Heyo! Alright, so, I'm finally updating. Sorry for the delay, people. I just had some last-minute work due for school. And I'm really trying to move this story along faster cuz I have a part already typed up that I REALLY want to get to, but it's pretty far down the road. So, if it seems a little too rushed, just let me know. Anyways, ENJOY!:)

Disclaimer: JP owns Maximum Ride and all the characters, and I only own the plot and my characters. Though I wish I did own Max and the gang…

I walked into the house, Drew on my heels. My mom heard the door close and appeared around the corner from the kitchen.

"Hey Max. How was…" she drifted off when she saw Drew and looked at me with a glance that said "who is this guy and what has he been doing with you?"

"Mom, this is Drew. Drew, mom. He's a friend from school, and I thought it would be cool if he hung out here for a while." I explained, putting special emphasis on the word friend. Mom's expression relaxed a little and she nodded at Drew.

"Hello, Drew, nice to meet you. You're welcome to stay here for a while and hang out with Max. I need to go fix some dinner, so excuse me." She said, feeling the awkward tension in the air. After she had given me a look that said "don't do something stupid", she left the room.

"Well. She seems nice." Drew said after a minute of awkward silence. I chuckled a little.

"You could say that. Come on. I'll show you the house." I ushered him in to the rest of the house, trying to get away from that awkward feeling. I showed him the library, which only had about 10 books so far; the living room, which only had a TV and a couch, and the other rooms which had almost nothing in them and we hadn't really decided what they were going to be. Finally, I got to my room.

It was very bland and plain, but I was planning on spicing it up. It only had a bed in the corner with a simple black and white bedspread on it, some posters of various artists on the walls, and a little window seat by the old-fashioned four pane window that looked out over our yard. I was planning on painting it all red and white, my two favorite colors. I wasn't sure what else I was going to do to make it mine, but I would know when it was finished.

Fang went over to sit on my bed, and I followed him. We didn't talk for what seemed like an hour, but was probably only a few minutes. We both just laid there staring at the ceiling, thinking. I so wished I could read his thoughts then.

"Have you ever felt like… you don't belong? That you are a different person and you're just waiting to bust out, but you have no idea who that person is?" he asked quietly. I turned my head to look at him, only to find him looking at me already.

"Yea, all the time. How'd you know?" I had always felt like that, like I wasn't supposed to be me but someone else.

"I didn't. I just… I feel like I'm… connected to you, somehow. Like we belong somewhere else, and we're a part of something bigger than this. Than this life we live." He seemed completely serious, and to tell the truth I believed him. I felt like I was going to change something, something bigger than myself and my family.

"Drew, that is exactly how I feel. That we aren't who we say we are, or who we look like we are. And… and maybe we aren't. Maybe we were adopted by some aliens and sent to earth to destroy it, or something. Just to be something other than normal, than what everybody else is." It seemed like we were growing closer as we talked about feeling like we were different people. We talked about that for a while, until somehow we got on the subject of French fries. I have no idea how, we just randomly were talking about French fries. I have no clue how, but we were talking about which ones were better: crunchy, soft, curvy, strait, warm or cold.

"No way. The crunchy ones are so much better!" I defended. He looked at me like I was crazy.

"Uh-uh. No way. Soft ones are the best!" he said. I shook my head at him.

"Crunchy."

"Soft."

"Crunchy."

"Soft."

"Crunchy!"

"Soft!"

"Soft."

"Crunchy."

"Ha! You so fell for it!" I exclaimed, and he realized what he had done. He mock-glared at me as I cracked up.

"You tricked me! Cheater!" He pouted.

"Since when were there rules?" I managed to get out between giggles. He just stuck his tongue out at me, which only made me laugh harder. Soon, even he was cracking a smile. Just a small one though.

He leaned in really close to me, our faces were almost touching, and our breath mingled. I stopped laughing, and stared into his entrancing black eyes. I couldn't help glancing down at his lips, which looked so soft and warm. He was getting closer, still, and my eyes were starting to close involuntarily. His arm was slowly snaking around my waist, making sure I wasn't going to run away. Is he finally going to kiss me? Because I would really like him to… I numbly thought, surprising myself. But I had no time to react to it, since I could feel his breath getting stronger and stronger on my chin, which only meant he was closer and closer. I felt his lip brush mine, and fire ignited in that small area that made me hiss in a breath. Then his lips disappeared, and reappeared at my ear.

"Sucker." He whispered, adding a little cackle, and my eyes flung open. He had tricked me! Made me believe he was going to kiss me and then didn't! I growled low, deep in my chest, at him and at myself for wanting to kiss him after knowing him two days. He stopped laughing. He pulled back, a triumphant smile on his face. I shoved against his chest, which was still close to mine, and he started laughing again.

