Disclaimer: I don't own Maximum Ride.
Max's POV:
When I got to breakfast the next day, Fang was no where in sight. I couldn't stop thinking about what he said. About how freaking familiar his kiss was. I now knew, for sure, that Fang and I had something behind us, a past I couldn't quite remember. But how could what he said be true? I'd know if I had wings! I'd know if I had grown up in a cage, or if I had lived with five other kids!
No, it couldn't be. Yes, there was some connection between Fang and I, and it was surely an important one- but not the one he told me. I would do anything to figure out how I know him, but it's an unanswerable question. He says he lived in Colorado, and I lived in New Jersey. I've never been out of state, so although he'd traveled around the country, there was no way I could have met him.
"Max?" Nate's voice interrupts my thoughts. "You okay?"
I look up, realizing that everyone was staring at me. "Huh? Yeah, I am. Why wouldn't I be?"
"You haven't said a word all morning." Mattie says knowingly, shooting me a look.
"And you haven't touched your food yet. That's unheard of, for you." Noah teases. I shrug.
"I'm just…out of it, I guess. Don't worry about it, I'll be back to normal in a little." I reply, glaring at my cereal as if it had been the cause of my problems.
Julia hesitates. "Okay, if you're sure. But Max-"
"Leave her be." Nate cuts her off. "She'll be fine." I flash him a grateful smile before returning to my thoughts. I would find Fang, I decided. And I would hold him up by the scruff until he gave me some answers. Those karate skills had to be good for something!
As if on cue, Mattie asks, "Where are Dylan, Sam, and Fang?"
"Dylan and Sam have practice," Noah lists, "And I have no idea about Fang. Heck, I still don't know what dorm number he's in."
"I'm sure he'll show up." Julia says, and then turns the conversation back onto something mindless. I tune them out again and think until it's time to go to class, but my mind goes in circles over what I already know. I stand up expressionlessly with the rest of them, and enter the classroom by myself.
"Good morning, Max." Mr. Smith greets me. I simply nod, acknowledging him. I scoot into my seat and wait ten minutes, but Fang is still not here, and class is about to start.
"Alright, discussion time!" Mr. Smith claps his hands together. "Dumas often writes about Dante's time is prison as if it were a death. What do you think is the significance of this choice of language?"
The door bursts open, and in comes- you guessed it- Fang. "Sorry." He mutters, stumbling to an empty seat in the front instead of his regular one next to mine.
"Just don't make a habit of it, Mr. Ride. How about you answer our question?" Mr. Smith repeats his question, and Fang purses his lips thoughtfully before responding.
"Every human being has two sides- better and worse. When Dante went into prison, he was innocent, honest, kind, and loving. When he comes out, he is bitter, vengeful, and full of hate. It truly is a death, not of Dante, but of his humanity."
Mr. Smith smiles largely. "Excellent answer, Mr. Ride! Yes, Dante was your average human being before going to prison, albeit on the more good side. What it is important to remember, is that Dumas…"
I tune our teacher out as he rambles on about the book. Maybe he was feeling gracious, or maybe I was just lucky, but not once did he call me out for not paying attention or even pick me to answer a question. When class finally ends, I move down and sit next to Fang, since we both have Mr. Smith for creative writing as well. He stiffens but doesn't turn to me or make any sign of acknowledgement.
I wait a full minute before I burst out, "WHAT is your problem? Where did you go last night?"
He faces front, his jaw clenched, eyes tight. He doesn't response or even move. I punch his shoulder, and not lightly, either. Still, he doesn't turn to me, although his eye betrays him with the slightest twitch.
I wait another few minutes, but he remains unresponsive. "You jerk!" I spit, turning away and facing front as well. I don't move from next to him, because I want answers.
He wants to be silent?
Fine.
Two can play at that game.
"Are you back to normal?" Nate asks as we sit in our rows for team sports. I shrug.
