Ratchet: Hey guys. It's Ratchet. Faerie is in the corner hiding behind a pillow because she feels bad about not updating. We have been "super busy" lately-

Faerie: *yells from corner of room* STFU! DON'T BE A PERV RATCHET!

Ratchet: Haha I was kidding! But seriously, Faerie has been busy with school and crap like that and feels super bad about not updating sooner. But she sat down and cranked this one out for you all this morning. So enjoy and review! She likes reviews.

Faerie: DON'T KILL ME! I'M SORRY I HAVEN'T UPDATED! But do enjoy this chapter. Lol!

-Faerie :)

Ratchet: Helloooo? Forgetting someone's name?

Faerie: Nope. ;)

I felt a weight on my stomach as I woke up. I peeked open my eyes and saw Fang's arm lying across my stomach. I glanced over to see him curled up next to me. A peaceful expression had covered his face and he looked almost like a child. I gently moved his arm, which he pulled close to him, hunching his shoulders more. It was so absolutely adorable! (shut up. If you saw him, you would think it was adorable to.) I sat up, a flood of memories crashed into me. I checked my phone to see the time. We had slept for a few hours. Noises coming through the floor boards told me that my mom was home.

I swung a leg off the bed when a pair of arms flew around my waist and pulled me back in. I found my self lying on top of Fang, being held there by his hands on my waist. He was smirking at me.

"Good morning, sleep head." I moved off of him, but Fang didn't let go of me.

"You do realize it's like 6:30, right?" I said, wiggling out of his grasp and sitting up, stretching my arms and wings. Fang propped himself up on his elbows and grabbed his phone from the sheets where it had fallen out of his pocket.

"Wow. Wait," He said, holding a finger to his lips as he listened. Fang lowered his voice to a whisper, "Your mom is home."

"Yeah, um..." I glanced around. "We were up here doing homework. Got it?" Fang nodded. I grabbed a tissue and got it wet, wiping away the tear stains. We both hurried down the stairs into the kitchen.

"Hi Max, Fang. How are you two?"

"Hungry." I answered, not lying one bit.

"We were just doing some homework. Takes a lot out of you." Fang said, sitting down next to me. "Do you need any help with dinner?" My mom set down the pot and turned to stare at Fang with a shocked expression.

"You talk! Sure, come on over here." I started laughing but then my mom pointed at me sharply. "Not you Max." This time Fang laughed as he started cutting up vegetables. "So, what class where you doing the homework for?"

"Math." I blurted out, spinning an apple by its stem.

"Really? because when I got home and came to check on you two, you guys were sound asleep." The stem on the apple broke, sending the fruit flying to the ground.

"Uh..."

"Yeah, when I checked on you guys, you were asleep. In Max's bed." Fang's knife stopped thudding against the board. We both turned and stared at her.

"Dr. Martinez, I-"

"It's fine. No need to explain, Fang. I'd rather you not. Just be responsable and-"

"LALALALALAL!" I started yelling, covering my ears with my hands. My mom just shook her head and gave me a light glare. "We know, we know. Please, just don't talk. Oh but if you are in the mood for these awkward conversations, you might want to talk to your other daughter and her boyfriend. They skipped school." Fang snorted loudly as my mom threw down her spoon and hurried out of the kitchen.

"Ella Martinez! Open this door now!" Fang and I started cracking up. Ella sooo deserves that.

Fang's POV

Max and I had to finish dinner (thank god nothing exploded. There is a good reason Max and I stick to eating what ever is in the fridge and does not need cooking.) Max's mom was in Ella's room and you could hear them talking and yelling loudly from down the hall. After dinner I thanked them for food and headed home.

Okay, that's not entirely true.

Apparently, Ella had broken down and told her mom every thing from bullying Max to the point of attempted suicide, to her sleeping with Dylan. Max and I were just talking and eating dinner when her mom came in, pointed and Max and gestured with her finger for her to follow. I heard the bedroom door close and more muffled voices so I put on my shoes and grabbed my bag before heading out.

