Chapter Seven

Staying at Nudge's house with her parents reminded me of what my family was missing. Nudge sat around the kitchen table for dinner every night with her parents. They would all laugh and joke and talk about their days. It was nice. I missed family time. I missed sitting at the table at breakfast, lunch (on weekends) and dinner with Mum, Dad and Ella. When we were whole. Nudge's family made me feel welcome. Once they got past the overly considerate and nice, not knowing how to treat the girl who lost her mother. And just treated me like the same old Max. Who was one of Nudge's childhood friends. Who use to sleep over weekly, and who spilt red nail polish on the white carpet of Nudge's room, when trying to escape a manicure. I slept on the trundle from under Nudges bed that her family now called Max's bed, because I had slept in it so many times over the years. Her house was so familiar to me that I sometimes had to remind myself that I didn't live there if I found myself helping myself to food or a drink from the fridge. Fang's house had become that way to me as well. But that's a later story.

Age Fourteen

I watched Nudge as she looked through her white set of draws, looking for a jumper for me. I had forgotten to take my jumper to school today. And it had gotten cooler in the afternoon.

"When are the others coming over?" I asked as Nudge handed me a gray hoodie she got out. I pulled it on and zipped it up.

"Any time now. Angel and Gazzy are bringing the DVD's."

We had started to do weekly movie nights, that sought of became another tradition of ours. We would take it in turns of whose house we would do them at. Obviously it was Nudge's turn to host this time round.

"Oh, here they are now." I said. As I stand in front of Nudge's bay window. I can see Angel, Gazzy, Iggy and Fang all piling out of Fang's Mum Lana's car. Lana see's me and waves, before driving off, beeping the car horn once as a good bye, she's always done that. Nudge and I are in her bedroom on the second floor of Nudge's house. We had walked here together after school.

Nudge's house is the biggest house on the street. It's a cream coloured brick house with a veranda at the front with a two seated swing hanging on it. The windows are big and the frames are all painted white. The front door has double doors, which are painted pale blue. It is a really beautiful home that has loads of character. It's extremely homely, which is the thing I love the most. There are photographs covering the wall of the staircase. With photo's of Nudge's family and even shots of the six of us from Kindergarten all the way to a photo of us in our school uniforms on the first day of High School. We are all grinning widely, even Fang. I think it's my favourite photo of us all together.

I look back at Nudge who's now sitting on her queen sized bed, which has a pale pink, pale yellow and white dooner cover on it. Nudge's room basically consists of those three colours. Her Mum is an Interior Designer, and fixed Nudge's room up last year. It's very pretty and girly. Very Nudge. The walls are pale yellow, with pink blossoms painted on the wall over her bed. The furniture is all white. Nudge says it makes her room look fresh.

"Nudge your guests are here." Melanie, Nudges Mum, said as she ushered the twins and Fang and Iggy into the room. She pushed the door fully open. "Remember the door stays open." She says, eying the boys cautiously before walking out of the room.

"What does she think? We're all going to have a big make out session?" Nudge said sarcastically. "Hi guys." She added.

"Hey." Angel says, sitting on the bed next to Nudge. We all exchanged our Hello's before making ourselves comfortable in the room.

"Have you talked to your Dad Fang, about taking us camping?" Angel asks.

"Yeah. He says that's fine. He can take us the first week of the school holidays coming up. He has time of work." Fang said from next to me on the love seat- don't make any jokes- at the foot of the bed.

"Yah!" Nudge squeals. She high-five's Angel "Sorry we couldn't go by ourselves guys. I tried to reason with my Mum. You could go on without me" She adds, pulling a pouting face.

"No Nudge. Don't worry about it. We'd rather go with you and have a adult with us, then go without an adult and you not be there." Angel said.

Nudge smirked. "Good. Because I'd kill you guys if you went without me." She said, making us laugh.

"So we can book that in? The first week of school holidays?" Gazzy asks.

"Let's." Angel agreed.

"Great I have so much shopping to do to prepare." Nudge says clapping her hands together.

"Oh, I'll come. Want do you need?" Angle asks.

"Well...for starts I need a new pair of bathers."

"Oh me too." Angel said nodding her head making her blonde curls bounce up and down around her face.

"Girls, not that I'm not super excited that you both need bikinis." Iggy began sarcastically. "But can we start watching the movies? We have ten to get through."

