A/N: I know I know, I shouldn't be writing yet another fanfic, but these ideas are hurting my brain and I just NEEEED to write them down. So here it is. I'm probably going to change the title later. R&R! :D

Max's Pov

Snow fell lightly, swirling in the soft wind, melting on my warm cheeks. My breath coming out in white puffs. My hands were balled in my silk pockets, the soft cloth cold against my hands, my scarf itching my neck, only a few more blocks. Mom must be having a heart attack now; she must've found my note though. I've been in Boston for the past week now with my best friend, Krystal (a.k.a Nudge). My mom disapproved but I'm nineteen, an adult now, I can do what I want. My mom doesn't agree. But when does she ever? We were staying in her cousin's house while he was in California for the next year or so. Call it house-sitting if you want, it's just a place to stay for now. I was supposed to go to Stanford next year and just wanted one year of freedom before going there. That's all I wanted, but my mom thought it was too much to ask. I didn't think so, so here I am.

I walked into the building, greeted by gusts of warm air. The doorman smiled warmly at me and I smiled back. Henry was like a thin version of Santa Claus, white beard and everything. "Morning Miss. Ride," He said, closing the door behind me.

"Morning, Henry!" I called over my shoulder as I walked over to the golden elevators. You could say Tyler was rich but I guess it wouldn't matter; he doesn't care too much about money, that's what I love most about him. He cares about making people's lives better and making sure you can survive another day. He's a good guy, one of the only in the world.

I saw the digital numbers slowly tick down to one. When it stopped a lady came out, a little girl running after her. The mom was busy on her phone, the little girl desperately trying to get her mother's attention, trying to get her mom to finally notice her. My heart clenched when I thought about my relationship with my own mother. I remember endlessly trying to get her to notice me, getting A pluses in every single one of my classes, never drinking or getting high. But nothing ever made her look twice at me. Nothing. I finally gave up. But I guess I didn't because here I am in Boston without my mother's permission and I'm sure she still doesn't know that I'm here. I could die and she wouldn't notice, not until the police called that is.

I stepped inside the elevator with a sigh and pressed the 13th button. The doors slid closed and the numbers ticked up, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8. It stopped. I looked down at the doors as they slid open; a boy with blond hair came, yelling into his phone. I tried not to listen, I'm good at blocking people out, but his yelling could've been heard in Australia.

"FINE!" He yelled, his blue eyes frozen over with anger. His grip on the phone threatened to break it in half, his knuckles pure white.

"IF THAT'S WHAT YOU WANT!" 9, 10, 11... almost there… "YOU KNOW WHAT? I HOPE YOU TWO ARE HAPPY TOGETHER!" And with that he threw his phone at the wall, shattering it into a million pieces.

"Shit," He cursed, running a hand through his hair, making it stand up everywhere. I smirked; thinking of what Nudge told me when she found me stumbling drunk in her neighborhood: "Never do something permanently stupid when you're temporarily upset."

She was in the room, most likely reapplying make-up, worrying over nothing. "Are all girls' bitches?" He asked and I raised an eyebrow at him.

"My opinion would be pretty biased, don't you think?" I asked him, slightly offended by his question, but he had a pretty intense conversation with (what I'm thinking is now) his ex girlfriend.

He sighed and ran another hand through his hair, "Sorry…just a bad day." I gave him a pointed look and then shot a look at the broken pieces of phone on the carpeted phone.

"Just a bad day?" He laughed a little and the doors dinged, sliding open. I shrugged, "My floor. Good luck with whoever that girl was. I'm thinking it was a girl…" I trailed off and the doors closed on his scowling face.

Inside our apartment Nudge was scrambling around, throwing all my shit around like it was hers. Oh Nudge, you very much piss me off. I shook my head sadly, locking the door behind me. I crossed my arms, jutting out a hip, and waited for her to look up.

When she did, her eyes were wide like a deer caught in headlights, and let out a hysterical laugh. "Care to explain?" I gestured around to the messy living room. Another hysterical laugh escaped her lips.

"I can't find it!" She let out a frustrated shriek and I tried to hide my laugh.

"Nudge, sweetie," I said using the tone I use with babies, "What exactly are you missing?" She gave me an exasperated look and stumbled on her words, opening and closing her mouth like a fish.

"Err. My umm, what's it called….? PHONE! MY PHONE!" I raised an eyebrow at her. Nudge never loses her phone, never, this is the first time. Something must be wrong.

I voiced my thoughts, "Are you okay?" She nodded, digging through a pile of my clothes. As if I would be hiding her phone.

