Max, page 7
“Is that right?” his dad said sarcastically.
Justin’s heart sank. Max hadn’t done his crazy barking all day. He had been perfect—but his dad hadn’t been around to see it. Justin’s mom looked so disappointed. They both knew that if his dad didn’t come around to trusting Max, the dog was a goner. After making such great progress that day, it looked as if they were back to square one.
Then the doorbell rang.
Everyone exchanged glances across the table, until finally his mom laughed. Max had been barking for a reason—he had heard someone approaching the house before they did and wanted to warn his new pack. Justin’s mom shot his dad an “I told you so” look, and Justin and Carmen grinned and exchanged a look of relief across the table. The doorbell rang again, and Justin hopped up to get it. He was glad to have an excuse to get away.
Justin swung open the door. The sound of the evening cicadas washed over him as he took in the familiar, if unexpected, figure in the doorway: Tyler Harne, his brother’s best friend. Justin was so shocked he couldn’t speak. Wasn’t Tyler still in Afghanistan? Tyler’s hair was cut short, military style, but he wore regular clothes—jeans and a collared shirt. He carried a bouquet of flowers, wilting in the evening heat.
“Look at you,” Tyler said quietly, flashing his teeth. “Same little slacker I remember, only with a few more zits now.” Justin just stared at him. The last time he’d seen Tyler, he was with Kyle, on the other end of a video connection from thousands of miles away. In fact, every time he’d seen Tyler, Kyle was right there by his side. The two had been inseparable since they were kids. Now Tyler was here, on their stoop, alone.
“You gonna let me in, champ?” Tyler asked, his smile tight.
Justin stepped aside without a word. Tyler moved past him into the house, where his mom and dad looked at Tyler with stunned expressions on their faces. His mom’s eyes filled with tears, and her hand shot up to cover her mouth.
“I hope it’s okay that I came by like this,” Tyler said. “I’ve been home for a couple of days now, and . . .” He trailed off and held the flowers out to Justin’s mom.
“Tyler,” she said, stretching out her arms for a hug. “It’s so good to see you.”
Tyler hugged her back.
“Mrs. W., I wanted to tell you how sorry I am about—”
“Oh, hush,” Justin’s mom said into his shoulder. “I know. Let’s not talk about that now. We’ve had enough waterworks here today.”
She happily looked him up and down, as if to make sure he was really there.
“Didn’t expect to see you back so soon,” Justin’s dad said, limping forward and squeezing Tyler’s hand in a firm shake.
“Medical discharge, sir. I took shrapnel all up and down my back and got a few pieces lodged in my spine.” He looked down at the carpet, then back up at Justin’s dad. “Guess I’ll be carrying these little souvenirs around for the rest of my life.”
Something about the way Tyler spoke to his dad rubbed Justin the wrong way, but his mom looked so excited to see him that he pushed the feeling aside.
Justin had never really been that crazy about Tyler, even though he’d practically grown up with him. Tyler had spent more time at Kyle and Justin’s house than he had at his own. He was just always . . . around.
Justin’s parents loved Tyler, but Justin had never quite trusted him. Tyler had always been the kind of kid who acted one way when someone’s parents were in the room, and another when the door shut behind them. He was extra polite when Justin’s mom or dad was around, telling them that he and Kyle had done their homework and that they would help Justin with his. But Tyler never so much as explained a single math problem to Justin—instead, when it was just the boys, he would try to mess with him. Tyler would make fun of Justin—calling him a serious loser or computer nerd.
The worst part was that Kyle would laugh and punch Tyler on the shoulder to tell him to lay off Justin, but if Kyle left the room, Tyler would keep on giving Justin a hard time.
Right now, though, that was the last thing Justin’s parents cared about. What did it matter anymore anyway? Without Kyle here, Tyler wouldn’t really be a part of their lives.
“Well,” Justin’s dad said to Tyler, “aren’t we just a couple of beat-up old Marines.”
Tyler nodded, his face serious. “Yes, sir, Mr. Wincott. Proud to stand alongside you.”
“You came back just in time for the Fourth of July parade,” his dad said. “I’d be proud to have you march alongside me, too.”
