A/N: So I promised updates "soon," but I tend to be a bit delayed with my writing. AKA, lazy. Also, I'm a bit of a perfectionist and I'm always making little changes here and there. So, what did you think about the new and improved Chapter One? Here's Chapter Two, same as before, only a thousand times better. I hope!
Disclaimer: I don't own Maximum Ride, but one day Fang will be mine ;)
So maybe I overreacted a bit, but my day was bad. Not the worst that could happen, but bad.
I kind of lost track of how my day went so wrong.
Maybe at the part where I accidentally told Fang my real feelings about him? Or maybe it was when I realized that everyone could recognize us now? Kudos to all of the press at the opening of the Lerner School for Gifted Children. I mean, we didn't even stay at that school for the whole grand-opening party, which Nudge and Angel were disappointed about, but they still managed to get a zillion pictures of us! Oh, and did I mention the whole telling Fang how I felt about him thing? Yeeeah, real smooth, Max.
Both of those are worst-case-scenarios. And to think that today started out pretty normal. Well, as normal as possible for six mutant kids on the run.
Rewind back to earlier today, after we left that McDonald's.
We were on our way to somewhere in New York according to the coordinates the voice had given me in Virginia. This time I was paying attention to how long we were flying so we could stop to camp out for the night.
The whole setting up camp in a park was kind of getting old and I honestly wouldn't remember this night anymore than the dozens of others like it. Except for what happened next.
As usual, Ig was on fire duty, Nudge was unpacking food, and Gazzy and Angel were "securing the perimeter." I would have expected Fang to be keeping an eye on everyone while he updated his Blog, but he was deep in thought, almost fading into a tree.
I interrupted everyone's concentration, "Hey, guys, I'm going to run to the store and grab some snacks for in the morning. We're in for the long haul tomorrow. I think we still have somewhere around 150 miles left to cover."
As soon as I said this, Fang offered to go too. My eyebrows shot up. I would only have been more surprised if Nudge stopped talking for twenty-four hours straight since Fang hated shopping even more than me.
His explanation? "I think you'll need help carrying the bags back here." Hah, ooookay Fangy-boy. I really didn't care if anyone came with me, but I was glad for the company. And I was glad that the company happened to be Fang. You know, as my right wing man and all.
Flying to a super store took no more than four minutes and we landed quickly near a back entrance. As soon as we got inside, I grabbed a cart and practically ran through the store like I was in a marathon. Our list: soap, shampoo, toothbrushes (because you can only be a grungy mutant for so long before it gets old), food, water, and some dog food for Akila.
When I was in the middle of picking out a new outfit for each of us, a splurge I tell you, a woman with an iPhone was staring at us. I didn't even have to see her to know that her eyes were attached to the back of my head, I could feel it. Ten bucks says she was checking the news about the Lerner School with that stupid phone.
She began to walk closer and I held on to Fang's arm, ready to run. But before I could, she asked, "Aren't you Max and Fang? Those miracle kids? You know, the ones with wings?" I went so pale at that moment and I thought that I was going to pass out. Point to Max.
"Us? Kids with wings? Do we look like kids with wings?" asked Fang, never breaking a sweat.
I regained my composure and started going on about this intricate lie, nervous laugh and all, "Hah, no. We aren't them, but we get that a lot. I guess we look like them. I mean, me with wings? And all of that running? I couldn't handle camping, let alone living outside all of the time. Right, sweetie?" and then I gave Fang a look that said "I might be insane, but just go along with it."
He responded by squeezing me a little closer and telling the woman, "Yeah, right, honey bun." I was going to kill him when this was over, I mean "honey bun"? What the hell?! But I felt my insides melt a little when his arm was around me.
I continued, "We're just running though here, registering for our wedding," and with that I stood on my tip-toes and kissed Fang straight on the lips. He was shocked at first, but then he kissed me back.
The woman looked startled after the whole raging hormones display she just witnessed. Clearing her throat she said, "Oh, sorry. My mistake," and walked away shaking her head. My guess is that she believed my wedding story, but it most likely helped that Fang and I looked a lot older that we actually are.
