A/N: YAY I FINALLY GOT MY LAP-TOP BACK TODAY! WOW THIS IS FOR YOU GUYS CAUSE I'M SSSSSOOOOOO HAPPY!
Disclaimer: I don't own Maximum Ride or any songs used in this story! Oh and this really isn't a songfic but there will be some music!
The games went by slowly with Nudge occasionally slapping Iggy upside the head for any perverted comments. We played Monopoly, Trouble, but avoided Truth or Dare at all costs until we "knew each other better" or whatever. Iggy and I sat out and talked about stuff while the others got into groups and had a cake cooking competition. We all know what happens when I'm in a kitchen and Iggy is already a master chef so we were forced to sit and wait so we can be the judges of said cakes. In the end Iggy was on his knees begging me to give him permission to date Ella as if I cared.
Nudge, Ella, Star, Kate, Maya, and JJ won the baking contest with a lemon cake but the guys were a close second. I shoveled down the cake and joked along with my real friends and did everything I could not to wince when Angel bounced on my lap. Those stupid bruises were getting in the way of me having fun but I didn't care since I was mostly used to them by now. The bruise on my face had to be covered in extra make-up since it got really dark overnight, no thanks to Julian in that department. Now we were arguing about whether or not to play Truth or Dare and it was 7-2 so we aren't going to play.
Later on we all decided it was pretty late and we'd just settle down with some movies and buttery popcorn. I walked down the hall past Iggy's bedroom and stepped into the bathroom to change into my Animal pajamas. After adjusting my sleep-mask for later, I threw my hair into a tight ponytail and left the bathroom. Just to run into a black brick wall and we both tumbled down with the wall landing under me. I groaned and pushed my body up with my hands on each side of the wall's gorgeous face. Just like I guessed the wall was Fang and he was now smirking up at me like he always does.
"You could've just said hello," he says quietly and I move my head around checking if anyone was in the hall with us. It was dark in the hallway and I could hear all of the others starting the movie in the other room. His black hair was as perfect and silky looking as always and I tried to get up but he grabbed my arm and kept me just hovering over him.
I angrily ground out, "Let go of me," and his grip loosens and then tightens again when he realizes what I was doing.
"Tell me why you were so bruised and bloodied the other night," he commands and I glare at him but don't answer. Then he adds in a quitter voice, "And why you kissed me that same night."
"To distract you," I say instantly to his second blunt question but he still won't let me go no matter what I do.
"I see now tell me about your bruises and cuts," he said and stared deeply into my eyes with his own.
Then I reply, "I told you that I got in a fight on the way back from the library," I glare at him.
"You said ice-cream shop first," he points out and I resist the urge to screech and slap him silly. His thumb reaches up and runs right over where the bruise under my eye was in full form. I flinched at the light touch and at the pleasurable feeling that ran through my just from his touch.
"Then the ice-cream shop, just drop it Fang," I ground out and suddenly he's glaring daggers straight back at me and I flinch unnoticeably.
He says in an even lower tone of voice, "You think I didn't see the scars at the beach, Max? You think I was as oblivious like the others? You and I both know you can tell me anything, so why won't you tell me now?"
"Because I've only known you for only seven days or something!" I exclaim angrily and he ponders this in his head for a moment.
"That doesn't matter," he says suddenly and I growl in my throat and lean down closer to his face so he just barely widens his eyes.
"Don't you have your girlfriend to call?" I ask in a softer voice then pull back to watch his bewildered face go emotionless again.
He says in a deadly-calm voice, "Max we need to talk all of this out."
"No we don't!" I say loudly and jerk out of his grasp before stalking into the living room and collapsing onto my recliner. Or, in the words of Sheldon from the best show in the world, The Big Bang Theory, "my spot". Nudge was putting Robin Hood Men in Tights into the DVD player but I was suddenly not in the mood anymore.
The whole time during the few movies I watched my friends fall asleep but I wasn't ready to dream. I knew if I started to dream it would go back to the dream I had last night of Fang and I. That dream scared me in every way possible because even I didn't think my dreams could get like that. And the way Fang's eyes watched me until he eventually fell asleep wasn't helping but it was making it worse. I lie down and pull my sleeping bag blanket over my body and force myself to just sleep.
The next morning we left Ratchet and Iggy's house after helping them haul the flat screen back to their parent's bedroom. Apparently their mom was strict and wouldn't let her boys watch TV or play any video games. Iggy had to pick the lock of the door just so they could get it out and remove pictures to put the TV in the living room. When we got to the house Maya and I changed then went down to the beach just like we promised to do together. We had decided since we didn't have anything better to do for the rest of the weekend we'd just go for the day earlier.
