Yay! I'm so happy that I got such a great response to this. XD It's kinda for my Fax-deprived School Days readers. So yeah!

Did I forget to mention this is only a two-shot? Whoops.

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Integrity21, I Hate Jam (lol I love your name), JealousMindsThinkAlike, The Seagull, , MPHknows, ADarkWingedForever, whocares1313, Random Dude At Your Service! Love you guys!

FPOV

I plowed through the day, trying to dodge girls as much as I could. Whatever I told Max, Lissa had definitely not gotten the picture that I didn't like her. Lissa alone had already asked me out three times in homeroom.

Lissa was bold, too. After she had kissed me that day after school, I tried to avoid her as much as I could. Unfortunately, Lissa would not be deterred. She seemed to be under the impression that I was playing hard to get.

I sat down at my desk in first period, arranging my face into the stoniest, unfriendliest mask I could manage. Iggy sat beside me, obviously set on kicking back and watching the results of the bet play out.

Despite my mask, and the aura of 'I-kill-you' I was doing my best to radiate, literally forty-eight seconds after the bell rang, the boy in front of me, Luke, turned and passed me a many-times folded note. Confused, I unfolded it and read the pink writing inside.

Hey Nick, will you go out with me?
~Lily

There were little pink hearts scrawled all over the paper. I grimaced inwardly, focusing on keeping my face still in its unfeeling mask. Lily turned around in her seat at the front of the classroom and smiled flirtatiously at me. Wordlessly, I shook my head at her.

Lily's smile melted, and she whipped back around to face the front. Add one more dating offer from a crazy girl that I don't really even know to the list. "That's the fifth time," I muttered, crumpling the paper up and tossing it to the ground.

"You got asked again? By who?" Iggy asked, obviously amused.

"Lily. What is it, Ask Out Nick Ride Day? Did I miss a memo or something?" I groaned.

"Psst! Nick!" Someone whispered. I turned reflexively at the sound of my alias, but instantly wished I hadn't. Jeanne, yet another confident redhead in my class, was smiling sweetly at me. "Will you go out with me? Please? I promise I'll be good," she wheedled, apparently trying to sound seductive.

I shook my head. "No thanks. I'm taken," I lied. It was best to stick with my non-existent New Yorker girlfriend. Maybe that way I would get less offers, and manage to beat Max in this bet.

Jeanne frowned at my response, flipping her hair haughtily as she turned away. "Fine," she hissed. "You don't know what you're missing here, Nicholas."

Iggy was practically choking on withheld laughter. "If you're so popular, why aren't girls asking you out too?" I demanded.

Iggy pinkened, and I actually smiled at his discomfort. Well, this was entertaining. For once it wasn't me being embarrassed. "Well, I, umm," Iggy stammered.

"Yes?" I prompted innocently.

Iggy scowled at me. "I already have a girlfriend," he muttered.

"And you didn't tell me? Who is it? Does Max know?" I asked. If Max knew Iggy had a regular girlfriend… there would be hell to pay for him. Girlfriends were a no-no, due to our extra feathery appendages. It was just a bad idea to get close with regular people, especially if we didn't even know them very well.

"You're beginning to sound like Nudge, Fang. That is worrying," Iggy mumbled, banging his head against the desk. "Her name is Tess, and Max doesn't have a clue. Don't you dare tell her!"

"Oh, I won't," I promised. "This will be excellent blackmail though."

"Gee, thanks Fang," Iggy grumbled.

Things were beginning to look up today.

"Hey Nick! Nick, will you go out with me pleeease?"

"Seven," Iggy counted sweetly. "I wonder how Max is doing with her admirers."

Scratch that. The world is a horrible place.

O.o.O.o:O:o.O.o.O

By lunchtime, I had been asked out twenty-six times, and had declined all twenty-six. Some girls cried, others got angry, and at least four particularly insulted ones slapped me across the face. I didn't even know at least eighteen of them! Did they really expect me to date them after I had known them all of a week and a half? Maybe this was the way normal teenagers acted. After all, who was I to judge? I was probably the best antonym of normal ever exemplified.

Iggy found every offer very funny, and he laughed for five minutes straight after the third one slapped me. I was ready to murder him and bury his body in Anne's barn by the end of fourth period.

As we sat down to lunch together, yet another girl sidled up to me and smiled shyly. "Hey, Nick," she began. "I was wondering if maybe you wanted to go out with me?"

