((Disclaimer: I don't own Maximum Ride, or any of the characters in this book. They all still belong to James Patterson, well, they still did when I last checked. Enjoy!
But I do own the plots, so PLEASE respect this story and the author and don't steal the plot(s).))
Chapter 21: And Why Should I?
"So, Max told me her version. She's pretty shaken up. You really hurt her. She's not going to forgive you in the near future. So, she says you came on to her?" I nodded, groaning to myself.
This was so not going to fun.
"But she said she likes you." I looked up Dr. Martinez.
"Can you please not go the details? Please?" She nodded, looking as Ella walked into the clinic.
"Fang! Where's Max?" I groaned again and Ella feel quite with a look from her mum. Good call.
"She's not there yet sweetie." Yet? What did the vet know that I didn't? I frowned at her, which she ignored.
Fang? Fang hold on tight, we're coming. Be careful ok? We love you Fang, please don't do anything Fang-ish. We'll meet you at the clinic we're on our way now.
Angel? Angel was in my head! Angel. Fang-ish? Huh? What did she think I was going to do?
Are you in danger? Please say no Fang. No, I'm not. I'm fine. I'm at the clinic.
Oh thank goodness! Stay with Dr. Martinez, we'll come to you. See ya soon Fang. Bye. Have fun. I bet Max is in a great mood.
She is. Secretly, she pleased you asked us to come back. She's putting on a show, but it means nothing. Really? I thought it was going to be really bad.
It will be. It'll be very uncomfortable. She doesn't know what to think. And nether do you. Thanks for that, I know.
"Fang, are you hungry? I'll make some choc-chip cookies if you want." How could I resist? Homemade, fresh from the oven, choc-chip cookies.
"Uh, that would be good thanks. If you don't mind." She shook her head muttering 'silly boy' as she left the room. I heard her tell Ella she was going home for a few and Ella was to look after me. I heard her tell Ella to say not a word about Max to me. I sighed as Ella entered the room.
"Hi Fang! Are you ok? You look pretty bad." I nodded.
"Yeah," I looked at the clock on the wall, which had stopped. Ella followed my gaze.
"Oh, I'll change that." She took a chair and removed the clock, leaving the room. We both heard her mother's car leave the driveway. Ella came back in and put the clock back on the wall.
"So. What's up with you and Max? It sounded pretty bad. Did she dump you? Or did you dump her?" I glared at Ella.
She frowned. "Sorry, I'm just curious." I sighed, refusing to answer.
"Nudge told me that you guys were close. Is that true? And how close?" I closed my eyes, hoping she'd go away. Yep, she was defiantly related to Max.
"Did you kiss her?" I pushed my head into the pillow Dr. Martinez had put on the table for me. This was like pulling teeth.
"Hey! Did you make out with her?" I was wrong. It was worse.
"Ella? Please?" I sat up, scaring her. She jumped then laughed nervously.
"What! She's my half-sister and you hurt her! I have a right to know!" I shook my head.
"No you don't! This is between us!"
She raised an eyebrow. "So you did make out with her!"
I wanted to hit my head on the table, hard. "No! Leave me alone!"
"Ella, how old are you?"
She frowned. "12, why?"
I laid back down. "Your to young to know ok? Just let it be." I heard her gasp.
"Let it be! You broke her heart! My sister!"
I rolled my eyes. "Half-sister. Don't get so emotional."
"Well someone has to be! And it sure as heck isn't you!" I rolled my eyes again. Yep, defiantly related to Max. No doubt about it.
"Fang, don't hurt her anymore ok?" Ella rose from her chair and left the room as I heard a car door slam. The front door opened minutes later. Dr. Martinez walked into the room, carrying a plastic bag. I moved to help her but she waved me down with her hand.
"Just rest ok Fang?" She saw my face and put two and two together.
"What did Ella say to you?"
"Nothing, I was just thinking." She frowned at me for a minute, deciding if I was telling the truth. Of course I wasn't!
"Ella! Here, now." Oh great. I pushed my head so far in to the pillow I didn't think I'd ever come out again. Good.
"What did you say to him? Ella I told you not do say anything! How can I trust you now? You now he means as much as Max to me! They all do! Ella, you hurt him! I don't care if he hurt Max! They're both older enough to deal with it by themselves. They'll sort it out. They don't need you making things worse ok Ella? Now, please stay out of the exam room until I call for you ok?" I heard Ella argue but I'd stopped listening.
You know he means as much as Max to me! I did? Wow, this was a little confusing. Let me rephrase that. This was a lot confusing. Way too confusing for my brain. This was the part where Max would jump in and say 'what brain?'
Dr. Martinez came back in, angry. She didn't talk as she dapped bentadine on my cuts and grazes, but gently. She bandaged my wrist up then out a gaze pad on my neck, where there was a cut I didn't even know about. She made me talk off my shirt and patched up my shoulder.
"Ok Fang. I'm not going to judge you, or anything but I think I have to know this Ok?" I nodded, wondering what was coming. I searched her face, waiting.