Iggy's sleepover or whatever was cut short because their parents were coming back early so everyone had to leave this morning. All day I stayed with Maya at the beach and then Ella came down and we had a lot of sisterly bonding time. I'm not going to bore you with the details since it was mostly about sports, clothes, and shoes. Yes, I do know this is a strange combination but it was Ella's fault for bringing up the clothes and shoes. Then we went back up to our house and went to our separate bedrooms hoping for once life would stay happy for a little while.
Another week later and I was stuck in class with my pencil tapping annoyingly on my desk while ignoring the glares my teacher shot at me. I'd been ignoring Fang and the rest of the gang for the past four days when I found Fang and Lisa making out in the janitors closet. I was heartbroken and hadn't talked to my sisters, friends, or even my mom but I did talk to Ari very fluently. He listened to me and told me how he was going with being Angel's best friend and such and I liked listening. Two nights ago I came home with three bruised ribs from the barn and Mom freaked but I ignored her the whole time.
The group has grown apart since Ratchet and Star split up again, Iggy and Ella had a fight and were ignoring each other, and Fang and Lisa got even closer to the point they were making out in the hallway every hour after every class. Its official, the flock has now split into separate groups and we don't even talk to each other that much anymore unless we have to. I've now agreed on a date with Julian after seeing him a few nights ago at the barn and he looked really good outside just waiting for me.
Fang has avoided me as much as I've avoided him ever since the sleepover thing at Iggy's house. He was spending all of his time with the populars now and I heard he's gone back to his cocky, player ways. Lisa was cheating on him with some guy off of the football team behind his back but I didn't plan on telling him that. He's probably figured it out by now but he's too busy hitting on every girl walking past him to notice. Julian and I had our first date three nights ago and he was surprisingly a gentleman and just ignored any of the girls that passed us on the sidewalk.
He walked me to school sometimes and was never too forward or too pulled back from me like I thought. We go to the barn together and watch each other's fights and he never tried to stop me from going into the ring. I never liked over-protective boyfriends, but we aren't technically together even if he was hinting at it. Sometimes he would grab my hand or wrap an arm around my shoulders while we were walking together. If a fight did get too serious it would call to step in for me, but I always glared at him and just went back to the fight winning like always.
"Miss Ride, report to the principal's office right this moment!" my teacher finally got annoyed and shouted. I ignored my friends watching me as I gathered my things and practically sprinted to the office. That stupid teacher had set me back into a group with every single one of my friends in that class. They tried to talk to me but I ignored them all because they were the ones that would side with Fang in the end.
I passed the snobby secretary and burst into Reggie's office with the key he gave me a few days ago when I got sent into his office for fighting a football player. He was sitting with a cigarette hanging between his lips while typing on his computer; he barely looked up as me as I entered the room. In the corner of the room was a black leather couch where I sat down with my feet propped up. From my bag, I pulled out my Nintendo and started playing Mario while I waited for Reggie to finish. This was our routine; ever since I broke from my friends I've gotten my mojo back so I was in here very often now.
"What are you doing in here now, Ride?" Reggie sighs and stubs out his cig before spraying the air freshener I recommended. The phone on his desk rings before I can answer and he starts talking in a lower voice but I can still make it out. "Alright send him in," and then the door is opened and Fang strolls in with his hands in his pockets and his head down.
I raised an eyebrow at Reggie, "You're punishing Fang?" I asked incredulously and Fang looked over at me with slightly widened eyes.
"Miss Ride, just stay out of this, and if you wish to remain then stay quiet," Reggie says and rubs at his temples. I shrug and go back to my game while listening in on their conversation closely for a while until one thing finally catches my attention. "Who was that boy, Mr. Valentine?" and Fang glances over at me before answering, thinking I wouldn't know them.
Fang replies, "Some guy named Julian 'Melo' Creg," and I snap my head up in shock and confusion. I then notice Fang's bruising eye, split lip, and a bruise on his arm but other than that he was unharmed. Without thinking first, I snapped my phone out and called Julian; he answered on the third ring.
"Max! Hey I was just going to call you!" he exclaims and I quickly leave the office to go into the janitors closet to talk.
I rub at my temples, "Julian did you get into a fight today with a guy named Nick or Fang?" Julian draws in a sharp breath.
"You mean Venom? Yeah I was coming to see you today and he cornered me talking about coming onto his turf or whatever. Max, that guy isn't any good," he warns but I'm already practically hyperventilating thanks to this information.
Venom was an unknown guy that ran the gang of the Ravens on the other side of California; I never met the leader. It was always my second in command meeting up with Julian's and Venom's second in command. Now it all seemed to click into place. Why Fang was so closed off, why he wore all dark clothes, and why he seemed so tense all the time when we were in public. He wasn't lying when he said this was his turf because that is technically true like how my turf was back in Arizona; at least it was. The Black Panthers elected my enemy to run the Panthers since I quit as their leader altogether.
