Smiles :-: Chapter Three :-: OHMYGODHEISRUININGMYLIFE

:-: FANG :-:

I can see her making a decent attempt to calm herself, and Max clenches her eyes closed in frustration. Before I know what I'm doing, I put my hand on her shoulder, and she immediately flinches, cringing out of my grip.

"What?" Max sneers. "What is it that you could possibly want?" she asks exasperatedly. "You already invaded my house, scarred my brain for life—" Ouch. "—and insulted me under my own roof! What else do you want?!"

Staring into her eyes, I don't miss a second, before replying, "I want to make you smile."

Her mouth visibly gapes open, her jaw dropping far below its normal range. It's silent for a moment, and one of Max's wide brown eyes twitches uncontrollably. I glance at her hands, to see them clenching shut, before releasing from the fists she made, her long fingers extending.

I can't resist when I lean towards her, invading her space, so my lips are right beside her ear. She shudders and I know our close proximities either propels her fury more, or calms it some. "You might want to close your mouth, Max," I whisper into her ear, my breaths exhaling in light puffs onto her skin. She smells good… "I'm trying to make you smile… not look like a retarded fish."

Max's mouth clamps shut as I lean back away from her. "YOU —" She starts to screech profanities at me, but her mom walks back into the kitchen, and Max closes her mouth once more, shooting a glare at me. Perfect timing, Val.

Val raises an eyebrow at Max, before turning to me with a blinding grin on her face. Geez, why can't Max smile like that? "I think that's a wonderful idea!"

It takes both Max and I a moment to process what she just said, as we stand there blankly looking at her. Idea… Me… Max… Smile? I think weakly.

Admittedly, Max is the first to respond. "What?" she cries for the second time this day.

Her mom turns away from me to look at Max. "Yes, Max, I think it's a wonderful idea," she says in a deathly calm voice, her tone a motherly 'don't you dare mess with me' one.

Max begins to protest as I cross my arms and watch the two ladies with slight amusement. Val gives Max a glare — Oh, so that's where Max got it from — and looks back at me, her facial expression so different, I have to blink and make sure it's the same person.

"You're such a smart boy, Fang!" she compliments. "Right, Max?"

All I get from her is a stare.

"I didn't want to make you help out around the house, even though you insisted, but I think helping Max would be good enough, don't you?" Um, not really… I meant mowing the lawn or something… Val gives me a stare that's almost as intimidating as Max's, and I nod, although I was determined to help out more. "Ooh, great! This is such a good idea! I knew good things would come out of you guys moving in!"

Does that mean she doubted it at one point?

I hear stomps coming, and I notice Max stomping up the stairs in the kitchen area, to the second level. A door slams shut, soon after she disappears from my view, and screams immediately follow.

"OHMYGODHEISRUININGMYLIFE!"

Val looks at me sheepishly and shrugs her shoulders, as I sigh and finish up eating breakfast.

What have I just done?

…

Honestly, I have no clue why I said that I wanted to make her smile. It's not something Fang Walker usually does.

Referring to me in third person isn't either, but that's not the point. The point is —

"GOD, WHAT HAVE I DONE TO DESERVE THIS?"

— That Max and her problems weren't my business, and that I shouldn't have interfered at all.

"UGHHH!"

But it was too late now, because Val had already heard, and I couldn't say no to her, after she let Dad and I stay here. And now you're thinking a lot more than you normally do.

"MOOOOMMMM! HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME!"

I shot up off my bed and walked over to our shared bathroom, opening both my door, and the one to her room. "Will you shut your mouth, already?!"

Max turns to glare at me, from where she's curled up on a beanbag in the corner of her room. "No," she replies defiantly. "I won't 'shut my mouth'." I start to respond, but she cuts me off. "Because when people normally smile, they show their teeth, thus the fact that their mouth is open. And you are trying to help me smile, so why would you tell me to do exactly the opposite?" Her words are laced with spite and sarcasm, her face showing the same.

"Who said I wanted to help you smile?" I snap back, my words tumbling out of my mouth before I can stop them.

She rolls her eyes. "You have got to be kidding me. Where else could my mom of gotten that crazy notion from? Certainly not me!" Oh… right… I did say that…

"I want to make you smile," Max mocks. "Those stupid six words that you said gave my mom the wonderful idea that you were going to help me, when you obviously aren't. So why don't you just go and tell her that, and get us both out of this mess, so you can stop bugging the hell out of me!" Her voice escalates louder and louder as she speaks, and now she's leaning back on the beanbag, her eyes closed.

My hands are in fists at my side, as I consider my choices. I could let Val down, after all she's done for me… or I could labor away at the feet of Her Majesty, in attempt to get her to do the impossible. Yeah… not so good either way.

"No." My voice is quiet, but firm.

Max's eyes fly open and she stares at me incredulously, for the… what?... time that day.

"I'll do it."

Narrowing her eyes, she purses her lips. The corners of them curl up into an evil smirk.

"Fine. Let's see how long you'll last."

"Goo—"

"But I'm warning you now, it won't be easy."

"I kno—"

"I'll be sure of it." Max gets up from the beanbag, and holds her hand out to me. I grip it, and she shakes my hand firmly, the power almost radiating off of her.

As I turn to leave her room, Max smirks at me again. "It'll be hell for the next few months."

It's my turn to smirk, as I look at her once, before saying, "Right back at'cha, Moxie."