So I didn't do this last chapter because I didn't really know how to do it….. I'm just gonna go for it. I wanted to say thanks to the people who reviewed! It really wasn't a lot but getting the email telling me I got a review made me squeal in class! So thanks for making my day! So here's the next chapter and I guess enjoy?
My hair stuck to the sides of my sweaty neck. I heard the crowd distant roars like a hum in my ears. They began to chant my name Max, Max MAX-
"MAX!" Gazzy shoved me off my bed. I landed in a tangle of blankets on the floor hard. I groaned and muttered obscenities. Gazzy cackled and slapped high fives with someone. I peeked over the bed and saw Matt chuckling next to him. I scowled before flopping back on the floor and using my blankets as a makeshift pillow. I sighed softly and relaxed.
I heard footsteps coming for me and I hurriedly tried to crawl underneath my bed but felt the bony fingers of Matt grip my ankles and drag me across my bedroom and out the door. I grabbed onto the doorframe and started kicking. I managed a good one at his face and he yelped letting go. Score! I snickered before scrambling away.
"Get her, Gaz!" Matt yelled. I frantically crawled across the floor looking for a weapon but found empty air. I scolded myself mentally. Stupid Max! What is these were zombies and not these retards? You'd so be dead. No redneck Dixon or cop to save your ass. Gazzy grabbed me and threw me over his shoulder in a fireman's carry. He stomped down the stairs as I banged my fists on his back but it didn't stop him.
"LET ME GO!" I yelled. He stopped in the middle of the living room.
"Ok," he said and I realized too late what was about happen. I frantically tried to grab him but just ended up looking like a scrambling idiot. He let go of my legs and I slid face forward off his back and slammed onto the floor in a heap. I heard loud laughter and groaned. I flipped him off from the floor.
I looked up through my tangle of blonde hair at the people in my house. Nudge, Ella, Iggy, Becca, Matt, Tyler, Jacob, Gazzy, and Tess. I sat up and frowned at them.
"How'd you people get in my house?" I questioned looking around.
"Your mom let us in." Tyler answered. I perked up. "She's here?"
"She already left." Ella answered.
I grumbled. How am I gonna eat now?
"Pancakes are in the microwave." I grinned at Ella and practically sprinted into the kitchen. I heated them up and returned to the living room to eat on the floor.
"Why are you people here?" I asked through my mouth full of food. I ignored the grossed out looks from Nudge. I swear, you think that girl would be used to my eating habits by now.
"Max, I don't know if you knew, but there are other ways of eating than stuffing your face." Jacob said dryly. I pointed at him with my fork and jabbed it at him, enunciating every word, "Why. Are. You. Here?"
"We're here because we just love messing with you, Maxie. It's listed as one of our hobbies." The sad thing is that it actually is. I've seen it on their resumes. And the sad thing is that Tyler still got hired. The world we live in these days….
"So…Max, us girls, were thinking that since tonight is my sleepover we could go out today." Nudge offered, looking at the ground. I looked at her suspiciously and took a bite out of my pancake.. She fidgeted slightly.
"What'd you have in mine?" I stared at her chewing. She coughed and looked at Ella for help. Ella quickly looked away. She elbowed Tess but she ever so slowly scooted away. Nudge reluctantly lifted her eyes to meet mine.
"Well, I thought that- maybe you'd- I dunno- maybe want to go…...shopping?" The last word came out as a squeak. I scoffed before hopping up to throw my plate away.
"But, MAX!" Nudge whined and stomped her foot. I looked at her in disbelief.
"Did you just stomp your foot at me?" I demanded.
"Yes, I did. You never want to go out with just us girls! You never want to go shopping! You never want to go to the mall or look at cute boys, or god forbid, wear a pair of heels! Gosh, Max!" She threw her hands up and huffed.
"You're going this time! Even if we have to force you!" Nudge threatened. She took a menacing step forward and I slowly backed away….Have her eyes always been that size? Is she turning red… ? Tess, Becca, and Ella stood up and advanced slowly to join Nudge.
Aw, shit.
I turned and bolted up the stairs screaming. They followed, herding behind Nudge and yelling battle cries. I scrambled up the stairs and raced to my room and slammed the door shut just in time for them all to run into it. They all started banging on my door. I laughed in relief and leant against the door.
