Hey guys! It's Sam C: here! I'm so, so, so sorry for updating so late! School has been going crazy for the past few weeks, giving me barely any time to work on this story! But after all, today IS the first day of my Winter Break holdiay, and I'm celebrating with a brand new...chapter! I hope it'll be enough for you; sixteen pages! Definitely not another record broken, buuuut...hopefully you'll all enjoy it!
Anyway, I hope you guys are enjoying your Winter Break too! It's getting super, super chilly now, so make sure to bundle up and stay warm! C: Only five more days until CHRISTMAS! You guys excited? I might celebrate Christmas with...another chapter? Or a one-shot? C: Maybe? XDD Haha.
Max - It's SNOOOWING!
Sam C: - Not yet.
Angel - Why?
Sam C: - Global warming? Hello guys? Aren't you the Flock that is supposedly responsible for finding a way to cure the world?
Fang - Maybe. Maybe not. I mean, I have my Blog but...
Iggy - His blog doesn't help much. He gets so many e-mails from his fans, asking him to date them.
Sam C: - That's not gooood! Max?
Max - :C -tears-
Sam C: - Oh, Max, don't cry! Look what you did Iggy!
Iggy - Oh, so it's MY FAULT?
Gazzy - Guys, guys, put your wings...I mean...claws...okay, NAILS away!
Nudge - So, like, JP owns this story and all of the characters in it!
Sam C: - Sigh, sigh.
Total - On with the story!
I never, ever isolate food away from my life unless there are several circumstances that get in the way. I'm just like a younger version of Nigella Lawson. I mean, come on man, I'm a girl! Okay, wrongly put: I'm a girl impersonating guy! I need to take in my supplements! And yes, basically, I love food!
But really, those circumstances had matched (An amazing story to tell, some passionate yet totally disgusting PDA sessions and some gorgeous family photographs), thus leaving me open-mouthed and drooling, while the plate of tomato sauce-drenched manicotti became cold.
"So, basically," I said, whipping out my spoon and finally digging it into the manicotti. "You and Edward divorced because of a silly rumour, but that rumour turned out to be false!"
"Yes, that's…what he just said…" Victoria began uncertainly. Yes, I was pretty sure she was debating whether I was capable of comprehending the English language. Shall she enunciate? Or shall she grab me a second-hand dictionary from the bookshelf?
"So after eleven years of divorce and he had found another woman to replace you, along with a bratty, spoiled stepdaughter of a model, you realized that your gossiper lied to you, and really, you still loved Victoria?"
"Yes, uh…that's what she said…" Edward said in a monotone voice, his hand cupped under his chin. He sounded like that iPod app: That's what she said. You know that mechanical, robot-like voice? Yep, that's Edward all right. "Will you please stop repeating what Victoria and I say? It's becoming quite a nuisance."
"Fine, fine," I said, waving his complaint away. "So what happened then?"
"Well, obviously," Edward began, sitting up straighter and I heard the satisfying crick-crack of someone's back being cracked. "Is your back alright?" Victoria asked with genuine concern. For a girl like me who has been in a failed "relationship" in high school, my stomach started to churn.
No, I won't hurl. I've seen unnecessary concern, "classy" PDA and even some make out sessions during lunch back in Washington with JJ and her boyfriend. As much as I wanted to vomit, I didn't seem to have any reflex peristalsis waves strong enough to make me hurl and embarrass myself in the school cafeteria. A little Biology lesson for you there!
"I'm fine, thank-you." Edward said gruffly, and then began his story as if nothing happened. "I went to find Victoria that night. In fact, I was completely wrong about her the entire time, and had accused her. So we…" He glanced at Victoria with a lovingly gaze; yep, I've seen that too.
"You guys made up, and then had that thing that children under the age of thirteen should not hear, I can tell already, thus leading to a now eleven-year-old clever and sneaky daughter." I finished dramatically, waving my spork around and (Finally!) pointing at their bored-looking eleven-year-old.
Yeah, I should get one. It's so convenient; eat soup, then eat ravioli! Drink broth, and then eat pasta!
"Victoria gave birth to Nicki ten months later." He continued. "But I couldn't divorce my current wife either, so secretly, I continued to send them money monthly so Victoria would have enough to pay off the bills, as well as take care of Nicki. I also made up excuses so I could visit my newborn."
"So you used up all of your energy and time on your second born, and not Fang?" I demanded, sudden anger rising from the pits of my stomach.
"Well, I – "
"No wonder he's so upset!" I cried, slamming my utensil down. "I mean, I can understand WHY. Nicki's your first daughter, your second born and may I add, a total genius that you should be proud to have! But hey, Fang is your first born SON, and he needs some love too! May I add that, from your observations, he never had a proper family because of the divorce, and then his mother treating him so harshly that he literally hates her, and then having to be put down by his stepmother and stepsister for the past eight years?"
