Me and God Love Her

Chapter Nine

Max

They let everyone off the ride, annoyed people with cleaning supplies passing us. I staid closer to Fang, trying not to look directly at Iggy since I was the sympathy puker of the group.

Lupo had to help him stumble off the ride, walking him away from the crowd so she could try and help the situation. Iggy still wouldn't look anyone in the eyes, an expression of embarrassment and shame apparent on his face. I would have laughed, if I hadn't gone through the same thing plenty of times.

The youngest girl who had been on the ride, only big enough to be allowed on, ran up to them from a nearby concession stand with plenty of napkins, all of which Lupo took with a quick thank you. I had to look away again as she cleaned off his face, diverting my eyes to Fang.

He was watching me, and didn't even try to act like he wasn't when I turned my face to him. He smirked and winked at me, to which I just rolled my eyes. He chuckled in response before gesturing to Iggy and Lupo, "What do you think of that fiasco?"

"Are you talking about Iggy throwing up, or their relationship?"

Fang didn't look too amused, "I meant Iggy losing everything he ate since he got here."

I'm glad it wasn't me this time, I thought, but decided not to say that, "Serves him right."

Fang nodded and was about to respond, but was interrupted as Lupo and Iggy walked our way, the embarrassment holding his rolled up shirt in his hand. Iggy sighed, still not looking anyone in the eyes, "There goes my favorite shirt."

Fang shrugged, but spoke with a trying-to-be-helpful tone, "Maybe your mom can clean it."

Lupo shook her head, "I don't think that bright pink cotton candy is coming out of it."

Iggy let out a deep sigh, giving up and just throwing the shirt in the nearest trashcan. I glanced at Lupo just in time to watch her eyes travel his torso as he moved before catching my eyes with a look that obviously said what?

I raised an eyebrow, communicating back. You just watched him throw up!

So?

Eeeew

There's no more vomit. What's the issue?

Eeeewwww

Whatever

Just don't kiss him. I'll lose my lunch too.

Lupo nodded, at least agreeing to that, before we followed the guys through the rest of the fair.

(A Little While Later)

Iggy had stopped at every concession stand with mints he could find, taking them like he had some addiction. Fang got tired of this, telling us to wait by one of the performance stands before disappearing for about ten minutes. When he returned, he had a tooth brush and small thing of tooth paste in his hands. I felt like questioning where he even found them, but I figured it would lead to knowing he stole something again, so I didn't.

Iggy excused himself to brush his teeth off to the side of the walkway, Fang patting my shoulder as he also excused himself to get something to eat. I continued to watch the performance, not wanting to hear what Lupo would have to say just yet. Of course, that didn't stop her from bumping her hip into mine and smirking, "Can I kiss him now?"

I rolled my eyes. This couple was going to be the death of me.

(Who keeps track of time anymore?)

Where were we? In line. For what? A Ferris wheel. How did I know we would end up here?

Two people per cart-thing, so obviously Iggy and Lupo were going to be in one, and I was stuck with my 'date' in the other.

We were getting lucky with lines, so we didn't have to wait very long before slowly being lifted up into the sky. No biggie. I liked heights. They were far better than those insane rides. I didn't have to worry about losing my lunch on this.

It wasn't one of those enclosed ones, either, where people could sit across from each other. It was just one bench seat with a loose bar to hold us in. And I loved it. There was a soft breeze, it was hitting that time of night where you couldn't see the sun anymore but it was still just bright enough outside, and the constant chatter bellow from the fair created something I couldn't describe as being different from silence.

And I was enjoying that 'silence' until Fang nudged me with his elbow. I turned to look at him, expecting his to make some sort of 'smooth' move, but he just looked curious. "What're you thinking about?"

I shrugged, not keeping eye contact for very long, "Nothing really. Just how much I love it up here."

"Yeah, the worlds pretty amazing from up high, huh?"

I nodded, a little surprised that he could convey that we felt the same in this moment in such few words.

"So, how do you think this date is going?"

"It's… interesting, to say the least."

"How so?"

"Well, first my date stole something, then my friends date threw up all over himself, then you magically appeared with a tooth brush, and now they're probably trying to swallow each other's tongues."

"Yeah, I think interesting describes that pretty well." We both looked off into the distance, a peaceful quite returning for just a few seconds before he spoke again, softly, "I'm glad I agreed to come to the fair."

I didn't look at him, "And why's that?"

"Cause you're a good person to hang out with, even if you don't seem to want to speak to me."

"How am I any better than Iggy?"

He didn't answer, just looked at me out of the corner of his eye and smiled. It was genuine, not teasing or amused, just… blissful.

I didn't catch myself smiling back.

(After the ride)

Fang and I waited for only a minute as Lupo and Iggy stepped off the wheel, the latter swiping his hand across his lips so quick I almost didn't catch that he was basically wearing Lupo's lip gloss. When they reached us, Lupo was tucked into Iggy's side, his arm around her waist and hers around his. There was a spark in her eyes, something that could mean either great or terrible things were to come. "You guys wanna blow this popsicle stand?"

