and typically empty library where she
could sit in the quiet and puzzle over her emotions, to try and get a hold
of her pride and destroy it so she could go and apologize properly to her
friends. This was what always happened when she blew her temper – guilt flooded
in as she realized her fault and she was left to try and make up with those she
could have potentially angered or even hurt.

Maxine
didn’t actually realize that her friends understood her completely now.
Whenever she’d had a fit of temper, she would start hurting herself rather than
thinking about what her friends thought. Her worst enemy was her temper, but
her greatest sympathizers where her friends. And they understood.

Maxine
closed her eyes and began to try and script her apology. She didn’t think about
whether they had accepted and known to leave her be, knowing her ups and downs.
She just thought she had hurt them and needed to say sorry.

“Maxine?”
Her troubles worsened as she saw Theon standing before her, face touching with
concern. “Maxine, are you alright?”

Theon.
He had been the cause of all this. That and her stupid temper. Her stupid
foolish, temper. It burst forth again at that very moment.

“Why
are you here?” She demanded, raising her voice.

The
hurt and confusion on his face did nothing to her now, but he still tried to
keep it up. “I wanted to see you…I thought-“

“You
thought wrong, Theon.” Maxine snapped, wishing she hadn’t given the boy any
whiff of friendship that could have arisen between them. “Go away. Now.”

His
innocence pulled at her heartstrings a little as he answered in a bewildered
fashion. “Maxine, what have I done? You said…”

“To
leave me alone!” She stood up, venting the anger she held for herself upon an
easy target. “A few seconds ago! Now bugger off!”

Theon
looked at her pathetically. “I thought we were friends, Maxine…”

That
got to her, then. He was too good an actor and she was too deeply reminded of
Stefan. Sitting back, Maxine sighed and looked at him with hopelessness. “Look,
just go.”

Theon’s
eyes became ever more melting. “But-“

“She
said go, Hallow.” Stefan came round the corner with solemn and steel ease,
facing the boy with a sternness Maxine had never known was in him. “Do you want
me to make you?”

Theon
looked back at Maxine and sighed. “No.” He said quietly, hanging his head. “No,
I’m going.” With one glance back at Maxine, he was gone, walking solemnly out
of the library. Maxine tried not to let her pity for him show and fixed her
eyes on Stefan. But Stefan was staring after the boy, his suspicions aroused.
What Maxine hadn’t seen was the poisonous glare that he had received from Theon
as the boy walked out. A glare with such venom Stefan had lost all unsurity
about Theon’s true nature.

He
turned to see Maxine’s eyes upon him with concern and smiled, taking a seat
beside her. He could tell she’d been worrying about the usual post-temper
problems and wanted to reassure her. Even if their friendship had only been
going for a month, he knew her inside out. And he knew just how to deal with
her in this mood.

“Max,
you don’t have to say sorry.” He said warmly, eyes soft as he looked at her.
“It’s his fault, not yours.”

But
she shook her head, unsure. “How is it his fault? I’m the one who gave him the
wrong information…I’m the one who told him we could be friends.”

Stefan
felt his chest stiffen. Theon’s nature was all to clear to him and he suspected
the boy was trying to manipulate the more innocent Maxine. To most people, she seemed
tough and rebellious, secure and stable. But she had a soft spot for
outcasts…people she could help. This time, however, Theon didn’t quite add up,
and though fooling Maxine, did not do the same with Stefan.

“Max,
you were just trying to help him. But in this case, I don’t think Theon should
be helped.” He answered, trying to subtly paint the picture to his friend.

Maxine
looked at him sharply. “Stefan, I understand we can’t trust him, but his
feelings seem genuine. Have you seen the way everyone treats him?”

“To
be honest, Max, I’m not sure he doesn’t deserve it.” Replied Stefan solemnly.

“How
can you say that when you weren’t even present when I talked to him?” Maxine
looked shocked. “I’m grateful for you guys protecting me, but I still don’t think
he deserves any of that sort of treatment. No one does.”

Stefan
sighed, trying to hold his tongue and not flare her up again but also
attempting to make her see sense. Theon was trouble. Especially for him. “I
don’t think Theon is all he seems.” He answered quietly. “I think-“

“Look,
Stefan, I don’t want to hear what you think.” Maxine’s voice was hard and he
felt his stomach contract as he realized she couldn’t be convinced. “I’m glad
you made up, and I'm sorry I was such an arsehole back there. And I agree that Theon
cannot yet be trusted. But I won’t let you condemn him like that.” She stood
up, resolute in her judgment. “Anyway, I’m just gonna take a look at that
Homework, so I’ll see you at Dinner.” She took her bag and started to walk off,
Stefan making one last attempt before she left.

“Max-“

“I’m
not condemning him, Stefan.” She cut across, calling as she walked. “Not yet.”