"Jacob, would you slow down?" I yelled, but my voice was lost in the wind. I hit his rock-hard abs. "Hey, would you slow down? I'm sure you're going around fifty miles over the speed limit!"

"Shut up Max!" Jacob growled, speeding up even more. He was going to break his bike and I would laugh. "It's all because of you anyways!"

"Me?" I screeched. "What did I ever do?"

"Sam Fletcher! Not me, but him? He's the best you could do?"

"I'm the best you could do," I murmured. He didn't hear me.

"Really, Max? Did you have to do that?"

I said nothing. Jake kept stepping on the gas until he could go no faster.

"Damn it, Max."

Jacob dropped me off at the gates and I gave him his helmet. I started to unzip the jacket, too, but he stopped me.

"You can give it to me some other time. It's raining, so just keep it on. You wouldn't want to catch a cold or something."

"I have an umbrella," I said.

"Just keep the jacket, Max."

I nodded, and turned to the wet path to the doors of my house. I looked back at Jacob, who was watching me leave.

"Thanks," I said.

"For what?"

"Riding me home."

"Oh," he said, surprised. "Yeah, um. No problem."

I continued walking to the doors and unlocked one. Seeing that Jacob was still there, I sighed.

"Do you want to come in?" I called.

"What?" he shouted. "I can't hear you!"

"DO YOU WANT TO COME IN?"

"OH. SURE. THANKS."

"YEAH YEAH. WHATEVER. IT'S RAINING TOO HARD TO BE GOING OUT ON THE HIGHWAY WITH A MOTORCYCLE ANYWAYS. JUST COME IN AND SIT UNTIL THE RAIN STOPS OR LETS UP."

Jake rolled his bike into the dry part of my garage and set his wet helmet on the seat.

"Thanks again. You don't have to do this."

"I know I don't," I said. "But I'm doing it anyways, so shut up." I don't know why I wanted to- seeing him in the rain just made me feel… lonely. Or something. Maybe the evil part of my mind was turning its wheels and I was plotting to kill him while luring him into my home.

I was about to go up the stairs to do my homework when Jacob stopped me.

"Hey, where are you going?"

"Upstairs."

He held up his arms in a confused manner. "But-"

"I said you could come inside. I never said I would accompany you." I turned my back again, and got to the first step.

"How do you know I won't search your house and find out all of your family's deepest darkest secrets?"

I froze and whipped around only to glare at him. "You wouldn't."

Jacob flicked up his eyebrows. "I would."

Fuming, I threw my olive North Face backpack onto the couch. "Go to hell, Jacob Black."

"See you there," he said, sitting down on the sofa in front of me and pulling out his homework.

"Who said you could sit down?" I barked, annoyed.

"Me."

"This isn't your house!"

"Okay, Max. I got it," he said, continuing to take out his stuff.

I was tempted to throw the coffee table that was separating us at him.

Ugh. I unzipped my bag and tried to do homework that I already knew the answers to. The storm seemed to drag on for-freaking-ever, and it didn't seem to be stopping anytime soon.

After a while, I got hungry. Jacob fell asleep, and I tiptoed past him to the kitchen. I didn't like him, but I know by personal experience that sleep is a way to peace. So I left him alone.

Rummaging through the pantry, I found a pack of Oreos. Taking a row out, I placed them into a large bowl and took it to put on the table.

Splitting one in half, I licked the stuffing. Jacob actually looked… kind of handsome. I mean, just barely. He could just barely pass off the word handsome, which he is totally not. You can't honestly think this mutation is your type!

Fang is a mutation, the Voice said.

'Gosh, can't you ever leave me alone?' I thought.

I'm just being helpful.

'Yeah, right. Just butt out, alright?'

Max, you cannot forget the fact that Jacob has imprinted on you.

'I know that!'

He is ready to accept you for who you are, along with what you are. Showing you his alter form shows how much he trusts you.

'I know, I know. I just… not after what the Flock did. Wasn't I made to be a leader? Shouldn't I be strong and not let things like this bring me down?'

It's not bringing you down, Jeb said.

