Ya know how some people cut then wear long sleeves all the time?

Skid (who might just make a permanent place for herself.): Yeah.

Me: I don't get it. If you cut, you should wear the scars proudly. If you don't want to wear the scars, don't cut. It's simple.

JP: I don't get why you would cut.

Me: *shrugs* Guess it's part of people being depressed or something . . . kinda like the song Pain by Three Days Grace: "Rather feel Pain than nothing at all." I love that song. Listening to it right now.

Tank: Are you emo?

Me: The song ISN'T EMO!

Tank: Alright, Sanity. Geez. Don't bite my head off.

Me: No, that's your girlfriend's job.

Disclaimer: I don't own Max Ride, Three Days Grace, or Pain. Call the song emo and I'll show you the true meaning of pain.

Skid: And I'll help. I kinda like it.

Max POV

I spent the night at Ella's house with Nudge and Ella - duh. Ella's mom wasn't home because she's a vet and is on call twenty-four seven, so she gets home when she's done with work. She probably got home about three am.

"Max!" Ella shook me awake at about tennish. If something or someone doesn't wake me up, I'd probably be a whole lot like Seeping Beauty. Minus the beauty part, but I'd sleep for a hundred years.

"Wha?" I asked, curling into an even tighter ball like it would block out her voice. Just let me sleep, El. Please, I beg you.

"Mom's up and she baked cookies."

I jack knifed into the sitting position, unfortunately bumping heads with Ella. Nudge was still snoring on the floor.

"Ow, Max. That hurt," she said, rubbing her head.

"How ya think I feel?" I replied and got out of the bed. Oh, get that head out of the gutter. Ella actually had two beds in her room. One for her, one for me, and Nudge gets the floor because she kicks in her sleep. She actually said that and volunteered to take the floor, so we're all happy.

I exited her room and was greeted by the wonderful gooey chocolate chip cookie smell. Use the force, Max. Yeah, I'm gonna use the force.

Practically jumping down the stairs to reach the cookies before Ari, Ella's brother who was fourteen, could eat them, I ran into mom/Dr. M. I call her mom because she was the only real mother figure I had when my mom left a few months after Angel was born. She probably left us for some guy younger than Jeb and didn't want to deal with four kids.

Mom was the one who told me about the period (*cough* gross *cough*) and took me shopping for bras (You thought Jeb would take me? Puh-lease. He wouldn't even drop me off at the drug store so I could get pads.). So, basically, she was my mom.

I hugged her so tightly she probably couldn't breath, and said, "Hi, mom."

She laughed. "Hey, Max. How's life going?" We pulled apart.

"Eh, pretty good, I guess."

She looked me up and down. "You got taller . . . and cut your hair. It looks good."

I smiled at her. "Thanks. I want some cookies before Ari eats them all."

She chuckled. "Alright. But when I get back there I don't want to see blood on my floor. I just cleaned."

I rolled my eyes and nodded. "Yeah, yeah." Then I continued to run over to the kitchen. The kitchen was off white tiled and had beige cabinets, with a brown back drop and stainless steal appliances. And in the middle of it was a island, which had cookies on it. And Ari had one hand over a cookie.

He looked up and when he saw me, snarled. "Max."

"Ari." Geez, aren't we nice to each other? Actually, it's quite the opposite. We got into a battle of the sexes, and I'm standing my ground, and so is he. Girls kick ass, alright? Boys have their own opinion, and they're entitled to it. That doens't always mean they're right, though.

I grabbed a few cookies and stood on the other side of the island across from Ari, chewing the cookie goodness. I make the Cookie Monster's obsession look like childs play.

Soon, Ella came in the room and sensed the tension you could cut with a knife. "Alright, I see neither of you have killed each other yet so maybe we'll get over this enemy stuff and be friends?"

We both looked at her and bursts out laughing. I actually had tears I was laughing so hard. Ari was rolling all over the floor.

I calmed down enough to stand up again and said, "Oh, Ella. You always know how to make me laugh. But, seriously, I don't think we could ever be friends."

She glared at me. "I'm serious, Max. This enemy thing has been going on for too long."

"When he admits that girls are better than boys maybe I'll be able to be acquaintanceswith him. Maybe."

She continued to glare at me but sighed. "Whatever. Just don't kill each other. I like my brother alive, thank you very much."

"What about me?" I asked in a whiny voice but she knew I was joking.

