MAX
Trying to act sober while Ari explained how he got hurt while playing hacky sack with his buds at the park was probably the most awkward moment of my life. I'm pretty sure Jeb knew we were bullshitting him and that I was drunk out of my mind, but he didn't bother us too much about it.
Ari caught us a ride home with one of his older buddies and Jane stayed at the party after Ari reassured her that we were both fine. Thankfully my idiot brother didn't confront me about my own idiocy while I was lying face down on my bed, snuggling up with Mr. Binkles, my giant stuffed rabbit.
I was out before I knew it, allowing the darkness to cloud my mind.
… just trust me. You are in danger. If you get this message please get away from here… for you… run! Who I am isn't important,…
I woke with a start, suddenly a horrible throbbing hit me and I groaned. My throat felt like I had eaten some sand and I felt a bit nauseous. Kill. Me. Now. I laid still until the throbbing lightened up a bit and then I scanned the floor for my purse. It was across the room by my door.
"UrgghGHRrHHugh!" I moaned as I forced myself onto the floor and crawled towards my bag, fumbling with the latch for like an hour before finally retrieving my phone.
ARI get me a glass of water and 80 aspirins!
I waited a minute before I got my reply.
u woke me up…
please ari!
I swear if Ari didn't get me those aspirins I would murder him in his sleep. Probably with a knife.
r u trying 2 commit suicide or something?
no idiot i have a horrible hangover!
should of thought about that before u started drinking huh?
ILL KILL U
Ari didn't text me back after that. After a minute I whimpered and texted him again.
or u can come here and kill me. that would be great too
I give up. That stupid good for nothing brother can go jump off a cliff and land in a big ass hole. A hole full of donkeys. Angry donkeys. Suddenly, my door opened, smacking me in the head.
"Oops, sorry." Ari apologized.
I didn't even bother replying. Ari shimmied inside my room and crouched over me, nursing me with water and pills.
"Why are you on the floor?" He asked.
"Had to get my phone." I informed him miserably.
He picked me up and laid me back down on my bed, making me feel like a baby. That's the only good thing about my hulking brother's athletic abilities. The skin surrounding the gash on Ari's face was purple, green, and yellow. I winced in empathy for the two of us.
"Nice face." I commented.
"Busted it for you." He retorted.
"I was perfectly fine." I huffed.
"Sucking face with some strange guy? Yeah, totally fine. Not to mention he got you drunk, most likely to get in your pants."
"It wasn't like that at all." I said defensively.
"Sure it wasn't. It's called a front Max, trust me I know all about them." Ari remarked sarcastically.
I was getting really mad and it was making my atrocious hangover flare up.
"What I do is none of your business." I growled, clenching my fists.
"Yeah it is. You're my sister idiot."
"Half-sister." I corrected.
"The half means nothing." Ari said, his voice rising to match mine. He hates when I mention that... and the age thing.
"Maybe in your little fantasy world!" I yelled back, instantly regretting it.
The loudness was making my head ring, and he noticed.
"You're impossible." He muttered as he turned and walked out of my room.
My eyes narrowed and I picked up my phone. I skimmed through the contacts until I saw James' and I texted him.
r u okay?
I hate fighting with Ari, but sometimes he's just so… ugh. I was going to show him that there's absolutely nothing wrong with James.
Fine. Suffering from a hangover?
awful one.
Ah, sorry about that. Be sure to hydrate it helps.
its not ur fault and alright i will.
I was surprised to find that Jane hadn't texted me at all, but then again, I wasn't.
Monday
I spent the majority of Sunday in bed napping off the hangover. Ari was giving me the silent treatment, which was totally fine with me, and Jeb went out of town for a conference until Thursday night. He left me a note on my drawer that said next time I came home under the influence I would regret it. I wasn't sure if Ari had ratted or if Jeb had just known.
