Max's POV

It's been a week since I last saw Jake. I felt like I should talk to him. Or not. I need time to think, so I won't go see him.

Seth and I have made plans to have lunch today at three at a place called Bravo. It's Italian, apparently.

I finished putting my hair up into a ponytail and was about to get a book to read when I saw Ella leaning against the doorway of my room.

"Are you getting ready for your date with Seth?"

I sighed. "How many times do I have to tell you that it is not a date? It is a lunch with one of my best friends."

Over the few days that have led up to today, Seth has been calling or texting me, mostly starting off with the excuse of having trouble with his homework, but then it would go into a conversation about either of us. We really are best friends. He understands things from my perspective, but doesn't always agree with me. That's okay, though. It's good that he at least gives me a chance to say what I want to.

"Whatever. Where is he taking you?" she asked, blowing her bangs out of her face.

"A place called Bravo, I think."

"And you are wearing that?"

I looked down at my outfit. I had on a t-shirt, dark jeans, and my pink converse.

"What's wrong with my clothes?"

"Bravo is actually a nicer place, so I would not wear that if I were you," she said, her words sounding like a suggestion, but her tone said, change out of those clothes or I will shave off your eyebrows at night.

"Then what should I wear?" I didn't know what to wear when going out, since the definitions of my dates with Fang in the past equaled flying over to McDonald's and getting two orders of the entire menu.

"Hm…" she went to my closet and started shuffling through my clothes. "What happened to all the ones I picked out for you?"

"Towards the back," I said.

When she came out, she had an angry look on her face. "Why are all the ones I picked out in the back with the tags still on them?"

I shrugged. "What can I say? I like my own clothes more than the frilly Abercrombie ones that suit you more than me."

She let out a noise that didn't quite sound human and dragged me to her room. "Cometh, my young grasshopper."

"What? I'm older than you," I said as she pulled me away from my room.

By the time Ella was done, I was wearing a denim jacket with a white dress that was a little too short for my comfort.

I kept pulling on the hem to make it longer, and Ella would slap my hand away. "Stop it, Max."

"It's too short," I whined.

"It hits at your knees!"

"Hey," I glared. "For the past 15 years of my life, I've been wearing jeans and sweatpants, so cut me some slack."

"But this dress great! It shows off your legs, and makes them look super long." I examined my legs in the mirror. I had to say, my legs looked muscular, but not too big. I guess the running pays off.

Ella had attempted to coax me into a pair of chunky heels, but I stood my ground. No. Way. In. Hell.

I argued on behalf of my pink converse, and she insisted on the heels.

We reached an agreement by her letting me wear her white crochet Toms. She promised me that my feet would not die.

I said that it was good enough, I didn't need anything more. But Ella begged, and begged, and begged with enough tears that I wanted to cry too just to make it stop.

I gave into letting Ella do my hair. She agreed for me to go make-up free ("You don't want to look like you're trying too hard," she said) and straightened my hair and brushed it until it shone.

"Perfect," she breathed. I groaned.

"Ella, I am going out for lunch, not to walk down the aisle and get married."

"But you look great!" she squealed.

I mentally made a note not to ever let Ella touch my hair or pick out my clothes again.

I checked the phone Mom gave me the first week that I came here (It is a Samsung Galaxy something or another?) and saw that it was 2:57.

"Crap! Seth will be here any minute!" I stood up sharply, and turned to Ella. "Are you all done?"

She smiled at me. "Yep."

At that moment, the doorbell rang.

"Okay," I said, going down the stairs.

"Stay safe! And don't get weird with him, okay! This is only the first date!" Ella yelled down at me.

I scoffed. Like I would "get weird" with anyone. And it is, for the thousandth time, not a date. But I was too lazy to say anything back.

I looked through the peephole and saw a patch of black hair.

Smiling, I opened the door. "Hi-" I was cut off when I realized that the person wasn't who I was expecting.

Jacob's POV

When Max opened the door with a grin on her face, I felt the familiar butterflies start dancing in my stomach. She looked so beautiful. Her hair was straight and down, and she wore a white dress.

Her smile fell. "Oh, Jacob. What are you doing here?"

"Expecting somebody else?" I smirked.

"Yes, actually." My blood ran cold. What?

"Max!" I heard from behind me.

I turned and it was Leah's little brother, Seth.

"What are you doing here?" I asked harshly.

"I could ask the same for you," Seth said, sounding confused. "Did you invite him too?"

She shook her head.

"Well, Jacob, I have to go. Sorry, I'll talk to you soon."

She walked past me, her natural scent filling up my nostrils. While I wasn't here, she warmed up to Seth?

I turned and watched as she and Seth walked closely together, and he opened the door of his car for her. She sat into the front seat, and glanced at me. I stared at her, feeling my heart drop.

Seth settled in, and she looked away. They started talking as he started the engine, and before they left, I saw a smile appear on Max's face.

No words could describe how I felt when they drove away. All this time, I thought Max didn't act nice towards me because that was just how she acted towards guys. But I was wrong.

Maybe she was better off with Seth.