Living

Chapter 8

Tyler groaned, making me look at him.

"What's wrong?"

"School's hard," he complained, throwing down his pencil.

"Yeah? So is my hand and Dad's belt so finish your homework."

"Max-"

"No. Besides, today is Thursday."

"So?"

"Tomorrow's your last day before your break and then you have a whole week off. Do this and you'll be done until after Thanksgiving."

"But it's math."

"You're good at math."

"I know but I hate it."

"You hate reading too."

"I know, I hate it all."

"Just do it."

He frowned at me before going back to his work. Fang came down the stairs and went over to me.

"I need to see you, in the bedroom."

"Not now. I'm tired."

"No, Max, I want to talk about something."

"Fine," I said, getting up. Cody was in his playpen with James and Lucas was napping so I was okay with leaving the room. When Fang and I got to the bedroom, he spoke.

"I want to quit."

"Trying?"

"What? No," he said, frowning. "Do you?"

Kind of... "No."

"Okay, good." He calmed again. "I meant my job."

"Ugh, Luther getting on your nerves again?"

"No. I meant my other job."

I frowned. "Why?"

"We don't need it anymore, do we?"

"Yes!"

"Max-"

"Fang, I don't know."

He kissed my head. "Well, I wish I had told you before."

"Why?"

"I thought that you'd support me so I already quit."

"Fang!"

"Calm down."

"No."

He pulled me to him, giving me a hug. "I love you, Max."

"Shut up."


"So what are we doing with Peter?"

"Didn't we give him to my mom last year?"

Cameron nodded. "Yeah. Can you ask her again?"

"Max already said that she would."

"Yeah but I'm going to tell her no."

"Why?"

"Those other cats are mean to him and he doesn't like being around that many kids."

Damien shook his head. "Fine. I'll ask."

"Thank you," Cameron said from the bed. Damien was cleaning the bedroom up.

""What do you want to do for dinner?"

"I don't know," Cameron said, looking at the TV. "You need to clean the guest bathroom."

It was her freaking nephew that used it... "I will."

"…Do you want to come get in bed?"

"You're making me clean."

"I know but I'm cold."

He sighed, getting into bed with her. Peter moved away from him, cuddling against Cameron.

"Why does my cat like you more?"

"Because I'm a better person."

"That's debatable."

Cameron ran a hand down the cat's back. "I feel fat, Damien."

'You're not."

Peter got up and stretched before jumping off the bed. Damien took the opportunity to move closer to him.

"I feel that way, though."

He pulled Cameron to him. "Are you listening? You're not, Cameron."

"Yes I am."

He tucked her head under his chin, shocked that she was actually allowing him to hold her. Wow. She even started cuddling against him. It was different, now that her stomach was bigger but it felt great. Damien kissed her head, running a hand down her back.

"No, Cameron," he repeated. "You're annoying when you say things like that."

"You're always annoying."

He never stopped stroking her back. "I love you."

She closed her eyes. "After it's born-"

"She's born-"

"-I want to get another job."

"Fine, whatever."

"I'm so tired of whatever."

"You say it all the time."

"Yeah, I know. I meant I'm tired of listening to you say it."

"You complain a lot," he said. "But I love it."

"No you don't."


"Max?"

"What?"

Tabitha crawled into bed with me and Tyler. "What's gen-o-side?"

"What?"

She nodded. "I was watchin' TV with Daddy and it was talking about gen-o-side and Jews."

Tyler giggled. "I like that word. Max, can I be Jew?"

"Tyler," I sighed. Gen-o-side…Genocide must be what she meant. "Tabitha it's nothing."

"Yeah but they all died. Are there anymore Jews?"

"Yes," Tyler said. "Me!"

"Tyler, you're not Jewish."

"Prove it."

"Fang!" I should not have to deal with this.

"What?" He came into the room.

"You let Tabitha watch TV with you."

"And?"

"Now she wants to know about genocide."

Fang frowned. "So?"

"Fang, she's six."

He sighed, getting into bed too. "What did you see, Tabitha?"

"That they were killing them and they were saying that it's happening in Africa." She looked at me. "Does that mean that Tammie's going to die?"

"What?"

