Chapter Sixteen: What Hides Beneath

Maxs Pov

"Sorry it took so long, I had to -what are you doing?"

I turn to see Fang standing behind me, with a light brown guitar in his hands. I simply stare at him for a few seconds, trying to figure out what to say.

"Did you write this?" I finally ask, holding up the paper. "Because it's really good."

His eyes turn cold and he quickly snatches the poem from my hand. "Why the hell are you going through my stuff?"

"I wasn't," I declare. "It was sitting on your desk and I saw it."

Nothing.

"I'm sorry, okay? I didn't think you'd care."

When he finally looks back up at me his eyes are no longer cold but apologetic. How can someone change emotions change so quickly?

I swear he's giving me whiplash.

He sighs. "Sorry."

"It's fine." I hand the paper back to him. "So, who's it about?"

"It's complicated."

Isn't it always.

Fang seems like he wants to be left alone right now and I've one-hundred percent overstayed my welcome anyways. I don't know what else to say at this point so I grab my wet clothes off of the floor and head towards the door. "I think it's time for me to go."

I brush past him but he grabs my arm before I can reach the door.

"No," he looks me in the eyes. "Please stay."

I've never heard Fang beg anyone for anything before but I'm not ready to give up that easily.

"I can't."

"Max."

"Why should I?"

"It's about my sister," he says slowly. "The poem is about my sister."

Since when does Fang have a sister? I know we haven't known each other for long but he's never mentioned having a sister before. Well actually he hasn't really mentioned anything about his family before actually -besides what my mother asked him the other day.

"So why couldn't you just tell me that? I thought we were friends -you're suppose to trust your friends."

He laughs coldly. "Yeah, you're one to talk."

"What's that suppose to mean?" I cross my arms over my chest.

"It means you're such a hypocrite," He continues. "You bash me about how I'm not honest and open with you, when you're more secretive than I am. What could you possibly have to hide, Martinez?"

I hate being called that.

"I don't-"

"And be honest. Remember friends don't lie to each other."

Shit. He's using my own words against me. "It's c-"

"Complicated?" he fills in. "Thought so."

"Don't turn this on me," I snap. "You're only doing this because you don't want to talk about whatever's bothering you -Something that I can try and help you fix."

"You can't fix it!" he yells.

Part of me wishes that I had just said no and left like I intended to, but the other part of me is glad that I stayed because it knows that I won't be able to sleep tonight, until I find out why that poems so important to him and how it has to do with this mysterious sister of his.

"Why can't I?"

I look into his eyes and I see the Fang I saw that day at the beach, in the bathroom. All his walls are down and masks have been put away and what I'm seeing now is vulnerable, honest to god sad Fang.

"Because... she's dead. She... killed herself."

He looks unsteady.

I grab his hand and force him to sit on the bed before he falls. I sit down next to him and try my best to be comforting but I'm really bad at it.

"Fang, If she took her own life, then it wasn't your fault."

"It was... I didn't help her. I'm her older brother... I was suppose to protect her and I didn't."

Fangs Pov

I looked into the mirror, putting any stray hairs into place before exiting my bedroom. I was going to a small party at my girlfriend, Courtney's, house. It was an end of the year party to celebrate the end of middle school and I couldn't wait to go.

As I reared the end of the Hall, near the steps, Lyric came out of her room and stopped me. "Where are you going?"

"Out," Was all I said.

It was better to keep it short. The more words I say the more she'll try to talk me out of going.

"Please stay home with me... We can play X-box or watch a movie or something."

"Not tonight. Maybe tomorrow."

Her face fell and I looked away, pretending that her sad looking expression didn't make me feel guilty but it did.

I loved my sister more than anything but she didn't really have any friends of her own and mom was always too busy with work to even care, so I spent most of my weekends home with her and I was excited to go out for once and hang out with my girlfriend.

I deserve to have a life too.

"Please, Nick. Stay... I need you."

"I spend almost every day with you Lyr. You'll be okay alone for one night."

No response.

"I gotta go."

And with that I walked away and I heard Lyrics door slam shut behind me.

Lyric watched as Fang exited the house because running to her room and slamming the door shut. She cried as she slid to the floor. She had no friends, a mother who worked so much that she was hardly home and now the only person that she could ever count on -her brother- was out having fun with his friends while she was alone and miserable.

