In and Out of Love-Chapter 1
By MyNameIsCAL
Disclaimer: Max, Fang, Iggy, Gazzy, Nudge, Angel, Ella, Dr. M, and the other Max Ride characters do not belong to me. I give credit to James Patterson and thank him for the chance to use his characters for fanfics.
---Fang's POV---
Itex is gone. Thank God. Actually, it's been gone for a long, long time, but I sorta missed it. The flock was changing. Nudge had gone off to school with Ella and Max, well let's just say things weren't working out between us. It was an on and off relationship. In the end, we'd probably gravitate towards each other, now was just us going through ups and downs, but some days were good. Others were bad. We would always be hurting each other until one of us actually realized we were being stupid. At the time I guess we didn't see these things. I blamed our immaturity.
And time moved on, to the point where we were just best friends. I always knew we were meant to be more, but Max never saw that. We were practically grown up now. Nudge had gotten smart after a while and stopped waiting on Iggy. She moved on and went to school and was busy being a clothes designer in Los Angeles. Ella got Iggy. They were happy I suppose. She was off in college right now. Max and I had chosen not to touch education. That's what the internet was for. Well, I guess you could call us stupid, but for the most part, when we needed to learn something we picked up fast.
Gazzy just got his driver's permit. Both he and Angel had gone to school too, choosing to not follow Max for once. Angel just got to high school. It was a whole new world for her. Dr. Martinez, AKA Mom, watched over them. Seven years had gone by fast. Some years were better than others.
But we all live around the area, never more than an hour away from each other. I had an apartment in the next town over. We'd laugh when we ran into each other at places. Max was only another town over. Iggy shared an apartment with me. Most of the time he was at Mom's house helping with Gazzy and Angel, so I didn't see him too much unless I was driving him from place to place.
Today was Friday. The day Max and I always did something with each other, even if she was in the middle of another relationship. Sometimes she'd bring another guy to dinner. If they couldn't get through dinner with me, apparently they weren't good enough for Max. I was glad that she considered to some extent.
"Where's dinner tonight?" I asked her as she got in my car.
"Wherever you want," she said. Usually she demanded to go somewhere.
I pulled out of the parking lot and started towards the town I lived in. "What's up with you?"
Max shrugged.
I frowned, but continued to drive. "How does Japanese food sound?'
She nodded, as if she didn't really care.
"If you're not going to say anything else then I don't want to eat dinner with you," I muttered.
She let out a deep breath. "I don't want to marry him."
"Marry who?" I couldn't remember the guy's name.
She punched me for not remembering, but answered, "George you idiot. Don't you remember? You ate dinner with him three times!"
"Then tell him no."
"It's not that simple."
"Then I'll come protest at the wedding." I wasn't joking either.
"Fang." She rolled her eyes.
"Tell him you're not ready." I finally suggested.
"Alright." And the rest of the car ride was silent.
Max wasn't happy. George didn't make her happy. I probably didn't make her happy either, but I made her happier than some people, especially George. He was somewhat of a celebrity. In fact, he was the local anchor man. Honestly, I hated him and made it a point to not watch the news he was on. Max didn't know that though.
"So what's new with you?" she asked over our sushi.
I thought for a moment. I thought about you, I thought about you some more, I almost confessed all my feelings for you, and then I thought about regrets. "Nothing much."
"You gotta get yourself a woman, Fang," she laughed.
I shrugged. She thought I was over us, but I wasn't. For eternity I would be waiting on her, whether she knew it or not. And if Max was clueless to that, then that was ok. Even if I died without her, at least I would have known that I did all that I could.
"Exactly how did he ask you?" I suddenly heard myself say. Curiosity was going to get my killed one of these days, but Max was my best friend, so I knew she would answer.
Max finished chewing. "My phone was off and he left me a voicemail. I turned it off after I listened. He's probably called me twenty more times after that."
"You never responded?" I went on.
She shook her head. "I should tell him no."
"Why?" I've only became more curious.
"Because he doesn't love me. He's a reporter. I'm news." Max scoffed.
Every time I saw Max, I wanted to tell her everything I felt about her still. I constantly told her over the years, but once the relationship was more off than on, I figured she didn't want to hear it anymore. I would always be important to her, just not in the same ways she would be important to me. Max didn't quite see that.
And here I am, dropping her off again, like every Saturday night at her apartment building. George is probably up there waiting. We sat in the care for another minute.
"If it doesn't go well, I'll be in the parking lot for a little while…"
She cut me off. "Thanks, Fang."
Some things she picked up on quickly.
"Call me when you get home," she added.
And then she was gone again, out my car door and up to her apartment where the man that loved her out of greed waited for her. I sat there, thinking about her, and regretting, once more, that I didn't confess to her anything. A minute passed and I pulled into a parking space, watching the window of her apartment cast the shadows of her figure and George's.
I watched George move towards her as she backed away. My instincts kicked in. I had to go up there and George didn't know it, but I had the second key to Max's apartment.
He really had the third.
