A/N: Sorry for the long wait for this update. I know it was cruel of me! My best friend and I have been running around doing all sorts of shit. We went to the fair, and we went up to her cabin, and we went to this giant garden thingy with a Thai temple. It was awesome. So I've been pretty busy, but I'm trying to sit down and work on this chapter in bits and pieces when I can find some time. Sorry for the wait, but I hope it was worth it. :D

Chapter 16: All Good Things Must Come To an End

Max's POV

"Wait...tell me again what you need to do?" Mrs. Martinez was looking more than slightly confused as she sped down the road leading to her house. I sighed, too impatient with EVERYTHING to be very cooperative. There was no speed in the world we could travel at that would be fast enough. Trying to calm myself, I did my best to explain my plan.

"I need you to take me down to that little pawn shop in town. I have something I need to exchange for some money." I tapped my foot anxiously on the floor of the car. Mrs. Martinez didn't take her eyes off of the road, but I saw her raise her eyebrows.

"And why do you suddenly need all this money?" she asked me. She didn't sound totally against it, just...doubtful about my motives. "I mean, if there's something you need, I'm sure we can work something-" I put my hand on her arm, careful not to jerk us off the road or something. She still glanced over at me and swerved just the slightest bit.

"Mrs. Martinez," I said very seriously, and she turned her head completely to face me for a moment. "This is VERY important. I need to do this. If I don't..." My throat was getting all tight again at the thought of not being able to trade the taaffeite necklace in to help pay for Shayla's operation. I shook my head. Mrs. Martinez pulled the car into the drive way and killed the engine. She looked me straight in the eye, seeming to evaluate the inner workings of my mind.

"Okay..." she said finally. "Just tell me what I need to do." I grinned broadly and a stream of 'thank you's' poured out of my mouth. I jumped out of the car.

"Just wait here. I'll be right back!" I was already halfway up to the door as I shouted this over my shoulder. I rammed into the house and bolted up the stairs and into my room. Then I dove at the closet and started tossing aside all those pairs of ragged sweatpants until I got to my perpetually sweat-scented tennis shoes. I turned them over above my outstretched hands and saw the cool silver and purple slither into my palm. I immediately discarded the shoes over my shoulder. They landed with soft thunks on my carpet.

I looked at the necklace I was clutching. How could this little heap of metal be worth SO MUCH MONEY? It's like holding a hundred dollar bill. It's just a piece of paper, but it could buy you food for a week or two. Staring at it now, like this, reminded me of the night I'd gotten it. When I'd shooed Mousey out of the room and opened the safe, only to be confronted by an unusually understanding Mr. Watson. I remembered it behind it's little glass case on that delicate mannequin neck. I remembered feeling it for the first time. Feeling so important.

That little wanting was coming back to me. That voice in my head that said "Mine, mine, mine!" I clutched the necklace closer. It was stupid that I was second-guessing this. Shayla needed this. Her life was on the line. But...isn't there some other way I could find the money? I mean...there must be. The necklace didn't have to go. It could just stay with me. Safe and sound under my care. Yeah...

"And do what? Sit under a pile of musty sweatpants for the rest of eternity?" A voice that must have been my conscience or something kicked in. I frowned. Well...when you thought about it like that, I suppose it sounded bad, but... "If you let it reel you in, you're going to waste away worrying about a piece of jewlery that means absolutely nothing to you." I was faltering. It was just so hard to let go of something so valuable. But then again, Mr. Watson did it. He'd seemed almost eager to get it off of his hands. He'd said something too. Something inspiring and motivational. I pursed my lips and tried to remember. I could picture him in my head, his mouth moving and his smiling, winking face. But what had he said? And then his words rushed back to me like I was listening to them over a PA system.

"And my friend should be careful not to let that necklace fall into the wrong hands, or to be used for the wrong reasons. It was a gift, afterall. I was hoping that she might be able to put it to better uses than I did."

Yes! Putting it to better uses than just having it stowed away all day. Better uses than just as something pretty to look at or show your friends. In my case, I wouldn't even be showing anybody. I would just be harboring the huge burden of keeping such a valuable thing so close at hand. And wasn't this necklace responsible for pretty much everything that had gone wrong here? If I hadn't taken it, Ella wouldn't have been kidnapped. But...I also wouldn't have come out to Arizona in the first place. I wouldn't have met Fang...or Shayla. And Shayla would go without the operation she so desperately needed.

