Don't hate me! I'm sooo sorry I didn't update over the weekend, but I seriously wasn't home for more than an hour except when I was sleeping (which wasn't very much). I had a field hockey tournament, two soccer games, family party, and friend party! I'm so exhausted, but I hope it didn't translate in my writing…ENJOY!

Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride

MPOV

So there I was, in a dreamless sleep and snuggled into my comfy quarters when my door swung open with a loud slam.

I groaned and rolled over so my back was to the intruder. I was determined to get at least one or two more hours of sleep or I might kick a puppy.

There was an audible huff before the intruder crossed the room and relentlessly jumped up and down on my bed. I heard giggling before I groaned and faced the person who was going to wake up in the lake tomorrow morning on nothing but a floating device.

I squinted my eyes because of the streams of light filtering through my window when I saw the all too familiar curly blonde hair and bright smiling blue eyes. Angel sat crossed legged on my bed with a satisfied smirk on her face.

"Wakey, Wakey. Eggs and Bakey!" she said with a, well, angelic smile.

Ugh, now I know I won't be able to throw Angel into the lake…I'll have to think of something else…

"You wouldn't dare try anything on me, would you Maxie?" she asked innocently.

I grunted as I slowly pulled myself into a sitting position, "You said there was eggs and bacon?" I said as I wiped the sleep out of my eyes.

"Yup, Iggy made a bunch of food," She said bouncing on my bed again while still sitting crossed legged.

I got up and went over to the mirror and pulled up my hair in a messy pony tail. I turned around and saw Angel still sitting on my bed. Her bouncing had stopped and she looked to be deep in thought as she stared down at my comforter.

I cautiously sat on the bed and looked at her, "What's up?"

"Well…nothing. It's stupid," she said in a rush.

"You can tell me Angel. I won't get mad if that's what you're worried about," I reassured her.

She sighed heavily before quietly asking, "Is there something going on between you and Fang?"

Shit.

Stupid mind reader. I forgot that Angel knows everything about everyone because she can read all of us like a freakin James Patterson book. (Hehe. Couldn't help myself)

I sat in shocked silence before she looked up at me. I wiped my face of any emotion and replaced it with a generally confused face. "No, why would you even ask? Fang and I are best friends and have been since freshman year,"

"Oh, ok." She sighed in relief.

Wow, I fooled Angel. Give me a second so this can sink in…HOLY SH

"Why did you think there was something going on between Fang and me?" I asked out of curiosity.

"Well," Angel began, looking down at my comforter and fidgeting with her fingers, "it's just, when I saw Fang catch you before you fell in the bar…I don't know. It's stupid" she finished with a nervous laugh.

"The only way that statement would be stupid is if you said that you saw Fang catch me and then the Kool-Aid man came smashing through the wall," I said and she looked up at me to show me she was smiling. "Scratch that, Kool-Aid man smashing through the bar's wall would be epic and definitely picture worthy," I added which made both of us laugh. Mission accomplished.

"I was going to say that you and Fang looked like an actual couple. Like even a better pair than Fang and Lissa or you and Sam," she said still chuckling slightly.

My laughing stopped abruptly and she looked at me with a suspicious expression. Quick! Think of a cover up! Well I already played the Kool-Aid card… "Sam and I. A couple?" I grasped my neck and made a choking noise.

She laughed at my dramatics to my relief. "He is kinda a tool…" She's refereeing to his gelled hair and Abercrombie t-shirt he wore a week ago.

We both burst out laughing at the memory till my stomach grumbled over the sound of our laughter. It seriously was that loud, no joke. I hadn't realized how hungry I was till Angel and I raced downstairs to the kitchen and when I say raced, I meant raced.

I arrived there first and threw my arms up in the air and let out a 'whoop'. Angel came in a second after me and shot me a resentful look that turned into a smile.

"Victory lap." I said as I ran with my arms still in the air around the table where everyone was sitting at.

Iggy scooted his chair out in attempt to trip me, but I skillfully dodge it with a spin and made my way to the fridge. "Not today, Iggy," I shouted over my shoulder.

Our fridge is really old and it was one of those ones that is divided in half so the top was the freezer and the bottom was the fridge. I swung open the beast, as we like to call it, and rested my elbow on the door as I peered inside the fridge.

I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand up and before I could spin around, I felt an all too familiar calloused hand on the small of my back.

