I actually updated quickly this time! I'm amazed =)) The next chapter is going to be amazing, I can tell you because more characters come into it. However, that's all I'm telling you about it XD Thanks guys!

MAX:

Note to self—take rides from strangers next time.

It was six o'clock by the time I had finally gotten home. I figured I should have taken the freaky guy up on his offer—my left heel on my shoe had broken by the time I got home and my satin top had literally fallen apart. When I walked through the front door and was blasted by a full dose of our heater, I think I died from hypothermia. I eyed the mirror that sat in our hallway, my literally blue skin and icy lips stark against my drenched clothing. I was so cold; I thought I was going to drop unconscious any second. After I was reincarnated from the hypothermia of course.

I trudged mud onto the white carpets, not really caring that I was leaving dirt footprints on the newly cleaned rug. Serves Jeb right for not picking me up. I threw my bag onto the wine rack underneath the hallway mirror and trudged into the open kitchen, a murderous face plastered to my face.

Our kitchen looked like something you'd see in a restaurant. With a double sized gas stove, walk in pantry that I swear was more like a cellar, and several spacey cupboards, our kitchen was huge. Add an island smack bang in the middle, and you've got a freaking monstrosity of a kitchen. I was sure it was Iggy's pride and joy, which is why I wasn't surprised to find him at the stove. Coming up behind him, I snared his collar in my unbreakable grip of iron and hauled him backward into the island where Iggy had been preparing some kind of indescribable dish. Well, no amount of delicious cooking was going to make me forgive him tonight.

I threw him against the pantry wall, pinning him there with my forearm. Caught by surprise, Iggy blinked, clutching a spatula in his right hand.

"Max, you're back."

"Yeah I'm back you little twit," I growled, clutching his shirt again and shoving him back into the door. "What the Hell, you freaking left me in the downpour!"

"I tried to get the bus driver to wait, but he wouldn't! He said he was running late and I had better get my arse down on a seat before he threw me out as well!"

"And you, I don't know, couldn't have gotten off the bus and walked back with me? Instead of leaving me to find my way back by myself? In the rain?"

"I didn't know it was going to rain," Iggy replied, shoving me off him. I stumbled backward, scowling. Iggy, despite being a year younger than me, was still around six-foot, much taller than my five-foot-eight. Damn him and his genetic freakiness.

"And you also destroyed my car, so now I have to use Jeb's!"

"Actually, you're not using mine either," Jeb replied, coming to stand behind me. I whirled on angry heels, my icy gaze settling on his.

"What?" I asked, astounded.

"You're not using my car. You've destroyed your own, and you weren't responsible for Iggy when he was driving. So not only are you not using my car, you're literally grounded."

"Pah, grounded? I'm seventeen, as in, you can't tell me what to do."

"You're not eighteen yet," Jeb said, pulling the flip out of Iggy's hand. He turned his back on me and began flipping some kind of meat that was sizzling away in the fry pan.

"You have got to be kidding me! I didn't do anything. Whose fault was it that the freaking car crashed into a pet store?"

"Well, if you had of actually been watching what Iggy was doing instead of reading, you wouldn't have crashed, would you?" Jeb asked in his all-too calm voice.

My nails dug into the palms of my clenched hands. "I had to walk for two hours in the downpour just to get home! Cut me some slack!"

"I am. You're lucky I'm not taking your money to pay for this mess you've caused."

"And what about Iggy?" I asked, literally seething now.

Jeb turned, tossing the flip back at Iggy. "What about him? He doesn't know how to drive. You do. I'm not placing any fault on Iggy right now. He was your responsibility. You screwed up royally this time Max."

I stormed out of there before I said something I'd regret.

I pulled off my boots as a walked through my all-too-white home, tossing the muddy things into the laundry on the way. Jeb didn't blame Iggy? He totaled my car and made me walk home by myself in the torrential rain! How the Hell was this not Iggy's fault? Muttering curses under my breath, I stepped into the spacious living room, the plasma wall T.V. muted. My feet sunk into the squishy carpet as I trudged over toward one of the, you guessed it, white lounge chairs. Falling into it, I let the softness mold around my butt as I un-muted the plasma. The Channel Seven news blared through the room, slicing the silence in half. I sighed inwardly, glad to hear something other than rain.

