Chapter 10 – Teenage Drama; Part Two

My Friday had seemed fairly promising, until I remembered that I'd promised Lissa that I would talk to her in computing. Still, I convinced Max to dawdle in the corridors with me, so that I was as late as possible to the lesson without getting either of us in trouble (nicely avoiding Lissa trapping me before the lesson started) and then I'd slipped into the only remaining seat.

… Opposite Lissa.

Deciding to just pretend that I hadn't noticed, I hurriedly logged on to the computer and did as the teacher was instructing, hoping that he'd talk his way through the whole lesson and I'd be able to escape before the red-head pounced on me. Unfortunately, with a little less than fifteen minutes until the end of the lesson, he announced that we'd have to work on our projects alone for the remaining time.

Which gave Lissa the perfect opportunity to ambush me.

"Nick!" She hissed, leaning forward over the desk that separated us, narrowly avoiding pulling a chunk of wires out of the back of both my computer and hers.

"What?" I hissed back, barely remembering not to roll my eyes. Maybe Max had been right when she said that the redhead had a crush on me… I really hoped not.

"I'm sorry," She muttered with a sympathetic smile that seemed oddly genuine, pushing a slip of paper across the gap between us. I frowned, taking it and opening it cautiously – half expecting some form of bomb or something to slip out. What I saw wasn't a bomb, but it did make my heart stop in my chest.

"Where did you get this?" I snapped, glancing up at Lissa. She frowned, eyeing the teacher before shaking her head.

"I'll talk to you at the end."

Right, because I could concentrate after this.

My eyes were drawn once again to the blurry, cell-phone quality photo that Lissa had printed off the computer, taking up most of the A4 page. The figure that my eyes were immediately drawn to was Max, and then my eyes focused a little better, and Sam was also evident.

Max and Sam.

Kissing.

Caught on a camera that conveniently had a date and time at the bottom. According to the yellow digits, the photo had been taken yesterday lunchtime. Just before she'd returned to the group, practically beaming, and settled herself into my lap.

How could she do this to me?

After everything we'd been through together, how could she betray me like this?

It was unbelievable.

My hands were shaking with conflicting emotions; anger, disbelief, hurt… the list went on. Finally, they settled on anger, and I roughly re-folded the paper, shoving it into my jeans pocket as the bell for the end of the lesson rang. Most of the kids were shoving to get out of the door by the last ring, and I watched the teacher join the crowd as I logged off the computer and stood to meet Lissa.

"Where did you get it?" I demanded again, watching as she fidgeted nervously.

"Tyler took it yesterday, at lunch. He sent it to me last night, but I didn't have a chance to get you on your own until now."

I shook my head in disbelief, leaning back against the wall, letting my emotionless mask slide for a long minute. "How could she do this to me?"

There was a long pause, as Lissa watched me carefully, and then turned her head towards the door as a sweet smile with a vindictive edge crossed her face. "I don't know, it was completely uncalled for… She was stupid, but you can get her back. You could make her jealous. Make her feel all of those things that you're feeling now. Give her a taste of her own medicine... that would help, right?"

"What?" I asked, but Lissa was already pressing herself up against me, attacking my lips with her own. I wanted to push her away, I really did. Well, most of me did. But, for the first time ever, I listened to the part of me that wanted revenge.

I kissed Lissa back.

Yeah, I wouldn't be listening to that part of me again.

Someone cleared their throat, and startled, I pushed back from Lissa; my heart stopped dead in its tracks again, because the person stood in the doorway was Max.

"James is looking for you, Nick." She said calmly, but I could see the tears in her eyes. Most of me wondered how I could have done that to her, but a small part of me was still angry. She'd done it first.

"Cool," I said simply, sliding out from Lissa's arms as if it was nothing, and slipping past Max as I headed to where I assumed Iggy was, ignoring the stabbing feeling in my heart.

How had this whole thing happened?

Deep breaths. She coached herself mentally. Take deep breaths, Max.