Justin resisted the urge to roll his eyes.
“Oh, no, sir.” Tyler held his hands out in front of him. “You know me. That’s not my scene.”
“You’ll be right there with me, Tyler,” Justin’s dad said in a firm voice. “Marching by my side.” His dad broke into a smile. “Do I make myself clear, Marine?”
“Yes, sir.” Tyler raised his hand in a salute. Justin couldn’t help it—he actually rolled his eyes this time.
“Does it hurt?”
Justin was surprised by the sound of Carmen’s voice. She was still sitting at the table, watching the reunion. Tyler studied Carmen for a moment.
“All that metal in your back,” Carmen finished.
“Yeah, it hurts,” Tyler said. “But they got me on so many painkillers, I hardly notice it.” He eyed Carmen carefully. “And you are?”
“This is Carmen,” his mom said. “Justin’s friend. She’s been helping him with—” She stopped midsentence, as if something had just occurred to her. “Tyler,” she said with a knowing look, “there’s someone else here I think you should say hello to.”
Tyler tipped his head to the side, confused. “Who’s that?”
“Justin, do you want to show him?” his mom asked. Justin shrugged and stepped toward the back door. Tyler and the others followed him. The group stepped into the darkness, and Justin heard Max’s chain jangle as the dog stood up and crossed toward them. Justin’s eyes adjusted to the dark, and he saw Max straining against his collar and sniffing at the air. Suddenly, he lurched forward, his eyes bulging out of his head and his ears tucked back. He started growling and barking ferociously, baring his teeth. The fur on his back stood up, and he dug at the grass with his paws.
Justin gave Carmen a worried look. She shrugged in confusion.
“Max, huh?” Tyler said, shaking his head. He had a strange expression on his face that Justin couldn’t quite identify. “I heard they were gonna—you know, put him down,” Tyler went on. He looked at Justin’s parents. “Well, he’s alive, I see.”
Max strained even harder against his collar, practically choking himself. Justin’s mom looked at her son with a concerned expression. He shook his head helplessly. Max had made such great progress earlier—Justin hadn’t expected this. Why would Max hate Tyler? He knew Tyler.
“Hey, boy,” Tyler said nervously to Max. “There’s no hajis around here. You don’t have to get so worked up. We’re back in Texas now.”
Max just flipped out harder at the sound of Tyler’s voice—his barking had taken on a mad, frenzied tone. Justin was worried that he was about to get loose from his chain. Suddenly, with a huge tug, Max bolted forward and pulled the stake right out of the ground.
His eyes glowing with rage, Max lunged at Tyler, ready to rip Tyler’s throat out. Tyler barely had time to take a step backward and cover his face with his hands.
Before he even knew what he was doing, Justin threw himself in Max’s path.
“Stay!” Justin screamed. Max skidded to a stop but kept his eyes on Tyler and let out a low, angry growl. He crouched down, as if he were going to leap at Tyler again. Carmen reached out and grabbed Max by his choke collar.
“Stay, Max! Stay!” she commanded. Justin stood close to her and grasped Max’s collar, too. Together, they managed to subdue him.
Tyler raised his hands in the air, shaking off the encounter. Justin’s mom held both hands over her mouth. His dad threw open the back door.
“Let’s go inside, Pam,” Justin’s dad said sternly. Without a word, his mom grabbed Tyler by the arm and led him inside. As Tyler took one look over his shoulder at Max, Justin saw something surprising in Tyler’s eyes. He would have expected Tyler to look afraid—or maybe relieved—but instead he just looked . . . something else. For a second, Justin couldn’t name it exactly, but then he realized what it was: Tyler looked angry.
TEN
THE COOL MORNING AIR HIT JUSTIN STRAIGHT IN THE face as he sped down his driveway. The gears on his bike clicked as he pedaled through his quiet neighborhood. It was still early, and he felt as if he had the whole town to himself.
He’d ridden this route a million times, always alone. Today, though, he had some company. Justin looked down at the top of Max’s head as the dog trotted along beside him. Justin still had no idea why Max had freaked out on Tyler last night, but the dog—his dog—seemed completely fine today. In fact, Max seemed so happy when he was running—like he didn’t have a care in the world.
