A/N: To be honest, I didn't like Maximum Ride too much. I mean, I didn't like the storyline. Well, to be honest, I was okay with the storyline until book 4. It should have ended there, somehow, because for the next four books it just got dragged out with Max's pathetic love triangle.

But I love the characters. Particularly Iggy and Gazzy. And I love Nudge/Gazzy.

So hence this fanfic. It's actually fic number 13 that I've written, and not that I'm superstitious or anything, but… it's also the first fic I have written that isn't found on the Lord of the Rings archive. So I'm not certain how well this is gonna go. It will possibly be taken down, unless people actually like it. So, without further ado…

…..

Nudge blocked out the world with her pillow, squishing her face into it, wishing to disappear into the soft depths of this black cocoon.

But her tears were making it damp—they meant she couldn't possibly forget why she needed this safe haven that was the pillow.

She looked up. Her face was probably a mess—tear streaked, make-up running; she probably looked a wreck.

Like it mattered anymore.

She fell back into the pillow and sobbed. She was down there so long she was practically suffocating.

Like it mattered anymore.

Because nothing mattered anymore. Not after Sloan.

She went up for air briefly before burying her face in again, burrowing down deep, as if she could hide from everything. She had managed to remove any external force, which just left the events of the day flittering around her head like spooked hummingbirds.

It had been all over social media within the hour it happened. She was a freak. She had wings and wolf-human hybrids as stalkers. Her entire social life went up in flames as soon as the word was out. Nudge was a bird-kid.

'WTF?!' was the main reaction of most people viewing the post. And soon it turned to nasty comments. Words like 'Freak' 'Mutant' 'Weirdo' were thrown around freely.

And today she had come to school to be shunned all day by her so-called friends.

She blinked tears out of her eyes. Her first date had led to throbbing heartbreak. She couldn't believe it. It was meant to be so special, her first date… her first boyfriend.

Nudge had really loved Sloan. Honestly. Well, she was pretty sure that was what love felt like. He was truly gorgeous, and seemed to really like her.

Until he learnt about the wings, Nudge thought bitterly.

They were the problem, those wings, protruding from her shoulder blades… ugly. They were ugly, horrible things, Nudge concluded, her own anger fighting the tears building in her eyes.

"Ugly!" Nudge said aloud with a sob, extending one of them and examining it's… abnormal-ness. Why couldn't she be just like an ordinary kid?

"I hate them!" She cried, tears streaking down her face, pounding her pillow, "I hate them! I want them gone! Gone!"

Her anger was interrupted by a knock at the door. She abruptly stopped yelling and turned towards it.

"Nudge?" A muffled voice asked.

"Go away, Gazzy!" Nudge said forcefully, her voice cracking as more tears threatened to spill. She didn't want anyone, not right now. Wait—that was a lie. Nudge wanted Sloan. But Sloan… but Sloan…

The door opened a crack anyway. Two round blue eyes peered through. "Nudge?"

"I said, go—" But instead of the word 'away', a sob came out, sounding like a heavy table being dragged across the floor.

"You okay, Nudge?" Gazzy stepped inside the room tentatively. When he received no reply, he added, "What do you hate?"

Nudge stood up and furiously unravelled her wings, knocking some cosmetics off a shelf. She didn't care. "These ugly things!" She cried shrilly, scowling at Gazzy.

Gazzy's eyes grew wide. "They're not ugly, Nudge!" He exclaimed, "Your wings are way cooler than mine,"

He slowly extended his own wings. They were a light tan shade of brown. "See?"

Nudge looked at her wings. They were brown too, but tawny—and speckled with dark spots. She frowned. "It doesn't matter. I don't care what they look like. I don't like them. I wish I didn't have them. I wish I could just… take them off! Have them removed!"

Gazzy gaped. "But Nudge… then you wouldn't be able to fly!"

Nudge stormed over, swung the door wide open and unceremoniously shoved Gazzy out, wiping her eyes furiously. "I don't want to fly. I just want to be normal. Now go away!"

With that, she slammed the door in his face. She knew she would probably regret it later and feel bad, but it didn't matter right now. Silently, she slid down the door until she was sitting and hugged her legs, pressing her face into her knees.

"Why do you need Sloan, anyway? He doesn't seem very nice," Obviously, Gazzy hadn't left yet, because it was his voice that came floating through the door.

Nudge felt her breath catch in her throat. Of course she needed Sloan: it wasn't his fault… it was her fault, for having wings… she still believed he was the only place where she could be happy.

Gazzy wasn't finished. His voice grew softer now.

"You're like my sister, Nudge. I love you."

…..

A/N: At this point it is kind of non-romantic love, because Gazzy's only like, nine. And nine is a little young…

Set during the scene in Nevermore when Nudge was dumped by Sloan and ridiculed by her 'friends'. A little bit before Max came in.

So… was it okay? Was it crap? If nobody likes it I'll take it down, because I'm also kind of nervous of the fact I'm dumping a random fic in the middle of my LOTR ones… I thought it might be nice to keep a pure Lord of the Rings account.

Anyway, have a beautiful day and I hope you take some time out of it to review my little story. :) If all goes well the next chapter should be up soon!