Young Girl

Chapter Eight

Max

"So, you must be Max. I'm Iggy, Fang's roommate." a tall, blonde man smiled as he opened the door to Fang's apartment.

"Uh, yeah. I'm Max." I gulped, balling my hand into a fist, then releasing it, repeating that over and over again.

"Ig! Is that Max?" I heard Fang call from a room behind Iggy.

"Yeah!" Iggy yelled back.

About thirty seconds later, Fang came out of what seemed to be a bathroom, zipping up his jeans with one hand and pulling a shirt down over his... abdomen with the other, his hair dripping wet and plastered to his cheeks.

"Well, don't make her stand in the hallway, come on in, Max." Fang smiled, edging Iggy to let me in.

Iggy stepped aside and I walked into their apartment.

The three of us stood awkwardly in the middle of the apartment before Iggy blurted out with, "I'm gonna go call Ella! She's out with her cousin today dress shopping, so I wanna see how it's going. Nice meeting you, Max." before running off into one of the three doors behind Fang and slamming the door.

"Subtle." Fang laughed, his eyes darting toward Iggy's door.

"Quite." I laughed in return.

"If he said anything to you before I came out, I'm sorry. Just ignore him, I do most of the time."

I smiled, letting another laugh escape my lips.

"He didn't. He seems nice."

"Yeah, when you don't know him."

Again, I couldn't help but laugh.

"Can I get you something to drink?" Fang asked, shyly.

Obviously we were both shy. I was his student, and he was my teacher, there was no getting around that fact.

"Uh. Sure. Whatever's fine."

"Water?"

"Sure."

Fang went into the kitchen and poured me a glass of water.

"Here. You can come sit down. We can talk over here." Fang mumbled, sliding my water across the island in his kitchen.

I nodded and walked over to the kitchen, taking a seat in one of the stools by the island.

"Okay, so, it's October. You've been my student for almost five weeks, and we've managed to kiss three times. Never in my six years of teaching have I had something like this happen." Fang laughed slightly.

"Yeah... I've never been attracted to a teacher before. Probably because I've only ever had female or older teachers, but still."

"Max, I know we haven't technically defined our... whatever it is that we are, but if this continues, it's not going to be easy."

"Do you not think it could work?" I asked, frowning slightly.

Fang said he likes me, that we could try and be 'in a relationship'. Now he's saying it won't be easy. Well, no kidding. He's my teacher.

"I didn't say that. I'm just saying that you're seventeen, Max. I know this is going to sound creepy, but you're a very pretty girl. You're pretty and funny and smart and so much more. And I'm sure you'd be much happier if you could actually go out on dates and meet people in school-"

"I don't want to though. I don't care if you can't take me to the movies or anything like that. I'm not so high maintenance like that. I don't think it's necessary to go out with your boyfriend a billion times a month. All I want is someone that I can be completely myself around and who will care about me without conditions. Sorry if I sound like I'm dumping my life on you, but that's the only way I can think of to explain it."

"I just don't want you to waste your last year of high school. Your senior year is supposed to be fun and memorable. Even though I don't remember mine. But that's because I was drunk off my ass half the time. Don't do that. Come to school after drinking once, and I will give you detention for a month, I promise you that. And God forbid whatever we have doesn't work out, I don't want you to have to remember your senior year as the year you spent dating your teacher that ended up not working out. I don't want that to be the only thing you remember from your senior year."

"Fang, I just want to be happy. I'm happy sitting here with you. I haven't been 'happy' since my mom was alive. And I sure as hell ain't gonna be happy when my dad's girlfriend changes her last name. I may not be the brightest crayon in the box, but I know what makes me happy."

"Well, I'm glad I make you happy, Max."

I smiled and stared down at my untouched glass of water.

"Fang, when I turn eighteen, us being together won't be illegal anymore. I'll be a legal adult and you won't be my teacher anymore since my birthday is June twentieth."

"I know I'm contradicting myself right now, but I don't want to wait until June to be able to be 'in a relationship' with you. That's eight months away."

"Then nobody has to know about it." was all I said back as I got up from the stool I'd been sitting in and walked around to come face to face with him.

"Two people already know. Nudge and Iggy."

"I know. But nobody else has to."

I stood up on my tip toes and gently pressed my lips to Fang's.

I know kissing my teacher should probably make me cringe and freak out, but it really isn't bothersome.

"You know, I think English is my new favorite subject." I laughed, pushing some of my multicolored hair behind my ear.

"So how did it go?" Nudge shrieked when I walked in her bedroom door after leaving Fang's.

Nudge's mom really didn't care if I just walked in their house as long as I told her it was me.

All I really had to say was, "Naya, it's Max!" and she wouldn't care.

"It went great!" I smiled, dropping down onto Nudge's floor.

"Did you guys decide on anything?"

"We're going to see if we could work out. It's not gonna be easy, but I think we can manage."

"Well, good luck."

"Thanks. Anyway, it's like, four o'clock, whatcha wanna do?"

"How 'bout we go to the mall or something?"

I groaned.

Nudge was always trying to get me to be more 'girly'. Well, excuse me for growing up wrestling and playing sports with my brother.

"Fine." I muttered, shrugging my jacket onto my shoulders and grabbing my car keys from my bag.

Nudge didn't have her own car because her mom couldn't afford it, so I had to drive.

It took us about twenty minutes and half of a Quiet Riot CD until we got there.

I swear, I don't think I've ever seen someone so excited in my entire life.

To go to the mall, no less.

I hate the mall. Always have.

After being dragged through every store in the mall, besides the mens' shoe store, Nudge and I decided to go to the food center and get lunch.

"Max, I know you're being really careful with your...relationship but I just don't want you to get hurt." Nudge said as she took a piece of pizza and paid for it.

"I promise I'll be careful. I honestly don't think he'd hurt me, but I'll still be careful. Promise."

"Good. I don't want to see you hurt."

Well, this chapter kinda sucked. But I hope you enjoyed anyway! (:

xoxo,

K.J