Somehow she'd found herself locked in a bathroom stall, trying desperately to hold herself together. It was stupid really; when Jeb had left she'd promised herself that she'd never put anyone in a position where they could hurt her like that again.

She'd never really stopped to consider that Fang ever would, so he'd been the obvious exception.

What a stupid mistake to make.

Trying desperately to keep the tears at bay, Max slammed her head back against the wall of the cubicle, not even bothered by the loud thud that it made.

"You should have been expecting it, Max. Honestly," The voice chided arrogantly, which really didn't make her feel any better about the situation. "You can't trust anyone... Not really."

Fury ignited in her, and she slammed her head back against the cubicle door again with a frustrated scream, hoping against hope that she could just knock the voice right out of her head. Still, she couldn't stop herself from responding.

'Shut up! I can trust the flock, they'd never let me down! Besides, Fang must have had a reason—'

"Perhaps he finally just realised that he deserved better than a waste of space like you."

Max's heart stopped dead in her chest. Was that it? Had Fang decided that he deserved better than her? That she wasn't good enough for him?

The voice wasn't done there, intent on planting a few more seeds of doubt into her brain before retiring.

"As for the flock, it's only a matter of time before they realise the same thing. That only leaves Anne, then, doesn't it? Shame she's playing for another team, Max. You see? You're all alone."

What did the voice mean, that Anne was playing for another team? Did it just mean the FBI, or was it something a lot more sinister? Was she working for The School? Possibilities ran through her mind at an alarming speed, and right as a plan was starting to form, a voice startled her out of her thoughts.

"Jenna?" JJ called gently. "Are you in here?"

Max didn't respond, curling her legs tighter to her chest and holding her breath in the hopes that the other girl would turn around and leave her to her misery.

"It's no good trying to hide. I can see your bag, you idiot."

Well, there went that plan.

Still, Max didn't move, feeling tears sting her eyes again as JJ continued.

"I saw what happened, Jen. With Nick, and Lissa… I'm really sorry," There was a pause, and then a shuffling of feet before JJ tapped lightly on the door. "Look, just let me in. I know you're not into this whole teenage girl stuff, but I promise I'm good at it!"

Max couldn't hold back the slight laugh that forced its way free of her chest, and found herself opening the door before she had even really processed what was happening, but it didn't matter, because as soon as the door was open, JJ was there.

Max usually didn't like physical contact with anyone that wasn't part of her flock, but she couldn't help but collapse gratefully into the elder girls arms as the first of many sobs to come shook her body.

"I'm sorry," She managed around her tears, but JJ shook her head, holding her resolutely.

"Don't be."

Finally her tears slowed and she pulled back, embarrassed as the girl frowned down at her.

"Look," She sighed eventually. "I'm not going to pretend that I know what you're going through, because I don't, but I think I know someone that can help so just… put some cold water on your face and wait here, alright? I'll be back in a minute."

There wasn't really much that Max could do other than she was told, and she moved over to the sinks hesitantly, refusing to look at her reflection for fear that she'd see a broken girl staring back.

"You should just give up," The voice whispered to her.

She groaned in response, sliding down the counter to position herself once again on the floor, letting her head rest on her knees as the door opened and familiar footsteps made their way inside.

"I always wondered what the inside of the girls bathrooms looked like," The voice announced loudly.

Max shook her head, but a small laugh passed her lips regardless of her sour mood.

"You're blind, Iggy," She reminded the mutant teasingly, and he formed an expression of mock surprise.

"No! How could that have happened?" He teased, before folding himself onto the floor next to her and wrapping an arm around her shoulder. Max allowed herself to be pressed into his side, once again struck with the awfulness of the situation.

"How could he?" She muttered miserably, nestling her face into Iggy's shirt as soundless tears slipped down her face again.

"I wish I knew," Iggy whispered back, his voice practically ringing with sincerity. "But we're going to work this out, alright? I know I haven't known you and Fang for as long as you've known each other, but this isn't like him."