"Ten?" I ask shocked.

"Yep. Angel chose five and I chose five." Gazzy said. Angel held up a bag with the DVD's in it.

"What's the time now...Five. Let's say the movies are what two hours each. That's going to take us twenty hours to finish them all. And I'll add an extra half hour for the DVD changes. And in that time you'd need to run too the loo if you need to go." I say.

"Don't get all mathematical on us Max. It takes the away the fun. We have twenty and a half hours people, let's go." Iggy said. He stood up from Nudge's computer chair and headed down stairs.

Once down stairs we settled into the couch. The couch is an L shape and big enough to fit eight people. I tried to avoid sitting next to Fang after what Nudge said about us 'sharing secret looks and lovey-dovey eyes', but some how we still ended up sitting next to each other. I looked up to see Nudge smirking at me. She raised an eye brow. I rolled my eyes and turned my head to face the TV.

"Has your TV grown?" I asked Nudge.

"Dad brought home a new one yesterday."

"As if your last one wasn't big enough." Iggy said.

"Are you complaining?" Fang asked.

"Nope." Iggy replied popping the P.

Nudge laughed. "That's my Dad for you." She said. She held the remote up turning our first movie on.

Half way through the movie Fang but his arm behind me on the top of the couch and I struggled to concentrate on the movie from then on. I'm sure it was an innocent act. And maybe I was thinking too much into it. But I did find myself think-just for a second-that maybe I do like Fang, but I gave myself a mental slap and dismissed the thought, almost convincing myself i hadn't thought it until I court Nudges eye and she grinned. I found myself blushing, much to my discus. I don't blush, I thought angrily. I lent forward resting my chin on my knee's as I brought then up onto the couch and tucked into my chest. Then to my horror. I feel. Fangs hand on my back rubbing slow circles across my lower back. He leans forward and whispers into my ear. "Are you alright?" He asks. I nodded swiftly. "Hey I'm going to get a drink." I say. I stand up and walk quickly towards the kitchen. Melanie is sitting at the table with her laptop in front of her.

"Melanie, can I please have a drink?"

"Of course sweetheart. Can you help your self? I have this design for a client due tomorrow." She said. Glancing at me over the red framed glasses.

"Not at all." I go to the fridge and get out a jug of orange juice. Then put it on the bench while I get down a glass from the cabinet.

"Can you get me one too Max?" I hear Fang say from behind me. I do so. Not turning around to look at him.

"What's going on with you? You've been acting strange around me all day." He says in a hushed tone.

"Nothing."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. Here." I say handing him the glass of orange juice.

"We'll talk about it later." He says.

"There's nothing to talk about."

"Well I have something to say to you." He replies before walking out of the room. I wait a few moments before going back in. I pretend to be fascinated by an article in the news paper, which is on the bench.

When I walk back in Fang is back sitting on the couch. He doesn't look at me as I sit down next to him.

"Oh Max. I forgot I needed to show you something. Come." Nudge says as she leaps out of her spot grabbing my wrist and pulling me with her.

"Subtle." I say once we're in the formal lounge at the front of the house.

"It was the best I could come up with so quickly." She said. "So want happened with you and Fang?"

"Nudge! Nothing!"

"I don't believe you."

"He asked if I was okay. I said yes. He said we'll talk later. I said there's nothing to talk about. And he said he has something to say." I told her talking quickly.

"Hmm… Interesting. Okay. So he's going to tell you he likes you."

"Nudge!"

"I bet you he is. Come on Max. You have to be blind not to see that he likes you. And I know you like him."

"I do not." I say a little more forceful then I intended. Nudge smiles.

"So why are you getting so worked up about this?"

"I'm not. He's not going to ask me out."

"What would you say?"

"I... I'd say no."

"Would you really?"

"Yes. We're friends. I've known him for forever. It's too weird."

"All the best romances start with childhood friends."

"God Nudge." I say. I can't help but laugh though.

"You'll say yes." She says.

"What happened to boy germs and koodies? It was easier in those days."

Nudge laughs. "Come on lets go back before Fang comes in here looking for you, because he misses you." Nudges giggles and runs off down the hall. I scream in frustration chasing after her.

Thanks for reading! Sorry for any mistakes. Please review. I'm open for suggestions to help me improve my story.