This necklace was both a blessing and a curse. I had used it for everything that I needed to. Now someone else needed it. I clutched it tight in my hands and then stood up, shooting out of the room and hammering down the stairs. I was heading towards the kitchen at lightning speed to grab a plastic sandwich bag to keep the necklace in, but I didn't see Ella in time to stop as I skidded around the corner. I smashed into her, sending her bowl of cereal crashing to the floor. It sprayed milk and Cheerios all over the both of us. I paused momentarily, and then grabbed a stack of napkins off of the island. I quickly dabbed myself down, chucked a bunch at a very stunned, tired looking Ella, and then shoved the necklace in a bag.

"Max, what are you doing?" Ella asked in a sleepy voice, studying all the cereal all over the floor. I smiled at her apologetically.

"I'm REALLY sorry about that, Ella, but I've got to go. See you later. Love ya!" And I dashed out of the kitchen and out towards the car, the necklace held safely by my side.

An hour or so later, I was clutching a check in my hands as I ran back up to the entrance of the hospital. I'm not even going to mention exactly how much money I was holding. It was a ridiculous amount with too many zeroes to be humanly possible. The man working behind the counter had practically had a seizure when I told him what I was trying to sell him. At first, he hadn't believed me so he'd called in a friend of his who was a jewler to come have a look. That's why the whole process had taken so long. After the necklace was confirmed to be pure taaffeite and silver, we'd haggled for awhile.

At first, I think the pawn shop owner was trying to rip me off, but thankfully the jewler was a friendly man and he advised me on a price to set under his breath. So I finally got the money. It was the strangest thing I'd ever experienced when I was handing over the necklace in exchange for this slip of paper. The greedy voice in my head wanted me to lunge across the counter and grab it back, but I just kept reminding myself of Shayla in the hospital bed. No matter what, I had decided, my friends were going to mean more to me than anything else in the entire world. I was never going to let anything so material control my life again.

And now, as I entered the air conditioned, sterile world of the hospital, I was practically jumping out of my skin. This check, this flimsy rectangle of paper with writing on it, was going to save a life. I disregarded the sign informing me that All Visitors Must Sign In at the Front Desk and shot off at a run to where I knew Shayla's room was located. "Hey!" shouted the woman behind the counter (a different one from last time) "Miss, you can't go back there! Miss, wait! You need to sign in!" But I only ran faster. Finally, after passing many rooms in the long hallway, I found the one I was looking for. The door was slightly cracked, so I burst through it, panting slightly with over-excitement.

A very suprised Fang and Mrs. Damon jumped up from their seats by the window and donned astonished expressions. Fang looked like he was poised to punch somebody if need be, and Mrs. Damon looked frightened out of her wits. "Max?" they both said incredulously at the same time.

"Sorry!" I huffed, bending over and resting my hands on my knees to calm myself. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Shayla lying in the bed. She looked like she might still be asleep. I straightened up and looked at Fang and his mom. They seemed to have relaxed a little, but still looked extremely confused. "I...I can help." I said eagerly, brandishing the check. Mrs. Damon's eyebrows pinched together.

"That's very sweet of you, but help with what?" she asked, her eyes following the slip of paper clutched in my flailing hands.

"I can help you pay for Shayla's surgery!" I paused to let my words sink in. I was waiting for Mrs. Damon to burst into tears of joy and run over and hug me, exclaiming her eternal gratefulness to me. And then Fang rushing towards me and picking me up to spin me around before pulling me into a passionate-

"Max?" I snapped out of my fantasy, focusing my eyes on Mrs. Damon again. She was frowning slightly. "How did you find out about that?" she asked in a tone that implyed she'd already asked the question when I had been daydreaming. I bit my lip and looked down, slightly embarassed to admit I'd been eavesdropping on her conversation with the doctor.

"I...uh...couldn't help but overhear when you and that doctor were talking. I...pretended I was asleep because I didn't want to interrupt the conversation. And also...maybe because I'm kind of...nosy about things." I tapped my foot on the ground sheepishly, and looked up. Fang's mom didn't look angry, just...well, I couldn't really describe her facial expression. It was rather blank at the moment. I could see where Fang got his skill of keeping his emotions to himself.