Max nodded against him, feeling her tears draw to a close.

"I think," Iggy said haltingly. "That you should go home, otherwise you're going to be stuck with him for another three periods worth of school."

Max hesitated, her thoughts flying to her flock, before she realised that Iggy would ensure that they were safe, and nodded a little.

"Alright," Iggy nodded resolutely, pleased that she was going without a fight, but Max wasn't done yet… his muscles were too tense for that. "Just… don't start anything, okay? Promise?"

The fact that it took Iggy a few seconds to agree was proof enough that he'd had every intention of doing just that.

"I promise."

Max didn't turn up for the next lesson, or the one after that, or the one after that.

I'd spent the moments where everyone was filing into the classroom after lunch tense, hands clenched underneath the table and heart pounding in my chest, but she'd never appeared.

Somehow, that was worse.

Iggy, however, had arrived to the room ten minutes late and hadn't so much as glanced in my direction since he'd taken his seat; my eyes were constantly flitting from where he was sitting with his fists clenched and blind eyes staring blindly forwards, and to where Sam was happily laughing with Luke and Rose.

It took every ounce of self-control that I had not to launch myself across the room and punch him straight in the face. How could he act so happy, when only yesterday he'd been cheating on his girlfriend with mine.

Of course, the mood right there had pretty much set the scene for the rest of the day. Well, that and the fact that Lissa was practically stuck to me like glue, despite my insistences that what had happened this morning had been a mistake.

Finally, the final bell rang and Iggy and I headed out to meet the others, and to wait for Anne to come and pick us up. Iggy still hadn't said anything to me, and every time I opened my mouth he turned his head away, so I'd simply given up.

"Fang?" Angel frowned when we reached the others, tugging lightly on the bottom of my blazer. "Where's Max?"

I opened my mouth to answer, but Ig got there first, replying tersely, "She went home, Angel. She's had a tough day."

The statement was coupled with what should have been a searing glare in my direction, but my mind was already putting two and two together and coming up with two answers in one. Not only had Max skipped her lessons, but she'd also seen fit to skip off and leave the rest of us to our own devices (which, right there, was clearly an example of great leadership) and clearly had told Iggy what she'd seen.

Conveniently failing to mention the part where, just a day earlier, she'd been making out with Sam. I made a mental note to inform him of that.

He might as well have the full story if he was going to so blatantly pick sides.

"Are you sure she's alright?" Nudge quizzed with a frown. "Mara said that she'd seen her at lunch time, and that she thought that she'd been crying."

"She'll be fine," Iggy said, but he was still glowering darkly at me over Angel's head. Because, obviously, that wasn't suspicious.

Thankfully, Anne chose that moment to pull in, and I slipped into the passenger seat without another word, ignoring her as she glanced straight at me.

"Do you know what was wrong with Max?" She asked quietly as we pulled out of the car park, clearly assuming that it was me that had told Max to go home, and trying to make sure that the rest of the kids didn't hear her. "The office called me to pick her up, and she was a mess. She's been locked in her room ever since."

I shrugged non-committedly, and Iggy snorted loudly from the back, shaking his head in what appeared to be contempt. I rolled my eyes, slouching back into the seat in typical teenager fashion and turning to face out of the window.

Unfortunately, the side mirror there gave me the perfect view of Anne, whose eyes spent the rest of the car journey flickering between Iggy and I with a look of complete confusion on her face.

Finally, I escaped into my room, all too aware that both of the doors to Max's room were firmly locked, and remained that way until after dinner.

At the moment, life pretty much sucked.

So, there you have it. Sorry all of you Lissa supporters, but I had to add something like this in for the plot to make sense, and Lissa and Tyler just... well, fit. The main part of the drama will be over in a few chapters, don't worry, although it'll take a little longer than that for Max and Fang's relationship to fix. Please, no hating! Besides, now that this is out of the way, we can get on with the main plot, can't we?