Hiii... I hope the last chappie was enough to satisfy your need for relentless drama, at least for now.

Love ya!

FANG'S POINT OF VIEW

I spewed a chain of swear words in my head, not wanting to overhear me. I could not believe this. First off, I hurt like a mother-trucker, second Max knew about my dad which is just so freaking fantastic I can't even think about it, and Iggy was incredibly pissed at me for fighting again. Ella was upset but she did her best not to show it. We had an unspoken rule that we let each other calm down and heal a bit before we let loose. She was quiet and unresponsive, but she was also helping me recover. We stayed the weekend even though I knew my dad would give me a good beating when I got home.

I was so, so stupid. What was I thinking, fighting when I was that hurt? Iggy and Ella should be mad at me. I screwed up, big time. I thought I could win easy against the smaller girl-I really did. Who knew she'd pack such a freaking punch. But she was so different, too. So easily flipped from deadly and fierce, to careful and sympathetic. Maybe she had a disorder or something.

"Fang, come on. You need to get up so we can have dinner," Ella said softly, leaning over me. I opened my eyes, shocked I had dozed off. Before Ella moved away, I caught her arm. I pulled her back near me, cupping her cheek until her forehead met mine. She put her lip into a thin line, an action she always did when she was trying not to cry.

"I'm sorry El. I'm so sorry. No more fights," I promised.

"No more fights," she whispered back, giving me a half smile. She hugged me before helping me to the table. Iggy was at the kitchen, whipping up a masterpiece like he always did.

Not only was Iggy hypersensitive, he was also an excellent cook. I guessed it was his heightened taste and smell. He lived alone- his parents were constantly on business trips-so Iggy spent most of his time in the kitchen. He would make just about anything, for anyone. It was his passion, and he planned to open a restaurant downtown when he graduated.

"Ella, will you take this to the table?" Iggy asked, sensing Ella was near him. She did what he asked and sat across from me, giving me a look that meant 'watch out'. As Iggy sat down, I could practically feel the frustration rolling off my best friend.

But he wasn't upset because I was stupid enough to fight. Iggy himself had been a competitor, though people were spooked by the way he could fight blind. Plus, if he hurt a had, he couldn't cook.

No, Iggy was mad because he knew that things were messed up at home, and he knew that if I was seriously hurt ,y dad would stop taking things out on me and take them out on Ella. I made absolute sure he never touched her, but if I was dead or in the hospital, I doubt she would be safe without me. Ella tried to pretend she could take it, but we all know the thought terrifies her. Which is exactly why I'm such an idiot.

"Fang," Iggy said, his eyes just a bit off to the left of my own, "I think you guys need to start living here. At least Ella should," he decided. I raised my eyebrows, looking over to Ella. Her face was flushed, and her head bowed. So she was in on this.

"And how, exactly," I asked, my voice cautious, "am I supposed to pull that off?"

"Well gee, I sure don't know. But you're the freaking genius who put us in this situation," Iggy declared, his pale face showing the rage he was trying to contain. I sighed.

"I know. I messed up. I messed up huge. But I don't think I can just leave. That would put you and Ella at a higher risk. I can't afford that right now," I said, thinking aloud. "Ella? What do you think?"

"I think," her sweet voice hushed, "I think it's worth a try. Iggy and I talked it over, and we have a few ideas, if you want to hear them."

"Alright," I agreed, rubbing the spot between my eyes, "let's hear em. But I'm not taking any more risks, Ella."

She looked at Iggy for support and, as if he could feel her eyes, put his hand on her shoulder to comfort.

"We bounced around a few ideas," Ella admitted, "like if you were...hurt enough that we couldn't move you, I would volunteer to watch over you while you recover, but there aren't many injuries that would be bad enough that you couldn't be moved. Then we talked about staging a kidnap, but we really don't the cops involved. I mean, if we were careful, I think it's still possible. Then we talked about just running away, but there's still that issue with the cops. We considered just turning him in, but I'm not sure what would happen after that. Where would we go? I'm afraid we'd separated," she paused, looking at me carefully, "Iggy had an idea, though, that wouldn't involve anyone else, just you and...just you two. I don't think it's safe, but-"

"You need to fight him, Fang. Give him a taste of his own medicine. That way, he'll learn and you don't have to get anyone else involved. You can tell him that you and Ella are moving out, or something. Go vigilante on him!" Iggy interrupted.

I looked at the two of them for a moment.

"No. I will not stoop to his level," I said, doing my best to maintain my composure. I remembered something my health teacher said. 'Often the abuser was once abused themselves. It is an unforgiving cycle. Those abused won't necessarily become an abuser, but those abused are far more likely to be than other people.'

I clenched my fists. I was not an abuser, but I was a fighter. Wasn't that just as bad? Was I like him, too aggressive for my own good? No, I would never, could never attack him the way he attacked me. That would make us even, both of us hell-bound.

"No. We need something fool proof. Or at least something we know we can pull off," I concluded. I had to make this perfect, because there was no going back.

MAX'S POINT OF VIEW

"Max!"

I snapped out of my daydream, turning the truck so it was in it's proper lane. I had zoned out again! I just couldn't focus-Fang's injury, our fight, his confession...I couldn't wrap my head around it.

