Chapter Fourteen: Not So Independent
Maxs Pov
(Sunday)
A loud pounding on my door wakes me up.
"Go away!" I groan.
But Instead of respecting my wishes, the same person pounds on my door, again -even louder this time.
I had to wake up really early to say goodbye to my mother and see her off to the airport; which was shitty because I didn't fall asleep until after four a.m. So to balance it out my plan was to sleep the rest of the day away but clearly that's too much to ask from the individual standing on the other side of that wooden door.
Another knock.
I leap up from my bed and charge towards the doorway. "What?" I yell, throwing it open.
Across from me stands Fang. "Well hello to you, too, sunshine," He teases, with a smirk. "Is your mom still here?"
"No."
"Good."
He pushes past me and walks to my bed, throwing himself onto the queen sized mattress and stretching out like a star.
"Why are you here so early?"
"Early?" He laughs. "It's one o'clock."
One is early for me on a sunday morning. Especially when I haven't slept through the entire night in weeks because of the nightmares.
"Look Fang if this is about that stupid fucking singing thing I swear-"
"It's not." he interrupts. "I was sitting in my room bored and I was 'like hey you know what would be fun? Going to get a tattoo with my best friend."
"I'm not your best friend."
"I was talking about Iggy. But unfortunately he's busy with Gazzy all day so here I am. Get dressed."
I stare at him for a second.
"You fucking woke me up because I'm your last resort?"
He shifts to his side and smiles innocently at me. "Basically."
"Fang get out right now." I motion to the open doors.
He may be used at always getting his way with everyone else but I'm not just some last resort that he can use when all his real friends are busy. He's such an entitled asshole.
"You have ten minutes starting now."
"No. Get out."
"I'll buy you food."
My stomach growls at the very mention of the word. I haven't eaten today and don't think I ate anything last night either. I was too tired and just wanted to sleep.
Shit.
"What kind.'" I sigh.
"Any kind you want, princess."
"... and coffee?"
He nods. "And coffee."
"Fine. I'm in."
He smiles victoriously. "Thought you might say that."
In the car, I switch through the music stations; landing on some really odd but also really catchy rock song. I nod my head along with the beat and before long I'm full out dancing to the song I've never heard before in my life like it's my favorite song ever.
I catch Fang looking at me in the corner of my eye, a smirk on his face.
"What?" I yell over the music.
He shakes his head. "Nothing."
"No, tell me."
I turn down the music and turn to face him.
"It's just... you're so weird," he chuckles, taking me by surprise.
"Okay..."
"No, It's not a bad thing -just new," he explains. "Unlike most girls… reminds me of someone I used to be close with. I like it."
"Thanks?" I try.
Welp this is just awkward now.
Fangs POV
I glance over at Max every so often, as she does some weird ass dance to a satanic sounding song and try to hold back laughter.
Iggy and Gazzy are always going to be my best friends but I will admit that it is kind of nice having a girl to hang out with for once and a non annoying one for that matter. I've never really had that before because most girls I talk to always catch feelings or want relations but not Max.
She's not annoying or clingy and doesn't want to date me. She actually cool and fun and honest and doesn't want anything from me. She's actually all about doing things herself and I admire that.
She's like the little sister I didn't have the chance to have. And as much as I taunt her and pretend not to like her, I really do want to be friends. And she wasn't my last choice to hang out with today. I haven't even talked to Gazzy or Iggy at all this morning.
She was my first choice to go with, but I'd never tell her that. It's too much fun messing with her.
Maxs Pov
"What do you think, Max?" Fang asks, handing me a notebook paper of different tattoos he's sketched out.
I look at each of the sketches, the first a small rose with a date underneath it, the second a pair of angel wings with the flock written underneath it in bold letters and the last just a cool design.
"The rose for sure," I point.
He chuckles quietly to himself. "Figured you say that."
"What does the date mean?"
He looks away from me quickly and I instantly realize I said the wrong thing.
"So where are you gonna get it?"
Fang sighs. "Uh… I don't know. Chest maybe?"
"Don't do that."
He finally looks back at me. "Why not?"
"Because it's too small to put on such a large area. Put it on the inside of your arm. It'd look good there."
"Anything else that looks good to you?" He smirks.
"You're disgusting. Get away from me."
He chuckles and heads over to the counter, showing the man there the one he's picked. The man is covered in piercings from his feet to his eyebrows and everything in between. He takes Fang and I back to a chair in the back and begins taking equipment from a nearby drawer.
I see him pull out gloves, a needle, ink, a bottle of sterilizing cleaner and a few other things I'm not quite sure what to call.
The whole process is quick and Fang makes it seem really easy.
After it's cleaned and wrapped in a clear cover, the man hands Fang a hand held mirror, so that he can see the small rose and date on his inner bicep. He stares at it for a few seconds, before nodding in approval at his new addition. His arm is a little red but other than that it looks good.
"Did it hurt?" I ask.
He shakes his head. "Eh. I've felt much worse."
We sit in the car, parked in the boys parking lot, in silence for a little while after Fang parks. I'll admit, today didn't go as bad as I thought it would be but I wish we'd just stayed in and done something. It started pouring when we left the piercing place, so now we're both soaked and freezing, even with the heat on full blast.
"Wait," Fang calls, as I open my car door. "Where are you going?"
I point, "Back to my dorm."
"You should come hang out at my dorm if you're not doing anything."
Wasn't what we were just doing hanging out?