"Yeah, I guess I don't wat you to be six feet under, either." She grabbed a cookie and stood next to me.

"Oh, my sister has betrayed me for that . . . that, thing!" Ari exclaimed.

"Whatever, dog breath."

He growled at me. We continued to eat the cookie goodness until there was only one left. Nudge would have to get the next batch. How was she still asleep?

Ari was about to pick up the cookie when Nudge magically appeared. "Put. The cookie. Down."

"Ha ha, no." He was about to pick it up when I slapped his hand away.

"C'mon, dude. Let her have the cookie."

"Why should I listen to you, Max?"

"Because I'm older."

"I'm stronger. And a guy."

"Puh-lease. I'm a girl. Ladies first, remember?" I asked him, crossing my arms in front of my chest. I might be all for women's rights, but I like that one. Unless you're going into a pit of snakes . . . That would really suck.

"Since when are you a lady?" he countered.

I waited a second. "Touche. But Nudge is a lady, so she gets the cookie. You are all about chivalry, aren't you?" Ha! I have you now, Ari.

"Bu-" I cut him off.

"And you'd be a hypocrite not to give her the cookie. So," I said, picking up the cookie. "Nudge, enjoy your cookie."

She smiled at me and I handed her the cookie. She bit into it, and pure love crossed her face. Sure, she's dating Iggy, but her heart lies with mom's cookies.

Ari hmphed and stomped off and I rolled my eyes.

Ella sighed. "I really wish you two would get along. It would make a whole lot less drama when you come over."

The Nudge channel decided to hack into this conversation. Joy. She said, "Yeah, I know. Everytime you come here, I'm usually here and you two are ripping each other's throats out. It's kinda weird how much you two hate each other. Like, you don't even hate Dylan this much. It's like you two were born to be enemies. Like cat's and birds, or dogs and birds (A/N: Get it?) or whatever. I don't get the point of hating someone so much. It's just a waste of energy and-"

"Nudge, please. It's too early in the morning for this," I complained, rubbing my temples. "Just shut your mouth and eat your cookie."

Ella giggled and said, "I find that kinda hard." I rolled my eyes but smiled anyway.

Nudge giggled, too, then finished off the rest of her cookie. "C'mon, Max. Let's go upstairs." She grabbed hand and dragged me upstairs, Ella following us.

Ella closed the door behind us and walked straight over to her iHome, pressed play, and sat in her desk chair. I flopped down on the extra bed. I think Nudge went to Ella's.

"Alright," Ella said over the music. "We gave you a break yesterday because you said you were tired from shopping, but now it's time to spill. What were you thinking about when you blushed at lunch the other day? Hm?"

"God. Will you ever let that go?" I asked her.

Ella and Nudge smiled. "Nope," Ella replied. "Now . . . what were ya thinking about?"

I sighed. It was useless to argue with them or they'd never let me live it down. Damn them. "I was comparing two guys . . ." Yeah, no way in Hell was I gonna tell them who.

Nudge squeeled and made her way over to my bed. "Who was it? Huh, huh? Who? I need to know! This is my area of expertise! C'mon, who were you thinking about? Max, answer me!"

"Fine!" I shouted. Then lowered my voice a lot and said, "Sam and Fang."

"Huh? Sem and Fem? Huh?"

I notched up my voice a little bit. "Sam and Fang."

"Max, I can't hear you!" she complained.

"God! Sam and Fang, alright? Ugh!" I buried my face in the pillow.

I heard Ella squeal and Nudge giggle at my answer.

Ella said, "I knew it! You like him!"

I lifted my head up and saw a very excited Ella. "Which one?"

"Fang!"

"Oh, great. Now you're gonna try and play match maker. No thanks, El."

"Fine," Nudge said. "You didn't say I couldn't play match maker. OMG, wouldn't that be so awesome if you guys got together before homecoming? Or during homecoming! AH! That be so cool! I'm so happy I already have a date to homecoming and it's Iggy. That just makes me so happy! I'm ready ready ready to dance dance dance! I'm so excited! A-"

"Nudge!" Ella and I both screamed. She got quiet.

Something by Justin Bieber came on and I groaned.

"Alright," I told Ella. "I can stand Demi Lova, Mitchell Whats his face, and Ava Lavigne chick, but if you don't cut that crap off I'm gonna break your iPod."