"Could you please turn that down hon.? It's hurting my ears."

Okay, on second thoughts, I liked the rain.

I came to a stand, not bothering to turn the T.V. down. "Who the Hell are you?" I asked, more bitterly than I was meant to.

The woman across from me, sitting at the table staring at a Woman's Day magazine stared at me in shock. Her blue eyes were staring at me in alarm, her brown tresses cut short to her neck. "I'm sorry?" She asked, sounding too prissy to belong in my home.

"What are you doing here?" I repeated bitchily. "I'm sorry, I thought you spoke English. Would you like me to translate that to the language of the dull?"

"I beg your pardon?" the woman asked, sounding appalled.

"Oh dear Lord," I groaned, turning my back on the woman and falling back into the leather lounge. I turned up the volume as loud as it would go, switching my attention to the news reporter on screen. He was babbling on about some kind of gang that was wreaking havoc around the city. Gangs? Were they kidding? Gangs were nothing, not today. Just a bunch of teenagers wanting to mess with people—and failing to do so. I was pretty sure I could take down a gang using my own two—

I watched in horror as the plasma T.V. magically switched off, the colour draining into a dull black. I gaped, before turning my angry eyes back to my "visitor," who was now standing next to the television with her hands on her hips.

"That's quite enough rude behavior," she started sternly. "I can only presume that you are Maximum."

I blinked, amazed. She could only presume? What the Hell was that supposed to mean? "Yeah, it's Max," I replied, extremely pissed off. "I'm glad you took the time to find out my name. However, I really don't give a shit in regards to yours, so I'd greatly appreciate it if you got your old aged butt out of the T.V,'s way."

The woman huffed out a breath of air and plastered a smile to her face. 'my name is Dr. Valencia Martinez. I'm a psychiatrist and I run my own firm in the city. I—"

"Yeah, um, Vanessa? I think you missed the whole, I don't give a shit. It means, wait, you guessed it—I don't give a shit." I rolled my eyes. God, how could someone be so retarded?

"Actually, it's Valencia," she repeated, crossing her arms across her chest. "Now, I'm going to be living with you, so you had better start giving me some more respect."

I swear, time literally froze.

"You what?" I screamed, jumping so fast out of my chair that I was a blur.

"Max?" Jeb was in the living room in a second, his tall frame coming to stand beside the bitch that was "going to be living with me." 'max?" Jeb asked more coolly, "calm down okay?"

My piercing gaze flickered toward Jeb, my eyes so wide with anger the brown in them must have been noticeable from miles away. "Calm down? Calm down? Who the fuck is this bimbo?"

"Max!" Jeb shouted, astounded by my language. I realized then that I had scarcely cussed in front of him before.

"What's going on?" Iggy asked, coming to stand beside me, flicking his brown hair out of his eyes. The brown dye however was beginning to fade, turning the tresses back to its natural strawberry blonde colour.

"She is supposedly moving in with us," I snarled, my murderous gaze staring the woman down once more.

"What?" Iggy asked, his brows pulling toward his pale blue eyes in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Guys," Jeb said, sighing, "this is Valencia. I've been seeing her for a few months now, and we've decided that she should move in with us."

"What do you mean by we?" Iggy shouted, his eyes as wild as mine. "You never talked to us about this!"

"I didn't need to, it wasn't your decision to make," Jeb replied calmly.

"Like Hell it wasn't!" I yelled, my nails creating red crescent moons on my palms. "This is our house as well! You can't just let her stay! We don't even know her!"

"Then this will be good. You can start to get to know Valencia." Jeb put stress on the woman's name.

"So where is she going to stay?" Iggy asked, folding his arms across his chest angrily. "I'm not moving out of my room," he stated without emotion.

"Well actually, she is going to stay in my room. However Iggy you'll have to—"

"So you're going to pretend she's mum then," I stated flatly, my eyes burning with long unshed tears. (They were tears of frustration I assure you [cough])

"Max—"

"No, she's right dad. Is Valencia meant to be mum's replacement? Or have you already forgotten about her?" Iggy asked, silent tears running down his cheeks.

