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I took a deep breath. Here goes nothing.

Why so tense you ask? It's the single most frightening day in a teenager's life. The first day of high school. This is where in the first four seconds every kid would be placed into a stereotypical group. Advise: make a good impression. The next four years of your life depend on it.

Most kids spend hours picking out their outfit for the first day of school two weeks before school even starts. Me? I prefer the last minute scramble and usually a nice early morning sprint to the bus stop. For some reason that big yellow tin can comes just in time so that I have to show some serious hustle to catch it…

As I walked through the front doors I tried to conceal my uneasiness. Did you know seniors can smell fear?

I navigated my way to my little half locker and tried my first attempt at opening it. No dice. Again. Once more 33-0-14. Denied. Of course this would happen to me on the very first-

The hair on the back of my neck prickled, "Need help?" I must've jumped about three feet. Behind me was standing a tall, dark haired, olive skinned, gorgeo- no stop! You don't even know this guy.

"Uh…" The guy swiftly slipped the scrap of paper containing my locker combo out of my hand.

In one smooth motion my locker swung open, "Turn it a few times first er…"

"Max," I said, filling in his pause.

"Fang," he said flashing a small smile so quick I wasn't sure if I'd really seen it.

The bell rang and he shot me a quick look as he sauntered off. Utterly confused, I headed to my first class, Ancient Civ. Not that I could concentrate on anything besides my first live high school encounter.

My next class was English. As I entered the room and took my seat towards the back of the room, a girl sat next to me.

"Hey, I'm Dakota," she said cheerfully holding out her hand.

I shook it and introduced myself, "Max."

We got to talking and as the teacher started rattling off the class expectations, we continued our conversation in hushed tones, "Don't worry," she reassured me. "The upperclassmen pretty much ignore you unless it has to do with a guy they want or something. Trust me I had to take a few classes here last year because I'm a few years ahead in certain subjects." She shrugged.

"I don't think that'll be too much of a problem with me," I said forcing out a laugh.

The bell rang once again and we were off to our connect classes.

"What lunch do you have?"

I scanned my schedule, "A, you?"

"Awesome, same. See you then?"

"Sure."

I walked into my connect class and discovered that we already had a seating chart. I mean honestly? I sat in my designated desk. The desks were set in pairs and I was on the left. Kids filed in and filled all of the desks except for the one next to me.

The teacher began taking attendance and the door of the classroom opened. Everyone turned. Take a wild guess who it was. Yep, Fang. He dropped his black backpack that matched the rest of his wardrobe on the ground and plopped down in the desk next to me.

"Nice of you to join us Nicholas," the teacher directed the comment at Fang.

I shot him a questioning look. He merely blinked.

Once role was finished, a guy two tables away flew a paper airplane at me. I snatched it out of the air and glared at him. He mouthed "open it" and put his hands together and moved them apart like he was opening a book. I cocked an eyebrow but proceeded with unfolding the airplane

688-7924

Hey you look great today.

Call me.

Ari

I flashed a fake smile at him so as not to give off the bitch aura. As soon as he looked away I crumpled up the paper and shot it at the trash can. "Pig," I muttered as the paper arrived at its designated destination. "Yes!" I pumped my hand in the air in victory.

Fang just snickered. Hey, a sign of life.

"What?"

Fang shook his head and smiled, "You're funny."

Inwardly I exploded with excitement. But on the outside, "Oh yeah?"

"Yeah," Fang kept grinning but only slightly.

"What lunch do you have Nicholas?" I put extra emphasis on Nicholas.

Fang grimaced at my mention of the name, "A. It's Fang."

The next two weeks went by more or less in the same manor as the first day. Dakota had become one of my closest friends as had Fang.

In connect Monday of the third week:

"You guna' do wrestling? A big burly guy like you," I grabbed one of Fang's arms and held it up in a flexing position.

Fang chuckled, "I'm not so comfortable with the whole concept of guys in tights grabbing at each other." Fang pretended to shudder.

"Good choice. If you did you'd never hear the end of it from me," I smiled at him.

I looked across the room and Ari made eye contact with me, winking. I looked back at Fang, seeing him scowl at Ari. Ari shot Fang the bird and went back to talking with his group of meat heads.

Ari and his friends were sophomores and extremely muscular and big. They were all on the football team.

Fang was on the football team too, but like me, he was a freshman. I have no idea how he put up with those losers.

"You comin' to the game tonight?" Fang asked.

"Are you kidding? I wouldn't miss it for the world."

Once school was over, I walked back to my house which was only a few blocks away from the school. I punched in the code to the garage and winced as the spring made a lound sqeek. I hoped and prayed that it hadn't woken my mom up. Why? Because when I was five my dad left us and to make up for it, Mom has been the most rediculously overpretective caring parent anyone could ever hope be.

I turned the knob on the door slowly and tiptoed inside, instinctively looking back over my shoulder. As I took a step inside the door, my foot bumped somthing fluffy and, "Maximum Ride Martinez!"

I yelled, "Ahh!"

My mom shuffled towards me in her fluffy pink slippers forcing me back into the garage and jabbing a finger at my chest, "Were you trying to sneak on up to your room without even saying hello to your own mother?" She composed her face into what she thought was a hurt expression.

I rubbed the back of my neck and avoided her piercing eyes, "Uh, no Mom of course not, I er, just have a boat load of homework and you know, so I, gota go bye!" I took off running, barely escaping her grasp.

"Honey, is this about boys? Are you being safe?" My mom shouted as i darted up the stairs two at a time.

I reached my room and threw the door shut behind me. I plopped down on my bed. I have got to get out of here.