"Excuse me," Fang said as he leaned past me and grabbed an apple from the fridge. He straightened up to look at me as he took a bite of his apple, with his hand still on my back. His warm hand started rubbing soothing circles while a shiver traveled up my back. I was suddenly glad that no one could see his hand on me because the door was in the way. He smirked at me as he chewed and headed back to his seat at the table.

I smiled to myself as I grabbed the orange juice and poured myself a glass before sitting down. As usual, I piled on as much food as possible on my plate and totally demolished all of it in a minute.


After everyone ate, we headed to the lake again. The girls were setting up their towels while the guy put sunscreen on.

I was lying on my towel next to Nudge when I heard Lissa's high pitched voice call Fang's name. I would've just ignored her, but she said, "Can you put tanning oil on me?"

I peeked one eye open to see Fang shrug and grab the bottle from her. He put some oil on his hands and started rubbing her back. Lissa closed her eyes and smiled to herself as Fang worked the oil on her shoulders. I couldn't tell if he was enjoying this or not because his face was impassive as usual.

I was going to look away until I saw Lissa grab Fang's hands from behind her and placed them on her stomach so Fang could feel her flat stomach. She whispered something in his ear which I could only imagine was something along the lines of 'I want you'.

I closed my eyes immediately and tried to ignore the pang of jealousy I felt in the pit of my stomach. I shouldn't be jealous; I mean that's his girlfriend and he said he was going to break up with her. It's all an act and it's only for this weekend.

So why was I upset, you may ask? Well, children, I'm upset for three reasons so get ready for my rant and stay back at least ten feet with a helmet on.

Uno: Now, I don't know if it's my imagination or if it's the effect from my sudden jealousy, but he is really working that oil into Lissa back.

Dos: Why the hell didn't he try to dodge her like I had with Sam? After seeing Fang practically killing Sam slowly with his eyes, I avoided Sam and asked Nudge to do my sunscreen. I thought it was pretty darn sneaky of me and I even saw a smirk on Fang's face before he jumped into the lake.

Tres: Does he care at all about me or was it just a fling? I knew I was a little crazy to think he'd be interested in me, his best friend, but don't rub it in. Pun is most definitely intended.

I know I looked away before I could see what happened, but regardless I feel like a complete and total idiot.

Maybe this is how it's supposed to be. I mean, I already had my chance with Fang and I screwed it up. Lissa, no matter how crazy she drives me, deserves to be happy and Fang makes her happy. She once told me that he makes her feel safe and I don't want to be the one who takes that away from her.

Right then, I made a promise to myself. I will avoid Fang and get over him for everyone's sake because there is just no way Fang and I can be together. Now, I'm not trying to be a martyr here, but it has to be done.


Five bottles of sunscreen later, we all headed up to the house where Iggy volunteered to cook us dinner because he is the only one who can cook. While he cooked, everyone retreated to their rooms to get ready to go out.

I was staring at the three outfits Nudge had laid out for me to pick when Lissa graced me with her presence. She fell back onto my bed and let out a dreamy sigh.

I laughed a little to myself and shook my head, "Lissa, nice of you to stop by," I said to her still dreamy face.

"I just had the best make out session ever," she said still far away in la la land.

I froze and turned my back to her and pretended to look at my outfit options. I took a deep breath and repeated Fang's her boyfriend and that's what couples do over and over in my head. "Really?" I said, dragging the word out.

"Yup," she said popping the 'p', "We were on the bed and it would've gone farther if Gazzy hadn't interrupted," she said a little irritated.

Fang's her boyfriend and that's what couples do. I let out a carefree laugh, which Lissa didn't even detect, and turned toward her. "So I guess you and Fang are doing better now," I assumed.

She shrugged and sat up on my bed, "More or less. We haven't had sex in for-ev-er" she said to emphasize her point. "but that'll change tonight," she said with a wink and headed for the door. "Oh, and I like that outfit," she said pointing to the red skirt and a nice red t-shirt with a lacey design on it.

"Thanks," I said before she left.

Fang's her boyfriend and that's what couples do. Ugh, this shouldn't be this hard.


Twenty minutes later, dinner was ready and we all sat around the table. I sat down and immediately regretted it. To my right was Fang and to my left was Sam. My favorite people in the world. (Do I really need to note that as sarcasm because if you didn't catch that then please hit yourself on the head repeatedly)

Suddenly, I felt a warm hand on my right leg that made me jump out of surprise and not because I felt a shock, get that in your head, jeez. I looked at Fang out of the corner of my eye and saw him smirking as he shoveled some food into his mouth.

