Chapter Seventeen

Previous Chapter: "Nothing, Gees, all I said was I talked to him and didn't think he was that bad." I protest. I stand up quickly, and collect the plates, and take them inside, back to the kitchen. I'm not surprised to hear footsteps behind me. Continued...

I put the plates in the sink a little too roughly, I flinch, hoping I didn't chip any of them; I lean against the bench in front of me, and sigh. I over reacted, I know.

I feel Fang come up behind me and put his hands on either side of me on the bench, he leans into me; and puts his chin against my shoulder.

I look through the window and can see the other's sitting in front of the pot belly stove. They all have serious expressions on their faces, but I see Gazzy's mouth moving, then they all laugh. I smile at this.

"What's wrong?" Fang asks.

"Dylan just said something that hit a nerve I suppose."

"What did he say?" Fang asks tightly.

"Nothing bad, he just something about my Mum. Did you know Dylan was adopted? He never tells anyone. His mum was young when she had him and couldn't cope. She put him up for adoption when he was eighteen months old, can you believe that. I had always thought he was just this argent guy who thought he was all that." I say. Fang moves his hands to my stomach.

"Everyone's the way they are for a reason, you're a little tight ass because of what you've been through, what you've lost, and I guess he's the same." Fang says. I turn around to face him. And look into his eyes, there's something there, not jealousy... well I don't know what it is. I smile at him. He always manages to surprise me.

"Yeah." I finally answer.

"How did you get onto a conversation about your Mum?" He asks, I think he's trying to sound casual now.

"Well, as I had said, I was walking past his house on the way to school the other day, He had just got home from the air port. I hadn't planned to stop and talk, but he came down the driveway when he saw me, and said hi. So I asked him how his trip was, he said he loved the family he was staying with but it made him realise what he was missing. So I asked him what he meant. And he told me he was adopted and that his new family weren't much of a family, he said he doesn't fit in with them." I tell him.

"Deep conversation to be having in the front yard." Fang says frowning slightly.

"I know, it was just- I could relate you know that."

"Maybe he was just saying those things so you'd like him, have something in common with him. He's always liked you."

"He wouldn't do that, it wasn't like that. He was genuine. I could tell. I knew exactly what he meant." I protested, annoyed that Fang would say something like that.

"And you told him about your Mum?" He asks. I shake my head moving a little away from him.

"No, well he said sorry about my Mum, he said he had always wanted to say something to me, but wasn't sure if he should."

"So what struck a nerve?" Fang frowns, his dark eyes studying me. I feel uncomfortable under his gaze.

"All of it." I say.

"The mention of your Mum?"

"No."

"What?"

"I can't explain myself." I say getting even more self-conscious, I look down avoiding his eyes.

"So you like him." He says moving away even more, looking hurt.

"No! Not in the way I think your implying." I say frowning. Fang doesn't say anything just stares at me with those intense eyes, his eyebrows creased, but then his face softens.

"You can't think that." I say. He moves closer to me and pushing my hair back over my shoulders, putting his hands on either side of my neck gently.

"I don't." He says softly. "I get it Max. I get that you feel sympathy towards him for what he's been through, his Mum betrayed him, and your Dad did the same to you, in a way. You both miss what you don't have any more, I get it. But when are you going to realise your not alone. I understand you Max. I may not have lost my parents, in the way you have, but I've felt betrayed and hurt and scared, just like you." He leans forward kissing me on the forehead. Of course Fang out of all people understands, Mark- as much as it hurts me to say it- was abusive to Lana, and now they are divorced.

"So you and Dylan are friends now?" Fang asks, smiling softly.

"I wouldn't go that far, I'd just say we understand each other." I answer, laughing lightly. "What do you think the others are thinking about us?" I ask. Fang moves his hands back to his sides.

"I bet they're think we're fighting. And Iggy thinks you're bashing me up." He says grinning,

"I bet they think we're over. I bet Nudge is willing me not to be stupid and break up with you."

"No, they all know we'd never break up." Fang say getting serious again; he says this just as the kitchen door slams open.

"I've come in to make sure you two are not doing anything stupid like fighting." Nudge announces as she marches into the room. Fang laughs, as we turn to her.

