Diclaimer: All Maximum Ride refernces and material belongs to James Patterson. The plot and any other characters belong to me.
When Iggy and I were little and our dad had left us, Iggy used to be a master at making pillow forts. Somehow he'd manage to get every single pillow in the house without Mom noticing, and he'd stack them and situate them just right, just so that there was enough space for the two of us. Back then, it was only the two of us against the world.
A month after Iggy's tenth birthday, I met a new girl at school named Nudge. I was only seven at the time, and I remember being entranced by the black spiral curls falling down her back. They bounced a little with every step she took, and it was as mesmerizing as the cardboard kaleidoscopes we had made the week before. Unfortunately, she wasn't very happy when I reached out to touch them and smacked my hand with her wooden ruler. We were both sat in separate thinking corners for ten minutes, and she sat as far away from me as possible at lunch. A week later I offered her my cherry Capri Sun and we became friends instantly.
Between the ages of 12 and 16, Iggy distanced himself from everyone. All the other moms told us we were lucky we didn't have to witness the "moody" phase, but I'd much rather have him screaming in my face than not talking to me at all.
The last day of sixth grade was probably the worst day of my life. All the students were excited for the end-of-the-year picnic, especially Nudge. I was just looking forward to the ice cream promised to be given out at the end of the day. Iggy, on the other hand, was graduating his freshman year of high school, which he claimed was the worst year of his life. Jenny Birnbach's brother told her that Iggy had shoved one of the seniors in the hall so they all were ganging up on him. It wasn't until I got home that I realized how bad the "ganging up" had gotten.
Apparently there were rumors floating around that a group of senior guys were going to beat my brother up on the last day of school. Iggy decided to confront them and well… he came home with a black eye and a cracked rib.
He refused to tell Mom who was responsible, and the kids at school were too scared to admit who it was, but something changed in Iggy that day. Whether it was for the best or not I still don't know.
Almost like he was given a burst of energy, Iggy spent all summer working out. Day after day, week after week was spent weight training and conditioning. His appetite grew every day, and he sucked up food like a vacuum. By the end of summer, his shoulders had grown broader, his muscles more defined. He looked like a super hero, but this improvement began what I liked to call "The Douche Stage".
Iggy joined the basketball team the next year and earned instant respect from everyone, even the seniors. While you would think his experience from last year would stop him from doing it, Iggy became the biggest douchebag I'd ever had the displeasure of meeting. All his teachers hated him, half the student population was afraid of him, and all the girls cried in the bathrooms when he led them on and then moved on to another chick.
When Nudge and I entered freshman year, we saw just how bad he was. Sure, he had a ton of friends, but even they were douches. But for some reason, girls fawned over him and guys would break their arms and legs to be like him. It was nauseating, and it caused the biggest split between us.
To my surprise, I found out a few months later that Iggy and Nudge had begun seeing each other behind my back. I was beyond furious; with Nudge, with Iggy, with myself for not keeping him and his charming douche personality away from her. Besides the fact she was a freshman and he was a senior, it felt like he was taking my best friend away from me.
Shockingly, Iggy fell in love with Nudge instead of leaving her in the dust like his previous conquests, and they stayed together throughout college, even trying the long distance relationship thing. How it worked, I have no idea, but they managed to stay in love long enough that as soon as Iggy got a job as a sports agent and landed a job with a hotshot team they moved into together.
Meanwhile, I, lonely Max, worked my butt off for most of high school. I wasn't naturally a studious person, and I had to push myself to eventually land the job I wanted; a teacher.
People always looked at me like I was crazy when I told them this. How is the prankster, troublemaking Maximum Ride ever going to be a teacher when all the teachers hate her?
I would just smile, because they didn't know that was the exact reason I was doing it.
All my life, teacher after teacher basically told my parents I would never amount to anything. I was nothing special in their eyes. I wasn't a math genius or a musical prodigy or a tortured, inspirational artist. I wasn't even a straight A student. I was myself, and that wasn't enough for them.
I really loved kids when I was in high school. Mom never had any kids after me, so I used to babysit the neighborhood kids whenever I had time. My mom always used to say the only time I showed maturity was when I wanted to prove somebody wrong or it involved children.
She couldn't have been more right.
So the beginning of freshman year, when I realized everyone around me was drifting away and I came up with plan to be twice the teacher my high school teachers were, I shut myself away from everything and studied. Of course, I always found time for the occasional infamous prank, but suddenly my only goal was to prepare myself for the life I dreamed of.
I graduated high school with high honors, and it gave me the greatest satisfaction to see my teachers' jaws hit the floor in surprise. I was accepted to the University of Phoenix, known for their amazing teaching program, and again locked myself away from all living things to study. Iggy, who had grown less douche-y over the years, always picked on me for my lack of socializing, but if life worked in my favor, I'd have plenty of time for relationships and relaxation later on.
Mom was my biggest cheerleader, of course. She was the one who threatened to shove a yard stick up my teacher's ass, who offered me a shoulder to cry on when I was a TA for the biggest bitch, and the one who cheered the loudest when I finally received my bachelor's in English. Sure, Nudge was supportive too, and even Iggy was proud of me, but Mom stuck with me through it all.
Even now, a year after my graduation as I sob and eat Cherry Garcia ice cream on her expensive leather couch, she still stands by me. Though I suspect she really wants to strangle me too.
A/N: Hello, hello, hello! I'm extremely excited to present the new chapter for The Success Pact. I apologize for my looong absence, especially to my beta who I haven't had contact with in a very long time despite her efforts to stay in touch. As you guys can probably tell, this is unbeta'd, meaning it's a 100% Ithaca. My writing style has also changed a bit, for the better or worst I'm not sure, but that's what you guys are here for. I'd like seven or more reviews pleaseee for the next chapter, since we're just getting started, and I know you all are capable :) Constructive criticism is greatly appreciated, flames are not. Please give some love!
P.S. This chapter is just to give a little background, especially for Iggy and Max's realationship, which is an extremely important one in this story. And yes, you will learn what The Success Pact is in the next chapter.