M re-wrote the last chapter so go back and read it before you read this one
Stay Majestic
VR
How Life's Rivers Flow
By Vampire-knows
Max
I strolled towards lunch with Iggy as a smirk dragged across his face. It was never easy to witness that kind of glint in his eye and not ask questions, but I attempted to refrain for the sake of my sanity. There were only two possible reasons for that kind of grin. One, a new breed of girl had settled onto his list, or two-
"We're going to a party." Of course. It was always a party. It couldn't be a small get-together, or a study session. No, that'd be too old-fashioned.
"Iggy, I don't like-"
"I know, I know. I don't like pineapple but you don't see me repeating it." My friend cut me off, taking one step ahead to lead me into the lunch line of his choice.
"Well every time I offer you some you tell me exactly why you don't want any," I pointed out as we both piled our trays high with sandwiches, chips, cookies, and french fries. Buying food from the school was never as good as bringing a lunch from home, and if it wasn't for the fact that Iggy had deleted oranges and pineapple off the school lunch menu last year somehow he probably still wouldn't go anywhere near the lines.
"Yeah but that's only because eating pineapple might kill me- parties won't kill you." Iggy persisted. I rolled my eyes, knowing just as well as anybody in our friend group that Iggy was not allergic to either fruit- he had just got it stuck in his head at a young age that he was.
"Alright, what's this party?" I groaned, relenting as we strolled towards the lunch table where Sam, Nudge, and Lupo already sat. Everyone else must have gotten stuck in one of the dreadfully endless lines.
"It's a pharm party-" Iggy began and my joints immediately locked up. I froze in my spot, a look of complete and utter disgust on my face. Pharm was short for Pharmacy. At a party like this admission was a handful of dollar bills and a pill. Once a basket was full of the little killers they'd be passed into the crowd for consumption. Last time… well, I didn't want to think about last time.
"No." I growled, moving quickly towards the table in hopes Iggy would drop it.
"Oh come on, Max," of course not. It'd be too easy to let it go for once in his life.
"No, there's no 'coming on'. Nudge almost got kidnapped at the last one and I'm not going just to be your designated driver." I snapped, my voice lowering the closer we got to the table. I didn't want Nudge to be brought back into that memory. It was a pretty dark night for all of us.
"Well I'm going with or without you, and I guess I'll just have to drive high." He was manipulating me. Morphing my sense of logic into one of guilt and fear. He knew he could do it- he always did it when he wanted something. We both knew it was only a matter of time before I caved in.
"When is it?" I breathed out with a sigh, finally plopping down in my seat with much more reluctance than anyone was willing to notice.
"Next Saturday." Iggy confirmed, a smirk on his face. He had won, just like always.
"I'll think about it." I finally decided, and Lupo raised an eyebrow in obvious question just as Fang sat next to me, quick to take Lobo's spot although I hadn't seen him around anyways.
"So where's the redhead?" He asked to anyone who was willing to answer, and Lupo was quick to offer one up that made Sam go wild.
"He's got mono."
"That's funny." The hazel-eyed boy began. "Nudge, didn't you say you thought you had… mono," Sam's voice rose and fell as he looked over at the girl who sat next to me. Normally it wasn't a big deal. Nudge got mono more times than not and therefore powered through school with it. Sam had come down with it many times as well, something he didn't mind much. However, everyone knew how someone like Nudge got it- or rather how someone Nudge liked got it.
"Sam, I didn't-" The mocha-skinned girl began but it was too late.
"What the actual fuck, Nudge?" Sam snarled, his voice venomous and booming. It was enough to send everyone at the table, even Fang, who had known him the longest, to a paused state in which the only sound any of us made was our breath flowing through our lips. Sam never had an outburst, and I was slightly afraid that bottling up all that mess was about to become a huge problem.
"Sam, it was just-"
"A Kiss? You kissed Aidan? Oh that's just great." He began to laugh. A sound so psychotic I visibly pushed myself closer to Fang in hopes of getting away from Sam. He'd never made that sound before. His laugh was normally sweet and loud- not so twisted. Even Nudge's eyes were wide with the kind of fear most people only felt when they were about to be killed- although at this point that could have very well been what was about to happen.
"It didn't mean-"
"Why are you such a slut? No, that's not the question. The question is why do I like a slut so much? I mean honestly I've been your lapdog since I moved here and all you've done is rip my heart out and stab it a few hundred times! I've never, never done anything like this because I thought we were a couple! I thought you said we'd be together forever!"
"We are not official-" Nudge attempted feebly, but Sam only glared. It was furious and defiant, the type of glare that Fang gave people he wished torture upon. For a moment I could even feel the wrath Sam wished to give Nudge. I could hear his heart beat with rage.
"Oh yeah, well then if we're not official then I can do this!" Without much warning two hands had slapped on my shoulders, and before I was even sure what was going on Sam's lips were against mine in a heated kiss. I remembered vaguely quite a few years ago when we dated, and although I didn't like him anymore, I loved the look Nudge had on her face;
Complete and utter shock. She was horrified even as Sam pulled away with a smirk on his face as he turned to her. She deserved it, in all honesty. Samn was a nice guy- sweet and caring. She should have treated him with more respect.
Neither of them said anything for a long time. Nudge only stared, eyes widened and jaw slack, and her not-so official boyfriend only grinned like a rich man did after getting away with something illegal.
"I… I can't believe you just kissed Max! Do you still like her or something?" Nudge suddenly screeched, her voice about two octaves above blowing ears out. Lupo, who was closest to her, visibly flinched, although soon it was my turn to do so after Nudge pounced on Sam and he shrieked like a little girl.
I'm sure she wanted to hit him- in fact she even tried to, but by the time she had attempted to throw her first punch all of the energy she had used up on a weak defense of stuttering earlier fell away, and she was left with nothing but tears. Well, at least for once it wasn't me crying.
They both lay on the cafeteria floor, Sam's eyes looked unfocused, as if he wasn't sure what was going on, and Nudge's looked watery as she sat up, leaning against the table. "You're so Goddamn boring, Sam." She finally growled, wiping some spit off of her chin as he sat up as well in a daze, shaking his head to clear himself up.
"And you're so Goddamn obnoxious," he countered, and although no one was quite sure what was going on, I at least thought something had been resolved between the two of them. Even if it wasn't evident by Nudge's tears or Sam's frown. They'd probably be okay.
