Max Guevara's alarm clock buzzed annoyingly, waking her up from her nightmare. She grabbed it and threw it across the room, smiling when she heard the glass shatter.
"Ya know," her 'brother' Sketchy's voice floated across the room. "That's the third alarm clock in the week. Mom and Dad are going to get maaad!"
"Shut up, Sketchy!" Max shouted, launching a pillow at him. The pillow hit it's mark: Sketch's face.
"Ooh, you hit me with your pillow!" Sketchy taunted, waving his hands. Max rose out of bed, her threat pretty clear. Get out of my room or I'll pummel you. Sketchy got the message and beat it pretty quick and Max slammed the door after him.
About an hour later, Max emerged from her room and went down into the kitchen where her parents, Donald and Elizabeth (or as Sketchy lovingly called them: Deck and Renfro), and Sketchy were eating. Max sat down at the table and began helping herself to food.
"Sit up straight, Calvin!" Deck ordered. Sketchy sat up rod straight and continued eating his pancakes.
"Today's your first day of school, Max," Renfro reminded her.
"I never forgot," Max replied.
"Make sure that you get cheerleading captain," Renfro said. "I won't settle for anything less than the best sleeping in this house." Max nodded. Renfro wasn't joking either; when Sketchy told a dirty joke, Renfro made him sleep in the backyard for an entire year. It wasn't the fact that the joke was dirty -- oh no, it was that the joke was BAD that got to the woman.
A honking noise outside caught Max's attention.
"That's Logan!" Max said, jumping up.
"Take out the trash, will you, Max?" Deck asked.
"No, make Sketchy do it," Max said, pulling on her backpack.
"Max," Deck fixed her with that look. That evil glare that could scare a horse into acting like a cow if Donald Lydecker so wished.
"Fine," Max grumbled. "But Sketchy takes out the trash cans next week!"
"Mom!" Sketchy whined.
"I'll think about it," Renfro mumbled, not looking up from the stack of papers in front of her.
Logan Cale waited behind the steering wheel of his new Ferrari (his family was ridiculously rich) while Max pulled the trash cans out from behind the house. He honked the horn again as Max ran to the car.
"What's the hold up?" Max asked, opening the door.
"I'm going to be late for orientation, that's the hold up," Logan said. Logan was going to be a freshman at Washington State University, which would separate the two lovebirds for longer than they'd ever been separate during the two-year duration of their relationship.
Max leaned over to kiss Logan, but Logan pulled back.
"Hey, I can't kiss you in front of your parents," he said, waving at Deck, who had just come out to see Max off. "Bye, Mr. Lydecker!" Deck waved back. Max leaned back in her seat and crossed her arms over her chest. "Aw, don't get mad," Logan pleaded, starting the engine up and flooring the vehicle down the empty suburban lane.
When they reached Max's high school, Max grabbed her backpack from the backseat and opened the door. "Now when you get captain," Logan started. "Just remember to act surprised!"
"I'm sure I will!" Max said condescendingly. She slammed the door.
"Come on, Max! Why are you so angry?" Logan asked.
"I'm not! Just go!" Max exclaimed, pointing to the street.
"Hey, Max," someone said from behind her. Syl and Brin, also seniors and also on the cheer squad with Max. "Is that you, Logan?" Syl asked, peering through the windows of Logan's car.
"Hey, girls," Logan said from inside of the car.
"Is Max mad at you again?" Brin asked. She waved a finger at Max. "How mean of you, Max! What did Logan do to deserve that?" Max rolled her eyes.
"Bye," she said, walking away from the scene.
Writer's Note: Take note of the chicken door to the right as you enter the Twilight Zone. Please keep all arms and legs inside of the vehicle as we proceed into part two: the new cheer squad captain.
Disclaimer: Huh... last time I checked I wasn't Charles Eglee or James Cameron... therefore, I must not own Dark Angel.