His thumb started making fiery circles on my leg and I couldn't take this anymore. Discretely, I slipped my hand under the table and brushed Fang's hand off my leg. Now it was my turn to shovel food in my mouth as he looked at me questioningly.

I wasn't able to enjoy Iggy delicious dinner because I was so distracted by the close proximity of Fang. His arm was literally brushing mine every two seconds. And then there was Sam who kept trying to strike a conversation with me, but all I'd give him is one word answers. He didn't catch it though, of course…

Once dinner was over, I stood up faster than Gazzy can clear a room. Everyone looked at me, but I just shrugged coolly and mumbled, "Anxious for the bar."

Everyone stood up too and nodded in understanding except for a certain person whose eyes pierced right through me. I looked over at Fang's scrutinizing eyes. Just by looking at his eyes, I could read the hidden message that was there. He was saying What's going on with you? in his own way that only I could interpret.

I silently sent back a Nothing that went unnoticed by everyone, but Fang.

He gave a look that said Liar. I just shrugged and left the room and his eyes that were singling me out. Fang and I had always had these silent conversations that even Angel couldn't interpret.


I sighed deeply as I laid my head down on my pillow. We had just gotten back from the bar an hour ago and I'm exhausted. The whole night, I avoided Fang and sadly that meant talking to Sam when Angel wasn't by me.

I was half asleep when there was a small knock at my door. "Max," Fang's voice sliced through the silence of my room.

I look over at my clock, and turning my back to the door in the process, to see that it was three in the morning. I'd been in bed for one hour after we got home just waiting for sleep, but it never came. I refused to acknowledge him and tried to act like I was sleeping. "Max," Fang whispered a little more persistent now.

When I didn't answer him he said, "I know you're awake because you usually sleep curled up in a ball."

"How did you know that?" I asked, turning around, but still laying down.

The darkness of the room made it almost impossible to see Fang, but I was able to spot him because of the moonlight from my window. He smirked at me, "Because Angel and I are the only ones who's brave enough to wake you up in the mornings."

This is true… I sat up crossed legged before asking, "What's up?"

"You're awfully awake for three in the morning," he observed as he walked over and plopped on the bed next to me.

"Couldn't sleep,"

"oh," he nodded his head as if he understood…he is pretty awake himself… "You've been avoiding me." He said as a statement as oppose to a question.

"Yeeeaaahh," I dragged on to prolong the inevitable questions that were no doubt nearing.

"Soooo," he said mimicking me, "why?"

"Fang, this is all just a fling or something. You care about Lissa and she cares about you." I admitted, avoiding his gaze.

"Max," he said with a chuckle, "I care about you way more than I thought I cared about Lissa."

"Didn't seem that way at the lake or your little make out session," I said and immediately regretted it. Great, now I sound jealous. Which, I can assure you, I'm soo totally NOT. Yeah, I bolded, underlined, capitalized, and italicized it just to emphasize how sooo not jealous I am.

"Maximum Ride, are you jealous?" he said with a smirk in his voice. If only he could've heard my mental rant…

I looked up and sure enough, he had a stupid looking smirk on his face. I immediately blushed red, to my complete embarrassment. "You didn't deny it," I pointed out.

"Because it's true," he said seriously, looking into my eyes and waiting for my reaction.

My head snapped up and I looked straight into his eyes. By the look on his face, I could tell he was legit being serious. "Dame it, Fang! Then why the hell do you keep kissing me?" I whispered harshly at him and expected him to flinch, but he just stared back.

"Max," he said with a sigh and shook his head slightly, "I'm her 'boyfriend'" he made air quotes with his fingers before continuing, "If I refused to touch her, then she'll realize something is up and I can't have her watching my every move when I'm moving slowly towards you,"

I looked down at the comforter again and suddenly became very interested in a loose string. I started to twirl the string as his words replayed in my head.

That does make sense. I mean, Lissa would watch Fang like a hawk if she ever felt the tiniest suspicion that Fang was cheating on her.

I was starting to see Fang's thought process when it dawned on me, "Did you really have to try to get lucky with her though? I mean I know she is your girlfriend and all, but we've kissed and you said all this things…" I trailed off.

I was pulling at the string when I heard Fang chuckling. My head snapped up again and his eyes met mine. "No, Max, she jumped me. I kept telling her to stop when she was clawing at my clothes, but then Gazzy knocked on the door,"

"Oh," was all I could say.

