While writing this, the song "The Mess I Made" by Parachute kept popping into my head (BAM. Title—no copyright intended, by the way, I just thought it fit nicely)...It added to the dramatics of everything…The chapter basically changed into a movie scene in my head when I listened to it :) Hope you like it! The love is in the air, my fantastic readers.

BroCode Ch. 11- The Mess I Made

I walked bare footed through the damp grass, over to my porch steps. Walking up the fake wood paneling and falling into the white wicker chairs, I felt everything. Peaceful and anxious, now that the point of no return has been passed and Shade would finally know the truth, excited to be free of the guilt of being with Fang, nervous that what everyone's been saying about Fang is wrong, and just plain….scared that Shade would never talk to me again. But I'd never admit that to anyone. No. No I wouldn't.

Sitting back in my chair, I closed my eyes and was lost in a daydream.

"Max, come on, pulllleeeease? Please please please please—" Shade was elbowed out of the way by his twin, his hands together begging.

"Don't listen to him! I'm your best friend, give it to m—" My best friend was shoved out of the way by the carrot top from next door.

"The fate of the universe depends on me lighting th—"

"No! It's my last sparkler and you are not getting it!"

"Awwwwww pleeeeease?" my three best friends whined in unison.

I simply laughed and ran across the yard to my mom, where she stood holding the blowtorch. "Hey Sweets, those boys still begging you for that?" She asked, laughing as I nodded. She leaned closer to me and put her hand up to keep her words secret from the three boys pushing each other over while giving me Bambi Eyes, Puppy dog pouts, and pleading words. "Do you think we should tell them about the snappers we have in the garage?" My seven year old form covered her mouth and giggled, shaking her head. "We'll wait until the hot dogs are ready, sound good?" Her face was lit up in a smile, as I nodded, giggling still.

"Maaaaaaaaax, pleeeeeeeease?" Iggy whined, pulling his head up from the grass and rolling out from under Shade's foot, knocking Fang over in the process.

"HEY!" Fang pouted, looking up at his twin.

"TAG! You're it!" I called running across my front yard, my three neighbors and I chasing each other, laughing and tackling one another all the while.

My phone vibrated, pulling me out of my memory.

One New Message from: Shade Holy crap! It's 10:30?

I'll be home before 7. My dad took me and fang fishing. I can come by after I shower?

Sounds good. See you then.

Can't wait babe.

I took a deep breath. It doesn't matter what he calls me, I just need to talk to him. I'm not going to chicken out.I can do this.I repeated to myself.

Sighing, I retreated to my kitchen and ate a late lunch of cereal and danced around to my iPod. It wasn't long I got bored and turned it off. "Fine, running it is." I said—yes, I was talking to myself. Being home alone is lonely—and redundant—ok?

I changed into my track shorts and a loose t-shirt before lacing up my trainers and popping my headphones in.

I ran, my thoughts disappearing as the music took over my every action. Keeping pace with the guitar riffs, my feet tapping the pavement and propelling myself further.

I found myself jogging up my street an hour later, my legs in dire need of stretching as I walked up to the front door.

"Mom?" I hollered

"Hey Baby, did you talk to the boyfriend yet?"

Laughing lightly, I walked into the sitting room where she was talking with Valencia.

"Nope, he's out fishing with his dad and Fang so the plan has to wait for him to get home."

"Any ideas of when that'll be?"

"Any time around 7."

"What're you two ladies up to?"

"Just, you know, getting Val up to speed on the neighborhood."

"Tell her about the bulldog-chihuahua-lab attack dog down the street yet?" I asked, biting my lip.

Val laughed, "Yep, and its weakness is pumpkin, hahha I've heard about that one."

"Mrs. Fletcher's prune garden that all animals—and parched teenagers-should steer clear of?"

Mom took her turn to laugh as Val smiled, "Noted."

"Julie Martin's devil children that even desperately poor teenagers should ever agree to babysit?"

"I was just getting to that" Mom added, laughing at my concerned face. "Now go shower. You smell like Fang and Ig after they clean Ig's pool in the middle of the day."

"Wow. Gee. Thanks Ma, love you too." Val giggled along with my mom as I fake-pouted up the stairs to wash away the sweat and stress.

The shower helped calm me down and gave me time to think over what I would do and say to Shade or dream about what could happen when I told Fang what was on my mind.

Two and a half hours later I was sitting on my roof, writing a story in my notebook (I guess you could call it a journal...but..ok, yeah, it's a diary.). Now, this was no ordinary story, it had tales of crazy experiments and explosions mixed with running away to be with a certain deep-as-the-deepest-depths-of-the-ocean-blue eyed boy.

"MAX! DINNER!" I heard my mom call around 6:20, snapping me out of the world i'd created.

