A/N: Writing to me is like riding down a 30 story roller coaster while sipping a Mc. Donald's milkshake. Pure awesomeness. So I hope you can share some of that awesomeness-feeling by reading this story that I wrote. It's post-FANG so there's a bit of a spoiler in the beginning. So if you haven't read FANG, read it. Because all of the MR books are too good not to be read. Alright- now time for my story. Enjoy!
He was gone. Gone… forever according to him. Fang left and said he'll never come back. One year ago that would have been devasting. I would have lost my best-friend and second man in command. But now, now I've lost the love of my life and how do I handle it? I sit in my room and sob. Me, Maximum Ride, crying, locked inside my room. That was it.
Get up, I told myself. This is not what a good leader does. When Fang left he said I was to be the best leader the group could have. He also mentioned I was pretty, funny, nice- and to forget him! Grr… don't get sidetracked. The group needs you.
With that I stood up. My legs were a bit wobbly, as if I had just been on a long flight. I walked over to the mirror. God, I was a mess. My hair was a bird's nest (just to go along with the wings…) and my face was wet and red, from where I rubbed it. My eyes were puffy and pink. I picked up my hair brush, causing an envelope to glide off of it. Tears started to form in my eyes, but I ignored them and struggling to brush through my tangled hair do.
When I finished making myself look as casual as possible, aka if is I had not been crying in my room for days, I opened my door. Nudge was slouching against the wall, sleeping. She was listening to her i-pod earlier. One of her earbuds was in her ear, the other on the floor. Fashion magazines were piled around her. She had been waiting for me to come out. Those butterflies that came so often when I was with Fang came fluttering back. I almost cried, I was such a wimp, but instead I sat down next to Nudge.
I took out her other earbud and wrapped the cords up. I stacked up the magazines and put the i-pod on top in a nice, neat pile and put in on the top of the stairs. Then I gave Nudge a faint, but meaningful hug. Her eyes fluttered opened, surprised. She tensed as if in danger (we're bird-kids, that's what we do when we wake up to find someone's arms wrapped around us) but smiled when she saw me. Then she hugged me back.
"Oh Max!" she said. "I've missed you sooooo much! So many things have happened. I gave Angel a makeover, she looks great! But then Iggy and Gazzy blew up my make-up kit and I got so mad! But the make-up was okay, of course, just the kit was broken. So now I don't know what to do with all the make-up. I tried putting them in a bunch of jars but Iggy got mad and said he cooks with them and I told him that it was his own fault he blew up my make-up so I-"
"Nudge," I said cutting her off. Seriously people, enough is enough.
"Right, sorry," she said. "How are you doing? Do you miss Fang a lot? I know I do. But it's different for you of course since you… you know, loved him," – I was about to object, then realized it was pointless and only blushed – "I hope he comes home soon. I mean, he will come home soon. Please don't cry. Don't worry Max, we're here for you. All four of us, five if you include Dylan. Dylan's really nice Max. You don't have you love him, but, at least like him. He's helped out the group and all. He was really worried about you. He'll be thrilled that you're all right! Ooh, I should go tell him," she babbled.
I sighed. "Come on Nudge. Let's go downstairs first. You hungry?" I asked, already knowing the answer.
"Extremely!" announced Nudge, grinning. "Iggy promised he'd make a spectacular breakfast when you came out of your room. I'm going to go tell him." With that she charged down the stairs. Poor Iggy.
I walked slowly, gripping onto the rail for balance. Man, I felt like such an old lady.
"Need help?" asked Dylan, coming from behind me. Startled, I almost fell down the stairs. I wouldn't have minded help. From Fang. But from Dylan? I'd rather eat Gazzy's underwear.
"No," I replied. "I've walked down these stairs for the past year I don't think I'll be needing any help from you."
Then I stormed away as angrily as I could with wobbly legs and down stairs. Then I very angrily fell on my butt.
Mortified, I tried to stand up. But I couldn't.
"Max," said Dylan, sitting next to where I was sitting like a baby bird that just fell out of a tree. "I don't expect you to love me. You love Fang. I know that. Just, give me a chance to… help you. Be a friend. Please?" He smiled holding his hand out to me, his bright blue eyes glimmering and smile shining. He looked like he belonged on the cover of a magazine. Not next to me.
He took my hand and helped me up. Reluctantly, I let him. "Thanks," I muttered, looking down.
"Anytime," he replied.
I stormed away from him and he didn't follow me. I turned the corner into the kitchen.
I looked around.
Iggy and Mom were crouched over the stove cooking something that would make Chef Cousine sit down and ask for a menu. Nudge and Angel were sitting at the table, cheek to cheek, reading some clothing magazine and pointing to it, exclaiming, "Ooh!", "Ah!", and "Can I have that?" Gazzy was sitting in the corner messing around with something round, black, and making ticking noises.
Since everyone was occupied, no one saw me as I slowly made my way over to Gazzy. I snatched the ball out of his hands and looked at it. It was counting down from 00:00:30, 00:00:29, 00:00:28!
"Hey!" Gazzy yelled, jumping up, causing everyone in the room to turn around, clutching the nearest object to them that could be used as a weapon.
"Really, Ella? An eraser?" I asked, looking at the pink cube she had in her raised hand.
"Hey, they seem to freak you guys out daily," she replied.
"Max!" Iggy yelled, "It's gonna blow! Give it back to the Gas Man!"
"What is this?" I yelled throwing the bomb back to Gazzy. "Your morning soduko?"
"Sorta?" he replied feebly. He had only 10 more seconds to figure it out.
"Iggy you are so dead if that goes off!" I yelled. "Throw it out the window Gazzy!"
"Max calm down!" he shouted back at me.
Calm down? Calm down! I just came out of my room for the first time in days, have the person I hate treat me like the elderly and I come down stairs to find my little brother desentangling a time bomb? And they ask me to calm down?
"Now Gazzy! Or she's gonna blow," informed Iggy to Gazzy.
"Fine," he said, disapointed. He flipped over the bomb and pressed a big red button with the word Off on it. Oh, so I could have just turned it off? Great. More humiliation.
I couldn't take it anymore. I couldn't look at them. I had to go back upstairs. And maybe go find Fang.
But maybe I shouldn't.
What is with this? How could he do this to me? He left me. I should be mad at him. In fact, furious. What have I done to myself? These kids look up to me. They believe in me. They expect me to be their leader and all I've proven to be is a mental wreck.
Maybe I would go find Fang. But the reunion would not be like those in the Disney movies. Think more ninja warrior movies.
I turned on my heel and was about to walk back upstairs when-
"No, Max. Stop right there," demanded the Dark Angel, evolving from the shadows (remind you of a special somebody?).
I hate it when she reads my mind like that. But what right did she have over me?
"No," I replied sternly, walking. It was a strict no, a no that you didn't respond to.
"I know where he is, Max. And I know how you can get him back. But you can't, Max. You can't."
Why can't Max go? Where is Fang? What is Angel talking about? All that and more after this quick comercial break.
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