"Oh, my mom has a key in her office! I'll go get it." My laughter died and the sound of Ella's retreating footsteps. I frantically dashed across my room yanking on a pair of jeans and shoving my feet into converse. I flung open my window and looked down.
Gulp.
"I got it! Move over, Nudge!" Ella shouted. I cursed and grabbed my desk chair pinning it under the door knob. Mwuahaha. I heard the key unlock and listened to their futile attempts to open the door. The door wedged open a little.
Shit. Ok, they're stronger than they look. I ran to the window just in time to see the boys leaving.
"Ty! Gaz! Igiots, HELP ME!" I whisper shouted. They casually strolled over taking their sweet time. I growled frustrated.
'What's in it for us?" Matt questioned crossing his arms. I gaped. Is he frickin' serious?! This is no time for bartering! I'm being attacked!
"What do you want?" I gritted through my teeth. The door wedged open a little further.
"I can almost get my hand through! Hurry!" Becca yelled gleefully. I looked around desperately.
"I'll give you my alarm clock. The brand new one I just got. It's yours." My poor alarm clock. Eh, I was probably gonna break it Monday morning anyway. They shouted their approval, slapping high fives before looking up at me.
"What do you need us to do?" Jacob asked.
"Ok, go around-" The door banged open. "GET HER!" They charged.
"CATCH ME!" I launched myself out my window. They yelped and rushed forward with their arms out. I landed with a thump in a tangle of arms and breathed a sigh of relief. That would have been awful if I had fallen. I leaped up and took off running down the street. IT"S STILL NOT SAFE!
I didn't stop running until I reached the park a few blocks down. I collapsed on the grass spread eagle position. I sighed contently at the cool grass and closed my eyes.
Matt, Gaz, and Ty came into view panting and hunched over before flopping down next to me. The air was full of their pants. What a bunch of wimps.
"You guys sound like a bunch of dogs." I smirked.
"Not everyone is on the track team like you, " Matt commented dryly.
I sat up and looked around.
"Where are Iggy and Jacob?" I asked.
"Lost them a block ago. I told them not to eat all those Doritos." Ty laughed. We all laughed and I leaned back on my hands. Silence followed.
"So, what do you guys wanna do?" Matt questioned. We all sat there. Gazzy leapt up and slapped Tyler across the face.
"TAG!" Gazzy yelled. Matt and I hopped up sprinting away laughing.
"OW! What the fuck, Gaz?!" Tyler started chasing after us.
And the rest of the day was spent full or sweat, running, and laughter.
"Max!" Nudge said exasperated as we filed into the house. I noticed everyone was here except for Brigid. I flopped down on the couch next to Iggy and looked at Nudge.
"Yeah?" It was nearly dark by now so we were at Nudge's for her sleepover. I'd guessed she was over my escape and was just amused. I was right.
But really when am I wrong?
"What pajamas did you bring?" She looked at me excitedly. I wondered how someone could be so excited for pajamas. I rolled my eyes at her.
"The ones you bought me for my birthday. " She had gotten them at Victoria Secret and they were really cute. It was a black three quarter length scoop neck shirt with buttons at the top paired with pink and black plaid pajama shorts. They were adorable and comfy. I loved them and had actually purchased another pair of pajamas from there of similar fashion. I love pajamas. Added with the fact that they made my legs look great and I was sold.
"Go change and come back for Karaoke! Hurry!" She threw my bag at me. I huffed at her before listening. I made my way down the hall and passed an open door. I paused and frowned. This door was usually empty but today it had three open duffel bags on the bed and a wet towel on the floor. I looked in through the doorway curiously but left to the bathroom to change.
Whose stuff was that? Did Nudge tell me someone was staying over? I thought hard. Nope. I can't remember her mentioning anything about it. Hmph. I'll just ask her when I get back out there. I quickly changed then skipped back to the living room.
"Hey, Nudge whose stuff was in the-" I slammed to a halt. There was a guy standing in the front doorway.
An incredibly hot guy. He wore a black t-shirt, faded black jeans and black converse. He had dark hair and beautiful olive colored skin. Gosh, his arms were beautifully tanned. And his eyes were dark and endless, glittering like obsidian. Woah, wait.
HOLD THE FREAKIN' PHONE!