"Max...I..." she started gently, stepping towards me. "That's very sweet of you to want to help, but I don't think you realize just how much this surgery is going to cost. No amount that you have right now is going to be able to cover it." She smiled pitifully. "I'm sorry, I'm just not sure there's much you can do to help."

"I think you'll be surprised by just how much exactly I'm going to be able to help." I held out the check to her. She looked at me with a curious expression, and then carefully took it. She squinted at the numbers written on it. I saw her lips move as she counted zeroes. And then I saw her eyes widen and her mouth drop as she realized how much it was worth.

"Are...are...Is this REAL?" she asked me, stunned. Fang cocked his head to the side and apparently his curiosity got the better of him because he stalked forward to read over his mother's shoulder.

"Holy shit." he breathed.

"Yeah, I know." I said, gleeful at their reactions. "And, yeah, it's real. We can cash it and then everything will be all set." I beamed. Mrs. Damon was shaking her head.

"Where did you get this money?" Fang asked, looking up at me with a slightly suspicious expression.

"Oh...I had something I felt I could put to better uses." I said slyly, winking at him and touching a spot on my neck pointedly so that he would make the connection. I saw his eyebrows shoot up a little. Mrs. Damon was still gaping down at the check clutched in her hand. I cleared my throat and she looked up with a stunned expression.

"Max, I...I can't take this money from you." she said, trying to shove it back into my hands. I felt my brow crease.

"What are you talking about? Of course you can. I'm giving it to you, aren't I?" But she just shook her head.

"It's very generous of you dear, but...there's no way I could take this much from you. I mean...you DO realize exactly how much money this is?" I rolled my eyes.

"No..." I thought sarcastically, "I thought the more zeroes it had, the less money it was." But I just took a deep breath and remained civil. "Yes, but it's not like I have any use for it. Please...I got this especially so you could afford Shayla's operation. You have no idea how important this is to me that I'm doing this." I looked into her eyes with great urgency, practically begging her to take the money.

"Max...we'd NEVER be able to repay you-" she started, glancing down at the check again. But I just waved my hand through the air dismissively.

"Trust me, I don't need it. The thing that I sold to get this money meant nothing to me. I needed to be able to use it for something more productive than sitting in my house all day. I...I promised a friend I would put it to better uses."

"Max-"

"Mom...just take the money." All three of our heads swiveled to the side and to Shayla's bed. She was propped up slightly on her elbow and holding her oxygen mask away from her face so she could talk. Her eyes were open, but she looked just about ready to fall back over. Mrs. Damon rushed over to her side, setting the check down on the bedside table and crouching down by her daughter.

"I'm sorry, sweetie, did we wake you up? Are you feeling any better?" she asked, stroking the side of Shayla's face tenderly. Shayla sniffled slightly, but brushed off the question entirely.

"I think you should take the money." she said feebly, before replacing the mask and taking several deep breaths. Mrs. Damon looked at her daughter with pinched brows and thin lips.

"Honey, I don't think you understand how much-"

"Don't tell me I don't understand." Shayla said, ripping the mask away from her face. "I'm a big girl, mom. I KNOW how much money it it." She paused to breathe some oxygen again, and then resumed talking. "And I think Max knows how much money it is, too. And if she knows how much she's sacrificing and yet she STILL wants to give it to you?" She trailed off, looking at her mother pointedly. Mrs. Damon looked from me to Shayla and then back again. I could see the careful consideration going on in her head, and took a step forward, hoping to ease her along in the process. The sooner they could call this specialist guy for the surgery, the better.

"She's right, Mrs. Damon. I know what I'm doing here. And I wouldn't want to be doing anything else." I said gently. Looking down at her, I saw her eyes welling up with tears. She took one last look at the check on the table and then sprang up, wrapping me in a big hug that squeezed all the air out of me.

"Oh my God, Max!" she said tearfully, squeezing harder. It felt like several of my ribs were on the verge of cracking, but I didn't say anything. I felt it would be insensitive. "You have no idea how grateful I am for this! If there is EVER anything you need, you just come right out and ask. I owe you the world!"

"Oh, it was no big deal." I wheezed, my eyes watering. "Honest." But Mrs. Damon pulled back took stare me down with a stern look.