"I was close." I say quietly to him, while grinning.

Nudge looks between us and smiles. "Good." She says, no doubt satisfied with the fact we're not fighting, well any more.

"You do like to involve yourself with our relationship don't you?" I joke.

"Of course. I am your cheer leader. Give me an F-F, Give me an A-A, give me an X-X!" She says loudly attempting to make out the letter's with her arms.

"What does that even mean?" I ask her.

"Your names put together, F-A-X." She says, rolling her eyes, like it's plainly obvious.

I laugh. "How embarrassing! Did you come up with that all by yourself?" I ask sarcastically. Nudge just grins.

We carried on with our indoor camping for the rest of the week. Tho, by the end of the week, Melanie was well and truly ready to have her lounge room back, and we were ready to go to our own homes and sleep in actual beds. We had gotten sick of each other by the last night. But it didn't last long, so in two night's time we hung out at my place, we hadn't done that in awhile. I had been scared to have them over, even if my Dad wasn't home.

"Can my girlfriend come tonight?" Gazzy asks as we walk through the forest at the back of my property. We were all sitting around in my room when he decided to come out for a walk. It was Angel's suggestion. She said she wanted to see if we could find any of the forts we had make when we were little.

"I wasn't aware you had a girlfriend." I say turning my head to look at him. He's blushing, which makes me laugh. I feel a large hand wrapping around mine and smile up at Fang next to me, and squeeze his hand.

"Neither did I." Iggy adds raising an eye brow.

"I do, as of last night. I told you guys I was going to the movies" Gazzy says.

"We didn't know it was with a girl." Nudge says. "I thought you were going with Max and Fang."

"No but I did see them." Gazzy says.

"And we saw you and Shara." I say.

Nudges eyes widen. "Shara? Shara from our year level? The Shara who dated Daniel at the same time? My Shara?"

"Your Shara?" Gazzy asks.

"Who is she?" Ella asks.

"A girl in Iggy, Fang, Nudge and my P.E class." I tell her.

"You're dating a year eleven girl?" Angel asks, staring at her brother.

"Had you been trying to figure out how to tell us, and that's what you came up with?" Angel asks after a couple seconds of looking thoughtful.

"Yeah." Gazzy replies bashfully.

"Well to answer your original question, yes, of course she can come over." I say to Gazzy.

He smiles brightly. "Cool, because she's already on her way."

I roll my eyes. "What if I had said no?"

"Awkward for you, because you'd have to tell her that." He says, grinning now.

"What's the plan for tonight anyway?" Nudge asks.

"I don't know. Are we sick of movie nights?" I ask.

We've gone quite far into the forest now so the shrubs are getting quite dense. Angel trips over an uneven part of the ground almost falling over, and I can't help but snicker. She turns to me and gives me a greasy before laughing as well.

"Yes! I'm sick of movie night." Nudge replies enthusiastically.

"We can play twister. My friend was given two of them as presents, so she gave one to me." Ella says.

"Yes lets." Gazzy says jumping over a fallen branch.

"Ah look, there's a tree house we made." I say pointing up at a gum tree with planks of wood nailed into it up high on two large branches. I walk over to the tree.

"How in the world did we get up this tree?" I ask after failing to find any low branches to climb.

"There use to be a rode ladder we'd climb up." Fang says, as a phone starts ringing. Gazzy's face brightens up, he pulls out his phone.

"Hello...Hi, good...okay- I'll meet you out the front." Gazzy's hangs up the phone. "Shara is here I'm going to meet." He says as he begins walking quickly back towards the house.

"Shara and Gazzy? Who would have thought?" Iggy says shaking his head. We slowly make our way back. Iggy holds onto the belt hoop at the back of my jeans as we go down a bit of a slope, then let's go again.

"Well she's lovely." Nudge says.

"And cute, but a dork." Iggy says with a laugh.

Nudge nods in agreement and smiles. "She loves snow globs, I mean loves them. When ever anyone in her family goes over sea's they bring her back one. She has like sixty of them. She can't even go to bed until she's gone around her room shaking every single one, she can't sleep unless she's done it."

"How do you no that?" Angel asks laughing.

"She told Max and I one time." She says.