Ari's Junior buddy gave us a ride to school and he didn't refrain from chattering about the party. Ari's jockhead buddy told us that Ari getting pounded at Dave's was big news and nearly everyone knew. Ari seemed to think that news was the end of the world, but it was his fault in the first place.
James and I had planned to meet by the southern lockers before first period, those lockers also just happened to be across from Ari's lockers. Which, yeah, is kinda wrong and immoral and stuff, but... well. I don't have an excuse.
James and I talked for a few minutes and it was incredibly awkward at first. He refreshed my memory of Dave's party and I felt my cheeks heat up.
"Sorry about all that." I laughed nervously.
"It's fine," He said with a smile. "It was a lot of fun. Anyway…" James ventured. "Now that you have made out with me you officially qualify as one of my friends. So call me Iggy."
I couldn't help laughing. "Does this mean you and Dave..."
"I'm surprised you remember him calling me that," I shrugged and he continued, "It's kind of a long story," He murmured, grinning.
"I find that when people say 'it's a long story' it really isn't." I mused aloud. I was surprised I remembered as well. "And also, Iggy?" I asked, trying not to laugh.
"Okay, it really isn't." He laughed.
The bell rang, making me jump, which made Iggy chuckle.
"So, will you tell me this story at…lunch?" I questioned.
"My lunch is after fourth period." Iggy informed me.
"Same."
"Good."
"See you then." He called as he began to walk away.
Normally, I sit alone or with the not-quite-popular-not-quite-nobody girls. You know, the one's you recognize when you pass them in the halls but you can't quite remember their names? Jane has a different lunch period, otherwise I'd sit with her. Ari always sits with his jockheads and fangirls.
Today Iggy and I were sitting outside under the shade of a tree, which was nice.
"So, tell me the story." I probed as I picked at my lunch.
"Dave's Dad and my Dad are good friends. So during Thanksgiving and the Super Bowl we're always together and he prefers me to Liam, that's his little brother," I nodded, "We're pretty good friends. He always invites me to the Junior parties and stuff," Iggy's tone was humble, "over the Summer, at Paula Spears' party, Dave got a dare to kiss the youngest guy at the party and, bam, here we are."
"That was a little disappointing." I remarked.
"That's why I say it's a long story."
"Fair enough. Why Iggy though?"
"Like Iggy Pop. The singer." He said sheepishly. I laughed.
We ate in silence for a few minutes before I remembered something.
"Hey, didn't you say you'd tell me your secret?" I asked him.
"You remember that?" He asked with a laugh.
"Yeah, and I still hold you up to that deal." I insisted.
"Uhm, I'd feel more comfortable telling you if you were drunk. It was just something I said in the moment, I have no idea what I was thinking." He said hurriedly.
"Is it really that personal?" I asked.
"Yours was… strange." He said, changing the subject.
"Wait," I said feeling my heart nearly stop. "What'd I say?"
"You don't remember that part?" He asked, surprised.
"Unfortunately." I hissed out of my clenched teeth.
"You told me that you have fantasies about the former president licking your toes." Iggy told me, dead serious.
"What?" I nearly choked out.
"I'm kidding." Iggy laughed.
That was pretty funny, but I was so nervous that I didn't crack a smile.
"Not funny?" He asked.
"No it was… What did I really say?" I asked solemnly.
"You told me that you want to fly." Iggy told me blandly.
"Thank freaking God." I couldn't help saying.
"What..?" Iggy asked, picking up on my funky vibes.
"I'm just relived I didn't say anything else." I admitted with an innocent smile.
ARI
Max is immature, horrible, irresponsible, stupid, ignorant, stubborn, cruel and I want to make a voodoo doll of her and stick a few needles in it. She just has to spend all her time with that James guy. I really hate him and Max, at least, at the moment. Maybe I did overreact at Dave's party, but only because Jane made it sound like some thirty year old creep had slipped Max a roofie.
Jeez!