"Ari," Victoria's tone was firm, but still kind. I can see that she would have been named "The Favourite Parent" out of her two children. "Please calm down and eat your food."
I sat, and started to eat, but everything that I chewed and swallowed ended up as a lump in my throat. I was too choked up; I couldn't understand why.
"I never meant to treat him with such hostility. I only wanted what was best for him." Victoria began, putting her fingers together. "What was the point of fighting for him if I know he could have a proper education, a better bed, better toys and a better – "
"That's all what the adults think, don't they?" I cut in bitterly. "I know I'm being very selfish, and I apologize for my behaviour from before for claiming that you were a psycho freak. But literally, it's true. All the adults think are what's best for their sons and daughters. That may be, but have you ever listened to what the child wants? What they want?"
"I know I'm not supposed to say this, as I haven't been a parent yet. But I…" I placed a palm on my heart. "I have been through a rough divorce myself."
Edward looked shocked as Victoria choked on her own spit. "Excuse me? You?" He asked incredulously. "You look too young to be married though…"
"Not ME!" I said, exasperated. "Of course I'm too young! I meant my mother and my father! When I was ten, they both split up, leaving my twin b – sister and I. The judge pronounced me to my dad, and my sister to my mom."
"I may have been ten, but I was mature enough to make my own decisions, especially deciding who was the most responsible." Ye gods, my eyes are starting to become all watery. "My mother, as wealthy as she is, is not as powerful as she actually is. She may dress in all her sparkling glory with diamond rings and crap, but she failed to look at my sister even once."
I bit my bottom lip. Why was I even telling three strangers MY past life? It was true though. After the divorce, my rabbit of a mom decided to care about herself only. Apart from the speech about boys and dating, and as well as accompanying me to and fro Los Angeles during my youth, we never, ever had a proper conversation in the house.
Thus leading to constant arguments with Mom, and I having to disappear from the house for a while and crash at JJ's.
"She and my mom never had a single conversation in the house. Because of lack of communication and a lack of trying to trust each other after the terrible ordeal, she couldn't wait for the summers to come."
Yeah, now you see why in the "Beginning" I said Judge Judy's final verdict for me to spend my summers with Dad and Ari was absolute justice for me.
"Their relationship started to improve though, so now they're constantly chatting and having fewer arguments than before. As much as I would like to continue on with my sister's dratted childhood, I won't and I'll stop here. Either way, I just don't agree with your decisions. Fang has had a rough past, and for the past eight years, he had to ignore those penetrating words from his own stepmom and sister and work hard while he strived to be a singer."
I finally closed my mouth and went on to eat my manicotti. Suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, I watched as Victoria placed a finger at her temple and started to rub it. "Am I…?" She murmured quietly.
"Are you…?" I began uncertainly.
"Am I…wrong then? Was I wrong?"
Looking at poor Victoria now, my heart started to clench painfully. Ugh, I hate it when it does that, especially during emotional Japanese animal movies when they have to die in the end. "It's not entirely your fault, Victoria." I said sympathetically. "It's Edward's too."
"As much as I don't want to agree, I have to agree with you." He said quietly. "But there is no way I can make it up to my son now…"
"There's still hope!" I cried, my eyes lighting up brightly. Yes, in fact, it was the most brilliant plan I had up to date so far!
"You want to fix things up with Fang? Easy. Go find him now, and explain yourself to him!"
"I…" Edward's eyes widened in shock, and it was only now when I had seen the fragile, weak and shocked Fang in front of me. "I don't know if…"
"You're the father, you're the mother! You have to take responsibility for your actions! You want to fix things with your son, but you don't take the initiative to do it, so I'm here as a positive force to aid." I said angrily, pointing a guilty finger at both Edward and Victoria.
"I suppose…" Victoria glanced at Edward for a final check-up.
"Victoria," I said, rolling my eyes. "You don't need Edward here to check-up on every single thing. You guys have exchanged this look for the past hour! Make your own decisions please!"
"I suppose…if we see him…that would be fine by me and Nicki. And Edward too, but would he let us in the house…that is the main problem…"
I smiled cheekily. Ah, when life gives you a pair of keys, take them and use them wisely; that's what I always say. "Who says he's opening the door?"
"You know what; maybe this isn't such a great idea after all. Let's head back…" Victoria said pleadingly, her right arm in tow with Nicki while she used to other to tug on my jacket.
"There's no use turning back now, Victoria." I said roughly. "I know you're nervous, and you should be! After all, you haven't seen Fang for the past nine years of your life."
My eyes started to soften. "But everything is going to be okay; you know that. As long as you explain yourselves to him, everything will be okay. I'm sure he's not as mad as he probably was a couple years ago. Otherwise, why would he be crying over his family photo?"
"I suppose so…" Edward chewed on his bottom lip while wrapping a comforting arm around Victoria's slender shoulder.
"Then come on!"
