Chapter 2~A Night Full of Surprises
PREVIOUSLY ON BECAUSE OF A FIGHT, BELIEVE IT OR NOT:
"Who're you challenging today?" he asked.
"Oh, I'm not sure yet. Usually the guys make the newbie challenge me...and that would be you." I finished. Another head nod.
"Do you accept?" Another head nod.
GOSH I FEEL LIKE I'M TALKING TO A BRICK WALL! A chuckle. Wait...Fang's chuckle? Did I say that aloud? Oops
"Brick wall? Gosh, thanks," Fang replied sardonically.
"Argh. Idiot," I said, before raising a hand good-bye and striding away.
And that, everybody, was my first encounter with Fang.
Max P.O.V.~
After school Nudge took/forced/dragged me AGAINST MY WILL to her house. No, not so she could do that...Ugh, she's gotta boyfriend for god's sake... but to "dress me up" and make me "beautiful (er)". And I repeat, AGAINST MY FRICKING DAMN WILL!
Now, when I say "against my will", I do not mean that she is shoving me against someone named Will, but she was really making me do something I didn't want to. Although, I'd rather be pushed against a random guy called Will any day.
I really don't get the point. I mean seriously, I go to parties on Fridays because it's almost like a slave market for me. Besides the fact that those are illegal, but still. Parties are for the fights-not to go and get 5 bajillion perverts to hook up with. Can I say whore?
But noooo, Nudge exclaims-and I quote-"Max, dear. You're really pretty, and all I'm going is enhance your beauty," enhance my beauty, my ass, "and you'll have every single straight guy drooling at your feet, in two seconds tops."
"What if I don't want perverted guys salivating over the fancy shoes you're letting me borrow? You surely wouldn't want that to happen..." I said, enunciating the perverted guys and drooling over your fancy shoes.
"Ah, silly Max. Pleeaassee? For me?" Nudge pleads, whipping out the indestructible Bambi Eyes.
A word of advice:
Never look at Nudge when she uses Bambi Eyes. Instead, go run out of the house, screaming, "The sky is falling! The sky is falling!" like Chicken Little. Her eyes become so large, and pathetically innocent, even a terrorist could feel like melting under them.
Maybe.
But I do, and I'm no softie.
"Nudge... Stop that, before I whoop your skinny lil' behind 'til next Friday," I cautioned, as Last Friday Night, by Katy Perry comes on, coincidentally. It should be called Next Friday Night.
"Max," she pleaded, making her warm, caramel eyes even bigger, if possible. "Please?"
I could feel my walls of support shaking, threatening to collapse at any given moment now. Come on Max, I told myself, where's that sardonic girl I know? Focus your brain on something other than Nudge's eyes. Like... cookies. Really big, soft chocolate chip cookies that just came out of the oven so it's all warm, gooey, and-
"Max?" Nudge asked suddenly, catching me off guard, like a deer stuck in a headlight. I slowly, and wonderingly turned my head towards her.
CRAP. Caught under her damn charm again. Be the better person Max. Do what she says, and make her happy. Plan your awesome schemes of revenge later, so you can execute it at the right moment, like a ninja. A really cool ninja with awesome karate skills and nunchuck. Ooh, and a mask!
Sometimes I wonder what my brain goes through.
It took me sometime to realize that I wouldn't be the only girl dressed up and that there were people more attractive than I was. Plus, I was melting into a puddle under Nudge's eyes.
"Fine," I stated.
"What?" She wondered, befuddled that I gave in so easily. "You usually can out stand the Bambi Eyes for at least and hour, and it's only been...15 min -"
"Do you want to 'enhance my beauty' or not? I might just change my mi-"
"No, no, no, no! Sit down right here," Nudge proclaimed, happy again, while pushing me down into a plush spin chair, in front of her vanity mirror. She walked over to her ginormous walk-in-closet, and began pulling out outfits by the second.
"Hmm... Too flashy... Too casual... Too fancy... Too... Un-Max... Ah-HAH!" Silence, "Nah, too showy. I know who'd like that," Nudge muttered, underneath her breath.
"Excuse me?" I asked icily. Before I could continue, Nudge came running out of her closet, nearly tripping over a large mountain of clothes, outfit in hand. She ushered me into her bathroom, with only the words,
"Change. Now." Yeah, like I'd listen to that...
But seeing she was my friend, I sighed heavily and changed into the clothes, without even a glance at it, before I walked back out.
Nudge did a fist pump. "Yes!" she exclaimed. "Lord, thy kingdom has come!"
I stared at her. "Can I ask why you are quoting the Bible?"
"My vision is finally complete! See for yourself!" Nudge led me over to her full length mirror, waiting for me to examine myself.
Huh. Well, what do you know?