Iggy nearly choked on his sandwich from holding in his laughter. I didn't bat an eye, but simply shook my head. "Sorry, I have a girlfriend," I told her, repeating the phrase I had already said at least twenty times today.

The girl's eyes widened. "OhmiGod, I'm so so sorry!" she gushed. "I didn't know that, I swear!"

"Don't worry about it," I assured her, staring at my sandwich.

The girl looked at me hesitantly for a moment, then slipped off into the crowd again. Iggy burst out laughing, nearly falling off the bench in the midst of the hilarity. "Who even was that?" he managed to gasp out between giggles.

"I have no idea," I muttered, pulling my sweatshirt hood over my head.

"What are you two giggling about?" someone asked, sounding amused. I looked up, only to see an unidentified girl standing before me. I froze, hoping she wasn't about to ask me out too.

"For the record, I am not giggling," I muttered, staring down at my sandwich again. It certainly was very interesting. Oh yes.

"Oh, hi Tess," Iggy greeted her, wiping his streaming eyes. "I'm laughing at poor Nick. He has this bet with our sister Max, and it's just the best entertainment ever."

So this was Iggy's girlfriend. I looked her over again. She was pretty, I guess, with light brown eyes and dark brown curls, but looks didn't really matter all that much if you were dating a blind dude. Tess sat down on Iggy's other side, and he picked up her hand in his.

Gag me.

"What's the bet?" Tess asked conversationally. "You've really got me curious here."

"Whoever gets asked out the most by the end of the day is the loser, and they have to do whatever the winner decides," Iggy replied. "F-Nick has been asked twenty-seven times already.

Tess whistled, craning her neck around Iggy to see me. "Dang, boy, you must have really impressed these girlies!" she exclaimed.

I grimaced, making her laugh. "I really wish I hadn't," I told her honestly.

Tess laughed again, although I wasn't exactly sure why. "Most guys at our school would love to be in your position, Nick. Asked out twenty-seven times before lunch, and to have the ability to decline them all!"

"I already have a girlfriend," I explained, the lie coming to me easily after over twenty uses. "Long-distance relationship."

"Oh, really? What's her name?" Tess asked. She looked genuinely curious.

"Max," Iggy coughed, looking mischievous.

"-Ine! Her name is Maxine," I invented, kicking Iggy under the table. He was such an idiot sometimes.

"Maxine? Wow. Is it awkward to be in a relationship with someone who has the same name as your sister?" Tess asked.

I shook my head. "Not really," I hedged shortly. I really, really wanted to get off the subject of my non-existent New Yorker girlfriend who happened to be named Maxine. It was making me uncomfortable.

Thankfully, Nudge and Max had come to the table, towing along another girl with them. "Yo," Max greeted us sourly, plopping down in the seat next to me.

The unknown girl laughed. "Max is mad because she's been having problems with her bet with you," she explained to me, sitting down on Max's other side. "I'm JJ, b-t-dubs."

I decided to ignore the unintelligable end of her sentence, and focused on the first part. "How many?" I asked simply, looking at Max.

Max growled, ferociously ripping the Saran wrap off of her sandwich.

Nudge giggled, and JJ looked very amused. "Max got asked twenty-seven
times! Can you believe that? Twenty-seven! That's just crazy!" Nudge
gushed, waving her apple around to emphasize her point.

"Nick got asked out twenty-seven times too," Iggy declared. "They're at a tie!"

Max and I looked at each other grimly. "Ties are for losers," Max informed me. "This will not happen again."

A boy with black hair walked up to our table, looking confident. "Hey Max, will you go out with me?" he asked casually, like it wasn't a problem to ask in front of her siblings and friends.

I felt a jolt of protectiveness shoot through me, and suddenly had the urge to beat the boy up for asking Max out. I shook my head a little, trying to dislodge the feeling. Was that normal?

Luckily, Max was looking at him murderously, while everybody else at the table had burst out laughing. I just smirked, crossing my arms over my chest as I tried to banish the protectiveness from my system. "No, I will not," Max replied frostily. "Sorry."

She didn't sound very sorry.

For some reason, that made me feel happy.

While her disappointed admirer walked away dejectedly, I leaned over and whispered in Max's ear, "You were right. We aren't tied anymore. But you're still a loser."

Max didn't reply, instead choosing to rip viciously into her sandwich.

I continued to smirk. All was going according to plan.

O.o.O.o:O:o.O.o.O

I was asked out three more times by the end of the lunch period, once by this girl from my math class, once by another girl I didn't even know, and the last by none other than Lissa. That girl just could not take a hint.

