"Oh, please, Max?"

I refused to turn my head. Ella and Nudge were both giving me Bambi eyes, their gazes boring into the back of my head. I squeezed my eyes shut, feeling the silky garment in my hands again.

"I am not going to wear a bikini!" I loudly exclaimed for the umpteenth time. "Jeez, I have wings, FYI!"

"No one will be at the beach," Ella coaxed. "And you can keep your windbreaker on."

"But why a bikini?" I groaned. "Unlike you, I'm a prude. People experimenting on me has gotten me a little self-conscious, thank you very much."

Ella made a little exasperated noise. "Max, you are a girl. And you have a nice figure. And you deserve to be noticed, not as a freak, for once!"

"Are the boys coming?" I finally said in a brusque tone.

"No," Nudge instantly responded. "Does that mean..."

"Oh, fine."

"YAY!" Nudge and Ella cheered, and then darted out of the room, calling, "Hurry up and get changed. The guys are going to the movies...we'll be free to go to the beach and shop the entire afternoon!"

I groaned.

* * *

I stepped out of my room ten minutes later, feeling extremely self-conscious. I had pulled on a pair of jeans and a tee-shirt, but I still felt as though eyes were staring at me everywhere I went.

Nudge and Ella had compiled a huge pile of stuff which they were transferring into a beach bag. "Come on, let's go," Nudge seemed antsy.

"Wait, where's Angel?" I asked.

"I sent her to a little-kids playground," my mom said, stepping in the kitchen with her car keys. "Ella, are you finished?"

"I'm done!" Ella announced, slinging the bag over her tanned shoulder.

"Let's go!" Nudge said eagerly as we piled into my mom's car. Somehow, I knew this was not going to end well as Nudge and Ella started off singing something by Jesse McCartney...I decided to take a nap. It was a fifteen minute car ride anyways...

* * *

"Max. Wake up."

I groaned and moved my head. My mom's brown eyes peered back right into mine. "Ella and Nudge already went ahead to the beach a few minutes ago. I let you sleep a little longer." I glanced at the car clock. It read: 1:47 p.m.

She handed me a bottle. "Get some sunblock on."

I stripped of my jeans, windbreaker and tee-shirt to get it on, and when I reached for them again, they were gone. My mom smiled evilly at me. "Go on ahead and have a good time, Max."

"MOM!" I shrieked angrily as she shoved me out of the car, handing me my windbreaker on the way out.

* * *

I caught up with Nudge and Ella whispering on a rainbow-colored picnic blanket, a red umbrella shading them.

"Hey, Max. OMG!" Nudge exclaimed, causing Ella to whip around and stare.

"You look..."

"AMAZING!"

"You look like you're at least..."

"SIXTEEN!"

"Wait till Fang sees y—oh, crap."

I had been looking away, embarrassed, when I heard the words 'Fang' and 'oh, crap'. I slowly turned back to them, narrowing my eyes. "What about Fang?"

"Nothing," Nudge smoothly responded, tossing me a pair of sunglasses which I slid on. "We were just saying how he was totally missing out."

I arched my eyebrow and caught my reflection in the turquoise water.

Holy shit.

A girl with wavy brown hair stared back at me, her glasses glinting. Her body had curves, for crying out loud, and the way she held herself was...well...

Hot.

"Come on, Max, sit down!" Ella yanked my hand and I found myself tumbling onto the blanket. "We were doing a Zac Efron vs. Robert Pattinson debate..."

I zoned out immediately when Nudge caught site of my bored expression. "Let's take a walk," she said. "Your windbreaker's on...good."

I scanned around the beach. Thankfully, only a handful of people were there, and they were on the complete opposite side of the beach. Nudge helped me to my feet and Ella came as well. We began sauntering along the hot, fine, white sand.

Nudge and Ella began talking again, and I kept my gaze fixed in front of us, doing an automatic paranoia-induced 360 scan of the area around us...

* * *

Fang's POV

"Hey, Fang."

Nudge had come into my room early that morning, her eyes glinting devilishly. "Today Dr. Martinez is off from work, so we're free to chillax!"

"That's great," I raised my eyebrows.

"So anyways, she thinks that it would be great if you could come to the beach," Nudge continued. "She'll drive you there around two o' clock."