I crossed my arms and leaned a little as if to physically display my skepticism, "And go where?"

"Somewhere fun."

I narrowed my eyes, waiting for her to go into more detail, which she never did. Finally, I turned my eyes to Fang to see his response in all of this. He just shrugged, "You guys know this town better than us."

There were many different places Lupo labeled as 'fun'. And even though they usually were in the moment, there was usually some sort of repercussion that would come afterwards.

Honestly, I was getting bored of the fair as well, nothing else being able to live up to the excitement provided by Iggy earlier. So I decided to swallow the thoughts of how we might end up in jail or lost in another town and agreed.

(In Fang's Mustang)

Fang and Iggy were sitting up front while Lupo and I sat in the back, Lupo leaning forward as much as she could to be able to tell Fang where to turn off the road.

We were in the car maybe twenty minutes before she took us down some dirt road that I vaguely recognized in the growing darkness. There were a few more turns through the woods before the brush and trees started taking over.

I felt like I should have realized where we were, but Lupo and I hadn't ventured into the woods around town for a long time now. Either we had both found this place and she was the only one who remembered, or she must have found it on her own.

"We're here," she stated pointing to our right. There, only a short distance through the trees, was a large lake. Rocks made up the edge in front of us, big boulders that more than likely meant this was the deeper end of the lake. To the side, there was a large cliff that must have been part of a hill at some point, but now it was one of those beautiful marks of nature.

Lupo climbed out of the car quickly, watching as the rest of us did the same. I looked out, wondering something, "Not that I mind, but I didn't think you'd find hanging out beside a lake 'fun'."

"We're not going to be hanging out beside it, we'll be swimming, my dear Maxi."

I looked at her incredulously, "We don't have any swimsuits, Lupo."

"That's the point of skinny-dipping," she winked at me with a laugh before slipping out of her shirt and throwing it into the back of the mustang.

"What? No, I won't. I refuse," I crossed my arms defiantly.

"Come on," Iggy chuckled, working on his belt since he had already chunked his shirt earlier, "It'll be exciting."

"No." I wouldn't budge. I was not getting naked in front of these perverts. I closed my eyes, turning my nose up to prove my point.

"What, you chicken?"

It was Fang's voice. I shook my head, "I'm not chicken, and I won't give in to your childish games."

Why? Why did Iggy and Fang have to start clucking? Why did Lupo have to egg them on? Why was I so stubborn and childish that I couldn't just let it go, let them think what they want?

I huffed and in one quick motion my shirt was off.

I hated them all.

(In the water)

I tried to stay as far away from the others as I could. I had stripped and got into the water as fast as possible, Fang following suit as Lupo and Iggy both decided they'd jump off the cliff instead. I stayed shoulder deep in the water with my arms still crossed over my chest. I also probably had an angry glare on my face.

Since I refused to even pay attention to whatever nonsense Lupo and Iggy were up to in their own part of the lake, I watched Fang. I'd be lying if I said I hadn't taken a peek earlier, but I'm not about to divulge any information. I watched him as he swam out a bit, between my secluded place by the rocks and Lupo and Iggy flirting and pushing each other around near the cliff. He ignored them, diving under the water and coming back up with the grace you see all the time in those mermaid movies.

My observing was interrupted by none other than the mastermind behind this evening. Lupo shouted at me from behind Iggy, her arms wrapped around his neck, "Loosen up a little, Maxi! You weren't anywhere near this nervous when it was Sam and Dylan with us!"

"So help me god. Lupo Greyback, if you open your mouth one more time, I swear I will-"

My shout was interrupted with a shriek coming from my own lips. Fang had disappeared from site only seconds ago, and I hadn't thought anything about it. But then I was yanked quickly under water. His hands stayed respectfully just above my hips, and he only held me for a second before letting me bounce back up above the water.

And when I came up, I was laughing. Laughing! I was supposed to be angry and upset, but instead I found it hilarious. Maybe it was the adrenaline, but all apprehensiveness I had melted away.

Or maybe, I thought as I turned towards Fang with my hand skirting the water to create an arching splash, it's because he started a war.

(Who cares how much later)

We were all in a blissful silence as we got out of the lake, the laughter of maybe a few hours of splashing and dunking one another hanging in an air of happy exhaustion. As a blast of cool wind swept through, I moved closer to Fang without thinking. Right before moving away a few steps again.

The adrenaline may have stopped me from caring earlier, but we were all out of the water now and I was back to being awkward and wishing they had never talked (or maybe blackmailed would be a better term) me out of my clothes.

But it only got worse as we neared the Mustang. Fang let out a yelp of concern as he rushed towards his car (or his baby, as he was calling it now). The driver's door window had been smashed and now all four doors were open. There were a few cigarette butts in the floor and an empty beer bottle on the dash.

And then the nightmare hit me: they had stolen everything. Even our clothes.