"And do what?"
He shrugs. "Watch a movie?"
Fangs Pov
I see a look of confusion and hesitation cross her face. I knew beforehand that she was most likely going to say no but I still had to try. I don't usually invite people over just to hang out -normally I like sitting alone in my dorm but I don't want to be alone today.
That's why I forced Max to come with me today, to keep me from going to that place in my head where my thoughts take over.
"Fine. I'll come," She surprises me by saying.
"Okay."
I reach into the back seat of the jeep and grab my sweatshirt off of the floor and give it to Max to put on. The rain hasn't let up any and it's a little walk from the boys parking lot to the actual dorms. I originally brought the jacket for myself but she's wearing only a thin shirt and I don't mind the rain so much.
"No." She hands it back. "You need it more than I just do."
She refers down to my drenched T-shirt and basketball shorts. I am more exposed than she is but I'm still warm, unlike Max, whose uncontrollable shivering is obvious.
"I really don't -take it."
"I don't want it, Fang," She insists.
Why does she have to be so stubborn all the time?
"Max, either you take it or no one gets it."
"Fine," She replies flatly and tosses it into the back seat. "Then no-one gets it."
So we end up leaving the perfectly good hoodie in the car and getting even more wet from the walk. By the time we get into the building, we're both dripping like wet dogs. Max tries her hardest to wring her hair out but no matter how many times she twists it, water keeps dripping from it.
I smile smugly. "You should've taken the damn jacket."
I jog to the steps, before she can smack me and lead the way up to my dorm. I unlock the door and let Max in first, before closing it behind me.
"Hey, don't sit on my b-"
But it's too late. When I look over, she's already on my bed, sprawled out across the mattress.
She smiles, and rubs her face across my pillow. "Oh, were you saying something?"
"Really?" I exclaim. "How am I supposed to sleep there when you got it wet?"
"That sounds like a personal problem to me."
I sigh and shake my head, questioning why out of all the people I could be friends with, I had to choose the most difficult.
Maxs Pov
Fang pulls his shirt over his head and I instantly look away. I hear the soggy shirt drop to the floor, with a loud thud and then another thud, which I assume were his shorts and a quieter thud -his underwear? The thought of Fang being naked right behind me makes me feel uncomfortable.
I hear him pulling open drawers and finally he says, "You can look now."
When I turn back around, he's wearing a fresh black T-shirt and some joggers.
"Thanks for the warning," I roll my eyes.
I can't really blame him for not telling me first though. He's not a very modest person when it comes to his physic. He's probably used to just stripping down in front of anyone anywhere so it most likely didn't even cross his mind to warn me first because he's use to girls wanting to see.
"Sorry, forgot."
"Or you just wanted to show off," I correct.
"I'll show if you show," he winks.
"Not even over my dead body," I laugh.
I'm just for the first time noticing how much I've been laughing recently, almost an annoyingly amount if that's possible. And though things still haunt me from my past every day, I feel more… okay now a days.
Happier.
I guess I didn't want to believe what my mother was saying before about me seeming different with my new friends lately because then I would have to also admit that it's not the medicine making me happy, again -it's the new people in my life that are making me happy. Mostly Iggy and sometimes Gaz, too and even Fang fucking Ride. And admitting that is also admitting that I rely on them and I hate relying on people. I can take care of myself -I'm independent- and being that way is what's kept me going these last few years.
But she always seems to have an annoying habit of being right about everything.
"Okay, so shirts are in the top drawer, shorts in the second, sweatpants in the third and towels in the bathroom," Fang points out. "You can wear whatever you want of mine. I'm gonna go get my guitar from Chad."
After he leaves, I wait a few seconds before peeling off my wet clothes and drying myself with a towel. I open the top drawer first, just to find tens of the same black T-shirt. I grab one and pull it over my head. I try on a few pairs of his shorts and sweatpants as well but even tied to the tightest, none of them fit. I decided just to wear the shirt by itself, since it fits like a short dress, hitting at my mid-thigh but still wrap a blanket around my waist.
I sit on the bed for a few minutes waiting for Fang but quickly get bored, so to pass time, I take a visual tour around around his room. To my surprise, it's actually pretty clean and organized. Well, everything except for his desk is.
It's sprawled with papers and trash. On the very top Is one particular paper though that catches my eye. Unlike the others, which were printed out, this one is written very neatly in bold ink.
I pick it up and scan the words. It's a poem.
A Dark World
The girl you made fun of
Who hides from the Light
You don't know her story
Or her perspective of sight
Her story is Different
Than you would have known
The exact same problems
Occur at school and in her home
School -it's a misery
They make fun of her face,
Her body,
Her clothes,
It's a terrible place
Home is no different
They're oblivious and Deranged
Poor lonely girl
Things would never be the same
Like when she was little
Her family was tight
But as time went on
They started to fight
Since no one had cared
She took a knife to her room
Made art on her arms
For it would all be over soon
From that day on
Everything changed
To her being normal
Became really strange
After more and more pain
She made a decision
No one had loved her
So she'd make an excision
Her head told her nope
But still
She picked up a rope
She grabbed it and ran
As fast as she could
With her heart in her head
She cried as she stood
In front of a tree
Saying words -only three
The following day
All the news spread
About the sad little girl
Who was now dead
Everyone cried
And suddenly felt bad
Regretting all the chances they didn't help her
When they should have
But she was already gone
And it wasn't a disgrace
Because now she is in
A happier place.