"Nick, why are you being so evasive?" she asked, pouting sadly at me.

"I have a girlfriend," I replied evenly, trying to maneuver around her to get to my next class.

"Yeah? What's her name?" Lissa challenged.

"Maxine," I told her, using the name Iggy had concocted.

Lissa wrinkled her nose at me. "Isn't like, your sister's name Maxine? Isn't that awkward to date a girl with your sister's name?"

I rolled my eyes. "No," I replied shortly, not specifying which question I was answering. "Now I really need to get to class."

As soon as I walked into my fifth period class, history, I was ambushed by yet another girl. This one kept twirling her blonde braids around her finger, and was biting her lip nervously as she spoke. "Hi Nick, I was just wondering if you'd want to go out with me? I think we would make a good pair," she offered, smiling brightly at me.

"Sorry, I have a girlfriend," I repeated dully, heading towards my seat.

Iggy waltzed in behind me. He had gone off with Tess for awhile during lunch, leaving me defenseless against the hordes of girls clamoring to ask me out. Max and I had sat together for awhile, trying to look fierce and intimidating. It hadn't really worked out that well, considering we were both asked out three more times. Max had been at thirty-one, while I was only at thirty. However, that blonde girl had just tied me up with Max again. Damn it! I needed to win this bet. There was no doubt in my mind that Max could and would be ruthless if she won.

I found it hard for me to hope that more boys had asked Max out. I knew perfectly well that she could take care of herself. I just didn't like the idea that other guys were liking Max enough to ask her out.

Iggy's comments from this morning drew into my mind suddenly. According to him, Max liked me. Was that really true?

I found that a large part of me was hoping that she did.

Before I could begin to be shocked at this new revelation, Iggy sat down in the chair beside me. "How many so far?" he asked, grinning wickedly.

I was momentarily thrown by his question- my thoughts had been on Max. "What?" I asked, oh-so-intelligently.

Iggy rolled his eyes at me. "The bet?" he reminded me, speaking slowly and loudly as if I was stupid.

"Oh, right. Thirty-one," I told him.

Iggy snickered, shaking his head. "The girls at this school are such saps. Well, except for Tess," he added affectionately.

"There's only two more periods," I murmured. "I could still win this bet."

"That's the spirit," Iggy yawned, clapping my shoulder. "Now watch out. It looks like Mr. Dalito is handing out a pop quiz."

Luckily for me and the bet, Mr. Dalito's pop quiz was very long and difficult. He also demanded utter silence, and declared that any note-passing would lead to automatic failure and detention. This meant I was safe from being asked out during his class.

It also meant I would be receiving a nice D- on the quiz, since I had no idea what the hell the Alamo were, nor did I know who the twenty-ninth president was. That didn't really matter though. I had never yet encountered a crazed scientist who wouldn't torture me only if I recited the line of American presidency perfectly.

The drought of date offers unfortunately halted outside of history class, though. As soon as I stepped into the hallway, two girls literally asked me out at the exact same time.

"Um, sorry. I have a girlfriend," I explained, the excuse stale in my mouth. I quickly walked away from the girls as they glared at each other, praying that no more of their kind would approach me today.

"Yo, Nick!" a girl called out behind me.

I almost sped up and ducked into the nearest classroom at the sound of another female voice calling my name, before I realized it was Max. "Oh, it's you," I murmured, sighing in relief.

Max raised an eyebrow, obviously confused, but plowed on. "How many have you got?" she asked.

"Thirty-three. You?"

Max pressed her hands to her forehead, obviously exasperated by my answer for some reason. "Thirty-three," she groaned. "What happens if it's a tie?"

"Duel to the death?" I suggested.

Max's lips quirked up in an unexpected smile. "Possibly. Of course, I would kick your ass."

"No," I replied calmly, grinning at her.

Max snorted, then turned and walked off to class again. "See you later, Fnick," she called once, before disappearing into the throng.

I arrived in my last class a few minutes late as a result of my chat with Max, with only one mission in mind. I had to somehow deflect any possible dating offers before they occurred, but how?

I settled this by pulling my hood tightly over my head and digging my face deep into my arms, which were folded on the desk top. I was screaming anti-social here. That should deter any girls hunting for a good boyfriend.

Unfortunately, some people are completely oblivious to hints. In some people, this quality is funny and/or endearing, like in Gazzy. However, in a person such as Lissa, it is terribly annoying.

"Nick, come on, talk to me," she crooned. "Please go out with me! Come on, I'm reduced to begging here!"

