Wow, never in my life have I ever seen such an angry mob of fans. I even was told that if Fang was dead, then I should move halfway across the world and get plastic surgery! Yayyy… but don't hate me just yet. I still have one more chapter to go! So before I need to move to some random island with wifi, I present to you Chapter 35!

Oh, and btw, this is the last chapter. Please don't strangle me. It's weird since a chapter ago I was sure that this would end in like, Chapter 39. But as the saying goes, all good things must come to an end. I love you guys so much for sticking with me this long! :')

WARNING: Another really long, unnecessary chapter (I guess my inspiration just kind of died away :P), but necessary since it's the last one.

Disclaimer: Finally, I don't have to write any more of these stupid things! But for the last time on this story, I don't own Maximum Ride, only this story.

Chapter 35 (Final)

Max POV

"Hey, Max, do you want to go to the mall with us?"

"Sorry, I need to go somewhere. Maybe next time."

I walked away, my blonde hair cascading down my back in waves, leaving behind the group of friends I had made.

"See? I told you it was useless asking her." I could hear one of them sigh after they thought I was out of earshot.

"Apparently she always goes to the Phoenix hospital immediately after class..."

"Huh? Isn't that over an hour drive? And it's Wednesday! Why?"

"Apparently her boyfriend is there…"

Well, not quite. He's not exactly my boyfriend.

However, it's been about three years.

Three year, fifteen days actually.

Exactly 1000 days.

Right now it's August 18.

He's been asleep for that long.

…

I poured the flowers I had brought the previous week into the trash, as I had done for so long.

Trash and replace.

That's the system I had developed over the past year and a half.

On that fateful day of November 22, a huge car crash occurred at the intersection of Redwood and Illinois Boulevard, two of the most busy streets during the day, (AN: please note that these names are just made up and if there actually happens to be an intersection of these to streets, then it's of mere coincidence.) caused by a car slipping on ice and busting its gas tank, eventually involving over thirty cars total.

Ten people died, maybe about twenty people were severely wounded, about fourty were injured, approximately thirty cars were involved, and over one hundred were there. It was the news of the year.

I was one of the injured, one of the bigger cases though since I had second-degree burns on my legs. My arms were fine, though. All because of the leather jacket Fang had lent to me just minutes before.

I'll let you guess which category Fang was in.

Let me start over, from one year, fifteen days ago:

...

I woke up inside the hospital, with bright gaudy flowers and cards surrounding me like a memorial, all burning my eyes. My mother was by my side, as well as everyone else. Everyone except for Fang.

"Wh-" I tried to croak. Instead nothing came out except for a billion jolts of sudden pain.

"Shh," my mom insisted. "You're inside the hospital. A firefighter saved you before you got critically wounded."

I couldn't really hear or see her, but I understood it somehow. Finally those weeks of lip reading Iggy and Gazzy's plot of destruction paid off!

"You came here about two days ago," she continued. "And this is the first time you woke up."

I really didn't sleep well that morning, did I?

"You have three second-degree burns, maybe four first-degree burns, a few cuts, and somehow a broken leg."

That probably explained why I could barely move.

"A jillion worried classmates, a worried sister, two worried parents, and an entire worried country. How's that for attention?" she said, her voice breaking, before she broke down in tears on my bed.

I wish I could hug her, pat down that hair I could tell she hadn't brushed in ages, tell her "I'm fine, mom," but the only I could do in this state was twitch uncomfortably. How's that for a bedridden teenage 17 year old?

…

About two more days later I was finally able to speak again. My parents weren't there, but everyone else was since we had the week off of Thanksgiving. By everyone, of course I mean Iggy, Ella, Nudge, Angel, and Gazzy.

The first thing I asked was simple: "Where's Fang?"

Apparently not so simple to them.

Angel and Gazzy hid their faces in Ella's skirt. Ella hid her face in Iggy's shirt.

"Fang… well… ermm…" Nudge tried to say, while fiddling with her thumbs. "He…"

"Where?" I croaked, trying to sound calm. Not very simple when I was shaking, hoping for the best.

"He's not here," Angel whispered quietly.

…What?

"No, no, no," Ella corrected, waving her hands frantically as I tried to process that. "He's in a coma!"