"I guess. I just...I wanted….Actually, I have no idea." I reply honestly. After Fang's…episode in Creative Writing, I hadn't seen him all day. I hadn't gotten any answers, but I was acting mostly like I normally would with the rest of my friends.
Noah smiles from the other side of me while Sam and Dylan look on, confused. They hadn't been there this morning to witness my uncharacteristic behavior. "A few laps around the track and your competitive side will come out for sure." Noah remarks, mock punching me in the arm.
I allow myself a small smile. "I sure hope so."
"Class, today is a free day!" Coach announces. Everyone cheers, but he puts his hands up in the universal hold-your-horses gesture. "First, though, run 5 laps! That's a mile and a quarter, so it should take you less than 9 minutes. Then you can play soccer, football, or outdoor basketball."
"Can we start a capture the flag game?" One of the kids up front asks. I perk up immediately. Capture the flag happens to be one of my many fortes.
"Sure, if the class plays." Our coach responds. The class murmurs their general acceptance, and he claps his hands together. "Make that 4 laps, then, and you can play capture the flag in the woods after."
We start off on the track, and I sprint as fast as I can. I easily overlap my friends, who aren't really trying, and then overlap them once again.
"Tone it down a notch, Max!" Coach calls from his trackside seat. "I don't want you hurting yourself!"
Ridiculous. I ignore him and speed up. I could effortlessly keep up this pace for miles, and right now I wanted to run, hard. For at least a few moments, I can forget about stupid Fang, hopefully.
All I hear is the slap of my feet hitting the pavement.
Thump, thump, thump, breathe.
Fang is such an idiot.
Thump, thump, thump, breathe.
What did he mean, telling me things like that and then ignoring me after?
Thump, thump, thump, breathe.
It was worse than last time- we KISSED! Did that not mean anything to him?
Thump, thump, thump, breathe.
I wasn't an 'easy' girl, to go out with anybody after days of knowing them.
Thump, thump, thump, breathe.
But Fang was different. I felt like I had known him my whole life.
Thump, thump, thump, breathe.
Isn't that what does corny teen magazines tell you love feels like?
Thump, thump, thump, breathe.
But that's preposterous. I'm NOT in love with Fang.
Thump, thump, thump, breathe.
I've known him for less than two weeks!
Thump, thump, thump, breathe.
Unless his story is true.
Thump, thump, thump, breathe.
Now I'm being ridiculous. I have an excellent memory of my past, and Fang's not in it.
Thump, thump, thump, breathe.
But he sounded so hopeful. So earnest. That's not something to joke about, and he knows it.
Thump, thump, thump, breathe.
I can't put a word of trust in him, though, since I don't have freaking WINGS.
Thump, thump, thump, breathe.
"Max, you can stop!" Coach's voice jolts me out of my thoughts.
"Can I keep running?" I ask, not in the least winded.
His jaw literally drops open. "You just ran 2 miles in 9 minutes and you want to keep going?"
I nod. He furrows his brow. "You're not even breathing hard! Keep going, if you want. Why aren't you on my track team?"
"I want to play soccer." I reply, trying to be polite but really just wanting to go back to running and my thoughts.
He nods. "So I'll see you later today at tryouts?"
Once again, I nod wordlessly, my eyes flicking back and forth between him and the track, hoping he'll get the hint. He motions for me to keep running, and I happily oblige.
Thump, thump, thump, breathe.
Enough thoughts. I'm just going to run, and I'm going to ENJOY IT.
Thump, thump, thump, breathe. Thump, thump, thump, breathe.
"Max!" I hear a voice. I ignore it.
Thump, thump, thump, breathe. Thump, thump, thump, breathe.
"Max, please!" It's more urgent now, but I don't look up. The next person who interrupts me will be beat up badly by yours truly, regardless of who it is.
Thump, thump, thump, breathe. Thump, thump, thump, breathe.
