So this chapter was just supposed to be a filler and unimportant, but changed into something very important. The character that is introduced in the beginning will play a big role in the next chapter so don't forget her.

Six years ago (Seven years old)

"Fang... F-fa~ang!" I spread my arms wide in an in a vain attempt to keep what little balance I had, still under my feet. I go sprawling onto the ice in one quick slip of my feet.

"Fa~ng." I groan, failing in my attempts to get back up on the tiny blades on my feet. An arm reaches down to snag my own and hauls me up until I'm once again wobbling on the skates sloppily jammed onto my feet.

I glare at the boy who has recently evened out in hight with my own.

"What gave you, or anyone, the brilliant idea to take someone who needs stitches daily because of their coördination, ice-skating?!" He grins.

"It's better entertainment than television!"

I punch him in the arm with as much force I could muster, only to lose balance and have to grab onto his shoulders to keep from falling.

I gasp at the horrible sound of skates grinding against the ice.

Suddenly someone slams into Fang and he goes sprawling on top of me, my head slams into the ice and, dang that hurt my butt!

"I'm so sorry!" Another girl squeaks and reaches down. She helps Fang to his feet, ignoring me completely.

She has reddish hair peeking out of a soft wool hat and stunning green eyes.

"I'm Lisa." The girl says. "Fang, right?"

Fang flushes a little. "Uh, yeah. You're in my class, right?"

I snort. Like he doesn't know. He's had a crush on her since kindergarten! And that was like, two years ago!

"I didn't hurt you did I?" She worries.

"N-no, I'm good."

"Yeah, I fine too, thanks for asking!" I say, slamming my head back down on the ice. It's cold is just now seeping into my shirt and I shiver.

"Alright then. See you in school." She turns away from him and skates off to the other side of the rink. I roll my eyes as he stares after her in awe. I kick him in the leg slightly to get his attention.

"Hello~o, I'm still down here! Little help please?" I raise my hand expectantly. He looks down at me stupidly.

"What?"

I sigh.

"I hate you." I use the wall beside me to help pull myself up.

"No, wait... What?... Seriously, what'd I do?... Max?... Max?..."

Now

"Hello Arizona!" I shout launching myself off the stuffy bus and into the stuffier air outside. "They said they'd be at the dinner!" I yell behind me to Fang as we both race up two separate driveways. I let myself into the house and run up the stairs, not giving much thought to where I was going.

I through my bags onto my bed, still messy from the last time I slept in it at the end of the school year. I throw open the window and climb out it with little difficulty, to where I balance on a sloppily hand-made bridge.

I run the few steps across it and climb through the window on the next house as Fang throws it open. As soon as my feet touch the carpeted floor, Fang tosses me an old skate board, that I catch, like we've done it a hundred times. Which of course we have. The thought makes my heart stutter a little.

We race out the house, navigating it as easily as my own, and out the front door.

We hit the street rolling.

"I still don't understand how you're more coördinated on wheels than your own two feet." He says gliding easily beside me.

I puff out my chest. "I'm just awesome that wa~ay!" To embarrass myself even more, my wheel hits an oversized rock that makes me go flying. Right into Fang.

My heart speeds up for a millisecond but I quickly shake it off. It was just the rush of falling

"Damn it!" I spring off of Fang as quickly as I could as my face flushes red. Stupid rock.

Fang laughs, but I somehow catch an edge to it.

I flip my skate over before hopping back on it, easily falling in beside my best friend. I scowl at my scraped hands in annoyance.

We finally make it to Sofia's Diner and roll straight through the door, the bell ringing as we do.

"Hey Sofia!" I call as I ram into a bar stool chair, knocking me of my board. The rest of the flock is already there. Fang stops much more gracefully than me and hops over the counter with ease.

He pulls the woman into a hug, surprising anyone who didn't know him well. "Hey mom." He sighs.

I smile a little until an ecstatic shout captures my attention.

"Max!" A girl of twelve pushes through the swinging doors and launches herself at me. A rare giggle escapes my lips as I catch half her body, the other half still resting on the bar from when she tried to fling herself over it.

"Hey Ella." I brush her brown hair behind her ear, reveling in my sister's affections. After a long moment, she pulls back slightly, using my forearms to brace against and whispers to me.

