Recap: Roxanne shrugged. "…but what do you plan to do with me?"

"Hmm… how should I say this?" Bradley wondered, "…You'll find out."

--

She watched him for a few seconds as he mopped up the mess, a curious look on his face. She knew that he still felt dazed because he had not yet noticed her presence.

"Hey, Max?" she said finally.

"Hm? Yeah?" He didn't look up.

Thump.

Supremely Annoying A/N: I dedicate this chappy to Shootapsky, who informed me that the way the character's roles were going were way off. I most definitely did not want Max to be some super perfect hero or Roxanne to be a stupid damsel in distress (no please no!!), but Mona… ehm, okay I still hate her :). But she'll have a happy ending (perhaps), and if she acting a bit too delusional you'll have to deal with it because I want to make it seem like she was a fake all along. Anyway, I'll do my best to slowly to keep Max from turning into an annoying Prince Charming. Please visit YouTube to revive yourselves… And by the way, I was doing my homework this whole time you've been waiting so do yours!

Oh, one more thing, you may have noticed that it was impossible for the knife to hit Roxanne in sense, but I'll explain: Mona did not drop it from hip length. She sort of threw it upward and it dropped to form a rainbow. It wasn't deep cut, it just scraped a wide area of skin. It didn't damage her bone or anything making it hard for her to walk, but I've been in that sort of situation so you'll have to trust me: I couldn't walk. Anyway, here goes.

Last Minute Warning: It gets a bit more mature in here as swearing is involved. Sorry, I got too into it.

Chapter 7:

"No, I'm serious, what the hell are you trying to do?" Roxanne said, snatching her hand away. "What is this? I never volunteered to be in some dress-up party. I mean, it is very nice, but…" Thoughts of Max turned her feisty act around and her voice faded away weakly. The maids began to exit from the room.

Bradley grinned, reaching for her hair. "And you are lovely, my dear," he said in a low voice, but Roxanne once more turned away from him. He rolled his eyes and began to lead her toward the door, she remaining barefoot. "Shall we continue?"

His lofty, gentleman voice was beginning to annoy her. "Fine," she said quietly, frowning slightly in another direction. "I'm going home soon after this, okay? Thank you for your hospitality by the way," she remembered to add. She was getting irritated at his not asking for her permission, but she wasn't about to be impolite; after all, she did not know what his intentions were.

"Maybe you can invite me to your apartment sometime, when it gets cleaned up," Bradley said.

"Yeah, maybe," Roxanne said when they found themselves in the dining room again, candlelit. Lifting her head, Roxanne noticed a queasy feeling in her stomach. "You know what," she said hoarsely, "I don't think I'm hungry anymore. Maybe…"

"You're not getting away this time," he said, for the first time that night in a scowling voice. He grabbed her arm, pulling her toward him, then slamming her onto the floor.

"No! Get—," she was cut off when Bradley's face came down on hers, holding down her wrists, and she struggled and finally kneed him with her good leg. Smoothing down the dress, she gave Bradley a look with her innocent face burning with intense dislike. He gave her an impassive look.

"What the hell!" she screamed at him. "Why in the world were you trying to do such terrible, indecent things?!"

"Caught on, have you?" A small smirk adorned his face.

She scowled. "I'm out of here," she said, turning her back on him.

"And do what; go back to your Prince Max?"

She stopped in her tracks. "I'd never do something like that," she said in a low voice, her voice quaking slightly.

"Like what?" He was directly behind her. "Steal him away from his girlfriend? Realize, that all this time, you were in love with him? Beginning to have thoughts that encourage these wrongs?"

She clenched her fist. "I-I said I would never mean to do anything like that…" Because, yes, indeed it was true. Did that mean Conscience wasn't her conscience…? The voice was the one of her heart? They were her thoughts, her opinions… not the right things to do? All of a sudden, it was hard to breathe…

"No, you said you wouldn't do anything like that." Bradley took a soundless step toward her. "…But I know how you can forget about him."

She inhaled slowly. "How?" she whispered in a shivery voice, the one some people used when they were somewhat desperate or about to cry.