"Shut up, Drew!" I said, but I couldn't keep the anger in it. I felt a little smile creep onto the corner of my lips, and looked away. I felt awkward being so close to this boy I had known for so little time, and I just wanted to get out of here. After that, my heart was racing hard, and now I was exhausted. I rolled away, out of his arms, and off the bed. He sat up and watched me go over to my little window seat and sit down. I looked at him with the same expression: none. But inside my head was a whirlwind, with thoughts and feelings twisting and spinning each other. Why had he chosen this form of victory? Why couldn't he have won some other way instead of making me go insane of almost kissing him? To be honest, I really had wanted to. The way his eyes held mine, and his arm curled around my waist, felt so protective that I knew nothing would happen to me as long as I was there. It was embarrassing to be thinking all of this only after two days with the guy. I shook my head to clear my thoughts, and looked at the clock. 6:53.

"Max! Want any dinner? It's getting cold!" my mom yelled upstairs. Perfect timing.

"Want dinner, Drew?" I asked, and he nodded and stood up, with his nonchalant expression still in place. We walked downstairs silently and as we walked into the kitchen I saw my sister at the table, and her eyebrows flew up. She met my eyes with a look that clearly said: a boy? Oooh… getting lucky. I just rolled my eyes and shook my head. Dinner was simple: salad and chicken with broccoli. Normal.

Ella kept suggesting things, and I could tell Drew was a little uncomfortable with it. She was trying to be subtle about it, but she was failing at that. Even my mom was starting to suspect something. I dropped my head into my arms and groaned silently. I had to get Drew out of here before they killed him of embarrassment.

"Drew, don't you think you're supposed to be getting home by now?" I said, desperate to get him out of here. I could just barely see the faint tint of pink in his cheeks. He was blushing! I hadn't known him for long, but I could tell he wasn't one to blush often.

"Yeah, I think my parents will be wondering where I am. I should probably get home." He said quickly, sending me a look of relief. I smirked at him.

"So soon?" Ella asked, obviously disappointed. Well, he was cute. I couldn't blame her for wanting him to stay, but she was just too embarrassing. He nodded and we got up to walk outside.

"I live just a few blocks away. I can walk. It's nice outside anyways." He suggested. I shrugged and poked my head in the kitchen to tell my mom, and then we started walking briskly in the direction he pointed. The air was cold, and I could see my breath swirling in front of my face. This was "nice"? It was silent for the first block and a half, until he disrupted it.

"I'm sorry, about earlier… with the whole… uh…" he didn't seem like he wanted to mention it, but I knew he was talking about when he almost kissed me.

"Uh, its fine. Its not like it meant anything. Just a game." I said, trying to convince myself it was true, it was just a game. "I mean, I pretty much did the same thing to you…" we both knew that wasn't true, but he didn't say anything. Almost-kissing was not the same as tricking him into saying something. After that he fell silent.

We were almost to his house when he turned to me.

"I had fun, Max. Thanks for letting me come over today." He said, and he sounded sincere,

"You're welcome. I had fun too. Maybe we can do it again… soon." I suggested, and he smiled, which made me smile back. In front of his little house, now, he surprised me by leaning down to kiss me on the cheek. The skin tingled and left an imprint on my cheek of exactly where his lips were. He smirked at me, seeing my shocked expression, and turned to the door.

"See you tomorrow." He called back over his shoulder, shutting the door before I could process it.

"See you tomorrow…" I whispered a minute later, finally understanding what had happened. I smiled to myself and turned away from the house, beginning to walk back. My toes were crunched in my shoes, freezing, and the silent night made my footsteps sound loud, but I didn't notice. My mind was too caught up in what the "kisses" meant. Did he like me? More than a friend? Did I like him? Would he ever date me? And the most important question to me: Why was I feeling like this?

These questions swirled around my mind, until a snapping branch to my left brought me back to reality. I looked around frantically, but there was nothing. I quickened my pace and suddenly felt like I was being watched. And followed. I started jogging, then faster and faster until I was sprinting.

By the time I got home, I was breathing hard and fast, my chest heaving. I ran up to my room and pulled my blinds closed as fast as I could. But not fast enough, since a second before the blinds were shut I saw a shadow zip across my lawn and duck behind a bush.

Alright! So, like it or don't like it? PLEASE REVIEW!!!I APPRECIATE THEM SO MUCH!! And I have noticed I have more hits than reviews, so the people out there who aren't reviewing when they read this, PLEASE DO! ANONYMOUS REVIEWS WELCOME!! ANYTHING!! Constructive criticism, praise, any type of review!! PLEASE!:)

BoOk-NeRd38