"Max Ride...you probably just saved my daughter's life. Don't you try to be modest." All I could do was nod slightly before she pulled me into another bone-crushing hug.

"Okay, Mom. I think she gets that you're very thankfull." Fang said, coming over and gently prying me from her grip. She nodded, composing herself.

"Yes, sorry about that." she said to me sheepishly. I shrugged my shoulders. "Well, I guess I better go sign those papers then, huh?" She picked up the check and practically skipped to the door, she looked so elated. She turned back for another bout of thanks, but Fang shooed her out of the room, shaking his head. In all the commotion, I looked back over at Shayla. She was looking exhausted, barely able to sit up straight. But she removed her mask just slightly so that she could mouth the words 'thank you' and flash me a bright grin that lit up her pale face. I smiled and mouthed back a 'you're welcome'. Then she flopped back down on the pillow, looking relieved to be able to lay.

Suddenly, Fang was at my side. "Can I talk to you?" he asked me quietly. "In the hall?" He nodded towards the door and started to walk that way. I followed after him, curious about what he was going to say or ask. We stepped outside the room, the hallway deserted, and he shut the door to Shayla's room, leaning against it and just staring at me. It remained that way for a long time.

"What?" I said finally, wishing he would just go ahead and talk already.

"Did you really sell the necklace?" he asked. OH...so THAT'S what he wanted to talk to me about.

"Yup." I said simply, not having much else to say on the matter. He looked at me for a long time then. Finally, he stood up straight and started walking away from me down the hall in the direction of the lobby, shaking his head.

"You're nuts." he said just loud enough so that I could hear him. I skittered after him, grabbing him by his arm to pull him around to face me. "Do you know how much that thing was worth? You must be psycho to-"

"You're welcome." I said, throwing my arms around his neck to hug him. He went stiff at first, but then hugged me back, pressing his cheek into the top of my head. When I pulled back, I noticed that his cheeks were glowing just slightly red. I fought the urge to laugh, and disguised it by clearing my throat. Fang scratched at his nose, still looking a little flustered (Fang looking flustered? Unheard of!) and licked his lips.

"So...um...yeah. Do you want...are you hungry?" he asked, trying to draw my attention elsewhere. Actually, now that he mentioned it...

"Yeah, I'm starving!" I said enthusiastically. "Let's go get something from that little cafe thingy." I grabbed his arm again and started pulling him down the hall. "You're buying, though." I smirked. I heard him groan behind me. "Oh come on...I just paid for your sister's life-saving operation. The least you can do is buy my lunch." I looked back at him with raised eyebrows. He finally shrugged.

"Fair enough." I smiled broadly and pulled him forward until he was walking by my side. Then I squeezed his hand in a comforting sort of way before releasing it so it swung at his side. I saw the corners of his mouth twitch up, and felt my stomach do a somersault.

We talked and laughed over semi-soggy turkey sandwiches at a small table near the cafe. It felt like the most natural thing in the world. And now, reaching across the table to steal a handful of potato chips from him, a surprising thought struck me.

I never wanted to leave Sierra Vista.

"Max! Come on! Hurry up already!" JJ was calling to me excitedly from a ways off down the school hallway. I laughed to myself and shook my head, emptying the contents of my locker into my backpack. When it was spotless (well...you know...sanitary enough to not grow some sort of super virus over the summer), I stood back and slammed the metal door. Heaving a heavy sigh, I just stared at the wall. It was INSANE how much time had passed. And how quickly it had gone by. After I'd threw the worry of the necklace to the wind when I sold it, months had gone by like flipping the page in a book.

Today was the first day of summer vacation. I know, I'm as shocked as you are. I'd been in Sierra Vista for seven months. MORE THAN HALF A YEAR. There was nothing more to say. My friends were here. My family was here. My LIFE was here. "Max! Come on!" JJ was shouting at me again, and kids in the hall were turning to stare at me. I rolled my eyes, hitching up my bag on my shoulder and trekked over to where JJ was waiting ever so impatiently for me. "What were you doing over there? You just sat there staring at your locker for like...five minutes. You're not hearing voices again, are you?" she asked in a jokingly serious voice, nudging at me with her elbow.

