Summary: Meet twenty-three year old, Maximum Martinez. She lives with her twin brother, Iggy, and her little sister, Ella. Ella is constantly trying to set Max up on blind dates with guys. But when Ella tries to set Max up with someone Max works with, Max claims to already have a boyfriend. Too bad that's a lie. That's where Nolan "Fang" Hawkins, Max's best friend since college, comes in. Max goes to him in a desperate attempt to save herself from her sister's humiliation and asks him to pretend to be her boyfriend. But never did she plan to actually fall for him.

Rating: T for language

Disclaimer: I don't own James Patterson, Maximum Ride, the characters, or its affiliates. I only own my head.

A/N: So this epilogue is very, VERY short. Probably the shortest thing I've ever written. It's seriously a page long on my word processor. Anyway, so yeah, it's short, but it's dramatic. Enjoy!

Everything was great. Fang and I had been officially together for six months and we were beyond happy. I sometimes spent nights at his house, he sometimes spent nights at mine, and Ella and Nudge never shut up about it.

One day, we were hanging out in my room watching T.V. He had just put the guitar down when I heard the doorbell ring. I stood up and he pulled me down. "Get it later." He said, holding me.

"I have to; it could be important." I smiled and he kissed me. "I have to get the door!" I laughed and twisted out of grasp. He stood up and took her hand, following her down the stairs. "You're clingy."

"You're adorable." He said and I opened the door, revealing a UPS guy with a manila envelope.

"Package for Ms. Martinez?"

"Yes." I laughed as Fang wrapped his arms around my waist and kissed my neck.

"Am I interrupting something?" The guy asked uncomfortably.

"Nope," I smiled, untangling myself from Fang, "sorry, he's clingy." I said and signed for the envelope. I took it and undid the seal, opening it. Fang moved over, still smiling. I laughed at his cuteness and took out the contents of the envelope. When I saw what was inside, my smile fell and my heart froze.

"What is it?" He asked. I turned the note around and show him a picture of my mom, gagged and tied up on a chair in a dark room. On the bottom of the picture there was a sticky note that said: Guess who came to visit?

"He has her," I gasped, breathlessly, "he has my mom."

And that, my friends, is the end of "Pretending"! I hope you guys liked it. Please R&R! I'm thinking of writing a sequel, so I want all of your opinions. Well, obviously, there's a HUGE cliffhanger here, so tell me if you think it's worth it!

Thanks so much for reading!

ABR