Max's Misery Business Chapter 1: Misery Business, a maximum ride fanfic

MISERY BUSINESS

by wingsoverthewater

This is my first fanfic! Hope ya like it. No flames please.

Note: The Voice is in bold, Angel's thoughts are underlined, and Max's thoughts are italicized.

Disclaimer: I do not own Misery Business by Paramore, Paramore on its own, or Maximum Ride. But when I get rich and famous that might change:D

[Max/3rd person POV

As soon as she heard the bell ring, Max marched out of her Foreign Language (Spanish) class and over to her locker. She violently shoved the books she'd need for homework into her camo JanSport messenger bag, threw her backpack over her shoulder, and stormed out of the school. Max stomped her way over the school's artificially green lawn, across the street, over the wood picket fence, and into the field where she was to meet the rest of the flock after school. As soon as she saw Fang, Ig, Nudge, Gazzy, and Angel approaching her, Max made sure no one other than them was watching and jumped into the air, thrusting her tan speckled wings down as hard as she could to get into the air properly. Then Max sprint-flew to Anne's house.

Instead of coming through the door, Max landed at a run on the bit of roof underneath her bedroom window. She sat here sometimes at night when she needed to think, and when the flock went out (flying), this was their runway takeoff point. But Max wanted someplace more private now.

She folded her wings in, hamped the windowsill up and slid in, then dragged her bag in. After she and her bag were inside, she slammed the sill down and locked the window closed, fuming. Flying usually helped when she was mad, but this time it didn't. Probably because Max had never been so angry before, not even when Iggy had shredded her favorite, only non-Goodwill pair of pants for an extra long bomb fuse and blown them up.

Max grabbed her iPod and a few candy bars, then locked her door and threw herself onto her bed. She looked at her surroundings. A white wooden farm-style bed, dresser, and armoire. French blue painted walls. A white wooden desk with a MacBook. A walk-in closet. Purple-and-cream colored sheets on the bed. The simple, settled environment made her even more frustrated. Max dragged off her awful white blouse, blue plaid tie and pleated skirt, knee socks, and ugly brown loafers. She dug furiously in the armoire, finally finding a pair of jeans, black t-shirt, and crimson sweatshirt. Max pulled everything on, put on some black Converse, and went back to the window. She shoved her iPod and candy into her pocket, climbed out the window, and after slamming the windowsill down, jumped off the roof and flew away.

Max landed on the soft dirt underneath a huge maple tree. It was her thinking tree. Max had the feeling that nobody knew about it. She climbed up with ease to one of the highest branches and curled against the trunk. Tree trunks and music are the only solid, stalwart things in my life now, she thought. Fang had been one of those solid, never-variegating things, but what had just happened that day changed that. Changed everything. Max's mind involuntarily drifted back to that moment...

[flashback

Max trotted out of History II, carrying two huge hardcover textbooks, a binder, a notebook, and a pencil bag. Everyone else was groaning and stumbling under Mr. Felis's huge load of books and homework, but then again, they weren't designed to save the world. Heading towards her locker to get her English stuff, Max saw a few bimbo cheerleaders. For once, they weren't talking loudly about something along the lines of Like, I can't believe so-and-so's wearing so-and-so brand shoes... Instead of discussing other girls' sense of fashion, they were pointing into a classroom, whispering. Curiosity killed the cat, right? But satisfaction brought him back...Max looked in.

A red-haired girl stood with her back to them. Her skirt was so short, it was hard to believe she could walk without showing off her underwear. She also wore a tube top and heels the length and thickness of new pencils. Altogether, the girl looked like a prostitute. But there was more. She was kissing someone. A someone with olive-tan skin, black hair, wearing all black clothes. A someone who Max had talked to while sitting in dog crates, a someone who Max had seen eating roast rabbit, a someone who Max had always known, always trusted.

Max let out a tiny gasp. "Fang..."