"How close are you and Max? Please, Fang, tell me the truth. I'm her mother." I remembered what she just said, not 20 minutes ago.
I paused, confused. "I really don't know. I…don't….know." She nodded. I really didn't know.
Dr. Martinez looked up at me. "Off and on?" I shrugged, then winced.
"I don't know. I kissed her, she flew away. Then she kissed me, I kissed back. Then I tried to kiss her again and she flew off, wouldn't even talk to me. I don't know what's going on." Dr. Martinez nodded. Oops, way out of my comfort zone. Way off the mark. Off the scale.
"Hmm. Like I said, I'm not going to judge you, but I think…you two need to sort it out for yourselves. You don't need Mummy to hold your hand." I nodded, thankful. Did that mean we could drop the awkward subject now? Please?
Then I heard the most wonderful sound in the world. And I'm so going to regret saying this later, but at that moment, it was perfect.
Nudge, talking full boar, like a hot rod down an abandoned road. Dr. Martinez looked up as I slid off the bed, holding the end.
"No, Fang. get back up there now. Don't argue with me. Do you want me to sit down with you and Max and talk?" I was on the table faster then Max could fly.
"When I lay my hands on that boy…" I could almost hear Max's murderous look.
Dr. Martinez waved a hand at me. "Stay here, I'll talk to them first ok?" I nodded, watching her go. Ahh, what was I going to do! I smiled to myself, then it fell off my face like you wouldn't believe. I was in for it now.
The door burst open, Dr. Martinez hurrying behind Max, frowning. "Fang!"
My eyes flew down. I was now completely aware that I had no shirt on, and it was cold. I didn't reply, didn't need to. What am I going to say? I raked my brain for something, anything. Nothing came up.
Don't say anything. let Max get it out first. Just relax. She's not as mad as she lets up to be. Angel, you're a lifesaver sometimes. Already I felt my heart slow, calming myself down. Just ride out the storm. Ok, cool, I'm ready. Not.
Max walked right up to me, sitting up on the bed. There was fire in her eyes like nothing I've ever seen before. I watched in horror as her hand came up, then down, hard, on my cheek. Man, she could slap! The force of it knocked my head sideways. My cheek stung as I watched Max walk out of the room, not looking back. I still heard the slap echoing off the walls, inside my head. Ouch, that hurt.
"Well, that went well." Gazzy smiled up at me. Yeah, and my middle name was Joan of Arc.
Who?
Get out my head Angel. For the sake of both of us. Angel stepped forwards, Nudge's hand in hers. I looked pointedly at Nudge, who moved to the side of the bed.
'Look Fang, I'm sorry. I really didn't think you had it I you to come home, then ask for Max to take you back. You're stronger, braver then I thought. I'm sorry I underestimated you. Max is glad to have you back, she just has a hard way of showing it. kinda like you, showing emotions. Is that hard to keep a straight face all the time? I tried it once but it wouldn't work. I kept laughing all the time."
Did I mention that I regret saying what I said before? Well I do.
Iggy threw himself onto the bed, with perfect aim. "Hey Fang? Do you think Max will forgive you?" I hadn't thought of that. Great, more thinking. I wasn't too good with that, in case you hadn't noticed by now.
"Who would know?" I paused, listing for Max. Sure enough, I heard her in the waiting room with her mum, Dr. Martinez.
"You-" I held up a hand. I could hear Max perfectly, if everyone was quite.
"No, I'm not. Why should I? That bustard-"
"Max! Calm down. He did nothing wrong to you! You're both just unsure where you sand.
That's all. I have no doubt you two are good friends, but you're pulling each others strings. Just relax. if anything happens, let it. Ok?" I could, like, almost hear Max thinking.
"Anything like what?"
"Anything. I don't know, a relationship! how am I going to get this through to you Max! You refuse to listen! If you like him, so be it! If you don't, stop playing with the poor guy!"
"He plays with me too! I don't play with him! your meant to be on my side!"
"It defiantly sounds like it Max."
"What did he tell you! He had no right!" I stopped listing, lying back down on the table. I've had enough of this for one life time. Everything Dr. Martinez had told Max sounded so in-depth.
Was she trying to make it worse? I give up, I'm going to bed.
I woke in the morning to see a plate of fresh choc-chip cookies and a glass of milk on a small table by my side. Hey, I could get used to this.
Then I spotted the note. It had 'Fang' written on the front, in Max's writing. This was going to be bad. I opened the note slowly, as if it might eat me or something. Who knows, it might.
'I hope you choke'
was written on the small scrap of paper. I frowned to myself, looking around. I had always liked Max's writing, but I'll never tell her that.
There are a lot of things I'll never tell her like- you like her? We know. Angel. Get. Out. Of. My. Head. Oh, and tell Max thanks for the lovely 'get well soon' card. I really appreciate it.
She says that's ok. Then she said go take a long walk off a short cliff.
Ok, thanks for that Angel. I get the picture.