"Gazzy likes me?" She glances at him and like he knows what we're talking about, he blushes and quickly looks away.

I bite my lip as a smile threatens to break across them. I shrug and lean forward while glancing at Gazzy as well. "It's news to me too."

She giggles again and I have to cover my mouth to stop myself from giggling again. It just makes me so happy to be back home.

I meet Fangs eyes from his place where he is still talking animatedly with his mom, and we share a smile. My chest swells. Ella notices and she grins, pulling her feet forward to where she sits on the edge of the counter.

"So, what's up with you and Fang?" I can feel as the color rises to my cheeks as I deny anything between us.

"Come on, there has to be something." The kiss immediately rises to my mind, making me blush even more.

Her eyes widen. She jumps off the bar and gripping both of my hands, drags me farther away from people.

"Tell me." She demands.

"Don't you have to get back to work?" I asks, desperate for her to drop it, because I know she'll get it out of me.

She gives me a look and I sigh in defeat. "He kissed me."

The squeal erupts from her mouth before the whole sentence is out and I clamp a hand down on her lips.

"Shhh!" I hiss as eyes turn to us. Slowly they go back to their conversations. All except Nudge who narrows her eyes and continues to stare.

I turn my back to her uncomfortably.

Ella tugs my hand away. "What happened? Did you kiss him back?"

I'm already shaking my head. "It's not like that." I tell her the story and how it happened.

"You've never kissed anyone before?" She asks dumbfounded. "Well, no wonder he kissed you. And you told him it was weird?" I bite my lip again and bob my head. "Poor boy."

I laugh as we walk back over to everyone else.

"So where's mom?" I ask.

"Still at the clinic, she couldn't get out early." I nod my head in understanding.

I unconsciously kick my shoes off as I pull my feet into my chair as we continue to talk and catch up on each other's summer.

I start as two different magazines are slapped down on the table in front of me as I eat my dinner in the Diner with Fang and the rest of the flock. The other people had long since gone home and everything had died down since we've been home a little over a week now.

"What's this?" Janie asks, and I glance up from my burger which freezes halfway to my mouth.

"Oops." dread fills my stomach as I look at the pictures on the front pages.

It's of me standing behind the Diner in one, and the other in the woods by the park. Both have me pressed up against something in a heated kiss with a boy. Two different boys.

I involuntarily glance at Fang. He raises an eyebrow.

"Hot." Iggy says leaning over my shoulder to stare at the pictures. I elbow him in the ribs.

I meet Janie's eyes. "What about them?" I ask as nonchalantly as I could.

"W- What about them? This is bad, Max. You can lose fans. What where you thinking?"

I shrug and risk another glance at Fang.

"Well you better fix this. You have an interview in twenty minutes. Lets go."

My head snaps back to her. "What- now?"

"Yes now, come on." She grabs me by the arm and practically shoves me into her car. (We no longer have the tour bus because we are no longer on tour.)

We're at the studio within fifteen minutes and rushed into the dressing room to get ready. everything is a blur as I'm shoved into an outfit, and six different people work on my face.

Finally I'm shoved onto the stage and a million lights blare on my and I'm being introduced.

I have never gotten stage fright before, but I always have at least a day to prepare myself. Oh god.

I walk stiffly to my chair and sit next to the interviewer. She greets me easily and I give a wavering smile in return.

"So Max, how are you?"

"I little overwhelmed." I say honestly. I always have my flock beside me in these things.

"Why is that?"

"Well I was just told I had an interview and was rushed here a little over twenty minutes ago. I usually have time to prepare for these things."

The woman nods in understanding. "I have to admit, it was last-minute. Do you know what we're going to interview you about?"

My face screws up in concentration. "Kind of."

She pulls out the two magazines I had seen previously.

"What can you tell me about these boys?"

"They went to school with me, and they hang out at the local Diner sometimes."

"Does this mean your cheating?"

My eyes widen in surprise and I shake my head vigorously. "Oh, no. Those were just a one time thing, and even then it doesn't go any farther than this." I wave my hand at it.

I answer thefollowing questions with ease and by the end, I'm feeling pretty confident.

