The next day, Max awoke with gritty eyes. She washed her face before she came down to the kitchen.
"Morning," said Iggy. He was cooking eggs, the mouth watering smell floating throughout the room. "Jeb left already."
"Good," Max muttered, slumping down into a chair. "What time is it?" She asked.
"About six o'clock or so. Scrambled?" Iggy answered from the kitchen.
"I'll just eat an apple," Max called out sleepily.
"You sure?" Iggy came out carrying a plate of eggs and bacon. "I have pie, too."
"…Pie?" Max sat up straight. "What's the occasion?"
"Oh, nothing." Iggy grinned as he sat down the seat across from her. "Someone's turning fifteen…"
"Who?!" Max demanded. "Iggy. Tell. Me. Now!"
Iggy rolled his eyes. "Just eat, Max."
Max huffed. "No."
"Eat."
"No."
"Fine." Iggy started eating his bacon. With a frustrated sigh, Max soon joined him.
--
Fang wasn't on the bus.
"Just my luck," Max said to herself as she slid in a seat. Iggy sat down next to her. The kid who had been sitting there had moved away when Max and Iggy came on the bus.
"Hi." Dawn peeked over from the seat behind theirs.
"Hi," Iggy said.
Max nodded a little.
"Hi." Jared turned around from the seat in front of him. Jake popped up beside him.
"Hi," Iggy repeated. "Is today Hi Day, or something?"
Max looked out the window, an impassive expression on her face.
"I don't know where he is, either," Dawn said, resting her chin on the backrest.
Max nodded again.
"Did you switch bodies?" Dawn joked.
Max frowned and squinted her eyes, focusing on the blurry houses rushing past. How was Dawn Fang's friend? Max thought grumpily. She's…
"Are you okay?" Jared asked.
Max nodded.
"You sure?" He said.
Max nodded.
Jared sighed and turned back around. Jake gave her a weird look before copying his brother's action.
"Max?" Iggy nudged her elbow. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine!" Max snapped. She hated being harsh to Iggy, but she just wasn't feeling 'happy,' this morning.
The rest of the bus ride to school was silent among the five.
When they got to the high school, Max was the first to get off. Jared followed suit. He found her at her locker punching it.
He said her name, but she didn't reply.
Jared waited patiently. Max acted like he wasn't there.
The lockers hallway was soon empty and nearly quiet. The last of the kids were walking in classrooms. Max had her forehead leaning against her locker. Her eyes were shut tightly, fists clenched.
"Max?" Jared said softly. He touched her shoulder.
"Go away," Max said through gritted teeth. "You'll be late."
"I don't care. Max, what's wrong?" Jared tried to pull her from her locker.
"No!" Max said, pulling her arms from his grasp. "Leave me alone."
"Is it about Fang?" Jared asked. Max's breathing hitched and Jared took this chance. He grabbed her by the shoulders and twisted her around, slamming her back to the locker. It made a loud bang, but no one came out the classrooms to yell at them.
"No," Max said quietly. "It's not about him."
"Then why are you acting like you're angry?" Jared said. Worry was visible in his eyes.
Max avoided his eyes. "I'm just worried about him, that's all."
Jared kept her wrists pinned to the lockers beside her head. Max made no move to release them.
"Are you sure?" Jared persisted. He leaned in close. Max blushed and she turned away.
"Yeah," was her reply.
"Max," Jared said firmly. Determination in his voice, Jared gently turned her face toward him. "You know you can tell me anything, right?"
"You're going to be late," Max said.
"I don't care," Jared said, closing his eyes and leaning his forehead against hers.
"What are you doing?" Max whispered. She sounded a little frightened.
A soft click went off, followed by a quiet whirring of a device.
"Sorry," Jared said, backing away. Max lowered her arms and eyed him carefully.
"It's okay," She finally said. She turned back to her locker, got her stuff out, and walked to Room 116.
Jared sighed and leaned against the lockers, eyes cast toward the ceiling.
He kept asking himself, What did I just do?
--
Max didn't see Fang for the rest of the day. Part of her mind was freaking out, wondering what had happened to him.
The other part, which was most of it, was focused entirely on the 'Scene,' as Max had dubbed it.
She didn't talk to anyone on the bus ride home, either; Bea kept insisting that she and Fang had switched places.
Max sighed, pulling on her jacket. The air was cool, and Iggy had rushed home ahead of her.
Weenie, she thought.
"Max!"
The person's voice was labored and Max spun around. She collided with a dark figure.
Max landed on her butt and set a menacing look on her face. The person stood up shakily, and she noticed the brightly wrapped box in his hands.
"Fang!" Max exclaimed, getting up.
"Sorry-"-pant-"I couldn't-"-pant-"come to school-"-pant-"today." Fang wiped his forehead. He took a deep breath. "I was walking to the bus stop and I remember your birthday, so I ran all the way home. I ended up being late, so I just stayed home." Fang paused for another breath.
"Birthday?" Max said. "It's not my birthday."
"Yes, it is!" Fang said. "Otherwise, I wouldn't have run seven blocks just to give this to you." He handed her a rectangular box about the size of her hand.
"It's not my birthday," Max insisted, but she tore the wrapper open, though. It revealed a black box. "Fang," She complained. "Why'd you...You didn't...Aw, come on!" She flipped the box open and inside was a necklace.
The chain was gold. It glinted in the sun when Max pulled it out.
"Fang," She repeated. The pendant was a heart, with a smaller heart made of pearl in the middle. Gold wings sprouted from the back.
"I wanted to," Fang said to her. "I promise."
"Where'd you get the money?"
"My sister."
"Fang!"
"She doesn't know," Fang said.
"But--" Max examined the necklace again.
The twinkle in Fang's eyes disappeared. "I'll take it back," he murmured.
"No!" Max said quickly. "It's not that I don't like it. Fang, it's beautiful. I love it. And for me to love a piece of jewelry is rare." Max hugged him. "Just don't take money from your sister again, okay?"
"Okay," Max felt him smile against her neck.
"So, you like it?" Fang pulled away, looking down abashedly.
"I love it!" Max repeated. "So much. I love it. I love you."
Fang blinked. Did he just hear what he thought he just heard?
A/N:
Hi! So, first of all, you guys are uber-awesome. Over 70 reviews for eight chapters? That's, like, phenomenal for me.
Anyway, thanks much to Sallafe for pointing out some mistakes. I don't know what I'd do without you. :D And your name's cool-sounding.
~Zikkie