"Why did we have to enter through the back doors? Isn't there a front door where we can just walk right up the stairs instead of tramping through all this grass and through booby traps that can be triggered by invisible string?" Nicki complained while rubbing her stumpy calves.
"You, young lady, need to shut your mouth." I said calmly while I poked the key into the lock and twisted it quietly. "I could actually send you to the front door. With your size, no hounds of paparazzi will be interested in taking an eleven-year-olds' picture."
"You take that back this instant!" She growled furiously, pointing at guilty finger at me through the reflection of the glass door. I rolled my eyes, evidently hoping that she would see it.
"Humour me, please," I said dryly while opening the door. Once the door opened by a peep, I whirled around and found myself staring into the fearful eyes of Victoria and Edward. Talk about frightening; their almond-shaped eyes are large and big: The perfect eye size and shape. I'm envious because I still have slits when I smile. What do we call those…eye smiles?
I got it from Dad; how sad.
"Now, don't come in until I signal you to." I ordered while I slid into the silent kitchen.
"What are you going to use to signal?" Edward asked nervously, wiping his sweaty palms on his tuxedo.
"Obviously…NOT fireworks." I mumbled sarcastically. "Just a quick flip of the hand is all we need."
Taking in a deep breath, I took off my shoes and tiptoed inside. Yes, dear God, even walking in the villa was frighteningly...terrifying to me. It was as if every move I make, I'm being watched by Fang and his beetle eyes.
Shit!
I tripped over a stupid chair. Why do I have to trip over a stupid chair NOW? Why must I be so clumsy?
The stupid wooden chair has toppled onto its side, lying limply. I have a great desire to give it a good kick. I kicked it, and now it's rolling nosily against the tiled floor. Right, and my foot hurts because I used my wounded foot to kick it.
Sudden thumping from upstairs does not signify a good thing.
And here I am now, wide-eyed and terrified, wondering where I should hide.
Crap, he walks fast.
"WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?" His beetles are furious. He's furious. Fang Robertson – his newly found surname – is staring angrily at me while putting his hands on his hips.
Should I call for back-up right now?
Yes…
…
Yes.
"I, um, I…uh…I…" I stammered while I limped towards the screen door. "I have several people to introduce to you." Fang snorted; typical reaction. "Yeah, who?"
Quickly, I slid screen door open and twisted the door knob on the glass door. Seriously, there was no point in using the flipping hand signal anyway. "I suppose no introductions are needed?"
"Why are you showing me strangers?" Fang asked rudely, coming up towards me.
(Fang's Point of View)
As I come up from the abysmally foolish and stupid Ari Ride furiously, I glance at the three people who just entered the kitchen. Firstly, the lady in her purple glory, with a cute little girl in tow in the same matching outfit.
Then, there was…him, in his tuxedo, no doubt about that.
"It's you?" I asked. My voice was slightly hysterical, and at the same time, rather shocked and (Not to mention) angry. Well…fifty percent hysterical, thirty five percent shocked and the remainder for angry (It was Ari who made me angry anyway…running off like that, with my Gucci shoes too!)
"Happy birthday, son," My dad can only show so much emotion. I'm just like him, you see.
I bent my head over to Ari's ear, and whispered, "Now who are the other two strangers?"
Ari glanced at me, facial expression looking rather incredulous. "Are you for real, man?"
"It's…" The lady tucks a piece of hair behind her ear while she slowly walks up towards me, dragging the little girl with her. She chuckles nervously while I back up towards the counter in the kitchen. "It's…been a long time, hasn't it, Nick? You haven't -"
"How do you know my name?" I interrupted, holding my palms up. "And…" My eyes started to squint. "Who, in this world, are you?"
Surprisingly enough, the lady looked staggered at my reply, with a slight pinch of hurt creeping into her eyes. "You don't know who I am?" Beside me, Ari sighed exasperatedly while face-palming himself. "Dude, you need help."
"I don't need – "But then, it was also at that moment, I had one of those epiphanies. When every single piece of the puzzle suddenly fits together, and without using any thinking, you can already tell where they fit and what the result will be.
I can assure you that my response is less likely to be welcoming.
"She's my mom, isn't she?"
A wise man once told me "It's only awkward if you make it awkward." At the moment, however, it was the situation that made everything much more alien to me, my parents, and my new sister and of course, my idiotic fool of a band mate.
"I suppose uh…I should slip out the door? I'll be upstairs in Jeb's room uh…arranging his uh…socks by colour. See ya!" Ari quickly scampers out of the room, bolts right upstairs and slams the door behind him. Woo, he's a fast little kid.
The clock begins to tick second by second. Honestly, I didn't know how to respond right now. Ask them to sit? Demand explanations like a five-year-old? Or –?
"Fang, it's been such a long time. You have grown up since the last time I saw you." My mother tries to walk towards me, but she's just so foreign to me right now that it seems weird to have her…hug me. I mean, she abandoned me when I was eleven, and you expect me to HUG her?
