JP: I can't believe you're doing this . . .

Skid: It's so freaking cliche!

Me: *shrug* Tank? What do you think?

Tank: Well . . . my creator is on one side, my girlfriend is on the other . . . I'm Switzerland.

Me: *groans*

Skid: Ha!

Me: Whatever . . . Let's just give the freaking disclaimer already.

Disclaimer: I'm tired of these things. They make me feel bad. But . . . Yeah, I got nothing but the fucking disclaimer. You know the deal by now.

December 16

Ya know how I had left this off at this is gonna be an awkward car ride home? I think I lived in the land of awkwardness for a little while. Iggy kept looking at me, raising eyebrows, and turning his attention back to the front window. Nudge and Ella just stared at me, and Nudge started poking me in the ribs. I kicked her shin, and she stopped.

Oh, but no, that wasn't the end of their shinanigains. Ella actually texted me, 'Tell me everything, please, please, please, please . . .' It went on for a while. It was really sad.

Angel had been too busy day dreaming about her mystery boy to be any fun, Gazzy was . . . doing something I'm not exactly sure I want to know about, since it had to do with wires, and Fang and Iggy seemed like they were having a mental conversation I didn't know about.

And Anne . . . well, I don't think she has any intention of talking to me for a little while. That's her problem, not mine. I could really care less. I just had my sketch pad and iPod for company.

And now what am I doing? Well, I'm sitting in English class, wondering about those weird looks Lissa had been giving me. These weren't those weird looks that said, 'I know what happened at summer camp.' No, these were the looks that said, 'I now something you don't. Ha ha.' There's a difference. Secretly, everyone knows what happened at summer camp, but no one knows that. But when someone knows something you don't, NO ONE KNOWS ABOUT IT.

Crap. That just makes me feel like I'm in the land of awkwardness. Again.

The bell rang, signaling lunch. And I'm starving. I got my stuff from my locker, waited for Fang to get his, and walked to the lunch room, his hand in mine. I still love him. A lot. Like, a lot a lot. Even if I didn't know him for years or we didn't grow up together. It felt like we did.

"Max?" Fang said. "Are you alright?"

I smiled up at him. "Yeah. I'm fine."

He grinned. "Good."

"Let's eat something," I said and got in line, picked out some tacos/burritos (I could never tell the difference, though Iggy would probably kill me for not knowing.), an orange, a brownie,and a coke.

We walked to the table and sat down. Iggy, Nudge, and Ella were already there.

I had told Nudge and Ella about you know what, and swore them to secrecy. But I think Iggy knew from Nudge telling him. She just can't keep her mouth shut. It can be a real pain.

We ate with Iggy telling lame jokes, Nudge talking her mouth off, Ella talking with Jeremy, and me still thinking about those weird looks Lissa JUST. KEPT. GIVING. ME.

It was disturbing. She just kept looking at me . . . And it wasn't a glare way. She had this grin on her face, and she just kept stabbing her food like it was me or something . . . IS SHE GOING TO KILL ME?

I always wanted someone to kill me when I die. You're probably wondering, 'WHAT KIND OF SICK BITCH ARE YOU?' Meh. I just wanted it to happen. I think it be cool. But, hey, I think Anne dropped me on my head as a baby. So what do I know?

Last Period

Man, I really, really, really had to PEE. The bell really needed to ring. BADLY, before I peed my pants. And, of course, I had asked the teacher if I could go to the bathroom. But did she say yes? No. She said school was almost over and I could wait. BUT I COULDN'T.

And just when I thought I was going to pee my pants, the bell rang, I grabbed my books, and sprinted to the bathroom.

I did my beesniss - which is mine, and mine only - and walked out of the bathroom. As Iwas walking through the halls, Nudg and Ella caught up with me and we joked around until we got to the corner that I had to turn at to get to my locker. I turned the corner, my eyes finding my locker, and my heart broke.

Pause this right here. Have you ever had to pee REALLY, REALLY, REALLY, REALLY bad? So bad it felt like yo were going to burst into a million whatever-your-name-is pieces? But you knew that if you peed yor pants, it would ruin you and your reputation? You also knew that if you had to go to the bathroom, it would also mean missing a pop-quiz or something like that, so you no choice but to suck it up.

Well, that's how being heart broken feels. Worst analogy thing ever, but it works.

Why was I heart broken? Because, right in front of me, was Lissa and Nick kissing. In front of my locker.

The book I had in my hand tumbled out, slamming to the floor with a loud thump. Lissa pulled away frim Nick, and smirked at me. "Not so perfect now, are you?"

I felt tears threatening to spill out of my eyes, so I turned around and ran. I heard Nick call my name, but I ignored him.

I hadn't cried over Dylan because deep inside, I knew something was up, but decided to ignore it. I never felt that spark with him like I did with Fang, never truly loved him with all my heart that I did Fang. Never cried over him because he was a sexist ass face, unlike Fang who didn't treat me like is property and was sweet.

But Fang was gone now. Left in his place was Nick, an ass face, two timing bastard, who I had given everything away to, my heart included. Someone I didn't like, someone I hated, someone who I probably couldn't stomach to even look at.

When I finally stopped running, I realized I had landed in the park, a few people still walking around. I walked with them, my handsclutching the strap of my messenger bag so tightly, my knuckles were white.

