Bo rested face down at the foot of the bed listening to Max clacked away on his computer. The last full Night Fear assault had been over two weeks ago, right after Justice’s informal ‘inauguration’. The Community was even beginning to feel like it’s old self, minus the savior/dictator. Sadly, back to normal meant fighting off Fears every other night for Bo, including last night. He was exhausted, but it was moments like this that give him strength. I could stay like this all day, he thought with absolute content.
A light knock rapped on Max’s partially closed door. From his facedown position Bo saw a smudged face with a golden lock of hair protruding from underneath a dirty baseball cap. Lee poked her head in, and with a quiet, mousy voice very uncharacteristic of her, asked to come in.
Max spun in his chair and shot out of it like something bit him. “Lee!” he yelled, “Get out! I told you to stay out of my room!” His words were sharp as they lashed out, stinging both Lee and Bo. The Defender was shocked and hurt at his boy’s harsh tone but the look on Lee’s face told him she was expecting it.
“Please, Max, I need to ask you something… It’s important,” she begged.
With one hand on the door, Max looked like he was about to slam it in her face. After a strained minute he gave a loud sigh of annoyance instead. “What? What is it?”
She hesitated, “Can… can I come in? Please?”
“Fine,” he groaned with exasperation. Bo could feel the humungous eye roll Max gave her as he turned away and walked back to his computer. “Just shut the door behind you.”
Lee came in and carefully shut the door. She was wearing her denim overalls and one of Adam’s old baseball caps as she stood there, awkwardly being ignored by the only other person in the room. She scratched the back of her leg with her foot, just like Henri had the tendency to. When it was clear Max wasn’t going to talk to her, she came in a little further, hopping onto the edge of the bed next to Bo.
She picked up the bear and held him to her chest. She was trembling slightly and he could feel her small heart pounding against his back. He didn’t understand what was going on. Max seemed okay when he came in from school. He had even picked up Bo and held him for a second, lifting Bo’s spirits and making him incredibly happy. But Max was so just then, and Lee was obviously trying to work up courage for something.
Bo concentrated on Lee’s fluttering heart and could barely sense edge of her emotions, like catching the whiff of something foul in the air, she was scared. He wanted to help her calm down so he began thinking of happy memories like he did with Max every night. Bo had never tried it before, although he knew siblings shared special bonds that Defenders could sometimes use for strength and support. Sibling bonds transcend time, distance, even heredity; the love shared by brothers and sisters goes deeper than most would expect. He had even heard rumors online of Defenders being able to call weapons through these connections. That’s why Barker, and now August, though they’re boys are stepbrothers, were able to defend both of kids at the same time. These bonds are also why Ruby and Bo are hand-me-downs that never stopped being. Bo used this bond now to give Lee the strength she needed to say what she wanted.
He felt her racing heart slow down. She took a deep breath, inhaling through her nose and giving Bo and extra squeeze. “Are you… okay?” she asked.
“Yeah, I’m fine.” he answered flatly without looking away from his screen.
“You’re not acting like you’re okay,” she said, getting a little bolder with Bo’s help.
“Maybe that’s because I have an annoying little sister in my room asking stupid questions,” Max retorted. Lee got quiet again; Bo could feel her hurt.
What is going on with you? Bo thought bitterly. She’s just trying to talk to her older brother, Max! Bo wanted to grab his boy and bonk him on the head.
“Hey!” Max yelled. He had finally turned to look at Lee and saw her hugging Bo. “Don’t touch my things!” He ripped Bo from her hands, walked over and sat Bo on his dresser. “Is that it? Are you done asking your dumb questions?” He rounded on her.
Lee stood up, and practically yelled at Max, “Why are you being a bully?” Her accusing words took her brother and Bo by surprise.
“What?” he asked, looking confused.
Lee stood her ground firmly, her eyes welling with tears, hands clenched into tiny fists at her sides. It took a tremendous amount of courage to face her older brother like this. Bo couldn’t help but feel proud at Henri’s girl for trying to set Max straight.
“Why. Are. You. Being. A. Bully?” Lee punctuated each word with a stamp of her foot, hands now on her hips. Bo had seen Mom make that same pose on more than one occasion. It meant she was all business and wasn’t going to budge until she got what she wanted.
“Wha-? I’m not a bully!” Max stammered. “Bullies take lunch money and fight other kids for fun. Marcus is a bully, I’m not a bully.”
“But you were fighting Jayson today at recess,” Lee accused, tears now in free fall down her cheeks, her voice shaking. “My friend Janna said she saw you two hitting each other. And when I asked my teacher what happened she said you went to ISS because Mom couldn’t leave work to pick you up, again.” Her words came shooting out like arrows, striking Max deep. His cheeks and ears were turning red, whether from embarrassment or anger Bo couldn’t tell.
“That’s different…” Max tried to counter but couldn’t think of anything else to say.
“And you were sent home for fighting with Nick. And you’ve been acting really mean to me! And I haven’t done anything to you! And I don’t like it!” She finished but didn’t move an inch. She stood there, shaking slightly, breathing heavily, tears still streaking down her cheeks, hands on her hips, waiting for Max to respond.
Max’s ears grew to a brighter shade of red and he was also shaking. Bo could feel the anger radiating off him red hot, like a kettle about to explode, but it was mixed with other emotions too. Bo also felt disappointment, frustration, even embarrassment all swirling together within the anger like one giant confusing hurricane.
Finally, after a long tense moment, Max let out a lung full of air and collapsed onto the edge of the bed, his anger vanishing as tears welled in his own eyes.
“I’m not a bully, Lee. But I did fight Jayson, for something stupid. I’m going to get it when Mom and Dad get home.” He placed his head in his hands covering his face.
Lee’s expression softened. Walking tentatively forward, she placed a hand on his shoulder. When he didn’t shrug it off she sat down next to him and gave him a hug, laying her blonde head against his shuddering body.
“Marcus always tried to take something from kids he fought,” Max continued into his hands. “Or tried to embarrass us. Me and Jayson are friends. Marcus doesn’t have any friends.” He choked on his words, desperately trying to convince himself.
“You used to be friends with Marcus,” Lee said quietly, almost whispering.
“Sort of, I guess, but that was a long time ago, and different. Me and Jayson are best friends.”
“What about Nick? You were friends with him too.”
“That’s different too, Nick changed…” Max shook his head in frustration. “Jayson is mad at me for something. I’m not really sure why, he just is. And he’s been mad at me for a while. I guess I just got fed up with it today and shoved him…”
Lee looked as upset as Max. Bo didn’t think she meant to make her older brother cry. “Are you still friends?” she asked.
“I don’t know, Lee. I hope so.”
“Okay Max, I believe you,” she said with a certainty that made both Bo and Max smile, she sounded just like Mom. “But you shouldn’t be mean to your friends, or your sister, just because you're mad at something,” at this Max looked at his sister, really looked at her, for the first time since she came in.
“You’re right, Lee. I’m sorry for acting that way. I won’t do it again, I promise.”
Lee looked him in the eyes, smiled and hugged him around the neck. Max hugged her back then ruffled her cap on her head, messing up her hair the way Adam always did when he visited. She playfully shoved him and left the room mumbling something about annoying older brothers, but she was smiling. Max went back to his computer with a smile as well.
Bo sat on the dresser contemplating what had just happened. Most of what Lee said he had already known, but seeing how he treated Lee troubled him greatly. He wondered if Max constantly acting like that toward his sister and getting in trouble at school, was all because of the constant barrage of Night Fear attacks he’d been getting recently. He would have to check in with Odie to make sure Jayson was okay, but also to see if his theory held with other Defenders.
