I sighed, happy, and faced the class. Everyone was so energized. Today was the day they all started rehearsing with their little bands. The groups were scattered through the choir room and band room. Iggy was pouting in my office because a group of kids chose a song that had a piano.

I strolled into my office, grinning down at Iggy. "Go next door and be with Nudge," I advised.

He looked up at me. "You sure?"

I nodded, laughing. "Yeah, I'm sure. Go on. I'm sure she wants you as much as you want her,"

He smiled and hugged me, kissing my forehead. He left my office, in search of Nudge.

I sat down in my chair. It'd been three weeks since Dylan's little drop-by. Everything was going great! Ella wasn't being bullied anymore; she was finally starting to act like herself again. Iggy and Nudge weren't as lost as they used to be now that they lived together. And Fang and I…

We could never be stronger than we are now.

Speaking of Fang, he waltzed into my office, sitting on the couch where Iggy once sat. He stared at me before smiling, his dark eyes shining.

I smiled back and rolled the chair over to him. "Hiya, Stranger," I whispered.

"Hey, yourself," He leaned toward me and gave me a peck on the lips before moving his hand to slowly close my office door.

I recognized that look in his eye. I caught the door and swung it back open. "Fang, no,"

He tilted his head. "Hadn't you always wanted to? Back when we were younger?"

I laughed. "Yeah! When there was the thrill of getting detention or suspended!"

"Well, what's the difference now?"

"Hmm, oh, I don't know, I could get fired?" I stared at him, smiling in a hands off manner. He sighed.

"Fine, fine, fine. Hey, I got something great to tell you," His smile returned and he leaned toward, holding onto the armrests of my chair. I looked at him expectantly, a smile still on my face. "My old record producer called- he wants me back in New York!"

My smile slipped. "H-How is this great news?" I shut my office door so I could speak louder. "How the fuck is you leaving great news?"

Fang stood with me and lightly grabbed the tops of my arms. "No, Max, you don't get it. He wants both of us to go. He thinks both of us would make a great addition to the record label; we'd be great as a duet!"

I paced around, trying to wrap my head around it all. I placed the palm of my hand to my forehead. "Fang, I can't just leave!" I yelled, finally facing him. "I have family here, I've got friends! I have a life here; I can't drop it all and follow you to New York!" Why was he doing this to me again? It's graduation all over again! "I love my job here; I love these students! I can't just leave them-!"

"Max, think about your future! Think about how successful we'll be if we do this?" Fang was still smiling hopefully.

I dropped my hands to my sides. "I'm sorry, Fang." I whispered, looking at him, seeing his smile fall and the hurt set into his eyes. "I'm really sorry but I just can't."

I went to reach for his hand but he pulled it out of my reach. "You know, I don't even know why I bothered," He smiled, a little sad and a little angry.

"Bothered asking me?" I asked, staring up at him.

He glared at me, reaching for my office doorknob. "Bothered coming back," He flung the door open and stormed out, heading for the band room.

I barely noticed that everyone had gone quiet in the room- they had for a while. I barely noticed Ella calling my name. All I noticed was the empty space around me where Fang had stood a second ago. And all I noticed were the tears falling down my face.

-!-

Ella stomped her way to the band room, shoving the connecting door away from her and she entered. She sent a death glare at her uncle. "You get your mother fucking sorry ass back in there, Nicholas Fang Wolf!" She screeched, pointing at the door leading to the choir room.

Everyone hushed immediately, staring at Ella and her uncle. Fang glared right back at her.

"Watch your damn language, Ella," He warned, turning to look at papers once again.

She ran over in a huff and tore the papers from his hands, Fang looking over his shoulder at her, his lip curled up in fury.

"Give them back, Ella," He ordered.

She shook her head. "No. No, not until you get back in there and apologize for being an asshole."

Fang reached for the papers but Ella stepped back, evading him easily. Ella knew he wasn't as angry as he seemed; he was upset- cry worthy upset- that Max didn't want to go to New York.

"The hell I will- Ella, give them back now. I have work to-"

"You're such a pussy," She yelled. "You little pussy, you wuss! You're such a coward- all you do is bitch and moan when things don't go the way you want! You did the same thing to Mom!"

"Watch yourself, Ella," He warned, his voice low.

"You drive away the people you love when they won't follow you like a lost puppy!" She continued as if he didn't speak. "You did that to Mom and now you're doing it to Max again-!"

"How the fuck can I love someone who doesn't want to be with me?" He shrieked, practically flailing his arms around in his rage.

~.~.~

I sank lower as I heard Fang yell. He's right.

There's no way he can love me. I'm a nobody and I don't deserve him- I never did. He had potential for so much and I didn't- I was holding him back. I should let him go without me. Of course, I'm sure he would anyway since he just broke up with me.

I sighed, wiping my face, trying to look more presentable, as I stood. I turned into the classroom and almost everyone was busily working, chatting too loud to mean anything good. They all heard. They heard our fight and they can hear Fang and Ella's.

~.~.~

"To hell with that!" Ella yelled, stunned he even thought that. She threw the papers on the ground in her sudden anger.

Fang stared at the papers calmly before looking back up at her. "You're picking those up," He pointed at the papers.

Ella walked over them to get in Fang's face. "How the hell can you think that about Max? She loves you! She loves you more than herself!" Her nostrils flared with her crazy anger, Fang noticed.

