Max Baker: Guardian of the Ninth Sector

by Matthew Cronan

  “I have seen the way that you look at Miss Coleman,” Shook continued, “I have seen the way that other boys stare at her…and while I feel that they do so with lust in their hearts, I feel that you do so with a longing, but also with a sadness.”

  There was a long pause as Max continued to look at Mr. Shook.

  “We used to be really good friends,” Max said. “And maybe I had a shot with her a long, long time ago, but now she’s the head cheerleader and going out with the quarterback of the football team, and I’m…well, I’m me.” The words slipped out a Max's mouth. He had never liked being himself. Despite the great lengths that he had taken not to fit in, he had always wondered what it would be like to be on the other side of the looking glass.

  “And as much as I would like to pretend that she still cares a tenth about me that I do for her,” Max continued, the frustration still prevalent in his voice, “I would be surprised if she even remembered my name.”

  “My boy,” Mr. Shook said, shaking his head, “when you grow old like me, you will learn that this life is too short to worry about things that could have or should have been. You will learn that when one is presented with an opportunity, despite how far reached that opportunity is,” the old man paused for a moment and smiled at Max, “you must take it.”

  Max’s cellphone buzzed loudly in his pocket. The old man nodded for him to take it.

  “These cellphones will be the death of me,” Shook said, still smiling at Max.

  Max pulled the slender phone from his pocket and placed it on the desk between them. The LED screen read:

  ONE NEW MESSAGE

  Below that, an envelope rotated on the screen. Below the envelope was Kennedy’s name. Max hesitantly slid his finger across the screen to unlock the phone. The message automatically popped onto the screen:

  English Proj. Saturday, Library, 9:30?

  Looking up at Mr. Shook, Max could feel a smile flirting with the corner of his mouth.

  “You can thank me later,” Mr. Shook chuckled.

  Chapter 7

  Standoff

  “So let me get this straight,” Noah said, shoving another piece of the rectangular school pizza in his mouth. The two of them sat alone at a small round table in the corner of the gigantic cafeteria. They watched as students poured into the room, some of them heading directly to stand in line to wait for food, others immediately finding their friends to gossip about the morning events.

  The cliques that existed in the courtyard before school were skewed by the setup of the cafeteria. The gothic emo kids sat at the same elongated table as the nerdy kids. At another table, the greasers sat at the opposite end from Bible beaters. Max and Noah had never formed any sort of allegiance with any of them, so alone they sat at the small table.

  Max stared down at the text message from Kennedy as Noah finished chewing his mouthful of pizza.

  “Mr. Shook called you out in front of the entire class for staring at Kennedy, awkwardly assigned you two as partners, and he did all of this in an attempt to hook you two up?” Noah asked, still furiously chewing the food in his mouth.

  “Yeah, that pretty much sums it up,” Max said, thinking back to the embarrassment of that moment and wondering if this opportunity would truly be worth it.

  “Way to go, Mr. Shook!” Noah exclaimed. “I know that he can be kind of a hard-ass sometimes, but I’ve always respected that guy. I mean you’ve got to respect a man who wears a tweed sports coat with elbow patches right? I mean who does that anymore?”

  “My sentiments exactly,” Max said, putting the phone back in his pocket.

  As Noah and Max sat there talking about the incident, Max trying to put into words the utter embarrassment of it, Kennedy entered the cafeteria alongside Corey Peterson and a posse of cheerleaders and football players. Kennedy and Corey led the way, his arm draped over her shoulder. Just the sight of him touching her made Max’s blood boil.

  “I still don’t get it though,” Noah said, motioning toward the group. “This girl that you’ve pined over for the last three years, your one and only… is not the same girl that you and I once knew.” The group got in the line for food as Noah continued on his diatribe. One of Corey’s lackey’s motioned over toward Max and Noah, and the brute removed his arm from around Kennedy’s shoulder. “The girl you and I knew never came back from Kansas,” Noah said, shoveling more food into his mouth. “The girl you and I knew…she’s lost in OZ somewhere.” Corey broke off from the group and headed over toward them.

