Sunday Rendezvous

All of Saturday after paintball, I kept going back to that kiss. It should not have happened at all, no matter how much I really, really liked it or how much he really liked it too. So, I avoided Fang and talked to Nudge. Ella and Iggy had eventually split off from the rest of us. At one point though, while walking down a pier, Nudge went to stare through one of those microscopes they have pointing at the shore.

When she couldn't see anything, Fang came over towards me a few feet away. I stared deliberately away from him but Fang I guess was more determined. "Max, what are you doing?" He had that harsh tone, not a quizzical tone of someone who was curious to what you were doing at the moment as an activity but what you were thinking and acting they way you were.

Hmm- how shall I answer that?

I'm looking at the ocean, what do you think I'm doing?

Don't know what you're talking about.

Avoiding you because you have a girlfriend and I didn't like that fact that you kissed me while you were still going out with her.

Silence.

I chose answer D.

"If this is about Brigid," Fang went on. For once he was filling in the silence instead of starting it. I glared at him, he had his hands in his pocket and a wind gently pulled his bangs away from his dark eyes staring right at me. "I can't say I'm sorry." The hair at the back of my neck stood up as he leaned in to whisper in my ear, "You're so much more, Max. I can't get you out of my mind."

I narrowed my eyes and placed my hands on my hips. My legs stood in a fighting stance as if this was a battle to the death. I wasn't going to get hurt, I was invincible. I was Maximum Ride after all.

"Well, maybe this will help."

And then I walked away.

Sunday morning Fang woke up hating himself. On the verge of being an emo sentence right there, Fang stood up and stretched. He had to make things right. If he could ever see Max smile like that after they kissed again, he had to show her that he chose her.

Max had been pissed and Fan could see why. A guy who kissed other girls that weren't his girlfriend was an idiot. But Fang wasn't just kissing other girls, he had kissed Max and only Max. In his mind, Brigid was the other girl because he had feelings stronger for Max.

As he planned, Fang quickly changed and got into his environmentally friendly Volkswagen. Switching on to some Receiving End of Sirens for background music, Fang knew he was doing the right thing. There wasn't even a doubt. He pulled into a local restaurant, the kind where the best breakfast could be found. Even from where he parked, he could see her. She had really bright red hair after all.

Stepping into the restaurant, she smiled and called his name. Fang went over to her slowly, keeping his face emotionless as always so no one could tell what he was thinking. She had a coffee in front of her and he hoped it wouldn't be used as a weapon when he broke the news.

Fang sat in the seat across from Brigid Dwyer, looking hot in her typical clothing. Fang could see what he once liked about her but her image had dulled in comparison to Max. He wished at the moment he wasn't here but somewhere with Max, learning about her and who she was. What made her laugh? What made her cry? What made her so amazing?

For a few minutes he pretended to be Brigid's boyfriend but he saw her flaws now. She was cruel and ugly on the inside, she made fun of kids different than her and she hated those better than her. Brigid could've been the smartest, prettiest girl in the school but Fang wasn't looking for that. Max was street smart, tough, beautiful, funny, friendly, and most importantly, herself.

Fang sighed and avoided Brigid's glare.

"I'm breaking up with you."

Then he left before tears could come or before she killed him.

Mostly, he left before she realized he did this for Max.

I went jogging through a small park that was in our city. My shirt was covered in sweat and stuck lightly to my skin. I had the earphones plugged in as I listened to the rock song, "Hit Me with Your Best Shot" as I passed a couple of kids playing tag. When I ran by, the two of them stopped, blonde hair and blue eyes gazing up at me in amazement as if they too wanted to run like I could.

My jog, for some, was like a sprint. I couldn't explain it but I was supernaturally fast. Eventually in gym we would have to run the mile and I would probably get the best time in the entire class because my muscles were stronger and I was lighter than most people. I took another turn and suddenly, I was sitting on my butt rubbing my face.

"Ow! Geez, watch where you're going!" I opened my eyes as I stared at the person who had run into me. Slowly, Sam stood up and stared at me with a laugh. I smiled and blushed, "Sorry." I stopped the song on my Ipod and shoved it into my pocket. Sam offered me a hand and I gratefully took it.

"You okay?" He asked, his hand lingering a bit too long in mine. I pulled it away lightly so he didn't think I hated it. I actually felt jolts traveling up and down my skin. I nodded my head in response to his question. "Funny though, I was just thinking about you."

My head went back in surprise as if I had just got socked in the face. "Really? Sorry, I can't say the same." I had been thinking about Fang, wondering what he was going to do. I had decided I wasn't going to wait for him or force him to make a choice. I would move on because a guy that kissed someone he wasn't dating was a scumbag right?

Sam smiled shyly, how had I never noticed how extremely cute he was? Blonde shaggy hair that fell in front of his eyes and light blue eyes, the exact opposite of Fang. Open and friendly, during class always waving at me or sitting next to me at lunch. "Listen Max, I've been dying to tell you that, I really like you. A lot more than a friend I mean." He bit his lip as if he thought he had said the stupidest thing in the world.

"Is that so?" I asked casually, crossing my arms and raising an eyebrow. All right Max- what am I going to do- think of Sam as a friend or should I date him? Sam nodded his head and casually glanced around. I remembered how he had helped me in math with this one confusing problem. He was single so he was perfectly free to have feelings for me. "I like the idea of that," I answered.

He smiled as I stepped closer. I didn't feel anticipation or hunger. My body didn't seem to get excited and my lips didn't tingle with hope that I should kiss him. A part of me said I had met Sam once before but not enough for me to remember. When Fang had kissed me I had flashes of moments that had felt real in my past but were lost now.

Still, Sam was someone safe- I could like Sam and not get some red head pissed off at me so that I would have to pour punch all over her. "What about you and Loretts?" Sam asked casually, "Everybody's talking about you two." Sure, because high school kids like gossip and technically, after the kiss, there was something about Fang and me. I couldn't deny that. But I could move on.

"Doesn't mean anything, he's got Brigid right?" Sam stepped closer to me and I realized how gross I must've looked in a black tee shirt and shorts covered in sweat. My hair was pulled harshly back into a loose ponytail but a lot of strands had fallen out. Sam smiled as I stepped closer and realized I kind of like-liked him too.

"Good," he whispered, and then we kissed.