Justin gripped the handlebars with one hand and held Max’s leash in the other. Max kept pace with Justin’s bike so easily that he wasn’t even panting. Soon they reached the edge of the neighborhood, where the houses stopped and the woods began.
Suddenly, a man walking a giant white and black dog, a Newfoundland, came around the corner. The other dog tensed up and began barking nastily. Max’s ears went forward, and a soft rumble emanated from his throat. Justin was worried—would Max flip out again, like he had at Tyler? He didn’t know if he’d be able to control him without Carmen here to help. Justin came to a stop, tugged firmly on Max’s collar and said, “Max, settle,” in a firm voice, just like Carmen had taught him to do.
Max stopped growling on command. His body relaxed. He looked up at Justin expectantly, waiting for his next order. It was like the dog across the street didn’t exist anymore. Justin broke into a huge grin—surprised and proud that Max had listened to him out in the world, and not just within the safe confines of their backyard.
“Attaboy, Max.” They waited for the hostile Newfoundland to turn the corner. Justin studied Max’s serious brown eyes for a moment, and a thought dawned on him—this was a dog who was trained to fight dangerous enemies in a real war. Running down a paved road in small-town Texas had to be pretty boring for him, sort of like playing a too-easy level in a video game was for Justin. Maybe it was time to raise the stakes.
“You’re bored, huh,” Justin said to Max, who just looked at him mutely, his eyes eager. “You ready to show me what you got?”
At the sound of Justin’s voice, Max cocked his head to the side and waited.
“Sit.”
Max sat. Hesitantly, Justin leaned down and unhooked the leash from his collar. If Max ran off or didn’t listen, Justin would be in huge trouble with his dad. But the chance that this could be awesome was worth it.
“Stay.” Max stayed. “Listen, Max. You mess up now, you’re grounded for life, you hear me?” The dog sat perfectly still, as though he understood everything Justin had said.
Justin rolled up the leash and jammed it into his sweatshirt pocket. With a deep breath, he took off, pedaling as fast as he could and steering his bike toward the woods. He looked down to see if Max had kept up.
But his dog was gone.
A sinking feeling landed in Justin’s stomach as he screeched his bike to a halt. He whipped his head around in a panic, searching for Max.
Max was sitting in the road, exactly where Justin had left him, waiting patiently for his next command. His eyes were locked on Justin. That’s when Justin realized that he’d told Max to stay, so that’s what Max was doing. Nothing was going to sway this dog from his duty.
Justin’s chest swelled with pride. “Max, come!” he called.
Max shot toward him, crossing the distance between them in a millisecond. Together, they headed toward the forest. Justin pedaled as hard as he could, steering his bike over crunching leaves and around jagged rocks. Max ran at his side, leaping easily over roots and zigzagging through the trees. Max looked as though he was barely breaking a sweat. He just seemed happy, relaxed, and free. For the first time in weeks, Justin felt almost the same way.
Justin and Max skidded into the bike park, where riders raced up the wooden ramp and launched themselves into the air.
“What’s up, hombre?” Chuy called out, and biked up to Justin.
“Hey, Chuy,” Justin gave him a grin. Max gave the smallest wag of his tail and looked up at Justin’s best friend.
Chuy looked down at Max. “Hey, Max. Don’t hurt me, man,” he joked.
The boys watched Carmen zip up the side of the makeshift wooden ramp and make a clean jump. She rode over to them.
“Hey, Justin,” she said with a smile. She shook out her hair as she took off her helmet.
“Hey, Carmen. You looked pretty cool out there.”
“Thanks.” Carmen hopped off her bike, eased it onto the ground, and knelt down next to Max, who sat at Justin’s side. She held out her hand and let him smell her palm. “Hey, Max. We in a better mood today, pal?” Max’s wet nose nudged at Carmen, as if he was looking for more carnitas. Justin could tell that Carmen really knew how to get along with dogs.