Red oversized hoodie, white chiffon blouse, black leather leggings, and gold Converse high tops. Not my usual style, but it was better than anything else she could've chosen.
Namely, anything pink, with frills, sparkles, hearts, lace...and the list goes on. Then I realized something: I was being let off too easily. I warily asked, "Is that all?"
Frowning, Nudge slowly answered, "Yeah...?"
"No jewelry? No face paint? No straight iron?"
She rolled her eyes. "Max, I've known you long enough to know that you don't like make up. Plus, you look better without it. Also, your hair already has some nice waves and looks nice when it's down. As for the jewelry, wear this." She tossed me something small, which turned out to be a gold bracelet. I slipped it on so that I wore two bracelets, the other one being a charm bracelet that my dad gave to me before he left ten years ago.
Ten minutes later, after Nudge got herself ready, it was time to go to the party. We left in my car and for some reason, I felt a sense of apprehension on the way there. Maybe I was just imagining it. Maybe it was because I was feeling nervous before the fight.
Several years later, I would realize that I never felt nervous before fighting and that that sense of apprehension was really me knowing deep down that after that night, all the tables would be turned.
All eyes on me.
First instinct?
Go run, and cower in a corner.
Second?
Grab the closest AK47 and shoot 'em all.
What I did?
I stood my ground - with holding my rep - and glared at every single one of those ass holes. Didn't their mom tell them it was rude to stare? My mom sure has.
It's show time baby.
Fang P.O.V~
My second impression of Max tonight was that she could be quite pretty when she tried. However, it wasn't because of the new clothes she was wearing. It was the confidence that came off of her in waves and the way she strode into the room with her head held high.
It's interesting how only certain people can make your heart beat faster.
Considering I only met Max, I should be quite surprised, but seeing how she was coming closer to me, I wasn't. I tried to clear my face of any emotions that seeing her caused, but I knew that a glimmer of admiration peeked through my eyes.
Max walked over towards where Iggy and I were standing, but I could see through her tough facade. "Hi" was her terse greeting.
"Hey," I replied. Everyone had resumed the party, and even Nudge and Iggy had slipped off to somewhere private.
It was just me and Max. In the middle of the party, going on all around us, eyes interlocked. Not even the slightest bit awkward, though we did get some lingering stares. More, trance-like, for us.
Max shook her head, as if clearing her thoughts, like an Etcha-Sketch.
"So..."
"You look nice today," I managed to say. She scoffed, raising an eyebrow in response but I saw the smile she tried to hide.
"I'd say the same thing, but I don't want to hurt your 'brute masculinity' by calling you pretty. Anyways, Nudge whipped out her Bambi Eyes, and I gave in. What can a person do?"
"Yeah, My mom's friends' daughter, also my new neighbor across the street, uses it all the time. It's pretty much impossible to not give in. She-Angel-just looks so innocent."
"Angel? That's my next door neighbor... Which means, you're the new neighbors, 'eh?" I nodded.
"Come on... Or do you plan on standing there like an idiot, waiting for some wandering drunken girl to tongue molest you as her drunken boyfriend passes by, realizing you, the drunken idiot, is playing tongue hockey with his girlfriend, resulting in a drunken fist fight, where he beats the drunkeningly crap outta you? No, I didn't think so. Let's go," Max concluded, dragging me by the hand towards the pool. I tried to ignore the constant flow of energy from Max's fingertips to my own calloused hand.
When we reached the pool deck, she flopped down onto a pool chair, with the grace of a one legged pigeon, causing me to fall with her. Thankfully, I caught myself from crushing her strong built figure, only a few inches away from her face.
Max's breaths were long and slow showing that she was trying to slow down her beating heart, her minty scent fanning over my face. My breaths mimicked hers. Slowly, I got up, my fingers brushing over her shoulders and reached an arm out to her. Begrudgingly, she accepted it and pulled herself up. Her hand lingered on my forearm for a few seconds before pulling away.
Max P.O.V.~
Our eyes met, midnight black and chocolate brown, and that was when I knew that when people say that eyes are the windows to the soul, they don't lie.
A new connection sparked.
A new understanding.
A new friendship.
A bond.
Fang P.O.V.~
I was with the guys, Max with the girls. We were trying to come up with something for Max to do for me when-I mean if, from what all the other guys told me-I win.
"You guys should totally 'do it'. I hear she's still a virgin. A freaking sexy one, that is," some drunk-and perverted-jock remarked.
"Dude! Back off, and lay off the alcohol! This is MY SISTER we're talking about!" Iggy growled.
"Fang, we're beginning soon!" Max called, heading out to the backyard. I was about to follow her lead when Iggy pulled me aside.
"Fang, I hope you win-what guy chooses chicks over bros, even if the chick is his sister? Good luck-you'll need it. Don't hurt her too bad out there. And if you do win, and you do anything to hurt her mentally or physically, I'll be the first to make sure you never see the daylight again. Understand?"
