Chapter 234: Chapter 234: Wizards of Waverly Place (1)
[Edward POV]
With my head resting heavily on the table, I heard the sound of approaching footsteps. My cheeks were a bit flushed.
I turned my gaze towards the source and saw Max striding in, a bottle of Yoo-Hoo chocolate drink in her hand. I couldn't help but be surprised. "You drink Yoo-Hoo? Isn't that for kids?" I asked in surprise, raising an eyebrow.
A mischievous smile played on Max's face as she handed me the drink. "That's why I'm bringing it to you," she replied. I scowled and scolded,"Get that watery sludge! Out of my face."
Max raised her hands in a placating manner, trying to disarm the tension. "Sorry, I was just messing with you," she said, her tone lightening.
Rolling my eyes, I raised my head and turned towards her, opening a new bottle of wine and taking a long swig straight from the bottle.
"I thought you were crashing at Maggie's place?" I asked casually.
"I was, until she started snoring. Wait, should I stop this?" Max questioned, her eyes flitting to the drinks in my hand. Understandable reactions since I was just a teenager, but since she also had similar experiences doing this at my age, she was unsure how to react.
"It's already my third bottle," I replied honestly. She seemed taken aback for a moment before chuckling, knowing that it was already too late for her to interject.
"Do you want to look for an apartment of your own?" I asked, changing the subject. "Or you can just get one of the beds here in my house. I have a lot of rooms."
Max's eyes sparkled, but she was also hesitating. "You know what, that's what I wanted to talk to you about tonight." She said, avoiding my eyes. "And since it's useless for me to stop you now, let me have some so that I can catch the buzz too and reduce your crime," she teased, snatching the bottle from my hand and taking a swig.
"Please don't tell me you're going back to New York," I asked irritatedly, a hint of exasperation creeping into my voice. I could already sense where the conversation was heading.
"Hey, see! I thought I needed to start the conversation awkwardly, but you already did that for me," Max laughed mischievously.
"Why? Don't you like it here?" I asked with some frustration.
"Oh no! California is so nice. The sun, the people. I love it here. But it's not where I belong. I belong in New York City, where everyone is mean to each other and the streets smell like piss," she replied sarcastically, although I sensed a hint of sadness hidden beneath her words.
"What about your job?" I asked, trying to understand her perspective.
"What job? I haven't worked at all while I'm here! It feels like a vacation... and taking advantage of you guys. Well, usually I don't have a conscience to tell me that, but... hmm... you guys are really warm and kind... It started working again after over a decade." She masked her feelings by speaking playfully, but it was the truth of how she felt.
" I thought I had killed it, but it turns out it was just hiding in the dark corner of my mind," Max snarked sarcastically.
She proceeded to drain the wine bottle until only a third was left. I quickly snatched it from her hand and took a swig myself. "Nah, Max. You were always nice. You may seem mean, but you're really kind," I praised, my voice sincere. "Alcoholic, but kind." I said as I twirled the bottle with dissatisfaction.
"Stop it," she playfully urged, a hint of a blush colouring her cheeks.
I looked at her intently and asked, "Can you not go?"
Max hesitated, her expression conflicted. After some thinking, she said, "I have people in New York who are important to me. I need to go back."
"Well, I can arrange for them to move to LA too," I suggested, aware of Max's concern for Earl, the elderly African American cashier who had become a father figure to her. It was understandable that she felt the need to return.
"Why are you so afraid of me going back there? Do you think I'm going to abandon you and not contact you or anything? I'll still send you memes about unlikely animal friendships," Max asked playfully, trying to reassure me.
"I'm sorry. I just don't have a great track record of people saying that and meaning it. Especially right now, when I realise that there is something seriously wrong with me," I confessed, my words slurred by intoxication.
"What's wrong with you?" Max questioned, her confusion evident.
Maybe it was because I knew that Max would protect my secret with her life, or maybe it was the drinks, I felt it was easy to talk to her about this.
"I don't even know how to explain this. Basically, I won't find anyone in this life. And even if I did, I wouldn't be able to keep them with me for more than three months," I vented, my frustrations pouring out. I pulled out the Euphoria drips from my pocket, and started dripping it into the bottle of wine.
"Big fucking deal. You know what's the longest relationship I've had? It was one month in junior high, and the guy didn't even know we were dating for most of it. Trust me, if he knew, we would've gone beyond second base," Max shared, her voice laced with a touch of humour.
"Wasn't that a certainty with every guy you've dated?" I playfully teased.
