Hello readers! I'm back after being gone for a little while.
I'm not sure if I told you guys this yet, but updates will be less frequent soon because of school and I also play soccer, so I'll try to update at least once a week.
For this story I asked some people if it should be Niggy or Eggy, and this chapter will tell you what.
Another thing, I have an idea for another story, but I'm
not sure if I should start it or not because of school. Please tell me if you want me to in a review. Let's shoot for six reviews. No update till I get those reviews.
"No!" Was the word that woke me up in the middle of the night. "Stay away!"
It was Angel, and she seemed to be fighting someone in her sleep.
I quietly crawled over to her and gently shook her shoulder. She responded by thrashing around, "No! Don't touch me!" She shouted hysterically.
"Angel," I whispered as I shook her shoulder. "It's just a dream, wake up, sweetie." Thankfully, she did wake, but I noticed the sheet of sweat that covered her forehead.
"Oh Max," She cried as she laid back down, closing her eyes. "It wasn't a dream, it was a nightmare. A realistic nightmare," She said, snuggling into me.
"Max, how's your leg?" She asked after she had settled down. "Fine, but the doctor said to avoid sports. That's going to be hard, I run a lot, don't I?" I answered, smiling slightly. "Yeah, 'cause you always listen to adults," Angel said, smiling back at me.
"Totally."
After that she fell back asleep, with me whispering in her ear. As soon as she fell into the comforts of unconsciousness, I got back into my bed, hoping that I wouldn't be plagued with the nightmares that had scared my little sister. But one can only hope, and when your reality is as desolate as mine, you begin to think that sweet dreams are miracles.
When I awoke for real, I saw that Angel was still sleeping. She looked so peaceful, and I couldn't bare to disturb her rare peace. I got dressed, picked out an outfit for her, snuck downstairs to steal a piece and a half of bread, and applied concealer to my face and neck.
After all of that was finished I disturbed the sleeping girl. "Time for school," I said, setting her outfit next to her. She sat up and rubbed her eyes, but other than that she was ready to go at a second's notice.
We heard a door slam as Angel dressed, and I couldn't help but notice that she flinched at that sound. For some reason, that made me think of my upcoming birthday.
"Hey Angel?" I asked, running a brush through my hair with one hand and eating the bread with another. She looked up, and that was reply enough. "My eighteenth birthday is in January. I can officially move out."
Her eyes showed that this information meant nothing to her. "I can leave this place and take you with me," I explained, excited by the thoughts of actually leaving this place. Of leaving and actually finding a place to call home. Of course I'd have to get a job to get an apartment, and I won't be able to go to college because I can't leave Angel, but I'll figure something out.
The exciting part is that I can really leave this hellhole.
"Max, what about college? How can you get a good job without college, and then what happens? You can't support both of us!" I bit my lip. "Well, it's better than living here, isn't it?"
She considered it for a moment. "Yeah, I guess it is." I sighed in relief. "Well, let's go to school now," I said, getting up and walking towards the door, only stopping to pick up the two backpacks.
The walk to school was uneventful, and when we arrived at school I pecked Angel's cheek and sent her to the elementary school. I proceeded to walk into my school.
"Hey Max, what's up?" Nudge asked, walking up with a smile on her face instead of her usual tense frown.
"Nothing," I replied. "Well, I know that you have a problem with a certain step brother," I hinted, letting a small smirk find its way to my face.
A blush heated her face. "Well, he kind of kissed me," She murmured, saying the last part quickly.
I smiled, happy for her. "That's great!" She smiled back, then Iggy ran up, and stood next to Nudge. I noted the matching blush on both of their faces, and the fact that Iggy slyly took Nudge's hand.
"So..." I started. "How have you guys been doing?" I asked, gesturing to their intertwined hands. Iggy's blush moved to the scarlet region, while Nudge smiled. I think I've seen Nudge smile more in the past few minutes than since I've first met her.
"Great," Iggy answered, a genuine smile on his face. "This is the one happy thing in my life." Nudge looked at him, astonished. "That is the sweetest thing you have ever said to me!"
I looked away politely as he kissed her.
"I think we have to go to class now," I said, disturbing the happy couple. Nudge pulled away, and pulled Iggy by the hand to their first class. I just shook my head and walked to mine.
Somewhere in between lunch and the beginning of Study Hall, I got stopped by the popular group.
"Hey, loser," Lissa said, wearing confident smirk. I nodded in reply and tried to keep walking. "Not so fast!" She said, pulling my shoulder to keep me within reach. I winced in pain, I had been punched there a few days before.
"So, how is your mommy doing? You are just a suck-up to your parents aren't you?" Lissa asked, glaring at me as I winced, if only she knew.
I just pulled out of her grasp and tried to walk away, but Dylan and Brigid made a wall, stopping me from moving further.
Wow, she wasn't going to let me go. Usually it's one bash, then she's done, but today she was being cruel.
Then something happened that surprised everyone.
Fang stepped up.
MAXIMUM RIDE
FANG POV
"Stop," I commanded Lissa in a voice that wasn't my own. "You don't need to be such a bully."