The voice in her head began to grow louder and louder.

"You're a loser".

"No one loves you."

"Kill yourself."

She began to weep, wanting the voices to go away but at the same time, her hurt and fragile heart agreed with them. She thought that if she were gone, no one would miss her. That they wouldn't cry or feel bad or even attend her funeral. That her own brother would probably feel like a burden had been lifted from him and her mother wouldn't even notice that she was gone. That they'd probably be happy or even thankfull that she was gone.

And more importantly she'd get away from all the things in life that were hurting her.

No one else would be able to hurt her anymore.

And that's when she made her final decision. She was tired of the voices, and the people and most of all, not being loved.

So she waited until she heard her step father -Rich- leave for work before she continued to the garage, where she found a rope and a latter. Lyric carried both to a tree with many high branches and climbed up the latter with the rope in her hands and tied it to a thick, sturdy branch.

She tied the other end around her neck.

"I love you," She said out loud, though no one was around and simply jumped.

Instantly, her world went black and she died, with Nick the last person on her mind.

Maxs Pov

Fang finishes the story and I stare at him in horror. I feel nauseous."How can you still be sane after knowing all of that?"

"Knowing?" he laughs flatly. "I saw it."

"What?"

"We had security cameras outside of our house at the time. The only time my mother ever checked them though is after she saw my sister hanging from that tree."

"Your mom found her?"

"No...I did," He corrects. "My mom was working late that night, I was suppose to stay with Lyric... Fuck! Why didn't I just stay with her? I shouldn't have left her alone... I knew she needed me... I was the only person she trusted and I let her down, just like everyone else."

"You can't blame yourself for this," I assure him but he's not listening.

He stands and makes his way back over to the desk, filing through some papers before finding the one he wants. He brings it back over to the bed and tosses it into my lap without a word.

A suicide letter?

"Dear reader, I'm sorry that it came to this but it was for the best. Now I am in a happier Place, where no one can hurt or torment me. Though I am gone, I have a few things to say to the following people:

1) Mom.

I love you and I'll always remember you as a caring, loving person but I couldn't take it anymore. I wasn't the happy, cheerful little girl that you always thought I was, but I want you to remember me that way -as you're little princess. I wish I could end this part at that, on a happy note, but there's more I need to say -for Fangs sake. You were always oblivious to everything and that was the problem. You wanted us to have a father so badly that you brought men into our lives one aftter another and they all sucked. A lot. You worked so much that you weren't home most of the time to even realize how unfit these men were to raise your kids. We basically raised ourselves...And I know there's nothing you can do to change the past now, but the one thing I ask of you is to start being a better mother to Fang. He needs you more than you'll ever know, though he'll never admit it. He tries to act so strong and unaffected by everything all the time but really he's still a kid and needs his mom... This is your second chance. Don't disappoint him.

2) My fellow classmates

You're the main reason that I did this. I don't want your pity or tears but I do want you to own up to what you did. The only question I have is why me? What did I ever do to any of you that caused you to treat me the way you did? I'll never get a chance to learn the answer but I hope it haunts you for the rest of your life.

3) Fang

You we're the only one there for me, when everyone else turned. I'm sorry that I have left this earth but I'll still watch over you and will be around, though you wont see me. I hope you grow up to be the great man that I know you are. I hope you finally find that someone special that you can open up with like you did to me and I know you'll treat her right because that's the type of person that you are. And when you have kids, be sure to tell them all about their aunt Lyric and how much she wished she could meet them. I'm not mad at you or blaming you for anything. This is NOT your fault so don't regret anything. All I want from you is for you to be happy. Live your life to the fullest because you're not only living for you -you're living for both of us now. I love you."

By the time I finish my lungs are burning. I have to force myself to breath, something I didn't realize I'd stopped doing while reading.

This little girl did not deserve the things that were done to her. By the note she seemed very bright and sweet and beyond her years. All she needed was a little love and she would probably still be here today -with Fang.

"I would've loved to meet her."

Fang agrees. "You would've liked her."

"Yeah?"

"You guys are more alike than you could even know."

"Oh so she's a hot, bombshell blonde too?"I joke.

For the first time in what seems like forever, Fang smiles and even does a little eye roll. "You're stupid."

"But you love it," I smile proudly.