so many questions

This was out of the blue. Max didn't know what to say when Josie found him alone on break in the dining area at the grocery store.

"You have a minute?" She asked all decked out in her beautiful crochet scarf and hat. She was alone. No baby. No Ian. Max couldn't imagine why she'd want to talk to him.

"Sure." He shrugged as he was dipping a fry in nacho cheese. He'd loved this stuff since he was a baby. But he never let himself have it, often.

"I..I just wondered if..if you knew what was up with Daisy?" She took a seat at the booth. He scooted his fries closer but she wouldn't try it.

"Daisy?" Her name sounded so foreign now. He looked at Josie, baffled. "I wouldn't know." Max wasn't sure he wanted to know, anymore. He'd heard rumor that she'd taken to some football player. Except he didn't know who, and she certainly wasn't in the spotlight of popularity, either.

"I really did try to fix her up with this friend of mine, but she was such a downer." Josie winced as she told him about the concert with Zak.

"Huh?" Max bit into a fry as his thick hair hid his eyes hoping he didn't look too disconcerted. He didn't want to say he missed her. He had, but not now.

"Do you know what's wrong with her?" Josie scowled. "Did something happened?"

"I would be the last to know." He tried to smile, but couldn't. A part of him felt for sure this was all his fault, but Daisy was the one who said he wasn't any fun. He felt like he'd been holding her back. He didn't mean too.

"Then..." Josie said it as if something really awful happened at the concert. "She ups and leaves with Derrick? What's up with that, Max?"

Her seriousness shook him as if something was definitely wrong if Daisy were with Derrick. It was as if Josie wanted him to fix it.

"Maybe..maybe they..are..just ..friends." Max said as he pondered. He and Josie never really talked to each other when Max was with Daisy. Actually, he thought Daisy hated Derrick with a passion. Of course, that passion might have a downfall.

"You and Sara should hang out with Ian and me." Josie smiled as if she wouldn't dwell on Daisy and Derrick.

"Um, yeah." Max bit a smile. It was hard to think now that he'd ever actually dated Josie. Of course, it felt so false, even now. Yet it felt good to really be her friend. Maybe she was more of a friend to Daisy than even Daisy knew.