Chapter 11~Of Clearances and Finally's
PREVIOUSLY, ON BECAUSE OF A FIGHT, BELIEVE IT OR NOT
Max let out a humorless laugh. "Right, that's exactly who you were talking to." My face remained expressionless but I mentally frowned. Did she hear me while I was talking to him on the phone? She walked right past me, brushing my shoulder, and grabbed a bag full of plastic spoons and forks. "Or is that just another thing you're hiding from me?"
The blonde strided away in haughty steps to open the door. Max twisted the handle, but the door wouldn't open. She shook the doorknob repeatedly, but the door refused to budge. Her face turned white as she muttered, "Shit."
I frowned. "What's wrong?"
"We're locked in."
Whoops.
MAX POV
"So..."
"..."
"You wanna... play chopsticks?"
"No."
"Patty Cake?"
"No."
"Poker?"
"You know, you're not making this any less awkward, Fang."
"... Sorry."
Great. Just great. All I intended to do was go here, get the plastic forks, and leave. And what happens? I get stuck in a pantry with the great enigma, Mr. Silent-Gone-Talkative-Gone-I-Wanna-Play-Patty-Cake. Wonderful.
We were sitting down next to each other, although there was a big gap between us; well, as big as it could get, considering the size of the small room. What was totally stupid was that the electricians for this house didn't install electrical light in the pantry, so we were stuck in the dark. I mean, what were they thinking? Deciding, "Oh, we shouldn't put light in the pantry. What's the point? There's no way anyone would be stupid enough to get trapped in here."
Smart-ass bastards.
What was worse, the door could only be opened by someone on the outside, which I doubt was going to happen. I know what you guys are thinking, "At least it can't get worse than that, right?"
Wrong.
Apparently, the pantry was soundproof, so no one could hear us. It was like there was someone up there who wanted me to suffer. I bet they're is laughing right now. Yep, laughing really hard. Hell, I'd be cracking up if I was anyone else. Unfortunately, I was still Max Martinez and I was still locked in a closet.
So, basically, it was just me and Fang in the dark - and in a closet - with no one coming in anytime soon (Oh, get your heads out of the gutters; not like that).
However, that thought gave me an "Aha!" moment. I realized this was the perfect chance to get Fang to spill the details of where he really was. Yeah, yeah, a little persuasion would be needed, but I had a feeling that we were going to be in here for a while...
"So, Fang," I began casually. "What were you doing on Sunday when you left anyway? You can tell me; I don't bite." Usually, I thought.
He said nothing. Now he chooses to say nothing. "Dude, I think I at least deserve to know. What, were you meeting another girl, chilling with some guy friends, going bowling, or something?"
Fang continued to stare at the space in front of him, not meeting my eyes. "I can't tell you."
"Why not? Did you like, rob a bank? Murder your neighbors? Steal candy from a gas station?" Go ahead, call me a snoop, but I was determined to get some answers.
Turning his head to look at my face, the dark haired boy wore a hardened expression. "No, I really can't tell you. I'm saying that if I do...bad things will happen."
This caught me off guard. "Wait, what are you talking about?"
Fang sighed deeply, moving a little closer to me. "It's really hard to explain. I'm...involved in something. It's not necessarily something bad, but not exactly good either. The thing is, if anyone found out...well, like I said, bad things will happen."
I tried to process what he was telling me. Bad things, he said. "What kind of bad things?" I asked.
"That's all I can tell you." Seeing my doubtful expression, he added, "If I could tell you the whole story, I would. But I don't want to lie to you and I don't want anything happening to the people I care about most."
My cheeks turned pink. "Oh," I muttered, not sure of what to say.
"Do you believe me?"
Turning my head away, I said, "I don't know, Fang. Considering what you told me before, this sounds a bit preposterous." I mean, come on. What could be so bad he didn't want to tell me? Oh well, it seems like that would be all I'd get. At least he's not trying to lie...
"Max," he pleaded, grabbing my wrist. "I promise, if you just believe what I said, I'll do anything, alright?"
I raised an eyebrow. "Anything?" There, I was ready to forgive him as long as he just answered.
"Yes, anything."
"Just tell me where you're off next time, 'kay?"
Fang sighed in relief. "Deal."