…again… what?

"Looks like the secret's out," Iggy sighed. "He's in the critical ward and has been stuck in a coma ever since the crash. He apparently saved two kids from the fire and has a couple third-degree burns and down and the doctor says that he could go down any moment. Right now he's been placed in the intensive care unit."

That seriously wasn't what I needed to hear right now.

…

My family came and spent Thanksgiving with me the next day. The hospital was open to visitors all day.

I asked my mom what happened to the annual dinner that she had been planning for months.

She said that everyone wasn't hungry.

…

The deadline for the marriage came almost immediately after.

My parents said that it was going to be extended.

…

Christmas came sooner than I expected.

My burns had completely healed, and I received an even better gift.

I was finally allowed to go see Fang.

Even though I was in a wheelchair since my leg was still in a cast, I was overjoyed. Finally.

We entered Room 276 quietly. The lights were off, and the window curtains were open, revealing the crystal white scenery outside. Tiny sparkles of snow rained down like tears. The only sound you could hear was the beeping of the machine every few minutes. I ignored everything except for him.

It's funny how in movies the person in bed almost always just looks stoic, emotionless, or even dead.

Right now, Fang just looked peaceful. Like all the pains of the real world had just flown away.

How dare he.

I stroked the side of his face, wiping away the sweat that had built up, and moving the hair that had fallen over his face to behind his ear.

I don't believe I ever gave him the right to sleep longer than me.

It took me all of my strength (which wasn't much at the moment) to not slap him right then and there, to try and force to open his eyes and smirk, to say it was all just one huge dream.

Unfortunately, the universe hates me.

Leaning forward, I gave him a peck on the forehead, a small kiss that was more bitter than it was sweet.

Like dark chocolate.

Merry Christmas.

…

Soon, I was discharged from the hospital on January 2nd.

I was welcomed back to school with a huge kablooie of welcomes and a buttload of tests to make up. Not my definition of fun.

Fang still hasn't woken up yet.

…

Valentine's Day passed.

That was the day I started giving roses to Fang.

I started out with three.

The first was red. The second was white. The third was black.

Once a week passed, I replaced them with three new ones.

Repeat.

…

Prom came.

Prom left.

I didn't go.

…

Graduation came.

I was dressed in blue and white, our school colors, and I was so not ready for this. So maybe studying does pay off in some ways.

"Maximum Ride."

I walked stiffly down the stage in front of the crowd, barely processing the loud, raucous cheers that called out to me, and received my diploma from the principal.

"Congratulations," he said with a forced smile and I returned it just as cautiously.

Almost right after I sat back down in my seat, bounding with joy, I faintly heard the next name.

"Nicholas Walker."

The hall grew silent. No cheers or crazed screams of moms bounded off the walls. Nobody walked down the stage, dressed in cap and gown.

"Oh I'm sorry," the principal stuttered, moving on to the next diploma. "Nicholas is currently… unable to attend for special circumstances."

I felt a lump in my throat, but I didn't say anything.

"Class of 2018 (AN: Let's just say that they graduate during that year), congratulations!" he finished once the last person walked off.

Most of the class immediately cheered, and got up to meet their families.

Or how it was supposed to go.

Instead, they all circled me and said, "I'm sorry," or something before going to go meet up with someone.

By the time the crowd dissipated, I finally was greeted by my family (minus one).

Of course, I mean my second home: Iggy, Nudge, Angel, Gazzy, Ella, and J.J.

"Congrats, Max," Ella said softly, unhinging herself from Iggy to hug me for the first time in years, "Finally mom doesn't have to work her butt of making you food."

"We're finally adults, huh?" Iggy said with a goofy grin. "And you've managed to make it this far with me, what'dya know. Miracles do happen!"

"Haha," I said weakly. "Probably won't survive another few years though if you keep on blowing up everything I own."

"What can I say?" he said with a shrug, "I'm just a natural disaster. A very beautiful natural disaster."

I said nothing, but rolled my eyes in response.

J.J. simply walked up to me and gave me a huge hug, kind of shocking me since she wasn't the most "huggy" person.

