Hey guys! Update as promised. Might even do another chapter tonight! Again, I am overusing the exclamation points :3 anyway, give me constructive criticism, but don't be rude or anything. Seriously.

Chapter 8: Fireworks

Max POV.

It's the Fourth of July. My mom used to tell me about how she had her first real toe popping kiss on the Fourth as fireworks exploded overhead and erupted between her and the boy. She speaks about this moment in time so fondly, I used to become jealous. I used to think that something like that would never, ever happen to me and I would be an unlovable thing forever.

I think Nick loves me.

I think he likes being around me but he loves my scent. I think he likes how funny I am but he really loves my laugh. I think so many things about Nick that I can't count them all one hand. It's incredible really, how, as we drove the Children's Theater bus into the next town at 6pm to play in the Gulf of Mexico with a bunch of little kids, I marveled at what a beautiful smile he has. Or how those piercings in his ears don't fit him at all.

"Max, what's with you?" he asks. We are sitting on a blanket and eating sandwiches Iggy made for us. They taste good and the bread sticks to the top of my mouth, but I'm fine, just watching Iggy and Nudge play with the kids and enjoying the summer's night air with my best friend.

"I want this forever." I say abruptly. I want to have mosquitos attacking my skin, and I want to smile every time I see the Gasman, our little stowaway with his sister, flirting with a little brown haired girl from the theater. I want to just be able to feel okay in my skin, and Nick makes me feel that way.

"I know how-," he begins. But something explodes above us. The sky lights up with brilliant beautiful lights and I stare at them until my eyes are burning, until tears are running down my cheeks and everything is a little blurry. I feel something warm touch my shoulder, softly rubbing circles on the skin there. I am glad my dress is strapless. The polka dots stand out and Nick's pale skin is a nice contrast to mine. I didn't hear what he had to say, but I'm feeling exactly what he is in that moment. His dark eyes are like a pool of jewels that I would love to wear around my neck. He's more beautiful in this second than he was on that day when I saw him cry. More beautiful than the day the Gasman and Iggy blew up that car, or when he laughed at me, or when he sighed in relief as that pretty girl Lissa ran off and away from him.

"I want this forever too." He mouths or screams at me. I don't know, I can't hear him, but I don't mind. I just like having him here with me.

"C'mon." I say, standing and pulling him up with me. My skin is tingling and I want to swim. I want to strip off all these barriers and hold him close to me. Not in a sexual or physical way, but just so I can feel his heart beat without interruptions.

We run excitedly to the water. It's warm and splashes at my feet. I wonder how something so huge hasn't swallowed little old me up, and I'm glad that I have Nick around to protect me. His hand is large and warm in my tiny cold one and he gives mine a gentle squeeze as we stare up at the moon.

Fang POV

She's glowing.

As we're driving to the next town, it's near the Gulf of Mexico, close to New Orleans, she seems to have a smile embedded in her skin. The kids are screaming, Gazzy and Angel were found as stowaways, and Iggy was making me want to punch him, he was flirting with Nudge. I think she was safer at her school in New York. Add that and traffic, there was an angry me.

But she wasn't paying any attention to that. She seemed to be staring directly at me, but she wasn't seeing me. She isn't seeing me now. She's seeing something entirely her own, something she's built me up to be, and I can only hope that I don't let her down. That would kill me.

At the beach, it's getting dark and the kids are running around like headless chickens. Iggy and Nudge area taking care of them and everyone is happy. Max and I sit, eating delicious sandwiches Iggy made for us, and I take a sip of bottled water. I want nothing more than to kiss her as the firework show starts. I want nothing more than to plant my lips on her soft, supple ones, and nibble her bottom lip, to make her stop pouting forever. I want nothing more than to steal all her breath until she has nothing but a moan left to give me. That's all I want, and I don't think anyone can blame me.