It was all a big misunderstanding that ended with me being humiliated in front of the upperclassmen. Which, normally, I'd be all humble about, it was my bad, but when I was wailing on him at Dave's, the moment he decided to strike back, I could feel it. I felt like I was filled with Iggy's thoughts and emotions, and what I saw was… evil. There's no other word for it. He was a completely different person in that moment, and I'm not exaggerating or anything.
I could feel him, and whatever he was, it was wicked.
That's why when the rumors finally made their way to me I felt like I could possibly mentally vomit, that and they were about my sister for Christ's sake.
MAX
Friday
Jane was waiting for me at my locker before second period. She looked extremely pissed.
"Max!" She called when I came into view.
My light smile was wiped out by her angry expression.
"I can't believe you didn't tell me," She said, clutching her math book to her chest and scowling. "I thought we were at least friends."
"What are you talking about?" I asked. "And we are friends."
"You and James? Jesus, everyone knows. You two were practically inside each other's pants at the party. I'm just upset you didn't tell me!" She seemed to calm a little as she vented. I still had no idea what she was talking about.
"Me and James what?" I asked, feeling my stomach drop a little. All we had really done since Dave's was eat together at lunch and text occasionally. As well as hang out before and after school and... sometimes between classes. Maybe that was a lot, but him and Jane were the only friends I really had and Iggy was so shiny and new.
"Oh my God, Max, you are so dense!" She half-cried. Jane uses the Lord's name in vain a lot for a preacher's daughter.
"Just tell me!" I finally exclaimed. Jane seemed to get the hint.
"You and James, friends with benefits." She said the phrase as if she'd just walked in on someone performing a blood sacrifice. Okay maybe she is a preacher's daughter. That's one reason she reacted badly to my intoxication Saturday. Jane's a seriously straight edge, purity ring kind of gal. She waited for me to respond.
I blinked a few times and then burst out laughing. A few people eyed me from their lockers. Jane was still exasperated, but she got the hint.
"So it's not true?" She asked, a little uncomfortable perhaps. She shifted her math book.
"No. Of course not," I replied simply, before my tone turned a little darker, "I'm surprised you were so quick to judge me though. I thought we were friends."
Jane flushed, her pride wounded. "Maybe we were both wrong." She quickly turned and strut away, preserving her words as the brutal finish.
I leaned against my locker and sighed. This wasn't the first time Jane and I had chewed it out. Jane and I were an odd fit as friends, but I still valued her friendship. I knew she'd come around eventually, then we'd both apologize and make up.
Jane and I had first met in 6th grade, around the time I started to distance myself from others. We were both craving adolescent affection and her conservative values matched up nicely with my quickly changing ones. She was also the opposite of the posse of my brother's that I despised. Jane and I made things work, but they were always rocky. My best friend from toddlerhood had moved away the summer before.
Iggy was the first friend that I actually connected to. I can't really explain it, but he just feels—correct. Not in a creepy sexual tension kind of way, like, like... things are easy. Before I even finished that thought I felt a tap on my shoulder and I turned to see Iggy.
"You okay?" He asked when he noticed my expression.
"Oh, Jane and I just broke up." I said with a soft smile.
"I'm… sorry?" He said, obviously confused with my reaction.
"It's nothing." I insisted.
"Alright... if you say so," His eyebrows raised and we started walking to our next classes, "You've heard the rumors right?"
"About us?" I asked as he nodded, "Yeah, unfortunatly."
"Unfortunatly?" He asked, itching his arm and looking a little offended.
"We're letting down, like, one fourth of the school's population."
Iggy snorted a little and I grinned. We were fast approaching my third period class, foreign language. Iggy slowed a little, turning to me with a subtle smile on his face.
"Just wondering," He began, "Want to come over to my house tomorrow? It'll be interesting, I promise. No alcohol."
"Sure, I'll catch a ride somehow." I assured him as we parted ways. I couldn't help noticing a few longer-than-normal glances from the student body. I didn't give a poop what they though, but I did believe it was high time I made up with Ari.