"Thirty-four," Iggy murmured on my other side.

"Come on Nick? Please? Will you just go on one teensy little date with me?"

"Thirty-five," Iggy added.

"Niiiiiick I'm just gonna keep asking! Please go out with me!"

"Thirty-six."

"I'm warning you, Nick, if you don't answer me… just come on! Please just go on a date with me! Please!"

"Thirty-seven."

"Niiiiick! Go out with me! Pleeeeaase!"

"Thirty-eight."

"Ms. Boothe, can I please go to the bathroom?" I requested.

Ms. Boothe looked bemused, but nonetheless nodded and handed me a pass. I had to restrain myself in order to keep myself from running out of the room.

Oh dear lord, Lissa was more persistent than Angel. And that was saying something.

I spent the rest of the class period hiding in a corner of the hallway, using my special blending-in power to keep out of sight. I waited until the final bell had rung and students had poured out of every door before mixing in with the crowd once more.

"Nick! Nick! Nick Ride!" Gazzy yelped, suddenly materializing at my elbow. "Max got asked out thirty-four times! How many did you get asked?"

"Oh crap," I hissed, stopping in my tracks. Max had won. She had won the bet.

And it was all Lissa's fault.

But wait. There was still one shred of hope gleaming in the horribly miserable fate of losing the bet that awaited me. I had just one chance.

"Hey Gazzy," I asked, trying to keep my heart from beating faster at the very idea of what I was about to do. "Do you know where Max is?"

O.o.O.o:O:o.O.o.O

MPOV

I smiled triumphantly as I walked down the now-empty hallways. The entire day, the non-stop offers from boys, the jealous acts of other girls, and the dread that Fang would win the bet- it was all worth it. It was all well worth it, because I had won the bet, only asked out thirty-four times to Fang's thirty-eight.

Iggy had told me that Lissa dearest had resorted to begging in an attempt to convince Fang to agree to a date. She had apparently asked him out no less than eleven times the entire day.

A bubble of jealousy and anger blossomed in my chest at the very thought of her, but I tried to push it down. I closed my eyes, stopping in the middle of the empty hallway. I had no reason to be jealous of Lissa. Fang didn't even like her at all.

But she had kissed him.

But he didn't like her.

But she had kissed him, and he kissed her back.

I sighed in annoyance, trying to shove the unwanted thoughts and feelings about Fang away. I didn't need to deal with any feelings about Fang except for annoyance and friendship. There was absolutely no reason for me to even keep thinking along the track my mind was headed right now.

I tried to focus on my present task. Fang had hidden himself somewhere in the school, and I had been elected to go look for him, somehow. He had probably hidden in an attempt to get away from me and my prize of getting him to do whatever I wanted. I smiled at the thought, continuing along the hallway.

Fang was nowhere in sight.

I leaned back against a bank of lockers, and closed my eyes. I was feeling unusually drained today, probably from the stress of the bet that had been on my shoulders, coupled with my normal anxiety about the flock being split up.

The bet had been altogether ridiculous, in hindsight. The problem was that Fang and I were stubborn enough that the fact it was ridiculous wasn't a problem for us. I wanted to prove that Lissa was totally obsessed with Fang, and Fang had been adamant about Sam liking me far too much.

Well, Sam had asked me out four times today, but that was beside the point. Lissa had begged Fang to date her eleven times. Eleven times!

I mean, seriously.

After I felt slightly more reenergized, I decided that I had better keep searching for Fang. It wasn't like he was just going to appear out of nowhere.

When I opened my ryes, the only thing I could see were two dark eyes and a curtain of thick black bangs clouding my vision. "Fang!" I yelped, shocked by his closeness. "How did you- where were you- why are you right in front of my face?" I finished weakly. I pressed my palms flat against the cool metal of the lockers behind me, trying to calm my suddenly racing heartbeat.

"I've been around," Fang replied quietly, his breath tickling my face. Without looking away from his eyes, I slowly began to realize that his hands were against the lockers on either side of my head, boxing me in, and his body was less than six inches away from mine. Fang leaned down slightly, gazing down at me from his height of four inches taller than me.

"Oh," I managed to squeak out.

"Yeah," Fang agreed, tilting his head slightly to the side. "Oh."

And then, without any further explanation, Fang leaned in further and kissed me.

I froze at first, completely shocked by every and all of Fang's actions. He kept his lips pressed to mine though, and I hadn't woken up, so I assumed this was actually happening.

Hesitantly, I lifted my hands from the lockers and linked them around Fang's neck, pulling him further down to my level.