Even though the game didn't start until six and it was almost four, I needed an excuse to get out of this house.

I discarded my current shirt and traded it for a purple one so that I'd match the team. Then I grabbed my hoodie and opened my door, "Mom I'm going to the game! Be back at ten."

"Young lady you are not going out on a school night, if you leave this house-" my mom ranted on as I shut my door.

I opened my window, removed the screen, and stepped onto the roof. Strolling over to the top of the basketball hoop, I jumped and grabbed ahold of the rim. I swung back and forth a few times and dropped to the ground.

I knew all of the players would still be there because they always stayed after school durring home games even though warm-ups didn't start until five. I figured I'd go find Fang and chill for a while before the game. And you know keep him out of trouble.

"Hey hotshot," I said, playfully punching him on the shoulder.

"Easy, don't bruise the merchendise," he said rubbing his shoulder with a smile. "Oh shit," his smile faultered.

"What?" I looked around.

"I have to take care of something real quick," he started towards the locker room.

"Ahem, best friend, information?" I said, beginning to get annoyed.

"It's just guy stuff I'll be back in a sec," he opened the door to the locker room and was out of sight.

I shook my head. This isn't right. Then I heard raised voices coming from inside. I couldn't take it anymore, I cracked the door slightly and gasped at what I saw, "So you actually had the balls to come." Ari sneered at Fang. Fang barely even blinked. "Your girl, Maxie, she's mine now, got it," Ari started getting closer to Fang.

"She's not a piece of meat, and you know that she would kick your ass right now for even thinking something like that," Fang said calmly although I swear I could see him quivering in anger.

A smile flickered across my face.

At this point Ari's two friends/minions charged Fang, pinning him up against the lockers. "Think you're pretty smart eh?" Ari said, holding Fang's face so he couldn't look away.

"Smarter than you, but that doesn't take very much," Fang muttered.

Ari wound up and threw a hard right hook at Fang. Blood flew from Fangs mouth, splattering the lockers.

That was my breaking point, "Stay away from him you son of a bitch!" I screamed as I tackled Ari with all of my strength.

We toppled over a bench before landing with a thud on the floor. I was now strattling him and as hard as I could, I puched him, aiming for his jaw but hitting his nose. A sickening crunch sounded as blood began to gush down his face. Nobody had really registered until now what had happened. Ari arched his back and threw me off. As a result I hit the lockers that Fang was pinned against. "Thought you could use some help," I said panting heavily.

"I've got this completely under control," he argued, blood dripping down his chin.

"Clearly," I said as Ari scrambled up off the floor and made a beeline for me.

"You whore," he cursed at me. I sidestepped him as he ran into the lockers but I wasn't fast enough. He clipped my right shoulder which made me loose my balance and I tripped over another bench.

Ari grabbed my upper arm, lifting me off the floor like I weighed nothing, "Wach this." He sneered at Fang. I was then thrown against the wall oposite of Fang.

"Knock it off Ari, this isn't about her," Fang shouted from across the room.

"But it is," Ari said smiling back at me. He looked pretty sinister with the blood from his nose running into his mouth and all.

All I saw, was Ari's elbow coming from my right side, and then a flash of light. For a moment, my legs couldn't support my body and I dropped. I felt a warm stream of blood trickle down my temple.

"No!" Fang struggled hard against his restaints to no avail.

Ari stepped over me, making sure to kick my stomach on the way, "You see now, you see how much easier it would've been to just give up the first time I asked? Then nobody would've gotten hurt. This is all your fault."

Fang's eyes filled with anger, hate, and remorse.

As Ari continued with his speech, I slowly got to my knees and eventually to my feet, "Lier." I said quietly as I crouched down, shoving my shoulder into his back, forcing him into one of his goons who lost his grip on Fang.

Fang spun, driving his fist into the face of the guy still holding him. He dropped like a rock. Fang looked at the other guy with pure loathing. When he saw Fang's expression, he held his hands up in the universal sign of surrender and booked it out of the locker room.

Turning to Ari, Fang grabbed him by the throat and thrust him against the wall.

"What's going on?" All of our heads turned to face Iggy, senior captain of the football team, standing in the doorway.

Ari began to speak, "Igs, thank God you're here, I was just opening my locker when Fang jumped me and Craig here." He gestured to the guy moaning on the ground.

"Fang." Iggy cocked an eyebrow at Fang and he removed his hand from Ari's neck reluctantly.

"You're in for it now," Ari shot at Fang under his breath.

"Batcheldor, get yourself cleaned up and then I want four ladders," Iggy snapped at Ari.

"What? But I, and he, and," Ari stuttered.

"Now." Iggy stated with authority.

Ari sauntered off past Iggy and as he looked back, he shot Fang the bird.

"Five ladders," Iggy stated.

"Shit," Ari let out.

"If you really want six..."

"I'm going!" Ari shouted.

I painfully slumped down against the wall, having had enough excitement for the night.

Iggy grimaced at Fang, "You know, this looks pretty bad. But I know you'd never do anything to hurt Max so I've gotch you on this one, but I can't always make a cover story. Coach is going to wonder what happened to Batcheldor's nose and I can't just tell them that you broke it-" Iggy stopped when Fang smiled and shook his head. Iggy looked at me. "Erm... Ok, I guess that works." He rubbed the back of his head and then truned away. As he was almost out of sight Iggy muttered, "Good hit."

Fang slumped down next to me and slung his arm around my shoulders, "Why?" He asked, "Why would you do that?"

I turned my head in his direction, "Why wouldn't I?"

Unaware of the situation, our lips finally met and what was left of my consciesness shorted out.

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