Max limped up the side walk to her home, dragging her skateboard behind her. Her board, that had been snapped in half by her idiotic brother, once again broke as she was riding downhill on it, after she’d tried to duct tape it back together a few months ago. She should’ve known it wasn’t going to hold up for very long. She rubbed at her raw palms and busted knee.
It was only her luck that she broke her board on the first day of winter break. She huffed angrily, looking at her split board. It lasted longer than she originally thought it would though.
When she got inside she tossed her broken board on the couch, she really liked that board too. She sighed, heading to the bathroom to fix up her hands and knee. Christmas was in one week, maybe she could ask her mom or Neil if that could be her Christmas gift. A brand new board. She searched for the first aid kit, and when she found it, her brow furrowed on confusion. It was really light. She popped the plastic box open to find the almost everything was used up. The role of bandages was now a minuscule size, the antiseptic was almost completely gone, and the neosporin cream was completely gone. Who the hell used the first aid kit this much?
She used what was left of the bandages on her knee, after cleaning it out. She decided to let her hands air it out, since she’d ran out of bandages.
“Max, Billy! It’s time for dinner!” Her mother called.
Max put the kit away and headed for the kitchen. Billy and Neil were already at the table when she arrived, her mother was carrying the food over to the table. Billy stared at his empty plate, while Neil read today’s paper.
“Everyone dig in.” Her mom said smiling as she settled into her seat. Neil folded up his paper, and the two Hargrove’s dug in. Max knew Billy liked to grab the biggest servings, so she learned to back off. He ate so much then worked it all off later. She didn’t really understand why guys did that. Her mom always said it was because Billy’s a “growing boy,” but Max thought that was bullshit. He just liked food.
After Max had her food on her plate she decided directing the question at her mom would make the odds of her getting a new board higher.
“So..” Max started, and everyone at the table except Billy looked at her. He kept shoveling food into his face,”My board broke today. I was wondering if maybe I could get a new one for Christmas?” She looked at her mom, giving her the sweetest smile she could possibly muster.
Billy’s eyebrow twitched, did he break her board? Right. He did because he was mad at her. It was an old board anyway, they’ll get her a new one.
“That board finally broke?” Neil leaned forward on his elbows looking at his stepdaughter,”Good. I’m glad. It’s about time you stop your boyish little hobby.”
“What?” Max’s jaw dropped. Boyish hobby? Skateboarding was not a boyish hobby,”No it’s not! It’s one of my favorite things to do! Please, I don’t have enough money for a new board! It’s the only thing I want for Christmas!” Max pulled a piece a paper out of her jacket pocket, she unfolded it showing them an add for skateboards, she had a specific one circled, it was another Madrid skateboard with with bug details on it, the photo next to it showed off the bottom which was mint green and a pinkish-red. It said Madrid on the bottom as well, along with word Rampage scrawled on it.
“Maxine, I think Neil’s right,” Her mother glanced at Neil who smiled,“Its time for new hobbies.”
Billy, watched them all boredly. Neil pulled something very similar on him when he was kid. No more surfing. It was for his own safety, his father told him, he couldn’t get crushed by those waves and get hurt. Bullshit. He knew it was because surfing was something sacred between he and his mother. Billy looked at Max. She was getting red faced, as she did when she was frustrated.
“At least consider it!” Max passed them the paper. Neil took it before Susan could and he sat it next to his plate.
“We will see.” Neil said in hard tone that Billy knew all to well. He wasn’t going to consider it.
Dinner went on silently after that, and when everyone was finished, Susan cleared the plates, Max went to her room to read comics, and Neil folded up his newspaper. He picked up his dirty napkin, and the magazine ad max gave him and he tossed them both in the trash. He then headed for the living to watch football.
Susan watched Neil go and she frowned. Billy, stayed at the table, tapping his fingers on the table in thought.
“Susan.” Billy walked over to the trash can.
“Yes?” Susan responded, looking up from the kitchen sink.
“Can I go on ahead and have the fifty bucks you and my dad are going to give me for Christmas? I need to get something for my car.” He reached into the trash can.
“Of course you can.” Susan smiled, drying her hands off,“If you need a little more than that, I have eighty on me. That way you can get something else for yourself as well.” She opened up her purse, pulling four twenty dollar bills from her purse. Billy took them.
“Thanks Susan.” Billy shoved the money in his pocket along with a folded piece of paper.
When Billy settled into his car he pulled the skateboard ad out of his pocket. The store was close to the edge of Hawkins, thirty minutes away. Lovely. Billy started his car up, and he drove across town.
The shop was small, which wasn’t surprising to Billy, since this was Hawkins and the amount of people who actually skate here is probably one. His sister Max. Luckily for him though, that made finding the board easy. He placed the board and a few stickers on the counter to purchase. The amount came out to be just under a hundred dollars.
Billy didn’t really know why he was getting her this board, but what he did know, was that he didn’t want Max to live with the longing to go skateboarding, like he’s had to live with the longing of surfing.
Billy kept the board and stickers on the trunk of his car until Christmas Day.
He had it hidden behind the couch by the time Max was opening her gifts, and he couldnt decide whether or not he should give it to her now, or later when he could do it without Neil around. Neil would know about the board. There’s no way he couldn’t because Max will obviously be using it. Maybe he’d be happy that Billy had gotten his sister a gift in the first place.
Neil stood up after Max opened her last gift. He left his recliner and went to where Susan was sitting, next to the edge of their couch.
“There’s one more gift Maxine.” He said as he reached behind the couch, pulling out the skateboard that Billy had bought for her.
Max squealed in delight saying quiet a few “No ways,” and other things. She ran over to Neil and hugged him. It wasn’t a long hug, before she took the skateboard from him and ran outside. Billy checked out. He leaned back in the recliner and closed his eyes, he had tried. He really did. But once again, Neil stepped in his way.
At least she had a new board.
Max eventually came back inside, when Billy remembered he still had the stickers. He followed her back towards their room.
“Max.” She turned to him.
“Yeah?” She held her board close to her hip, and Billy wondered if she thought he was here to break it.
“Merry Christmas.” He held the stickers out to her. Max blinked. He’d never gotten her a gift before, much less one she’d actually like. She took the stickers and looked at him unsurely.
“Thank you..?” There was a hint of a question behind her voice.
Billy nodded, looking like he wanted to say something else. And he did. He wanted so badly to say, “I got you this board, it’s my gift to you, don’t let Neil take anything away from you.” But he didn’t. Maybe it was better this way. So instead, he left her in the hallway, and went back to his room.
Max stared after him, confused. She looked at the stickers and liked all of them, and would be using them all, but she wondered.
How did he know she was getting a new board?
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