"Sorry, sorry."

"Stop swerving or we'll all die!" Nudge complained, probably only worried about her hair that she took forever to straighten today. I looked in the rear-view mirror at the younger ones. Gazzy looked delighted a the prospect of danger. Angel was staring right at me, her wise eyes burning through my own. She cocked her head slightly, as if listening to my thoughts. Creep factor.

"You okay, sweetie?"

"Mhm. Max, are you falling asleep at the wheel?"

"No hon. I just have a lot on my mind."

"Like what?"

"Like...like how I'm going to beat Gazzy if he doesn't put his seat belt on!" My face flushed right after I realized what I'd said. The others, thankfully, didn't notice. Gazzy put his seat belt on and we continued on.

Once I got to school, I kept my eye out for Iggy, Ella and Fang. I didn't really want to see them-because if I did, this would become incredibly real- but I really wanted to know if Fang was okay. I mean, I doubted it, but I was sort of hoping he miraculously recovered.

I didn't have Health today (AB schedule, go figure) so I ran off to gym. The gym was old and had bleachers that couldn't retract, so they were where the gym class met. I took a seat, waiting for class to begin. While I waited, I watched some mean looking guys enter the gym, following someone. I quickly realized that someone was Iggy!

"You got the hots for our girl, eh? Think you're better then us, don't ya?" they taunted, circling Iggy menacingly. Iggy stood tall, his fists clenched.

"She's not your girl," he spat back, obviously enraged.

I snuck off the bleachers, watching. There were a few other students doing the same, so no one paid much attention to me. The two guys, seeing they had a crowd, starting popping their knuckles and grinning. They're gonna jump him, I thought. I didn't want to leave Iggy alone to fight. He was blind, first off, and looked mad with fury. I could tell this was a sensitive subject for him. Plus, excuse me, sexist pigs? You do not, ever, claim a girl. That is a Max 'no-no'. I was ready to take them out myself. I decided if Iggy looked like he was going to lose, I would jump in.

One of the guys-the loud mouth one- went for a swing. I gasped, knowing Iggy would never see it. Miraculously, Iggy caught the guys hand. Not only that, but he cocked his head, squeezed the boy's fist and broke it. The boy cried out, yanking his hand back and cradling it.

The second guy roared, jumping to attack Iggy. Once again, Iggy shocked me with his preparedeness. He brought his knee up to meet the guy in the chest before ramming his elbow into the guy's back and slamming him to the ground, face first.

Iggy stood for a moment, probably listening. He got up and turned to the two boys, his face set in an unforgiving glare. His voice was cold as ice.

"Stay away. From the girl," he commanded. "Or else."

I was awestruck. This kid was the epitome of scary. I made a mental note to never get on his bad side. Or Ella's, for that matter. Iggy walked away, leaving the two boys laying on the gym floor.

I tried to follow Iggy, but he was gone.

TIME ELAPSE

I didn't see Iggy for the rest of the day, not that I wanted to see him. He was not someone I wanted to take lightly. I was learning to stop underestimating those around me. I noticed the way Iggy and Fang fight was very different. Iggy fought with anger, but with fierce precision. He knew he was going to win, yet he stayed focused. Fang fought with a quiet determination. He didn't seemed incredibly concerned with winning. He was good at fighting-but not over zealous with his violence.

I wincec as I realized this was probably the result of his father... I swallowed the bile in my throat, trying to shake the despair settled in my stomach.

This sucks.

I wasn't sure what do. Let it go? Not possible. It seemed too important, too tragic to move on from without doing something. Approach someone? Who? Fang? No... he was my last option. He obviously didn't like talking about it, and I didn't want to annoy him. Iggy? Nope. Especially while he is on protective mode. That left Ella. I figured she would be happy I helped Fang, but she may be as reserved as Fang. I also didn't want to be manipulative. That wasn't fair. I decided just to be friendly with Ella and see how that goes.

Who would have guessed Ella was thinking something similar? She approached me after school, lightly holding my hands in hers.

"Thank you so much for helping my brother the other day. I'm afraid he would have been in much worse shape if you hadn't come to his aid." I didn't say that hi injuries were partly my fault because Fang told me not to tell anyone. I wasn't sure if his sister knew about the fights and I wasn't going to test the waters.

"You're very welcome. I haven't seen him today, actually. Is he alright?"

"Don't worry. He was here, and he is doing much better." I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding.

"Well, tell him I hope he has better...luck in the future," I said, trying not to give anything away. Ella set her lip into a fine line, and nodded.

"I hope for that too, Max. I hope for that too." Ella gazed off into the distance, lost in her own thoughts. I didn't want to be rude, but I needed to pick up my siblings soon.

"Is Fang here? Can I give you a ride?" I asked, helping her back to the present. She hesitated, opening her mouth as if to speak, but shut it again, shaking her head.

"No, no. Fang has left but I can walk. It's a nice day," she decided.

"Okay. Well, maybe we'll bump into each other again soon, okay?" She smiled at me with a happiness that reached her eyes.

"Of course. Bye Max."

"Bye Ella."