Before I knew it a wide grin had formed on my face and I had launched myself into his arms, my arms wrapping around his neck. His arms snaked around my waist and lifted me off the ground. I laughed loudly and he chuckled.
I pulled back and playfully punched him in the chest.
"What are you doing here, Fangtard?" I couldn't believe he was here! My mind flashed back to a small boy with shaggy hair chasing after me and then to us climbing trees. Fang, a.k.a Nicholas, a.k.a Nick was Nudge's cousin. He used to live here with his folks and we were best friends up until middle school but we fell out of touch because his Dad had gotten this super cool promotion. The catch: his promotion required him moving out of state. His dad was some kind of genetic scientist and while he already made a good amount of money, his new promotion would make him double, even triple if he did exemplary. So within a week after sixth grade had come to an end, Fang's house was all packed up and we had to say good-bye.
Flashback
We sat facing each other in my front yard the day he had to leave. I didn't want to let him know how much I was gonna miss him. He was already upset enough as it was. I didnt want to make it worse.
I sighed and pulled the grass out, looking down.
"Max, I promise I'll keep in touch." Fang scooted closer to me. I looked up and gave him a small smile.
"I know. It's not like you're moving to the moon. You're just moving to Arizona. Not that far. And you can come visit during the summer. You can stay at Nudge's and we'll still get to see each other." I wasn't entirely sure who I was reassuring. But I could tell we both needed to hear it and it felt good to. We wouldn't fall out of touch. We were Max and Fang.
He flashed me a smile and my breath caught. Even back then they were pretty rare.
"We'll be just fine, Maxie." He teased me. I scoffed and pushed him. He pushed back and soon we were both pushing each other hard. We both collapsed onto the grass, laughing. Once our laughter died down we stayed there laying side by side.
"Fang, honey, it's time to go." We both slowly sat up at the sound of his mother's voice. Fang stood and held out a hand to me. Usually I would slap his hand away or glare at him. But not today.
I grasped his hand and he pulled me up. We looked down at our grasped hands. I pulled him into a tight hug and he gripped me back just as tight. I let out a watery laugh.
"I'll see you soon, Max." Fang promised.
"See you soon." I sighed sadly. We slipped out of each other's arms and I watched him walk across the street to his house. He hugged Nudge and her parents before climbing into the moving truck with his father. He waved at me through the window and I waved back. I stood until they turned onto another street and drove out of sight. I sighed and sat back down, criss-cross applesauce and began pulling at the grass again.
End of Flashback
We did make an effort to keep in touch and we did a pretty good job of it too until about sophomore year when we both got more involved into school and our social life. I formed a band with Iggy, Gazzy, and Dylan and he joined journalism and the science club over at his school and our texts and phone calls became less frequent until they eventually just stopped altogether. And we didn't see each other that summer either. He took a field trip to this laboratory the first half of summer and Iggy, Gaz, Dylan and I got permission to go to Comic Con and we spent most of the second half summer there. He visited but I was up North and by the time I had made it back, he'd already returned home. After that, we just kept having bad timing. We never really caught each other.
The last time I saw him was freshman year and that Fang and this Fang were, um, very different.
Senior Fang had definitely gone through puberty. He was tall, taller than me and I'm 5'8. He was easily two or three inches taller and his arms were beautifully bronzed and muscled. His voice was deeper and richer making everything he said sound….sexy.
"I'm visiting for the summer like always." He said to me. I beamed back at him.
"I haven't seen you since freshman year! You definitely look….different." I managed. What an understatement. He turned into hotness incarnate. He's bloody gorgeous!
"You too. Where's your baggy t-shirts and braces?" He smirked at me. I internally winced. Oh, my old clueless self.
"Hey, I still wear the t-shirts but not everyday. Just once a week." I laughed.
"Are you guys done ignoring us?" Nudge asked smiling widely. I slightly blushed at her comment. I looked at her accusingly.
"Why didn't you tell me he was coming?" I demanded. I would have kept my bloody clothes on! Not that it matters what I'm wearing around him. Why would he care? Why would I care? I don't care.
Just forget it. Erase. Delete. Obliviate! Hehe…..
