Ataxia Ride Chapter 26 Now, a maximum ride fanfic

I'm so sorry this has taken so long. I had the worse case of writers block and hope you guys aren't too disappointed but this chapter turned out being a now chapter. Sorry!

TwiPotterHungerRidePercyLiars- You are in luck!

Black Carnation- Wow! Thank you! Maybe when I'm older, but writing is just for fun for now. Not sure what the future might hold ;) And yes, my younger brother has it.

Now

5 months later

They sliced into my leg and pinned the bone back together; stitching close the hole that was bound to make me bled out and ruin my life.

The next two weeks, my heart never seemed to stay at a steady pace. It was always beating too fast or slow, performing unsteady dances in my chest. We ended up in the hospital again because of it. I was starting to recognize the nurses remember who was nice and who wasn't.

I stayed out of school for a month. Six weeks. Thirty school days. I missed about 120,600 hours of school. And let me tell you, I had enough make up work to re-wallpaper the whole house. Why is it that homework always takes longer and makes absolutely no sense at home? It was driving me flippin' crazy!

But finally, I was released to the world, using my wheelchair to navigate the wild halls of my campus. It felt so amazing to be free, to feel -can you believe it?- well, to laugh and joke with my friends. I refused to let anyone push me, I wanted use my arms, work the muscles so they wouldn't rot away like an apple. Strong and hard at first, slowly turning soft over time, then mushy, bruising and collapsing in, no longer able to sit up right by itself.

That was not going to happen to me.

I had been in school for three months -still using the chair- when I caught some sort of bug. Maybe the flu, I don't know, but every time I thought about food I'd have to bury my head in a bucket. I couldn't get down on the floor with my bad leg, therefore I couldn't hunch in front of the toilet so I was forced to the humiliation of getting sick in a bowl.

I used to be able to hobble a little, get from my chair to the toilet by myself so I could have the small amount of privacy of going to the bathroom by myself.

But when I was sick, I was so dizzy, so heavy and weak someone physically had to set me on the toilet, as embarrassing as that was. I was disgusted. One night, Fang stayed with me, rubbing my back and holding my hair back. I didn't want his help. I didn't want help from anyone. I wouldn't let him help me at all.

I remember everything about the next moment. The tickle in my throat, the couching fit, my hand desperately grasping for a Kleenex. I covered my mouth and coughed more. I pulled tissue away, and the red stain in the white fabric caught my eye. Blood. I glanced behind me to see if Fang saw.

"Are you okay?" He asked frantically. He saw. He rubbed my back, trying to be comforting, his eyes were wide. He wanted to help.

I pulled away. Leave me alone. "Fine," I grumbled, crumpling up the Kleenex.

Fang still held something between us. A wall, blocking out each other. He was no longer someone I could vent to, ask for advice. He seemed to cut himself away from me. Guess he beat me to it. His normally full eyes turned hollow when he glanced at me. He wasn't himself around me. He didn't want to be with me -at all- anymore.

One day though, he wasn't acting like himself, he was acting particularity affectionate towards me and we were alone. I went with it, not sure when this might happen again. Happy to have him actually look at me, touch me, talk to me. It had been almost four months sense the surgery and my leg was feeling better by tons. Fang was touching me in away that made my leg muscles tense up and squeeze. With a bright and painful flash, it felt like my thigh muscles were being torn apart. I yelped and yanked away and Fang immediately stopped. I rubbed my thigh, gasping and blinking tears, praying for my muscles to unclench.

When they finally did, Fang apologized. I apologized. He wouldn't meet my eyes. I asked him if he was mad. He asked if I was hurt. I told him it was my fault, please don't be mad. Pleased don't leave. He said he had to go, he'd be late. He left, bringing his love for me with him. Closing my bedroom door was like snapping the scissors on the final string that held us together. It was time.

A few weeks passed and Fang and I hardly spoke. He didn't love me. Didn't want to be my friend either. I guess this is what I had been hoping for. Who knew it'd hurt so much? I didn't have my friend. My boyfriend. My best friend. The person who had stuck it out through everything, all the weight. I guess it was too much for him to bear. I felt sick seeing him at school. He started driving Eden's car to school. I still saw him at the lunch table. But I got no acknowledgment.

"Things have changed, Ella." We sat on my bed, talking. "Ever since I hurt my leg, he hasn't been the same. He always ignores me. He hardly ever talks to me." I shook my head, blinking tears. Why was I so upset? I knew this was coming.

"Max, it goes both ways. Don't you think you're pushing him away too? He might be hurting too."

"What would he be hurting about? Me not wanting his help? Something is going on. He doesn't care anymore. He can't even look at me."

Fang's POV

"Man, what is going on with you lately?" Iggy demanded, as I furiously beat a nail into a piece of wood, hopefully the final product would turn into a doll house for Nudge.

