A/N: Please Review! And as always thanks for reading!
"What is it Nudge?" I asked. "What did you want to talk about?" Nudge paused. "Go on." Fang said. Nudge shifted her body awkwardly. "It's your husband. He's here. He's kind of scaring me." What else was new?
"Seriously. He's waited in the den." Nudge guided me into the den where Randal was pretending to watch TV. "Well well if it isn't Max."
"Um okay…" Randal shut the TV off with the remote. "So the divorce is almost finalized." I stood there frozen. "Um the divorce?" I asked. "Our divorce." Randall repeated as though I were an idiot.
"Hey you remember Ethan, don't you?" Nudge was right he was acting scary. "Are you alright?" Randal nodded. "Yes, of course. Anywho you remember Ethan Hogarth. The person who you cheated on with me?" Oh yeah, scrawny, pale, annoying.
"Well it turns out that he's the lead prosecutor in Angel's case. I spoke to him on the phone and I told him about our divorce. He would love to have the opportunity to get back at you with me." I was almost certain he was drunk.
"What are you saying Randall?" I inquired. "Look we both want something. I can work with him. We can make it certain that Angel will die. But I could never do that to my loyal wife. Never."
"So you want me to postpone the divorce?" Randall shook his head. "Cancel it. Trust me, a lot of people want your little friend dead. She was arrested on nineteen charges including drug and 1st and 2nd degree murder. She has been uncooperative and has refused a lawyer. Unfortunately, that just sped up the process and her big hearing happened in 1/3 the normal time."
"Sorry, she won't do it. She won't sacrifice being with her husband to save one of her own." Fang did not try to hide his bitterness.
"Randall, I want a divorce! I mean this is ridiculous. You can't have a relationship on lies. I mean I don't love you I never really did." Randall rolled his eyes. "I don't believe that. There is no way."
"I love another man." Okay good one, I told myself. "Who?" I twiddled my thumbs. "Just a guy…" I started.
"Oh I understand. You like Fang." I almost chocked myself to death. "Fang?! What um you got it. Nope can't stay married I like-Fang." Fang was stunned. His eyes remained wide open, and his skin turned an unhealthy pale color.
"What are you dead or something Fang, get over here." Fang slowly forced himself over to me. "Oh it's not that bad drama queen." I whispered.
"Look me in the eye and tell me you can go through with this." Randall sighed. "You know, I never really thought you loved anyone like seriously. I knew that when you married me you were either settling or drunk."
"It was the second one." Fang looked at me like I was crazy. "What?" Fang lowered his eyes. "Nothing."
"So I guess I can't bring myself to break up a love this strong." I let out a little chuckle. "Nope." I put my arm around Fang. "Yep. We love each other." Fang pulled my arm off of him. "Look, you don't need to keep repeating that. You'll break the poor man's heart."
"How about this, I get the forms faxed here, we finish everything up here and I'll go home tomorrow and ship your stuff here. How's that? Hmm?" Randall kissed me on the cheek. "Do you mind if I spend the night, Nudge?"
I had not noticed that Nudge was standing there at the doorway the entire time. "Yeah…you can room with Gazzy."
"No he can't." Gazzy screamed from his room down the hall. "Excuse him. Come. Let's leave Fang and Max alone. I think they need a private moment." Nudge did a cutesy wave. "Have fun." She puckered her lips.
"What the hell were you thinking? You love me. For real? Oh my gosh. You're really something." Fang shuddered. "That's all you could think of, huh?"
"What am I that repulsive to you?" I put my hands on my hips and gave him my angry stare. "I'd say so. Why did you have to love me? Couldn't you say you met some guy at a bar…you know the normal extent of your love." I swear Fang was really asking to get smacked right in the face.
"He wouldn't believe me. I meet guys in clubs a lot and he knows they're only one night stands. But you, well I just randomly left home and came here. Who is here? You are. I mean it's perfect we have a history together."
"Please. Don't remind me, okay?" What was our time together that horrible? "Look mister, he always suspected I loved you. He really wants me to be happy. He shows it in weird ways but in reality he loves me." Fang yawned.
"Whatever. How long do we have to keep this charade up?" He asked staring at his fingernails. "Just until the divorce is final. He'll be out of our lives."
"You mean your life. After we get this whole Angel thing figured out I want you out." I gave Fang the finger. "What was that you just did?" I held up my other middle finger. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"I thought I got you out of my life, but no. You just butt your way back in. I was fine until you showed up." Why the hell was Fang so angry? I did nothing! It was him with the problem. "Like I said. I was just dandy!"
"Really. No girlfriends? Guess you never got over me." I stuck out my tongue. "No. I think I was so traumatized by you that I couldn't stand the sight of another woman again." Wow. Was that a lame copout or what?