  “Well this can’t be good,” Noah said.

  “No,” Max replied. “Probably not.”

  “Baker!” Corey barked as he approached the table.

  Max slowly rose from the table. If he was going to be punched in the face, he’d rather be standing up than sitting down. He didn’t have a good reason for it, but felt that it was the better of the two options.

  Corey dwarfed Max, standing nearly a foot taller than him as the two squared off. Corey’s athletic build made Max’s average frame look small and dainty; the quarterback’s biceps bulged in the sleeves of a t-shirt that was two sizes too small. Max could see the entire lunchroom looking over toward them.

  “What’s this I hear about you eyeballing my girl this morning?” Corey asked, shoving him back down to his seat.

  “I wasn’t eyeballing anyone,” Max said, getting back to his feet. “You know how Mr. Shook is always looking to embarrass somebody.”

  Max had been in one fight his entire life. He was in fifth grade, and Sean Adams had put gum in Kennedy’s hair during recess. Her hair was long back then, almost down to her lower back. She had come to school the next day with hair that just barely touched the top of her neck. Max had punched Sean in the arm as hard as he could. The boy had run off crying and told their teacher on him. It was a cheap victory, but a victory nonetheless.

  Max tried his best to stand up tall. He puffed his chest out slightly and clinched his jaw. This tactic didn’t seem to frighten Corey in the least, and instead resulted in him taking a step closer. He looked down at Max, staring straight through him.

  “Corey, I was eyeballing your mom last night,” Noah said. His voice was shaky. “You want to talk about that too?” Corey shot Noah an angry look, and he piped back down.

  Corey had moved to Forest Valley the same year Kennedy had. He had hit puberty the year before everyone else had, so he skipped through the awkward squeaky voice phase to the deep manly one that he now possessed. Corey had quickly taken over the reigns as the middle school quarterback. As they transitioned to high school, he skipped over the junior varsity squad and moved straight into the starting role of the varsity team.

  Max and Noah had disliked Corey for a long time, but that was only amplified when they all reached high school. The first week of their freshman year, Corey and his goon squad knocked one of the nerdy kids on the chess team into a 50 gallon trashcan and then rolled him down the stairs out into the courtyard. Corey was handsome, athletic and a bully – what wasn’t there to hate?

  “I promise,” Max said, chest to chest with Corey, “I wasn’t eyeballing your girl.”

  “Let’s hope that’s the case, Baker,” Corey said, bending down slightly and talking directly to Max’s ear. “I’d hate to have to beat your ass right here in front of your little loverboy and your secret crush. Now that would be embarrassing, wouldn’t it?”

  Max could feel warm spittle hit his ear as Corey barked into his ear. He thought of how Gorthon had stood over him in the same manner. Max clinched his fist as he felt his heart begin to race in his chest.

  “But it’d almost be worth it, wouldn’t it?” Corey asked. His hot breath poured into Max’s ear. “Beating you up and getting suspended would be worth seeing the famous Evelyn Baker come and pick you up from school.”

  With every word Max grew more furious.

  “How is Evelyn?” Corey asked as spit from his words landed on Max’s ear and neck. “Is she still locking herself in the bathroom ev
ery time she gets sad?”

  Max’s entire body was shaking. He knew that his fight or flight instinct was taking over. He knew that whatever happened for the remainder of his high school career would be defined by this moment. This would be the moment where he stood up to the Goliath in front of him. Corey wrapped his fists around Max’s shirt and pulled him in even closer.

  Max thought that he saw one of his fists flash blue out of the corner of his eye. His body was trembling, but he felt strong. He felt the same energy from the night before surging through him.

  Max thought about the dream and of Gorthon standing over him. Max had been so frightened. He had felt so weak. And although there was a small pit of fear knotted up in Max's stomach, Corey wasn’t nearly as scary as that furry monster he faced off with last night.

  “Is she still suicidal every time she thinks of your dead brother?” the bully whispered into Max’s ear.