"Of course he has! He's our son!" My father replies boisterously (Maybe trying to make things LESS awkward? But it's not working for crap.)
"Hold it." I said sharply. "What's going on here? First of all, I need answers. Why are you guys here, and what do you want?"
"I just want to – " My mother tries to reply, but I just cut her off. The anger is pouring out from my heart right now, and I can't stop there. I just can't. It's been buried in my heart for far too long.
"Oh, to hurt me more?" I spat bitterly. "Ever since you abandoned me when I was eleven to live with money-sucking leeches and my idiotic example of a father, I have been suffering. I suffered from humiliation from my stepmom and my stepsister, and I often ran away from home."
I narrowed my eyes at my father, who had his hands in the pockets of his suit. His face was set like stone, giving off no reaction whatsoever. "And you…I told you what happened! I told you what was going on in the family! I tried to communicate with you, but what were you doing? Spending your time on the phone, concentrating your eyes on your stocks and on the computer screen? I thought families were loving, caring…" My voice was starting to become wheedling and pleading, but I just couldn't stop pouring my emotions into reality.
"But I guess they weren't. Both of you took part in ruining my childhood. I just…" My sudden outburst made my weak and fatigued. I sank myself into a wooden chair, clutching my head in my hands. "I just can't believe you would come back to ruin my life once more."
Sudden footsteps sounded, and I looked up to see my sister, Nikki (As Ari called her) walking towards me. She smiled a toothy grin at me as she placed a hand in mine. "Fang!" For some reason, she didn't seem so foreign to me at all. She was made to be loved, with looks so adorable and outrageously cute. "You're my older brother. I'm so glad to have one."
Her words made my lips perk up. "Really? I'm so glad to have a new sister. I'm…" I glanced back at my parents, who were looking at me with worried stares, and back at Nikki. "Not too keen on the idea of seeing them again. How old are you, Nikki?"
"Actually, I'm already eleven." She confessed bashfully. My eyes went dead. She was eleven. Nikki had the care of my parents ever since she was born. What about me?
"So…you two got back together when I was eleven?" My voice even sounded dead to me. "So, during this entire time, you two reconciled while I was left out in the dust to take care of my baby sister?"
I looked up, and shot a look of pure venom and hatred at my parents. "I did not do this on purpose, Fang. You need to understand that. Right after I heard that it was your Aunt's hurtful gossiping, I immediately went to find your mother, and yes…we reconciled that night."
"But understand that I did ask your mother to come back to me. I wanted her to return to me, and I would have filed for divorce the next day with your stepmother." He explained while patting my mother's hand comfortingly. "But she knew that you would have never forgiven her yet. We…" Our gazes met, and yes, even I, saw a tiny hint of hope in his stare. "Just wanted the best for you."
I snorted. Of course; all parents say that, don't they? "I'm sick of your bullshit talk. You wanted the best for me? If you wanted the best for me, Edward, then you wouldn't have left me alone all the time and tried to communicate with me. If you wanted the best for me, then you would have listened to me when I was complaining about how I was being verbally assaulted by your god damn wife! And…"
I stood up, leaving Nikki on the wooden stool, and walked towards my father, the man I had once written an essay on for he was my role model.
"If you still want the best for me, do not ever come and visit me ever again. You know, I have forgiven the both of you for a few years now, but seeing your faces again makes me sick. To. My. Stomach."
SLAP!
The force came as a surprise, knocking me to the ground. I looked up in shock as the woman, clad in purple, kept her arm raised up. Her eyes were burning with fury, anger and pain. "Go ahead and slap me again, if you're courageous enough to!" I roared thunderously as I got to my feet.
"Yes, I am, Nicholas. In fact, I would slap you again! I cannot believe you would use this type of attitude to talk to your father and me. Quit trying to block my way, Edward!" My father flung himself across her, but she pushed him away fiercely.
"You do not understand how much pain and suffering the both of us had gone through right after the divorce, so you weren't the only one who was crying every single night. Quit your complaining and whining, because you aren't eleven years old anymore. You're god forsaken twenty-years-old, and I know for one that you're mature enough to understand the complete situation and not jump to conclusions."
Yes, my mother. It was my mother who had slapped me, shouted at me and is now consoling me. It was also right here, right now that I realized why I had missed my mother for all those years after my fuming had come to an end: Because she was an analytical, thinking, emotionally-connecting and kind and caring person. No, not a person: A mother. She was the symbolism of perfect motherhood, in my eyes.
"Now…" She placed a warm and tender hand on mine. It was still smooth; just like the day when she was going to buy my first ice-cream cone when I was five. "Will you please give this a chance, and let us explain the entire story to you?" I looked into her deep eyes solemnly, and knew for a moment, that this would be one of my best birthdays yet, with or without a three tier cake.
"Yes, I will."
(Max's Point of View)
Seriously, would I (Truthfully) go up to Dad's room just to organize his socks by colour? My God, that was the stupidest and most outrageous excuse I have ever come up with in my History of Excuses Book.
