It's been weeks, and Ridger still can't find anything about Maxene. Everything that they've read about her has been positive. However, he still feels like there was something strange about her that he couldn't pinpoint.
"Are you okay, brother?" Lianey asked Ridger, who was currently driving. Beside him was Dave, who was in a deep sleep because he slept late last night and it was still seven in the morning. They planned to meet up with Maxene and Nathan at the cafe to continue with their postponed plan to finish their work together.
Ridger looked at Lianey and through the mirror and replied, "Yes, why'd you ask?"
"You seem troubled lately," Lianey uttered, crossing her arms while raising an eyebrow. These days, she could notice how bothered her brother was, and there were times she caught him staring at Maxene. Lianey is starting to wonder if he likes her, but it's too early to conclude that. Besides, Ridger never shows interest in a girl.
"What do you mean?" Ridger asked while he was still focused on the road.
Lianey smiled and shook her head, deciding not to say what was on her mind. "Nevermind, I was probably overanalyzing things," she replied, trying to dismiss the conversation. Whatever it is, she will find out soon enough since she knows that Ridger won't tell her the truth anyway.
When they arrived at the place, they saw Nathan sitting alone at the table. No other customer was there, and it was the perfect place for them.
"Wow, you're early," Lianey blurted out the moment they entered the cafe.
Nathan removed his earphones and nodded at them. "My dad dropped me off," he replied.
"But why? Where's your motor?" Dave asked and sat beside him, then paused as if he realized something. "Are you grounded too?" he exclaimed, his eyes widening.
Meanwhile, Ridger and Nathan exchanged glances as if they were talking via telepathy. Lianey noticed that and said, "What happened?" before sitting down in front of him.
Nathan sighed and answered monotonously, "We just had a fight. Nothing big." The truth is, his father found out that he had been digging up confidential information about Maxene, and he was furious. He confiscated everything he found out about Maxene and even took her motorcycle key. He wasn't grounded, but now he has to commute home or have his driver pick him up. His father just dropped him off at the cafe to see if he was really heading there to do their project.
Nathan just can't understand why his father was so mad when he did the same thing with Ridger's father. In fact, Nathan's father was Richard Miller, Geniere Falcon's secretary and second-hand. Although he has his own business, he still works with Geniere because of their strong friendship. It just doesn't make sense.
Because of what happened, Ridger decided not to involve Nathan in his investigation. Ridger knows Nathan's father is strict, and he didn't want to tarnish the relationship between the two. Ridger thought that he must do this himself, but Nathan felt bad that he couldn't help his friend anymore.
Meanwhile, Dave doesn't know anything about this, as the two decided not to involve him. Given Dave's reputation for having a slick tongue, they are reluctant to take a risk.
"That's too bad," Lianey uttered while Dave laughed because they were finally in the same situation.
"Not really; I don't really have to commute my way home. The driver can still pick me up until Dave," Nathan responded and smirked at Dave.
Dave pouted and said, "So unfair."
Ridger changed the subject, saying, "Let's just order while we wait for Maxene. What should I get for her, Lian?"
Lianey took the time to think and replied, "Anything not too sweet, I think."
"I got it," Ridger replied, then he asked the others what they wanted before heading to the counter. After that, Maxene arrived wearing casual clothes: denim shorts that reach up to her knees, a tucked-in t-shirt, and white sneakers with high socks.
Maxene and Ridger's eyes met, and she did not dare look away; so did he. Her attention was just taken when Lianey called her name.
"Max, you are finally here!"
Maxene smiled at her and responded, "I'm sorry for keeping you all waiting."
"It's fine! We just got here too. Besides, we just came too early. You're in fact right on time," Lianey said while staring at her watch. Well, it wasn't her idea to go early. Ridger just has the hobby of being an early bird. Maxene doesn't like keeping people waiting either, but she decided not to come too early.
"Hi, Maxene! What's up?" Dave greeted her with a smile as usual.
"Good, you?"
Dave smiled from ear to ear and said, "I'll get my car keys in a week, so yeah, pretty good too!" He seemed so excited just thinking about it.
Meanwhile, Nathan looked at her and uttered, "It seems like your campaign is doing great."
"Yeah, even my classmates know her!" Dave exclaimed. "It's no surprise, though. Our Maxene is so pretty. She could win the election," he added with a beam.
Meanwhile, Ridger seemed to have heard that as he headed back to their table. "Pretty is not enough to be a leader," he blurted out, but when he realized how he sounded, he immediately said, "You know what I mean, right? You have to prove yourself too."
"Isn't that how Rosie always won too? Because she's pretty and famous?" Dave responded casually, causing Nathan and Lianey to almost laugh.
"In Rosie's defense, she's also experienced," Ridger stated, then looked at Maxene. He put his arms on the table, leaned in a bit, and asked, "Are you?"
Lianey paused because of what her brother said. She wanted to pinch her brother, but he was too far from her. She knows what Ridger is trying to do because he's done this with several students to test them, but she feels embarrassed that he's doing this with Maxene too.
On the other hand, what he said made Maxene smile. She knows that he's right, but agreeing with him will make it look like she doesn't deserve the position.
Maxene leaned closer to the table because Ridger was sitting in front of her and responded, "Just because someone has been leading for a long time doesn't mean she's more capable of leading than the new one. You will have to reflect on the past and assess whether they performed admirably while holding the position, and if not, perhaps it is time to replace them with a more suitable candidate. Someone who might not have experience but shows great potential for leading just by her performance. What do you think? Unless you like sticking with the things that you're used to. Afraid of taking risks by trusting someone new."
What she said rendered Ridger speechless, but he did not break eye contact while the three traded glances. They could feel the tension between the two, but at the same time, they were in awe because of how Maxene was able to show her confidence towards Ridger, whom most people were intimidated by.
Maxene knew that her last statement struck deep in his heart because it was true. Everyone at the table knows how distrusting he is. Of course, he'd disagree with having her in the office.
Ridger wanted to prove her wrong, but he couldn't find the words to say because she was right. So, instead, he leaned back and rested his back on his chair while still looking at her in the eyes.
"It is only natural to have a hard time putting your trust in others, so there is nothing wrong with that. It is not fear; it is using your head to avoid being taken advantage of. Trust is something we all have to work hard for. And if you can prove yourself, why won't others put their trust in you?" Ridger remarked, not willing to lose the conversation.
"If that's what you really believe, then maybe you should stop questioning people and let them prove themselves," Maxene said while raising an eyebrow.
Meanwhile, Lianey decided to step up because everyone was getting uncomfortable. "I think we should start doing what we're for so we won't waste time. Right guys?" she blurted out and glanced at Nathan and Dave, who nodded their heads.
Ridger has always been indisputable, which is why Nathan was amused watching him being pushed back this far, especially by someone they thought was average. Nathan's starting to think that Maxene's better than Rosie at this point.
He pondered, "They actually looked good together; if only Ridger didn't find her suspicious, they might work."
–
End of Chapter 19