"I hate him. Such a butthole," Max said to Iggy as they trudged up the stairs. Jeb had just finished his so-called 'lecture.' A lecture that included them having to cook dinner(Which Max wasn't so good at) and clean the kitchen.
Iggy was silent.
"Hey, Max--," He said, stopping outside his room.
The older girl turned to him. "Hmm?"
"...You know Daw--never mind." He shook his head.
"Dawn?" Max supplied, but Iggy had already disappeared into his room. With a sigh, Max entered her own. She fell down on her bed, arms splayed out. Though she had wanted to yell back at Jeb, she didn't. There was always a possibilty that Jeb would make them move again. And she didn't tell him about her going to Fang's school. That'd just be another reason to make them move somewhere far.
Max buried her face into her pillow.
She fell asleep, but woke up when she heard her window being shaken open. Squinting in the dark, she looked at her digital clock. It read 10:11 p.m.. Jeb would have fallen asleep eleven minutes ago.
Her pillow in hand, she waited until she heard the intruder jiggle the window loose and fall to the floor.
With a cry, Max leaped from her bed and onto his back. She smashed the pillow on their head numerous times before being thrown off.
"God, Max!" Fang exclaimed. "What is wrong with you?"
Max blinked. "F-fang? What the heck?"
"Didn't you say I can sneak in to check?"
"I was joking!"
"Oh. Well, I'm here anyway."
Max hit him lightly over the head. "Ugh. Does your sister know?"
"Take a guess."
"No?"
"Yeah."
" 'Yeah' as in she does, or 'yeah' as in she doesn't?"
"She doesn't know. Stop making it complicated." Fang made himself comfortable on Max's bed.
"I like your bed," He said, laying down.
"You're not sleeping over."
"Why not?"
"Fang...," Max drawled.
"Okay, okay. Sorry." Fang sat up and leaned on his arms. "So..."
"So...?" Max said.
"I got you cookies." He took a small box out of his jacket pocket. He handed it to her. "Here."
"Chocolate chip cookies!" Max yelped and tore the box open. Then she glanced at him suspiciously. "Where'd you get this?"
"Your mom."
"She makes the best. Mmm, so good." Max started working on her second cookie.
"Speaking of your mom...," Fang said.
"What?" Max stopped mid-chew.
"Um, I was going to get her to adopt me..." He looked at her with a meek smile on his face.
"What?!" Max whisper-yelled. "Y-you're not anymore, though, right?"
"Course not." Fang rolled his eyes. "I called her this afternoon."
"Good."
"What do you mean by, 'good?'" Fang eyed her.
Max resumed eating. "Oh, nothing. I was just thinking that I'd ruin my rep if people saw me with you."
"Harsh."
"I don't mean it."
"I know."
The night went on. They got caught up in each other's lives; what happened when Jeb took Max away, what happened between Fang and his sister, ect..
"How did you know Jared?" Fang asked. By now, the cookies were finished and Max's head was in Fang's lap. She looked up at him.
"Sixth grade," She said uneasily. This was a subject she'd rather not go into. "Um..."
Fang cocked his head to the side and looked down at her. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing. Um, so, sixth grade...," Max trailed off again.
"Look. Forget I asked, okay?" Fang didn't like the fact that Max wasn't telling him something, but he didn't want to push her, either.
There was a long silence before Max said, "I missed you."
"I know."
"Did you miss me?"
"Yeah," His voice was soft. "I was really worried when I couldn't find you. I visited your house everyday, thinking you might hae escaped and made your way back. I missed you so much, Max. I l--"
Max met his eyes. "What?"
Fang froze. "I was about to say that I had to lie to the school about where you were."
Max nodded. "What'd you tell them?"
"That you went to Alaska to get Alaskan ice cream," Fang answered.
"Alaskan ice cream?" Max raised an eyebrow.
"It actually tastes good." Fang shrugged.
"I see." She nodded.
Silence engulfed the two.
When Fang looked down a few minutes later, his best friend was asleep. Smiling a little, he lifted her head, slipped off, and rested it against a pillow. He leaned down and pushed her hair from her face gently.
She's beautiful, he thought longingly.
Fang pressed his lips against her forehead lightly and pulled away. He swore he saw Max smile as she turned on her other side.
Unsure whether she had been asleep or not, he studied her. Max's breathing was peaceful; she looked like it, too. Fang noticed something on her cheek, near her ear. It was a healing scar; Fang was sure it was because to Jeb.
He lightly traced his finger along it, tears making his vision blurry.
Jeb had done this.
"Max," He whispered quietly. Were there other scars he didn't know of?
Fang wanted to check her other cheek, but he didn't want to wake her.
So as quietly as he could, he slipped back out of her room, unnoticed.
--
Max's eyes fluttered open.
It was still dark.
Her breathing sped up. Where was she? Where was Fang?
She reached an arm out blindly and grasped air.
"Fang?" Her voice was a hoarse whisper. Her throat felt itchy and scratchy.
Suddenly, the room was filled with light. Iggy stood in her doorway, a worried look on his face.
"Max," He said when he saw her. She was sitting up in bed, an arm reaching out to nothing.
"Sorry. Did I wake you?" Max lowered her arm. "Is it morning yet?"
"I heard voices," Iggy said quietly. "I-I thought Jeb was going to experi--" He gulped.
"It's okay." Max ran her hand up and down Iggy's back. "I won't let him."
Iggy nodded shakily. "Sorry for waking you up."
"Iggy?" Max said softly. "What's wrong?"
Iggy's eyes were wet with tears. "Nothing."
"You're lying," Max persisted. She scooted closer to him. "Iggy, you can tell me anything."
"I know that," He finally said. "I'm just...hormonal."
"As in--," Max said uncertainly.
"No, not that way. God." Iggy took a deep breath. "I feel emotional all of the sudden. Like, I feel like I can't take it anymore. That I don't want to be blind anymore. I can't explain it."
"Is it because you thought Jeb was--" Max made motions around her head.
Iggy nodded. "Yeah. It brings back a lot."
"I'm sorry." Max leaned her head on Iggy's shoulder.
Iggy said, "Don't do that." He pushed her off. "Fang's going to think that you're with me." He gave Max a wry grin.
Max's mouth dropped open. "What? Iggy--I don't--Me and Fang...Ugh!" She slapped him on the arm. "Me and Fang...aren't anything!"
"Jared will sure be happy to hear that." Iggy's grin grew wider.
"Iggy," Max said threateningly.
"And you and Jared will drive off into the sunset, and Fang will be running after you, yelling out declarations of love." Iggy chuckled.
"Iggy!" Max hit him on the head this time. "No one's driving off to the sunset, and no one is going to be yelling out declarations of love!"
"Wait and see." Iggy wiggled his eyebrows.
"Ugh. You know what? Get out. I need sleep. Out. Out." She shooed him back to his room. Then she retreated into her own.
Max sat on her bed, contemplating things.
Her thought was, Iggy's wrong. I know he is. But what if he's right?
That led to, If he is, how would he know?
And then, Is he getting information from people? Who?
Finally, I love--
Max shut that thought down immediately.
Angry with Iggy for bringing this up, and herself for being too un-smart, she went back to sleep.