And anyway, I'm still worried about Fang and them. I have heard some shouting and bellowing from downstairs, and the loud BUMP of someone (Or some THING) crashing onto the ground. I glance at my replaced alarm clock (Thank-you, wonderful Dad!). It's been at least an hour and a half that I have been cramped up in my room.
I am in no mood whatsoever to talk to Ari on Skype (He's probably executing ANOTHER episode of "One Month in Francesca"), and I'm not even going to bother catching up on my mother's e-mails about her dream wedding.
I press my ear closely to the front door, and for some strange reason, I hear a faint buzzing noise along with a gruff male voice speaking, "Well, you've done it this time." Oh, SHIT, what did Fang do NOW? I mean, who else could've caused trouble? Let's see…
Victoria's way too neat with her motherly instincts, Victoria taught her daughter WELL and Edward is a high-class member of society so…yeah…
It leaves Fang, simply put.
Quickly, I open the door and dash downstairs, nearly tripping on the last step.
And this is where I also crash into the front door leading to the garden and the driveway outside, giving me a large bruise on my shoulder. Suh-weet.
"Fang, don't cause any trouble!" I yelled at the door while rubbing my shoulder. Yup, and this is where I also see Fang and Edward (See, when a father and son stand right next to each other, my eyes play tricks on me and I start seeing doubles; I'm seeing ghosts in my villa!) standing by the door, staring at me as if I were some crazy psychopath.
"Hi…every…one…"
"What, in the world, are you doing?" Fang mumbled, crossing his arms across his chest.
"Uh, uh…" I started. "I'm getting…a good seat to watch Arthur's Perfect Christmas…in…August?"
"In August? Sweetie, Christmas specials are only on during Christmas, not during the end of summer." A voice called from the kitchen. A walking, talking eggplant emerged from the kitchen and into the parlour, and then I noticed it was only Victoria, with a sleeping Nikki resting peacefully in her arms. She snorted while, with the aid of Edward, managed to get into her shoes.
"Mission Control reporting for duty every Sunday?" Victoria said cheerfully to her son. Fang's mouth uplifts into a fully-fledged smile. It's been…how long…actually, I've never seen him smile at ALL before. The closest would be his oh-so-sexy smirks, but…another time…
"Astronaut Fang reporting for updates, Mission Control."
"And Mission Control's partner will also check in every Saturday. Agreed?" Edward gives Fang a salute, in which he returns happily. "Of course."
Suddenly, Victoria grabs a hold of my sweater and drags me to the corner. "Thank-you so, so much for all you have done for us. We could not be more grateful. I'll admit, the first time I saw you, your first impression was far from impressive, but I cannot be more appreciative for all that you have done to help us see our son again."
I could only smile cheekily. "I'm just doing what a good band member should do for his leader."
Victoria glances at me and sighs half-heartedly. "Now if only you weren't a boy…"
H-UH? I shoot Victoria a frightened stare while she could only shoot an apologetic look through her eyes. I understood; Nikki weighed much more than she looked.
But STILL! It…she…what did she mean, exactly? What did she mean by "If only you weren't a boy"? Hmm, has she seen right through me? I don't think that's it…still…it's uncanny…
"We'll come back sometime next week, Fang! In the meantime, I'm going to get Nikki home. See you later!" Victoria called while I open the front door for her.
"See ya, Mom…Dad." Fang gives a wave as the footsteps finally die away, and I slam the door behind me. Thus begins the awk-ward silence: Emphasis on the "Awk".
"You call your Mom Mission Control?" I squeaked while I tried to inch past him. I try so hard to change the subject, but oh, dear, it's not working. Damn, he's quick.
Quickly, he held out his arm so he blocked the doorway, which meant I could not exit to safety haven in Dad's room, which ALSO meant I was put into ultimate control of him like silly putty.
"Who told you to steal with photograph…" He began menacingly. "Who told you…to interfere into my personal life?" I sighed in defeat. "No one? But c'mon, Fang, we all know that you've been dying to see your parents ever since the divorce. And now you did! So, shouldn't you be grateful?"
Fang smirked, all signs of true happiness fading away and the dark, sexy Fang returned again, with his poker face and all. "Of course, I am, but firstly…" He cracked his knuckles. Shiet. "I'm going to make you see stars."
I gulped. I mean, okay, I shouldn't technically be afraid of him since I did manage to tackle a senior during a football game, and with my athletic ability, I was able to sock him. Now, what was that move again? The thrust up the nose?
"1, 2…" I closed my eyes shut before the pain could completely embrace me (And my body). But what came wasn't a punch at all. It wasn't…even…close?
Instead, he wrapped his arms around me in a friendly hug while the blood started to rush from the various parts of my body to my cheeks. "Thank-you, truly…"
What. The. Hell. What's with all the…the…racing heartbeat? The…the…flushing cheeks? The feverish symptoms? WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH ME?
