Maxs PoV

The next morning, I didn't get up till 11. I was so tired from all the exercise I had done the night before. So, obviously, when I got up I was starving.

I climbed out of bed and stumbled down the stairs, yawning. I slouched into the kitchen and automatically headed for the pantry, where the cereal was. I placed my hand on the door knob, then I stopped.

What would happen if I just didn't eat breakfast?

I know, it seems ridiculous, but think about it. It's not life the roof will collapse or the world will end if I don't eat breakfast, right?

My hand ghosted over my stomach, noting the way it curved outwards. That decided it for me.

I went back upstairs and checked my phone.

No messages.

Fangs PoV

My phone was still locked in the closet. And I'm not taking it out.

"Fang, can you come downstairs please?"

I sighed and pulled myself away from my computer, heading downstairs the way my mom asked me to.

When I arrived, I was a little surprised to see a bunch of people I didn't know sitting in the living room. There were four kids and a man, three of the kids on the couch and the fourth sharing the love seat with the man. My mother sat in the armchair across from them, chattering pleasantly with a smile on her face.

I just stood at the bottom of the stairs with my hands shoved in my pockets until my mom noticed.

"Ah, there you are. This is my son, Fang," she said, gesturing to me with her hand. "Fang, this is the Johnson family. They just moved in down the street."

I nodded to them, taking in their appearances and what I could gleam of their personalities.

The oldest looked to be my age, with light red hair and light blue eyes, and super pale skin. He was probably an inch taller than me. He had a mischievous smirk on his face.

Next was an African American girl with brown eyes, several shades lighter than Maxs, mocha skin, and tawny super curly hair. She was wearing a decent amount of makeup from what I could see and a great many bracelets adorned her wrists. She gave me a grin so wide and bright I'm surprised I didn't go blind.

Next to her was a boy, maybe 8 or 9 years old. He was blonde and blue eyed, and he looked pretty angelic except for the same mischievous look the redhead had.

On the loveseat holding the mans hand, a little girl about 6 sat with golden ringlets and the same blue eyes as the boy. The man had light sandy hair and blue eyes, and wore wire frame glasses. He looked open and caring.

"Fang, why don't you show the kids up to your room while I discuss things with Jeb?"

I resented being treated like a 5 year old, but I did as my mom said, turning and leading them up to my room.

They paused at my bedroom door, taking in the dark interior and the loud music playing, before they slowly wandered in one by one. The two younger ones didn't seem too bothered, but the redhead and the black girl seemed uneasy.

"So what are your names?" I asked, leaning up against the wall.

"Iggy." said the redhead.

"I'm Nudge." said the black girl.

"Just call me Gazzy. She's Angel." said the blonde boy, indicating him and the other girl.

Interesting names.

There followed an awkward silence while the little kids browsed through my CDs, my books, and my video games, until I finally asked them why they were so nervous.

"Well, we've been meeting people in the neighborhood all day…" Iggy started to explain. "And we met this one guy…" I immediately knew who it was and started to get pissed.

"OMG, he was soooooo cute! He had the prettiest eyes and the best hair and oh-" Nudge started babbling until Iggy slapped his hand over her mouth.

"Sorry." he said.

"No problem. And Nudge, sorry to break it to you, but he has a girlfriend. And even if he didn't you wouldn't want to date him."

Nudge opened her mouth to ask why, but Iggy cut her off with a glare and resumed his explanation.

"As I was saying, he said some stuff about you."

"Let me guess, he said I was some sort of attention seeking emo, right?"

Iggy hesitatingly nodded. I just rolled my eyes.

"Don't listen to him, he's a douche."

"Why would he say that stuff? Are you guys like arch nemesis or something?"

I chuckled a little. "No. He's just mad cause I was friends with his girlfriend."

"Was?"

I stiffened up again.

"Yeah. Was."

Maxs PoV

I ended up spending most of that day lying on my bed, doing nothing. I didn't have the motivation, for some reason. I kept glancing at my phone, but I don't know what I was looking for. Whether it was a message from Dylan or Fang, I didn't know which one I was hoping for and which one I was dreading.

At about 6 pm, after I hadn't come down for dinner, my mom came upstairs to talk to me.

"Hey Max." she said gently, sitting on the edge of my bed and brushing my hair back. "Where's Fang been the last few days?"

"We got into a fight." I mumbled, pressing a pillow to my face.

"A fight? About what?"

I mumbled into the pillow. My mother patiently pulled it away from me and asked me to repeat myself.

"He said Dylan cheated on me. I didn't believe him."

"Did you ask Dylan about this?"

"Yes. He said he didn't. I want to believe him, but I don't want to believe Fang lied to me." I made a sound of distress and buried my face back in the pillow.

"What do I do Mom?"

Apparently she heard me this time, because she murmured, "I don't know, darling."