I know, this has been done a million times to death, but truthfully I have never really liked anyone's version that much. (Although, if you know a good one I can look at for comparisons, that would be awesome.) People were just too out of character for my taste in most that I've read. So hopefully this will be as in character as possible. I had some weird inspiration while re-reading the series before ANGEL came out. Which I have read and am willing to talk about with anyone else who has! Just saying :)
I'd love to hear any feedback on how it compares. I feel like I did a pretty good job with the characters, but a second opinion is always appreciated.

FPOV-

It was lunch period so I instinctively went to the cafeteria. Wrong choice. Even though only about half the school had lunch right then, it was filled with hundreds of kids. Through the throngs of people I managed to spot Iggy and the Gasman eating their meals together. After considering it, I inconspicuously slipped out of the cafeteria, making my way silently down the hallway.

Turning a few familiar corners, I spotted a deserted classroom. It looked much more promising then attempting to get along with a couple hundred block-brained kids. So, pushing open the door, I dropped my backpack on a desk close to the wall. Hopping up on the table, I took out my bird-kid sized lunch.

We had survived our first week of school, today starting our second one and it was already getting old. This learning stuff wasn't too helpful since we had never had any other form of education before in our lives. If we tried we might have known a little something about science, but even that was limited. Street smarts was what kept us alive, not algebra or knowing whom the twenty-second president of the United States was.

Polishing off the last of my apple, I went to throw away my trash in the can by the door. Right as I was about to turn back and cross the room, Lissa, that girl from my first day, appeared at the window. She smiled, surprised, and waved at me energetically. I nodded noncommittally at her. Apparently she took that as an invitation to come right on in. Had it not occurred to her that I didn't want anyone in here with me? (Okay, maybe Max, but she was in class.) Usually, when a person is in an empty classroom alone, it was for a reason.

"Hey, Nick!" Lissa said, smiling.

"Hi," I replied, giving her maybe an eighth of a smile just to humor her. All right, so it was more of a lip twitch, but it seemed to work well enough.

I walked back over to my backpack and took my water bottle out. Lissa followed, still smiling, and stood in front of me with a hand on her hip. My eyes subconsciously trailed it and I realized the curve that shaped the side of her body. Immediately removing my gaze, I fiddled with my water bottle, trying not to flush.

"How are you liking the school so far?" she questioned, sweeping her dark red hair over one shoulder.

I shrugged. "It's fine."

"You'll get used to it in no time. The academics are pretty rigorous, but the people here are all really friendly," she promised earnestly. Serious, how much more of this uncomfortable situation did I have to go through before she'd get the hint and leave? "Why aren't you eating in the commons?"

"Don't like crowds," I muttered and took a big swig of water to avoid saying anything more.

"Oh." Yeah.

Lissa took another half step towards me so we were… interestingly close. The expression on her face changed from smiling and perky to Fang's a piece of meat that I'd like to sink my teeth into. I gulped silently, feeling myself get warm under the collar of my ridiculous dress shirt.

Reason number 27 why the flock should steer clear of schools.

"I'm going to be blunt with you. I know you've only been here for barely a week, but I'm very, very attracted to you. You're the total silent, mysterious type ad let's face it, completely hot," she said, still inching closer with every word. And the nearer Lissa drew, the harder it became to keep my face impassive. I was never really briefed on how to deal with a pretty girl obviously throwing herself at me. If a book is ever written about how to work your way through the situation, give me a shout out.

"Think of this as my special welcome to our school," Lissa whispered.

Placing her hands on my chest, she pushed me back none too gently into the wall. At first I tensed impulsively, ready to attack, until Lissa plastered herself to me and stretched up, pressing a pair of warm lips against my own. My mind automatically went haywire, not a coherent thought in my head, but the body must be programmed to respond naturally when kissed. It wasn't like I had any idea what in the hell I was actually doing. With my hands on her waist, I had a conflicting moment. It would have been too easy to push her away, that girl I barely knew. For a second I was so close, too… but in reality, the feeling was so foreign and exciting, I didn't. Instead, of their own accord, my arms pulled the unfamiliar girl nearer, tilting my head to kiss her better.

