Chapter Nine:
Smug
When I finally managed to fall asleep again, my dream from before seemed to pick up right where it left off . . .
Feathers . . . feathers . . . feathers . . .
They were everywhere; drifting from some unseen source. Through the thick of them, I could barely see the briefest flashes of a midnight blue, like the sky just after the sun sets. I tried moving forward, using my arms to part the air before me. They continued pouring down though, catching in my hair and sliding off my body like liquid.
All the while they were building up at my feet, making it more difficult to move with each step I took. Every which way I turned, great dunes of them towered into the sky, creating mountainous barriers that I didn't dare forge through.
The pale feathers still swirled around my feet, though the ground I was treading on seemed completely smooth. The soles of my shoes didn't catch on anything, but this wasn't necessarily a good thing, considering not a moment later I found myself slipping and sliding.
My whole body shook and quivered as I bent this way and that, trying to keep my balance. Sheets of feathers rained down -impossibly heavier- and with one final gust my legs shot out from under me.
The impact my body made with the floor was harsher than I could have imagined, taking into account the massive amount of padding the feathers would have seemingly offered. My breath was completely knocked out of me, and it was all I could do to stay immobile and just gasp in air.
Those last few seconds meant everything though.
Before I could stop it, I found myself being smothered by the creamy, stark feathers. They piled high on my fallen form, blocking out any light I previously received, and all the oxygen as well. My throat was closing rapidly, and my head spun dangerously.
I was dying. I was-
"She sleeps like the dead, I swear," a voice said, reaching through my subconscious and yanking me from my chilling dream- no, nightmare.
"Are you kidding?" another person joined the other, sounding incredulous. "Do you know her at all? She'd wake up if a mouse so much as passed her bed. Look, she's coming to right now!"
I opened my eyes groggily, blinking in the morning light now filtering in through the window. Blearily I sat up in bed, pulling the covers around my shoulders as I did so. Glancing towards the door I saw Ella and Iggy glaring at each other, hands on their hips; though with Iggy it just made me want to laugh.
"What are you guys doing?" I demanded, giving them a look of my own. "And Iggy, what the hell are you doing in my house? Don't think I've forgotten about the little glitter incident."
He smiled sweetly at me, taking a few strides with his mile long legs across the room, where he then proceeded to drop onto my bed with a scary precision for a blind guy. I narrowed my eyes at him impossibly further, raising my fist in warning. He was perfectly aware of the damage I could cost him with just one punch. Too bad he couldn't see my threat.
"Because I missed you, Maxie," he insisted.
"Oh, give me a break. Because you want something from me is more likely," I replied, rolling my eyes. Did this kid think he was fooling me? I knew Iggy well enough to know better than that. We hadn't been friends for very long, but I did consider him to be an addition to my small circle of people I trusted, though looking back on the bomb in my locker, it might be wise to rethink that decision.
In the end I didn't really get to figure out what that was, though. School was beckoning, and I needed to get ready or else I'd be late. I couldn't afford any more mishaps like that so close to the end of the year. I would graduate and then I'd be . . . done. So I quickly and effectively yanked Iggy by the collar from the room, sending him packing with the order to make me breakfast.
What can I say? The blind guy was an insanely amazing cook.
When I turned back around Ella was standing in the same spot as previously, staring out into the hallway wistfully. I raised an eyebrow at her, waiting for her to elaborate on the longing expression on her face.
"He's so-" she began with a small smile playing around her lips.
"Never mind. I don't even want to know," I interrupted her, shaking my head. Ella developing a cute-sy little crush on Iggy was the last thing I needed to be worried about right now, especially with all that's been piling on my plate as of late.
Out of my peripheral vision I saw Ella shrug before skipping out the door once more, full of peppy happiness and shine. It almost made me shudder, considering the reason for her excitement. At this hour she was usually barely functioning. Not when Iggy was present though. Oh of course not.
Ew, ew, ew, ew. EW!
Within a few minutes I was ready, having simply slung on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, as per usual. My hair hung straight and limp over my shoulder; a single blond strand curling around my ear. I tucked it away from my face, lightly making my way down the stairs. The delicious smell wafting from the kitchen was calling out to me with the promise of a full stomach. As soon as I thought this, hunger rumbled dangerously and threateningly there.
