A/N: Oh, gosh. Precious, precious reactions from you guys! This is the reason why I wake up every morning grinning and crazy with writer's lust! Not really, but I JUST LOVE HOW YOU JUST HATE MAYA WITH A PASSION. I personally find no reason to hate her or even hate her with a passion. I'm too busy to do that.

Chapter 20

Fang

You have to love Spring and its ability to just come at the right time in the right place. Sigh. I feel so bad that snow has to melt.

Goodbye, little snowmen in the Northern Hemisphere. See you next year. Or in the next two weeks in case Mother Nature decides to drop a week-long blizzard of 10-inch snow.

How cruel Mother Nature is. Screw you, global warming, for messing up Mother Nature! The climate was not this chaotic back in the nineteenth century. I mean sure, there was the Industrial Revolution and that started the whole "Screw Mother Nature" propaganda. Still, you get what I'm saying.

You know how I used to sleep a lot back in the day? By back in the day, I meant during the fall-ish season.

Yes, I am having the same crisis again. I do not know how this is happening; all I know that something must be wrong with me. I was not this sleepy last winter.

Max

"I know everything." Maya says to me as soon as I step into the condo. Really? I just got home from the library and she's doing this now. I am in no mood to take on any stupidity, especially from her.

"Meaning what?" I close the door behind me and face her. It's really sad. We look so alike but looking at her now... How could I ever have thought she was like me? Evil...

She turns her back on me and walks to the living room. Sprawling herself all over the couch, I had no choice but to sit on the love seat. "Everything; Fang is the infamous Spanish Sleeping Beauty; that you were the one who woke him up; that he fell for you; that you fell for him; that you are in denial; that everything I will say after this will hurt you."

Huh? How does she know this? I ignore the first part of her tirade. "Then why say it?"

"Because what you just did with Fang should not have happened." Why do I feel like this is becoming like a scene in a soap opera?

I narrow my eyes at her. What nonsense is she saying now? "What?"

"He wasn't supposed to wake up last year." HOW DARE YOU SAY THAT TO ME? I really want to yell at her to fuck off. But I'm not that kind of person.

Or not. "How the hell do you know this? What are you trying to do? Is there something you want from me?"

She straightens from her lying position. "Only one thing: bring everything back to normal."

"Everything was normal before you even came back!" I yell to her face. Where is Fang anyway?

"Really? Then what do you call those moments of jealousy and possessiveness whenever I talk to Fang?" She asks and raises an eyebrow.

I stutter, "Those... Those were just-"

"Just what?" She makes a tsk-ing noise. "You know Max, you're so pathetic. You assume this 'powerful' first name and yet you can't even let yourself believe the truth. What are you really, Max? Do you even have feelings?"

I clench my fists and tell myself to calm down. I couldn't. I'm so riled up that I could do almost everything. "I so want to rip you apart right now."

"Ooh. Threats. What happened to all those years of karate and taekwondo? Have you softened up all these years?" Is she trying to make me red with anger? I'm so red!

I blow up. "WHAT IS IT THAT YOU'RE TRYING TO SAY?"

"You've become nothing. You say you care about Ella by preventing her from seeing Iggy. But have you seen the way she lights up around him? What about Fang? He looks at you like you were the only person in the room. Do you see how you hurt him when you ignore him? Are you so dense that-"

I stand up from my seat and slap her. I look down at her, hoping she could see the hatred in my eyes.

"You have no right to say those things when you were the one who ran away all those years ago."

"Me? You were the one who ran away first. You are such a spoiled brat, Max. I'm starting you don't deserve the love and affection Fang is dying to give you." I slap her again.

"Shut up. You know nothing."

"Nothing? I just told you I know everything. Haven't you been listening, moron? Drill it to your mind, you stubborn bitch. Believe or not, the world does not revolve around you. You might want to start looking at everything around you before they disappear." She starts to stand up and walk to her room. I could see the red imprint of my hand on her face. I so feel bad. NOT.

"You think you're so smart now, huh, Maya. Guess what?" I ask to her back.

She waves me off. "I'm too tired and fucked up to satisfy your stupidity. Good night. Don't forget, Max. I can guarantee you every decision you make from now on will destroy everything."

I chuck a throw pillow at the back of her head.

After that (whatever that was), I decide to check Fang. I haven't seen him at all this morning and besides, who knows what he's doing? You never know, he might have started a drug dealing business. You never know...

I pass by Maya's door, sticking out my tongue childishly at her door. God, I'm so immature. It felt so good to slap her in the face and tell her off.

Reaching Fang's door, I knock softly. I hear nothing from the inside. I turn the door knob and push. His room is covered in darkness except for the low brightness coming from his beside lamp.

So he's sleeping. As I'm pulling the door close, I hear Fang moan. I know I should not go in and bother him, but I can't help it!

I enter the room and sit by the end of his bed. Worried, I pat Fang's feet. Seeing no response, I stretch my head and look at his face. His face is entirely covered in sweat and so red my eyes are bulging out of their sockets.