"I thought I'd surprise you. I mean, like you said, you haven't seen each other in person for like two years now and I thought that it'd be cool to see your face when you see him. ZOMG, it was so worth it! Your face when you saw him and then when you realized who it was! PRICELESS! You know what else is priceless? The Mona Lisa. No offense but I don't get what she's smiling about. What was Leonardo thinking of when he made her? Ooo, he reminds me of Leonardo DiCaprio! He's so sexy! He's still cute even though he's like all old now. Aw, I remember him in Titanic! That movie is so sad! But why didn't they take turns?! JACK COULD HAVE LIVE-mnm mmpf mmnhs!" Nudge struggled furiously against Gazzy. Gazzy sighed in relief and looked at us.
"Do you hear that? It's silence. Sweet, sweet silence. Enjoy it while you can." Gazzy proclaimed dramatically. Nudge slapped his hand away and glared at him.
"Was that necessary?!" Nudge huffed.
"It was Nudge, it really was." Iggy said seriously. I rolled my eyes. He's such an idiot sometimes.
Well, more like all the time.
"So, who's this?" Tyler was looking Fang up and down. I leant up to wrap an arm around Fang's neck and brought him down to my height. He grunted and was forced to lean over.
"Midget," he muttered. I tightened my arm and he slightly choked. That's what he gets. I internally cackled.
"This right here is Nicholas Walker. Well, officially. Yal' can call him Fang because who the heck wants to be called Nicholas?" I told them.
"He's my cousin." Nudge added. Fang ducked from underneath my arm and rested his arm on my shoulder.
"I met Fang in kindergarten right after meeting Nudge and he was my best friend up until the end of elementary. Our beautiful friendship was forced to end because he moved to freaking Arizona. Don't you guys remember that guy I hung out with freshmen summer?" I looked at their faces but grunted for the lack of recognition.
"Oh, wait! Fang! Yeah, I do remember. Remember, guys? The scrawny guy!" Angel exclaimed. I grimaced. I wasn't the only one who almost didn't recognize him and I think the only reason I did was because I knew him so well. Well, and the eyes. Dead giveaway. I say Ella and Isabelle whispering and made a mental note to ask her what was going on.
JJ's face burst into a smile. "Oh, yeah! Wow, you must've hit puberty hard. I didn't even recognize you! You're all tan and tall and gorgeous."
Fang laughed dryly. "I definitely went through a growth spurt." he admitted. No kidding.
"Fang, you're just in time for Karaoke! You can finally see Max with her band in person!" Nudge squealed clapping her hands. Fang turned to me with raised eyebrows. I raised mine in return and crossed my arms at him. I dropped my stance and lightly slapped Fang's cheek.
"Prepare to be wowed. Yo, let's go guys." I helped Dylan off the couch on our way to the front of the room. We gathered in a huddle.
"What song do you guys want to do?" I questioned. I tried to hide my unease. This was the first time he was gonna hear me sing live. I hope I don't choke.
"Kiss with a Fist?" Gazzy offered. I looked to Iggy and Dylan for objections but found none. I nodded before saying, "Let's get this over with."
We hopped to our stations. I rocked out to the music before grabbing the mic and bringing it to my lips.
(Kiss With a Fist by Florence and the Machine)
You hit me once
I hit you back
You gave a kick
I gave a slap
You smashed a plate
Over my head
Then I set fire to our bed
You hit me once
I hit you back
You gave a kick
I gave a slap
You smashed a plate
Over my head
Then I set fire to our bed
My black eye casts no shadow
Your red eye sees no blame
Your slaps don't stick
Your kicks don't hit
So we remain the same
Blood sticks, sweat drips
Break the lock if it don't fit
A kick in the teeth is good for some
A kiss with a fist is better than none
Whoa a kiss with a fist is better than none
Broke your jaw once before
I spilt your blood upon the floor
You broke my leg in return
So let's sit back and watch the bed burn
Blood sticks sweat drips
Break the lock if it don't fit
A kick in the teeth is good for some
A kiss with a fist is better than none
Whoa a kiss with a fist is better than none
You hit me once
I hit you back
You gave a kick
I gave a slap
You smashed a plate over my head
Then I set fire to our bed
You hit me once
I hit you back
You gave a kick
I gave a slap
You smashed a plate over my head
Then I set fire to our bed
(End of Song)
He looked slightly impressed but opposed to his usual "no emotion" face I knew we blew his mind away. I sighed in relief but covered it up with a smile. I bowed for him.