"Yeah, Gazzy said he thought I was getting attacked so he knocked to see if I was okay," He added.

"Oh" I said again and slapped myself mentally for say it again.

"Yeah," he said, not chuckling anymore. We sat in silence until Fang decided to break it.

"So, that's why you've been avoiding me?" he whispered.

"That and…" I began, but I didn't know how to say it. How do you say that you don't think this is a good idea and that he should be with your best friend in a sensitive way? That's right, no one knows because no one is or will ever be in a situation like mine…Fan-Freakin-Tastic!

"and…" he prompted.

"and…." I closed my eyes and said what I wanted to say in a rush, "I don't think this a good idea; you and me, I mean. You should just stay with Lissa,"

We were silent for a minute as Fang digested this. It was agonizing, but I refused to look up, in fear that I'd change my mind once I looked at his face.

Suddenly, there was a warm hand cupping my chin. Fang lifted my chin to his face and I panicked. I couldn't look at him in the eye now; he'll see right through me. So instead, I closed my eyes as he tilted my chin up. Yes, yes, I know. How immature of me, but what can I say? I was desperate.

"Max," Fang said in a warning tone, "Can you please open your eyes?"

I shook my head no. I'll be damned if I have to open my eyes while he was so close to me. I mean, I could literally feel his body heat against my own.

"Please?" he asked again.

Again I shook my head and I heard him let out a sigh. Then I heard Fang moving closer and soon I felt his lips press gently on my right eye lid and then my left.

At that point I couldn't resist. I had to see what he was thinking and I just had to see his reaction. Slowly I opened my eyes to see Fang looking at me…in a way I haven't seen him express before.

He saw my puzzled look and whispered, still a few centimeters away from me, "I meant what I said about not letting you go,"

"But it'd be the right thing to do," I answered.

"Do you ever think about just yourself? I swear, you haven't done anything for just yourself in your entire life," Fang said exasperated.

"I do thing for myself," I said defensively, "I just have to think about what Lissa wants,"

"What do you want?" he said, avoiding the 'Lissa' subject.

I bit my lip in thought, "I don't know what I want,"

That obviously wasn't the answer Fang was hopping for because he dropped his hand and let out a frustrated sigh. "How do I make you feel?"

Safe, loved, protected, carefree, dangerous, blissful…believe me, I could go on. Instead I just stuck to, "Happy,"

"Max, you make me crazy. I feel all these emotions and I don't know what the hell half of them are," he said in earnest. "Does your heart race every time you see me?"

My throat suddenly got dry and I didn't trust myself to speak so I just slightly nodded my head. "Because mine pounds painfully in my chest every time I just see you, much less think about you. And how about when I touch you?" he said as his hand lightly caressed mine. "Do you feel goose bumps rising on your skin?"

Again, I just nodded my head. I couldn't lie to Fang because he would know. So I had to tell him the truth because either way, he'd know the answer. "because my hold body tingles in anticipation of your touch. Max, I can't stop thinking about you. You're all I think about and I don't want to just sit back and watch you move on when it could've been with me,"

I was so speechless. Fang never talks that much and his whole speech was really deep and sweet. Now I feel like a moron. First I didn't even think he liked me freshman year and now I thought that he should be with Lissa and not me. What sucks even more is that I love Fang, of course I wouldn't tell him that because it's too early, but I feel like I already know him better than anyone.

Making up my mind, I quietly said, "I should probably try to get some sleep,"

He looked hurt and disappointed as he stood up from the bed. I smiled to myself because he didn't get what I was saying. To make my point, I grabbed his hand as he turned and looked at me questioningly. "You can lay here with me for awhile," I said hopefully, looking at the way our fingers were laced together.

I looked up to see Fang with a full blown smile. It wasn't as big a smile for normal people, but for Fang, it was a huge smile. He pulled back the covers and scooted in next to me. I turned my back to him as he encircled me in his arms and pulled me flush to his chest.

I sighed in contempt as Fang burrowed his face into my neck and left small, warm kisses up and down the side of my neck. I sighed again and felt him smirk against my neck, "Goodnight, Max" he whispered into my ear so that his lips brushed against it.

"Goodnight, Fang" I whispered back as I fell peacefully into the darkness.

3,828 Words! Ahhh, the power of Word Count. I'm soo sorry I didn't update when I said I was so I won't tell you when I will update next because I don't want to get your hopes up. Hoped you enjoyed and plz, plz, plzzzz review! I love hearing your thoughts and inputs.