A/N
Anna: LALALA!
Forever: So we got two reviews
Anna: Yeah. You mean people. :P
Forever: But Tangled hit 7...
Anna: He thinks it's because he sucks as a writer.
EVERYBODY, TELL HIM THIS IS A LIE!
Forever: Her chapter got 7 but mine only 2...
I told her I was holding this back...
Anna: Psh. Whatever. I don't believe you. ANYWAYS, Mama is sending me to acting camp, so I have to sleep by midnight and I'm already stretching it, so, we need to HURRY UP.
Forever: Chuckles. Acting camp? Does that mean no contact with me?
Anna: * Grumbles, crossing arms over chest. * She's upset about Hank, I think.
Forever: Eye roll. Ill take that as a no. So updates will be slower!
Anna: NO, THEY WON'T. SHUT UP.
I'm only gone for a few hours a day.
Forever: Uh oh. I g2g.
AND CUT!
Anna: Dude!
Forever: DISCLAIMER NOW
Anna: WE DON'T OWN WHAT WE DON'T OWN!
Max POV
With a huff, I blew my hair out of my eyes, an annoyed expression crossing over my face. Nudge rolled her eyes at me as I tapped my pencil against my paper, eyes narrowed in concentration. We were both laying on our stomachs and doing our homework on her living room floor, right in front of the fireplace.
"Home school homework really that hard, Maxie?" She shook her head disapprovingly. "It's only a month into the school year, too."
Glaring at her, I threw my pencil at her head, "Shut up! It's AP English! That's some hard stuff, woman!" I exclaimed, huffing in anger as she dodged my attack, laughing. "You're the worst best friend ever. You should be supportive of my high grades!"
Giggling, she rolled her eyes, shaking her head. "Oh, Max," she sighed in a mockingly dramatic way. "You're so amazing! I can't believe you're able to sit in your room with your mother and learn upper level classes all day! It's truly a gift not many possess." Sticking my tongue out at her, I threw a pillow this time.
"You're so mean to me," I groaned, flopping onto my back and sighing. "It actually sucks, thank you very much. You and Iggy are my only friends." Nudge looked at me sympathetically, sitting up, her taunting expression gone.
Patting my hand, she sighed. "It's not such a sweet deal, honey. Public high school can suck," she told me, and I snorted, rolling my eyes and looking up at the ceiling. We both knew that, in her case, high school definitely didn't suck. She was head cheerleader, head of the debate team, and everyone just loved her.
"Max, stop feeling so sorry for yourself," she chastised. "You're totally awesome, rich, and don't have to deal with people like Lissa Johnson nine hours a day. Plus, it's bad for the complexion." Nudge gestured to her face as emphasize. "I'm proof that smiling makes you gorgeous."
I cracked a smile at that. "You're insane," I informed her in a matter-of-fact tone, and she shrugged, grinning at me with a wink.
"Only the best are," she replied, checking her nails as if this was a completely normal exchange. Then, we both shared a look and burst out in guffaws. After about ten minutes of rolling on the ground, clutching our sides, our laughs quieted and Nudge sighed, sitting up. "We should probably get back to work."
Groaning, I covered my eyes. "Noooooo…" I moaned. "No homework, please, I'm ill." Her eyes widened in fake worry, and she checked my forehead and the back of my neck, before sitting back and looking at me in mock seriousness.
"You feel scarily overheated, Ms. Martinez. This is bad news. We should take you to Mrs. Dwyer's office immediately," her lips turned up in a mischievous grin and I sat up immediately, shaking my head wildly and turning to her. "This is a very serious issue. You could have a deadly disease."
Smiling sweetly, I threw my hands in the air, "How amazing! I feel fine now, better than ever! It's a miracle! No need to see Mrs. Dwyer." My voice oozed with innocence and she pursed her lips, eyeing me, unsure of this statement. I added an innocent eyelash batting for effect.
With a sigh, she wagged her finger at me, "You'd better be all right, Maxie. I don't want sick-person germs all over Mom's rug." Nudge crinkled her nose, shuddering, and I laughed, and grinned at her. She smiled back, giggling.
Half an hour later, Willow appeared in the doorway, biting her lip. "Max, your mom just called. She said that she has news for you and you have to come home right away," she informed me, her black and red streaked hair falling into her silver eyes shyly. "It sounded kind of urgent."
With a sigh, I pushed my hair out of my eyes and nodded, standing and packing up my bag. "I'll see you later?" I asked Nudge, and she nodded, grinning at me with a wink.
Smiling at Willow, I nodded slightly as I past. She smiled back slightly, tucking her hair behind her ear. "See you, Max," she nodded back. This was the extent of my relationship with Nudge's little sister, a nod and a few polite words.
Willow was sixteen, a year younger than us, and had been adopted into the Brooke family when
Nudge and I were seven. She was usually quiet and unsocial, the opposite of Nudge, and was tall and skinny with pale skin and light blonde hair. She wore dark red and black clothes and usually had her waist-length hair down, with her bangs in her gorgeous eyes. It was as if she was built to keep people out.
Shaking my head to clear my thoughts, I shifted my bag further up on my shoulder and walked outside into Nudge's front yard, weaving my way through the trees that separated our yards. Biting my lip with a soft sigh, I closed my eyes for a moment at the edge of the woods, hesitating.
I knew the moment I entered the house, Ella would start chastising my jeans and t-shirt, and Mother would complain that I didn't socialize enough and needed better manners, and Jeb would tell me that I needed to up my – already above average – grades, because 'Batchelders are Better than the Best' and I was a disappointment.
But then the image of my little brother, Ari, waiting for me by the door and smiling up at me, and the saddened frown on his face whenever one of my other family members chastised him. Clenching my fists, I moved forward, if only for him. The rest of my family could suck it.