"That's right, Fangy. We're the real deal." Iggy said and twirled his drumsticks with his fingers. A flicker of a smile danced across Fang's face. Iggy walked up to him and I unconsciously held my breath. I wasn't sure how my best friend now and my old best friend would react to each other.
Iggy glanced back at me, mischief in his eyes, before beginning to lead Fang out into the backyard. "So, from what I hear, you knew Max back in elementary. That leads me to believe you have plenty of embarrassing stories to share with me. Am I right? I'm right. So, how about…" The back door banged shut behind them. I gaped. I stormed to the door but Jacob intercepted me to throw me over his shoulder in a fireman's carry.
"Oh, no you don't. Anything Fang can tell us about you is priceless. And besides murder will get you into prison, Maxie and we can't have that." Jacob dumped me on the couch. I grumbled but quieted at his logic. I don't want to spend my life in prison. Haha, just kidding I'd never seriously hurt Iggy.
I brightened. "Strangling doesn't cause permanent damage." They all stared at me incredulously.
"Max, that can kill people!" Tess cried. I rolled my eyes at their antics.
"I'll let go before he turns blue!" I defended and crossed my arms. They didn't dignify that with a response and wandered off to do who knows what. Ella and Isabelle plopped down on either side of me.
"Hey," I muttered. "What's up?" Ella exchanged looks with Isabelle. Ella turned back to me smiling.
I narrowed my eyes at her. "What?" I didn't like the look of that smile. It looked to… innocent. And my sister is by no means considered innocent.
"So, Fang looks pretty different now. Pretty hot." She waggled her eyebrows at me. I frowned at her. "I guess…" I looked at her weirdly. What was she trying to say? Her eyes darted to Isabelle.
"Pretty dateable." Isabelle added. It all clicked into place.
"Oh no. No no no no no." I shook my head back and forth for emphasis. I looked at both of them and shook my head again.
"Fang and I are just friends. Nothing more. I've known him my whole life. It'd be like dating my brother." Ok, so I was exaggerating just a little but I did not want these two taking over my love life. I already have Nudge, Becca, and Iggy on my ass. Not them too!
I pointed my finger in her face. "Not happening. Stay out of my love life." I warned.
I stood and walked off to make a phone call. I shut myself in the bathroom and dialed Brigid's number. I sat on the toilet and waited for her to answer. She almost didn't.
"Hey," she answered.
"Hey," I sighed. Silence ensued. I waited.
"I'm sorry," she sighed. "I don't know why I always blame you. It's not your fault."
"It's ok." I said even though I wasn't entirely sure I was.
"I just always put myself out there and no one is ever interested. They just use me to get to you or any of the other girls." I'd heard all this before.
"Brigid, you don't need a guy in your life." I said this to her every time we had a conversation like this. Why don't people listen to me?
"I know but I want one. Everyone has someone!" I puzzled at this. This was new.
"What do you mean?"
"Nudge has Gazzy and Ella has Iggy. I know Jacob has a crush on Isabelle and she thinks he's cute so that's bound to happen. JJ's dating that water polo guy Erik! Isaac just asked out that girl he was crushing on in his math class last year and Dylan likes you!" I spluttered at her last comment.
"Dylan does not like me!" I dismissed. She yelled out in frustration and I held the phone away from my ear.
"Yes! He does! He makes doe eyes at you everytime you guys are together or he's around you. He follows you around like a puppy!" she cried.
"Stop using animals to describe this! You didn't even name everyone! And none of your examples were actually dating. That's a major flaw in your 'logic'. That doesn't even work." I rubbed my temples. I think she gave me a headache.
"It shouldn't be this hard." she said in a small voice. I sighed before making a decision.
"Ok. The next guy you like I promise I'll help you win him over."
"Really, Max?!"
I sighed. "Yes." She squealed loudly and I flinched away from the phone.
"Thanks so much, Max! I promise I'll pick good! I'm so excited! Ok, I'm gonna go before you change your mind! Bye, Max!" I hung up the phone.
I stopped to gaze in the mirror on my way out. I really looked at myself in the mirror. I looked for anything that might make me seem more attractive than Brigid. Her hair resembled Dianna Agron's and had natural waves that looked like perfection. My hair was long and almost reached my waist. It was naturally dirty blonde and wavy straight. Brigid barely reached 5'4 and I loomed over her at 5'8. Brigid has a paler complexion and was acne free but I on the other hand was at war with some blackheads. And they were winning!