"Shut up." I said, shoving her playfully sideways. We exited the school laughing and found ourselves in bright, baking sunlight. As summer drew continually nearer, the temperature here in Sierra Vista was constantly on the rise. On some days, it was so hot I felt like I couldn't walk two feet outside without keeling over from heat exhaustion. I'd gotten more used to it though, thankfully, so it was slightly less of a burden. But still...it was fucking hot outside!

"So, we TOTALLY have to hang out this summer!" JJ gushed. I looked at her elated expression and found myself smiling.

"Yeah, sounds cool." And then we were spotted by our loyal band of followers. Michael was waving frantically at us from under the shade of a tree planted on the front school lawns. I could make out Iggy, Caitlyn, and Fang clustered under it as well. We rushed off in that direction, careful not to over-exert ourselves for fear of heat stroke.

"Well, it only took you guys about a century to get out here." Michael said sarcastically when we were close enough to hear him clearly.

"Hey...you have Max to blame for that one." JJ piped up. "She was the one trying to make conversation with her locker."

"I was thinking!" I said defensively, which made everyone laugh. Even Fang joined in. Since Shayla's operation (which had been successful, thank Ghandi), he'd been more animate and easy-going. He was still quiet and there were still walls up that I'm pretty sure are never going to go away, but it was definitely a start. I think the fact that Shayla was now speeding through her recovery with hardly any problems had removed alot of stress that had been constantly hovering at the back of his mind. I remembered the day three months ago when he had called me on the phone in a manner highly unusual for his character to share with me some news that had had me jumping around the room in joy.

Shayla was cancer free. She was now back in school and, from the small amount Fang updated me on every now and then, was enjoying it immensly. I had seen her several times in the last few months, and each time, she looked a little better. A little more alive. Her hair was no long limp and lifeless, and there was color in her cheeks that hadn't been there before. She was still a skinny little thing, but she no longer looked sickly. And the bruising and swelling of her joints had gone down considerably, making her look like she was in a lot less pain. But best of all, her dark eyes now sparkled with life. I swelled with secret pride every time I thought about it. Knowing that I had helped make all this happen.

"We should all get together some time." Caitlyn said leisurely, twirling her blonde pony tail in her fingers. "And my parents rent a house a little ways away. They have GREAT fireworks on the Fourth of July. We should go up and 'camp out' or something. We can get s'mores and everything." Everyone's eyes lit up with excitement as we continued to talk about our summer plans. Michael was mentioning something about all of us going to some amusement park in Tucson, when a car horn honked behind me. I spun around and saw Mrs. Martinez's car pulled up by the curb. Ella was hanging out of the back seat window, waving at me.

"I gotta go, you guys." I said, picking up my bag, which I had plopped on the grass. "I'll see you around." Everyone shouted farewells after me as I climbed into the air conditioned car.

"Making summer plans?" Mrs. Martinez asked, smiling. I just nodded, my mind still rushing with all the antics me and my friends were sure to get into in the the three month vacation.

I was hanging upside down off of the sofa watching CSI Miami and sucking gleefully on a popsicle later that night when I heard Mrs. Martinez's irate voice just outside of the room in the front hallway. I sat up and grabbed the remote, turning the volume on the TV down a slightly so I could hear what was going on. It sounded as though she was on the phone, the way she kept pausing as though to listen to someone.

"I don't know." she was saying in a strained whisper, "How can you spring something like that on her? She's been here for SEVEN MONTHS now." I sat up a little straighter when I realized they were talking about me and stopped licking the popsicle. There was a bout of silence while she listened to whoever she was on the phone with. Then she started to talk again, sounding distressed. "You haven't even talked to her about this at all. She just got out of school for summer and-" She must've been cut off because she stopped talking. Subconsiously, I'd been inching towards her voice and was now poised on the arm of the sofa, listening intently.

"It is not the 'perfect time', Jeb!" My breathing hitched a little. She was talking to my dad? I bit my lip. I hadn't talked to my dad since...well...I can't even remember when. Maybe...a few weeks ago. He didn't call often. Sometimes, it's like I didn't even remember that I had a father. Or...Jesus Christ! I have a brother, too! Ari. It was a struggle to picture his face. Mrs. Martinez was talking again. "I...I know it's not my decision. I'm just worried about her, is all. She seems...content. Yeah...yeah, I'll see if she wants to talk." Her footsteps were coming nearer. I flung myself backwards so that I was sprawled on the sofa in what I hoped was a lazy, nonchalant position that didn't scream I-WAS-JUST-EAVESDROPPING-ON-YOUR-CONVERSATION.