Her fingers wrapped smoothly into my hair, like she'd done it a dozen other times, with a dozen other guys, a dozen of other kisses. Every move she made told of the experience she possessed and emphasized my lack thereof. With that sudden awareness, I gently pulled back and pushed her away.

"Welcome to St. Vincent's," Lissa murmured, straightening my out of place collar. After a secretive smile, she left me to my thoughts… my very confused and jumbled thoughts. Watching her and those hypnotizing hips swish out of the room, I leaned against the wall and slid to the ground with a thump.

Good lord, that really just happened. My first real kiss, that was so much more than a simple kiss. Much less from someone I'd scarcely known a week. Well, it was the first kiss I got that I was completely conscious for. This was all absolutely crazy. Wait until I told Max about- Oh, my God. Max. What would she say? It wasn't secret she kissed me back a few months ago, even if we never spoke of it again. (On a side note, why was it the girls were the ones kissing me, never the other way around?)

Okay, so maybe Max would never have to find out. Something about Max finding out another girl kissed me, and I kissed her back, sort of made my stomach tangle into one large, messy knot. I seriously felt like I was going to hurl. Me, who used to fight Erasers every other day and spent all my life in fear of mad scientists. That stuff I could handle, easy as pie. Dealing with girls? Just shoot me now.

Ever since that night in New York, I had to do some major thinking about Max's and mine relationship. We'd always been close, understood each other without words and always had the others back. Lately, I'd been sensing that something had shifted between us. There were thoughts in my head I'd never had about her before, or any girl for that matter, thoughts that made me hot under the collar when revisited. She unintentionally messed with my head and caused me to do or say stuff completely out of character.

Like that whole scene in her room a few weeks back, Max all in her towel and my brain all trying not to explode. Normally, the flock wasn't shy or awkward around one another and walking through the house like that before we were on the run was kind of typical. Yet, there was something about how freaked out Max was about maybe changing that made the situation different. Around her lately, I just hadn't been me. When I looked back on what I'd do later, I usually had an urge to bash my head into a wall for my actions. And while I might have been unknowingly opening up to her, Max behaved just as guarded as ever, making me feel even more stupid.

Then, there was Lissa. Lissa, who came on to me after only a week and outright said I was hot and mysterious. If that wasn't a serious ego booster, I had no clue what was. Our kiss was hot, no doubt, and it felt mind-boggling. Being wanted was always a wonderful feeling, especially if it was by someone normal who didn't want to dissect my brain. But no matter how good it felt, there was nothing there for me. Physically, of course, I was attracted to her. I was a fourteen-year-old boy with gradually spiking hormone levels, no duh I was attracted. But was there any spark to our kiss? Nope. Zip. Nada. I felt more spark while half unconscious and with a spit lip.

Sighing in frustration, I whacked m head against the wall a couple times. Distantly I heard the bell ringing to signal the end of lunch. It took me about 1.7 seconds to decide I wasn't going to my next class. Yeah, yeah only my second week and I was already a skipper. Well, between you, me, and the wall it wasn't the first time. Somehow, I imagined life would go on if I didn't show up for geometry. Luckily for me, whichever teacher had this classroom had no class this period.

Instead of going to my last two classes of the day, I stayed in the classroom and library. I spent all of fifth period in the empty classroom, mulling things over and most likely over analyzing every little bit of emotion and thought I'd ever felt. Okay, so maybe I wasn't that deep, but I did decide that whatever the heck occurred between Lissa and I was a one-time deal. Until I could sort out my Max situation, anything girl associated was put on hold. Or nonexistent.

God, look at me. Two months ago I was sleeping in a tree, too twitchy to sleep and wondering when my next substantial meal might be. Now, there I was, worried about girls. The fates sure liked to shake stuff up for me every once in a while.

During sixth period I had to vacate the room for a twelfth grade social studies class, so I went to the library media lab as an alternative. Mr. Lazzara didn't ask too many questions about my being there. Instantly I had liked this guy. He was so chill and understood kids didn't like the third degree.