I frowned at my reflection. I huffed at the mirror and turned to leave but Fang blocked the entrance. I jumped but manage to hold back my yell. I glared up at him and put my hand on my hip. I gestured wildly with my other hand like I was waiting for an explanation. He shrugged which I translated to: because I can. I narrowed my eyes at him: don't do it again. He raised his eyebrows slightly and stepped aside, sweeping his arm and mock bowing at me. I threw my head back and and marched past him. I could feel his silent laughter but chose to ignore it.
I headed back to the living room but Fang gently grabbed my wrist. I looked back questioningly but he nodded over his shoulder. I turned to follow him and he lead me outside onto Nudge's back porch. It was dark outside but neither of us turned on the porch light. We sat on the porch swing facing each other. Are you confused about how we did that?
Fang sat sideways with one leg dangling over the side and the other on the bench bent at the knee. I sat the same way but instead my leg rested sideways on the bench. (AN: Did that make sense?)
"What's up?" I asked. He gently rocked us back and forth.
He shrugged. "Wanted to talk alone." I slightly blushed.
"Haven't seen you in ages. When was the last time we even talked?" I couldn't remember.
"Maybe before junior year. Kept missing each other." he answered.
"Didn't we promise each other we'd keep in touch?" I kind of felt disappointed in myself because I didn't do a better job.
"Stop blaming yourself." Fang ordered. I looked at him embarrassed and murmured an apology.
I breathed in deeply before smiling at him. "How have you been, Fang?"
He grinned at me. "Good. Nothing's changed with me. Except my devilishly good looks." I rolled my eyes at him.
"You've definitely made some progress in the looks don't even look dirty anymore!" I teased. He rolled his eyes.
"You're one to talk. You used to fight with your mom every time she tried to get you to take a shower. You were a stinky kid." I laughed at that. That was very much true.
"You didn't tell me your band was that good." I looked at him incredulously. "Yes, I did! You just didn't believe me."
He looked at me. "I've never heard you sing until now." He sounded slightly hurt.
"I was too embarrassed to tell you." I confessed. His eyebrows lifted momentarily. "I'd never make fun of you."
"I know. I didn't even want to start singing seriously until the end of seventh grade. Took me until the beginning of ninth grade to get the guts to open up about it and that was only because Iggy overheard me singing. Idiot told everyone that same day." I grimaced.
"Must've been mad." I snorted at that. Mad was an understatement.
"I was livid. It took four of the guys to hold me down so I couldn't bludgeon his head. I was so embarrassed. But he came to me later that day and apologized for making me mad. He didn't apologize for telling people though because he knew that was the only way people would ever find out unless they overheard me. And he was right. I would have probably kept it to myself. He said that a voice as great as mine deserved to be heard." Fang listened intently his brows slightly furrowed.
"He's a good friend." I immediately wanted to hug him. Most people jumped to conclusions and thought Iggy and I were, gag, romantically involved because of our friendship. We had encountered, too many times, where one of us was asked about a possible or secret relationship. We were both revolted at the idea and people quickly got the message. We were still occasionally asked by strangers and newcomers and I had been anticipating Fang asking as well.
I should have known better.
"I forgot how awesome you are." He pretended to be fake hurt.
"That hurt, Max. That really hurt." I laughed at him and his eyes twinkled. I was startled at how much I'd missed him without realizing it. Fang fit like an old favorite shoe that had been tucked away underneath my bed. Covered in a little dust but gleamed when lightly cleaned. Only one thing ruined my comforting and happy thoughts.
Fang couldn't stay. At the end of the summer he would be going back to Arizona and I'd still be here. The thought quickly dried up my smile. I looked up at him and his gaze lowered to meet mine.
And he knew. Just by looking into my eyes, he knew. He wordlessly slid over to me and I draped both my legs across his lap. I cuddled into his side and said no more. He wrapped his arms around me and leant his head against mine. I didn't want to ask but I had to know.
"How long?" I whispered into his chest. His silence made my heart sink.
"Long enough for the Summer Festival." I closed my eyes at his words and unconsciously clutched his t-shirt.
"I missed you."
"I missed you too." His arms tightened around me.
Hope you guys liked it! I'll update pretty soon, maybe tomorrow, so patience please!