Her head popped into the room. "Umm...Max?" I raised my eyebrows to show I was listening and muted the television. "Your father's on the phone. He's wondering if he could talk to you?" My curiosity was piqued by what I'd heard. I wondered what he was going to talk about as I extended my arm to take the phone Mrs. Martinez was offering me. I put the phone to my ear and she gave me an agonized look before exiting the room.

"Uh...hello?" I said tentatively into the reciever.

"Max?" came Jeb's gruff voice. It sounded surprisingly unfamiliar and I readjusted myself into a more comfortable position, sitting crosslegged with a pillow in my lap. "Hi, it's your father." I cleared my throat.

"Uh...yeah. I know." I paused and waited for him to say something. When he didn't, I spoke up again. "So...Mrs. Martinez said you wanted to talk to me?" There was heavy sigh from the other end.

"Well, I've been thinking..." he said slowly. I almost groaned. Not much good ever came out of Jeb thinking. "And, it sounds like things have been running pretty smoothly out there. From what your mother has told me, it seems like you've been very good about staying out of trouble." I frowned in confusion.

"What are you getting at?" I finally asked him bluntly. There was another deep sigh.

"Well, since school's out and everything...I think...I think it's probably a good idea for you to come home. You know...so you don't just have to leave in the middle of the school year." It felt like the Earth had suddenly stopped spinning. I slid my legs off of the couch to stand up in shock.

"What?" I said out of force of habit. I knew perfectly well what he'd just said.

"Well, I feel that it'd be a pretty good time for you to come home. That way you have plenty of time to get settled in before the school year starts back here. Plenty of time to adjust." I was swelling with rage. He ships me out here, and JUST when everything is finally falling into place, he rips me away to take me back home? It was enough to make me spit.

"ADJUST?" I fumed into the reciever, starting an angry pace around the living room. "What the hell are you talking about? I just ADJUSTED everything here!"

"Max, I know that it's hard for you to be changing everything around so much, but I only sent you out to stay with your mother until things blew over. Now that they have, I think there's some really deep set issues that we need to resolve back-" I cut him of in a fury that I hadn't felt in quite some time.

"Don't start with that Dr. Phil bullshit! And you have NO IDEA what it feels like."

"Max, we worry about you-" he started to say. I snorted with disdain.

"You call like once a month!" There was a pause and then I heard him mumble something. "What?" I said snappishly, waiting for him to speak up.

"I...actually call every night. Just to check up and see how you're doing. I just didn't figure you'd want to talk to me all that much, so I just talk to your mother." I was speechless for a second. He'd been calling every night for almost seven months? JUST TO CHECK UP ON HOW I WAS DOING?

"I...Well you were right. I WOULDN'T have wanted to talk to you." I said when I was able to speak again. There was a long silence. I debated hanging up the phone and just going to bed, but he started to talk.

"We miss you, Max. I miss you. Ari misses you." He sounded pitiful. I rolled my eyes.

"You sure were eager enough to send me packing out here." I said bitingly. Jeb's voice came blaring back at me, and I nearly dropped the phone in surprise. He sounded beyond angry.

"Goddamit, Maximum Ride, I only did all that stuff because I didn't want you to get hurt! I just wanted to keep you safe! Because I'm your father and I love you! And like it or not, you have family back here that cares deeply about you, and we want you home!" He was huffing by the time he finished his outburst. My hands were shaking as I clutched the phone.

"My family is HERE." I said weakly, but stubbornly. There was a sound from the other end that sounded like Jeb was trying to stifle tears. Guilt zapped through me, but I tried to ignore it. And then I heard a small voice in the background, though I couldn't make out what they were saying. There was a shuffling noise of the phone being handed off and suddenly, a heartbreakingly familiar voice was talking.

"Max?" Ari said gently on the other end. All of my rage immediately left me, and I could picture his face in my mind again. The sound of my breathing must've told him that I was listening, because he started to talk. "Hi. I haven't seen you in forever." This was so unlike him. He was usually so bitter towards me. I couldn't blame him for feeling that way after all the stuff I'd put him through. All the arguing that went on at the house was enough to drive anyone nuts. But now he was talking to me like...well, like I was his sister and he hadn't heard from me in awhile. I realized it was probably pretty weird that I wasn't saying anything, so I cleared my throat.