"Iggy—"

"Did getting run over by a train finally make you forget about mum?" I finished angrily, successfully holding back tears. The memory flared across my mind, mum's mutilated body, mangled and burnt, lying across the train tracks, a black metal bike lying atop of her. I was sure motorbikes and trains would haunt my dreams for the rest of my life. Never would I get on either of them.

"That's enough!" Jeb shouted in one of his rare outbursts of anger. 'dr. Martinez is living with us, so deal with it. Iggy, you can either give up your room for Valencia's two children and share with Max, or share with them. Your decision."

"Two kids?" Iggy and I yelled simultaneously.

"Yes, my two adorable children Angel and Gazzy. His father named Gazzy, horrid name, but there is no use changing it now."

"Oh we so care!" I near screamed sarcastically, so angry I thought I would burst. My life was becoming more like a movie than I had ever thought possible. First, the stepmother, then her two kids. Then the father gradually begins to forget about his original children. Oh dear Lord, my day was getting worse by the second. Next thing I'd have to start "bonding" with the bitch. Or start sharing my clothes with her perfect idea of an "angel."

"Max, I think you should go to your room and calm down," Jeb said quietly. Night had long since fallen and the torrential rain had lessened to a slight drizzle.

Iggy grabbed my arm, his hand clenching around my bicep. "C'mon Max, lets ditch this Hellhole. We'll figure out something, just come on." Iggy dragged me upstairs, his stride and wide eyes the only sign of his anger. He had inherited Jeb's great calmness.

"Oh, and James? It was a pleasure to meet you!" Doctor what's-her-face called from below us.

"It's Iggy!" he yelled back, slamming my bedroom door behind us.

"I think I'm going to vomit," I gritted in disgust. I rubbed my head, trying to relieve myself of my now thumping headache.

"Tell me about it," Iggy agreed, falling into my bed. "And I have to share a room with you."

"That's the least of our problems," I groaned, trying to calm down. "This bitch is moving in with us! Did you hear what she said? We need to "respect her." What the crap, she's not even freaking related to us!"

Iggy shook his head, his hair flipping back and forth. "Come on, let's ditch this place. I'm pissed off an afraid that I'll destroy something if I don't get out of here."

I nodded. "Okay, sure. Let me get dressed and we'll blow this joint."

"Cool, I'm going to grab the last batch of brownies and something else to eat. I suppose we could crash somewhere for the night. I really don't feel like hanging out here."

"Whatever," I replied helplessly, trudging over toward my bathroom and slamming the door behind me.

When I was out of the shower and clad in my jeans and T-shirt, Iggy was already waiting for me on my bed. He was dressed in dark clothing, a bag slung over his right shoulder. I slipped my feet into my skate-shoes and began shoving things into my backpack.

"I just talked to dad," Iggy said, flicking his nails and avoiding my gaze.

I sighed, "and?"

"I don't think you'll want to hear this…"

"Then why did you bring it up?" I asked angrily.

Iggy sighed. 'dad's transferring us."

I froze. "He's what? Please, please tell me he's not transferring our schools."

"Okay, he's not transferring our schools." There was a moment of silence before I realized that Iggy wasn't going to say anything else.

I growled. "Come on, let's get the Hell out of here before I kill something."

"Well, Nudge is having a party. She told me that she told Jeb to tell us that it was going to be on just down the road at hers, but Jeb obviously didn't mention it."

"Jeb hates Nudge, what did you expect?"

Iggy sighed. "I know he does, but unfortunately I don't know why he does. So, you in? I just called her, she said we could crash there."

"Yeah, okay, doesn't seem like we have a better idea."

"Well, at least we'll be transferring to her school, that's one good thing about it."

"We're transferring to Nudge's school?" Don't scream, don't scream, don't scream…

"Yeah. Well, you ready? The party started about an hour ago. Nudge is waiting."

"Okay, sure."

This day couldn't get any worse. I'd finally hit rock bottom.