"I doubt it," His voice was hard but he wasn't yelling anymore. Fang decided to leave that to Ella. Being louder doesn't mean you're right.

"So just because she didn't want to leave her family, friends, and job, she doesn't love you anymore-?"

"She didn't follow the first time!" Fang yelled without wanting to. He stepped back to pace behind him, running both his hands through his hair, turning on his heel to walk up to Ella again. "She didn't follow… didn't want…" His voice was rough with pain and sorrow of the past.

Ella stared at him, confused. "Fang, what are you talking about?"

"I waited for an hour at the airport for her the first time. She never showed up, not even to say goodbye with her family." His eyes betrayed his hateful expression, showing all his grief and pain in his heart.

"Did you think that maybe she didn't know you were waiting? That maybe she didn't get the message that you waited? That she had no idea?"

"She knows now and she still won't go with me,"

"Maybe Max wants to settle down here. She has a stable job- which is hard to come by in this fucking economy- and her family and all her friends are here. I honestly don't think she'd survive if you left again." Ella took a long, deep, calming breath. "Don't let Dylan win," She whispered, praying it would work.

~.~.~

I had finally gotten my class under control and they were ignoring the fight next door.

"Is there a Maximum Ride here?" A voice came from the door.

I turned to see two officers in uniform. Everyone in class started chattering once again, wondering what was going on, what I did, who they should kill, etc, etc. I slowly shushed them as I walked over.

"I am Max Ride," I informed them, staring at them warily. What was going on?

Officer One, John, came over and grabbed my wrist, handcuffing it behind my back. "Max Ride, you have the right to remain silent. Anything you say-"

"Yes, I understand." I almost snapped, cutting him off, staring at Varner, the other officer. Now I understood what was going on: kind of. Varner was one of William's friends. "Might I ask why I am being arrested?"

My class was going crazy, people shouting and texting, calling other people from different classes and calling home.

"We got an anonymous call saying you had pot in your apartment and found a bag in a box in your room." He explained, pulling my from the other officer.

Of course. William must have planted it. He always said my life would be destroyed from my stupidity. I guess the stupidity was from dating him. If he couldn't hurt me physically, he could hurt me this way. That smart son of a bitch!

And there was no way out of it- they found it and no evidence for frame. I let them handcuff me. Varner held one arm and John held the other. I guess they thought I looked threatening. Good- I was.

I saw Angel sprint out of the room through the connecting door to the band room.

~.~.~

"Quit your bitching and get in here!" Angel yelled at Fang and Ella, breaking their fight. They looked at her. "Max is getting arrested!" She led Fang, Ella, Nudge, and Iggy back into the choir room with more students following them.

Iggy saw red. No way were they arresting his baby sister: no way in hell. He clenched his fists.

"Oh, Max…" Nudge murmured, covering her mouth with her hand. Her best friend in handcuffs. She never thought she'd see this day. She always thought Iggy would get arrested first, for peeing in public or something.

Ella was stunned- too stunned for words. She slithered around the back of the classroom, hiding behind students, trying to get closer to get some information on the two officers. Max was her idol, her second mother, her best friend. No way was she letting them take her.

Fang didn't have any coherent thought in his mind. All he could focus on was Max, nothing else. Just her. Max. How did it come to this: handcuffed, being arrested? What did she do? Fang shook that thought away. Max didn't do anything, I just know it. Something's up…

~.~.~

Iggy started forward but Nudge and Angel held him back, Gazzy helping. They all knew Iggy would try to kill Varner and John.

I stared back at Fang and almost sighed. This would be the last time I saw him for a long time. I wanted to leave on a good note, not remembering each other in a fight but in a sweet moment.

"Varner, can I at least say goodbye?" My voice was rough with sorrow.

He nodded hesitantly and then let me go, John following his example. I walked over to Fang, everyone going quiet once again, shifting my cuffed arms.

"Max…" His usually soft voice was even softer but it sounded so loud in the still room.

"I just…" I sighed, starting over, my voice still quiet. "I wanted you to know something,"

He placed his hands on my upper arms sadly, nodding, ready for whatever I was going to say: it seemed like he was ready for a rejection.

"I have always loved you," And it was true. I loved his old and new self, everything about him, I was crazy about. "And I always will." I understood that he may not love me anymore because I wouldn't follow him but I just needed him to know. I needed him to know so I wouldn't go crazy over the what if's.

Fang pressed his lips to mine fiercely, urgently. Our lips molded together perfectly, in sync, like puzzle pieces. The kiss could have gotten more passionate, going on longer, if Varner hadn't cleared his throat.

Fang pulled away, his head still close to mine. "I'll find a way," He promised determinedly. "I'll find a way to set you free," He was whispering quickly, looking so distraught. "I promise,"

Varner started pulling at me but I stayed grounded, shaking my head, tears in my eyes, at Fang.

"This is one thing you can't fix," I told him. The officers started pulling me along, me stumbling. "Let it go- just let it go, Fang." I whispered.

He looked so upset- at least, to me- and he reached for one more time to place on last kiss on my lips. I was forced away from everyone and hauled out of the room, crying openly.

My life was officially over.

Hey, everyone! I know, I know- this is stupid. Too be honest, I kind of agreed but this was the best that I could write down from what went on in my mind. I imagined it as too much of a movie scene in my mind so... But anyway, I hope you liked the chapter? I'm tired, I've been writing since midnight and it's 5:11 AM so Imma hit the hay. Night! R&R