How to Save a Life
Summary: Even broken and hurting, Max is still Max. Even breaking apart, the flock is still the flock.
Step one you say we need to talk he walks
You say sit down its just a talk
He smiles politely back at you
You stare politely right on through
"Hi there, Max."
"Hey, Fang."
Awkward silence. It didn't used to be like this! But that's a useless thought. He's off with that 'Fang Gang' of his, making out with Maya probably- my chest seizes up for some reason. It's always like this when I think of them.
Some sort of window to your right
As he goes left and you stay right
Between the lines of fear and blame
You begin to wonder why you came
"So-"
I cut him off and move farther into the diner. "Let's go get a table."
"Yeah, sure."
Totally ignoring my attempts to get a table by the window, he approaches a booth in the corner and slides in.
Have you forgotten? I want to scream at him, other customers and their peace be damned. We always take tables by the window, to watch out for any threat.
We used to, at least.
Why did I even bother to call him here? I start to wonder, slumping in across, a tingling feeling of claustrophobia crawling up my spine.
"Getting confident, huh?" I say, making small talk. "Not claustrophobic anymore?"
"I was never claustrophobic." Lie.
"And Maya helped me out of that paranoia stage."
Screw Maya. What about me? My feelings? Us?
Where did I go wrong?
I lost a friend. Somewhere along in the bitterness
And I would have stayed up with you all night
Had I known how to save a life
"Why did you call me here?"
Because you left. Isn't that obvious? But I don't say that.
"We need to talk. Have you even bothered to think what leaving would do to Angel? She gets afraid I'll leave her every time I go to the grocery store. And Nudge too. Without you here...everything is all wrong."
Let him know that you know best
Cause after all you do know best
Try to slip past his defense
Without granting innocence
He shrugs.
"I made my choice. Maybe you should try that sometime. Get a life, stop living for the Flock."
I choke on my water. "What?!"
"Hey, think about it. Don't you get annoyed sometimes? Go out with Dylan or something. Dates seriously help."
My voice rises in a shout.
"You're talking about dates? I'm talking about us! And our family! What happened to being together forever?"
The customers are starting to stare, but I don't care.
Lay down a list of what is wrong
The things you've told him all along
And pray to god he hears you
I pray to god he hears you
"You leave with some crap about 'for the best', and you go make out with some clone! Why?"
His face is stoic, expressionless.
"It was my fault wasn't it? Why? What did I do?"
I'm standing now, and suddenly I just feel so tired. Please God, help me make this right.
Where did I go wrong?
I lost a friend. Somewhere along in the bitterness
And I would have stayed up with you all night
Had I known how to save a life
"It is your fault. All your fault"
Fangs voice is so quiet, so contained, but I hear the anger. Burning. Lashing out.
As he begins to raise his voice
You lower yours and grant him one last choice
Drive until you lose the road
Or break with the ones you've followed
"You neglected our relationship. You forgot our one month anniversary. You skip dates to bring Nudge to ballet classes, or buy peanut butter for Iggy to blow up."
The waitress hesitates at our table, holding a tray of our food.
Fang ignores her.
"At least Maya understands me. At least she takes time to watch a movie, snuggle in the couch. Your clone is a better kisser than you, Max. She's better at everything."
"So you aren't coming back." Compared to his, my voice is so soft. So quiet.
"If you left The Flock, we could be together again."
Idiot. He knows I won't.
"Then there's no point in continuing this meeting, huh? I...guess I'll see you around sometime."
At the door I turn one last time. "And you can pay the bill."
The car (that we got last week) starts smoothly and I pull onto a random road.
Houses, businesses, trees flash past the window.
Leave the flock. Be with Fang. Why does my life have such difficult decisions to make?
I stop at a dead end and bury my face in my arms.
He will do one of two things
He will admit to everything
Or he'll say he's just not the same
And you'll begin to wonder why you came
Wings flap. Fang lands on the car.
"Max. I just want you to know that I'm not the Fang you knew. I've changed. And...maybe you should too."
Then he's gone.
Where did I go wrong?
I lost a friend. Somewhere along in the bitterness
And I would have stayed up with you all night
Had I known how to save a life
"Fang! Wait!"
Where did I go wrong?
I lost a friend. Somewhere along in the bitterness
And I would have stayed up with you all night
Had I known how to save a life
My last sight of him is wind blown hair, a strangled expression on his face, black wings beating powerfully.
How to save a life
How to save a life
Is there anything you could have done? I ask myself.
Where did I go wrong?
I lost a friend. Somewhere along in the bitterness
And I would have stayed up with you all night
Had I known how to save a life
No. There wasn't. I couldn't do anything.
Where did I go wrong?
I lost a friend. Somewhere along in the bitterness
And I would have stayed up with you all night
Had I known how to save a life
But...if I had...
How to save a life
How to save a life
I'd always imagined us marrying on a sunny, cloudless morning, on a windswept cliff overlooking the ocean, the Flock all around us.
A/N: So...Um...Yeah... Not a happy ending... Anyways since so many authors are probably doing fluffy stories I decided I'd be a rebel! *crickets*... Aaaanyways... I'll be posting a new chapter for To Fly soon (shameless plug...) ! Be on the lookout!
Oh and check out Maddi Jane's cover of If This Was a Movie. It. Is so. AWESOME.
Happy Valentines Day everyone!