"MAX!" The voice roars. I look up, glaring, with a snarl. It's Fang, standing in the trees, which only infuriates me further.
"You have three seconds," I begin, my voice dangerously, misleadingly calm. "Three seconds to leave me alone and apologize, or God help me I will kill you."
"I'm sorry, Max. But I'm not leaving." He says determinedly. "I need to explain. It wasn't fair to leave you that way last night, and I'm sorry. But you need to hear me out."
With a growl, I launch myself at him, pummeling his body with punches. He blocks all of them but doesn't reciprocate. I back off, pissed beyond reason. I lunge for him again, sidestepping his block to slap his face, hard. The resounding crack is satisfying to my ears, although I can't help but feel a little bad for him. Not all of us know karate, after all.
His face hardens. He roundhouse kicks me, and I duck, but it still catches me in the stomach, knocking the air out of me.
So much for being a gentleman. This is war, and he's on.
I elbow him, spinning and trying to put all my force behind it, but it catches his cheek instead of his nose. He punches my gut again and steps on my toe. I hiss, both from pain and anger, and jump onto him, but he shakes me off. He launches a spinning kick at me, but I grab his foot and twist, effectively throwing him to the ground. He's back on his feet within seconds, and slashes at my knees hard enough to make me see stars for a brief second.
I tackle him to the ground, and we both have each other in a stranglehold, a stalemate.
Now I am breathing hard. "If I let you go," Fang says shakily. "Do you promise not to kill me?"
I nod. We detangle ourselves from each other, sitting several feet apart, catching our breath. For some reason, I'm happier than I've been all day. My head and heart feel light, as if I had an important secret that I finally found the courage to confide in someone.
"You're…really good…at fighting. I think…I've met my…match." I say in between pants.
He nods. "We learned together. You've always been able to get the better of me, but we've both changed over the past two years."
"I'd say we're even."
"Look, Max, I really am sorry about everything. I'm sorry I have to dump all this stuff on you at once, but there's really no other way. I understand being told your whole world isn't exactly real by a complete stranger is disorienting." He winces at the words 'complete stranger,' and then continues, "You probably want proof, and I can't give it to you, because you don't see my wings."
I make an executive decision to tell him the whole and complete truth. Fang, for some reason, makes me want to tell him everything. Not in a hypnotic way, but in a comforting way.
"When we kissed…I remember you. Not us, not wings, nothing else, but I know I know you."
He looks up, his eyes filled with hope for the first time. I keep going, "How did you get away without me seeing you last night?"
"I flew." He says softly. I inhale sharply. It makes sense. I had been searching the ground, not the skies.
"Fly now." I suggest. "Just hover a few inches off the ground. Then I'll have no choice but to believe you."
He shakes his head. "I can't, not where people might see."
I gesture to the woods. He nods, and we walk far into the trees together. Once I think we're deep enough that any capture the flag stragglers won't see us, I sit down cross legged.
"Go ahead." I say, and he nods once again.
He takes his shirt off, and hot damn, that boy has abs. I gulp and look away, not wanting to be caught staring. I think he notices, though, because the corners of his lips turn up in a smirk.
A few seconds later, I look back. "Come on now, fly."
"What? I am flying," He says, his voice incredulous. I stare at him.
"Uh, Fang? Both your feet are on the ground. You haven't moved."
He groans loudly. "How about now?" He asks me, his voice slightly more distant.
"Your voice sounds further away, but you still haven't risen up off the ground."
He exhales and then puts his shirt back on. Thank god.
"I don't know what to tell you. You probably think I'm a total nutcase." He says, walking over to me.
I nod. "I might." I say as he sits down next to me. "If not for this."
And because I have nothing to lose, I lean over and kiss him.
A/N- I am in such a bad mood. I do not feel like writing all the reasons right now. Just know that I am.
I'll try to update again...tomorrow, maybe? Sunday? I'll try. In any case, review! :)