Lissa looked astounded. "She's just an emo, why do you care about her?" She asked, pushing Max to demonstrate how easily she let herself be pushed around.
"Nobody deserves to be treated that way," I replied, shielding Max from everyone. She looked just as surprised as everyone else.
"What are you doing?" Max asked silently in my ear, but she barely moved so nobody would see her asking me. I just waved her off. "Protecting you," I answered.
"Fang, do you like her more than me?" Lissa whined, stepping closer to me. I surprised everyone by nodding. "I like a real girl over a fake bully." Lissa stomped her foot. "Ugh!"
I started to walk away, not bothering to waste a glare on her. "I'm not going to hang out with a mean girl."
I saw everybody except Lissa follow me, besides Max, who scurried away, but not before mouthing, "Thank you." I nodded at Max then kept walking, leaving Lissa behind.
Everything I had said was true. I did like Max more. I felt like I liked Max more than I liked any of my 'friends.'
As soon as I admitted that to myself I smiled, knowing it was true. But one question remained.
Why do I feel like I like Max more than a friend?
MAXIMUM RIDE
MAX POV
I was surprised. Fang protected me! He also said he liked me. more than Lissa, which is hard to believe, because I've seen them making out on multiple occasions.
I slowly admitted to myself that I liked Fang, too, more than I wanted to admit.
After Fang and what I guess was his gang now turned a corner, I turned towards Lissa. Lissa didn't waste any time, just lashed out at me. "Your fault!" She spat. "It's your fault they left!"
I didn't react harshly, I didn't leave, either. Instead I stepped back and began to sing. I sang the same song I had sang Angel. It just felt right here.
Innocent by Taylor Swift
I guess you really did it this time
Left yourself in your warpath
Lost your balance on a tightrope
Lost your mind tryin' to get it back
Wasn't it easier in your lunchbox days?
Always a bigger bed to crawl into
Wasn't it beautiful when you believed in everything
And everybody believed in you?
It's alright, just wait and see
Your string of lights is still bright to me
Oh, who you are is not where you've been.
You're still an innocent,
You're still an innocent.
Did some things you can't speak of
But at night you live it all again
You wouldn't be shattered on the floor now
If only you would seen what you know now then
Wasn't it easier in your firefly-catchin' days?
When everything out of reach, someone bigger brought down to you
Wasn't it beautiful runnin' wild 'til you fell asleep
Before the monsters caught up to you?
It's alright, just wait and see
Your string of lights is still bright to me
Oh, who you are is not where you've been
You're still an innocent
It's okay, life is a tough crowd
17, and still growin' up now
Who you are is not what you did.
You're still an innocent.
Time turns flames to embers
You'll have new Septembers
Every one of us has messed up too
Lives change like the weather
I hope you remember
Today is never too late to be brand new
It's alright, just wait and see
Your string of lights is still bright to me
Oh, who you are is not where you've been
You're still an innocent.
It's okay, life is a tough crowd
17, and still growin' up now
Who you are is not what you did
You're still an innocent.
You're still an innocent.
Lost your balance on a tightrope.
It's never too late to get it back.
Lissa just looked at me, a lost glint in her eyes. "Why are you being nice to me?" She asked, a single tear rolling down her face. "I'm always mean to you, why?"
"Because nobody deserves that," I answered, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder. Then I walked away, proud of myself for not sinking to her level.
After the rest of our classes I picked Angel up and began the journey home. Along the way, I saw a figure dressed completely in black, and looked to be my age. I picked him out as Fang.
"Angel, wait here," I commanded, limping towards Fang.
"Hey! Fang!" I called, causing him to stop and turn to look at me. "Hey, Max," He responded, his usual straight face absent from his face, replaced with a small smirk.
"Thank you for stopping Lissa. I'm kind of getting tired of her. She can be..." I trailed off here, I'm not too fond of words like slut, whore, or anything like that. I'm called those names on a daily basis.
"A bitch?" Fang finished, and I almost flinched. Almost. Instead I nodded. "That can be a describing word for her."
He nodded. "Listen, Max. I know you don't sing in the trees because you like nature. If that was really the case you wouldn't have run from me on Saturday," He said, taking my hand, preventing me from running. I don't know why he thought I'd run, I'm in crutches. The really weird part is that where our skin connected, I felt tiny electric shocks run up my arm. I shivered.
"Maybe I didn't want you to hear me sing, so I ran. Maybe I was scared because you're a popular. For some weird reason, I'm not fond of you and your group," I hissed the last part, venom lacing through my words. I didn't want to be mean, but if that's what it takes for him to leave me alone, then so be it.
He visibly flinched with every word I said, and released my arm from the grip he had. "Sorry," He started, but I was already limping away. "I don't want to hear it," I said as I hobbled. I rejoined Angel and we kept walking.
"Why did you walk away from him so angry?" Angel asked me once we were close to the house. "Because he isn't that nice to people during school," I explained, trying to keep it simple for the ten year old.
She frowned sadly. "Why do the people with bad lives at home get bad lives everywhere else?" She asked, and she sounded broken, lost, yet still innocent.
"I don't know, Angel. I don't know."