Stepping inside the foyer, I braced myself for whatever Mother had to say. I could only hope that it wasn't another socialization group in town. There was nothing more mortifying than being sent by your mother to a socializing conference where you sit silently with a bunch of losers who only speak to argue over the difference between, and the better of, fantasy and science fiction.
The whole thing made me want to smash my head against a wall, or maybe Mother's. Pondering which would be more satisfying, I slipped off my sneakers and tossed my bag next to them. Silently padding up the stairs, I paused outside my mother's room, wondering if I should get the whole thing over with then, or wait for her to send Sam after me later.
With a sigh, I opened the door and pasted a smile on my face. "Mother, Father," I greeted, the word 'father' making my stomach coil. Ever since he had cheated on Mother when I was twelve – no matter how drunk or how long ago – I had called him Jeb in my head, and, whenever Mother wasn't around, to his face.
Jeb smiled back, his arm wrapped around my mother. I forced myself not to glare at him, but folded my arms over my chest anyways. Mother sighed, and I got ready for a reprimanding. "Maximum Martinez, don't give us that attitude. You know how I feel about you folding your arms. It gives the appearance that you don't respect us and is an extremely rude gesture and I will have none of it."
Pursing my lips, I unfolded my arms briskly, my hands clenching into fists behind my back. "Sorry, Mother," I apologized politely, and she smiled at me. Jeb cleared his throat, turning our attentions back to the reason we were here. "Why did you call me?" I asked them, but my eyes were on my father.
With a calm, political smile on his face, Jeb glanced at my mother. "We have decided that it would be better, socially and educationally, for you to go to the local high school," he informed me, smiling as if he was oh-so-proud of himself. My heart stopped.
"What?" I hissed in anger, throwing politeness and manners out the door. "Are you freakin' serious? You'd better be kidding, Jeb! It's a month into Senior Year! I'll be the freaky, ex-home schooled new girl!" Mother gasped, a hand flying to her heart.
"Maximum!" she exclaimed. "How dare you be so disrespectful! Go to your room."
I glared, whipping around and stomping into the hall, "Gladly!" I hissed, running up two more flights of stairs, to the tower/attic/my bedroom. Slamming the door shut, I collapsed onto my bed, punching at my pillow in anger. Then, I picked up my cell phone and angrily stabbed at the keys, dialing Nudge's cell phone number.
"They're sending me to public school," I hissed once Nudge picked up, glaring up at the ceiling, my empty fist clenched and anger made my body tense. My jaw angrily set and I let out a scream of rage, punching another pillow. "I can't believe this!"
Nudge was silent for a moment before replying, tone bewildered but cautious, "But earlier, you said that you would rather go to public school. I'm confused, Max. Do you want it or not?"
Sighing, I closed my eyes, running my hand down my face. "I don't know! I mean, it'd be nice to have some more friends, I guess. Not that you're not enough, just…I've always wondered what it was like. But I don't want to be the weird, freaky ex-home schooled new girl, you know?" My voice was tired, my anger dissipated.
"Yeah, I get it. But, look at it this way – you'll get to see Iggy and I more often, and you'll meet hot guys, and you'll have great targets for your random bursts of anger, and we have decent food in the cafeteria, ooh, and you get to see Fang, too," Nudge started her rant, but I shot up in bed, my eyes widening at her words.
"I'll get to see Fang? He goes to your school?" I asked, and she giggled.
"Uh, Max, it's the only high school in the area, of course he does. Why? Someone got a crush on a certain hottie in black?" she teased, and my face turned red. I opened my mouth to reply, but then my door creaked open and Ari appeared, smiling at me and showing off his missing tooth.
Smiling back, I reached for him, and he crawled into my lap. As I stroked his hair, I replied, "No, someone does not, but I have to go. Ari has something to tell me." Nudge and I said our goodbyes and then we hung up, and I tossed my phone onto my nightstand, grinning at my little brother.
"What's up today, my little man?" I asked, tickling his stomach, and he giggled, curling into a ball to escape my attack. Laughing, I tickled him all over, until we were laying on the bed, breathing heavily as I hugged him into my side. "Did you hear what the 'rents have arranged?" I asked him, once I caught my breath.
He nodded, smiling up at me. "You gonna go to public school, too, like Isabella and I!" he cheered, tugging at my hand. "Mommy says you gonna drive Gazzy, Angel and I to school! And Iggy gonna come, too! And Nudgey! And Iggy's friend! It'll be like the bus, but funner!" Laughing, I scooped him up in a hug, tossing him into the air and making him giggle.
Then, I hugged him to me and kissed his forehead, smoothing down his hair and nodding. "Yeah, little man," I whispered. "It'll be a whole lot of fun."
End A/N
Forever: We have to hurry
Anna: No duh. I need my sleep. I get crabby.
Forever: Eye roll. Me too. But I don't attack...
Anna: * Hiss! * Anyways, I'm annoyed right now because of...something...anyways, so sleep is best.
I DON'T WANNA GO TO ACTING CAMP!
AHH!
SAVE ME!
Forever: I can't... We don't know each other irl...
Anna: :P Wasn't talking to you. I was talking to my friends like Luke and Star and Lils reading this. SAVE ME!
Forever: Eye roll. Whatevs. I REALLY g2g.
Anna: DO THE SIG AND FINE.
GO AWAY.
AND THEN I LEAVE.
~Fax is forever~
~Anna Ride~
~[Fax Is Forever]~
~Anna Peacock Eyes!
Forever: You have to post this ya know
BYE!
Anna: YOU DO!
YOU YOU YOU!
Forever: Then tomorrow!