'I'm supposed to be Maximum Ride, the invincible. Where is she?'

Max, you're not made of steel. You will have feelings because, even though you are part avian, you are also human.

'I guess the whitecoats made a flaw.'

Max-

'Look, Jeb, can you please just leave?'

I can stop talking, but I will never leave you, Max.

'Okay, sure. Just please let me have a clear head. Please.'

Jeb didn't respond.

'Thanks.'

Jacob began to stir, and opened his eyes to a sliver. I sat criss-cross-apple-sauce on the seat and watched him.

"Hey, Max," he said sleepily. "I'm dreaming about you? What a nice dream."

"You're not dreaming, you mutt. You're awake."

"But waking up and seeing you o-only-" he yawned, "happens in my dreams."

I turned pink, not expecting those words to come out of anyone's mouth about me. Not even Fang or Dylan's.

"Well, it's not a dream. Oreo?"

"This is a dream. Max would never offer me Oreos."

I shrugged. "Whatever." I took another one and licked off the Stuf.

"Max," Jacob said drowsily.

"What."

"Max."

"What? Just say it."

He didn't respond, and I guess he fell asleep again. Aggravated, I took some ice water in a large gallon from the fridge and poured it on his face. He jumped out of the sofa and onto the floor, bumping his forehead onto the edge of the coffee table.

"What the fuck, Max?"

"You woke up and were about to tell me something, but then you fell back to sleep again."

"So…?"

"I want to know what you were going to say."

"I don't remember!"

I threw more water at him. "I bet you can!"

"I seriously don't remember! So it probably wasn't that important!"

I poured more water at him, and seeing him get mad made me laugh.

He froze.

"What?" I asked, still laughing. "Did you remember now?"

"You…"

"Yes?"

"You smiled." My face fell.

"What?"

"You smiled. You smiled a genuine smile!"

"Well, yeah. I can do that sometimes, you know," I said while glaring at him. "I can be a bitch, but I can also be a happy bitch."

"Oh, don't make that face. Smile again," he said.

"No."

"Do it."

"No."

In a heartbeat, Jacob snatched the water from my hand and dumped some on me. It was freezing. I gasped.

"You! Y-you! How dare you!"

"You poured it on me first! How do you think I felt? I was sleeping!" Jacob started to laugh, and it was contagious. I began to laugh along, and I started to regret it. I was supposed to be mad at him. But I couldn't stop laughing. Being with him just made me… happy.

When we finally stopped bathing in hysterics, I said, "Do you want to take a shower?"

His eyes grew big. "With you?"

I slapped him. "No, by yourself. That was ice water, so I don't want you to get sick."

"Aw, is Maxie-poo worried about Jakey-boo?"

"No," I growled. "It's just that if you caught a cold, then it would have been pointless to invite you inside. Besides, it stopped raining. Once you finish your shower, you can leave. And don't call me Maxie-poo."

"Alright. But you go first."

"No, I'll shower in my mom's bathroom. You can shower in mine."

Jacob paused. "Are you sure?"

"Yes. Just go. There are clean towels in the cabinet under the sink."

Jake asked one more time for me to shower first, and then went upstairs. I pretended to follow him so I could show him where my room was. Once his back was turned, I quickly pulled out my wings and swept the room of the water so Mom wouldn't flip when she came back from work. She got off at 9:30, and it was almost 8. We had time, but just in case.

I flew back over behind Jake and pulled in my feathers. He looked back at me, and I glared at him. Jacob shrugged, guessing that I had always been there.

Once we reached the top of the flight, I told him the directions. "Go down this hallway and my room is the second door on the right. It'll also say 'Max's Room' on it, so you can't miss it. Behind the door is the bathroom. The door is open, so you'll know it when you see it."

He nodded, and I turned to the opposite direction and went towards my mom's room. I heard Jacob's "wow" as he saw my room. Yes, it was a great reflection of my personality, don't you think? I pulled out some towels and placed them on the toilet seat with the lid down. Then, I stripped out of my clothes and hopped into the shower. Once the water was slightly warmer than lukewarm, I stepped under the spray. Wetting my hair, I massaged in my shampoo and conditioner. I had some cucumber smelling crap in my shower that was also in this one. My mom usually used a strawberry smelling one- not exactly what I want to smell like.