At 6:57 Shade walked up my driveway, his hands in the pockets of his basketball shorts. "Hey Babe, is everything okay?" He asked, his eyebrows lifting in concern.

Do it, Max. Now's your chance. SAY IT.

"Do you want to go for a walk?" Wow. Really? Let me just mentally face palm repeatedly before falling into a puddle of LAME.

He smiled, extending his hand to me "Of course."

I pushed myself out of the chair and walked over to him, crossing my arms in front of me, my nerves finally catching up to me.

We walked to the next street over before he broke the silence. "Is everything ok, Max? What's bothering you?" He asked, leading me to the sidewalk with his hand on my back.

I rolled my lips in and out, wetting them. "Shade, I…" I started, ducking to dodge the tree branch dipping across the path. We walked down the street, me gathering my thoughts as we approached the bench he asked me out on.

His hand fell to his side, his face dropping. "This is about Fang, isn't it." He stated, standing still. I pulled him to the bench, biting my lip.

"Shade, I…I've been lying to you and I can't keep doing this…I care about you but…I just can't. I can't keep pretending there's nothing going on."

He let out a deep breath, "Max, you're not the only liar in this relationship."

I looked over at him, my eyebrows knitted together. "What are you talking about?"

"Max, I've been keeping a….big piece of information from you..,"

"What do you mean? What's going on, Shade?"

"Max, I asked you out because Fang liked you. Not me. We….we made the dumbest deal when you moved in…." He dropped his head into his hands, hunching over on the bench. "I called dibs on you because I was older and Fang kept bugging me to break the deal and I wouldn't do it…I know how much he likes you so I asked you out saying it was part of our deal but really I was just...being a jerk…"

I sat on the opposite side of the bench, my knees pulled to my chest. "Did you ever actually like me or was this all just a game to tick you brother off?"

"I know how lame this is going to sound but I started to when we were together after a while. Really, I did, I just…You're just so stubborn! You never let me in, you don't trust me, you close yourself off, Fang disappears for hours at a time with no explanation and when he gets home he smells like you. Max, we've been lying to each other for a long time, I'm surprised it took you this long to bring it up."

"One, Fang and I never did anything bad when he'd 'disappear'; two, I'm the stubborn one? Wow, you've been dating me just to drive your brother crazy no matter how hard he begged you to break it off; three, why didn't you say anything? I've felt so guilty these past few weeks because I thought you were telling me the truth when you told me you 'love' me. Why'd you string me along, Shade?"

He sighed and turned to look at me. "Male pride? I don't really know. I guess, somewhere inside me I was wishing you weren't trading me for my twin but we both know you were never really mine."

"You never wanted me in the first place. I know the look you get when you see a girl you're interested in, Shade. Fantastic Four, remember? I was one of the guys until you asked me out and you never look at me like you look at Lissa. Why'd you string me along when we both wanted to be with different people? We're practically siblings and now we're bickering about this—we're completely ridiculous." I finished, laughing lightly.

He smiled at me, offering his hand. "No hard feelings then?"

We shook hands smiling, "Not at all."

"It's been a pleasure breaking up with you." He said, looking truly happy for the first time in a long time.

"Likewise." I said, standing and straightening my clothes. "And Shade? Give it a shot with Missy."

"Oh, I intend to." He said grinning like his idiot self.

I turned and started walking away, nerves and excitement washing over me in a wave.

"Hey Max?" He called over to me.

"Yeah?" I asked, turning around.

"Go get him." He called smiling.

"Oh I intend to." I replied, turning and pulling out my phone.

Fang. Fang. Fang. Fang. Fang. Yes! I pushed call and held the phone to my ear.

"Can't talk, leave a message." I'd forgotten how Fang his answering machine was.

"Ughhh, come on Fang. Pick up, pick up, pick up." I muttered pushing redial.

"Can't talk, leave a message."

"Uggghhhhhh, come on, Fang!"

Please pick up, Fang. Please please please please please pick up.

"Can't talk, leave a message."

I got home to a silent house and a note on the counter.

MAX—

Went to Val's, call if you need me. Hope everything works out, Hun.

-YO MAMA

Please pick up Fang.. "Can't talk, -"

What the heck? I thought, hanging up. Fang always answers when I call him…What. The. Heck.

Frustrated, I walked up the stairs and down the hall to my room. I felt the warm breeze from the still-open window float through the crack under the door, the faint smell of rain instantly calming me down. Sighing, all of the excitement slowly melting out of my body, I turned the knob and walked in.

My eyes closed, I walked over to the bookshelf, my back facing the rest of the space. I froze when I heard familiar breathing coming from the window seat.

Turning around slowly, my thoughts were confirmed, "Fang" I breathed, the pained look in his eyes nearly driving me to tears. What could possibly make Fang hurt so badly?