A/N You guys are awesome :))) Well all 7 of you haha. Thank you so much for the reviews I really appreciate it! I'm living in between 3 houses right now while I'm moving and it's giving one of my dogs MAJOR anxiety so I'm sorry if my chapters are short and if I don't update much for the next 2 weeks. However I am updating for the 2nd day in a row now so yay for me! And in reply to fleeceinabox, I'm a sucker for stories like this which is why I'm writing one :p Anyways, I'll stop rambling and let you guys read! Enjoy! :)
Max POV
I'm coming out of my cage
And I've been doing just fine
Gotta gotta be down
Because I want it all
It started out with a kiss
How did it end up like this?
Ugh. Why is my phone ringing at 8AM? I've only been asleep for what? 3 hours?
I smile as I look at my phone and see Fang's name on the screen, remembering that he's the one who picked out my ringtone.
"You better have a damn good reason for waking me up so early Fangles" I say as I answer the phone.
"I thought I told you to stop calling me Fangles"
"And I thought we'd established that I don't like to take other people's orders?" I grinn as I hear him laugh on the other end.
"Well I was wondering if you wanted to come over, my bookshelf is a mess and I need help re-organizing"
"You need me to re-organize your bookshelf at 8 in the morning" I ask skeptically.
"Aw Max come on you know I wake up super early I can't help it! And I'm boooorreedd"
"But Fang it's 8 in the mor-"
"Maxxxiiieeeeee come onnnnnn" Fang whine's.
"I'll be over in 10 minutes" I sigh even though I'm still laughing at the tone of his voice.
"Yay! See ya soon Maxie!"
I hang up the phone and force myself out of bed. Fang has always been an early riser, it's really annoying.
I put on a pair of black sweatpants and a white t-shirt and throw my hair up into a bun. What? It's 8:00 in the morning and I'm just going over to Fang's, there's no point in getting all fancy.
I quickly brush my teeth and decide that my make up from last night (which Ella and Nudge made me wear might I add) looks presentable enough, not that it matters.
I grab my phone and leave a note on the kitchen counter for Ella telling her where I'd be. My mom is already at work, she's a veterinarian.
After putting on my red Vans I walk out the door and over to Fang's house, where I'm greeted by my best friend standing with the front door open grinning at me.
"Nice sweatpants, designer?" he asks, making fun of my sloppy appearance.
I just roll my eyes and walk past him into his house, kicking my shoes off into the hall closet.
"Fang, considering you're the one that woke me up this early you're also going to have to be the one that feeds me breakfast"
"Well, I think everyone knows that you aren't capable of cooking anything for yourself..." Fang says as he starts pulling things out of the kitchen cupboards.
"Hey! I can make Mr. Noodles in the microwave...sort of" I laugh at the memory of Fang yelling at me for 'over-cooking- his cup noodles back in 8th grade.
15 minutes later Fang plops down next to me with a plate full of chocolate chip pancakes.
And after eating the entire plate, while having Fang judge me the entire time for eating so fast, we walk up to his room.
"Geez, did a hurricane come in here and attack your room?" I ask as I look over the various books lying all over the place.
"Haha, very funny. My books weren't in alphabetical order and it was really starting to get on my nerves", he's always been very particular about how his books are arranged, what can I say? The dude has a passion.
"Is Fangy upset because his books aren't organized?" I ask giving him a pouty face.
"Yeah, yeah very funny Max, just help me before I throw all these books at your head"
"Why Fang! I can't believe that you're threatening me! Your my very bestest friend in the entire universe! I thought we had something special!" I cry out dramatically.
Fang put's his arm around me, I feel butterflies in my stomach. Ignore them Max, I think to myself, this is ridiculous, if you like Fang you would've felt something years ago, right?
"I'd never really hurt you Max, maybe just rough you up a bit" he says laughing as he starts sorting books into piles.
-3 hours later-
"Finally" I exhale as I lay back onto his bed, "That took forever" I groan.
"Um, Max"
"What?"
"We still have to go through all my vinyls..." Fang trails off very quietly.