Of course, knowing Fang, it only lasted a second. "But if you ever tell anybody about this, I swear, I will seriously make you see stars. You understand me?" I nodded quickly, while the blood still remained in my cheeks. "Good. I'll see you later then. Thanks for the birthday treat." He smirked, and then exited up to his room.
Oh, God. This cannot be happening. I am a TOMBOY, who SWORE she would NOT find love until the day she fell on her death bed! Am I…am I liking Fang? Like not the "Fan-Girl and Idol" relationship, but on a more personal level?
Why?
Oh, and did I mention that I'm a guy liking another "guy"? Why, oh, why did it HAVE to be me?
Just…WHY?
I was reading some of dating articles on Gazzy's hand-me-down computer when I heard a loud smash of the front door, signifying that Dad, Gazzy and Iggy had arrived home.
I bounded downstairs to greet them, only to find myself in shock at the pie-filling covered Iggy, soaking-in-soda Gazzy and a fuming Dad with a slice of cheese pizza remaining on his head as a lovely hat.
"Oh, my goodness! What happened to you guys?" I cried while quickly rushing to the cabinet to retrieve some towels for them to dry off and scrape the remaining food away from their body.
Gazzy snorted sarcastically. "Ask him." He said bitterly, nodding towards Iggy. "He knows what happened."
"Hey, am I not allowed to fight back if one of our fans have an overprotective boyfriend, and was literally yelling about how I was groping her or something? Dude, she wanted to hug ME. I can't even freaking SEE what she WANTED with me!" In frustration, Iggy throws his towel back at me.
"Whoa, watch it, lemony zest! I just got my sweater cleaned!" My attempt to cheer him up has failed. Instead, he kicks off his shoes and stomps upstairs. "Don't feed me dinner!" He yelled from the fifth step up.
"Why not?" I asked while folding the towel, half-knowing that his reason would be partly is because of me.
"I'm punishing myself for having to deal with the rudest band mates of all time, having to be blind since I was little and having to be accused for groping someone when I can't even see the good places to grope!" With that, he slams the door while Fang opens his and comes downstairs, giving a long, low whistle. "What happened to the little guy?"
Dad sighed while handing me the towel. Pft. And I don't even receive thanks for it! "He's getting a little bit out of hand during promotional activities. Today, a fan wanted a hug from Iggy, and the fan's boyfriend accused Iggy of groping her in the inappropriate places."
"Then, they got into this HUGE fight in the central of the stage, nearly breaking the mikes! We're considered lucky if we have three mikes left!" Gazzy cried dramatically. "Ooh, time to catch the latest Arthur episode!" Once again, he flings the towel at me like I'm their maid.
"He'll come around. He's done this before; getting frustrated with his blindness." Fang began, pursing his lips thoughtfully. "But it doesn't put a stop to his dream of becoming a great musician. From the day of his audition, he's come a long way. He just needs a little push to tell him that his disability shouldn't keep him from continuing his dream."
Dad and I stared at him. "Since when did you ever have the soul of becoming nice to people? I thought you usually kept a mediocre face, and always refused to take part in other people's lives!" Dad exclaimed.
Fang started to blush; we stared at him for another ten seconds more. "Well, there are ahem – circumstances in life and experiences that will help change and mature a person! I'm…off to get a snack!" And with that, he left for the kitchen. I started to giggle.
"What happened when we weren't at home?" Dad asked suspiciously. "Calm down, Charlie Brown." I replied airily. "I'll tell you another time."
Things got worse.
After dinner that night (Iggy reluctantly joined us for dinner after being dragged on the floor and suffering from minor carpet burns by Gazzy), Fang decided it would be the best time to rehearse a new song that he wrote a couple days earlier.
The song, itself, isn't bad. I mean, Fang isn't a professional composer, but he does have potential to be. "It's a…ballad?" I asked uncertainly. "And there are no featured instruments, other than acoustic guitar."
Gazzy started to jump up and down, all dignity lost as he pounded his fist into the air. "YES! My skills are finally put to the test!" Only Iggy looked crestfallen as he clutched the lyrics in his hand. "Iggy, are you okay?" I asked, walking towards him and putting a hand on his arm.
Iggy shot me a smile, but as a brilliant reader of people, it was a false smile. He was only putting on a show. "I'm fine. Now, do I get any solo parts in the song or am I just going to sit there like a piece of stumpy wood?"
I sighed, giving Fang an exasperated "Look-What-You-Did" look. I stood up and walked towards Fang. "Go talk to him!"
"Why do I have to talk to him? Can you not see he's more comfortable around you?"
"You're the freaking leader of One Winged Angel, okay? And how in the world is he becoming more comfort –"
"Just shut up." Iggy's voice interrupted our little spat. Everyone turned to look at him, eyes widening in surprise. "I mean it, just shut up." Instead, he picked up the piece of paper and ripped it in half.
