OMG GUYS GUESS WHAT? I got school prefect! Eeieieiieieieiepp! I'm like...Percy Weasley, but less tightarsed. But yeah, how exciting. I get walk around scaring little Freshmen. Hahaha.

Disclaimer: I do not own. Neither the books nor the song.

She's a Lady
Chapter Nine: Appearances Are Often Deceiving

-:-:-:- She's attractive but bitter -:-:-:-

"Max you made it!" Amber greeted her with great enthusiasm. Max grinned back and hugged her friend. "You look amazing!"

"Of course! Wouldn't miss it," Max replied. "Thanks, you look gorgeous."

Amber was dressed in a bright orange one-shouldered chiffon dress, and a big pink badge that read BIRTHDAY GIRL pinned to her left breast.

"She almost did," Fang commented, appearing from behind Max.

"Fang!" Amber greeted happily, but confused. She gave Max a look as she said, "you came with Max?"

Fang just nodded, not catching the hint from Amber to explain.

Max sighed, seeing it was up to her to elaborate. "Yeah, Fang gave me a lift."

Amber nodded, giving Max a look that she'd talk to her about it later. Their entire grade knew about their bitter resentment towards each other. "Well, come in. Eat, dance, mingle. Don't be shy."

Fang and Max stepped out of the foyer of the home, and joined the rest of the hundred other party-goers – almost half their grade – Max feeling self-conscious walking into Amber's house. Fang stood by her side, and she mentally wished he would ditch her find his own friends. As they walked past people they knew, Max tried to ignore the confused and speculating looks they were receiving.

"Fang!"

Fang and Max turned at the sound of Fang's name being called out and saw Iggy with his arm slung around Nudge's shoulder, both holding red cups.

"And Max?" Iggy asked confused. "You're here...together."

"Yep," Max answered feeling awkward. "It's not what it looks like. We swear." She held up her hands defensively.

Fang nodded eagerly behind her. "She just needed a ride. That's all."

"Well," Iggy began, "try explaining that to half our grade."

He gestured to all the teens, who were trying not to look like they were interested in Fang and Max but failed.

Max sighed and dropped her head in her hands. "This is bad."

Nudge giggled. "Imagine the gossip tomorrow morning!"

Fang ran a hand through his hair. "My rep!"

Max snorted. "Screw your rep. What about mine?"

Iggy and Nudge rolled their eyes, leaving Fang and Max to continue bickering.

Thanks guys, Max thought, stick me with Fang. Alone.

Max crossed her arms, unintentionally causing her breasts to push up further, and Fang diverted his eyes, trying to look away. She shifted her weight from foot to foot, unsure what to do, being left with Fang.

She spied a certain dark brunette looking at them over the shoulder of a big buff guy Max recognised as one of the school's hockey players. Max raised an eyebrow and turned to Fang.

"Isn't that your girlfriend, over there talking to that hockey jock?" She asked jerking her head towards Amanda's direction.

Fang turned around and looked, unfazed. "Yeah."

"Aren't you a little worried that your girlfriend is flirting with another guy?" Max asked unable to believe Fang reaction. Or lack of reaction.

Fang shrugged. "No. I broke up with her."

"What? When?" Max asked, her eyes widening to the size of dinner plates.

"Before my mum's birthday dinner," he answered nonchalant. "Why do care anyway? She was an idiot remember?"

Max dropped her arms. "It's been barely a week, let alone a day…It wasn't because what I said was it?"

Fang snorted. "Like I cared so much for your opinion. I care for Iggy's and my peers."

"Oh that's right. Your beloved reputation. Can't be jeopardising that for a girl." Max drawled sarcastically.

Fang ignored her. "Well I'm off to find a drink and some friends. I don't want to ruin my reputation further by standing here talking to you."

Max rolled her eyes and looked around. "Now what?"

"Max!"

Max turned to see a flash of fiery red hair and a hand waving at her. "Lissa?"

Lissa pushed her way through a crowd whilst balancing her bottle of water in a hand. "Move!"

The string of people obeyed her, parting into two letting her slip her slim body through them. A guy grabbed her ass, and she shoved him away scowling at him.

"Keep your hands to yourself," sheb shot at him.

"Uh hey," she greeted awkwardly now standing in front of Max. She was cautious, unsure if Max hated her guts or not. "I know you hate and probably don't want to see my face—"

Max cut her off. "I don't hate you."

Lissa stopped. "You don't? But I cheated on Fang. And you looked pretty angry."

Max shook her head and waved her hand in a carefree manner. "Yeah I lost some respect for you when I first found out but, I hate Fang. So I guess you did me a favour by causing him heartache."

Lissa couldn't help the relieved look on her face. She could see a potential friend in Max – they were similar in some ways, both feisty and outspoken – and thought she had blown her chance by cheating on Max's neighbour.

Max gave Lissa a reassuring smile, to show she didn't hate her. Lissa relaxed and pointed behind her. "Backyard?"

Max nodded. "Yeah, it's getting quite stuffy in here."

She followed the shorter girl to the back of the house, grabbing a bottle of alcopop from a cooler on the way. They found two empty deck chairs a little away from the group of teens playing beer pong on the deck.

"So," Lissa began usure how to approach the topic. "You arrived with Fang."

Max laughed bitterly. She twisted the metal cap off her drink. "Word spreads fast."

Lissa sipped her cup. "Nah, I saw you guys enter together. Mind explaining?"

Max shrugged. "Like I said, we're neighbours. Neighbours carpool."

"Makes sense. How long have you guys been neighbours?" Lissa asked. "Just out of curiosity."

"Since birth. My parents bought our home when I was three months old and his parents bought the one beside us when his mum was one month due." Max took a slow sip and then placed the drink on the wooden arm of her chair.