"I'm going to put a bomb down your pants Fang" I say in all seriousness as I haul myself off of his bed and over to the corner of his room where he's sitting surrounded by vinyls.
"It'd be a privilege to have the great, Maximum ride blow up my pants" Fang says.
I laugh and start sorting the records into piles based on the first letter of the artist's name.
Then I come across a particular record that makes me want to break down into tears and crawl into a hole.
Yep, you heard right, there are some things that can upset the great Maximum Ride.
"Max? You okay?" I hear Fang ask from his spot across from me.
"Max?" he asks again.
"Oh Max I'm so sorry" he says realizing what I'm looking at, he crawls next to me and puts his arm around me while I cry into his shoulder.
Fang's POV
I should've hidden that record after what happened.
Let me explain.
In the 9th grade, Max had a boyfriend named Sam. I never really liked him, not because he was a particularly bad guy, but because I'd been in love with Max since I was old enough to realize that girls didn't have cooties.
She loved him, she really did, which is why she blamed herself for his death.
Sam had always seemed kind of carefree and happy around everyone, so everyone was shocked when he killed himself.
Max especially.
And this record she was holding, was The World Won't Listen by the Smiths. It had the first song Max and Sam had ever danced to together, Asleep.
I guess you could say that it held some sort of special meaning to them, the entire album actually.
Max and Sam were pretty different, musically, and they finally found and artist they both loved, all through 9th grade it's all they'd listened too.
But during the last month of school, Max was called into the office and told that Sam's parents had found him laying in his bed with an empty bottle of pills in his hand.
Max kind of just shut down. For weeks she just sat in her room, not eating or talking to anyone. When she finally did come out of her room, she spent all of her time crying into my arms.
That summer was miserable for her. And it kills me just thinking about it.
Sam didn't leave a note, there where no warning signs, not any that anyone had noticed anyways, he was just gone within the blink of an eye.
It's been a little over a year since it happened, we're about to start grade 11 and I think Max still thinks about it more than she'd like to admit.
So that's why she's now in my lap crying into my shirt.
"Shh, Max it's okay, it's okay" I whisper into her ear while I hug her and rub circles on her back, like I always do when she's was upset.
I'm not going to lie, I'm still in love with Max. So it's not like I didn't enjoy having her so close to me, I just wish that it wasn't because she's in pain.
Max finally run's out of tears and just sit's in my lap sniffling.
"It's all my fault you know" she whispers quietly "I could've stopped him".
"Max, we've been over this, there's nothing you could've done" I sigh, I wish she'd stop blaming herself.
"I should've noticed there was something wrong, I could've helped him" she says as she lays her head on my shoulder.
"Max, he was sick, everyone missed it, not just you. You can't blame yourself, alright? He loved you, and he wouldn't want you to spend the rest of your life blaming yourself for something that neither of you could control" I say as I wipe a tear off of her cheek.
Max just nod's her head, too tired to argue, and close's her eyes.
I sit there for five more minutes rubbing circles on her back and notice that she's fallen asleep.
I smile, she look's cute when she sleeps.
Finally I decide to pick her up, I gently place her on my bed and toss a blanket over her.
I kiss her forehead and leave the room, giving her some time to rest.
If only Max could see what I see in her.
Max POV
I wake up in a strangely familiar bed. Wait, how did I end up in Fang's bed? God am I comfy, Fang's bed smells like him, geez, I really need to get over this whole 'sniffing stuff that belong to my best friend thing' it's kinda creepy. I close my eyes again just as I hear Fang enter the room.
"What time is it?" I aske as I yawn.
"2:00" Fang answer's as he put a glass of water down next to me on his nightstand.
"Really? Wow" I take a sip of water.
"You feeling any better?" Fang ask's, his eyes filled with concern.
"As long as I have you around I'll be ok" woah, that was deep.
Fang smile's and stand's up "Come on" he says.
"What?"
"Were going to go do something fun"
"Does this require me getting out of my sweatpants and putting on my big girl clothes?" I ask.
"Only if you want to" he shrug's "I guess it doesn't really matter".