I unlocked my front door and stepped inside the quiet household. The TV was on, but much quieter. There was no yelling or the clink of bottles on the coffee table. I looked into the living room to find Robert watching a game with Ratchet. Papers from work and school cluttered the table instead of empty bottles of alcohol.

"Nick! Come on in here, the championship is on!"

"Just a second." I walked past the entry and towards the stairs. I could hear the tapping of the my mom's fingers on her keyboard. I walked up the stairs to my dark bedroom. Everything was oddly normal. Normal as in, before Robert started drinking. Yet everything was just so, so different.

Max's POV

I cried for the second time that day. More like sobbed, but let's stick to calling it crying just so I have some dignity left. I was sitting on Ella's bed in her overly pink room, crying my eyes out. Ella was watching, her eyes pink from tears to. Our mom has held it together but seemed to be breaking down.

"And...I just couldn't take it...so," I sniffled a few times. "I wanted to die and...and..." My mom handed me a tissue but I pushed it away. "Fang saved me, both times." I continued with my story, about us growing close, and Fang's alcoholic dad, and Ratchet and Fang staying the night. I told her about every mean thing ever said to me and how it made me feel. I didn't really have a choice. All the words were slipping out before I could stop them, just like the tears. I finally finished with what happened today.

My mom was speechless.

"Oh, Max. How could I have not known this was going on?!" She pulled me into a hug then let go and turned to Ella. "And you, I thought I raised you better than that! I thought you knew just how terrible bullying was, and how you should never hurt anyone! Especially your sister!" Ella looked down at the floor. "And...just...oh goodness, I'm so disappointed in you."

"Of course you are." Ella muttered. I hated to see mom get so mad at her, but she kind of deserved it. Not like mom was going to shun her or something. Well, she might. but probably not.

"You are grounded for 2 months. No computer privileges and your phone is now for emergencies only. No going out with friends, and Dylan is banned from this household. You aren't allowed to see him anymore. He really started this whole mess." She turned to me. "Go to sleep. And no more ditching school. Go to the teachers if you need help."

"Yes, mom." I stood up and started for the door.

"I'm going to call the school right now and talk to the parents of these kids. You won't have to worry anymore." I just nodded, to exhausted from crying to even process any of it. My chest was aching and my lungs felt raw and swollen from all the crying. Each spiraling stair felt like climbing up three. I could barely change into my favorite pair of sweats before my eyes grew heavy. I fell onto my bed, pulling the covers over my head and letting my self nearly suffocate in the darkness. I pushed the covers up so I could breath and switched one of the blue pillows for the other that Fang had used. I fell sleep quickly, too tired to keep my eyes open and what felt like to tired to breath.

*time skip*

Light. A ton of it. My first thoughts as I was shaken awake. Then it was a whole steady stream of cuss words aimed at whoever the hell had the nerve to wake me up this early.

"Max! Wake up!" That definitely was not Fang. I pried my eyes open, rubbing the painful sleep from them.

"Whaa?" I groaned and rolled over. Who ever it is can wait.

"Maximum Martinez! Wake up this minute! This is an emergency!"

"What!" I yelled, sitting up and throwing my arms in the air. "Can't you see that I'm sleeping!?"

"Ella is gone."

I know, I know. That is an odd place to end. But it's dramatic! Yeah...I'm sorry for not upating regularly. The stupid teacher that said "oh, I don't believe in giving kids homework" handed me a pile of crap to do this weekend. And all the other teachers are like "YAY! LET'S TORTURE KIDS AND MAKE THEIR BACK PACKS SO HEAVY THAT THEIR SHOULDERS ARE UNEVEN!"

No joke. I have a back problem and so now one shoulder is a little higher that the other. (I know you are all thinking Hunchback of Notre Dame but it's actually not noticable at all. Well unless you like, stare at my shoulders like a creeper...LOL!)

Anywho, I will try to update again soon so you don't have to die of not knowing what is happening to that bitch Ella. Heehee. Well make sure to review so stupid Ratchet doesn't have to keep writing my author notes. LOL!

LOVE YOU GUYS!

-Faerie :D