Time Skip

We stayed at the park for the next few hours. I kept practicing on the skateboard with Fangs help and by the end I could ride around pretty confidently and turn very sharp curves. I fell every few minutes, but Fang was always right there to catch me. Every so often, Iggy would make another quiet remark, earning another glare from Fang. That is, until Nudge occupied him.

Eventually I let Fang use his skateboard again and sat on top of the ramp with Nudge and Angel, watching the boys ride around.

"So Max." Nudge said. "Whats it like between you and Jeb?" I gritted my teeth.

"Basically, he wants me to be his perfect little angel child and I don't." I explained with a shrug.

"Oh." Nudge idly swung her feet and ran a hand through her hair.

"You know, it looks like Fang has taken quite the interest in you." Angel commented with a sly smile.

"What?" I asked, stunned. "What do you mean?"

"Come on, did you not notice?"

"Angels right." Nudge said in a sing song voice.

"I don't think so." I disagreed with a shake of my head. "He's just the first person I met here, that's all."

"Riiiiiiight." Angel said teasingly.

"Shut up." I laughed, nudging her arm. We all started laughing.

Fangs PoV

I came to a stop and looked over at where the girls were sitting. They were laughing and Max had a slight red tinge to her cheeks. I wonder what they were talking about.

"Hey Fang, admiring the view?" Iggy asked, skating up beside me. He and Gazzy laughed and bumped knuckles while I rolled my eyes.

"Yeah, of your girlfriend." I responded. This time I smirked and Gazzy laughed while Iggy glared.

"Well soon I'll be the one enjoying the view of your girlfriend." Iggy shot back.

"What are you talking about?" I asked with a chuckle.

"Come on. You and Max." I blinked in surprise.

"What? Me and Max? No way man."

"Liar." Gazzy interjected. "I would bet money on you two."

"You would lose that money." I said, then skated off without giving them a chance to tease again.

I just met her. Those two are completely crazy.

Maxs PoV

Around 8, the others left the skate park. Me and Fang, not wanting to go home yet, decided to go get something to eat. We went to the same fast food place as before, and this time we ate inside. We laughed and talked while we ate, and this time there was no Jeb to interrupt.

Dare I say, it almost felt like… a date.

No. I'm not going to think about it like that. We're friends. That's it.

He drove me home, then we had the slight problem of how to get me back into my locked room without Jeb noticing. It's not like I could just scale the flat wall.

"How about we just hang out somewhere until later, then you can try to sneak in through the front." Fang suggested.

"Don't you want to get home?" I asked.

"Not really."

So we drove to a nearby park. We parked and headed to a clear spot in the trees and laid back on the cool grass.

We watched the stars for a while in comfortable silence. Then I propped myself up on one elbow and looked at him.

"Can I ask you a question?" I asked.

"Sure." he replied without moving.

"Do you hate your parents?" He stiffened a bit. "I mean, I really want to hate Jeb, even though I know I shouldn't. He is my dad after all. But I just can't seem to, not completely." Fang thought quietly for a moment before he answered.

"I don't know. They are my parents, but if they saw me about to fall off a cliff, I don't think they would care enough to save me. And if it were the other way around, I don't think I would either."

I didn't say anything, turning that thought around in my head. If Jeb was about to die, would I save him? And if I didn't, would I feel bad?

I couldn't tell for sure.

"I wonder," I said, "Do the rest of the flock hate their families too?"

"I know Angel and Gazzy do." Fang answered. "Nudge hates her step dad and I'm pretty sure Iggy hates his brother. And they all have good reasons."

I didn't ask what those reasons were. I knew that it wasn't my place to ask and it wasn't Fangs to tell.

"So how is school here? Do you guys get bullied?"

"Yeah. Most of the teachers ignore it too. It's a really small school, so you practically know everyone and they all live in this neighborhood."

"That must be fun." I commented sarcastically.

"Yep."

I rolled onto my back again and looked up at the sky wordlessly until Fang spoke.

"Tell me about your family. Besides Jeb, that is." he said.

"My mom is the best." I began. "She's actually Christian, but not the type that are around here. She prays before dinner and stuff, but she doesn't make us and doesn't make us go to church with her unless we want to. She let's us do whatever we want to do as long as we still get decent grades and we don't break any laws or hurt anyone."

"Really? She sounds amazing."

"Yeah, she is. Ella is the most amazing sister. She's loving and caring and always knows when to comfort me and when to leave me alone."

There was a short pause. "I wish I had that kind of family."

"I'm sure your parents love you Fang."

"Then maybe they should act like it once in awhile."

I sighed forlornly and looked over at him. His face was stony and flat, but his eyes burned.

"I know the feeling." I murmured, looking back at the sky.

"So. You ever had a boyfriend?" I looked over at him curiously, but his eyes were locked on the stars. I thought for a moment before answering.

"Once." He looked at me, obviously asking what happened. "He cheated on me. With some cheerleader."

"I'm sorry."

I just shrugged. "It was a long time ago. We weren't even together that long. Just a couple of months."

"Still. He could have at least had the decency to break up with you before going after some other girl."

"That certainly would have made it easier for me."

"I hate guys like that, the ones that treat girls like toys. Girls aren't something to play with, they deserve respect."

"So do guys. Everyone deserves at least a little bit of respect, since they are human beings."

Fang shot me a half smile. "Yeah. Exactly."

I smiled a little bit back, then I sighed.

"What is it?"

"Nothing. I'm just not sure how long I can survive with Jeb. I might just have a mental breakdown." I joked.

"Don't worry. I'll keep you out enough that you should stay sane."

I smiled.

"Hey Max?"

"Yeah."

"I'm sorry for this."

I turned to him with a frown of confusion. "Sorry for wha-"

Before I could finish my sentence, he had rolled onto his side and kissed me.