"You keep giving us these short answers, and even then, only the facts. We want you to open up, tell us what is running through you head."

I let out a shaky breath. "That's gonna be kind of hard because even I don't know what goes on in here." I tap on my skull.

She doesn't say anything, just leans forward more, expectantly.

I hesitate, then sit up and lean forward as well.

"Ok, so..." I let out an agitated sigh. "I'm just.. trying to feel something!" It came out louder than I wanted it, in my frustration. And something breaks in me, making words fall from my lips before I even know what they are.

"I'm trying to feel something, with anyone, but I don't, and it's frustrating, and annoying, because I want to feel something with them but I-I just don't and I always end up running away because it's not fair. It's not fair to them that when we kiss, it's not them I'm... thinking... abou... Oh my god." I whisper the last part because the realization hits me hard, harder than anything ever has, including that bus.

And I. Can't. Breath.

"What did you realize Max?" The woman speaks softly.

I open my mouth and try to say something, anything, but nothing would. I look to Janie desperately, but she just shrugs.

You dug the hole. Now drag yourself out.

I let out a ragged breath.

"I-I.. uh... Nothing." I squeak. I clear my throat and plaster a wavering smile to my face. "It's nothing, just some stupid thought."

I beg to god for my words to be true.

She's silent for a moment, as if thinking about whether or not to press. She seems to see something in my eyes though, because she smiles.

"Well thank you for your time, and for sharing your thoughts. It was nice to meet you."

"You too." My voice is higher than it normally is. I shake her hand once more and take one more glance at the camera before I rush off the stage.

Janie rubs my shoulder as I walk past.

"Good job. I think everything will be okay now."

I nod mutely and wait for her in the car

He's in my kitchen when I get there, and it's almost enough to send me over the edge.

I smile uneasily as he turns to me. He wraps me in his arms and because of my newfound realization, I start hyperventilating.

I can feel my face begin to burn so I clutch at his shirt and bury my face in his neck. I can barely hear him over the pounding of my heart.

Can one stupid realization really do this to someone? My body sure thinks so.

"You know you could have talked to right? You could have told me." I nod, though I know I never could have.

"I know." I whisper.

When he pulls away, my face is once again blank as I give him a soft smile.

"Next time talk to me okay?"

I nod.

"Right, love you." I eyes start to sting as he pats my arm and starts walking to the door. "I'll be over in a bit." He pauses then, and looks back at me.

"You're my best friend, Max." And because of those words, right then as he walks away, I cry.

I wouldn't have even known I was crying if it weren't for Nudge, who walked in a moment later.

Completely out of character, she wordlessly walks up to me and hugs me. When she pulls away, I give her a confused look.

"Why are you crying?"

I bring my hands to my cheeks in surprise and find that she's right. And once again, realizing something has a physical reaction on my body.

My lip trembles and the tears start falling faster.

She holds me silently, for once not having anything to say. "Is it Fang?"

My grip tightens on her shirt. "Ella told me that he kissed you... You love him don't you." There is no question in her voice.

"But I don't want to. I don't want to think about him like that, or be to nerves to even hug him, because I'm afraid I'll do something stupid... And when he tells me that he loves me, I don't want to feel like I'm going to cry because I know that he doesn't mean it the way I want him too."

"I know." She says, and that's it.

When she leaves, I go up to my room and peel my cloths from my body and wash the ruined makeup from my face.

I pause at the window and watch as Fang gets ready for bed. With a decisive click, I turn the lock and pull the curtains closed.

Climbing into bed in my underwear, I hear the pane shake, then a slight tap on the window.

The bed feels cold and too big without him, but I know that if he is sleeping next to me tonight, I would definitely do something stupid.

There is another tap and the window shakes again.

In the morning, it will be like it always is, we'll be as close as ever, and no one will ever know.

The tap turns to a knock.

And maybe if I act like the feelings aren't there, maybe it will eventually be true.

There is the sound of shuffling feet and the sound of opening and closing of a window. There is no more disturbance done to mine.

I feel like this is too rushed. I feel like I'm going to fast but we're running out of chapters and I want to get everything in. Things will only get harder for Max from here, but she finally admitted her feelings! Yay!

So leave a review and this gal will love you forever. Bye.

-Fantasy