"Fang! Fang! Wake up!"

Fang shakes his head, his brows crinkling in pain.

"Fang, you have to wake up. It's just a nightmare." I keep on patting his foot. I don't know what else to do!

He opens his eyes and raggedly takes a breath. I sigh in relief.

"Fang, it was just a nightmare."

His eyes turn to me. "What are you doing here?"

"I-I was just leaving but then you were moaning so I-"

Even in his drenched state, he manages to smirk. Finding one of his used T-shirts, I take one and wipe his forehead. He sits up and leans against his headboard. Taking the shirt away from me, he says, "Thanks. You didn't have to."

"Want to talk about your nightmare?"

He shakes his head no.

"I'm gonna go." I give him a smile and stand up. He grabs my wrist and forces me to sit back down.

"I didn't say you could go."

"Then please, can I go?" I give him a fake smile and bat my eyelashes.

Fang narrows his eyes and smirks as he turns his head away. "Now why don't you wear that face everyday?"

I shrug. "It's too fake that it feels like I'm committing a crime."

He raises an eyebrow and pats the space beside him. He wants me to lay down beside him? Is he insane? I stick out my tongue at him. He gives me a hard look and I force myself beside him. God he's so warm.

As I stare up his ceiling, I try to ignore the heat his body is giving off and tell myself to not press myself against him. I can feel his eyes on me and ignore that too.

"Is this awkward?"

"Very."

"Want to make it not so awkward?"

"How?"

He doesn't reply, so my suspicions rise. Slowly, I turn my head at him and he's giving me this perverted look. Wiggling his eyebrows destroys the awkwardness? Like hell.

I smack his shoulder and he yelps in pain. "Perv!" I try to get out of his bed but he keeps on pushing me down. "Fang, I have to get to my bed!"

"There's already a bed right here. Sleep here."

I moan because who knows what my sleeping habits are. You never know, I might end up kicking him or worse: kiss him. Sleepkissing; is that real?

"I'll turn around and not touch you. I don't bite. Unless you want me to."

I snort and face the other way. God, this is so awkward. "Shut up and just sleep, for crying out loud."

"Don't I get a goodnight kiss?"

"Fang!"

"Fine. Good night and dream of me, Max."

"Oh, would you just sleep?" But my face is threatening to explode in embarrassment. I once did dream of him...

"..."

"Didn't I tell you to be careful? Didn't you drill it to your head just like I told you to?" It's so early in the morning and she's already bitching her way through my pathetic day.

"Fuck you, Maya. Fuck you." I curse through my clenched teeth. I get up and pour myself a cup of black coffee, grabbing five packets of Splenda, and sit on the couch.

"No, thank you. Now everything will go back to normal." She sits on the loveseat and gives me a sickeningly sweet smile that I know is mockery. God, I freaking hate her.

I pinch the bridge of my nose. "Get out. Get out right now. Don't even bother coming back. In fact, I don't consider you as my sister anymore."

Out in the corner of my left eye, I see her shrug. "Since when did you think of me as your sister? You were always the favorite, the best daughter they could ever have. What am I, Max? I'm just your shadow struggling to be her own person. You don't deserve anything. You're so better off alone."

"GET OUT!" I finally yell. Thank God the others are already off to do their own work this morning.

"Oh, the feeling's mutual. I can't go until Fang realizes you're not worth his love and go back to Spain."

I put my mug down and stare at her. "So you can have him? That's your motive all along, is it?" She really does want Fang. Huh. She always wanted what I have.

"Moron. You don't know everything. He's no one's. And you haven't made your claim to him so I might as well take him." I reach out and slap her in the face. Was that just reflex?

She's still smiling. Is she trying to make me kill her? "He will never be yours. He does not even like you."

It's like she didn't hear what I just said. Maya snorts. "Wow, slapping has been your favorite hobby these days. And how do you know how he feels? Did you ask him? Or did you read his mind? Oh, wait. You can't do that. You're too concerned of wounding your pride to even ask that question to him. Pathetic."

"I do know how he feels because he and I are connected."

She claps, the sound booming all over the condo. "Now you realize your feelings? So much for a happy ending. So what will you do? Tell him not to leave? Or will you beg?"

"I'm so fed up with you and your fucking nonsense. Why are you doing this?" I grab the handle of my mug. I so want to pour this coffee down her shirt and watch her writhe and burn.

Maya sighs and rolls her eyes. "How many times do I have to tell you? I-"

I interrupt her. "THE TRUTH. I want the truth, Maya."

She stands up, as if to walk away. But just like last night, she turns around. This time she sneers at me. All I see is the hatred in her eyes. "Why should I when you're not even honest with yourself? You don't deserve to know the truth because you didn't earn the right."

"Tell me!"

She starts to walk away. Over her shoulder, she calls out, "Someday. Be honest with yourself first."

A/N: Yes, this was just all about Maya and Max. How is it? Are you on Max's side or Maya's? RnR?