arnie and the others pretend to scan the menu like they haven't got it memorized. I tense a little, anticipating the moment they say or do something to embarrass me in front of Max, but I refuse to let them get to me. I've spent too long caring about what other people think - I'm not going to do it anymore.

"You want me to get rid of them?" Max asks.

I think back to the last time he came here and sigh. The last thing I need is for an already terrible trial shift to end in a fistfight. "It's fine," I say, squeezing his hand, "I've got this."

As soon as the waitress takes their orders, Marnie looks over and smirks. I force a smile back, proving I'm not the least bit fazed, even though part of me is terrified.

Beside her, Justin looks irritable as she hooks an arm around him. He'd never admit it, especially not in a room full of people, but he's using Marnie to get back at me, and if this were a few months ago, if this were pre-Max and pre-realizing just how shallow I was, I'm ashamed to say it would have worked.

"Hey," I say, and Marnie's mouth drops as though she can't believe I'm not cowering in embarrassment. One point to Alyssa, zero to Marnie.

"Hey," she says, her voice sickly sweet, "surprised to see you here, and behind the counter no less, but-" she pauses to flash that innocent smile, "-you look adorable in that hairnet."

My smile falters. It's the kind of retort that makes people think she's so damn sweet when really it's the opposite. What's worse is she learned it from me. Refusing to let her win, I lean against the counter like I've all the time in the world. "You're welcome to borrow it - I know how much you like my hand-me-downs."

She doesn't miss my glance at Justin. Her mouth twitches, and she turns in her seat until she's facing me directly, a murderous look in her eyes. If there's one thing Marnie hates, it's being second best.

I glance at Max, remembering he's not used to seeing us in action. His eyes have darkened, and the muscle in his neck contracts, his telltale sign he's agitated. I bite my lip, wishing for a moment I could know what he's thinking, but from the looks of things, nothing good.

"So, what's the deal?" Marnie asks. "You're working at the milkshake bar now?"

I keep my voice light as I say, "A part-time job looks good on a resume."

It's a poor excuse, one I'm certain Marnie sees through, but there isn't time to say anything. The waitress walks over to deliver their milkshakes, which momentarily distracts her. I wipe down the counter as Kino works on the milkshake orders, needing something to do with my hands.

In the brief respite, Max puts his milkshake aside and stares at me. "Your shift nearly over?"

I flash him a sympathetic look. It must feel strange to be a part of this world, but it means more than anything that he stayed. "Thirty minutes left. I mean it, Max - you don't need to wait for me."

He raises an eyebrow incredulously. "You think I'd leave you with them?"

"No," I say, "I don't," and I lean across the counter to kiss him.

"So, Max," Marnie says, and those cat-like eyes flit to him.

Max turns slightly, just enough to look over his shoulder and give her a cutting look. "Yeah?"

Marnie taps the space beside her. "Why don't you come and sit with us? Since you guys are getting so serious, we'd love to know more about you, and I'm sure you'd love to hear more about Liss, too."

My heart does that thing where it stammers into overdrive. Max doesn't move. In fact, he hardly acknowledges her before turning back around, clearly not used to high school bullshit. But he doesn't know Marnie, and ignoring her only makes things worse.

A few of the other girls snicker like kids. The atmosphere shifts, and even though I'd felt confident to face them a moment ago, I know now what's coming; Marnie is playing to win.

"Marnie," I warn, but it's already clear that nothing I say will change her trajectory.

"I mean, you've probably already told him everything," Marnie says, "given how close you've become."

Something about my expression must give me away, because she smiles. She knows I haven't told him a thing, and that, I realize, is her gameplan: pitting the old me against the new me.

"I'd love to hear some stories," Justin says.

Max slowly turns on his barstool. Justin smirks, but he makes no effort to say anything else. He's smart enough to know that the moment he speaks, Max has a reason to hit him, so his game is to sit there, to smile and look innocent until Max grows so angry that he hits him unprovoked, making Justin the good guy.

"Max," Kino whispers, "I'm begging you to remember that this is where we work."