"Julian I have to go but I'll see you tonight at the barn," I say before hanging up and leaving the closet. I ignored the rest of the students milling in the halls and rushed to the doors of the school and out to my car. I revved the engine and took off towards a place a found a few days ago when I wanted to be alone for a while.
But I wasn't surprised to find Fang sitting on the edge of the pond I usually come to and I sigh but sit down next to him. I didn't speak and neither did he until suddenly his hand grabbed my chin lightly and made me look at him. His soft lips pressed themselves to mine and I realized the sparks that he gave me, Julian couldn't. I pressed back and he leaned forward so we went down into the cool grass pressing into my back. He tilted his head and deepened the kiss to the point our tongues were wrestling together.
At that point I didn't care if this was all going to fast or if the two of us were cheating on the people we were dating. I pressed back just as hard and wound my fingers into his silky black hair; he pulled back so we could breathe. That didn't stop him from running small kisses up and down my neck and my shoulder while I shivered. "You're Venom," I say suddenly and pull him away from me so he's hovering above me making complete eye contact without wavering.
"Yes," he says after a moment, "And how do you know this?" he asks quietly and makes no move to get off of me. Those eyes I've missed so much were now trained on me and only me in one of the calmest places I've ever found. He catches my hand as I was making patterns on his covered chest as I think if I should tell him.
I sigh and tell him, "I'm, uh, friends with Melo," and he lets my hand drop out of pure shock.
"You shouldn't be friends with people like that, Max," he says in a dangerously low voice that sends shivers down my back.
This time I glare at him for being so protective, "I'm pretty sure I can take him if anything happens."
"You don't know what you're getting yourself into, Max," he murmurs and starts to suck lightly on my neck at my pulse point. His teeth nips the skin and I gasp as he sucks on it again and then presses the tip of his tongue to it. I knew he was trying to distract me from arguing but I couldn't let him do that; then I realized he was giving me a hickey.
"Fang!" I exclaim and pull away and he chuckles as he falls back onto his back, "I'm Medusa," I blurt out randomly. He jackknives and looks at me with an actually shocked expression stuck on his handsome face.
He says disbelievingly, "No you aren't. You can't be because that'd make you Melo's girl and I would be breaking rules. And so would you." I sit on the grass now with my eyes closed and my knees pulled to my chest.
"It's true, Fang, and I didn't think I could tell you until I figured out you were Venom. All of my earlier bruises and such came from a street-fighting barn close to the old gym downtown. Julian asked me out one night, but it was never official no matter what he said! And no one can claim me! It doesn't work that way! I'm Medusa for gosh sakes!" I exclaim angrily and Fang rolls back over so I'm back on my back and he's hovering over me again.
He mutters, "What if I want you to be mine?" and starts kissing along my jaw and neck but purposely misses my lips.
"I guess I can make a small exception," I reply and he chuckles into my neck so it sounds incredibly husky and smooth. We stay out on the grass until the sun was completely down from the sky and we were lying on a picnic blanket Fang had in the backseat of his motorcycle for some reason.
We were leaned up against a very thick and wide tree trunk on the blanket and my head on his chest. A blanket from my back seat was covering our backs and sides as we had a Thumb War while just talking about nothing and everything. I told Julian I only wanted to be friends an hour ago or so and he yelled a bit but I hung up on him during the middle of it. He told me he broke up with Lisa yesterday because he realized he liked someone else, me if you didn't get it.
Fang kissed me again and again and murmured in my ear as we slid down and cuddled under the blanket I had. We used our jackets to prop up our heads and continued with our Thumb Wars until we were talking about the flock. Sam had moved away a few days ago and JJ was angry because her mom made her move schools halfway across California so she was no longer with us. Star and Ratchet were on mute with each other and Ella was still angry at Iggy for some reason she won't tell me.
"You're beautiful, Max," Fang says randomly as we stop our wars and stare up at the stars with his arm wrapped around my waist and my head was on his chest.
I roll my eyes and reply sarcastically, "I know," and his chest moves under my head as he laughs silently. "You know, I've liked you since the first day I moved here, which was only like two weeks ago." I comment and he kisses the top of my head; I start tracing patterns on his rock hard chest, which is actually really comfortable. His finger was rubbing between my shoulder blades and soothing me more than anyone has before.
"You can tell me about your scars when you want to, you know," he mutters and I know he's growing anxious not knowing what happened.
I turn my nose to his chest and say quietly, "My step-dad used to abuse me," and I know he heard me when he tenses up.
"What was his name?" he asks quietly and stops the rubbing so I feel extremely self-conscious about telling someone this.
"Jeb Batcheldor, why?" I ask and he's immediately on alert looking around us.
"Max, my mom told me he escaped from jail two days ago," he murmured and I started to actually tear up. He hugged me to him with my head on his chest, "It'll be okay, I swear I'll protect you no matter what, even if you don't want my protection." His lips press to mine and I press back knowing I'll be protected no matter what happens; I might have just fallen in love all over again.