"Just me?"

"No. You, Iggy, and Gazzy. Max, Ella, and I are going shopping. Well, Ella and I are at least. Max will probably just hang around, but I'm going to force her to get some new—"

"Okay, okay, okay!" I rolled my eyes and stepped out into the kitchen.

* * *

At two o' clock, Dr. Martinez had us on the way. We got there at two fifteen, Iggy grumbling about having to put on sunblock, and that no 'beach bunnies' would be there because it was a work day (Dr. Martinez took the day off).

Not many people were on the beach. Only three girls walking back to a bright red umbrella and rainbow-colored picnic blanket and some college-aged dudes skipping out on class on the west side of the beach.

As we got nearer to the girls, my heart rate sped up. Under my breath, I hissed to Iggy, "Three beach bunnies, on the way."

"No freaking really?" Iggy said excitedly. "Where? Where?"

"Ten o' clock."

As they approached, my gaze focused upon the one on the left, the brunette that looked exceedingly bored.

The brunette had long, wavy brown hair that cascaded down her back. She had sunglasses, a tanned face, and long, long, muscular legs. Her body was perfectly proportioned in a white bikini that popped against her skin, and she walked with confidence and grace. Even though she was mysteriously wearing a windbreaker in the freakin' fall! Which meant summer weather, for those of you non-California freaks (Dr. Martinez moved to California for some vet opportunity, and we decided to drop a "visit".)

Well, me, Iggy, and Gazzy had to wear windbreakers as well...but that's cause with have wings. And no girl this gorgeous had wings. Except Max. And she was shopping.

The smallest girl also had a windbreaker on too, surprisingly. Only the one in the middle didn't, but she didn't look nearly as good.

Quickly, I described them to Iggy, who drew in a breath. Gazzy looked confused at us. Ah, poor kid.

"Hey Fang," Gazzy suddenly said, a smirk on his face. "I'll give you ten bucks if you chat up the one in the white bikini."

Ten bucks?! How did he get that money? But the more obvious reason I did it was because of my manly pride. Forget the 'poor kid' part. "You're on," I said without hesitation.

I ruffled up my hair and began walking in their general direction. I had sunglasses on, swimming shorts on, and as I approached them, I unbuttoned my button-down Hawaiian tee shirt. I tossed it behind me, leaving my windbreaker on, and heard snickers from Iggy and Gazzy.

I walked to the one on the left. "Hey," I said, matching her gait. "What brings a hot chick like you to CA?"

"What brings your ugly face to me?" she smoothly shot back, the two other girls laughing and making 'burn' noises. "Remind me to never come here again."

Well, well. Max told me she knew I could never flirt, but...

"Anyone tell you look pretty darn sexy in that bikini?" I nudged her. She edged away, arching her perfect eyebrows.

"What, if I don't wear this I don't?"

The girls laughed again.

"Yup," I snidely replied and the girl turned to me, furious. She crossed her arms and leaned forward.

"I don't know who you are, but find other pretty girls to seduce. I know that's hard for a guy like you, but you can try."

I snickered. She was damn good. Almost as much as Max.

I leaned forward, and in a husky tone, said, "If I could see you naked, I'd give you anything."

"If I could see you naked, I'd die laughing," the hot girl snapped.

"Not bad, pretty lady. However, I do know how to please a woman."

"Then please leave me the hell alone!"

The girl punched me, hard. I stumbled back a few paces. Damn she was strong!

I slashed at her, but she nimbly dodged and gave me a neat slice to my face, knocking my sunglasses off. I heard an audible gasp.

"WHAT THE FUCK, FANG?!"

The girl ripped off her own sunglasses, staring at me in horror, confusion, disgust, and something that looked like a little...

No time to think. Max was yelling every cussword she probably knew (which is a hell of a lot). How could I have been so stupid? Of course it was Max! With a lot more skin showing, obviously...

Iggy and Gazzy were cracking up. The girls next to Max were Ella and Nudge. Of course! It was all a set-me-up.

"I thought you were shopping!" I yelled over the confusion.

"I thought you were at the movies!" she yelled back.

Then her face contorted with anger again. "WHY THE HELL WERE YOU FREAKING HITTING ON ME, FANG?!"

Ah, shit.

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