Author's Note: I'm gonna skip the Author's Note and go to the Disclaimer.
Disclaimer: I got bored of disclaimers so I'm gonna skip the disclaimer and go straight to the chapter.
Dear Mrs. Whatever,
The Sharkalator/Monica de Something Something Tangerine Butterfly/Angel has to leave at 2:00 today. Please just let them leave without asking questions.
~Max
Yeah, right, 'cuz any teacher's gonna fall for that.
"Do we have to go to school today?" Gazzy complained. No, technically they didn't, but I had to exercise my authority over them. I felt that I was a little lacking in that department lately. "I mean, you can't even write a decent excuse note!"
"Thanks, Gaz," I sighed. "And yes, you do have to go to school."
Fang read over my note and snorted. I narrowed my eyes. "C'mon, you could be a little supportive," I said.
"Yeah, Max, but this is a little far," he smirked. I narrowed my eyes further.
"I'll get back to you on this," I said. "This isn't over, Mister."
Finally we decided on the easiest way out of it. "Just all go to the bathroom at two," I sighed again. "We'll be waiting in the parking lot."
Angel and Gazzy were much more enthused by this idea than the note. But not Nudge.
"Can't you write a normal note so we can just leave like normal people?" she asked, stressing the word 'normal'. "I mean, we'll probably be suspended for sneaking out and skipping class. Maybe even expelled. Our family's already sort of in trouble, because of Iggy and Ella, but now we have to sneak out?"
"Fine. I'll have my mom call the school," I almost snapped. Dr. Martinez was the official legal guardian, since she paid for school in taxes anyways and since we didn't have an income and we weren't adults and didn't pay taxes. "We'll be in the parking lot," I repeated.
As they jumped off the deck and into the cool morning air, I called after them, "Two o'clock! Don't forget!"
We'll be there, I heard Angel's voice.
'Kay, sweetie, I thought back at her. I guess I was just a little nervous because it was Nudge's first day of taking the kids to school alone. But I knew she'd make it.
I made a fast call to my mom—thankfully, she hadn't left for the office yet—and then I quickly copy-pasted the answers into my and Fang's schoolwork for that day.
Ella and Iggy were still sleeping. The only reason Fang had gotten up at all was because of the Home Schooling 'punishment' thing. Now, though, we found that we didn't actually have anything to do until the lovebirds got up.
"Wanna go flying?" I asked. It was a weak suggestion, but you know what we say: When in doubt, fly. Well, we don't really say that…
Fang shrugged. "Sure."
But I stopped him from getting up. "Never mind. Too cold."
He rolled his eyes and plopped back onto the couch next to me.
Before long, I was sprawled out on the couch, my wings partially open, my head on Fang's shoulder, my breathing even. I was half asleep—I mean, it was seven freaking o'clock! Way too early. Unnaturally early. Why did God even create mornings? I am not a morning person.
Fang started lazily playing with a strand of my hair, which in itself almost woke me up. Almost. But my tiredness, combined with my horizontal position, made me fall asleep.
I woke up probably two hours later to the sound of voices. Somehow my head had migrated to Fang's chest and his arm was around my shoulders. Both of our pairs of wings were splayed out.
"Awww, how cute!" that voice undoubtedly belonged to Ella. Then she started describing our position to Iggy.
"Yeah, so cute I wanna puke," he said in typical Iggy fashion.
I yawned and sat up. Fang was also already awake.
"So, they're alive," I said, as if Ella and Iggy weren't even there.
He chuckled sleepily. "Sure seems so."
"We're right here, you know," Ella said. "And excuse me if I actually want to sleep, not get up at the crack of dawn for no reason."
"Yeah, what she said!" Iggy agreed.
"Get to work," I said, motioning to the laptop. "Fang and I not only finished our work for the day, we also conveniently made you accounts."
Fang and I went onto the deck and just sat there, talking a little, for about an hour, before going back inside and finding Ella and Iggy hard at work. Very hard at work, if you catch my drift. If you don't, let me add that this Eggy thing was getting to be pretty serious. If you still don't get it, I'll state it plain as day: they were sitting on the couch making out.
"Whatever, guys," I called to them. "Just have the schoolwork done before two and I'll be fine with it."
They didn't even look at me. A little miffed, I went back out onto the deck. Fang followed me out.
"You know, they're not the only ones who can do that," he said.
No. Freaking. Way. He did not just say that.
"Do what?" I asked, playing dumb for the moment.
Instead of replying, he put his arms around me and kissed me. And I actually kissed him back. I had to hold on at first, making sure that I wouldn't run away again, but after a while I relaxed and just kissed him. And I can't say I didn't enjoy it—Like Fang so prudently pointed out, Mommy says it's wrong to lie!
We stood there and kissed for a long time. We didn't break apart until we heard a prudish voice saying, "Hypocrites!" indignantly (It was Iggy, of course. Ella would never be so un-classy). Fang looked at me, as if waiting for me to bolt, but I just grinned at him and turned to Iggy. "Actually, we were following your example."
Iggy rolled his eyes, but Ella looked genuinely happy. As we went inside, Fang's hand brushed against mine and I felt a thrill going up from my fingertips to my spine.
I'm pathetic, I know. The boy kisses me and I run away. Then his hand brushes my hand and I'm all girly giggle mode.
I cleared my throat. "What time is it?"
"Face time," Iggy muttered under his breath, but Ella answered, "Noon."
"You guys done with school?"
Both of them rolled their eyes. We've been doing that a lot to each other lately, I noted. "Yeah," they said.
"So what do you guys want to do?" We couldn't, say, go down to the lake. We only had about an hour left before we had to leave. So Ella and I went up to her room to talk, and the guys stayed downstairs to play video games or whatever.
"So?" she prompted the second the door closed behind us.
"What?" I asked.
"What's up with you and Fang?" she said, with a 'Duh' kind of expression.
"We kissed a couple of times," I replied nonchalantly.
Ella rolled her eyes at me. "Dude, that was more than just regular kissing. That was passion."
"You've been watching too many soap operas," I accused, throwing a pillow at her and blushing furiously.
"Yeah, whatever, Max. You're in denial."
"Maybe I am. Maybe I am."
Whatcha think? You know the drill.