"Nothing. Why?"

"Well, besides the fact that you're trying to kill that nail, you've been completely ignoring Max-"

"I'm ignoring her?"

"You haven't noticed, dude? You're acting like she has an STD or something."

I glanced up, glaring, "She's the one ignoring me. Can't you see it in her eyes? She hates me. Ever since we came home from Florida she's been acting funny. She blames me for everything."

"She blames you for having FA?"

"No! For falling."

"She blames you for falling?"

"Yes."

"And why would you think that?"

"It's my fault that she got hurt. I didn't catch her. I was walking right behind her and she fell."

Iggy looked at me, his eye brow raised, he started to smirk, then chuckled, then started laughing deep stomach laughs. "Shit, Fang. You sound like a girl. You think she blames you? She wants you to grow a pair an actually talk to her -in the very least! God, grow up."

I glared, wanting to argue. Then decided not to, "Fine. Point taken. But haven't you seen how distant she's been getting? Something is going on with her. She retreating away from everyone."
"Again with the girl thing. But I've seen it. Something's going down."

"It hurts to see her acting so differently. It hurts to see her in general. I can't even look at her."

Max's POV

Today, I was home alone. The doctor said I should try to start putting weight on my leg. Not walking, just standing. I've refused to do it until now. I don want my parents to see my pitiful attempts to move to my legs again. My legs were soft now, the muscles lose.

I wheeled into the living room, put the brakes, pushed the foot rests aside and grabbed hold of the couch arm. I was going to walk if it killed me -even if I wasn't supposed to-. My fingers dug into the cushion and I pulled. I pulled with all my might, trying to get my legs to work. I ignored the pain in in my leg as my hips began to raise up from the seat. I pulled, leaning against the couch, feeling on top of the world. I could do it. I could do this.

I fell forward, my face hitting the couch arm and my forehead smacking against the wood. I cried out. God! I tried to pull back. I couldn't. I placed my arms beside me and slowly pushed upward then threw myself into the chair.

Tears were building up. I was livid, I was frustrated, I was confused, and I just wanted to clear one thing up in my life. Wanted one thing to be over, done with, closed, and forgotten.

I wheeled to Fang's house, managed to get through the door by myself. I crashed into the house and banged into his room. I slammed shut the door, looking at him in the first time since God knows when.

"We need to talk," I said.

He sat up, then stood, raising an eyebrow a me.

"Sit down." he did. "Fang... something's not right." I could do this. "It hasn't been for awhile."

He shrugged then peeked at me.

"So, you're even going to talk to me?" I narrowed my eyes.

"I don't know what to say." He gave me a nervous smile.

"Fang," I took a deep breath. Come on. It's not that hard. Do it. "I think we should break up."

"What? Max, no!"
"I mean, hasn't that what we've been for awhile? Broken? Now it's just official."

"Max, we- we can fix things. It's just a rough patch we don't have to break up. I don't want to."

"Well, I do, Fang."
He was quiet. "Why?"

Because it's time to say goodbye. I was going to break up with you for awhile, I was just waiting for the last possible second so we could spend every minute together. I'm getting worse. We both know it. I don't want you to see. You don't want to see it either. So there's only one thing to do. Oh, and I can't tell you any of this either because I know you'll just deny it but in reality you'll be glad I'm gone.

I shook my head.

"Why?" he asked again.

"It was fun. It was great. But... things have changed... I just." I shook my head.

"What?"

"I can't anymore, Fang."

"Can't what? God, speak speak in competent sentences, Max."

"I can't be with you! You've felt it too. Things aren't working and I don't want us to wind up hating each other! I can't stand us being like this! Can't stand you seeing me this way-" Whoops. Said too much. Gotta go. "Bye, Fang." I opened the door and quickly left his house. The rain was pouring and by the time I got back inside my house, I was drenched. But hey, at least I couldn't tell if they were tears or raindrops.

Fang's POV

I was at our school's pool. I'd be swimming almost everyday, blowing off steam, but right now the pool felt like a distant memory from my childhood I docked my iPod blasting the music. I was here alone. I pulled down my goggles and sprang into the pool, kicking hard. The sounds of splashing water, waves and music tangled together creating a steady beat. Kick, music, waves, air, kick, music, waves, air, kickmusicwavesair. I plunged forward lap after lap. Eventually my legs hurt. My neck was stiff and my throat was turning raw.

Song after song blared.

Step one you say we need to talk

The verse caught my attention. I stopped and popped from the water, swimming to the edge of the pool.

He walks you say sit down it's just a talk
He smiles politely back at you
You stare politely right on through
Some sort of window to your right
As he goes left and you stay right
Between the lines of fear and blame
And you begin to wonder why you came