She smirked and turned the music up louder, then made it worse by singing with it. Don't get me wrong, Ella's not all that terrible at singing, but it just amplifies all the horribleness that is Justn Bieber's song writing. I just don't get it. Why would someone sing baby about five million times? Why? (A/N: Alright, I don't listen to JB because I think he sounds like an untalented girl, so this is a guess from what I heard about his songs.)

I picked up a pillow and threw it at her. She gasped at me and started to glare. It wasn't as good as mine, but it was still pretty good.

"This means war!" she exclaimed and grabbed the pillow I had threw at her and then threw it at me. She grabbed amo and so did I, then it turned into a long distance pillow fight.

After a few minutes of the fun pillow fighting, I sighed and walked up to Ella, pillow in hand. I stuck out my other hand and said, "Truce?"

She nodded and grabbed my hand. I guess great minds think alike, becuase she hit me in the back of the head with the pillow and I did the same to her. Then we started to laugh. And laugh. And laugh. Alright, there was a lot of laughing.

I wiped the tears away with the back of my hand and stood up. "Oh, I haven't laughed that hard in a long time."

Ella nodded and plopped down on her extra bed/my bed. Why not her bed, you ask. Well, I think she's too lazy to walk the extra two feet to her bed but who am I to judge? I've done it before.

We were sitting in the living room, watching Charley and the Chocolate Factory. I don't know why. Ella and Nudge wanted to watch it. Shrug.

We were at the part where Wonka crossed his arms with the Umpalumpa chief dude, and I chuckled. "Wouldn't that suck if he was agreeing to his death?" (A/N: I actually said that. Ha ha.)

Ella said, "Yeah. I think this Wonka dude's off his nut."

We started to laugh. Get it? Because he makes candy? With nuts? Oh, you don't get it? Wow, aren't you slow.

Then my phone started to ring and I sighed. It was Jeb. How did I know? My ring tone said, 'Don't answer the phone, don't answer the phone,' again and again, and that was what I had set as his ringtone so . . . yeah.

I pulled the phone out of my back jean pocket and flipped open the phone. "Yeah? What?"

"Max," he said. "Get over here. Now." Then he hung up. Ooookkkkk . . .

"Guys, I gotta go," I said and they groaned.

"But Max-" Ella said and I cut her off.

"Jeb sounds like a mixture between really pissed, really happy, and confusion at the same time, so I'm not testing his patience."

She nodded and turned her attention back to the movie, while I grabbed the small bag I had packed. "See ya later," I told them."

"Bye, Max," Ella and Nudge said. They really seemed to like that movie.

"Mom! I'm leaving!" I yelled into the kitchn area.

"Wait, Max," she said, shuffling to the living room. She handed me some tinfoil with something wrapped in it. "These are some cookies-"

"Thanks, Mom," I said and started to open the package and she slapped my hand.

"For your brothers . . . and Jeb," she added. Mom never really liked Jeb that much, which I don't get, but whatever.

I sighed. "I guess they should get some too."

She smiled at me and my phone rang again.

"I gotta go," I said and hugged her. "Bye dog breath!"

"See ya, bird brain!" he called from somewhere.

I, personally, think birds are pretty badass. I mean, look at Tweety Bird. Add a leather jacket and the dude's ready to roll.

But I didn't have time for dog breath. I left the house and got into my truck, then continued to go down to my house a few blocks away. There was the crappy side of town, the middle where most of the stores and the mall and whatever were, and the rich side where I lived. We weren't extremely rich with maids and cooks or whatever, but Jeb was a scientist and he made fairly good pay.

I munched on a cookie on my way to the house, long since changed the radio station. My usual rock was on when I drove up to the house and got out of the truck like any normal day. Walked across the porch, through the door, and into the kitchen.

Then I dropped the cookies and was tackled . . .

Mwahahahahaha!

Tank: Oh, good job, dummy.

Me: Sorry if this chapter was short. It was pretty much a filler chapter except the last few sentences.

Skid: *catching up on her reading, continues to do so*

JP: Man, she really likes my MR series. She's already on the last one!

Skid: *finishes the book and throws it at the wall* What the Hell, J! What's wrong with you?

JP: *hides* She might not be one of my characters, but she's pretty damn scary.

Me: That's because she's my character. I feel bad for the cookies in my chapter . . . the gooeyness has been ruined.

Dr. M: Here, have these.

Me: *attacks the cookies with Max as my backup*

- Sanity