"She's black." Tabitha gasped. "I've gotta call Nudge and warn her."

"No," I said, rolling my eyes. "To begin with, all blacks aren't from Africa. Just like all Mexicans aren't from Mexico and all-"

"But why are they called African-Americans?"

"Because their ancestors are from Africa," Fang said.

"Where are my ancestors from?" Tyler asked. "Jewnopia?"

"You are not Jewish, Tyler."

"I could be!"

"They're from Europe," Fang said.

Tabitha frowned. "How come we're not 'Ro-peeing-American?"

"Because-"

I cut Fang off. "Stupid white men are too full of them-"

"Max, don't start."

"What?"

"Ever since you found out you were part Mexican when we were fourteen, you act like you've been suppressed your whole life. No one even knows your not full white."

I snorted at him. "Typical white man answer. You don't like to hear your faults."

"I'm not white," Tyler told me. "I'm not typical either."

"No kidding."

He ignored this. "I'm a Jew and Mexican. Jexican."

"No."

"You're not fun, Max," he said, standing up. We had been watching Pokemon but he didn't like being in a room with all of us. "I can be whatever I want to be, 'member?"

"As a job, yes."

He walked out of the room. "I'mma talk to Alex tomorrow and we're going to figure out how to become a Jew. You'll see, Max. You'll all see!"

With that, Tyler was gone.

"So what's gen-o-side?" Tabitha asked, not concerned with Tyler and his race confusion.

"It's when…you kill someone to get rid of their race," I finally said.

"Why?"

"Because sometimes, people get stuck up on that. Mainly white people."

"Max-"

"It was a joke."

"Liar."

Tabitha cuddled against Fang. "If Tyler gets to change, can I be Indian?"

"No. Tyler doesn't get to change."

"He said that he can."

"He also thinks that he can clone Snickers, Tabitha."

She considered this. "So I'm stuck white?"

Fang groaned. "You're making them think that being white is bad."

"It is," I said, getting up.

"Max, tell her that you are kidding. Now."

I sighed. "I'm joking, Tabitha. You know that, right?"

"…I guess."

"See?" I started for the door. "Is Lucas still in his bed?"

"Sleeping? Yes."

"I'm going to-"

"Let him sleep?"

"No."

"Max-"

"Chill, Fang. God, you're annoying."

"Yeah, I'm the annoying one," he said. "Now what are you doing with Lucas?"

"I want him to sleep in bed with us."

Fang glanced at Tabitha before back at me. "Max, I thought that we would…talk about doing the laundry."

"We talked about it on Tuesday," I said.

"Yeah but…My shirt has a stain."

"Ew, Fang."

Tabitha giggled. "You guys talk about stupid things. You're boring. Me and Tommy don't talk about laundry."

"You better not," Fang mumbled, pulling her to him.

"We can talk about it tomorrow," I said.

"Tomorrow, Luther has me working late."

I sighed. "Then get the stain out yourself, Fang."

"Max, that's nasty."

Opening the bedroom door, I said, "Have the shirt waiting for me at like ten tomorrow, alright?"

"That early?"

I glanced behind me, smiling a little. "It's just a little stain."

"It's a huge one!"


"Bone?"

He turned to look at her.

"What are you doing?"

"Food."

"For me?"

He nodded, continuing to make them dinner. "Invite."

"Who?"

He shook his head. "You."

"You invited me over to make me dinner?"

Smiling, he nodded. Victoria watched him for a second before going to sit on the couch. "What is it?"

"See."

"Art, I hate surprises."

"Don't."

"Yes, I do."

He just kept stirring something in a pot. "Love."

"I love you too," she said, turning on the TV. "Work was good for me."

"Oh."

"Yeah. Was it for you?"

"Yes."

"Good," Victoria said, laying down. "Was that woman there? What's her name?"

He got mad. "Her name is Max, Victoria."

"Sorry."

He didn't say it was okay because it wasn't. Max was his life. Sure, he'd given some of his time away to Vickie but Max was still his number one.

"Artie, are you mad?"

He shrugged. She wasn't looking at him though.

"Artemis-"

"Bone. I go by Bone now."

"You said that it didn't matter to you what I called you."