It doesn't really smell like cucumbers, but it smells a little better. I don't know, the thing has a picture of a cucumber slice on it, so I assume it smelled like cucumbers? Cucumbers, cucumbers, cucumbers…

I soaped up my body and washed the suds off. I turned off the shower and wrapped a towel around under my armpits. I pulled my hair up in the second towel and opened the door of the bathroom.

Sauntering down the hallway, I went into my bedroom. The door of the bathroom was closed and I heard running water, so I went inside to change. I took fast showers, anyways.

I grabbed some underwear, Ella's One Direction t-shirt that somehow got into my laundry and yoga pants. Still hearing the water go, I pulled the towel out of my hair and rubbed it with the fabric to dry it.

I assume I didn't hear the water stop, because the door opened and out came a damp Jacob Black with a towel hung loosely around his waist. For a moment, we just stared at each other until Jacob realized that he had just walked in on a changing girl and hastily went back into the bathroom.

I stayed frozen for a while, but regained my senses and continued changing. Fang hadn't seen me that close to being naked before. That was close. If I had stepped out of the shower a few seconds faster, he would have seen my whole party, with my wings.

That would have been bad.

I hung my towels on my desk chair and sat on my bed. I turned on the television, which was on the same channel I had seen the Flock on. I changed channels and surfed for a while before settling on a rerun of Make it Or Break it.

These girls should just follow the rule of no dating. It's way too complicated for my taste.

Jacob, seeing that it was safe to come in, emerged out of the bathroom.

"So, what are you watching?" he asked, trying to be casual. I could tell he practiced this in the bathroom.

"Make it Or Break it."

"Oh," he said. "Cool."

We sat in an awkward silence.

"So, I'm sorry about earlier. I didn't think that you showered so fast," he apologized.

"It's fine," I said.

"No, I don't think it's okay. I thought about if I were in your shoes-"

"You thought about being a woman?"

Jake cleared his throat. "A little. Um. Well, if I were in your shoes, I don't think I'd be okay with it. You know, being out of my comfort zone."

"Oh, well I'm okay with that. I've had that happen before."

His eyes grew dark. "Somebody has seen you in just a towel before?"

"No, I just meant that I've been out of my comfort zone." Not with fighting Erasers or Flyboys. It's falling in love and admitting it.

"Oh," Jake laughed nervously. We sat in an awkward silence.

"Do you want to change?" I asked, noting the fact that I had been staring at his half-naked body for way too long.

"My clothes are in the bathroom," he said, turning to get them.

"Those are wet," I interrupted. "You'll get sick wearing those."

"I'm a tough guy, I can handle it."

I shrugged. "Alright. It's your life."

Jacob came out of the bathroom in his clothes, which were unusually dry. I could have sworn they were damp before…

"Okay, so you're motorcycle is in the garage. You can get there by going through the kitchen, take a right-"

And of course, that's when I heard the pattering of the rain.

"Damn, why is it so rainy here?"

"Well, you live in Forks now," Jacob laughed. "Not hot and dry Arizona."

"I didn't even really live there," I said. "I sort of just visited Ella and my mom there sometimes."

"You didn't live with them before?" he raised his eyebrows.

Oh crap. "I, uh, lived with my, uh, brothers and sisters."

"There are more of you?"

Shit. "Oh, no, they're not my siblings. I mean, they act like they are. But they're not. They are… ah… my… cousins?"

"Why do you live with your cousins?"

"They are… gifted and talented, like me. So I, uh, stay with them. So I fit in. Sort of. A bit more than normal, I suppose."

"I see."

The rain kept falling, and we just stood there. It was awkward, but at the same time… comfortable.

I looked down, and Jacob followed my gaze. We both froze, and I didn't know what to do.

Jake bent down, and held up a single, light brown feather.

"What is this?"