AN: Don't own. Thanks to all my reviewers, readers, and lurkers.
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::: Chapter 3 :: I Think I'm Dying. Sincerely, Max :: December 2013 :::
you can try and touch the sky
dream away all your fears
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First day and I'm already got myself involved in drama. Is there anything I can't do?
I walk out into the middle of the hallway and there's a brunette in Prada, hands on her hips with a look on her face that screamed business.
Luckily for her, I had business too.
"Can somebody fess up already, or do I have to repeat myself?"
Dear god. And I thought these kinds of girls only existed in movies.
I stride over to her with Maya trailing somewhere behind me. This was so not turning out to a good day. I'd had pretty shitty days before, but I could tell that this one takes the prize.
"Spare our ears the pain and please don't. Was the car a silvery Camry?"
Her nose wrinkles. "Don't know about the Camry part, but was silver and ugly."
Oh Hell no. Nobody insults my car. Not on my watch. Claiming a parking space as yours was one thing, but insulting the car that parked there?
I step up until I'm face to face with her and stare right into dark brown eyes, fully aware that the entire hall was full of whispering.
"Listen, my car is probably a thousand times prettier than you. And last time I checked, there was no name on the parking spot, so no, it's not your spot."
She sneers at me. "New student, I'm guessing-"
"Brilliant deduction," I say, cutting her off. "So yes, I'm new, I didn't know it was 'your' spot, but if I did I wouldn't give a damn either way."
Her eyes narrow and she's about to say something but a boy with platinum blond hair steps up from behind her and sends a disdainful look my way.
"I'd suggest you park your car somewhere else tomorrow," he says with a lofty tone.
If there's one thing you should know about me, it's that I don't take orders well-especially with the snobs of highschool.
"I'd appreciate it if you don't tell me what to do," I snap back with the same tone. "Now excuse me, I have better things to do than stand here and argue about parking spaces."
His ice blue eyes flash and he growls. Clearly people have been letting him get his way too many times; it's about time someone showed him his place for once.
I turn to the brunette. "Put your dog on a leash and maybe he'll stop growling like an animal."
The hall is dead silent.
I turn to leave, but the blond is in front of me again. Keeping my face blank, I look up at him cooly and motion for him to get the Hell out of my way.
"Wanna fight?"
O-Kay. I was not expecting that—but then again, expect the unexpected, I guess.
I look him up and and down and pretended to think about it. Remember Max, I chant mentally, you do not want to get suspended on the first fucking day of school.
"I'm sorry, but I don't fight girls," I say calmly.
Someone shoves me from behind and I crash sideways to the lockers.
"You bitch!"
The brunette is back, slamming me into the metal, hands fisted in my cardigan, but I shove her off. I catch her incoming fist and twist it behind her, using the momentum to slam her into the lockers.
Hey, when you spend enough time hanging around in lower Manhattan and Five Points, you're bound to know how to fight.
"Me, a bitch? At least I don't go around calling people one," I hiss. I'm about to let her go when someone pulls me back and stands between me and the girl.
Lissa.
"Marian Janssen, I expected better behavior from the Vice President of the student council. Fighting a student and dealing the first blow. I'm disappointed."
She turns to me. "Taunting and fighting back? I hope to never see this from you again, Max."
"And for the rest of you, get to class," she says in a no-nonsense tone. "There's only a minute left."
The crowd slowly disperses; the blonde boy helps Marian up and she shoots me a glare of absolute loathing.
"See you around, Max." My name is spit out like poison and the boy glances back at me, hatred evident in twin pools of ice.
I roll my eyes at him and I turn to Lissa. "In my defense-"
She waves off my flimsy rebuttal. "Don't worry about it. We should get to class. You're in my Physics and Trigonometry class; I'll walk you. And Maya, your Chem class is down the hallway and it's the fifth door to the right down that corridor."
Maya looks like she's about to say something along the lines of how'd you know my schedule, but the bell finally rings and she runs off in the direction Lissa directed her to.
"Before you ask about me knowing about your schedules, being Student Body President has its perks," Lissa answers my unspoken question as she leads me up the stairs to Physics. "And for Marian and Omega, it's best if you stay out of their way for now."
I snort in disbelief. "What can they possibly do? The worst Marian can do is get to school early and nab the parking spot."
"It's not Marian I'm worried about. It's Omega." I think back to absolute fury in ice blue eyes. Wanna fight?
"Whatever," I say, pushing the matter to the back of my head. The less I see of the two, the better.
And with that, we walk in to Physics, five minutes late and counting to a scowling man in plaid.
Today was rapidly going downhill.
x /\/\ x
"Oh Max, I love your halter top! Where did you get it? Oh my god, we should go shopping together someday! How about this weekend? We could totally buy some new clothes, you know!"
How she said that all in one breath, I'll never know.
