A/N: 21 days until Last Day Of School!

Iggy: STOP WITH THE COUNTDOWN!!!!

Me: La-la-la-la-la-la!!!

Max: You know she won't stop.

Chapter 34

Fang POV

HMFS!!!! (Holy Mother F-ing Shit!)

I almost said "I love you" to Max.

Goddamn it! ARGHHHH!!!!

Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!

I was this close to telling her. And I chickened out!

Damn it!

I know, right! Me, Fang, chickening out? What an oxymoron!

Me, a guy whose height is over six feet. Me, an eighteen-year-old who didn't realize that the Alphabet song's rhythm is exactly like Twinkle Twinkle Little Star's. Me, who tried singing both songs when I realized it. Me, who is so f-ing gullible!!!

Why can't I say three simple words? THREE simple words, for crying out loud! THREE!!!! Arghh!!

Am I so afraid of commitment? Am I really that afraid?

I mean, I didn't even knew I almost said it. (See how I referred to "the words" as "it?") My mind was set off somewhere. Out of nowhere, my big mouth almost said it! Damn it!

That's why I hung up immediately. Right after I put down the phone, I started cursing every (vulgar) word from the book. When I cursed every word, I looked everywhere in my room to rip to little pieces. I became frustrated because I couldn't see anything. I mean, my whole vision was clouded because of anger, frustration and... REGRET.

All I could think about was Kill Iggy. Kill Iggy. Stab Iggy in the chest with a barbecue stick. Kill Iggy. Kill Iggy. I have to keep that thought away from my I-need-to-do-it part of my mind.

Instead of killing Iggy (I successfully kept the thought away), I punched my door many times until my knuckles turned red and bleeding. After that, I flopped to my bed on my belly. I screamed. And screamed. And screamed. Thank you for the pillows. All my screams were muffled that they sounded like groans. I didn't stop screaming (NOT like a girl) until I heard my door open.

"Yo." Lights from the hallway outside filled the room.

"What the hell do you want, Gazzy?" I asked. That's what I heard with my ears. But (I guess) from Gazzy's ears, it went like this, "Mmmpfgp hgfpmmpfghrm mhrgfrhmpf?"

"What? I didn't hear you with all those huge pillows of yours hogging you. What was it?" He went in to the room and closed the door behind him. I heard him sat down on my computer seat.

I lifted my face, three inches off my pillow and repeated the question.

"I heard you throwing a tantrum," he answered with laughter in his voice.

"Not funny," I forgot lifting my face off my pillow, so I repeated the sentence again. I was frustrated again, so I turned on my back.

He laughed. Then, Iggy opened the door. "I heard Fang throwing a tantrum like Angel does when she doesn't get what she wants." He saw me and joined Gazzy in laughing.

"What happened? Max turned you down?" Tears were coming out of his eyes. Gazzy was holding his sides.

I shook my head. They'll never understand. Iggy doesn't care about commitment and Gazzy has never had a girlfriend of his own. Never been on a date, never kissed a girl.

"Go away." I growled.

"C'mon, Gazzy," Iggy grabbed Gazzy's neck and hauled him up. They left my room, still laughing.

I stayed on my position for two more hours. And just stared at the ceiling.

All I could make out was Max's mesmerizing eyes staring straight to my soul.

Why am I so afraid of saying it?

TGIF.

School was boring as usual. All my teachers kept reminding us, seniors, to not forget about mailing our college applications. I already mailed mine two days ago. I mailed one to Stanford, UCLA, Yale and Harvard. Pshh. I kept telling Mom that I'll never get in Harvard. I mean, it's an elite university. I heard they turned down every student who mail to them.

I went straight at my room because I was really sore from the meet yesterday. And I think I have sunburns all over my body. So I went to my bathroom, turned on the hot water full blast and closed the door.

I stripped off my clothes and went in the shower. Holy shit! The water was so hot, I turned it off. I turned on the cold water instead. It felt so good on my sunburnt skin. I turned up my face, so the water was spraying my face hard.

My mind raced. I wondered what colleges Max applied to. I wondered what Max is doing right now. I wondered about our date tomorrow. Time passed so fast when I'm in the shower. With a flick of my wrist, the shower turned off. I got off and toweled myself dry. I was careful not to rub my sunburnt skin hard. Basically, I dabbed. While I was toweling, my knuckles were still raw from yesterday.

Max saw it, but didn't asked about it. But throughout lunch, she kept glancing at it and when I caught her, she would look away.

I put on cargo shorts, I slung my towel on my shoulder and went downstairs. Angel was skipping somewhere, I'm sure. Iggy and Gazzy are in the "basement." Notice the air quotations? They're not really in the basement. Don't tell Mom, but Iggy, Gazzy and I built a secret room in the basement. I'm not telling you where.

I opened the fridge and took out the chocolate cake Iggy baked last night. I took the knife and sliced a huge piece from it. I tossed the knife in the sink and put the cake back in the fridge. All the while I was holding the cake in my hand and bit it. Without getting a plate.

I chewed the cake and I went outside. The weatherman in the news said it was going to rain today. (A/N: I'm not really sure if it's going to rain in Virginia. Is it?) I saw the horizon; it was dark gray.

I smiled. I pretty much finished the cake and went in for more. I went in with Iggy glaring at me. "Can't you at least could have told me you were going to eat my cake? By the way, how was it?"

"Awesome. Can I have more?"

"No," He moved closer to me. He poked my (sunburnt) left shoulder. I yelped in pain. He grinned. "Just checking." He walked away.

I sat down on one of the stools in the island. I rested my head on the granite counter. And slept.

I woke up with my skin burning. Someone slapped my sunburnt skin. "What the hell?!" I shouted. I heard Angel giggle somewhere in the living room. "Angel!"

Angel came out of her hiding spot and walked in front of me. "I'm sorry, Fang. But it was fun slapping your skin. Especially when it's all red and shiny and peeling." She smiled an angelic-slash-demonic smile.

"Why?" I sighed heavily.

"Nothing. I was really bored. Besides, I think you should go to Max's house. I heard she's bleeding." At the word "bleeding", I was immediately out of the house. The towel slipped off me when I got outside.

I was freaking out. FREAKING out. Max bleeding? Not happening.

I didn't bother ringing their doorbell. I went straight to Max's room. With Ella's, Nudge's and Dr. M's shocked eyes on me.

I saw Max. But she has her back to me. She didn't even hear me come in. She has her earphones on. She typing away, while I silently went closer to her. When I was less than a foot away, there wasn't any blood. Nor was there any bandages, gauzes or bandaids.

Angel lied. I leaned closer, until my mouth was less than an inch away from her right ear. "Max," I whispered. Her fingers stopped typing. Her whole body tensed. I think she stopped breathing. I heard Wherever You Will Go by The Calling playing, faintly.

"Why are you here?" She asked me softly. She still didn't turned around to look at me. She kept her gaze in her laptop screen.

"I heard you were in trouble." I answered in the same tone. I still didn't pulled back.

She chuckled softly. She turned her head and I felt her lips brushed mine. She pulled back in surprise.

Uh oh.

But I knew I wanted her softness against my lips.

A/N: OK, people. My brother and Andrew want me out of this laptop now. So this is going to be short. RnR?