As I neared the kitchen voices sprung up as I entered hearing distance, going from a faint murmur to discernible speech. When I rounded the corner into the room though, I was taken off guard so completely that all other thoughts fled my mind.
Iggy was busy setting plates of something onto the table, as Ella examined him from a safe distance, though making it blatantly obvious that she was watching him. She still couldn't get used to the fact that he was blind, but still able to do so much. She probably didn't have any idea he could sense where her eyes strayed, pinpointed on his every move . . .
And lounging against the counter was the last person I ever expected to see in my kitchen again. His black hair fell into his eyes as he glanced up upon my entrance, his obsidian colored eyes as effortlessly blank as always. The corner of his mouth twitched up as our gazes met.
"Hey Max," Fang said quietly, leaning even further back on his elbows, which rested on the cold granite of the counter top.
"Hey . . ." I said slowly, raising an eyebrow at him. What was he doing here?
"I figured I'd give you a ride to school," he intoned, answering my unspoken question. I nodded in response, awkwardly moving to sit down at the table. My mood had run sour, though I should be happy he was offering, or even thinking about me at all.
Because the truth was: everything about us was awkward now. I had no idea what to say to him half the time, and he really didn't contribute to conversation much. I felt like, despite everything we had been through, he was pulling further and further away; once again morphing into the allusive stranger he was to me previously. There was a time not long ago that I could always count on him to be there for me . . . but now I hardly knew who he was, and I was afraid any sort of relations between us would crumble because of that.
In other words: not good.
That was why I was a little on edge by the time I was done eating my breakfast, and Fang and I were on our own for the ride to school. I wasn't sure if I should be thankful for the seclusion or not. On one hand it would potentially give us time to talk about the wayward turn we had taken, but on the other . . . it could just be another hefty, painful silence to add to the list. I don't know which would be harder for me to deal with.
"You're being awfully quiet," Fang remarked after a few minutes, his eyes briefly floating to mine before they drifted back to the road he was navigating ahead of us. We pulled to a halt at a stop sign, and he glanced over again as I tried to formulate a response.
Eventually I deemed it reasonable to just shrug, riveting my gaze outside the passenger window so I wouldn't have to see his expression; if there was even one to look at. He let the matter drop after that, which I knew he would. Part of me was hoping he would pursue my silence though. Part of me hoped he still cared enough to worry about my mood change.
All of me wished we could go back to how it was before.
"I guess I just have a lot on my mind lately," I summed up weakly, glaring down at my lap. My hands lay limply there, and I traced the scars covering my palms and fingers. I couldn't remember where they came from; whether it was just everyday life or a fight. The past seemed to blend together into one big mass as each day passed. I was started to accept my better, new way of life. The downfall to that was that I was growing soft . . . and losing Fang, it seemed.
"Like what?" he inquired in his low, velvet smooth tone. There was a hint of concern present, peeking out through his emotionless facade. Even the smallest note of that made me more confident in confiding in him.
"Angel and Gazzy . . ." I trailed off, conjuring up all the courage I had; which was a lot when you stopped to think about it. Tearing my gaze from my hands I looked up at him, 'you' poised on the tip of my tongue. The word was lost in my throat though, upon taking in his expression.
He was smiling.
Well, not smiling really. Fang smiling, to be more exact. The corners of his mouth upturned a bit, stretching across his teeth; which shined white by the crescent shaped area you could see through the cage his lips created. Overall, he was looking extremely pleased about something that was entirely the opposite.
"What are you so smug about?" I demanded, my brows knitted together as I frowned slightly. He just shook his head, chuckling to himself as he maneuvered the car around a corner. I turned my face away, feeling stung.
"I'm glad you think the current position I'm in in terms of Angel and Gazzy is funny," I spat through gritted teeth, my eyes burning for no apparent reason. First he starts ignoring me most of the time, and then he has the audacity to laugh about this?
"Max," he said with an almost inaudible sigh, and I saw him reaching for my hand out of my peripheral vision. I quickly pulled it out of his reach, tucking it against my other side. Childish? Maybe. But at this point I was more than okay with resigning to such behavior.
