It's been a week since that day that the twins chilled my bones with their apparently-not-so-secret secret about Dylan and Lissa being siblings. I didn't care enough to listen to them when they explained about how they were related. It didn't seem to matter too much to me. But I've been thinking a lot.

I don't know why I'm even doing this, anymore. Not in all honesty, I don't. Fang is happy with Lissa. I'm not Lissa and I'll never be.. for multiple reasons. One? I'm not a redhead. Two? She's Lissa, the slut-whore-ho-etcetera girl.. yeah, you read that right. Three? I'm not Fang's girlfriend.. and there's plenty more reasons I don't want to go over. As for Dylan? Dylan is still... well, he's still just Dylan. And me? I am Maximum Ride. Why am I stressing over some damn boy? This is all just a big piece of garbage. I can't take it anymore.

I took a deep breath and walked to my desk. Then I saw a large purple book. It was my photo album, I realized as I looked at the large purple book of photographed memories and sighed. I remembered the last time I looked through it... That's what led to all of this - Nudge, Ella, and Angel's changed image of me that they've been making into a reality, me overdoing it on the thinking with the whole Lissa and Fang deal, Dylan becoming part of an evil scheme thought up by the evil three I love and call my family; my beautiful sisters Ella and Angel and my gorgeous cousin Nudge.

All of a sudden, a rage took hold of me. It was like I wasn't able to think coherently anymore, because all I wanted was to never see that book again. I used to love it, but now? It caused so many problems - too many problems, really. I picked it up and hurtled it across the room. It smashed against the wall opposite me and pictures fluttered out of it going in every direction. I screamed in rage as my bubbling anger went down to a simmer.

My door was thrown open and I looked to see Nudge and Angel and Ella, all standing in my doorway with shocked expressions as they took it all in. My room had pictures everywhere and my photo album looked to be ripped slightly, thrown at the wall with the covers coming together in the wrong way.

Nudge, for once, only had a tiny bit to say, her voice squeaking out softly, "Why are you crying Max?"

Crying?! I was crying..? I gasped when I touched my face to find I was - my cheek was warm and wet. I was crying.

I shook my head and wiped away at my face, "I don't want this to continue. I can't believe I'm saying this but Maximum Ride is giving up! I'm done with trying so hard to just... get nothing. So I quit. I give up."

Ella stared with her mouth open until Angel pushed up her twin's chin with a finger, looking disgustedly at me, "Maximum Ride you never give up! Get up off your butt and go after the guy you want!"

I shook my head, annoyed, "That's just it, Angel! I can't! First of all, I'm not even sitting down, I am, in fact, towering over you, though. And second, it's Fang! It's Lissa! I'm sick of competing for something that will never be mine. Fang doesn't even look at me in any way now and it's not like he's ever gonna start looking at me in that way. Especially considering he's got a girlfriend now. And he's got a bonus - she's a slut willing to give him anything he freaking wants!"

Nudge grimaced, "You wanna take revenge? We could take away the tissues she uses to fill her bra. Oh, we could also write her a fake love letter from some other guy, a jock, maybe, and we could get her to go for a fake meeting. We'll send the jock the same love letter, but altered to fit the whore's stupid... well, everything, and we can have them get together while taking photos and send them to Fang and -"

"No!" I yelled at her and she flinched. I sighed, speaking softer, "No. Sorry, Nudgey, but I just can't. I don't want anything but my life back and that isn't going to happen. So I'll get over it. Eventually. And why should I have to mope while he's out there enjoying his time with the redheaded bitch? I'm Maximum Ride. I gave up on a boy - not my life." By the end of my little speech, I had risen to a determined and bold state and it showed in my empowered voice.

Ella smiled at me and Angel beamed while Ella said, "There's the Max we all know and hate!"

"She means love," Nudge giggled, looking at me.

I rolled my eyes, "There's the Ella I know and wanna kill."

When I said that, Ella whimpered and dove behind Angel for shelter saying, "I did mean love, Max, I did!"

Angel and Nudge started laughing as I tried to calm Ella down. But it's me, Maximum Ride. I can never calm Ella down! Instead, I'm pretty sure I messed her up further... oops.

***A Month Later***

"So, Max," Angel smiled, "are you gonna sing for the talent show?"

"I don't think so..." I bit my lip, unsure.

Ella said, "You should. And we can back you up if you want."