"The point is, people like me, we're the ones who won't find anyone. You're an awesome kid, you know that? So what if those past few relationships didn't work out? I'm sure you'll find someone who gets you soon," Max encouraged, her words filled with support. "And one day when you become an adult, I will surely remember this and use this conversation today to make fun of you." She cackled.
"Max, I think you misunderstood. I mean, I can't date someone for longer than three months. It's like a... A gypsy curse. When it hits the three-month mark, we're over," I explained, revealing the source of my pessimism.
"That's ridiculous, you know that?" Max responded, her disbelief apparent. "Or are you just too drunk?" She asked while looking at me up and down.
"But it's true," I insisted, feeling trapped by my supposed curse.
"I'm not saying I believe in this, but if you really are, as you say, 'cursed,' then what's wrong with having only three months together?" Max reasoned.
"If I get involved with someone knowing that I'll break up with them in three months, wouldn't that be cruel?" I questioned, my moral dilemma weighing heavily on me, especially after the conversation with Mitch and Cam.
"Will you treat them badly? Will you be abusive?" Max countered, her voice firm.
"No," I replied, realising that I had no intention of causing harm.
"Then, I don't think there's a problem at all. Let's say... the curse, or whatever you want to call it, strikes after three months, right?" Max proposed, trying to find a solution.
"I think so," I confirmed, intrigued by her line of thinking.
"So, here's what you do. You date them, and you date them hard! You give them the best memories they'll ever have. Then, just before the three-month mark, you break up with them," Max suggested, her tone filled with determination.
"That's what I'm trying to avoid," I protested.
"No, I'm not finished yet," Max interrupted. "After the breakup, the countdown will reset. Then you can date them again, or ask them to take you back, and do the same thing when you're nearing the three-month mark. Well, it's not like you're trying to settle down right now, right? You can deal with the curse when you're a bit older."
"Hmm?" I was taken aback when I heard Max's suggestion, my drunken state possibly contributing to its sudden logic. However as I was mulling the suggestion, her eyes sparkled as she noticed the Euphoria bottle in my hand.
"Wait, is that...?" She slowly moved closer to me with excitement.
"You can't taste it. This is only for the people who want to stay here," I teased, a mischievous grin on my face as I hid the bottle on my grip.
"Oh, come on!" Max exclaimed in frustration.
I laughed and took a swig of the wine mixed with Euphoria solution, feeling the intoxicating, otherworldly pleasure coursing through my body. The enhancement in my digestive system dampened the intensity of the reaction, but it still surpassed any liquor I had consumed before. It was so enjoyable that I accidentally put down the bottle on the desk.
While I was drinking, Max lunged for the Euphoria bottle on the table. "Wait! Not straight from it!" I tried to stop her by grabbing her hand, but it only resulted in her falling on top of me. Defiantly, Max managed to take a sip of the highly concentrated drink before I could retrieve it, swallowing a gulp.
"Max..." I began, concerned for her well-being. However, she turned and sat facing me on the chair, overpowering me with her entire body. Flabbergasted, I tried to get her off, but I was late. The sensory overload caused her to moan loudly, her breath tickling my neck.
"Ah~ AHHH~ ED~~ IT WON'T STOP COMING~~!" she moaned, her body trembling against mine, her soft parts pressing against me. Her actions aroused me, and her legs quivered as she collapsed onto me.
"AHhhh~" she continued to moan, biting down on my collar. Thankfully, the effects of the Euphoria didn't last long. Max snapped back to reality, but she was still breathing heavily and hadn't fully regained her senses.
"Oh my god. That's the best thing I've ever had," she said with an unconscious seductive tone, gripping my shirt at the chest. Suddenly, she felt a hardness rising against her thigh, and our eyes locked in a moment of shared surprise.
Both of us hastily jumped out of the chair, but I had to sit back down...you already know why.
"Um, Max, I think it's a good idea for you to go back to New York... tonight," I said flatly as I tried to brush off what just happened.
"Yeah, I will go back to New York. And I won't be speaking with you for the next two to three business weeks," Max muttered apologetically as she couldn't meet my eyes.
"Understandable," I replied, acknowledging her decision as the most logical one.
"Yes. Definitely." I said before joining the boys to chat while eating lunch together.
...
A short explanation on the episode, by Edward Newgate;
The 3 Monster episode began with Justin, who was studying Monster Hunting independently after completing his basic wizard courses. He unintentionally caused chaos in Waverly Place by scanning three level 6 monsters in the area.
Unfortunately, he forgot that his girlfriend, Juliet, and her parents were vampires. In the midst of fear and confusion, he reported her to the monster hunter department, and could potentially take her to monster jail.
