"She was brave and strong and broken all at once."
-Anna Funder
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Kate rubbed some alcohol over Max's square-like chin. The skin near his lips was pierced by a shard of glass after his fall.
She noticed him hissing in pain, Elena and Ivan too joined in with their contorted faces.
"This will hurt a bit," Kate stated and brought a pair of tweezers near Max's calm face.
She gently pushed aside the wounded skin, the tweezers now holding the shard firmly. With a soft pull, the shard was removed, leaving a trail of blood that dripped from his chin.
She wiped it gently with a warm cloth and applied some antibiotic ointment on his skin.
"I hope it doesn't hurt much, buddy." It appeared as if Ivan was mostly trying to console himself.
Elena clapped Max on the back and helped him sit. Kate noticed him nodding slightly at her sister before gazing in her direction.
She found her wrist held lightly within his fingers and he looked at her softly. "I'm sorry, Go... Kate."
He entwined his fingers with hers. "I'm sorry for ignoring you--"
"Why?" she intervened, noticing his green eyes flicker back to her face.
"Coz you'd know I was pretending..."
"Pretending?" Elena asked.
"Pretending to like the party," Ivan spoke with certainty.
Max simply nodded at this.
"Why?" Kate questioned once again, glancing at his watery eyes and red nose.
"I don't like parties."
"You should have told me. Why would you do something when you're not happy about it?" Ivan frowned as he placed a hand on Max's shoulder.
Max smiled briefly before answering, "Coz you all were so happy."
Ivan clapped his own thigh. "Stop being a... forget it." His scowl deepened when he noticed his mobile flashing.
Kate patted Max's shoulder as she got up. She called Elena and they strolled towards the door.
Before leaving, they noticed Ivan hurling his mobile into one of the cushions. He sat on the sofa, finger-combing his hair frustratedly.
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"Mom, we'll be sleeping over at Max's place tonight," Kate stated, earning the attention of her parents. "He's not feeling that great."
"Is Ivan going to be there?"
Kate knew that her mom's question was directed at Elena, who bit her lip coyly.
"Are you going to be the mother of his child?"
Kate and her mom, Eleanor, chuckled at Elena's red face. She was so taken aback that she could only whine in protest.
YOU ARE READING
The Alien Memory👽
Teen Fiction"I bet you didn't even have your first kiss, Van," Elena remarked and smirked, a knowing expression on her face. "Let's go, El," Kate urged, eyeing Ivan's startled face and dragged her twin's skinny arm. "It's Ivan and don't you act as if you know...