"Definitely."
***FIRST PERSON POV, MAJOR SWITCHING, BUT NO IDENTIFICATION OF THE POV SWITCH! BEWARE!***
I waited out on the lawn for a few minutes, until Fang appeared, all the guys clapping his back, and saying "good luck" and stuff. He'll need it alright.
Her muscles were flexed, showing her power, strength, and gracefulness. Iggy had said she was a black belt in at least three different types of martial arts. Me? I also knew and was trained in various ways to fight, thanks to what I encountered in New York, but I still had my doubts about her.
I needed a new approach. One that works on all girls.
I took off my shirt, and smirked when I saw her confidence begin to fade slightly and cheeks heat up.
Holy... Freaking... SH!T! He took off his freaking shirt, exposing a well toned stomach with abs!
I felt my face redden, as his smirk widened.
A different approach... smart. But it was going to come back and bite him in his rear end.
That's why I took off my clothes.
Sh!t! She took off her damn clothes! What are we playing strip fight or something?
Calm yourselves, freaks. All I did was shrug off my jacket and blouse to reveal an almost see-through white tank top I wore underneath. My shoes came off and as for my leggings, they were already tight enough. So although I wasn't totally undressed, it was enough to make a guy go nuts.
Who's the one smirking now, huh Fang?
For a guy who doesn't show much emotion, he certainly did so now, his mouth open, as well as the rest of the crowd. Smile and wave, darling. Smile and wave.
And then attack.
All of a sudden, while I was still in shock, Max lunges at me, throwing a solid roundhouse kick to my chest. It didn't hurt much, but the power was certainly there. I stumbled to the side from the force of the kick as she then threw a hook punch to my face. Right before knuckles and skin could make contact, I caught her fist, mid-swing, and slammed it back, jerking her entire body back with it.
Max's eyes narrowed, and her fighting became more aggressive, throwing faster, harder hits. Kick, then punch, then kick. I barely had enough time to block another punch (no surprise there) as she switched her stance, and bolted out a double kick, both connecting with my stomach (two round house kicks in the air).
I fell backwards with a thud, landing on the grass we were fighting on. The crowd went quiet suddenly, as Max advanced, predator on prey.
Me, being the prey. Did all I learn in New York prove nothing?
My last thought before she jumped and threw a punch at my face:
I'm not letting her win this time.
I jumped, for a dramatic finale and threw my fist downward when Fang dodged my punch for the nth time that night!
He was clever and one of the best fighters I've fought. He also had enough respect to barely lay a finger on me, only dodging and blocking-or was that Iggy and his threats? Fang had lasted for at least fifteen minutes of continuous fighting from me and nimble dodging from him. If he thought he could wear me out, he's wrong. I have stamina and endurance. I'll bet on it.
He flipped up from the ground-an awesome ninja feat that I fail at-with a scary look of determination written (not literally) across his face.
That was when I tackled him to the ground.
A football tackle. Very nicely executed.
Max was light, but I landed on my back hard for the second time, with in twenty minutes. This time, with her on top of me.
A sly glance to the crowd showed everyone's faces looking shocked, some even flustered, and embarrassed! Max and I were in an awkward position, her face inches from mine, again. Not to mention I was shirtless, and she was freaking see-through!
I swear, I heard someone whisper, "Sexual tension..." out there.
My eyes bore into hers as her cheeks flushed from our close proximities. Really close. She looked at me, and my heart was pounding wildly, but I reluctantly attempted to change my train of thoughts.
I'm sorry, but I gotta win Max.
His eyelashes were long, framing his dark black eyes. From this close, I could see the gold sparks in them, illuminated in the night sky. I almost forgot we were in the middle of a fight.
Until he flipped me over onto my back, pinning me down, while I was admiring his eyes. Jerk. He should feel flattered. Did I mention he was a jerk?
The thing is, he won.
And I lost.
And he won.
For the first time.
A small grin flashed across Fang's face. A teeny tiny smile of triumph broke out, as my eyes clouded with defeat.
All the guys were crowding around him saying stuff like, "Awesome, dude," or, "Congrats man." He ignored them all, and carefully got off me. Fang stretched his hand out, beckoning me to take it. No hurt feelings? His eyes seemed to be asking. I grinned a bit, and took his hand.
He won.
I lost.
A night full of surprises indeed.
Okay, what do you think? For the record, this story was adopted from . and she is the one doing the editing. In fact, the writing is all hers its just on my account because she is lazy. Ahem Aliza. Did you see this? It's okay I still love you, lazy butt.
La di da...
Reviews! So 5 reviews so that I can nag her to send me the next chapter! So 14 reviews? Also, review on JLAAST for a quicker update! :D
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