Ella and Angel just stared at me in shock.

We were in my room, all of us. Me, Nudge, Angel, and Ella. We sat on my bed in a circle. I had just told the twins what I told Nudge in the woods.

"What?!" Angel squeaked.

"You what?!" Ella breathed, eyes wide.

"Yeah," I sighed, then looked them in their eyes, serious, "I'm not joking. I'm not playing. I'm sick of waiting. He chose Lissa. Didn't give me a second glance either. Hell! He didn't give me a freaking first! He went for a skank. He can have the shit on our boots. I don't want to be Max anymore. I want you to give the complete transformation. You've got me the looks. You chose a name for me and I agree to use it. And now. One more step. Change my attitude. Change my personality. Change me into a girl like you guys, the better, prettier, non-skanky Lissas of the world. Because I am done being this piece of crap called Max. I want to be someone people actually envy. People want. And I want them to fucking hate me for it. I want them to hate me for making them wish they were me or were with me or anything. Just change me. Change me into Maxine Martinez. I don't want to be Maximum Ride. Hell! I'll even date Dylan if it means not being me. If it means getting over Fang. If it means becoming Maxine."

Nudge stared at me, her mouth hanging open. Both of the twins had the same look, but Nudge spoke first.

"You said more words than I ever have in one go... And said you'd date a guy."

I just smiled at that. I was already different from my usual self when I said that last part. I'm not even sure how much I really meant it. But I just told them, "Now you know how serious I am about this. Will you do this for me? Ella? Angel? Nudge? Please?"

Ella said, "I will definitely do that for you. Show him what he's missing! Show him he made the wrong choice! He picked a slut he gets the slut. He picks Maxine? Maxine leaves him in the dirt! And he'll be raging over that guy, Dylan!" She laughed.

"Well," Angel sighed, sadness etched into every inch of her face as she said, "I really do like you and Fang together. It makes me feel so... happy. You guys are like soul-mates stuck going down a few wrong turns. But you still belong together, I just feel it. Yet, still. You are my older sister. I love you. I hate you. I wish you would just, oh, I dunno really, sometimes. But he hurt you. And you are my sister, Max. I will stand by you through thick and thin when it all comes down to it. I will do this and help you."

I smiled at the twins. Man how I hate gushy moments, but awe. I really do love my family to bits and pieces. They're always there for me. Always on my side. I can always count on them. I can always trust they will do what they know they need to do to help in any case for anything. That was just them.

I turned to Nudge. She looked sad. I knew she would still look sad. I remember how upset she was when I told her in our tree just half an hour before now.

I had told her what I wanted. She'd gave me the same look of astonishment that the twins did just recently.

She had tears rush to her eyes, but quickly dried them up with her sleeve. She stopped after that, just shaking her head, disbelieving. She'd looked so... Un-Nudge-Like. Just plain. Not cheerful. Not bubbly. Not overflowing with joy. Just standing there, looking like a hurt, frozen dark princess statue. But then she'd snapped out of it, not a minute later to ask me so many questions. And I literally just answered them all when I said that whole speech-long thingy to the three.

"Max," She whispered, tears threatening to fall from her pretty mocha-colored face, "I love the idea of you and Fang together. I hate Lissa for being the Queen of Mean. And I wish Fang wasn't an oblivious idiot to see it. But you... I know you must be too hurt to tell. You want to be with him, but him and Lissa hurt you too much alone. You don't want him to ignore you anymore. But you want to make it to where you are ignoring him instead. You want him to know how it feels for the person you've liked all this time to just... Not like you back. And you think it will feel so good that you will do all that you need to make it happen. But you are my cousin. You are hurt. You want to get back at him, but you won't really admit it. And I can't help but feel you deserve at least this little piece of vengeance. So I will also help you. When we're done, Max. You will not be Maximum Ride. You will be Maxine Martinez, just like you want to be."

And my sisters and Nudge looked at me with so much love and trust in their eyes. The hurt and sadness in them was overshadowed by the hope overflowing from them. They were lost. They knew what was right. They also knew what was wrong. They seemed to know the difference between the two alternatives. And they also seemed to think that I didn't know it. Maybe not, but still. I knew what I wanted. I knew they supported me. I knew all I wanted to know at the moment. And that was just how I liked it.

Soon I wouldn't just be Max.

Soon I wouldn't be Maximum Ride at all really.

Soon I would be a girl called Maxine.

But not just any girl named Maxine.

I would be Maxine Martinez, the girl who won't be toyed around with by a guy who isn't worth it, or any guy at all for that matter.

The girl who wouldn't let you play with her feelings, but would instead play with yours.

I would very soon be that girl.

I would very soon be Maxine Martinez.

And it was only a matter of time.