Fang's face was completely drained of colour. "Iggy? What's the matter?"
Iggy snorted. "What do you think is wrong, Fang? I understand that my blindness restricts me from doing certain things in an idol group. It restricts me from interacting with my fans in the correct way without their boyfriends' accusing ME of being a rapist, and it restricts me from getting any solo parts at all."
"I always thought that I finally found a home after I got into One Winged Angel. But I guess not. I never knew you, Fang, would eventually turn against me too and use your crappy ballad song as a way to tell me I'm useless."
There was only silence after Iggy's little speech. I was horrified; where was the Iggy I knew? The happy-go-lucky, always hopeful and always motivated drummer? My blind little drummer boy: Where did he go? "Iggy, what happened to you?" I whispered under my breath.
It happened all too quickly. In a moment, Fang had rushed towards Iggy, dragged him by the collar of his shirt and slammed him against the practice room mirror, the mirror shattering into shards. "Holy mother…Gazzy!" I yelled.
We rushed towards the shattered mirror and tried to break the wrestling pair apart. Gazzy had his arms wrapped around Iggy, even though Iggy was like two heads taller than him and the two of them fell to the ground with a sickening crack, signifying that someone had broken their bones…and Gazzy's yelp a millisecond later confirmed it.
Before Fang could pummel Iggy, I grabbed a hold of him from behind. "Fang, STOP IT." I yelled angrily. "Just be noble and let this go!"
"How can a leader of an idol group let this go if the leader just got insulted by their own band mate, huh? How? Tell me, because I want to know. How can a leader of an idol leader let this go if a new song written by the leader gets panned?" He snarled viciously. He looked like a raging black cat, fangs and claws and all.
In fury, I slammed him against the other non-broken mirror while Gazzy started to sob from his broken wrist. Holy shit, we were becoming savages! "Look at Iggy! Look at Gazzy! They're all in a mess! Iggy shouldn't have said that to you, I know, but the poor kid's had a rough day, so just let it go, alright?"
In the end, Fang sighed and nodded. I smiled tiredly. "Awesome," I replied. "I'm going out to buy coffee. We all need to take a breather." Painfully, I glanced at Gazzy, who was now rolling around on the floor, clutching his wrist. I totally felt for the poor kid; thank goodness there was no Gilderoy Lockhart here to remove ALL the bones from his body!
But there was no Madam Pomfrey to mend the bones back in a heartbeat either…
"Get Gazzy to the kitchen and put some ice packs on his hand to reduce the swelling. Then, tell D – I mean, Jeb to get Gazzy to the hospital." I ordered.
"Yes, sir," Fang said with a salute. With that, I left the villa, with my wallet in tow.
"Damnit, I knew I had it in here!" I groaned loudly as the cashier clad in the familiar forest-green apron snapped her bubble gum loudly. Forget it; I never had my wallet in tow. And right, just a RAQ (Rarely Asked Question): Do ALL cashiers and waiters chew bubble gum while at work in Los Angeles? New essay topic? I think so!
"I'm sorry," I apologized. "I think I left my wallet back home." The cashier, half-asleep, grunted at me. "Mmm…"
I rolled my eyes. "Geez…superior service you have here…" I was about to leave when the barista standing a feet away from the cashier signalled for me to walk over. I was hesitant; should I or should I not?
…
YEEEEEEEUS! Free hot chocolate for the win! "It's on me." He said with a wink. I would've been flattered…if I weren't a guy myself. "Uh, sure," I replied as I noticed a familiar-looking streak of black marker on the cup. A phone number was scribbled on, with a heart at the end and a name.
"Call me, honey," He called from the counter. Thank God I was wearing my hood and a scarf around my neck that covered my mouth so no one could recognize who I was.
The walk back home was less than peaceful. I had to walk twenty minutes to get here, and of course it was another twenty minute walk back home. Though it was only ten thirty at night, it was pretty creepy, with humongous shadows protruding from the simplest things, like garbage cans…and…is that a black ca –?
"EEP!" I shrieked loudly as I felt a sudden tug on my jacket and into a dark alleyway. I found myself facing five young men, all of them around the same age as me, with piercings, tattoos, wrinkles and all. Talk about a major disaster…
"Dude, are you sure this is the right one?" The burly, muscular one asked with a baseball bat in tow.
"Sure, I'm sure! He's the one in the picture. See, Dylan?" Ah, Dylan equals the burly, muscular one with a baseball bat in hand.
"But whoever this person is…he's a DUDE. Not a GIRL. And I am sure my honey would never tell us to beat up a man."
"Damnit, Dylan, stop being such a pussy! Yo, if you want to see if this HE is a girl or not, then pull down his pants!" Holy shit times ten. I am so, so, so screwed.
Suddenly, the one named Dylan ran towards me and raised his bat. "I'm just not going to pull down his freaking pants! Yo, you mess with my girl, you're going to get it." He snarled viciously.