Juliet, played by Bridgit Mendler, got scared of the monster hunters and ran away in the middle of the story. To cover up the incident, they improvised by presenting three "monsters": a Frankenstein monster created by Justin in the earlier episode, a trash robot also made by Justin, and a watermelon.
The watermelon part was just the whim of the monster hunter that was trying to help Justin. They thought Justin concocted the story to impress the monster hunters as he is their intern and pretended that the watermelon was the last monster to save face.
"Ready! Action!" the director called out once the actors were prepared.
After the monster hunters left, Alex and Justin argued about who should inform Juliet that the incident was over. Alex, being friends with Juliet, annoyed Justin.
In the final scene, where they hurriedly left the restaurant to find Juliet, I entered the picture as the new character, Jeremy Van Helsing.
(A/N: There are laugh tracks in the show, so I will mark them by using *LOL*)
-Scene Start -
"Justin, our fake monsters just disappeared," Alex said as she entered the storage room where Justin was talking alone with the monster hunters.
She wore a bright yellow blouse, while Justin had a tie wrapped around his head like a headband, an intern monster hunter vest, and a long-sleeve shirt.
"The monster hunters took them to monster jail," Justin replied casually.
"Great. I'll tell Juliet," Alex said, sliding past Justin with excitement.
Startled, Justin hurriedly said, "No, I'll tell Juliet. She's my girlfriend."
*LOL*
"She's my friend," Alex said seriously, causing Justin to shudder in disgust. "Blerghh... You're friends with my girlfriend."
*LOL*
"I know. I'm just as freaked out as you are," Alex said, shuddering as well. "Let's not talk about it."
*LOL*
"Okay."
Justin and Alex agreed to pretend it wasn't true. "We'll tell her together," Justin suggested.
"Okay," Alex replied with annoyance.
"Okay!"
"Fine!"
"FINE!"
*LOL*
Both of them approached the door slowly, turning it into a race as neither wanted to back down. However, as Alex opened the door, she was met with the sight of a dashing black-haired boy. He had a slight scar on his left eye and was dressed in a long black trench coat and a fedora. This new arrival immediately caught Alex's attention.
*MASSIVE AUDIENCE CHEERS!*
"Wait, who are you?" Alex asked, trying to assert herself. "Move!" Justin pushed past Alex and hurriedly stood in front of her, only to stop in his tracks when he saw the boy. He stopped only when he was an inch away from the boy, and yelped like a girl before flinching back.
*LOL*
"You guys must be the Russo family. I'm Jeremy Van Helsing, a Veteran Monster Hunter," the boy introduced himself while scanning the area with a comical device.
"Um... You must be confused. The other monster hunters have already left with the monsters," Justin stammered, while Alex smiled excitedly at Jeremy.
"Oh, what's the point of rushing him to go back? He should stay awhile," Alex said, twirling her short hair and looking at Jeremy in an infatuated manner.
*LOL*
Jeremy tipped his hat and smiled politely at her, while Justin turned to Alex and gave her a disapproving look. "No. We must not waste his time here. Don't you remember we need to tell... Juliet, the good news?"
*LOL*
Alex was taken aback and finally remembered that Juliet would still be in danger if the monster hunter stayed. "Oh right. Juliet."
However, at that moment, Jeremy finally spoke up. "You guys don't have to worry about me. I'm not here about the recent level 6 monster alert."
"Oh, what are you here for?" Alex was relieved and slid past Justin to get closer to Jeremy, asking in a cute manner.
*LOL*
Justin rolled his eyes and threw his hands up in exasperation at his sister's behaviour.
Jeremy looked at Alex seriously and said, "There's been a high level of monster activity in this area for the last few weeks. My father sent me to investigate the cause and, if possible, put a stop to it. In the meantime, I'll be staying at Waverly Place until I finish my investigation."
"Haha. Investigation. You sound so serious and so mature." She said as she was basically melting in his presence.
*LOL*
"Y-y-you're staying?" Justin asked, his voice cracking with a stammer.
"Yeah, is that a problem?" Jeremy asked, his smouldering gaze meeting Justin's.
Justin avoided Jeremy's gaze and replied, "No. No problem at all."
"If you see a monster, make sure to call me," Jeremy said before handing his magical business card to Alex.
"Can I call you even if I don't see any monsters?" Alex flirted.
*LOL*
Jeremy smirked and said, "I wouldn't mind if it was you."
*Cheers*
-Scene ends-
"Cut! Wonderful!" The director shouted through his plastic megaphone. "The shooting for the episode 3 monster is now done, and we're going to start filming the next official episode, 'Monster Hunter and Vampire!"