"Forget him, and hook up with me," he said in a voice that grinned like a Cheshire cat, his arms about to snake around her waist and pinch the strap when she wrenched free, slapped him, and ran outside. She dashed to the sidewalk, and was about to raise her arm to call a cab when one stopped right in front of her. She blinked, but got in nonetheless. She quickly told him her address and after a while, reached for her pocket to count out the money she had when she realized she didn't have one. My wallet, she thought her eyes widening with realization and distress.

She hadn't realized she had said that thought out loud when the driver turned and slung an elbow over the seat to look at her. He was shabby-looking and unsightly, but there was a glint in his dark rimmed eyes. "Missy, ya know no one rides for free."

"I-I know," she said, quickly trying to gain control of the humiliating situation. "Look, the subdivision ought to be near now, you can take me there, and I'll run inside and come back out to give you the money."

But the driver seemed to ignore her words. The car was moving again but malicious look was in the driver's eyes. "It's either gas, grass," he said, "or ass."

Roxanne knew immediately what he wanted to do as soon as she got back. "I'm getting out of here!" she cried, attempting to wrench the door open. But the car quickly swerved and sped up so that Roxanne wouldn't be able to get out without hurting herself.

"Nuh-uh, honey, we're a'goin'." He said, cackling just a bit. She was slightly frantic, but as she burned on the seat she thought of a plan. She watched anxiously at the cars in front of them, ducking away only when the driver snuck looks at her from the rearview mirror, and as soon as a car overtook the cab forcing it to roll to a slower pace, making the driver swear, she jerked the car door open and bounded out on the road onto the sidewalk. Still barefoot, she kept running even after she was out of reach.

Finally, she had to stop for a breath. She was panting with her hands on her knees as some boys wolf-whistled behind her. "Hey pretty lady how about having some fun with us?" one of them offered in a drunk manner, though he seemed quite sane. She stood erect, snorting in an haughty manner, and began to trudge back, doing her best to ignore the stupid passersby that tried to gain her attention at every corner. She cursed to Bradley Uppercrust, knowing that it was his fault she was wearing such a dress in the street.

"Uh-uhm, uh—," Max nervously stared at the Mona who fell headfirst on top of him. Her face was buried under her hair and she seemed to be unconscious. "Uh wait, we're gonna be okay, I'll just…" he clumsily slipped the girl off him, then stumbled to his feet, wondering what to do first. Uh—couch, he thought, after heading aimlessly in random directions. He proceeded to pick her up from under her arms, then lifted her onto the couch she had formerly lay beside.

A soft groan escaped Mona's lips and Max tripped to her side onto his knees. "Uh—do you need any medicine?" he asked her.

Mona slowly removed the arm which she used to cover her eyes and gave Max a devastating look. "No, I…" she lifted her hands and enveloped Max's face in them, bringing him closer. He hesitated for a bit, and then submitted; she was his girlfriend after. There was nothing wrong with…

The door swung open and in stepped a frazzled looking Roxanne. "Mona, I need to talk to y—oh!" She stepped back. Max's head snapped up in surprise and slight annoyance. Mona looked infuriated at first, but soon thought better of it. She slipped her legs over the couch and Max stood up, looking away, evidently embarrassed and irritated with the intrusion.

"I-I'm sorry," the intruder muttered awkwardly. "I see I've interrupted on… something."

"Yeah, kinda," Max said in a quiet voice.

"It ought to be better then," Mona said, standing up. She led Roxanne to the door by clasping her bare upper arm, bidding Max to wait and perhaps finish cleaning up the mess. Finally they stood outside and Mona leaned against a railing, eyeing Roxanne, deep inside smug. "Well, what is it?"

"Well, first I apologize for—"

"You already did that," Mona interrupted. "Go on."

Roxanne took a breath and faced Mona again. "I never intended to steal Max away from you," she said clearly. Mona raised a brow. Roxanne went on. "If I did anything that made you uncomfortable or insecure with Max's faithfulness, I'm sorry—"

"You'd better be," Mona hissed. "And don't worry about Max's faithfulness. He'd never leave me."