"So why'd you strip my closet of its clothes?" She looked up at me and shrugged.

"My first thought, I guess." Another nonchalant shrug, and then "We'll CALL IT!" She proclaimed, throwing one hand in the air and ran to the kitchen where the 'home' phone was and dialed her number. I heard the unmistakable sound of One Direction's "What Makes You Beautiful" starting to play, muffled by something. I looked at the couch. It was most likely eaten by the cushions. I beat her to the couch and dug through it until I felt something solid vibrating. I pulled it out of the couch, not even a second later it was being ripped out of my hands by Nudge's manicured nails.

She hugged it to her chest, promising to never lose it again, that she loved it very much and that it shouldn't hate her. I need normal friends. I rolled my eyes and started retrieving clothes, putting them back in their proper places. I'm a lot of things, but one thing I'm not is a disorganized slob. After an hour of refolding and cleaning Nudge and I plopped down at the dinner table, eating cold pizza.

Nudge was busily typing on her iPhone and I was staring at the pizza box, trying not to think about my phone. It hadn't rung once with screams since three weeks ago. That was my mom's ringtone, just so I know what to say when I answer. That means she still hasn't noticed me gone yet. I frowned at my pizza, getting up and throwing it away, suddenly losing my appetite. Nudge looked up and gasped, "Max…throwing away food? Not…eating it?" I laughed a little, but even in my ears it sounded forced and bitter.

She frowned a little, she knew me too well. "Max…" I sighed and shook my head, not today… Each and every minute of the day I avoid this topic and she reluctantly agrees but there are a few moments of persistence and years of knowing me that make her shake her head and push me until I tell.

She nodded, giving me a sad look, "One day…one day you'll tell me Max. When that day comes, I'll be here ready to listen. You just give me a sign and I'll shut up and listen. Day or night, preferably day, but night works too. Just tell me. I'm here for you, forever and always." She stuck out her pinkie and I looped mine in hers, a ghost of a smile passing over my lips.

"Forever and always."

(A/N: I was going to end it here but….I have too much going on in my head, so I decided to write some down.)

The next day, she crashed the news down on me. "Yeah! They're both super-duper cute! We're going to have so, so, so, so, so, so, so much fun! Plus you NEED a break! A few drinks here, a few drinks there! Come on!" I frowned at her. Ever since she found me drunk she made me promise to never drink to get drunk and forget. Here she was encouraging me to drink. So contradicting. She squealed and showed me a picture of two boys, exact opposites of each other. One had shaggy dark black hair that hung over his dark eyes. The corners of his mouth were turned up just slightly and I suspected that was a smile in his world. While the other boy had short-ish blond hair and icy blue eyes. He had a goofy smile plastered on his face, an arm slung around the other boy's shoulders. I knew that boy.

"I know him…" I muttered, tapping the blond boy's face. I tried to remember when suddenly I remembered the screaming boy in the elevator. He never told me his name so I couldn't put a label of him in my mind. "The elevator kid."

Nudge raised an eyebrow at me then shook her head, "Who care he's hot. I call dibs." I rolled my eyes at her. "I've been chatting with him for the past month and he's totally my type! Anyway, he said that he and his buddy are going to be this party for Itex, the company they're working for. He invited the both of us! We are sooo going!" I knew that voice well, that tone was used one too many times on me. It was the no-is-not-an-answer tone. And it always works, almost as good as her bambi eyes. She's nineteen and the bambi eyes still works on her.

I sighed, "Do I really get a choice?"

She shook her head, "Nope," and popped the 'p'. I rolled my eyes again.

"Fine, but I get to dress myself up, with what I want to wear and how I want my hair. Got it?" I asked her in a stern tone and she nodded, failing to hide her excitement. Sometimes I wondered if she ever really grew up. But then I realize I'm glad she's like this, because she's the only stable thing in my life. She's my life preserver while my ship is sinking. At any time I can sink to the bottom, but she's always floating, keeping me alive. I will never admit this to her or anyone, but I need her. I needed Nudge because without her I'd sink and die. I'd lose it, I'd lose myself.

"We're leaving tonight, it starts at nine, wear something somewhat fancy!" And with that she pranced out of the kitchen to her room to start getting dressed. I still had three hours.

Itex… I've heard of them. Where have I heard of them?

A/N: What do ya think? I like it. :) but my opinion is somewhat biased... R&R anyway!

~~~Dream Beyond Infinity~~~

There is no such thing as a dreamless sleep.