"And you guys just never got along?" Lissa asked. She wasn't being nosey, just curious. Her tone didn't hold a gossiping tone like most girls would've, just curiosity and interest.

Max hesitated, she wasn't sure whether to tell Lissa the truth, or lie and say she always hated him. She decided to be honest for once. "No. We were best friends up until the age of fourteen. We even—"

She stopped herself. She was about to tell Lissa of their first kiss, but she decided against it. She'll tell her the truth, just an edited version.

"We were close. Inseparable. Then the summer before freshman year he left for an all-boys basketball camp. He promised to call at least once a week. And he did. He called – since I didn't have his number – every day, and we talked for hours on end. It was our first summer apart.

"Then the calls became irregular and shorter. And he started to sound distant and distracted, like he was itching to do something else other than talk to me. And then suddenly, he stopped me in the middle of a story. He told me he had to go, and that his friends were calling him. I said no worries, but before I could even finish the story, he hung up."

"Asshole," Lissa hissed.

Max picked up her bottle and swished its contents around, watching it carefully. She always drank from a sealed bottle or can, not trusting an open cup. "Then I changed. I developed and matured, both physically and mentally. I hardened up, refusing to let a boy – more like Fang, specifically – get close enough to hurt me. I became bitter and sceptical and with that, I think I developed my bitchy persona. I was always tough and hard-headed naturally, but it developed more due to Fang.

"Then I met Nudge while out shopping, and she complimented my legs. I denied it, but she insisted that she let her dress me. She gave me a few lessons in being a girl. I faded out of my tomboyish phase, and started wearing more feminine clothing. My shorts got shorter and I began wearing skirts and dresses.

"Then Fang came back, taller, more built and not to mention, hotter. He saw my transformation, and realised for once I was a girl. He had always considered me as one of his friends, one of the guys. So he didn't think I had feelings. So he started hitting on me. But I refused to give in to his advances. I ignored him and gave him a few snide comments.

"And I guess my stubborn behaviour was what caused him to start disliking me. He called me bitter and a bitch, but I didn't care. Fang was out of my life and I was glad," she sighed. "And that's what brings us here."

Lissa whistled. "Wow."

"Yeah, stupid and immature now that I think about it," Max agreed. "No one else knows this but Nudge and I suspect Iggy knows his version…"

Lissa finished off her sentence for her. "Don't worry. My lips are sealed."

Max smiled thankfully. "Thanks."

Lissa settled back into her chair. "You know," she began, causing Max to look at her in interest, "when we were first going out, Fang was the sweetest guy ever."

Max nodded. "Yeah, I remember that. In sophomore year. He stopped making sexist comments, for a while at least."

Lissa smiled at the memory. "The first six months were all about us and our feelings. Sounds sappy I know, but I was lovesick. I had an amazing boyfriend who cared for me and never batted an eye at any other girl. Then it was rumoured that he was a shoe in for the basketball captaincy, and then he turned into an asshole.

"He was cocky and arrogant – just like how you see him as – and then he only kissed me and started grabbed my ass in whenever we were around our friends. It was all for show, acting like he had everything. The team, the girl, the grades. He'd blow me off for the guys, for training. I think the popularity and power went to his head. And it went to mine. For a while. Can you blame me? I had the hottest guy as my boyfriend.

"That's when I met Dylan. And really met him, not that idiotic and perverted basketballer he acted like. He needed help with his English and I offered, and then he needed help with his History and then his Algebra. I suspected he just wanted to spend time with me and I felt flattered. I confronted him. He grinned sheepishly and admitted that he enjoyed my company.

"We started off as friends, I had a boyfriend after all and I made that clear and he respected that. And then I started liking Dylan. And I mean liking him. More than a friend and the thought scared me. I think he knew, because he kissed me, ruining any chance of a platonic relationship. I ran off, and I avoided him like the plague for two weeks.

"Then he cornered me, and I knew I couldn't avoid him any longer. He cupped my face in one hand, and forced me to look at him and tell him that I felt nothing for him. I looked into his eyes and I couldn't lie, those turquoise eyes…I planned to break up with Fang that afternoon, I swear I did. But when he saw me that afternoon he had a bouquet of flowers in hand and apologised for being so stupid and he kissed me so gentle and soft, and I couldn't do it. I'm not a good liar, I can't look someone in the eyes and lie to their face. White lies yeah, but lies that matter…

"And so I told Dylan it couldn't happen, at least not yet. But he couldn't let it go, and I didn't want to let him go. But we ended it. For a while. And then Fang became distant again, busy with school and basketball and his job, it seemed like he never had time for me anymore. He even cancelled on me once. Just once. So I turned to Dylan, I needed a friend, I admit, I should've pick another friend, a girl more preferably, but I knew he'd listen and I needed someone to hold and honestly I just wanted someone who wanted me back. And that's when I started seeing Dylan behind Fang's back.

"I know I could've handled it much better, and I should have told Fang…but I couldn't bring myself to do it. And that's why I couldn't help but admire you when you straight up told him. Thank you for that, by the way. If it wasn't for you, it probably would have continued until graduation." Lissa smiled gratefully at Max.

Max gave her a smile back of her own. She didn't hate Lissa, she couldn't. She understood how she felt, although she hadn't experienced it herself, she now knew why Lissa had done what she done. Sure she didn't handle it well, she handled it horribly actually, but she didn't hate her.

Max reached over and patted Lissa's hand reassuringly. "I know."

Lissa smiled. "Truce?"

Max smiled back. "Yeah."

So that was long and probably a filler and bleh…but meh.

I finished my Legal final! It was much easier than I thought it would be. But still hard. Damn exams...

Read, review and how are you guys?
- FlowerChild22