  “Corey, why don’t you back off?” Noah asked from behind them. “You act like Max is the first guy that ever looked at your girlfriend. She’s a full blown hottie. Every guy in this school looks at your girl every day. In fact, your boy Derek is staring at her butt right now.”

  “Shut your mouth, Allman,” Corey said, turning his attention away from Max, “or you’ll be next.”

  “No, why don’t you shut yours,” Max said. Before Corey had time to react, Max pulled his arm back as far as he could and swung hard. The cafeteria had gone silent as everyone watched in amazement. Even Max watched on as a spectator as the events seemed to unravel in slow motion. Max’s fist flying through the air. Corey’s face scrunching up, preparing for impact. This was Max’s defining moment, and he was watching it in high definition.

  The moment sped back up into real time as the haymaker landed firmly into Corey’s shoulder. Corey looked at Max’s ill-placed fist and then back to Max who took a step back.

  “That was a mistake,” Corey said.

  Max didn’t have time to respond as Corey threw a quick uppercut into his midsection, knocking all the wind out of him. Corey quickly threw his arm over Max’s shoulders as he doubled over and fell back toward his seat. Max tried gasping for air, but was unable to force his organs to cooperate. He felt the veins popping out of his head as he tried to catch his breath.

  Noah jumped up from his seat and got in Corey’s face.

  “Easy, baby bird,” Corey said to Noah, motioning for him to sit back down. “He had it coming.”

  Max fell to the seat below him, crashing down hard on his rear. He tried desperately to suck in oxygen. Excruciating pain shot through his abdomen every time he tried to breathe in. He sat there, the entire cafeteria looking at him, as he gasped for breath. Corey bent down so they would be eye to eye.

  “Stay away from Kennedy,” Corey said into Max’s ear. “Stay away or I’ll wreck your life. Got it, Baker?”

  Max nodded his head, and Corey headed back toward his friends. Max scanned the cafeteria, but Kennedy was nowhere to be seen. He sat there for a moment, coughing and wheezing. Noah sat down in the seat beside him.

  “What the heck is wrong with you?” Noah asked excitedly. “You just punched Corey flipping Peterson!” Noah rocked back and forth in his chair, waiting for Max to respond. He wore a huge smile on his face. He looked like a little kid waiting to unwrap presents on Christmas morning. He looked ecstatic.

  “I don’t know,” Max gasped, continuing to examine the room for Kennedy. He had to look past all the onlookers staring at him to see the table of jocks and cheerleaders in the opposite corner of the room. Max could see Corey sit down, but Kennedy wasn’t at the table. Corey high-fived one of the other football players and then stared back toward Max.

  “I mean you hit him in the shoulder,” Noah said with a laugh, “but you did it. I can’t wait to hear what everyone says about this. 'High Noon at Forest Valley,' I’ll bet that’s what they say.”

  “Let’s get out of here,” Max groaned.

  “Half skip day?” Noah asked. “I love the new and improved Max Baker!”

  They left their lunch trays at the table and quietly snuck out the rear door of the cafeteria. They kept low until they reached the edge of the student parking lot, trying to ensure that the school’s truancy officer wouldn’t spot them. As soon as the wheels of their skateboards hit the blacktop, they knew they were safe.

  As they skated away from the school, Max wore a wide smile. He couldn’t help it, nor did he want it to go away. Yes, he had just been embarrassed for the third time in the past two days. Yes, he had also been chased down the streets of suburbia by a crazed stranger, been attacked in his dream by some demon-hog-gorilla-thing, and had to clean up after another one of his mother’s drunken benders. But he had also just punched Kennedy Coleman’s boyfriend in front of a sea of witnesses. If that wasn’t making the most of an opportunity, then he didn’t know what was.

  “What are you smiling about?” Noah asked as they crossed through an intersection.

  “Nothing,” Max said, still smiling.

  Chapter 8

  Refuge

  Max and Noah knew it would be unwise to head straight home from school at that hour of the day. They decided to kill time by going back to the theater and watching the scary, gruesome alien movie again. After the movie was over, and it was an acceptable time to be seen outside of school, they headed home.