[end flashback

She had stumbled through the day til in the middle of Spanish class, Max realized that it was real. She had seen Fang kissing some whore girl. How she hated him for it! But the thing that bugged Max most was...she didn't know why she was so shocked. Why she was so angry. Fang was allowed to have any girl he wanted. What did she care if he picked a prostitute? That was what she didn't get- why she cared so much. Max curled herself tighter against the tree trunk and pulled out a 100 Grand bar. She ripped it open with a vengeance, then stuck it in her mouth as she groped for her iPod. When Max's hand met her Mini, she pulled it out of her pocket, put the earbuds in her ears, and turned the machine on. She set her Pod on shuffle. The first song that came up was Misery Business, by Paramore. Max sang along, her voice high and sweet, like a bird...go figure. As she sang, she realized the song fit her perfectly.

I'm in the business of misery, let's take it from the top.
She's got a body like an hourglass that's ticking like a clock.
It's a matter of time before we all run out,
When I thought he was mine she caught him by the mouth.

I waited eight long months, she finally set him free.
I told him I couldn't lie, he was the only one for me.
Two weeks and we had caught on fire,
She's got it out for me, but I wear the biggest smile.

Whoa, I never meant to brag

But I got him where I want him now.
Whoa, it was never my intention to brag
To steal it all away from you now.
But god does it feel so good,
Cause I got him where I want him now.
And if you could then you know you would.

Cause god it just feels so...

It just feels so good.

Second chances they don't ever matter, people never change.
Once a whore you're nothing more, I'm sorry, that'll never change.
And about forgiveness, we're both supposed to have exchanged.
I'm sorry honey, but I'm passing up, now look this way.
Well there's a million other girls who do it just like you.
Looking as innocent as possible to get to who,
They want and what they like it's easy if you do it right.

Well I refuse, I refuse, I refuse!

Whoa, I never meant to brag
But, I got him where I want him now.
Whoa, it was never my intention to brag
To steal it all away from you now.
But god does it feel so good,
Cause I got him where I want him right now.
And if you could then you know you would.

Cause god it just feels so...
It just feels so good.
I watched his wildest dreams come true
Not one of them involving you
Just watch my wildest dreams come true
Not one of them involving.

Whoa, I never meant to brag, but I got him where I want him now.

Cause god it just feels so...
It just feels so good.

The song was over. But Max still didn't know why she was angry. Just when she most didn't need it, the Voice chimed in.

It's because you love him. And it makes you unhappy to see him with such a...such an inappropriate girl. A girl so unalike you. You're angry...because it's not you. You feel you've failed.

Max could have screamed. Voice! Shut up! Just as she thought that, Max realized the Voice was right.

That's because I'm always right. Haven't you figured that out, Max? Since the Voice never gave a trace of emotion, Max could have been imagining the cheerfully arrogant tone. Or not.

Max sighed. The Voice's insight had struck a chord. A chord she hated to hear. Max wanted to stay in her tree forever. But she was the Flock's leader, she had to be strong. So Max got to her feet, jumped off the tree limb, and flew back to Anne's house.

Back at Anne's, Max flopped back on her bed, pulling out her Math homework to keep her mind occupied. On her fourth problem, there was a knock at the door. "Max?", called Angel's small voice.

"Come in, Angel." Max said. Angel came in, her skinny little arms folded tensely against her tiny body. "Are you okay, Max?"

Max smiled in spite of herself. Angel was just so sweet. "Other than the burdens of ugly, plaid uniforms; geometry homework, and saving the world, I'm pretty good. Thanks for asking." Max was unwilling to burden Angel with her problems.

Angel looked unsatisfied. "Are you sure? You seem..."

"Troubled? Stressed? Well, plaid, pi, and vicious Erasers tracking you does that." Max sighed.

Angel frowned. "If you say so..."

Then Max heard Angel's voice in her head.

Oh. That's what's bugging you? Fang was KISSING some girl? Eeew.

Max shook her head. Angel, please. Out of my head.

Fine. Oh, what does "whore" mean?

Never mind. Forget it.

Fine...

Angel trotted out of the room looking disgruntled. Great. I think she's planning something.

haha! Small cliffie.

Note: I will try to update as soon as possible! I'm on break now so it won't be as hard.