The Bartender
Chapter Four
Max
"I love you, Max," Iggy mumbled as we laid together in my bed, curled up underneath the comforter his aunt got us for Christmas.
"I love you too," I whispered back, closing my eyes, thinking of how I could stay in that moment forever.
Unfortunately, because I'm Maximum Ride, and my luck likes to give me the shit end of the stick, I couldn't do that because my cell phone started ringing from the bedside table behind me.
"Ignore it," Iggy said, trying to hold onto my hands so I couldn't pick it up.
I pried my hands out of his and slipped out of bed, grabbing my cell phone and flicking it open without looking at the Caller ID.
"Hello?"
"Hey, Max. Listen, I need you to come pick me up. I was at the bar earlier, and then I left, but I went back and I need a ride home," Fang slurred.
I knew I shouldn't have gone to get Fang because of Iggy, but Fang was my best friend and I was not about to let him drive home drunk.
I quickly told Fang I would be there in a minute and to sit on the bench outside the bar until I got there—without mentioning his name, of course.
"Listen, Ig, I have to go pick a friend up from the bar. I'll be back in a few minutes, I promise," I told Iggy, kissing his cheek lightly before I headed over to my dresser to pick out a t-shirt and a pair of jeans.
At that point, I was only wearing a tank top and my underwear, and despite the fact that I was going to pick Fang up at a bar at three in the morning, I still wanted to look semi-presentable, especially because it was my place of work—not that I would go pick him up in my underwear, anyway.
"Okay, drive carefully," Iggy said, rolling onto his back so he could kiss my lips.
It only took about five minutes to get to the bar where, as instructed, Fang was sitting on the bench, waiting for me.
As soon as he saw my Jeep pull up, he stood up—almost toppling over as he did—and began to walk over to my car.
Before he fell and broke something, I rushed over and wrapped an arm around his torso, helping him into the passenger seat of my car.
"Thanks for doing this, Max. I know you were with Iggy and had every right not to come help me, but you did anyway, so thanks."
"Fang, I told you that if you ever needed someone to drive you home, you could call me. That will not change just because Iggy's home now. I love my boyfriend, but I'm not going to let you drive drunk," I assured him, keeping my eyes on the road as I drove.
As usual, it only took a few minutes to get to Fang's apartment, and a few to help him into the actual building.
"Max, don't leave. Please. I know Iggy's home waiting for you, but I just want a little more time with my best friend. My best friend, Max Ride. Not Max Ride, my brother's girlfriend," Fang plead, standing upright and walking into the kitchen of his apartment to grab two bottles of beer.
I nodded and dropped my keys onto the table by the door, slowly making my way toward the island Fang was leaning against, holding one of the two beers he'd taken out of the fridge.
He slid the other across the island, which I popped the cap off of and took a long swig of it.
"Why did you want me to stay?" I asked as I took a few more drinks from my bottle.
Fang didn't get to answer my question because right as he was about to, my cell phone began to ring from my back pocket, playing Vanilla Ice's song Ice Ice Baby.
"Really, Max, Ice Ice Baby?"
I rolled my eyes at Fang and flipped my phone open, neglecting to look at the Caller ID.
"Hello?" I asked into the mouth piece, taking another swig of the beer.
"Hey, Max, listen, I couldn't get back to sleep, so I think I'm just gonna head out for a little while. Maybe go visit my parents or something. That's the one and only benefit of them not being around anymore, I can visit them whenever I want," Iggy's voice said on the other end of the call.
"Okay, baby, well, I'll see you when you get back, I guess?"
"Of course. I love you."
"I love you too."
Fang rolled his eyes at that, downed the rest of his beer and chucked the bottle into the sink behind him.
I snapped my phone shut and dropped it onto the counter in front of me as I rounded the counter and came face to face with Fang.
"Listen, Mister, if you don't stop giving me dirty looks, there will be hell to pay, I promise you that," I threatened, rising up onto my tip toes so I was of equal—or somewhat equal—height with Fang.
"And if you don't step back a little I might be tempted to do something that might get me into a little trouble with my baby brother," Fang mumbled, quirking a half smile worth a million bucks.
"Well, then maybe I should step back. Or maybe I should...," I reached to my right and grabbed the hose from the sink, aiming it straight for Fang and pulling the trigger.
Fang's shirt began to soak through, and the wetter the shirt got, the angrier Fang got.
"Oh, you're gonna get it now, Ride," Fang smiled deviously, bending slightly to wrap his arms around my waist and throw me over his shoulder.
Fang carried me from the kitchen to his bedroom and plopped me down on his bed, crawling over me and winking as he attacked my sides with tickles.
"Fang! Fang! Quit it! I'm so going to neuter you!" I yelled, trying to wrestle him off of me.
"Do it, I dare you, Max," Fang taunted, continuing with his tickle torture.
Iggy
Instead of going to see my parents' grave like I planned, I decided it would be easier to see my only family left alive and then tackle talking to the ones who died when I was young, and therefore decided to go see my brother.
I still had a key from before my last departure, and used that to get inside.
As soon as I stepped through the door, it became very apparent that Fang was not alone in his room. I debated whether or not I should still stay and barge in on him, or just leave and leave him be.
However, I also noticed that the two voices from inside that closed door were a string of threats sewed together with laughter.
And I recognized that laughter—both voices.
That made my decision to open the door to find my girlfriend pinned beneath my brother on his bed, her head thrown back in laughter, his hands working on those ticklish spots on her sides that I thought only I knew about that much easier.
Apparently, I thought wrong.
See, because I'm a natural-born smart ass, I really should have come up with something better than, "What the fuck?"
Max's head shot up at hearing my voice, her eyes widening to the size of golfballs as she pushed Fang off of her.
"What the hell is this?" I yelled, waiting for the smoke to start pouring out my ears.
"I, uh, Iggy please, let me explain," Max begged, standing up and fixing her shirt, which had probably gotten messed up in her wrestling match with my brother.
Max
And again with that damn Max Ride luck.
Good morning everyone! (:
I hope you all enjoyed this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it!
I love you all and hope you'll review! (:
xoxo,
K.J