Justin was surprised at how happy he was to see her—and how normally she was treating him—especially after the weirdness of dinner and the awkwardness of sitting in the car with Justin’s mom, who had driven Carmen home last night. Carmen had every reason to want nothing to do with Justin today, but instead she was being totally chill. Justin realized he was staring at her, and she was just smiling at him.
Chuy looked from Justin to Carmen and back and rolled his eyes. “Yo, Justin, I was gonna call you,” Chuy said, “but I didn’t want to call your house in case your dad answered. Why don’t you get a cell phone and join the twenty-first century?”
“Ha. I would,” Justin grumbled, “but my dad won’t buy me one.”
Carmen shot him a sharp look.
“Uh, I mean,” Justin said with a grin, “being the fine, upstanding gentleman that he is.”
Carmen punched Justin playfully on the arm. “Stop it with that sarcasm, would you? Your dad’s not so bad,” she said.
Max snapped to attention when Carmen hit Justin. He hopped to his feet and stepped closer to Justin, as if to protect him. Max began sniffing at Chuy, who made an exaggerated scared face and took a big step backward.
“Justin, man, you have got yourself the ultimate guard dog,” Chuy said. “I heard he tore up your brother’s friend last night—had his teeth all up in his throat.” Chuy pretended to claw at his own neck and made it sound as if he were getting strangled. Max looked confused.
Justin cracked up, genuinely laughing for the first time since he could remember. He patted Max on the head reassuringly. Even Carmen had to smile at her cousin’s antics.
“Chuy, man,” Justin said. “Sometimes I wish I could be you, just so the world would be so awesome all the time.”
“The world is awesome, dude,” Chuy replied with a sideways grin. “Y’all just have a bad attitude. Crazy awesome things are happening all the time.”
“Yo, Justin!” a trio of voices called out from across the clearing. It was a group of boys who were a couple of years older than Justin. They stood up on their pedals, lingering at the top of a path that led deeper into the woods. “We’re hitting Cutter’s Run. Come on!”
“Cool!” Justin shouted back. “Catch up with you in a minute.”
“Catch up?” Carmen asked in surprise. “To those guys? On that trail?”
Justin shrugged, enjoying his chance to show off a little. “Why not?” he replied as he snapped on his bike helmet.
“What about Max?” she asked, sounding a bit worried.
Max stood at attention by his side. His mouth was open and his tail wagging with excitement.
“Keep up if you can, boy.”
Without another word, Justin spun his bike around, shot forward onto the steepest ramp in the clearing, and executed a perfect jump, landing with hardly a sound. His shock absorbers bounced with his weight. Max sprinted close by, following Justin between two trees and down a narrow path that sloped sharply downward.
Justin glanced back to see that Carmen’s eyes were wide with disbelief. Chuy took one look at her and burst out laughing. “Oh, I see. Looks like you don’t know my boy Justin too well yet.”
“I know your boy has problems,” she replied with a shake of her head.
“Come on. Let’s go see just how bad his problems are,” Chuy said as he pushed off to follow Justin. Carmen hopped on her bike and pumped her legs to catch up with Chuy, Justin, and Max.
Now that Carmen was following him, Justin sped up, ready to demonstrate his skills. He loved the moment when the trees closed in all around him. It was as though someone had pulled a shade down over the day, sealing him inside the bright green forest. Light filtered down through the trees and sounds were muted. Justin breathed in sharply through his nose, the pungent scent of wet leaves and dirt filling his nostrils. He rode hard, easily catching up to the older kids in front. Max darted along by his side, his paws barely touching the ground, his tail pointed straight upward. It was almost as if Max already knew every rock and root in the woods. He leaped and sidestepped and hopped through the rough terrain. Justin avoided the bigger boulders, and lifted his wheel over the tangled roots that crisscrossed his path. Together, they zigzagged down the steep hill.
Justin could hear the boys whooping and hollering in front of him, and Chuy gasping for air behind him. Justin and Max rounded a curve and headed down an even steeper stretch of the trail. One of the boys fell. Another swerved to the side, kicking up dirt as he braked. The third kid looked like he was about to collapse from exhaustion.