"Yeah, well now I do."

She sat up. "Why are you yelling at me?"

"I'm not."

"Bone-"

"I'm not, alright?"

She paused. "Do you want me to go or-"

"No," he said. "I made you this food and you're going to eat it."

"Whatever."

He went and got bowls, putting some chili in each before going to give her hers. "There."

Sitting up, she said, "Thanks."

He sat next to her. "Stay?"

"What?"

"Are you staying tonight?"

"I never have before."

He glanced at her. "Wanna have sex?"

"What?"

"No?"

"Artemis, we haven't-"

"Yes. A long time ago but we have."

She looked back down at her chili. "Do you want to?"

"Yes."

"I guess…"

"Good," he said, getting up. He poured his remaining chili in the trash. "Hurry and eat."

"Wait, you meant now?"

Bone nodded, going into the bedroom. When he came back, he was carrying a blanket and a pillow.

"What are you doing?"

"We can't in there. Carrie and Carol would be looking at us through the pictures."

"So?"

"The couch is fine."

"Your couch smells like crap and pizza."

He just smiled. Did she not realize how long it took him to make it smell like something besides just crap? "Are you done eating?"

"Yeah, I guess."

Setting the blanket and pillow down on the floor, Bone took her bowl and went to put it in the sink. "Nina! Come on."

He pulled her into his bedroom, making her lay down on the bed next to Bubba. He closed the bedroom door before going back to Victoria.

"Ready?"

"Yeah…"

He ignored her hesitation. Sex was sex and he had been cheated out of it for the past months since he had gotten with Vickie. Yep, he hadn't pulled a Luther. He hadn't slept with other women. He loved his girlfriend. And he'd prove it tonight.


It was like one in the morning and I couldn't sleep. Fang was mad about something. Apparently, the stain was code for his dick and I called it small. I didn't even realize I was, hehe. So anyways, I went to visit Bone. He's always up now that he's not having sex.

I went up to his apartment and was about to knock when I realized it was late. I didn't want to wake him up, just wanted to sleep on his couch. I tried the door and found it unlocked. As I closed the door, I heard something move. Hurriedly, I turned on the lights, feeling stupid. It was probably just Bubba or Nina but don't they sleep in bed with him?

"Oh God!"

Bone yawned, opening his eyes. Victoria noticed me and pulled a blanket up closer around them.

"Hey, Max," Bone said, smiling.

"Bone!"

"What are you doing here?" Victoria asked, holding tight to the blanket. Like I'd want to see her naked. Wait, was that mean? It's not just that she's fat. I mean, I wouldn't want to see Cameron either…

"Fang and I, uh, got in a fight and I was going to sleep on your couch, Bone."

He ran a hand down Victoria's head, making her lay it against his chest. I think they had been sleeping. Bone was on his back, his girlfriend laying on his chest, looking none to happy at the moment.

"Sorry, but we have the couch. You can sleep in the bedroom with the dogs or the guest room," Bone said, in his normal tone. He wasn't freaked in the slightest. "There's chili in the kitchen."

"You're disgusting," I said.

Bone shook his head. "It's really good."

"Fuck you," I told him before turning to walk out of the apartment. Bone didn't like for me to leave angry but he was naked and there was no way he would follow me.

I was wrong.

"Max!"

I was to my car by this time and he came running, a pair of boxers on. I sighed, not starting the engine.

"What?" I asked, leaving the door open.

"Mad."

"I'm not."

"Yes. Why?"

I couldn't even answer that for myself. I didn't want to be romantically involved with Bone, not at all. It was just… "Why her, Bone? What's so special about her?"

He blinked. "I love her."

"How? You could have anyone and you choose…that."

"What's wrong with her?"

"She's fat, Bone."

He sighed. "What is your issue with that?"

"You're the one that has an issue with it. Remember Carlos-"

"Yes, I don't like fat people who think that they're some gift from God but I don't like skinny people like that either," he said. "I love Victoria because she's not full of herself, she knows that she's not pretty or beautiful to most and she doesn't care. She knows that people like you and Luther and Fang and even me look down at her but she still her. She doesn't try to appeal to us, like Tammie. She just goes along like everyone else, because she is like everyone else."