"Then I believe you."
"So, am I in the clear with you now?" There was a hopeful tone in his voice.
I couldn't help but smile a little. "Yeah, I guess." I knew what we were both thinking.
Finally.
FANG POV
Max and I were sitting right next to each other now with our backs against the wall. Thinking about earlier before we were locked in, I remembered the way Max danced with me. "You're a good dancer," I said suddenly.
She stiffened next to me. "You're joking, right?"
I raised an eyebrow at her low self-esteem. "No, I'm serious. I've never seen someone so graceful like that."
"Um, thanks," she said, with a blush on her face, that was hard to see in the darkness.
The taciturnity began for a while as the minutes ticked on my watch. Max buried her head in my shoulder on my head with her eyes closed. "I'm so bored," she fussed loudly. "How long have we been stuck in here?"
I checked my watch. "Forty-five minutes."
Max groaned. "We're going to be here forever."
"Someone will come in here soon," I tried to assure her. More like assuring myself, really. I was just as bored as her.
And thus, it became quiet again. But once again, it wasn't silent for long. Out of nowhere, Max slapped the back of my head without even lifting her own head. "Ow!" I complained, rubbing the now sore spot. "What the hell was that for?"
"You said, 'Someone will come in here soon' ten minutes ago."
"So?"
"You lied to me!" she snapped, her voice muffled by my shirt.
I resisted the urge to roll my eyes and scoffed. "Well, sorry for trying to stay positive," I snapped.
"Apology not accepted!"
God, give me the strength not to kill her, I silently pleaded. "Geez, since when did you get so bitchy?" I asked Max.
"I get cranky when I'm bored."
"So, you're bored all the time?" That remark earned me another slap on the back of my head.
Damnit, even I couldn't stay positive forever. We really were going to be stuck here forever.
Soon, Max was fast asleep and no one, not even Nudge, Ella, or Iggy bothered to come check on where we were yet. Some friends. I would've thought at least Ella would be wondering why Max didn't come back with the plastic cutlery yet. Some friends.
I looked down at the sleeping figure. Her blond hair was sprawled all over my torso as her hand laid on my pocket that contained my cellphone.
I froze. My phone. It was there the whole time.
Cursing myself, I hastily took it out and began to dial a number. How could I have been so stupid as to not thinking of calling anyone for help? I pressed the phone to my ear while it was ringing. "Come on, answer, please," I muttered under my breath. Finally, someone picked up.
"Fang?" Iggy's voice said. "Where have you been? I saw you go inside, but you never came out!'
"Hey, Ig. Sorry, I kinda got myself locked in a pantry with Max. Mind helping me out?"
There was a silent pause on the other end. Then Iggy spoke, "You got yourself locked in with Max? Fang, if I come in and you guys are fornicating like jackrabbits, I swear to God-"
"Oh geez, dude, stop thinking like at that. I promise we didn't do anything of the sort. Right now, Max is just sleeping. We've been stuck in here for a freaking hour. Please, just get us the hell out."
He sighed. "Roger wilco, soldier. I'll be there in a minute."
"Alright, thanks." I pressed the end button and drummed my fingers on the floor, waiting for him.
Soon, the door handle shook and a tall, lanky person stepped in. Iggy's eyes roamed across the room until his eyes landed on us. "Well, there you two are. You know, Max looks pretty comfortable there, are-"
"Shut up, Ig." I gently moved Max's head to lie against the wall and got up. I reached down to shake her awake, but stopped halfway. She really did look so peaceful right then, it would have been a shame to wake her up. So instead, I put one hand under her knees, one hand under her head, and lifted Max into my arms. Steadily walking outside of the pantry, I asked Iggy, "Where can I lay her down?"
"You can just go put her in Nudge's room until she wakes up," he motioned upstairs.
"Okay." I started my way up the stairs, holding her carefully as I went up. This is definitely the last time I'm going to a party, I thought.
Author's Note:
Wow guys. Just wow. I really appreciate this.
How about 16 reviews for the next update? So.. 90 reviews? Remember! 100th reviewer gets a little something, something (; If you're the 100th reviewer, make sure you're not an anon so I can PM you about the prize, okay? okay. Little TFIOS reference right there.
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