Roxanne sucked it up and chose to ignore the insulting words. "Look, I just want us to start over. I never meant to threaten your place with Max. I'm not really experienced with these things because I don't really understand, I've never had someone try to steal someone away from me and…" she took a breath. "Max… is the only one I've ever had a real relationship with." She looked at Mona again for her reaction.

"Hmph," she said. "Looks like you grew up all innocent with a good life, huh? Until now, when you've started to do just the thing that introduced you to the real world. One hell of a place, huh? Unknown to Max, I had to work to survive. Every piece of shit was thrown my way, and I learned to be the kind of person that isn't held in the dark like that." Roxanne half expected her to pull a burnt cigarette out of her mouth and throw it at her feet. Was this the kind of person one needed to become to survive? A con artist?

"I-I'm sorry," Roxanne said with her best shot at sympathy. "But you need to be honest with Max if—,"

"Don't you lecture me about my relationship with Max!" Mona spat. "Who the hell do you think you are? Get your ass out of my relationship, you thief."

"I am not a thief, just a bit ignorant, okay? I admit that." Roxanne was starting to sound frustrated. "Let's just forget this whole thing. I'll never get intimate with Max again, and I'll forgive you for everything."

"Oh yeah?" Mona said spitefully. "Well, I don't think I've done anything that would make me need your forgiveness!" Her voice rose, and then so did Roxanne's.

"Hey, can't you see my intentions are sincere?" Roxanne said, face hardening. "I'm trying to make up, okay, and you're not making it any easier! I don't know what the hell you want, but—"

"What I want?" Mona echoed, her voice starting to sound delusional. "What I want? I want you to get the hell out of our lives, get sold to some pedo and got to hell!!"

"Shut up!" Roxanne screamed. Mona frowned, taking a step back. "You know what; I am getting sick of taking your shit, for trying to make up when I just want to zip your mouth shut! I know you've been through bad because of me, but that's your own fault! You don't know the hell I've been through just to get here—"

"Good!" Mona said back. "Because I told Bradley Uppercrust to keep you away and it looks like he did fine even if he didn't finish the job!"

Roxanne's eyes widened with unutterable fury. "Oh my God," she hissed, her voice getting louder with every phrase. "I am not going to say that you don't know what the hell you just tried to do to me, which is one of the most horrible things one could do to another, because ohmigod, I think you do. Every word you say is starting to piss me off, you know that, and I don't want to mess with you in any way, but I'll spare you this bit of advice, and I don't give a crap if you're gonna tell me to keep my ass out of anything. You are just one hell of a bitch, Mona, and you don't deserve anyone!"

"Roxanne!" Both girls turned in the direction of a very enraged Max, who bounded down over to them. Mona quickly slipped out of her frightened, bewildered state and ran over to Max, tears magically appearing in her eyes.

"She was threatening me!" she wailed. "S-She told me that I should break up with you because… because…" she broke into sobs. Max put an arm on her shoulders and moved her a bit to the side to glare viciously at Roxanne, who was standing stupidly there agape.

"I don't know what got into you," he hissed. "I don't even want to think about why you are going around threatening people like that or wearing that dirty, indecent get-up (Roxanne quickly fumbled with her corset) but I can't think of any word to say to talk to you right now and I don't think I'll want to talk to you anytime soon." He turned away. Roxanne, released from her trance, started to shout.

"What? What? That is just ridiculous! How can you take her side so easily?! Ohmigod, don't be stupid! She's trying to trick you! She just—"

"Roxanne, just save it," Max said. "I-I'll talk to you later—"

"Listen to me now," Roxanne said, sounding desperate. Her knees weakened, and Max winced, not wanting to be so mean.

"Max…" Mona groaned.

"I promise, I'll talk to you later," he whispered quietly, looking away and bringing Mona back into the apartment.

Roxanne's knees gave way and her rear hit the ground.

----------------

Annoying A/N: I know she seems weak now but she'll get better, and Max is giving me trouble, so please be patient.