My room is naked! Like, no kidding, I don't have any pictures or anything on my wall, and I'm a picture kinda girl! It makes me sad. :(

Max

I thought that being alone with Fang would be awkward. But it was just like hanging out with one of my guy friends, going out to eat and talking sports.

"Are you a football fan?" Fang asked me as he took a big bite of his Sonic burger. Some ketchup splattered onto his wrapper, and a pickle fell out too.

"Not too much of one," I replied. I stuffed a few fries in my mouth, and I would be a liar if I said it was more attractive than the insides bulging out of Fang's hamburger. "I mean, I've dated more than one football player, but I've never really seen why girls just gush over the muscley type that just bonk heads for the hell of it."

Fang looked at me with a little tiny half-grin on his face, and I suddenly felt self-conscious. I fought off a blush and exhaled in a little laugh as I looked down at my limeade (which, just for the record, is the best thing you can get at Sonic).

"What?" I said, grinning as I looked up at Fang.

"Hm?" He sat up straighter, shaking his head a little to get his hair away from his eyes. "Nothing. You're just so opinionated."

"Is that a good thing?" I asked, furrowing my eyebrows, but keeping my smile.

"It's not a bad thing." Fang eyed me, and then he took the wrappers from both of our food, bundled it up, and tossed it into a nearby trash can. "How's your knee feeling?"

This was the first time Fang had asked about my newest injury. I'd given him just little explanations of my - many - past ones.

"Oh, it's fine. Just a little sore." I shrugged and tossed my cup into the same trash can Fang had.

My knee really didn't hurt all that bad. Usually I was able to ignore an injury pretty well, as long as I wasn't focused on it. But sometimes that didn't happen because, like with my broken nose, everybody saw and everybody mentioned it.

"Want to go to the park and play some ball?" Fang asked, raising his eyebrows. "I've got a ball in my car."

"Yeah, sure." I pulled my sweatshirt over my shoulders, no doubt screwing up my hair.

Wait a second. Did I, the athletic girl that used tape as a bobbi pin, seriously just think that? Yeah, I think I did. What the hell?

We got back in Fang's car and I said, "Isn't it past curfew? It's a few minutes till twelve."

"We're in the good part of town, Max," Fang said, as if it was obvious. Which I guess it should be. I just don't think clearly with Fang around - at all. I think his cologne - which, for the record, is amazing - got to my head. "The cops will be on the north end. We'll be fine."

"If you say so," I said as if I was doubting him, but he just smiled at me. Smiled isn't really the right word. Sideways grin/smirked at me would probably be more fitting.

When we got to the park Fang dug through the back of his cluttered car, searching for the basketball, while I sat in the middle of the rundown cement court and worked on my knee. It was okay for the most part, as long as I didn't jump-jump. I could just extend onto my toes, which I knew would affect my shots, but was better than nothing.

"So," Fang said, dribbling the ball and walking toward me simultaneously, "one-on-one?"

"You're on," I told him, standing up. I'd been stretching a little, even though I was still stretched for the most part from the game.

I hadn't really let it sink in quite yet that we were the District Champs (two years in a row now). But as I thought about it, I remembered that we only had one for-sure game left. And it counted - boy, did it count. We won, we went on to State. We lost... A repeat disappointment of last year, and the lowlight of my senior year.

"What's the winner get?" I asked. What? I was a little competitive, okay. More than a little. But I knew Fang would be too, and I loved a game where both sides wanted the win like nothing they've ever wanted before.

Fang stopped dribbling, thinking for a moment. "How about," he said, tossing the ball to me and getting ready, "a kiss."

"A kiss?" I repeated dumbly. I wasn't sure if I'd heard him right. And every kiss I'd had before this wasn't a prize or a little bet. This game would be huge if Fang had really just said that.

"I said 'to diss,' actually," Fang said, straightening up. But then he smiled (oh yeah, sideways grin/smirked) and nodded. "Like, diss the loser? But I like your idea better."

"Ha ha, very funny. I know you said kiss." I dribbled the ball a few times.

"Well I guess you'll never know, huh?"

While Fang was off guard, I leapt to the right, catching all my weight on my good knee, and extended up, shooting the ball toward the ratty, cheap net. It was kind of hard to aim, since it was so dark out, but the rim was red, so it was visible against the night.

"Nice one," Fang said. "Now I won't let you get anymore."

"Oh, 'let me,' huh?" I chuckled, and then our little competition really got going.

XxX

I am ashamed to say this, but Fang beat me. It was close (I was just two behind when he reached our mark of thirty points) but it was still an obvious win on his part.

"My knee held me back," I explained as soon as the shot was through and we both knew he won.

"Oh well. So how bout that kiss?" Fang smirked at me, tossing me the ball and then walking closer.

I stepped forward to close the gap between us, so that my nose was just an inch or so from his chin. I looked up through my eyelashes, and Fang was looking down at me with a...with an almost serious look on his face. Almost.

"Close your eyes," I said, trying to use that sexy voice that the girls use in all the movies while they're seducing a guy. It was a total fail on my part, but Fang obeyed anyway, puckering his lips and looking cocky as hell.

And then I pushed the basketball against his lips, cracking up at his shocked expression. His eyes snapped open as soon as he felt the rough outer layer of the ball on his lips, and he jerked his head back away as quick as physically possible.

"Not fair," he said right away, using his sleeves to wipe his lips.

"You just said the winner got a kiss," I reminded him, bouncing the ball once. "You never specified from who...or what."

"Max," Fang said in a voice that stopped my laughter.

I felt like a deer in headlights (but a suicidal, happy deer) as Fang pushed a few stray hairs out of my face. But his hand stopped on the back of my neck, and he pulled me slowly and gently toward him. My eyes fluttered closed as I dropped the ball and my hands wound around his neck, and then we were kissing.

Aw, how cute! Sorry if it sucks, but... I know the author's note is long, but just read it please. It's important.

So I've got some good news and some bad news. What do you want to hear first. The good news? Okay.

I can officially do a double full on a hard floor! Yay! So now my tumbling's getting there, and my stunting, so I've just got to get my jumps exceptional!

And the bad news now. Sigh. Today at school we ran the mile, and I felt like crap, so I went home. But I could hardly breathe. So my mom took me to the hospital. And after undergoing a few tests and a (super scary!) X-ray, we found out I have pneumonia. Mild pneumonia, but it is what it is. Thought you guys should know that, just in case the chapter did suck.

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE GO TO MY PROFILE AND VOTE ON THE POLL!

And review. :)