CHAPTER 290: THE WEIGHT OF REGRET (PART 1)

When Max looked down at the message, he could see it was from none other than Cindy, one of his classmates. The date in the message was clear, and instantly, he knew exactly what it was referring to.

Earlier, when he had checked his phone in the hospital, there had been a few missed calls from Cindy, as well as her father. He could only imagine how frantic she must have been, desperately trying to figure out where her friend was. But Max had never called her when he was awake, and now, it seemed, Cindy was left in the dark, waiting for answers that weren’t coming.

What was Max supposed to say to her? The relationship between the two of them had always been complicated, especially with Abby caught in the middle. But now, with Abby’s whereabouts finally known, there was no need for him and Cindy to pretend everything was fine. There was nothing left to hide, nothing left to hold onto.

When break came around, and Joe had ventured over to sit with Max, they were both surprised to see Cindy practically storm into the room.

"What’s wrong with you?" Cindy snapped, her voice harsh as she walked in.

Max looked up at her and noticed the exhaustion in her eyes, dark bags under them, her face pale. She hadn’t even bothered with her usual routine, skipping the nail appointments and makeup she would normally never miss. Her appearance wasn’t something she cared about right now. The weight of everything was clearly too much for her to handle.

"What’s the point of having a phone if you’re never going to use it?" Cindy continued, marching right up to them. Her words were sharp, as if they carried all the frustration she had been holding inside.

She didn’t bother to sit. Instead, she just stood there, her posture tense, her anger practically radiating off her.

Joe, trying to ease the tension, offered a small smile. "Cindy, you can sit with us if you’d like."

But she shook her head, her voice firm. "No thanks. I’ll be leaving soon enough. But first, just tell me, are you coming to the funeral or not?"

There was a beat of silence. Joe blinked, caught off guard. "There’s a funeral...? That’s... really fast. Is everyone invited?" he asked, then quickly realized how insensitive that sounded. He winced at his own words.

This wasn’t a birthday party or a concert where being left out would be a cause for concern. It was a funeral, a harsh reminder of the reality they were all facing, and his poorly timed question had only made things worse.

Cindy, though, didn’t seem bothered by it. She simply sighed and explained, her voice softer now. "Abby’s dad rushed back early from his job. He was supposed to be gone for months. He doesn’t know much about Abby’s friends, except for me. So, he asked me to invite those who were closest to her. The ones who mattered."

Max’s chest tightened at the mention of Abby’s father, and the weight of the situation settled over him once more.

He could tell that Cindy, despite her outward anger, was struggling just as much as he was, maybe more. And in that moment, all the things left unsaid seemed to hang in the air between them.

"I know you’ve been tough on Joe," Cindy started, her voice softer now. "But I’d like to keep the list fairly small. I think Cindy’s dad would’ve wanted that too, but I chose to invite you, Max, even though I don’t really want to. I know you and Abby were close, and if there’s anyone she’d want there, it’s you."

Joe looked at Cindy, then back at Max. A wave of heat radiated from him, a tension that made the air feel thick. It was like everything in the room had suddenly grown heavier.

"Hey, why are you angry at Max?" Joe asked, a hint of confusion in his voice. "Is it because he couldn’t help with the search? I know he didn’t answer your calls, but you don’t understand what Max was going through... he was in the Ho, "

"And what about Abby?!" Cindy’s voice broke through, sharp and raw. "What was Abby going through while all of you guys were off doing whatever stupid stuff you were doing? So stupid, you didn’t even answer a call while Abby was fighting for her life!"

Her chest heaved as she yelled, her emotions spilling over. "I was on the phone when Abby got snatched! She’d told me she had a feeling someone was following her, that someone was watching her, but I was the one who told her it was all in her head! Me! And then what happens? All of this! Do you know where they found her? Her body, dumped in the middle of a forest, all alone."

She paused, choking back tears, her fists clenched at her sides. "I can’t even imagine what happened to her..."

Joe’s face softened, his voice quieter but firm. "I understand that." He hesitated, trying to find the right words. "But I still don’t get it. Why are you mad at Max? Do you think you’re the only one who cared about her?"

Joe had never seen Max so broken, so vulnerable. He was sure that, not long ago, he had seen tears slipping down Max’s face, a sight he never thought he’d witness.

Cindy’s voice faltered as she replied, "It might not be Max’s fault. But he said it himself, to stay away from him. Look at what happened to Sam. Look at what happened to Jay. And now, look at what happened to Abby."

Her eyes glinted with a mix of pain and frustration. "If I were you, Joe, I’d be scared. It seems like anyone who gets close to Max... loses their life."

With those words hanging in the air, Cindy turned around, her hand gripping the door handle, ready to leave.

"Cindy!" Max’s voice cracked through the silence, causing her to stop in her tracks.

"I’ll be at the funeral," Max’s voice was cold, distant, almost as if he had shut himself off completely. "And it’ll be the last time you’ll see me."