I'm sorry. That's all I really have to say. The reviews I'm getting are extraordinary and I don't want to disappoint you guys. Special shoutout to Mickey4023 for bitch slapping me(in the best way possible). I really needed it, and now I'm back.

Max took a deep breath.

It had been a week since what she dubbed the incident and it was still the talk of the school.

Max had managed to avoid Nudge and about every other human being in the school up until Friday when she bumped into Nick turning around a corner and ended up spilling everything she was carrying. She could still remember their conversation…

"Er- Sorry."

"For what?"

"For the text that my friend Nudge sent out. You must be way embarrassed."

Nick rolled his eyes. "We all don't act like high school girls you know."

"…"

"Besides, I don't care that much."

"What do you mean?"

"It was only a couple of kisses. For a stupid game. Plus, the text was probably a joke, right?"

"…"

"Listen, Max, if the kiss meant anything to you, I'm sorry, but I'm not looking for anything like that right now."

"Are you kidding? The text was totally a joke! It was just Nudge being silly."

"Cool, cool. Well, I got to go." And with that, he left her alone in the hallway with her binders and pencils strewn about around her.

After their conversation, Max felt put off. She knew he was right, it was just for a stupid game, but to her, it was more than that.

That day when she came home, she felt numb. Everything that had happened with Nudge and Fang hit her like a giant tidal wave but she was too far underwater to feel the effects. She didn't cry or scream or talk; she just sat in her room until her mom called her down for dinner.

Nudge had called her so many times by then, but after about the twentieth time, Max blocked her number. She didn't have the will to deal with her.

HEHEHEHE LINE BREAK

After adjusting her backpack on her shoulder, Max pushed open the metal gate and walked forward, the uneven stone beneath her feet making her stumble a few times.

In science, Max's teacher had assigned partners alphabetically and unfortunately for Max, that meant working with Nudge.

She was beginning to feel better than she did a few days ago, but that didn't mean she wanted to confront her problems.

Before Max could ball up her hand into a fist to open the door, it was swung open with such force that it knocked away Max's hand, leaving little marks on the knuckles, revealing Nudge's mom.

Nudge's mom was shorter than Nudge herself, but with similar dark hair and dark eyes. She was a thin lady with slight curves and a skinny waist. She was unlike Nudge in the way that she was more reserved and practical, not one to giggle at a silly joke but to tell the teller that it was unpractical.

"Maxine," she greeted Max warmly. "Nudge is in her room, head on up! It's been almost a week since you've been over!"

Max smiled in reply and padded up the stairs that led to Nudge's room.

Just as she was in front of Nudge's door, it was suddenly opened by an overly excited Nudge.

This family has a habit of violently opening doors.

"Max!" Nudge squealed/screamed. "Come in, come in! It's so nice to see you, I am so excited-"

Max cut her off by clearing her throat. "Let's make one thing clear; just because I'm your partner for this project doesn't mean that I forgive you."

Nudge's smile deflated a little. "Of-of course! Um, we should get started…"

DONT MIND ME IMMA LINE BREAK

Max felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. Both girls were broken from their focus and Max hurriedly checked to see what the cause of the disturbance was.

"My mom's here." she announced as she stood up and shouldered her bookbag.

Nudge put down her pen and looked up at Max from her position on the floor. "You can stay for dinner if you want. Mom's making chicken pot pie and apple strudel for dessert. Your favorite."

Max remembered that in the summer she would hang out at Nudge's so late and so much that she would have dinner there all the time, and more often than not, her mom and her older brother Ari would join her.

The small dining room was always filled with the laughter of their little group: Max, Ari, her mom, Nudge, Nudge's older sister Belle, her mom, and her dad.

Max gave Nudge a smile that looked more like a grimace. "No thanks. My mom's making salmon and I want to make sure she doesn't burn down the house."

Nudge simply nodded and waved a simple goodbye. She didn't feel like walking Max to the door, and Max was grateful for that.

At the bottom of the stairs, Max ran into Belle. And I mean literally ran; she wanted to get out of the house as soon as she could.

Belle was the same age as Ari, 23. She went to the local community college and was working to get her degree in communications. She had light brown hair, even lighter brown eyes, and had a voluptuous figure and didn't mind flaunting that fact.

"Slow down there, kiddo." she said jokingly.

Max laughed nervously and tried to brush past her, but Belle stood firm and blocked her path.

"Listen," Belle said, placing her hand on Max's shoulder. "I know my sister can be an ass sometimes and she makes a lot of mistakes, but you have got to forgive her sometime. She's been moping all week and she even skipped out on the One Direction concert she's been looking forward to all month because she was too upset to get out of bed. And I think you're overreacting a tad bit. I mean, come on! Next week someone's going to get pushed in to a fountain and someone else is going to get pregnant and you'll be old news. So for the sake of my sister, and my sanity because I can't take her breaking down again, forgive her."

Max shrugged off Belle's hand and walked out the front door and down the pathway.

In her heart, Max knew she was overreacting, but she couldn't just forgive Nudge just like that.

HI IM A LINE BREAK LOL

School the next day was very awkward for Max. The first semester of her senior year came and went, and with the next semester came different electives.

And this is how Max ended up with a plastic ring from a gum ball machine and a "husband."

Max had decided that taking Home Ec didn't bother her to much, so she signed up for it at the beginning of the year with Nudge.

As Max entered the classroom (avoiding the intense and emotional gaze of Nudge from across the room), she was told that she and this guy named Sam would be a "couple" for a couple of weeks. She was told by Ari (who had taken Home Ec when he was a junior) that each couple was assigned to a part of the Home Ec room and were to take care of a fake baby.

Sam had explained to her that he was told that girls liked rings, and even though they weren't actually married, he felt that the gesture (even though the ring only cost him twenty-five cents) would be appreciated. Max though it was sweet.

After everyone got situated, the teacher began to explain that another senior who already finished the course would come in every day and be an assistant for her, and that blah blah blah… Max had tuned out by then.

The teacher droned on and on, but a sudden knock on the door woke Max up from her daze.

"Ah, Mr. Waters, how nice of you to join us. I was just telling everyone about you!"

Max's jaw dropped.

Nick was the teacher assistant.

LINE BREAK AGAIN

It was week two of "Project Marriage," and Max and Sam's assignment for the day was to sew clothes for the newest "addition" to their family. The two had grown more acquainted with each other in the past two weeks, and the more time she spent with Sam, the less she cared about Nick.

This, of course, did not go unnoticed by Nick. He seethed every time Sam would touch her shoulder reassuringly whenever Max didn't know if she was doing something right, or when they would hug whenever they got a good grade. Needless to say, Nick. Did. Not. Like. Sam.

This confused Max since Nick made it pretty clear that he wasn't into her. His rude behavior towards Sam irked Max, and she was determined to get to the bottom of it.

As it turns out, Nick was the one who confronted her one day towards the end of class. Sam was out sick and Max seemed like she needed help folding some towels (Nick's reasoning).

"Hey," he said, breaking the awkward silence between them. "Are you and Sam- I mean, uh- Are you and Sam like, together?"

Max smiled warmly at the thought of Sam. "I don't know," she said. "He's sweet." She gave him a curious look. "Why do you ask?"

"No reason."

Hi guys, I made that chappy a bit longer, because I am a terrible updater.

Love you my stars,

celestialwhisperer