Chapter Text
"Hey, Ginny!" Max greeted, tapping the other girl on the shoulder. She grinned, a wide smile that seemed to split her face. Ginny looked visibly confused, raising an eyebrow at Max. They hadn't really been talking lately on account of 'growing apart', yet Max was acting like they were still the bestest of friends.
"Hey..." Ginny waved half-heartedly, smiling faintly. She knew Max could be eccentric sometimes, but this was weird, even for her. "What's up?" She asked, unsure if she should start a conversation.
"Nothing, just wanted to say I love you." Max chirped, her grin widening until she showed her teeth. She squeezed Ginny's shoulder, leaning in slightly to give her somewhat of a half hug, before waving at Ginny and stepping away. "Bye!" She said, turning on her heel and practically skipping down the hallway.
__
"Abby! Abs, how you doing?" Max asked, turning towards Abby who was currently washing her hands. The aforementioned briefly looked up to gaze at Max from her peripheral vision, very clearly confused about the other girl's behavior
"Uhm, I'm doing okay." She said hesitantly, drying her hands and popped a piece of gum into her mouth. She turned to face Max, offering a crooked smile.
"Great," Max nodded excitedly, drumming her index fingers on the edge of the sink. She smiled brightly at Abby, stepping closer to quickly hug her. "I gotta go. But just wanted to say: love you. Bye!" She rushed her words, squeezing Abby's upper arm before parting ways.
__
"Hi," Max said gently, leaning down to be on eye level with Norah. She was reading her fairy smut book alone, probably waiting for the others. Max cocked her head, catching Norah's perplexed expression.
"Hey?" Norah frowned, raising an eyebrow at the other girl. She shrinked away slightly, a little put off by the touchiness.
"Just wanted to tell you that I love you," She explained before Norah could say anything else, squeezing her side. "Goodbye!" And then she left without further elaboration, leaving Norah completely bewildered.
__
"Hi there," Max stood at the counter, smiling big. "I'd like to pick up some medicine for my brother Marcus Baker." She explained, handing the woman the recipe. She nodded, disappearing briefly before coming back with a bottle of Prozac.
"Thank you, have a good day!" Max greatfully took the medication, putting it into her bag. She smiled at the lady one last time before turning around and leaving. On the way home her brain was quiet for once, it was almost peaceful.
__
"Hi mom, hi dad," Max spoke and signed, smiling at her parents. "I just wanted to say how much I love you, like really love you, and I'm sorry if I didn't show that enough." She said, walking up to them and hugging them each, making sure to squeeze them tight.
"Aw, Max," Ellen cooed, very clearly pleased with this new behavior. She put a hand over her chest, smiling at her daughter with a loving gaze. "Thank you. We love you, too." She said, squeezing her daughter back.
Clint signed in agreement, nodding enthusiastically while he signed the words 'I love you, too' with a big grin on his face.
__
"Hello, brother," Max knocked once, then entered without waiting for an answer, approaching his bed and crawling onto it. She flopped down dramatically, turning her head to look at Marcus, who had been quiet so far. He frowned, trying to decipher the meaning of this.
"I just wanted to say how much you mean to me and that I love you," Max sounded softer, more sincere than the last couple of times she had said it.
"Ew, gross." Marcus joked, scoffing softly. He gently shoved her, making Max break into laughter. They both giggled like that for a good minute, but then they sobered up again, Max's expression sadned just slightly, subtly.
She raised from the bed, walking up to the door. As she opened it, she turned around and said, "Goodbye." Before leaving and closing the door behind her.
__
And that's how Max found herself in her room, on her bed, looking at the bottle of Prozac with a bottle of water in her other hand. She sighed, taking a bunch of pills and flushed them down with the water, repeating this until the bottle was empty.
She stood up and cleaned her room, made sure all the clothes were in her closet, either hung up or folded neatly. She made her bed carefully, vacuumed the floor and organized her desk.
Then she laid down flat on her back, hands folded over her stomach. She looked up at the ceiling, feeling her heart rate slow down and the weariness take over. She exhaled her last breath before closing her eyes and slipping away.