I walked throuh the park, and stopped in front of the place where I had said it must be like to fly. Silent tears ran down my face, and I didn't even try to wipe them away. It would probably only make things worse.

I walked to an empty bench and sat down, and just thought about things. In case you haven't been keeping up with my life, when I think too hard, I get headaches. But not this time. This time, the bastard that's up there let me tink things through and through. You don't want to know what I was thinking.

"Child? What's wrong?"

I looked up from my lap and looked up at an old woman with pale, wrinkled skin and jeans and a t-shirt. Stylish for an old woman.

"Nothing," I sniffed. "I'm fine."

She chuckled. "You're much too cynical looking to be fine. What's wrong, dear?" (A/N: I've been called cynical before. Look it up.)

"My heart was broken," I said truthfully. I don't know why I was confiding in her, but I did anyways.

"Dear," she said, "you're too young to have a broken heart."

I shrugged. "That doesn't mean it didn't happen."

She nodded, understanding. "The name's Marion Janssen."

"Max," I said and pulled out my sketch book and pencil. "Can I draw you?"

She arched an eyebrow.

"It helps me keeps my mind off of things."

"Oh. Of course." She sat down next to me on the bench and I turned to her, looking up every few seconds to make sure I got it right. My pencil lightlyran across the paper, making the pattern of her wrinkled face and soft eyes. We stayed like that for a while, her sitting still, me drawing her.

"Max," an all too familiar voice said behind me and my blood ran cold.

Marion sighed and got off of the bench. "Guess it's time for me to go."

"Goodbye, Marion," I said.

"Later, Max," she replied and walked on.

"Max," Nick said again and I heard him walk over to me.

"What do you want, Nicholas?" I hissed.

"I wanted to talk to you, Max. It wasn't what it looked li-"

I turned to him and snapped, "I almost always is what it looks like, Nick. No matter what you say, I know what I saw. I'm not blind."

"But, Ma-"

"I. Dont'. Want. To. Hear. It. Got that?"

He hung his head, and gave a small nod. I turned back to my sketch book and put my pencil to the paper. I was expecting Nick to just go back the way he came, but I wasn't expecting him to drape his jacket over my shoulders. It smelt of leather, but had lost that cinnamon smell that it always did. Instead, it smelt bitter.

The cinnamon smell belonged to Fang, somethingI doubted I would ever smell again.

"What was that about?" I asked him.

"It can get cold here at night," he said in a deadpan voice.

However I hate to admit it, he was right. It got considerably colder.

A horn honked, and there was Iggy, the passenger door to my truck open, and him looking at me expectantly. I got my stuff together and walked over to my truck and got into the passneger seat.

"Are you alright?" he asked and I shook my head. He pulled me into a hug and whispered in my ear, "It's all gonna be ok. It's all gonna be ok."

I don't know if he was talking to himself or me, but I nodded and hugged him back. We drove home in silence, and my heart still hurt.

Fang

I sat on the edge of my bed, my elbows on my knees, myhead in my hands. I felt like crying. But I didn't cry. Ever. I think the last time I cried, I had broken a few ribs. And I think only one tear had escaped from my eye.

Light floodedinto the dark room and I looked up. Iggy leaned against the door frame, looking at the other side of it. He loooked seriously badass, like he was about to kill someone and then go laugh his ass off above the corpse of yours truly.

"You hurt my sister, Fang," he growled.

"Iggy," I said, my voice quiet. "I swear to God I didn't do anything with Lissa."

I could see his muscles tighten, like he was resisting the urge to strangle me. "I don't believe you."

"I. Did. Not. Do. Anything," I said, pronouncing ever word. "Right before Max turned around the corner, Lissa pushed me against the wall and kissed me. I swear, Iggy. I swear on my life."

He turned his head and looked me in the eye. "I told you if you ever hurt her, I'd kill you. Now I don't know what to do. You're my best friend, man. But Max . . . she's my sister. I love her to death." I nodded, understanding. "I want to believe you, but at the same time I want to do whatever makes Max feel better, ya know?" I nodded again. "She cried, dude. It takes a lot for Max to cry. Like, a lot. The last time Max cried - that I know of - is when Angel was kidnapped, and that hurt us all. Especially Max. She thought it was her fault that her baby was gone."

"I didn't know that," I said.

"Max doesn't like people in her personal life. If anyone asks what's wrong, she'll just ignore them. Ask her a really personal question, she'll avoid it."

"So . . ."

He grinned. "How about I give you a black eye and we call things even?"

I nodded, knowing damn well I deserved it after what I put Max through. It must hurt a lot.

And knowing that I did it to her hurt more than that black eye Iggy had just given me.

Skid: . . . Deep.

Me: Yeah, that having to pee REALLY, REALLY, REALLY bad was, like, from the heart and all that good stuff.

Tank: You're a cruel person, you know that?

Me: . . . Meh. I've been called worse.

Fang: Did Ihave to kiss Lissa again?

Me: It was madatory!

JP: I'm with Sanity after all. It was like having Fang leave - necessary for the story.

Me: Yeah, I think that could have been avoided. *pulls out knife* Time for you to pay.

JP: Help me.

RnR?

- Sanity