"Guys stop it. Randall is taking a shower now and when he gets out he will not see you arguing. Now start acting like mature adults." Nudge looked both of us in the eye.
"I mean it. Remember who we're doing this for."
"Yes, we're doing it for Angel. But she probably won't appreciate it anyway." I muttered. "Why not?" I lowered my head. "Tell me what happened when you saw her. I've been so distracted I forgot to ask." Fang and I told her of our visit and how she had changed so much.
"Also, she's mad at us for not visiting. She claims that Iggy came to see her." Nudge eyed me curiously. "Iggy?"
"I don't understand. He was sick of her. He convinced her to drop out of school in his way. I thought he hated her." I shrugged.
"I guess people change. Maybe he visited her once and when she told him that she hadn't had any visitors in a while he felt bad for her. People will help out their family." The timer to the oven beeped. "I guess the pizza's ready."
"Pizza?" Nudge smiled. "It was fresh a few days ago." I felt sick to my stomach. "Carbs." I said. "What did you say?"
"Carbs. Where's my low-sodium feta and cucumber salad?" I had grown so accustom to Loretta customizing meals for my every diet. "Oh I'm sorry, we're fresh out." Fang sneered sarcastically. "But we do have some water. It's filtered, don't worry... sweetie." He added mindful that Randall was listening.
"How about a carrot, some milk, and a slice of cheesecake?" Nudge offered. "For real? Cheesecake? Let me guess the milk isn't low-fat or organic either."
"I'm sorry, but you know they don't sell that here." I sighed. "In California they have organic markets, vegan restaurants, anything. You just name it."
"Well as you can see, this isn't California. This is Gold Creek, Virginia. Here we eat good food." I sapped my hand against my forehead. "I guess the carrot will have to do. I'll go grocery shopping later.
We gathered at the table. Randall almost sat next to me, but then he hesitated and quickly found a seat at the opposite end next to Iggy and Nudge. "So Max, do you want to say grace?"
"May God have mercy on me and not make me gain ten pounds for eating this carrot grown in chemically drowned soil. Amen." I raised my glass of water and drank. "Amen I guess."
"This water tastes funny." I noted. "And there's a weird smell in this kitchen."
"I think it's you." Fang whispered. "Your personality attracts a foul stench that you can't seem to rid of. Perhaps if you try bathing. Oh wait; we don't have shampoo with 43 enhanced vitamins and minerals. Sorry." Fang got annoyed a lot quicker these days.
"And I hear weird sounds." When I walked I heard creaking sounds and sometimes irregular thumping sounds. "I think this place is haunted. You'd better leave. It's all of the bad karma you brought with you. Be gone queen of darkness."
"So, who wants dessert?" Nudge asked. "Fang will serve."
Gazzy raised his hand. "Toss it here lover boy." Fang reached into the fridge and took out a container of stale donuts. "Dig in." After dessert, Fang and Gazzy started arguing over whose turn it was to wash the dishes.
"I have things to do!" Gazzy complained. "Yeah. Your homework. I'm an adult. I make the call. You are a minor."
"Oh will you all just shut up? I'm sick and tired of all of this arguing! We will all wash the dishes. Nobody will complain!" Gazzy and Fang didn't dare disobey. I remembered when I held that effect.
They would rebel sometimes, but I had the final say. If I said something was so in the end it was so. No questions asked.
After that fiasco Fang and I watched TV together. "I'm watching Real Girlz Reloaded. Nothing you can do about it." No kidding. I loved that show! "The reality show where ten girls have to live together in a tiny New York City apartment, I love that show!" Fang was less than thrilled to hear that.
Fang laughed at the same parts I laughed at. When one of the girls, Kelly had to do a singing challenge to win sorority queen status, we were both rolling on the floor. Maybe we had a few things in common after all. "Hey, we agree on something."
"Look Max, stop it okay. We're totally different. I hate you as much as you hate me."
"I knew it!" It was Randall. "You lying Delilah! You stupid cheat! I knew you were lying. I knew tat this was a sham." Uh oh. "So I guess that means we have to stay together, huh?"
"Forget it. Sign the divorce papers and I'm out of here." Randall grabbed his suitcase. "But we haven't reached a settlement. I get 85 percent of everything!"
"I don't care. I just want out. But don't worry, you'll pay. I can get Angel killed. I can get my brother James to help me. He's a cop and can write a rather unflattering police report about Angel. My sister Marilyn works in a drug lab in Kansas. All I have to do is convince Angel to beg for another drug test. Then I can send the sample to Kansas, and she will fake the results. I can't lose. After all, revenge is dish best served family-style." Randall handed me a pen as I signed the forms.
He then slammed the door on my face. "That's it. She's screwed and it's all your fault."