Fang's lips curled up in a smile, and I had to smile myself. Suddenly, he stepped forward, knocking his knees against mine and pressing his body to me.

I nearly collapsed right there. I was lucky I had the lockers behind me for support, and that Fang's hands were now securely attached to my waist. Tilting my head further into the kiss, I slid my hands up from the base of his neck into his long tendrils of smooth, soft hair.

So this was what perfection was like.

After a moment, Fang pulled away gently, straightening to his full height. I was forced to let go of his lovely, soft hair, but I settled on placing my hands at his shoulders. I looked up at him, feeling shy and confused at the emotions roaring in my chest.

"I felt like you should know that, especially after today," Fang murmured.

He didn't specify what 'that' was, and I didn't need to ask. Instead, with a warm, shivery feeling haunting the pit of my stomach, I tightened my grip on his shoulders and laid my head against his chest. Fang held me against him, silently sinking in the moment. Sighing softly in contentment, I closed my eyes.

"Max?" he asked quietly after a moment. "Do you know what this means?"

"That we aren't just friends?" I offered quietly, my voice sounding very small.

Fang shook his head, then paused. "Well, yeah, that too," he agreed. "But I meant, do you know what else this means, apart from the way I'm feeling about you, and the way I hope you're feeling about me?"

I thought for a moment, but I kept getting distracted by Fang's warmth surrounding me. "I dunno. What does it mean?" I asked finally.

"It means that I win the bet."

I was silent for a moment, Fang's words sinking in, before my eyes flew open and my head rocketed off his chest. I stared at him in disbelief. Fang was smirking, his dark eyes dancing with mischief. "What?" I yelped. "No it doesn't! I won the bet! You got asked out thirty-eight times, and I was only asked thirty-four!"

"But you got kissed, which means automatic 'You Lose'!" Fang reminded me, his smirk growing at my protests.

"But, I kissed you too! So doesn't that mean it's a draw?" I demanded.

Fang shook his head, his smirk growing into a full-out grin. "Nope, because I kissed you, you didn't kiss me. I am unaffected."

I glared at him, punching him hard in the shoulder. Fang scowled at me, taking a hand off my waist to rub his hurt shoulder. "Ow! Geez Max, be a good sport," he chided.

"Shut up," I grumbled, trying to peel his other hand off my waist.

His grip on me only tightened further, and his other hand flew quickly to my back, keeping me cradled against him. "Max," he murmured, his voice serious. "I got so jealous today, of all those random guys, guys that didn't even know you but still had a chance to ask you to date them."

I shivered involuntarily, unable to look away from Fang's eyes. "I was jealous too," I admitted quietly. "And I was about ready to rip Lissa's head off."

Fang smirked. "She is annoying, isn't she?"

"Tell me about it," I muttered. "That girl needs to learn what the word 'no' means."

Fang's smirk turned into a grin. "Aww, I feel special," he teased. "Max is getting protective over me."

I scowled at him darkly, attempting to pull his hands away from their positions anchored at my waist and the small of my back. "Get off me, you jerk," I complained, wriggling uselessly in his grasp.

Fang smiled at me, tilting his head closer. "But Max," he breathed onto my lips, causing me momentary paralysis. "I haven't gotten my prize yet."

I fought to breathe normally. Fang was a dirty cheater, that was for sure. I wouldn't be affected by him. I wouldn't be affected by him. I wouldn't be-

Fang pressed his hand against my back, nudging me gently towards him. I swallowed heavily as we came in full contact with each other, the blood rushing crazily in my ears. I had never felt so warm in my entire life. Even our shins were pressed together.

"So what do you want me to do?" I managed to ask, trying to ignore the fact my hands were creeping back up to Fang's shoulders against my will.

Fang leaned even closer, so our noses were brushing. "Max," he whispered.

I could barely concentrate on what Fang was saying: his lips were just touching mine, and with every word he spoke, they moved up and down against mine in the most disarming way possible. "Max," he repeated, his voice soft. "I want you."

I couldn't say anything, I could barely even think. The only thing I was capable of doing was leaning forward into Fang's hold and pressing my lips firmly against his. He tilted his head in reply, his fingers tightening their grip on my waist and back. I slipped my hands back into his hair, pulling his head closer to me.

This was the best bet I had ever lost.

Awwww! I loooooveee FAX! yay!

So yeah, you guys know the drill. Review please! I'll love you forever! So will Gazzy!

Gazzy: umm, sure.

~TMI~