Maxs PoV

The next morning I was once again awoken at 7:15 by Jeb. I went through the same trip to church as yesterday, but with one difference. Jeb wasn't yelling at me. He was cold and distant and removed, like he was trying to pretend that I didn't exist. That worked just fine for me.

Halfway through the service, I felt my phone buzz. I pulled it out and glanced down at the screen, not caring if Jeb saw me or not.

hey. the flock is going to the skate park after this. U wanna come?

I smirked and sent my response.

Do you even need to ask?

Fang turned around in his seat near the front and flashed a quick smile in my direction. I returned it, then as Fang turned back around, I felt the icy burn of one of Jebs glares. I kept my eyes locked on the back of Fangs head and tried to ignore him.

After the torturously long service, I put up with Jebs icy silence until we got back. He didn't say anything, just pointed up the stairs. I did, and I was halfway through changing into my regular clothes when I heard the lock on my door click.

Well, shit.

Slight issue. Jeb locked me in I texted to Fang

Just hang on. I'll be there in a few minutes.

I finished getting dressed and waited for the buzz of my phone.

Where's your window?

I texted him the directions, then went and peered out through my window, confused. There was nothing that would get me to the ground, no ledges or trellis' or trees. What was he planning to do?

A few seconds later, he walked into my line of sight. He gestured for me to open my window, and I obeyed. To my shock, he held out his arms.

"Jump!" he yelled.

"Are you crazy?" I called back.

"Come on, just trust me. I'll catch you!"

I looked doubtfully at Fang, then glanced back at my locked door, then back at Fang. Then I sighed.

"Fine, but if I break my leg, I blame you!" I swung my legs over the windowsill and perched myself on the edge, then hesitated again. What was I doing? Jumping out a second story window? The hell?

"What's the matter Max?" Fang taunted from his safe position on the ground. "You chicken?" My eyes narrowed and my blood boiled. He did not just call me a coward. I would show him.

I shoved myself off the window.

I was in free fall for a moment, then Fang caught me, just like he said he would.

"See? Told you." he said, looking at me intently while he held me off the ground.

"Um, you can put me down now." I muttered awkwardly. His face flushed and he quickly set me back on my feet, carefully not meeting my eyes. I didn't want him to feel weird, so I elbowed him.

"So, skate park?" I said casually. He smiled at me, the awkwardness forgotten, and we left.

After a short drive, we pulled up to a skatepark that obviously didn't see much use in this neighborhood. The others were already there, waiting for us. Angel was on a bike, Gazzy was on a scooter, Nudge had rollerblades, and Iggy stood nearby with two skateboards. I assumed one was Fangs.

And I was right. Since I didn't have anything, I just sat on top of one of the ramps and watched. They were all really good, doing tricks and such. Iggy was markedly better on the skateboard than Fang, but that was probably because Fang spent so much time on his motorcycle.

After a half an hour of me watching them cruise around, Fang noticed my lack of participation and rode up the ramp to talk to me.

"Hey, Max, why don't you come with us? You can use my skateboard if you want." he offered kindly.

"No, it's fine." I declined. "I don't even know how to ride a skateboard."

"I could teach you."

I gave him a skeptical look.

He just held out his hand and said, "Come on." with a small smile on his face. I smiled back and took it, and he pulled me up.

We went back down to the flat area without any ramps and I stepped onto the board. I had been watching Iggy and Fang all afternoon, so I tried to push off the ground with one foot, like they had. I partially succeeded and rolled forward, but then lost my balance on the tilting board and wheeled to the side. Fang quickly caught me, our faces inches from each other.

"Wow, you're clumsy." Fang commented with a smirk.

"Hey, you're the one who offered." I responded. I was still being held tilted back from my fall, we hadn't moved an inch.

"That's true." Fang conceded, then swung me upright again. He didn't remove his hands from my waist. Instead, he settled me onto the board again, then took my hands. He stood behind me on the board and lightly pushed off the ground.

"See?" he whispered in my ear, his breath stirring my hair, "You have to take it slow."

He continued to mutter instructions into my ear while holding my hands in his warm ones and standing distractingly close to me. After maybe 15 minutes, I finally got an idea of how to do it and could shakingly push myself along without Fangs help. He watched me with a slight smile.

"Keep practicing and you'll be a pro." he told me. I just smiled in response, but it seemed to be enough for him.

Iggy muttered something I couldn't hear, earning a rather sharp look from Fang. I wonder what he said.