  Max had decided to sleep over at Noah’s house that night. Partially so the two could recap the events of the day, but also because he needed a break from his mother. After the day that he had, he wasn’t sure if he could handle seeing his mother obliterated on the recliner.

  It was eight o’clock when Max snuck through the window of his bedroom. He had left the latch unlocked for years in case he needed to avoid his mother. Evelyn’s car had been parked in the driveway, so he didn’t risk coming in through the front and dealing with her drama. Max quickly packed his backpack with clothes for the next day, gathered up some toiletries and snuck out of the window again to avoid her.

  Max was cautious as he walked down the vacant roads of Forest Valley toward his friend’s house. Noah had offered to come with him, but Max had declined, stating that he needed to be alone to recover from the events of the day. He nervously checked his surroundings, suspecting that at any moment the stranger from the other night would pop out of the bushes and chase after him again. The last thing that Max needed was another pursuit through the woods.

  The night air was much cooler than it had been the past few nights. Max pulled his hood up onto his head. The eerie feeling from the other night had returned and was growing stronger the closer he got to Noah’s house. He paused for a moment and stood in the middle of the street; the pale moon hung high above, lighting the blacktop. Max did a 360 looking for the sedan through the shadows, but he was unable to see anything. The horizon was still. It was quiet. He was alone. He walked a block further until he reached Noah’s.

  * * *

  Max sat at the head of the large dining room table next to Noah. Mrs. Allman sat at the opposite end of the table, sipping on a glass of red wine. They were joined by Noah’s five older sisters: Amy, Beth, Rebecca, Emily and Norah.

  Amy was the oldest of the siblings at 25, and Norah, a year older than Noah and Max, was the youngest. Beth, Rebecca and Emily fell somewhere in between, but Max could never remember the order, or exactly how much older they were. All of them still lived at home. Amy, Beth and Rebecca had full-time jobs to help their mother make ends meet. Emily went to Forest Valley Community College and worked a part-time job on the weekends. Norah and Noah were allowed to go to high school without any pressure to join the workforce; however, they both knew that if they wanted anything outside of food and clothes, they would have to earn it.

  Jacob Allman, Noah’s father, had passed away shortly after Noah was born. It had been the result of some freak accident at the factory where he worked. Noah had told Max the story once when they were in elementary school, but he hadn’t spoken of it s
ince. Max never pushed him to open up about the subject, but he found some sort of solace in the fact that Noah could relate to the same feelings of loss.

  Mary, Noah’s mother, was the strongest woman Max had ever met. She worked a full-time job and ran a house full of six children without any help. He looked up to her for this. Mary had been put in a very similar situation that Evelyn had been, and she never tried to escape from it. She had hunkered down and fought through the hard times. She had delivered her family from what could have easily been the same disaster that Max had dealt with his entire life. Max had always wanted to be part of their family more than he did his own. Sitting here at the dinner table, he felt like he was home.

  “Max punched Corey Peterson at school today,” Norah blurted out during the middle of dinner. Max immediately felt his cheeks turning red, and he slouched down in his chair. Norah, just like her brother, had a very big mouth.

  Mary looked at Max with a scowl. “Max did what?”

  “Tell her, Max,” Norah said, her eyes wide. Max had developed a crush on her a long time ago, but it had been short lived one. It had ended when Noah threatened to stop being Max’s friend if he ever dated Norah, or any Allman sister for that matter. Ever since that day, Max had looked at the girls as family and nothing more. He often wondered if the same threat would work with Noah when he babbled on about his mother.

  “Yes, please do tell me, Max,” Mary said firmly.

  Just as Max felt like one of the family, he knew that Mary thought of him as one of her children. He knew that she had no reservations about lecturing Max, or threatening him with some form of discipline. The first spanking Max had ever received was at the hands of Mary Allman. He remembered that he was six or seven years old and acting like a brat at the county fair. He remembered Mrs. Allman giving him a couple of warnings to behave. When he refused, she whacked him firmly across the hind end. He never acted like a brat around her again.