Before we got to the checkout line, I stopped back at the hair products and grabbed a couple boxes of hair dye in different colors. You can never be too careful…
Trudging through the forest on our walk to camp with our hands full of bags, Fang asked me a question. "Max, how do you really feel about me? About us?" he said, "I know that the wedding story was a lie, but the kiss didn't feel fake." Oh, crap. There never was more of a time that I regretted not being about to fly away. I took a deep breath and opened my mouth. Insert foot here. "Fang, I really don't know. I mean we're only fourteen. Fourteen! And then there's the whole issue of the flock? Did you think about how they feel?" Jeez, do we really need to have this little sharing of feelings powwow?
Fang looked as impassive as usual when he said, "I'm not asking you to marry me, Max," Then so softly I'm not sure if I even heard it right, "At least not yet."
I couldn't believe what was happening to me, I was turning into a bowl of mush over a guy, but not just any guy. He was Fang for crying out loud.
I took a deep breath and then began as sarcastically as possible, "Fine, Fang, if you really want to know how I feel." This turned into me almost shaking with anger and disbelief that I was feeling the way that I did. Quite a few decibels louder without an ounce of sarcasm, I screamed at him, "You're so infuriating! I freaking love you. Okay? Happy now?"
Reality sank in. I ran. As fast as mutantly possible. Hot, angry tears were running down my face at this point. I don't know who I was more upset with: myself for being such an idiot, such a freaking girl, or Fang for being unresponsive for the five seconds after my confession that I stood there in front of him, offering myself. Five painfully slow seconds, might I add, during which time all of my senses were hyperaware of him just staring at me.
Finally back at camp, I dropped off all of the bags that were the main force stopping me from a nice long, uninterrupted visit with Hawaii or some other seemingly peaceful place. Anywhere but where Fang was. The stop at camp was necessary because I wouldn't want to waste all of the stuff that the Flock sorely needed. Like, hmmm, soap-- time to get reacquainted with the Flock! But of course my stop raised questions.
As soon as Angel saw my face covered in tear streaks, she gasped. Chain reaction effect: Nudge heard Angel's sharp intake of breath and turned around. Her motor mouth simultaneously started running.
"Max, what happened?! Were you crying? Did something happen in town? Where's Fang? Oh my God, the robofreaks got him, didn't they? Oh, God. Oh, God. Are you okay? Did they hur--." This commercial break brought to you by Iggy. Thank you! I still had to count the small blessings in my life.
From the way she was questioning me, she could definitely get a job as an interrogator, though. Maybe Anne could hook her up with the FBI. Yeah, and maybe pigs can fly. Even in times when I'm an emotional basket case, I never fail to make myself chuckle.
And, just for the record, I was not sobbing or anything like that. It was simply just a few tears. Until I saw Fang strolling in to camp, like nothing had happened just a few minutes before. Obvious conclusion? He has the emotional capacity of dirt. That's when I got close to having a break down.
I kind of just let out a squeak when I tried to say, "I'm going for a fly." That's when I flew at super-sonic speed and ended up here where I am now, flying due west at say, 200 mile per hour. Where "here" is though I have no clue.
Max. Max. Max. That's all that was on Fang's mind as he walked toward camp from where Max had left him. God, how could he have been so stupid? What kind of guy just stands there when his best friend finally tells him that she loves him? As more than a friend.
"Max," Fang sighed, completely confused and even more frustrated. Why would she just keep running away, crying, if she loved him? Just like he loved her. It had to be one of the worst feelings in the world because A.) he was helpless to make her feel better and B.) he had been the one who had caused her to cry.
Crap. He was starting to wonder if he had a girl-repellent gene. Scratch that, Lissa didn't seem too repelled but then again she wasn't Max. A bird-girl-repellent gene. He was sure that the scientists who screwed up most of his DNA, recombining it with DNA from a bird, could have probably done something like that too.
Already, he had made his way back to camp after thinking about Max the whole entire time, of course. His plan was to act as normal as possible until the rest of the Flock went to sleep so that he could finally talk to Max alone. About earlier. Without her running away. Easier said than done.
He hadn't been back for a full minute before Max flew off, looking completely pissed and completely hurt. She'd be back within an hour and maybe then they could talk… Max always made his life more complicated, but he wouldn't have it any other way.