I've been reading this really awesome series called Sammy Keyes. It's seriously amazing. So, I'm just sitting around, eating dark-chocolate covered pomegranate seeds and reading like crazy. But I'm still writing! And...this is where the title and summary come into play, so...

Maya POV

The door clicked shut. Perfect. Max was finally gone. At her stupid friend Ella's house the 'prepare' for the dance tonight. As if. She's probably just going to be chewing on bacon or something the whole time. Not my problem. But, if Fang was there, suffering because of her unladylike self, then maybe it was my problem...Whatever.

I grinned as I went up the stairs to Max's room. I had decided to let everything fly at the dance; I had my friends' support then. And can anybody say more drama? Please. That's what I live for.

I crept in, making sure to keep quiet. I opened her closet, and started searching. I finally found a worn glass bottle at the very back. Just what I was looking for. Bottle tucked under my arm, I started to head back to my room. Part one of mission, complete.

I grabbed my stuff: big black bag, cellphone, and everything else I might possibly need. That's a code word for everything in my room. I hurried to Lissa's house to prepare for the dance. We only had three hours to do everything, so we had to be extremely efficient. Whenever Max tries to dress up, she only takes three mintues, which is probably why so always looks so ugly. I had gotten used to all the attention she was getting, so now it was my turn to make my own.

Max POV

I have never yawned so much in my entire life. Not even in Home Ec. when we had to spend and entire period listening to the history of the hankerchief.

It was the night of the dance, and I was at Ella's house. She instructed me to be there at precisely 4:45, no later, so being the good friend I am, I went. I didn't get the point though. Why spend so much time dressing up? She and Tess were doing their hair while I sat down on her bed. The pale yellow walls were so comforting and the pillow was so fluffy...

I guess I drifted off because I remembered Ella shaking me by the shoulders. "Max-Max! Get up!"

I groggily sat up, and saw Ella and Tess fully decked out in their gowns and holding masks in their gloved hands. Ella's swan mask matched her dress, and Tess had on a dark red layered dress with fine black lace detailing and a mask of the same color and pattern. After interrupting me from my nap, the two of them practically put me through a speedy beauty boot camp. They made me walk up and down the stairs in heels and with a book on my head! Was this really necessary?

I finally finished getting ready. We left everything the way it was-we were coming back for a sleepover-and Ella's mom drove us to the dance. The guys didn't come with us because we had set up a little friendly competition. Since it was basically a requirement to wear masks, whoever recognized the others first wouldn't have to give them a back rub. I was assigned to the task of recognizing Fang. Ella, Tess, and I split up to different parts to seek out the guys.

Wow. I was completely wrong. Apparently, the dance decoration committee had gone all out. The punch was BEAST. And ooh! They had cookies! And...the decorations were pretty awesome. There were all kinds of theatrical masks hanging from the walls, and everything was dimly lighted. The food was set on this table that seemed to be on fire. I looked around me. For some reason, I couldn't find a super tall guy with black hair. He was my best friend. How hard could it be? But every guy looked the same. And the cookies were really distracting. They were staring me right in the eye, saying eat me, eat me, which was kind of creepy, but still. I gave in to tempatation. I grabbed a couple and tasted them. Hmmm, crunchy, on the outside, soft and gooey on the inside, but not enough vanilla. I was being an awesome critic, if I do say so myself, when I felt a light tap on my shoulder.

"Hey Ells, did you find Ig-" I turned around to see a tall guy with a black half mask on and a long cape draped over his tuxedo. In his hand was a single pure black rose, as dark as the midnight sky.

He handed it to me. "Looks like you owe me a massage," he smirked.

"FANG DAMN IT!" I pulled off his mask and laughed. I took the rose. "Thank you. But black? Really?"

"He shrugged. "So-ah-" he was interrupted by Ella and Iggy.

"I got him!" she cackled. "I. Got. Him!"

Tess and Sam joined us. "Who won?" Iggy asked, still pretending to sulk. I just knew he was doing it to make Ella smile.

"I did." Sam grinned. "Hey Max, are the cookies good?"

"Yeah, they're alright. Not enough vanilla, though."

"What are you a food critic?" Fang laughed.

"What are you, a people critic?"

Tess POV

As a slow dance came on, I sat down. This guy Dylan was at the mic, singing. He wasn't half bad. "Want to ask someone?" I whispered.

"Iggy? Oh no!" Ella shook her head. "Not yet. No."

I shrugged. Eventually. The funny thing about Ella was that she was a hopeless romantic, trying to play matchmaker for Fang and Max, when she couldn't even talk to the guy who liked her properly. Heck, she didn't even know he liked her!

