Chapter Seventeen: Too Much

Maxs Pov

When I wake up in the morning, it takes me a second to gather my surroundings. I'm in a dark room, laying in bed next to a sleeping, messy haired boy with nothing but boxers on -Fang. Everything suddenly starts to make sense, again -the tattoo place, running in the rain, the poem, Fang's dead little sister. After we talked last night, he didn't want me to leave, so we put on a scary movie and somewhere in the middle of it is when I must of dozed off but I don't remember doing so.

I didn't intend to stay the night but it still doesn't make it any less awkward. I know he's my friend and that nothing happened between us, but I've never spent the night alone with a guy before. Well, besides Sam but he was like my brother so it didn't really count.

And this is Fang.

I softly roll to the edge of the bed and climb off slowly. Fang grumbles a little bit and turns onto his stomach but other than that, he shows no signs of waking up. I wait a few more seconds just to be sure, before taking off the T-shirt he let me borrow and begin putting back on my own clothes which are now pretty much dry.

I manage to get my pants on and begin latching my bra, when the bedroom door opens.

In the doorway stands no other than Gazzy. When he sees me, he does a double take and his smile immediately drops. A look full of confusion and shock takes over his face and I can only imagine what he's thinking right now.

This is so not what it looks like.

I latch the last hook and quickly grab my shirt to cover myself with. "Gazzy-"

"Don't. You don't have to explain," he steps back into the hallway. "What you and Fang do is your business -I saw nothing."

"There was nothing to see," I insist. "We didn't..."

I trail off because it's too late. The door is closed and Gazzy is already down the hall by now.

"Don't worry, Gazzy won't say anything."

The voice startles me and turn around to see Fang sitting up on the bed, stretching.

How long has he been awake?

"What is he going to say? Nothing happened," I exclaim.

He rolls his eyes, "You know what I mean."

I cross my arms over my chest and sigh. "This is your fault."

"What? How?" He stands and makes his way towards his closet.

"Because. I could've explained me not being dressed but you being in your boxers is something I can't explain," I say, realizing that I still don't have my shirt on. While he's faced away, I quickly pull it over my head. "Why are you in your boxers anyways."

"I get hot at night," he shrugs. "Just be glad I remembered you were here before the boxers came off. I mean, unless you wanted them off..."

"You're disgusting," I glare, while he laughs.

I suddenly get the urge to ask him how he's doing after last night but I know that he'll just change the subject and probably get mad, so I decide not to. I should just be glad that he even told me about his sister in the first place, which is something I can tell is very sensitive to him. I'm not gonna push it.

"Alright, well I gotta take a shower. Stay as long as you like... And by that I mean, get the fuck out."

"Trust me, I'm getting out ASAP before someone else comes in and sees me."

I grab my shoes, phone and keys, before saying goodbye to Fang and exiting his dorm. I enter the lobby, only to end up running face first into something. The first thing I notice are familiar white sandals. I slowly look up -red basketball shorts, a black sweatshirt, the same familiar cunning face that I use to find somewhat attractive.

Riley.

"I'm so sorry," he says, before realizing its me. "Max?"

I'm silent as I stare up at him and he does the same down at me. I can tell this is awkward for both of us.

After a few seconds, he extends his hand. "Here, let me help you up."

I barely look at the hand, before pushing it aside and standing up on my own.

"So how have you been?"

"What do you want?" I snap.

"A real conversation." He smiles his perfect smile and laughs a little, nervous laugh.

I push past him, but he grabs my arm. "Wait."

I immediately pull out of his grip and shove him backwards. "Do not touch me," I yell.

"I'm sorry," He apologizes. "but can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Last time I gave you a chance to talk, I ended up passed out in an alley. You don't deserve anymore chances."

"I know I don't, but please hear me out?" he proceeds. "That night at the concert, I was angry and I didn't know what I was doing."

"It doesn't matter. What happened still happened and I can never forgive you for that."

"Max, please."

"Bye."

I push past him, again, and this time he doesn't try and stop me. There's no excuse in the world that can make what he did okay. The mere thought of him made my blood boil and made my stomach drop.

I need to calm down before I end up doing something that could get me expelled and or serve prison time.

"You look like shit," Ella comments, as we exit the lunch line and head back to the table with our food.

"I feel like it," I yawn responsively. "I got no sleep last night."

"How come?"

"Up late with a friend."

"Which friend?" She persists.

I pretend not hear her and instead take a seat at the table next to Nudge, who's Mid convo with Angel. I begin sipping my coffee and tune into Iggy and Caden's fierce debate over the length of cheer leading skirts but I soon find my self dozing off.

(The Night Before)

Fang sits back onto the bed with a picture of his beautiful little sister still in his hand. "After Lyrics death I kinda went off the rails for a while. That's why I care to TA, to Tto get away from it all -the memories, the familiar faces," He explains. "Everything looked like it would get better... then I saw you."

"Me?" I question.

"Yes you... you look so much like her and it bought back all the memories from the past so I avoided you for as long as I could."

"Oh."

"But then a few weeks ago Nudge and Iggy came up with the stupid idea of us all being friends... I didn't want to but then I was forced to hang with you and get to know you and after that things didn't exactly go as planned."

This explains so much -why Fang beat the shit out of Riley when he hurt me, why he's always protecting me and why we're so close now. To him I'm his little sister all over again, the second change he needs at making things right.

"So you only like me because I remind you of her?"

I don't mean to sound rude when I say it, because I know it's a sensitive topic to him but I am not a replacement. I'm my own person and I don't want him to only like me because I look like his sister. That's a creepy and not at all healthy friendship.

"No, sorry I didn't mean it like that. I meant that I loved her personality because it's so hard to find now a days. And when I met you it was like I finally met someone like that again. You're both clearly different and your own people but have the same like sense of humor and moral beliefs that I like. You're not affraid to pig out or get dirty, you're just... you."

"Did Fang Ride just compliment me?" I fake gush, trying to lighten the way too serious mood hanging above us. Serious conversations make me uncomfortable.

"He did and it doesn't happen often so you better savor it forever. Most likely the only one you'll ever get... from any guy."

"Rude!"

I slap his arm but his laugh shows no signs of being affected by it.

"You're... not as bad as I thought you'd be," I try. I felt like I had to say something nice back but I couldn't think of anything else without it getting awkward again.

"Come on you can do better than that Martinez."

What else am I suppose to say?

You're good company?

Thank you for not trying to fuck me like you do with all the other girls here?

You make me laugh a lot?

I feel safe with you?

You're not completely ugly?

Your personality is actually really great, stop trying to hide it behind this Mr. tough guy you think everyone wants you to be.

"You're a good friend." I decide on.

"I know," he smiles smugly. Asshole. "Alright so which movie will it be; The Woman in Back 2 or Project Almanac?"

I glance at the time on the cable box.

"Fang, I have to get back. It's almost three. a.m."

"No, right, sorry... I understand," he nods. "You're too scared to watch them."

"I am not."

"Whatever -Good-bye. Take your sorry-ass back to your sorry-ass dorm, and get some sorry-ass sleep so that you can attend another day at that sorry-ass school tomorrow."

I know he's just saying this stuff as a bad attempt to bait me into staying to watch a movie with him and it's so not working, but I kind of do want to stay. Partly because I've really wanted to see both of those movies, partly because I'm really not that tired and partly because I feel like this is Fang's way of telling me that he doesn't want to be alone right now.

"The Woman in Black 2 it is," I say, laying back on the bed.

He clicks the light off but even in the dark I can see him smiling. Fang presses the play button on the DVD player and the movie begins, while he gets comfortable at the other end of the bed.

I sigh.

The things I do for friends.