Logging onto a computer, I went to my blog I'd started up a couple days before. There I basically went public with the flock's story. Already it was gaining popularity. I figured that someone, somewhere, had to stumble across it and hand over any valuable information. As far as the whole save-the-world thing went, we required all the help we could get.

Later that evening at dinner, after the out of the blue Eraser attack, we ate like rabid wolves, starving from the fight. Conversation was going on, but I paid more attention to the food on my plate. It wasn't like I usually took center stage in any of it anyway.

"How about you, Nick? Anything interesting happen at school, today?" Anne asked. It was such a mundane, normal question that it still surprised me every time she asked.

I looked at her, slowing chewing my pasta, trying to determine if she was implying anything. She did work for the FBI supposedly, so if she somehow knew about what happened this afternoon it really wouldn't have surprised me that much. Embarrassed me and make me pissed, yes. Shocked, not so much. Especially if the school called saying I missed classes. That would be just dandy. Wow, just thinking the word dandy felt so wrong on many levels.

Although, her face seemed totally clear of guilt and looked genuinely curious.

"Nope," I said, hoping she didn't notice my evident pause. But Anne believed me and moved on. After a while she had not learned to press me into talking. It got her nowhere.

That night, as the kids were being tucked into bed by both Max and Anne separately, Max almost backed into me coming out of Angel's room. She spun around, looked pretty weirded out.

"They down?" I asked.

"They're beat," she nodded, running a hand through her hair. Obviously they weren't the only ones. "School really takes it out of them. And then, of course, Erasers."

Of all the things to wear them out: regular school.

"Yeah," I agreed, watching Anne leave Nudge's room. She told us good night and then went to bed herself. Looking back to Max, I saw her jaw muscle tighten and eyes stare icily at Anne's back.

"She's taking my place," Max blurted, then bit her lip. She didn't like admitting stuff like that. Even at only fourteen, she tried so hard to do it all.

"You're a fighter, not a mom," I replied softly, shrugging.

Max stared at me with a surprised hurt in her eyes, her mouth opening slightly. Sure, she was a great mother for the kids, but it was her ability to fight with everything she had that made her our leader.

"I can't be both?" she hissed. "You think I'm a lousy mom? What, because I'm not girly enough, is that it? Not like that girl with the red hair, stuck to you like glue!"

All right, so operation make sure Max never found out about that kiss was a no go.

Without warning, Max's hands came up and shoved my shoulders back, hard. I only took one step backwards before regaining my balance. Then, I instinctively pushed her back and she hit the wall. She stood there with her cheeks flushed red, clenching her fists and nearly shaking with rage. The expression she wore said she'd rather be anywhere else in the world right then and her eyes wouldn't meet mine. I didn't feel sorry in the least.

What was that outburst about? It couldn't be just about being a good mom or a bad mom. My thoughts were too muddled to figure out how she discovered that Lissa and I kissed. And it wasn't like she had never kissed me before. I was more concerned with why she would bother bringing it up. Could she have been jealous?

Walking up to her until our faces were mere inches apart, I peered down curiously at her. "You're girly enough. If I recall," I muttered. Max still wouldn't meet my gaze as her face flamed with recognition. I tried a different approach. "And you've been a great mom. But you're only fourteen and you shouldn't have to be a mom," I reminded her gently. "Give yourself ten years or so."

Feeling like I'd done enough damage control for one night, I brushed past her as she stood there stiffly, obviously thinking about what I'd said. Halfway down the hallway, I remembered something.

"By the way, I've started a blog," I said over my shoulder. "I'm using the computers at school. Against all the rules, of course." That was me. The rebel. "Fang's blog. Check it out sometime… Mom," I chuckled before going to my room. The blog was probably information Max would be interested in. As our leader, it was her job to stick her nose into every single little thing the flock was up to.

Well, so far the whole, stay away from problems with girls was going super well. Particularly when the girl I potentially liked a ton believed I liked another girl, when I didn't really even though she caught us kissing, yet I'd led that girl on to believe I did. Huh, tell me when you have this figure out, because those girls were going to be the death of me.