"I want to stay like this forever." She sighs dreamily. Her chocolate and ice eyes are gleaming and she looks like she truly believes in miracles. She believes I can get better, even though she hasn't seen the sickness yet. No one has, but I want her too. And her sudden belief in miracles makes me want to tell her everything. I feel like I just need to spew every evil thought that has crept into my mind. Instead, I say:

"I know how you feel." I say, but I am interrupted. I'm sure she doesn't hear anything I say because above us, in a loud display of colors, loud in every sense of the word, fireworks shatter above us. It smells like gun powder, but no one minds, not even the kids because these colors are little miracles themselves. We watch and see how long some of them can hold up in the sky. Fireworks, miracles in the purest form.

Max POV

Nick and I do not kiss. That was how our magical moment ended, but I don't care. I don't mind not one bit.

So the next day, no one has to be at the theater. Nick, Iggy, Nudge and I decide to go shopping. Aunt Val has just given me $150 plus the money my mother sent me here with, I've got $275 in all. Nudge, being a spoiled rotten little princess has a credit card her daddy gifted to her, and of course, Iggy and Nick actually have worked for their money.

"So… what mall?" I ask. In New Orleans my friends and I would always go on the strip because I loved being outdoors. It was fun and we all enjoyed ourselves.

"Baton Rouge?" Nudge says excitedly.

"No you idiot. That like 2 ½ hours away. Morgan City." Nick scoffs, and rolls his eyes at her. She seems a little dejected, but we all move on. Iggy wraps an arm around her slowly, shutting Nick and I out. I think that there's something between them. And not just the obvious romance. Something a little more than a summer fling…

"C'mon Nudge, help me pick some clothes." I say happily. At the Rides' home Nick has been taken in as somewhat of a son, his aunt and uncle even tell people that he's their son, and now we spend tons of time there. I like the stifling heat, there is no central air, I like having my lungs all choked up now. It gives me something to hold on to.

Nudge and I run off into her guest room. It's immaculate, unisex, definitely not enough pink for Nudge, but she doesn't seem to care very much.

"I was thinking you could wear a dress." She winks at me over her shoulder. We're relatively the same size, and she likes having someone to trade clothes with so I always go along with it.

I nod and smile.

I pay no attention to Nudge. I can hear Nick and Iggy talking next door. His smooth voice is like melted chocolate. Delicious, dark, and hot. I can imagine him running his fingers through his hair, andaa playing with many earrings. I can imagine him nervously scratching at his forearms, and I wish I could take away the itch. Nudge says that he's depressed, but I can't tell. His laugh is like water to me, I drink it up, and nothing about it sounds even mildly sad. But then again, you can get aaway with anything with a simple smile.

Though, Nick doesn't hide anything from me. We've only known each other for a short time, but we click, we fit together like jigsaw puzzles. His eyes tell me tales, and all of them must be true because they're so raw and full of this power that's nothing but Nick.

"He likes you." Nudge blurts. I snap my head up sharply, looking at her. She's got a plain blue dress and a long black maxi in her hands.

"Who?" I say, confused.

"Fang! Of course. Who else?"

"What makes you think that?"

"It's just the way he looks at you." She shrugs like it's nothing, but my stomach is now curling in on itself.

Nick to me, is like… the nicest thing ever. Literally like the song describes. I wish he knew that I loved him, I wish he knew that I like coffee over tea, but drink coffee because it has more caffeine. I wish he remembered how scared I must've looked when we first met, and I wish that in a sea of girl, beautiful ones, I was the only one he would look at.

"I think you're wrong." I mutter.

We go to the mall, and Nudge doesn't mention the conversation we had. I end up in the long black dress and wearing my Toms. Nudge says I look too cute, when in reality I probably look like a bag of potatoes. The dress does nothing for my curves and my legs look abnormally long. Nudge acts like some kind of fangirl over every cute thing. I end up just wandering around Charlotte Russe and Forever 21. I occasionally drifted into Rue 21 or Hot Topic but other than that, I spent most of my time much on the mini pretzels I was sharing with Nick.

I think something about fireworks has changed us. I think as we stared up at them we realized even fire, something so dangerous and devastating, could be beautiful.