Nudge nodded, "Yeah! It's in a week, by the way. Ooh, what are you gonna wear? Can I pick it out? Oh, I totally know what to dress you in! It's pink and sequined and it's a glittery dress and it's an off-the-shoulder with -"

"NUDGE!" Ella, Angel, and I all screamed in unison, used to the Nudge Channel's babbling by now.

She shut up, looking sheepish, "Sorry."

"Don't be," I shook my head, "Just control yourself a little better and it's okay."

She nodded, "Okay, I'll try."

I sighed, "If you guys don't start to hound me, I'll sing for the talent show, I guess."

"Really?" Ella smiled, "With or without us?"

"With. I need my girls with me," I smiled at them.

Angel laughed, "You make it sound like we're your daughters or something."

I pushed her shoulder playfully, "Shut up!"

~two days after~

"No! Please, no!" People started to stare at the four girls by the mall entrance.

Three of the girls were attempting to pull the fourth girl into the mall by force. Out of the forceful three, one was a rich brunette with gorgeous corkscrew curls and dark brown eyes and mocha skin. The other two were identically beautiful and had flowing blond curls and blue eyes as pretty as the ocean water. The girl they were pulling had dirty blond hair that had natural curls, too, but wasn't as perfect-looking as the twins' and she had brown eyes that people, for whatever reason, described as chocolate. Oh, yeah, and one other thing? I was the dirty blond, the twins were my sisters, and the darker girl was my cousin. Currently, they were trying to get me to shop. I did not want to step foot in the store, let alone shop! Damn...

"Ma~x! C'mon, it's not that bad!" Ella whined.

"Maxi-bee, please!" Nudge huffed, "We just need to get you a dress! Glittery and sparkly and bright pink - so perfect! Please, Max, just come get a poufy dress with us! Please, please please please, plea~zuh! Ma~ax!"

I shook my head, "No~!"

"Max, come on, already!" Angel growled, "we are getting you a dress -not pink, Nudge, just no- and we are getting you some lingerie as well!"

"What?!" I screeched, my eyes, no doubt, had widened in alarm. "No way! I am not wearing lingerie!"

"You already do!" Nudge cried, "I saw it in your drawer when we had a sleepover at age thirteen! Thirteen, Max! So stop fighting us, please! Just come on and get some newer, spicier, lingerie and a dress and we can leave! Well, after I shop... but still! Soon!"

I cried, digging my nails deeper into the mall's front door, "No way! I am not going. And how could you Nudge?! Digging through my drawers! So cruel!"

"I was looking to borrow pajamas! Found some, by the way," Nudge said back, yanking hard on my elbow and getting one of my hands noticeably loose. That was all it took. Suddenly, I was charged by three angry-looking teenage girls. Yikes - I felt like a guy who got a girl pregnant and ran away laughing his head off since it was a dare or something. Then suddenly, the friends are beating me up. Nice mental image, huh? No? Okay, then... either way, these girls... scary to think I'm related to them (also kind of endearing in a sickeningly sweet and frightening way)... well, they sure seemed to know what they wanted: me inside of the mall and following them like a puppy, doing everything they wanted me to. Great... not.

"Look, I'll make you a deal!" Ella cried, stopping her tugging and making Nudge and Angel stumble closer to the door I was tugging on for dear life. Instantly, though, we all looked at Ella as she looked at me, saying, "If we can take you to all the stores we want in the next two hours -"

"Two hours? No! It's not enough, Ella, it's just not -" Nudge's ramble was cut off by Angel shoving a wad of napkins into her mouth... gross.

Ella continued, "As I was saying, if we can do that in two hours and not make you try on ANY clothes, can we get you whatever we want? Two hours. I was going to ask for three but it's two because I love you. Plus, if we wanted, we could make you stay for four. We're being nice so be reasonable here, Maximum."

I huffed, not wanting to admit it was a pretty good deal from them, "Two hours, starting now, Ella."

"Great!" Angel smiled at me and grabbed my hand, Ella and Nudge helping her to speed me into the nearest lingerie shop.

They automatically started pulling out pink, red, blue, purple... all lacy and frilly and skimpy designs flying right over my head and into a shopping cart... oh great. This would be absolute torture, I knew, because the minute I got home and fell on my face, fast asleep in my bed, the three girls accompanying me would no doubt go through all my clothes and burn the majority of them so I wouldn't be able to get them back and I would be forced to wear all the new clothes I'll be receiving. How joyful... Not.

I sighed, knowing that there was absolutely no way in this world that I would be getting out of this one alive. Let the agonizing pain begin.