"Big speech for you."

He opened the car door more so that he could kiss my head. "Do you really want to stay with me tonight?"

"No. I'll go home, I guess."

"Good," he said, sighing. "Love."

"I love you too."


Cameron pushed him awake. "Damien."

"Hmmm?"

"Get up."

"What time is it?" He mumbled.

"Around five."

"Cameron, I don't need to get up till seven."

She rolled her eyes. "I know that. I want to talk."

"About?"

"I don't know…"

He reached out and pulled her to him. "Then sleep until you do."

"Damien-"

"Cameron, come on."

She huffed. "Fine, sleep, you big jerk."

"Thank you."

Laying there for another minute, Cameron figured out what she'd bother him about. "Where's Peter?"

"Don't know."

"Go get him."

"Cameron, you've slept this long without him."

"So?" She looked up at him. "I get scared without him."

"I think he's in the sink in the bathroom."

"Go get him."

Groaning, Damien went into the bathroom. There his cat was, waiting like; eyes wide open, just watching. Damien picked him up and carried him to bed.

"There," he said, laying the cat and himself down. Cameron showered Peter with kisses. Did Damien get any? Nada one. Sighing, Damien pulled the covers up around them. "I was looking at cribs yester-"

"I told you. Buying things for it…her is up to you."

"I know," he said. "I was just telling you."

"Thank you," Cameron said, feeling weird. She wanted to get mad at him but he had gotten up and got Peter for her.

Smiling, Damien ran a hand down her face, amazed that she didn't flinch. "I love you, Cameron."

"I love you too, Superman."

Still smiling, he added, "I love you, Samantha."

That's where he lost her. Cameron put her back to him. "Go to sleep, Damien."

"Cameron-"

"No."

Peter meowed before trying to get out of the bed but Damien held onto him. No way was he going to get the cat again.

"Peter says goodnight, Cameron."

"Shut up."

"He wants his mommy to cuddle with him."

"He wants to be in the sink so let him."

"No."

"He's trying to get away from you."

"Fine," Damien said, letting the cat go. He ran out off the bed and back into the bathroom. "At least he's running for once, huh?"

"Are you calling my baby fat?"

"No."

"Whatever, Damien."


"Hey," I mumbled, making him laugh. Iggy hugged me hard.

"This long and all I get is a 'hey'?"

"Yeah. What more do you want? You are blind, after all. I could just have someone that sounds like me talk to you while you're away and you wouldn't know the difference."

"Of course I would," Iggy said, sounding offended. "No one can sound so bitchy except for you."

I pulled away from him just to punch him in the arm. "You better be nice to me, Iggy. I can make you stay with Mom."

'Alright, alright," he laughed, rubbing his arm. "Where's my nephews and niece?"

"Lucas is at work with Fang, Tabitha's with Tommy, Tyler with Alex, and Cody is at Luther's."

"Why?"

"He's playing with Luther's son, James."

"Oh."

"Sorry, Ig, but I couldn't get any of them to change their plans. Tyler said that he was expecting something good to eat when he got home for him and Alex though."

It was a few days later and Iggy was finally in town for Thanksgiving. It felt like forever and a day since I saw him. Forever and a day? God, I am old.

"Great. He just loves me for food."

"That's why we all love you."

He pushed past me. "So where am I stay?"

"Upstairs."

"Fun."

I took his hand, leading him towards the stairs. "Be careful, Ig. I don't want you falling."

"You worry too much."

"You make me that way."

"I doubt it."

I led him to the bedroom closest to the bathroom. "Alright, Ig. You want me to help you around the room?"

"I'm a big boy, Max. I can look around for myself." He walked into the room. "Don't worry about my bags. I'll get them later. I don't want you to have to deal with them."

"Trust me, I wasn't."

With that, I went to go do clothes. Ha, got you, huh? No, I went to take a nap. Man, I'm freaking hilarious.


"Hey," Damien said, going to kiss Cameron. She actually leaned up and kissed him back.

"How was work?" Cameron asked.

"Good," he said, sitting down next to her.

"Tommy and Tabitha are here."

"Great."