"Seriously?" he muttered, giving me some sort of incredulous look I'm sure, but I didn't respond. In fact, I ignored him completely the rest of the drive. From the corner of my eye I could detect his fidgeting, as he shifted this way and that in his seat and moved his hands to and from the wheel. Obviously he was agitated by my behavior.
Good. He more than deserved it.
We were just pulling up to the school when my cell phone started ringing. I hated to carry around the stupid thing, but it did have its purposes. Rolling my eyes I fished it out of my bag, Aunt Valencia's name flashing across the screen. Withholding a sigh I brought the device to my ear.
"I'm at school now, so this better be something either important or quick," I snapped into the phone, some of my pessimistic mood dripping into my words.
"Trust me," Aunt Val quipped back, immune to my seething, "you're going to be quite happy with the news I have to share with you."
"What is it?" I demanded, throwing the car door open as Fang killed the engine. I stepped out onto the sidewalk as Aunt Valencia went on in the same excited tone.
"The agency called just a few minutes ago. Apparently, the other couple interested in adopting Angel and Gazzy decided against it. We were the only other candidates, and they really want to get the two of them out of that home as soon as possible. Your mom and I are going downtown to sign some papers right now."
"Wha . . . What?" was all I could manage to say, all other coherent speech fleeing me. My breath caught in my throat at just the mere thought of such a fortunate turn of events. I couldn't control the hyperactive beating of my heart, as it thumped excessively in my chest; threatening to leap from its place any second.
"Angel and Gazzy will be back in our care before the day is over, if things go according to plan."
Numbly I remember us exchanging goodbyes, and the dial tone swelling in my ear. I'm sure I was trapped on varying levels of shock. It just couldn't seem to compute in my mind. Angel and Gazzy will be back in our care before the day is over. It was such a magnificent thought I didn't dare rely too heavily on it.
I mean, what were the odds that Fang's parents really had given up? They . . .
"You!" I breathed, rounding on Fang. He was leaning back on the door of his car, that same pleased, smug look as before plastered all over his face. His dark eyes were watching me carefully, a bigger smile yet tugging on his lips.
I grinned so widely it hurt. Without thinking I flew towards him; throwing my arms around his neck tightly. The force of my embrace made him take a few steps back, but his own arms were quickly surrounding me as well. I buried my face in his neck, almost crying in relief, amongst all the other billions of emotions now washing through me.
"But you . . . and then you . . ." I stuttered like an idiot, pulling away from him so I could see his smirk. His beautiful, wonderful smirk. The smirk that no doubt assisted him in whatever he had done to convince his parents to give in. Finally.
"I hope you're not too mad," he replied, and I flashed back to my cold shoulder escapade from just a scant few minutes ago. Even that seemed so very far away now, in hindsight of the news I had just received.
"Thank you," I said emphatically, staring up at him through my eyelashes.
"Anytime," he said seriously. "Anything."
His last word was a mere whisper as he gripped my face gently between both of his hands, guiding my lips to his. For the first time in what seemed like a very long time, there was a fire behind his kiss that made my head spin in the way that only he could master. Electricity almost seemed to dance between us, as the proverbial sparks set up a dazzling display behind my closed eyelids, set off by his mouth on mine.
He had that woo-ing effect, no doubt.
Eventually we parted, but not by very much. My head found its way back to his shoulder, as his arms loosely came around mine. I closed my eyes briefly there, but opened them once more when a prickling sense that I was being watched crept up my spine; flooding my senses with paranoia.
It didn't take me long to catch sight of the hooded figure, standing motionless at the end of the street. His face was in shadows, but I could tell he was looking in my direction. For a moment we just stared at each other, before he turned on his heel without warning, walking in the opposite direction.
I didn't hesitate to run after him.
Authors Note: I'd like to take a moment to point out that I know nothing about the adoption process, so I'm purposefully keeping it kind of vague, that way I don't screw up all the details. Some of what I have talked about may seem a little off. I'm sorry about that. Once again, it's simply because I'm not familiar with it.
And for the one of you that asked (I'm just feeling too lazy to respond to just your review :P), I play volleyball, haha.
P.S. Since it's Mother's Day and all . . . how awesome is your mom? ;)