"Huh?" I said, kind of jokingly, "What's up? Is something wrong? Too shocked that we actually managed to graduate? Yeah, I didn't know eith-"

"It's okay," she whispered into my ear, "I know how much you've suffered so far so even if it's just for a moment... just let it all out."

Finally.

I bawled into her shoulder, with joy and despair and sorrow, as my arms grasped the back of hers tightly as if it were the first time I just… let everything go. Which it probably was.

Soon, I was enclosed in a cocoon of arms, J.J. in front clasping me tightly, Nudge in the back, Ella on the side, Iggy hiding my face and glaring at anybody who looked at us weirdly, and Angel and Gazzy clinging to my legs, also crying for the loss of their older brother.

Sometimes I just really, really love my friends.

…

I, as well as Iggy and J.J., had gotten into University of Arizona.

I remember I had just got off another exhausting day of school and it was there, in our mailbox, like a bar of gold.

It didn't even matter how tired I was; I immediately drove to the hospital and opened it.

I skimmed the paper over, until finally I saw the words, "Congratulations, you have been accepted into University of Arizona!"

I can't remember the bliss and despair I felt in that moment, knowing that Fang wasn't there to laugh at my reaction, knowing that he wasn't there to hear my screams of happiness, knowing that he wasn't there to cheer me on, but only knowing that he was just there.

…

Three years, fifteen days; one thousand days total.

I have waited that long, and I will wait still.

After all, one does anything to be with the love of their life right?

I sat down in the chair I had placed permanently by his side, and starting on the novel I had started to write a year ago, based on some of the events that happened to us.

Seconds turned to minutes which turned to hours, and before I knew it, the sun was setting, its gentle rays just barely touching the sky.

Oh great, I forgot to leave early again. Yay, time to get eaten by mosquitoes!

I sighed, closing my laptop. Why must thinking of ideas be so hard?

"Fanggg," I whined, tugging at his bedsheets, "Help meeee, I ran out of ideas."

The heart monitor answered me, its consistent beeps answering for him. I really hope it knows I can't understand its language.

"Well if you aren't going to do anything," I said, standing up out of my chair and putting together my stuff, "I got to go now."

He didn't say anything.

Yet for some unknown reason, I smiled.

I don't know why. In most TV dramas or something when the main male falls into a coma, the main female goes berserk and rips everyone to shreds… which Iggy insists that I am very capable of doing.

Maybe it was because I knew that no matter what, we would be able to meet again. Even in death, we would eventually meet. No matter what, we would overcome any barrier.

Or maybe it was just how foolish it seemed, waiting for him to wake up, day after day after day when almost everything about him has changed. His hair grew long, almost to his waist now, his cheekbones were sunk in, and his lips were as dry as hell, all of which almost prevented me from remembering how he looked in the past.

Only two thing I remember perfectly.

His voice and his eyes.

Both of which had this deep, dark feeling that sent shivers up my spine, yet both that could actually be kind, smooth, and even sweet at times.

Gosh, I sound like his stalker.

But even if, if he never woke up, if I never got to see his eyes again, if I never get to hear his voice anymore, if I never am able to confess my feelings to him, I know that I will never forget those two things. Ever.

But he deserves having a jillion split ends, each of which has caused me twice as many, along with another gray hair.

And even if we didn't have our own happy ending, even if he does wake up and it turns out he doesn't like me back, even if he dies in his sleep one day, even if I move halfway across the world, at least I know that we will eventually meet, whether he likes it or not.

Isn't that a sweet thought?

And right before the sun sank into the arms of the Earth, I kissed Fang, despite his lips as dry as hell. It was just a small peck, so small that I barely even noticed that we had actually touched, but just enough to make sure that I knew that he was there.

With that, I bounced up and walked out the door, out the hospital, and into my car.

Not once did I look back.

Because despite the ongoing hardships and troubles that we have to leap, I know at least one thing for certain:

We, or at least I, found love.

…

And here comes the hurricane. I know, I know, that you all have questions like, "WHY?" for instance. However, I have one questions to ask you: Sequel or no? I'll open a poll on my profile and I will close it either once December 1st comes, or once I reach 25 "yes" people on the poll and/ or in a review. If not, then this story is finally complete! Thank you for everything and for the last time on this story, R&R? :)