"Damien-"

"I was kidding," he said.

"Right, whatever," she said, leaning against him. Damien smiled.

"We leave tomorrow," he said.

"I know," Cameron said. "What did your mother say about watching Peter?"

"She said yes."

"Good."

"Cameron, I still don't know about the trip."

She glanced up at him. "You're such a baby but, seeing as I'm being nice today, go ahead and tell me why you think that."

"Well, you're eight months pregnant-"

"Damien, we already talked to the doctor. He said fine," Cameron reminded.

"No. He said that he didn't think you should but then you got mad and started a fight with him and he finally said it was your body, he couldn't stop you, but that you were the most intolerable person he knew."

"That reminds me, I want a new doctor."

"Cammie."

She giggled, leaning up to kiss him. "Its fine, Damien. Really. My mother flew right up until the day before I was born. She had to hurry to fly back from Spain because she didn't want me born there."

Damien sighed. "I guess."

Cameron settled back against him. "Trent's going to bring Tommy down there."

"What about Mary?"

"They're fighting."

"Why?"

"He's still cheating."

"I don't get it," Damien said.

"Get what?"

"Why he would want to cheat on her but still stay with her."

"Because he loves her."

"No," Damien said. "If he loved her, he would only ever want to be with her."

"That's your thinking, not Trent's. He grew up different."

"You grew up the same as him."

"No," Cameron said. "I didn't. Trent got everything he ever wanted. I didn't."

"Oh, whatever," Damien said before thinking. "You grew up just like him, rich and-"

"No, Damien, I didn't."

"Yes, you did."

"My mother hated me, Damien. Why would she ever give me something I wanted? When my father bought me something, she'd take it away, say that my grades were good enough to have a new CD or that I had been talking back to much," she said. "Every time my step father tried to give me something, she took that too and then they'd fight. They wouldn't sleep in the same room if they fought. I'm the reason that they'd go without talking, Damien. So don't act like you had it so hard, alright?"

He didn't get a chance to say anything because Tabitha and Tommy came running down the stairs.

"Aunt Cameron, we're hungry," Tommy said, running over to them.

"Damien, go make them something."

He sighed, going to do as she said.


"Hi," Tyler said to Iggy, walking into the kitchen. "Where's me and Alex's food?"

"Tyler, I told you, he wasn't going to make you something."

He stomped his foot before running back out of the kitchen and up the stairs, his girlfriend following. Fang sighed, going over to us.

"Can you say hi, Lucas?" I asked, taking the almost three year old from Fang.

"Yeah, hi," Lucas said, looking at Iggy. "Miss me?"

"Yeah," Iggy told him, taking the toddler. Lucas licked him. "Uh-"

"Lucas, stop that."

"Did he just lick me?" Iggy asked.

"Yep."

Iggy laughed, walking away, having to hold one hand out in front of him so that he didn't run into a wall.

"You no see," Lucas said as Iggy carried him away.

"Yeah," Iggy said.

"Me help," Lucas decided. "There's the TV, there's the couch, there's…"

His voice trailed off as Iggy carried him away.

Fang pulled me to him. "I need to go pick up Tommy, Tabitha, and Cody."

"Then go do it."

He kissed my forehead. "Have you heard from Angel and Gazzy?"

"Angel says that she still doesn't want to be here. Whatever, I don't need her anyways. Didn't affect me when she was eleven, doesn't affect me when she's fifteen. Or is she sixteen?"

Fang rolled his eyes, kissing my head. "I love you, Max."

"Yeah, you too."

"And Gazzy's coming, right? And Nudge and Amber. Can't forget whatever Nudge's boyfriends name is. And Ella and whoever she's blowing this week. See? Lots of fun."

I elbowed him. "Shut up. Ella does not-"

"Oh, whatever. When I was seventeen and staying with your Mom, she offered to blow me."

"What?"

Fang froze. "You never knew-"

"No."

"Oops."

"Fang-"

"We never-"

"But she wanted to?"

"Max, that was a long time-"

"Forget it, Fang." I said, pushing him away from me. "Go get the kids."

He kissed my head before leaving. Ella thought Cameron was hell, she'll have the surprise of her life when she sees me again.