"Ummm...yeah. I know." That was the best that I could manage. There was silence and then...

"I miss you." Ari's voice sounded a little strained. I bit my lip as my throat began to ache. "I know I didn't talk to you alot or anything, but...you're like one of those things you don't realize how much you need until they're gone." He paused for a second. "And I know it doesn't seem like Dad cares sometimes, but he does. Sometimes...I hear him crying at night because he misses you so much." I was chewing on my lip so hard, I was sure I was about to break skin. "I really miss you alot."

I was torn. On one had, my little brother that hardly ever spoke to me before was on the phone spewing a teary confession of how much he wished I was back home. On the other hand, all of my friends (my real, true friends) were here in Sierra Vista. While before I couldn't imagine ever being able to fit in here; now I couldn't imagine being anywhere else. I heard a little sniffle over the phone, and my heart cracked in two. Arizona had seriously messed up my hormones. Before, I wouldn't have cried if I witnessed a school bus full of children drive off of a cliff. Now, I wouldn't trust myself to watch The Notebook alone. I groaned in frustration, and it came out sounding like a strangled yell. "Put me back on the phone with Dad." I said firmly into the receiver, hoping Ari would hurry before I changed my mind.

There was a shuffling noise, and then Jeb said "Yeah?" I closed my eyes and breathed deeply.

"Just do it Max. Like they always say...all good things must come to an end." I told myself firmly in my head. "All right, I'll come home. Call Mrs. Martinez with the details. I'm not in the mood to hear them." And I hung up the phone. I found myself standing in the center of the living room, every muscle in my body tense with this anxious and frustrated energy. It felt like I was going to explode from the very core of my being and then seep out of my skin and into the carpet. If I didn't do something about it soon, I was fairly positive I was going to have a brain hemmorhage or something.

Resisting the urge to chuck the telephone at the wall, I tossed it firmly onto the couch and took off in the direction of the basement. I threw the door open, flicked on the lights, and slammed the door behind me. My feet hammered down the stairs in desperation. The basement had been pretty much empty when I'd gotten here, so there had originally been no reason for me to come down here. Now I was in the basement whenever I was frustrated thanks to a highly useful little something Mrs. Martinez had gotten me for Christmas.

In one of the corners of the spacious lower level was a large, bright red punching bag hanging from the ceiling. And I thought it was just about the best thing in the world. It was almost BETTER than beating the living tar out of whoever you were angry with because there were no consequences for hitting a bag. I turned on the CD player I'd brought down a few days ago rather violently, and cranked the volume up until obscene rap music was blaring out of the speakers. I closed my eyes and let my rage swell inside me like a giant tidal wave, waiting for it to peak.

Suddenly, my fists were flying at the bag. They were flashes of tan skin smashing against the bright red. I couldn't even really see, I was so mad. I was punching and kicking and clawing, and soon I was throwing my whole body into it. My breathing was picking up and my heart was hammering erratically inside my overheated chest. I flung every limb of my body at that stupid red bag as fast as I could manage. I was punching it so hard my fists were hurting. My head was pounding. My vision was blurring.

And then I stopped just as suddenly as I had started. I fell forward into the bag and hung on for dear life, sobs wracking my body. I was positively shaking with them. My whole body felt hurt and drained, but most of all I just felt scared. Visions of everyone were flashing behind my eyelids. Ella, Mrs. Martinez, Iggy, Nudge, Gazzy, Angel, JJ...Fang. This was one thing that my punching bag would never be of any use for.

Because, no matter how hard you try, you can never punch memories away.

A/N: Again, I'm terribly sorry for the ridiculously long wait. I think I love you all enough to make up for it, though. :D Hehe. Have a cupcake for your troubles. Well...you know...go GET YOURSELF a cupcake and know that I'm thinking of you while you eat it. I'd come give you one myself, but after thinking that idea over, I've concluded that that would extremely difficult and ultimately very creepy, so...you'll have to make do.

I seriously can't stop listening to Edith Piaf. I don't know about you guys, but I absolutely adore French music even though I can't understand a word of it. But really...Edith Piaf, man. That woman has a voice that would make angels cry. I tear up a little bit every time I hear La Vie en Rose.