I turn to look at Max, starting to feeling nauseous now that I know Marnie's intentions, and gently grab his hand. "You should probably go. I'll finish my trial shift and meet you back at the gym, okay?"

The corner of his mouth slopes. Before he can speak, Marnie goes in for the kill. "Wait, wait, I've got one," she says and turns to her friends. "Do you guys remember the time Liss spread that rumor about Lacey Mackwood?" Her eyes flit to Max, who's sitting so still, it's as though he's turned to stone. "It was hilarious. Lacey hooked up with this guy she liked, so she told everyone Lacey had an STI."

My throat grows tight as I grip the edge of the counter. It feels like I'm watching a car crash unfold, but somehow, I'm powerless to stop it. This is it, the one thing I'd feared more than anything: Max finding out the real me.

I'm too afraid to look at Max, so I look at Kino instead. Up until now, he'd been focused on making enough milkshakes for the both of us, but now he stops, his mouth twisting in obvious disgust.

"No one is buying your bullshit, Marnie. Alyssa would never do that," he says.

The disbelief on his face as he grabs the whipped cream makes my heart hurt. I finally look at Max and wish I hadn't. Unlike Kino, there's no disbelief there; he knows it's all true.

"Ooh," Marnie says. "I've got a good one. Liss, did you tell him about the time Miss Lowers gave you an F, and you spread that rumor about her being on Only Fans? It was brutal," she says as I shrink into myself. "Things got so bad that she ended up resigning - after a formal investigation, of course."

Max's eyes harden. It's hard to tell what he's thinking right now, but from the glint of unrestrained anger in his eye, I don't think I want to find out. I close my eyes, because never have I wanted to disappear as much as I do now. After Justin cheated, I figured nothing could be worse than the humiliation I'd felt that first day of school, but having Max sit here, listening to all the terrible things I used to do, is torture.

"How about-" Justin says, so maybe he isn't so smart, "-that time I got you in the hot tub and you-"

Max is off his barstool in seconds, diving across Marnie to punch him in the face. Marnie screams as she ducks beneath the table, desperate to get out of the firing line. The others jump aside, narrowly avoiding being crushed by Justin as Max throws him down on the table. Milkshake flies everywhere, coating the floor and splattering Marnie's shirt.

"Max," Kino pleads, but either Max doesn't hear or he's choosing to ignore him because his fingers remain bunched in Justin's t-shirt.

"Someone get this psycho off me," Justin chokes.

A flustered Peter fights to pull Max off him but fails to have an impact. He abruptly lets go, shooting me a panicked look that says, fix this, but the truth is, I don't know where to start. Even worse, I know it's unfixable.

"Max," I say and hear the slight panic in my voice, "let him go. Please."

He doesn't turn around, but something about my voice gets through to him, because he slightly loosens his grip. Justin stares up at him, breathing ragged as he waits for Max to finally let go, but Max makes no effort to move. Instead, he looks down at him, dark eyes shadowed with fury. When he speaks, his voice comes hard and low. "The next time you open your jaw, I will break it. You understand?"

A red-faced Justin fervently nods, and for once, he looks truly terrified.

"Say it," Max says.

Justin swallows and raises his hands to protect his face again. "I understand!"

Jaw clenched, Max steps back and refuses to look at me. I move toward him, my heart suddenly squeezing like I'm verging on a heart attack, and say, "Max," but he doesn't answer me. Instead, he walks out.

My eyes start to well as I watch his retreating figure. Marnie stands up, smirking before she turns toward Justin and helps him to his feet. The group head out before the police can arrive, and I turn to a ghostly-pale Kino.

"I'm sorry," I manage. "I-"

"Alyssa-" I turn to Peter, who's shaking his head like he's so disappointed, "-look," he says, "I'm sorry to have to do this, but I don't think this is going to work out."

I don't say anything - I'd expected as much - I just take off my apron, fold it in my hands, and place it on the counter. "Thank you for the opportunity," I say and walk out.

The walk to my car takes forever. My chest feels tight, the kind of tightness that accompanies knowing your world has imploded, and now all that's left are the pieces. Tonight, Max discovered the girl I once was - there's no coming back from that.

❤️