My eyes widened in surprise. Dylan slid off his chair on the stage as he made his way toward Max. I could hear girls sighing, wishing that it was them he was approaching. I sat there, as confused as Iggy, who was munching a caramel apple in disbelief. Out of the corner of my eye, I thought I saw Fang and Sam tense up, but I wasn't sure. Dylan handed a red rose to Max, and pulled her out onto the dance floor.

"She-she promised-she promised she wouldn't!" Sam faltered. Since when did Sam have a crush on Max? Oh, we have some problems here.

Max took Dylan's hand and shrugged. She came back to us, acting all cool. "What?" she asked, "It's not like I'm actually falling for him, don't worry."

Maya POV

This dance was awesome. The girls and I were on the dance floor, but not, it was time for my plan. I had a little something in store for Max.

I got the bottle out from Max's room. I didn't know what was so special, but then I read the contents, and there were some interesting things that Max wouldn't want to lose. I smiled to myself. "Ok, Lissa, I'm ready!" I chirped. I made my way over to Max.

Ella POV

I watched the awful, the terrible, unfold before my eyes. Oh, shield it from my eyes, the pain is shooting an arrow through my heart, shattering it into a million pieces, forever burdening my soul! I was hurting more than Max right now. Max didn't realize her love for Fang yet. But I did. Maya. First Dylan, now Maya. Oh, don't you just lock me in a wooden closet infested with flies for the rest of my life!

"Could I talk to Max for a moment, please?" She asked smoothly, a voice filled with fake sugar crystals, clogging her true self.

"Sure?" Max seemed doubtful, but followed her anyway. That's when Tess and I decided to follow the two. We couldn't leave our friend alone with her ruthless sister. There was something fishy going on.

Maya lead Max to a quiet corner before taking a long-necked glass bottle out of her bag. Sabotage! I wanted to yell, but my voice was gone. It was all a horrible nightmare. That was so special to Max. Recently, she had written her journal in there. I didn't read them, but the way she talked about it, those papers and bottle meant a lot. It was a way to write her thoughts down in a no longer safe place.

Maya held it with he fingertips, dangling it precariously over a table with a spilled drink on it. The bright pink drink contaminating the table's mahogany color was like my heart being filled slowly with poisen. "So," she purred. "I've noticed this is so very important to you, dear sister. Wouldn't it be just awful if you lost it forever? If I just so accidentally dropped it and the paper soaked up this drink like a towel?"

"Give. It. Back." Max whispered hoarsely, trying to snatch the bottle from her grasp.

"Oh, but no," Maya taunted, gripping it tighter. Lissa and her cronies appeared my her side as a crowd started to form. Ohnoohnoohno...crowds were bad..."No, no, no Maxie, don't you understand? Don't you know? Nothing in life comes for free."

"What do you mean? What do you want?" Max snapped.

Maya smiled and lowered her voice so only Max and the two girls hiding under the cart of cleaning supplies could hear. "What I mean, is that for this bottle that's oh so very precious to you, I demand a price. I want to be Fang's girlfriend. And, if, if I'm not, oh, Maxie, let's just say this bottle will have a very important meeting with the table." That's when my jaw went slack and I leaped out of the cleaning supplies, bottles of Clorox crashing down on the floor. I couldn't let this happen to my forever couple.

Max POV

In the serious atmosphere, I couldn't help but chuckle when Ella flew out of the cart and glared at Maya. She tried snatching the bottle from Maya, but my sister just tsked. "Oh, Ella, don't you know already? Eavesdropping is a shameful habit. And this isn't your battle. If you try, in any way, I will read the contents of the papers before dropping them. I'm sure that's not what Max wants, hm?"

My eyes widened. Maya hadn't read them, had she? I had written-written everything in there. Huh. I should have expected this. But, of course, I was stupid and followed Maya. Now, I was faced with the possible guilt of having to convince my best friend to date an awful person or letting a personal treasure get destroyed before my very eyes. Maya truly disgusted me.

I disgusted myself. Who was I, a supposed best friend, to tell Fang that he had to date Maya? But then again, why would it matter? Fang could pretend to like Maya, and dump her, and be completely fine! So why was I so utterly disraught? I felt like the was a huge lump in my throat. I wasn't even a romantic. What was wrong with me? But, I couldn't. I couldn't see what I had protected from my sister for so long just leave my grasp forever. I sighed, and glared at Maya. "I'll do it."

Did you see Max's slight feelings for Fang? She doesn't realize it, though. I'm just slowly adding Fax in. Sorry if I didn't succeed in making this chapter the best one ever. But, I tried really really hard, so Review for effort? Please?