I flash a polite smile at her and nod, going back to my lunch of overcooked spaghetti and meatballs. I hate school lunches, but hey, when you're hungry everything tastes good.
"You'll get used to Nudge," JJ says to me. "It only takes time."
I grin at her. "And the occasional pair of earplugs, I'm guessing?"
We ignore Nudge's huffs and slap hands under the table, and I inwardly congratulate myself on my effort on making new friends.
I'm Jennifer Joy, but only call me that if you want a death wish, she'd said. I'm Maximum Martinez, but call me Max and we'll get along just fine, I'd replied.
Thus was the quirky start of a friendship.
"Don't worry, Monique, we'll make plans this weekend," JJ sing-songs.
Nudge rolls her eyes. "I'll forgive you for calling my real name in favor of needing you guys to carry my shopping bags at the mall."
"Don't kill each other yet," Lissa interrupts us with my sister in tow. "JJ, Nudge, meet Maya, Max's sister."
Nudge gives Maya an appraising look. "You have a nice fashion sense."
My sister smiles sweetly and I immediately know that she has something up her sleeve. "Then I guess you liked Max's as well, since I was the one who chose her outfit for her."
"Oh my god, really? I was just asking her about her halter top, where she'd gotten it, and stuff like that! You know what, you are officially my partner in all things fashion."
As Maya and Nudge started chatting, JJ motions for me to show her my schedule.
Physics, Spanish, US History, Trigonometry, AP Lang, and Journalism.
"Oh, you have AP Lang and Journalism with me," she says, handing me back my schedule. "You like writing?"
"Yeah, I do," I say. "I was an editor for my school newspaper back in New York."
"Nice."
"However, Max fails at math," Lissa butts in, shooting me an evil grin. Maya and Nudge halt their chatter and listen to Lissa, deadly curious.
"Don't you dare," I hiss at her, thinking of my three wrong answers in a pop Trig quiz. I had no intention of embarrassing myself again.
"Do tell us," JJ says, clearly intent on teasing me after this.
And with that, my lunch passed pleasantly with thinly veiled threats at Lissa and laughter from my sister and newfound friends.
x /\/\ x
I nearly drop my books at the sight of my car after school.
"They slashed my tires?!" My voice is shrill and unbelieving and I'm on the verge of exploding. "I'm going to skin them alive when I see them tomorrow!"
The inch-long diagonal slashes stare mockingly up at me, daring me to do just that.
"Those fuckers," Maya seethes. "What car does Marian have? She'll have an early Christmas gift tomorrow."
Lissa, Nudge, and JJ run up to Maya and I.
"They slashed all four?" JJ asks, looking at my pitiful tires.
I breathe in slowly from my nose. "Just the back tires. I think she would've slashed all four but ran out of time during lunch."
Lissa stands next to my car, jade greens assessing the damage. "This is the work of Omega with Marian's plan written all over it. But the thing is, we don't have substantial proof that it was them. Our claims wouldn't work on the vandalism policy of the school."
I kick at invisible rocks as I circle around my car. "Great. On top of paying for new tires, I don't have proof and I will be suspended for sure if I take matters into my own hands. And I have to walk to school and back now."
I swear, I'd never wanted to strangle anyone as much as I did now.
Nudge walks up to me and places her hand on my shoulder. "I can give you rides, if you want; I already drive Lissa and JJ. I have enough room for you and Maya. Just tell me where you guys live and we'll be all set, all right?"
I look up, touched by her offer. "Would you really?"
Nudge pushes curly black locks out of her eyes and giggles. "Of course, but you'll have to chip in for the gas bills."
"No problem," I say. "Now I just have to call a tow truck."
x /\/\ x
I sit on Maya's bed after dinner, half-heartily reading Oedipus Rex while Maya sits at her desk with the laptop, fingers typing away on an essay.
"You got a report on your first day?"
She shrugs and swivels around on her chair, facing me. "It's an analysis on the first half of Catcher in the Rye, which I finished back in New York."
"Lucky you. On the other hand, I have to catch up on ten chapters of this book about a king killing his father and marrying his mother."
Maya coughs and turns around, back to her unfinished report.
"Hey My, I never got to see your schedule."
"Hold on a sec."
Maya reaches for her binder and pulls out a neatly folded square of yellow paper, handing it to me. Chemistry, English Honors, Algebra II, Spanish, World History, and Instruments. My eyes linger on the last one, and I look up to question my sister.
"Instruments?"
"I still want to practice on my guitar skills."
Oh. So it was this.
"You know mom offered to buy you an actual guitar so you could stop borrowing the school's."
"Yeah, but you know. Shit happens."
Jeb, Ella, the divorce, the move. I hear it, and I know.
"But don't worry, they're loaning me one tomorrow. I just need to warn Nudge that she's gonna have to clear her trunk of shoes to make room for it."
"Okay," I say, not really knowing what else to comment on.
