My cousin and sisters just stared at me. I couldn't tell, at least not too easily, with what they were looking at me with at the moment. They could have been angry, sad, happy, or practically anything for all I could tell.

And right then, my phone rings. I don't think much of it at first. I just grab it and answer, saying to whoever it was, "Hey!"

"Max!" Fang's voice rings out the other end. I cringe and my breathing becomes heavy. Why didn't I check the screen for caller ID?! I always avoided his calls these days... And I never replied to his texts anymore, either.

"Oh, hey, Fang, what's up?" I say, faking a happy voice. It took everything I had not to scream and cry and yell at him about all the insecurities he was causing me and how much pain he was putting me through, all the while holding my chest where it suddenly hurt really bad, like a weight was on it. But I knew not to do that. I was still Max. And I couldn't let Fang know anything. He was still Fang. And if I ever told him how I felt... I didn't know what I'd do. Or more so, what he'd do. So I sucked it up and talked to him, all the while my siblings and cousin stared at me with wide eyes.

He wasted no time with me. After all, his life was Lissa's now, wasn't it? He said, speaking low and fast, "Karaoke with Lissa and Dylan and me. Coming?"

"Sure," I mumbled, hanging up before I was even sure he heard me right. He probably wouldn't have cared if I stayed on with him, just talking and chatting like we could have... if it were before we met Lissa. But no. She was here now. And where were Fang and Max? Gone. Down separate paths and making choices to go opposite ways.

I didn't realize I had been crying until Nudge wiped my face with her pink handkerchief. I gasped slightly, touching my wet cheek to feel hot tears run over my fingers and down my face. I felt awful. And all I wanted was to cry... well, scream, really.

"Shh," Angel cooed, soothingly rubbing my back, "You're okay, Max. You're just fine. Come on," She addressed the other girls, "Let's help her up. We should take her out - go somewhere else. Take her mind off things, ya know?"

"Yeah," Ella agreed, nodding vehemently, "Definitely. She should be smiling, not crying."

"Well where should we go?" Nudge asked, her finger on her chin. "The park? No, too much dog poop and kids with sticky fingers. Ooh, how about the arcade? No, too much noise. And everyone bumps into you. Ice skating? Wait, the skates are so hard to put on. Okay, how about golfing? Nevermind about that, actually. Old people look at me funny. Ah! I know - a movie. Or! Maybe shopping? I really need a new purse. My pink one and my silver one and my cowgirl one, you know, the one with fringe? And the yellow one for my sundress and all my others including the brown one and green one and orange and purple and blue and the teal colored one with sequins? And all the others? They don't match the outfit I plan on tomorrow so can we go shop at that cute little boutique - you know, the one with -"

"NUDGE!" Ella and Angel shouted.

Nudge shut her mouth without making another sound and turned red with embarrassment.

"Sorry," She mumbled.

I didn't care. I really just didn't care one bit about it all. I didn't care if Nudge was talking my ears off or if Ella was yelling or if Angel was trying to comfort me. I didn't care if they wanted me to feel better - I wouldn't. I didn't care if they wanted to take me out of the freaking state. I didn't care if they took me to the freaking Sahara or Alaska or New York! I didn't give a shit one bit for it at all. All I could think of at the moment? Fang was going to sing karaoke.Karaoke. With Lissa. Lissa the fucking bitch. And Dylan was going to be there... And so was I.

And considering that the girls wanted to help me... I spoke up, not caring that my voice cracked and broke as I spoke the words I was thinking of, "Help me. I want to make him cry. I want to see this happen to him. And Maxine can do that, right? I want to be Dylan's girlfriend, Lissa's envy, and, one more thing that is so much more important to me than any of that other shit. I want to be her. I want to be Fang's broken heart. And I want that heart to bleed and be crushed under my foot. Exactly as he has done. Exactly what he's done to me. I want it all. And I want him to feel regret."

I don't know why, but as I spoke my thoughts, my chest hurt. It was painful. Excruciatingly painful. Almost too painful to bear. Why did the thought of them still hurt so damn much? This has to stop. I can't take much more of it. I just... Can't.

All I want is to get over him. So why does he make it so hard? Why does he do this to me? What did I do to deserve this? Did I even do something?