After going home and changing into some light blue, tight fitting jeans with tears in them and leaving my white t-shirt on, Fang and I start walking, to where? I don't know yet.
We're currently in the middle of a forest, kinda creepy but hey, it's not like Fang's planning on killing me, or is he?
Fang did tell me to bring my bathing suit so I'm assuming that I'm going to need that for something.
"Where are we going Fang?" I whine as I trail beside him.
"You'll know soon enough"
"But I want to know noowww" I say as I tug on his sleeve.
Fang just get's a stupid smirk on his face and keep's walking.
After 5 more minutes of walking we reach a clearing in the woods, I see a beautiful lake in front of me, along with a dock and a rope tied to a tree branch hanging over the water.
"How'd you find this place?" I ask.
"I have my ways" Fang grin's as he pulls off his shirt.
"Well?" he asks.
"What?"
"Are you coming in?" he says.
I just roll my eyes and take off my clothes, I'm wearing my bathing suit underneath so it doesn't really matter.
It's just a plain black bikini, I guess I've picked up on Fang's colour choice over the years.
Fang and I stand at the edge of the dock, "are you jumping in?" I ask.
"Are you?" he says as a smirk plays it's way onto his face.
"Maybe" I say as I put my hands in his back and push him into the water.
I'm standing there laughing my ass off at Fang's expression and the next thing I know, I feel his hand around my ankle pulling me in with him.
I feel a rush of cold water hit me and then I surface.
"I hate you so much" I say jokingly as I try to get all the water I'd accidentally swallowed out of my lungs.
"Love you too Max" Fang says as he splash's my face with water.
"Oh you're going to get it"
"Oh yeah?"
"Is that a challenge?" I ask.
"Maybe it is, and maybe it isn't"
"You're dead" I whisper as I swim after him attempting to get water in his face.
"Catch me if you can Maxie poo!" he yells as he swim's faster.
I decide to get a little creative, I dive under the water so he cant't see me. As far as I can tell through my blurry vision, Fang in floating in one spot trying to figure out where I've gone, perfect.
I slowly swim towards him until I'm right beside his legs and then splash up right in front of his face.
"I got you now Fangles!" I yell as I splash water in his face.
"Oh Max, shit just got serious" he says with a deadly look in his eyes.
"Aw crap" I exhale, I'm screwed.
After 2 hours of fooling around and swinging off a rope into the water, we've finally tired ourselves out and are now sitting on the dock next to each other.
"You know, when you went under the water and popped up in front of me, I thought that you'd drowned" Fang laughs.
"Is little Fangy worried about me?" I ask in a baby voice.
Fang sighs "I'm always worried about you Max" he says with a sad look in his eyes and an honest tone in his voice.
I look back at him with the same look, "I know you are, but you shouldn't be" I say as I rest my head on his shoulder.
"Max, I'm your best friend, it's my job to worry about you" he quietly whispers.
I smile, I know Fang's constantly worried about me, especially after what happened with Sam. I just wish he would stop, I hate upsetting him.
I turn to look at Fang and suggest that we start heading back since it's getting a little late, but I'm incredibly aware of how close our faces are.
I gulp "We should...um..." I can't finish my sentence, all I can do is stare at his lips.
"Uh huh" Fang says as he lean's in and close's the gap between our lips.
Oh god his lips are so soft. Fang wraps his arms around me and pulls me closer.
I can feel his chest press against mine. I run my arms up his back and into his hair.
I'm kissing a god right now.
I'm kissing a god who also happens to be my best friend, my best friend that I don't want to lose.
What am I doing? Why am I running my hands through his gorgeous, soft, black, perfect hair? I should be stopping this before I ruin everything.
I gently put my hand on Fang's shoulder and separate us, despite the fact that all I want to do is continue making out with him.
"Um.." I mumble as I stand up and begin to put on my clothes "We should uh, we should go" I say.
Fang runs a hand through his hair "Yeah, alright".
The walk back to our houses is silent, and not the usual kind of comfortable silence, an uncomfortable silence.
I messed up.
A/N Hope you guys liked it! I tried to make it a little longer this time!