Ah, show time, folks.
I delivered a quick blow to the stomach with my foot, and got up onto my feet just as Dylan staggered backwards. "I don't know who you are, but you better not mess with me or you're just in for more and more trouble." I cried, spitting at the floor.
FRICK, I completely forgot there were three more men behind me! Two held onto my arms while one of them raised a dagger and sliced at the front of my sweater, revealing my…t-shirt! "Heh, you don't know who you're messing with, pervert."
I bit hard onto the hands of those groping assholes, tasting the bitter metallic taste of blood in my mouth and twisted the arms of the sweater slicer, hearing the sickening crunch and crack of the bones.
But for some strange reason, I was starting to get weary and tired from my ordeal. I was ready to collapse onto the ground. "You have such weak stamina…" Dylan muttered under his breath as he raised his bat again, ready to bash my skull (And possibly damage my medulla oblongata – another Biology lesson before I die)…
"Yo!"
That voice; that familiar voice has become my saviour. I glanced behind me to find…
"Fang!" I cried ever so happily. "Ari!" Clutching several broken beer bottles in his hand, Fang swung it at my attackers, managing to pierce several of them in the arm. Hearing Dylan scream could not be more welcoming to my ears. "We'll be back for you," Dylan shrieked as he dropped the baseball bat in pain. "You better watch your step around here! C'mon, boys, time to go!"
In a matter of moments, they all escaped, leaving trails of blood into the dim moonlight. Fang rushed towards me. "Are you alright?" He asked, totally breathless. I sighed, my heartbeat finally coming back to its steady Lub-Dup, Lub-Dup. "Yeah, I'm fine. You? You look winded."
"I…" He tried to stand up, but his ankle gave away and…yep, he twisted his ankle. Why do we have so many injuries today? One Winged Angel is so, so prone to injuries and strains. "Can you walk?" I asked worriedly as I stood up. I was about to collapse, but I managed to hold my ground.
"I don't think I twisted it that badly…" But he buckled onto the ground, anyway. "Oh, God, Fang, are you alright? I'm so sorry…" Instead, he only smirked at me. "Why are you sorry, anyway? Well…" He gave off a thoughtful expression. "If you DO want to make it up to me, help me back home."
"How?" I asked as I cocked my head to one side.
"UGH, WHY ARE YOU SO HEAVY?" I cried as we made our way up the drastically steep hill. Oh, right, with me, I had a one hundred and thirty pound backpack
"Because I'm not made of fat, I'm made of muscle which does, in fact, weigh much, much more than fat!"
I snorted. "Every single mammal is made up of fat. You cannot be made of pure muscle, unless you're that bird kid leader who, apparently, is made up of total muscle. I don't remember which book it was though…strange…"
I have also never, ever, in my entire life, blushed so hard in my entire life. My captain, my band leader, my vocalist and guitarist, my saviour, my hero; Fang Robertson…
My God, did I just THINK all that? Come on, Max, get a hold of yourself!
Just as we reached the front door of the villa, Fang clambered off of my back and onto his feet. "I could've crawled myself up the hill and made it here in nine minutes and fifty-nine seconds." He complained.
"Yeeeah, right! Though I am never going to open up my 'Ari's Transportation Company' ever again…" I said, gasping for breath. Fang chuckled. "Come on, let's go inside."
Just as we walked into the living room, we saw Dad, Gazzy and Iggy all sitting by the television, all of them equally immersed in a show about cornea transplants.
"Uh, what's up, guys?" I asked curiously. Seriously, they were ALL staring at the television show like it was pure gold or something. Suddenly, Iggy stared at me. This time, however, his stare wasn't a total blank gaze. There was determination and hope set in them.
"Ari? Fang? I want to get a cornea transplant."
So, this is the end of Chapter 11! What did you guys think? I felt that I rushed Fang's family thing too much, buuuut C: It's okay, right? Haha. Anyways, thank-you guys for helping me reach 122 reviews (?) I think that's it! You guys are super, super awesome, and if I could, I would bake some chocolate chip cookies right now and deliver them in specially marked boxes to each of you! Unfortuately, I can't :C Sooo, virtual cookies will do!
Anyways, please continue to R & R! There will be more Iggy x Max coming soooon C: And of course, Fang being jealous CCC:
Iggy & Max - YOU. MUST. BE. CRAZAAAY!
Sam C: - Well, there ARE some Miggy shippers out there.
Fang - I hate you.
Sam C: - I hate chuu tooo!
Angel - Do it, do it, CHUU, it's true, true, true, true, it's CHUU! Do it, do it, CHUU!
Nudge - Do itt...CHUUUUUUU!
Total - Chew? As in...CHEW TOY? C:
Gazzy - R & R everybody!
I'll see you guys sooon! In the meantime, Merry early Christmas guys! Drink lotsa hot chocolate and stay warm and cozy! C:
Luff,
Sam C: