As we walked into the cafeteria, I overheard Fang telling Iggy about Lissa in music. Iggy looked impressed. "Man, Max. What'd you do to her? Whatever I do never works enough to make her leave." I smirked.
"I have professional skills in the department of getting people to leave. It's a natural talent of mine," I joked. Fang rolled his eyes with a smirk on his face and Iggy laughed.
"Well then it's decided. You are going to hang out with us all the time from now on," Iggy decided grinning.
"Wow. The only reason you want me to hang out with you guys is so I can scare girls away that you two manly men can't do yourself? Tsk, tsk. Don't worry I'll give you lessons," I said smiling. Fang did his little smirk thing again and Iggy was still grinning.
"Pretty much," Iggy replied with a nod.
"Well then, it's decided. You are officially hanging out with us," Fang announced smiling slightly. "Well, what are your afternoon classes? Considering we have all of morning classes together, we probably have some in the afternoon too."
"Spanish 2 Honors, Honors Biology, World Studies and Gym," I announced. I had world studies with Iggy, Spanish and science with Fang, and we all three had gym together. I smiled, happy that I had started to at least make a few friends. And they were cool too. And kinda cute, but that's beside the point.
Throughout the rest of our day, I realized kind of a lot about my two new friends. Iggy was more girl-crazy, but really funny, and laid back. Fang was not girl-crazy, though all the girls were crazy for him. He seemed to like me more than all of them despite that we'd met this morning. He seemed laid back, but I could tell he never really relaxed, and was very closed off. He seemed to be closest to Iggy, but he even didn't tell him lots of things. Maybe I could change that…
"So how was your first day?" Fang asked as we walked from gym together back to our lockers.
"A lot better than I thought actually," I replied with a grin. Fang smiled slightly, but it was gone so fast, I'm not sure it was even there.
"So, where do you live?" he asked comfortably as we had reached our lockers which were ironically next to each other.
"Why, planning on stalking me already?" I asked with a smirk.
"Of course," he replied with a wink.
"Well if that's the case, I live on Arthur St, at 637."
Fang's mouth almost dropped open, and he was making that oh-so-attractive fish out of water face.
"I live right across the street from you. 640 Arthur St," he replied with a slight grin.
"You walking home?" I asked casually.
"Yeah, my mom has to pick up my little sister from her school at the same time we get out. She's 8, second grade," Fang explained as we approached the front doors of the school and pushed them open, emerging into the cool fall air. I nodded.
"I have a sister at the middle school, Ella, she's in 8th grade and my mom's picking her up now too," I explained shivering slightly as a strong gust of chilly wind blew through the trees, making a few leaves fall to the ground.
We began walking down the street, towards our houses. According to Fang it was about a 25 minute walk, which was nice with him and the nice weather.
"So, what do you guys all do around here?" I asked Fang as we continued to walk under big oak trees, on a sidewalk which already had leaves on it, a sign that summer was over and school was starting.
"Well, actually, we have a band. I'm lead guitarist and singer, Iggy plays guitar with me. I have a friend Ben who can sing really well, or play guitar or play drums. He's great though, one of my good friends. But we're actually looking for a female lead singer?" Fang asked looking at me hopefully. "Do you by any chance sing?"
"You want me to be the female lead in your band even though you met me for the first time this morning?" I asked incredulous. He nodded.
"You're not like any other girl in this school. Or even this town," he confessed. "You're the only any of us could stand to have in the band, cause you're actually fun to be around. Well assuming you can sing of course."
"I actually do sing a lot. Like I'm not good at all, but I have a recording room in the basement of my new house," I told him smiling.
"You have a recording room? That's awesome," he said as we kept walking down the sidewalk.
"Yeah, but that still doesn't mean I'm any good," I replied stubbornly.
"Fine. Then you can sing for me, and I'll decide if you're any good," he announced with a smirk. I rolled my eyes.
"No, I'm not gonna sing for you now. I told you, I'm not good enough." I smirked over at him, and he rolled his eyes.
"Well have you done any recordings in the room yet, that you saved?" he asked.
"Yeah, I did do one last night. I sang Drive By, by Train and it's saved. I guess you could come listen to it. But, I'm forewarning you, it's not that good." Fang smirked, looking happy that he got me.
"Fine. Let's go right now. It's not exactly out of either of our ways to go to your house, since we live across the street from each other," he told me smirking again. Honestly, this kid never smiles.
I rolled my eyes, "Fine." We crossed the street, as I had noticed cars rarely come down our street, and walked up the stone path leading to our house. As I opened the heavy wooden door, I got a text from mom.
Mom: Just picked Ella up from school, taking her to the store.
Me: Okay, I have a friend over
Mom: Okay have fun. I'll be home by 7
I led Fang downstairs to the recording room, and we sat down, and I pulled up the recording from last night on the computer software. As I hooked the speakers up so the quality would be good, I noticed Fang watching me.
"This is so cool Max. I didn't know that you could get a recording room in your house," Fang muttered in awe, as he looked around, taking everything in. I pressed play, and my voice came out clear and sweet, singing Drive By.
The song ended, and Fang looked at me, and held out a hand. "Welcome to the Flock." I looked at him confused, and he continued. "Our band, me, Iggy, and Ben. We call ourselves the Flock, and sometimes we perform downtown, or my dad gets us gigs. Well," he said pausing, "You in?"
"Sure," I said nodding with a small smile, and Fang gave me a real smile. Not his usual smirk, but the special smile he reserves for only when he's really. It really is amazing how much I figured out about him, and him of me, in such a short period of time. "But, I don't know how to play guitar at all. I can only sing…" I admitted.
"That's okay. We have enough guitarists, but I would love to teach you and then you could play too. Iggy's a better bass player. I play electric and acoustic." He nodded as he spoke, and then gave a little half smile.
"You should probably tell the rest of the band that you have a new member," I responded with a laugh. Fang nodded at me, then went to work on my computer. He sent an email to Ben and Iggy with the clip of me singing. He added a message saying he wanted me to be in the band as our new female lead, and that he would teach me guitar. He sent it quickly, then turned back around to face me.
"Now what?" he asked with a smirk. "You going to show me around, or are we just going to awkwardly wait in your basement until one of us kills the other?"
"If your heart so desires to see the rest of my house, then so be it," I said smirking as well. I saved all of our music stuff on the computer, then led Fang upstairs, and showed him the first floor. We walked around for a while, and we just talked about ourselves, and learned more about each other.
Fang has a little sister, Angel and an older sister Kellie. Angel is 8, and Kellie's 19, and coming home from college this weekend to visit them. I told him about Ella and Jeb and St. Louis. We talked for a while more as I showed him the upstairs, and my room with the beanbags.
After we had talked for a while, we decided to watch a movie on the beanbags in my room. The TV was huge, and we had a big bowl of popcorn between us, and we settled in, and pushed the movie we were going to watch, Tower Heist, into the DVD player. Neither of us talked much during the movie, but we did go through 3 bowls of popcorn and some lemonades.
Fang had to admit, he really did like Max as a friend, and she had an incredible voice. He was so excited to tell Iggy and Ben about their newest member, but was also excited for their next gig, Max's first one, and to teach Max guitar. She was just relaxed and easy to be with, and it felt very natural and comfortable between them, even though they hadn't known each other before this morning.
Just as the movie was ending, he heard a car pull into the driveway. He noticed Max get up from her silver beanbag, and he did the same, standing up from the black one next to hers.
A dark gray minivan had pulled into the driveway, and a relatively tan woman with black hair and kind brown eyes stepped out from the drivers side, and a girl about 13 or 14 with lighter hair, and a nice smile stepped out of the passenger's seat. They were both talking and carrying bags as they headed for the front door.
"My mom's home with Ella," Max explained as she headed out of her room, to greet them, with Fang right behind her.
"Okay, cool. You can introduce me," Fang said with his smirk. Max rolled her eyes, but nodded anyway.
"Hi mom," she called as she went down the stairs, "Hey Ells."
"Hi honey, how was your first day?" the woman who looked like an older Max called in reply.
"It was good. I made a friend, Fang. He's here now," Max explained, and Fang went forward to shake the lady's hand.
"Hi Fang is it? How are you?" she asked warmly.
"Hi Mrs. Martinez. I'm good, thanks. I actually live across the street in that brick house over there," he said. "My mom's name is Molly Ride."
"Oh is it really? She walked over here today, and we had coffee and talked for a while." Max rolled her eyes at her mom.
"Well, I'll just walk home now I guess," Fang said looking at Max.
"Okay, well nice meeting you Fang," the woman called as she went into the kitchen to put her groceries away.
"You don't have to go yet," Max said as he walked to the door.
"My mom will be wondering if I don't head home soon. Thanks though. Maybe you can meet Angel tomorrow. Glad you joined our band, we'll start guitar lessons soon," he replied with a wink as he walked outside. Max rolled her eyes, but waved as he walked across the street and into his house.
"He seems nice," mom said as I walked back into the kitchen.
"Yeah he really is. We're already pretty good friends, and I'm friends with Iggy too, but he had to babysit his brother today," I explained as I looked in the pantry in search of food.
"Max! I met this girl names Monique, but she goes by Nudge, and we're already like best friends, and we're going to hang out tomorrow!" Ella squealed, and then proceeded to tell me all about Nudge, and the rest of her day at school.
I got in bed that night, and surprised myself by being excited to go to school tomorrow. I would see Fang and Iggy and meet Ben and Angel. I smiled to myself as I slowly started to drift off.
"Hey," said a vaguely familiar voice from behind me as I proceeded to get my books for the first half of the day.
I smiled, as I turned around to see Fang behind me going to his locker. "Hey, why are you so late?"
"I had to walk Angel to school today because my parents had to do something, so I said I would," he said walking to his locker and getting everything he needed.
"Aren't you a nice big brother then?" I smirked.
"Of course, I mean who wouldn't want me to be their big brother?" he teased.
"Like the entire population of girls at our school, because then they couldn't flirt with you and all that," I said, having noticed already that Fang was the dream-guy of the grade.
He rolled his eyes, which really surprised me. I guess I'm just used to guys being all for the ladies. That's how my old life was, and I'm guessing the rest of the guys here are like that too. "I hate how they try to flirt with me all the time. I mean like they all try to talk to me, and get me to ask them out, but honestly I can't stand any of them. You're the only girl in our grade that I like. You're not all makeup and fashion obsessed and you're not boy crazy either. It's a nice change."
"How do you get along with Iggy then? He seems like such the opposite," I asked as we walked down the hall to homeroom, and then sat down in our desks.
"I don't know, we don't really talk about it much. We aren't like that kind of friends, we're close, but not that much." The bell rang dismissing us and we went to math.
After a week of having lived in Chicago, and having hung out with Fang and Iggy at school, Fang called me on our first Saturday here.
"Hey, wanna come over? We want to have a band practice. Ya know, familiarize you with the guys and practice for our next gig," Fang said anxiously through the phone. We already had formed a close friendship, and I would consider him my best friend here. I had met some other kids here too, but Fang especially (Iggy too) was a really good match for me.
"Sure," I replied with a grin. I loved hanging out with Fang and Iggy and Ben seemed cool too and we would finally start rehearsing. I through on a pair of running shorts and shirt and walked over to his house. It was convenient having your best friend as you neighbor, I thought as I walked up his paved drive, and knocked on his door. His mom, Molly answered right away.
"Hi Max! How are you?" she asked delighted to see me.
"I'm good, how are you? A little tired, glad it's the weekend," I said with a smile. Molly was one of the coolest parents I had ever met. She was nice, funny, laid-back and easy to talk to. Unlike most parents she wasn't awkward at all.
"Aren't we all?" she said more to herself than me, with a sigh. "Well Fang, Iggy and Ben are all down in the basement in the recording/band section. I think Angel's downstairs too, I know Fang's been dieing for you to meet her."
"Thanks," I muttered as I headed for the stairs.
"Max?" a familiar, low voice called out from the darkness.
"Who else?" I muttered with a smirk which was wasted on him considering the darkness. I bet he rolled his eyes, but I can't be sure.
"Hey. Ben's here, and Iggy too," he said, and as I walked farther downstairs it became light again. I looked over, and Fang and a someone I didn't recognize, probably Ben, bent over the guitars tuning them. Iggy was sitting at the drums waving excitedly. Boy, was he hyped up.
"Hi Max!" he yelled from across the room.
"Red Bull?" I asked laughing.
"Monster," said the boy tuning the guitars next to Fang. He was tall, with shaggy brown hair that fell over his eyes, which were a really pretty turquoise color. He was wearing jeans and a skateboarding t-shirt. "I'm Ben by the way. I take it you Max?" he asked with a smile, extending his hand.
"Yeah, that's me," I replied as I reached out and shook his hand. He smiled.
"How'd you know Iggy was all hyped on energy drinks?"
"Well I mean, most people don't act like that this early on a Saturday morning. Well, I guess I can see Iggy doing it…" I trailed off smiling.
He laughed, "That's a good point. Yeah, we gave him a Monster Drink when he got here because you wouldn't have recognized him. He was basically dead."
I nodded and smiled as he went back to tuning guitars with Fang. I had to admit, Fang had good taste in friends. Everyone I had met I had instantly liked, well Iggy had taking some getting used to, but we're friends.
"Oh, Max. I almost forgot. Angel's here, and you've got to meet her," Fang told me and he walked over to the stairs.
"Ange! Come down here for a sec!" he called up in a voice I hadn't heard him use before. I heard footsteps come down the stairs, and a sweet voice called out.
"Coming Fang!" A second later a small girl with perfect blonde curls came bounding down the stairs, bright blue eyes sparkling. Ironically, she was almost the exact opposite looking as Fang, but there was slight resemblance in their face: their cheekbones, nose and chin.
She ran over and gave Ben, Iggy and Fang all hugs. "Hi Ben! Hi Iggy! Who're you?" she asked smiling big, revealing two big gaps where her two front teeth must've been.
"Hi," I said bending down to her height, "I'm Max. I just moved in across the street, and I'm one of Fang's new friends."
"Oh, okay. Hi Max!" she said cheerfully and then threw herself on me in a huge hug. I hugged her back, and her face lit up, it was so cute. I had to hand it to Fang. He had the cutest little sister on the entire planet. No joke, she was adorable.
She went over to Fang, and whispered "I like her," in his ear, and he smiled. His real smile, that he almost never does. I realized that his little sister had this hold on him. She could get him to do what she wanted, he just loved her that much. It was really cute, and who would've thought Angel would have Fang, of all people wrapped around her finger.
Angel went upstairs after sitting with Fang for a few minutes to go to Iggy's house and play with Gazzy, Iggy's younger brother who's the same age.
We decided to practice our music now. Fang and I sang the lead parts, and Fang strummed along on his guitar. Ben sang backup and played guitar, while Iggy played drums. I had to admit, we sounded really good, especially for our first practice ever, well mine at least.
"Our first gig is 2 weeks from today, at 7:00 at Wilder Park. My dad's gonna set the stage up for us in the field," Fang explained as we all started packing up.
"What songs are we gonna play at the gig?" Iggy asked from where he was still sitting at his drum set.
"I don't know," Fang admitted, "I'll think about it for a while, then let you guys know. We have a gig later this year, not til April, that's is against child-abuse, but there's no theme or support in this gig. I'll think about it."
Ben nodded, "Well I gotta go take my sister to gymnastics. See ya guys later. Bye Max."
We all mumbled bye in unison, and smirked.
"Yeah, I have to walk Gazzy to soccer practice soon. My mom got so mad because I forgot to take him last week," Iggy said smirking, "Oops. Bye Fang. Bye Max. You two have fun," he said wiggling his eyebrows and laughing as he ran upstairs.
Fang and I both rolled our eyes at the same time and laughed. "The art show is up in Wilder Park this weekend. They have a bunch of different types of art, and a bunch of food and drinks and it's fun to walk around. I'm taking Angel now, you wanna come with us?" he asked as he finished putting his guitar away.
"Sure, Ella's got plans with Nudge this weekend anyway," I replied with a small smile. Nudge was Ella's new best friend, who had a similar obsession with shopping and makeup and shoes. She was perfect for Ella, and I was happy for her. Ironically enough, Nudge's parents and Fang's parents and Iggy's parents are all friends so all of their kids have been friends since they were little.
Fang nodded and we went upstairs to find Angel.