"What are you gonna tell mom?" Maya asks a minute later.
"Huh?"
"Your lovely car parked in the second garage, with slashed tires facing the wall?"
I fist Maya's comforter with one hand, not really sure what to say. Mom was going to have a heart attack when she found out, and I had absolutely no intention of letting her know-she had too many things to worry about already. I had money stashed in the bottom drawer of my desk, but it wasn't enough to cover two hundred dollars' worth of damage.
Yet.
"I'm not going to," I say. "I'll just pretend that we're using the car since she goes to work before us and I'll use my own money to pay up. I'll get everything fixed when Christmas comes. There's no need to worry Mom about it."
Maya doesn't reply and all I hear are the tap-tap-taps from the keyboard.
x /\/\ x
A week and a half flies by and I'd grown accustomed to life in Westfield. Maya and I wait for Nudge's red Honda at the street corner every day before school, and school itself was quickly become a routine-classes were boring, lunch was always amusing-and I only ever saw Marian or Omega during passing period, but if I did, they'd purposely ask me about my car.
Only the thought of how they were totally not worth it was keeping me from bashing Marian's head against the lockers for a second time.
"One more week until Christmas break!" Maya remarks as we head over to Nudge's car after school. "I can't wait!"
She puts her guitar in the trunk and I turn to her.
"Already making plans?" I say dryly. I'd had an earful of Nudge's "Christmas shopping" plans at lunch already.
"No. That's Nudge's job," she replies as she opens the car doors and scoots over to the center seat next to JJ.
"I heard my name!" Nudge remarks from the drivers seat.
"You must be hearing things, Nudge."
Nudge glances suspiciously at us from the rear view mirror as she backs out, but lets it go, one hand turning on the radio.
"...And our next song is quite a hit, really. It's been climbing charts since Tuesday and it's still rising steadily-quite a feat for a debuting band..."
Maya learns forward. "Turn up the volume!" she practically yells at Lissa. JJ shoots Maya a glance, questioning her sanity, but Lissa obliges.
"...This is "Young", single from the band Northern Lights!"
"Oh my god!" Maya squeals. "Dylan Connor!"
you and I are young
what makes it wrong for us to fall in love
Lissa turns around in her seat to face me. "I don't know about 'Dylan Connor', but I think this song is pretty good for a debuting band."
would you love me
if I was crazy
cause girl I'm going crazy for you
Okay well yeah. At least their lyrics didn't talk about drugs or money.
because we're never gonna be as young
as we are tonight
we'll let the world know that we're alive
I sit with my head leaning on the window, quietly listening to the song while Maya just sat in awe. I was just waiting for it to end to see Maya burst into tears, download the song into her iPod and blast it on repeat for the next twenty-four hours when we got home.
The song does end and Maya screams in frustration.
"For all you fans out there, Northern Lights is touring after New Years! So all you lucky Californians, there's your chance to see them live on their state tour."
Maya screams in delight now. "Oh my god. I need to get home now."
"Me too!"
"Nudge?!" JJ and I yell at the same time. "You too?"
Nudge giggles and I sink back into my seat. "What about your thoughts, Lissa?"
I see her shoulders rise and fall in front of me. "Bands aren't really my thing," she says, voice soft. I raise a brow an I'm about to question her but Nudge pulls up in front of my condo.
"Come on Max, scoot your butt out of the car now!"
I sigh and make a mental note to ask Lissa about it tomorrow, as I scramble out, Maya right on my heels.
"Bye Nudge! Drive safely!"
We wave as she drives off, and Maya practically skips to our door-and crashes into a blonde girl with baby blue eyes.
"Ow!"
"Oh my god I'm so sorry! I didn't see you!"
Well obviously. If you did see her you wouldn't crash into her.
The blonde girl brushes herself off. "No problem. Are you the new neighbors?"
Maya nods. "I'm Maya Martinez, and that"-she points to me-"is my sister, Max."
"I'm Angel Walker. I have a brother, but he's still at school."
"Westfield High?" I ask.
She shakes her head, blonde curls bouncing around. "At Westfield Middle. He's an eighth grader, and I'm a seventh."
"Oh. Okay. Which building do you guys live in?"
She points to a apartment one door away from ours. "In 3A."
"You guys have a nice garden," Maya remarks. I think back to the perfectly preened bushes and flowers and agree.
Angel giggles. "Yeah, my mom's big on gardening. I have to go now, so see you guys around!"
"Bye!" Maya and I watch as she disappears back into her house, then walking up to ours. "Tomorrow's Friday! Another week's done and oh wait-I have a Chem test tomorrow."
I roll my eyes as I open the door. "Just think of Northern Lights and you'll survive."
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and know that hope's a light in your chest
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AN: Sorry for the late update, but I was kinda out of it this week. School is a pain.
Song is Young by The Summer Set.
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