Well. This was weird.

I walked into first period and Bella was hunched over at our lab table, scrolling through something on her phone. There weren't many other people in the room, so I tried backing out to avoid any unnecessary talking.

"Max? Hey, Max!" I resisted the urge to cringe and went back in, forcing a smile onto my face.

"Hi Bella," I greeted, setting my backpack onto the floor next to my stool.

"We haven't hung out recently," she noted, twirling her pencil. "Do you want to hang out some time soon?"

"Uh," I started, "I've been busy."

"Are you still busy? What about this weekend?"

"I think I have… a… meeting."

Bella's brow furrowed. "A meeting? For what?"

"For… chemistry. Chemistry club."

"You're in chemistry club?"

What the fu – "Yeah, of course I am. I love chemistry."

"Um, okay. When is this… chemistry meeting?"

"Saturday. For the whole day. We have a competition."

"What about Sunday?"

I frowned. "On Sunday, I have… church."

"Did I do something to make you mad?" she asked suddenly.

"Why would you think that?"

She shrugged, looking down at her warm-up worksheet. "I mean, normally, I could just tell you I was going to go home with you, but I feel like we've been a bit distant. It's probably because you were gone for a few months, but it also seems like you've changed after coming back."

"Sorry," I apologized truthfully. "To be honest, it's not you. It's probably me. And not to mention everything with Jacob, it's just been crazy."

"What happened with Jacob?"

I didn't even realize I had said it – it kind of just slipped out. "Just… with the pack and stuff. The usual."

Bella nodded with understanding, drumming her nails on the table. "They seem kind of intimidating at first, but I'm sure if you told them your situation, then they'll understand."

"Is it a good idea to tell them?" I asked. "I mean, I guess it wasn't a good idea to keep it from you for so long, and don't even get me started on Jacob, but I don't know if I want to tell them. If anything, they might judge me more."

"If I were you, then I would. I just realized that the truth is always better than lies." I heard the underlying message behind her words but didn't push it.

"That's true," I agreed. Before I fully processed what I was saying, I had asked, "I can probably hang out on Saturday."

"Don't you have chemistry?"

"Bella, do you actually think I would join chemistry club?" I asked.

She opened her mouth to respond but a voice interrupted us. "Max, you want to join chemistry club?" Mrs. Atchison inquired, an excited look on her face.

I sat there and tried to form the nicest possible way to say no while Bella laughed on.

I pulled up a chair and set my tray down at the lunch table. Rosalie gave me a small smile that I returned. It was weird. I was, like, on good terms with her. Whoa.

We settled into lunch with easy conversations going until a loud crash from the cafeteria doors caused the entire room to quiet down.

"Sir, you cannot be in this building unless you have signed in!" a woman cried. I recognized her as one of the ladies working in the main office who looked too sweet and a bit of a pushover.

"It'll just be one minute," Jacob's voice growled as he barged into the cafeteria.

"Sir, I'm afraid I'm going to have to call a lock down if you do not sign in and show proper identification!"

Jacob waved her off and made a beeline for our table. I stood up, ready to face the angry and clearly hormonal teenage boy storming towards us.

"Jacob, why are you here? If you want to say something, we can do it in private –"

I stopped when Jacob's body caused a wave of wind to blow over me as he reached past me and grabbed Bella.

"What the hell? Jake, let go of me! I'm in school!"

"Just come with me." He pulled her away with Bella resisting the entire time, but she was no match for Jacob's strength.

I could only stare as he took Bella out of the room, the doors slamming loudly after them. The cafeteria was quiet for only a few moments before it erupted back in chatter, presumably over what they just saw.

"Wow," Emmett whistled lowly. "What do you think that was about?"

"Probably that thing that Edward was so pissed about a week ago," Jasper noted. "He's still not back yet."

"I mean, I would be mad too," Emmett said. "Imagine if Rosalie did that to me. I would definitely not have been as casual to retreating to Canada as he did."

"You know they were going through a hard time," Rosalie said. "And a girl still has needs."

"What happened?" I asked.

The entire table stopped talking, almost like they just realized that I was still there.

"Nothing," they all said at the same time, making me about 140% more suspicious.

"What aren't you telling me?"

Alice feigned a look of surprise, looking at her wrist. "Would you look at the time? We have to get back to class soon!"

"Alice, you're not even wearing a watch."

"Yes, let's dump our food," Rosalie agreed, standing up and walking with her, the two boys following.

"What the hell?" I whispered, scratching my head.

Max's detective notebook

1. Alice, Rosalie, Jasper, and Emmett were acting hella suspicious.

2. Bella and Jacob were acting hella suspicious.

3. Iggy Azalea's hairstyle at the Grammy's looked like she stuck a wicker basket on her head.

4. Edward is currently MIA (actually in Canada but MIA seems like a really cool detective term)

I tried to piece together all that was going on in my head, but couldn't figure it out. I had a nagging feeling that I knew what happened between Jacob, Bella, and Edward (come on, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to get an idea) but didn't want to believe it.

I didn't have any more classes with Bella for the rest of the day, so I just walked out of school by myself. When I saw her standing by my car, I took a deep breath and tried to look casual.

"Hey," I said, making her look up from the fascination on her fingers.

"Hi," she replied.

"So," I started. "That was quite a show in the cafeteria."

She looked back down, fidgeting. "It wasn't really anything. Jake – he was… I don't know what he was thinking."

"Clearly," I said. "Are you going to explain? Or is the theory I already have in my head accurate?"

"What's your theory?"

"I think you know."

She took a deep, staggered breath. "It was one time."

"Oh, God," I sighed, covering my face with my hands and leaning against my car.

"You were gone and Edward was gone, so it just… happened. We were both lonely and I totally know it was wrong and I shouldn't have done it! But Max, when you left, Jacob was in so much pain. Maybe you didn't feel it, but Jake did. He was in pain all the time, physically and mentally. He didn't know where you were or what you were doing."

"What, did he think I ran away or something?" I yelled, causing heads to turn in the lot. "He didn't find it suspicious at all that I just seemingly fell off the face of the earth?"

"Of course he knew something was wrong," she defended. "But after weeks of searching, the entire pack came up with nothing. What could he do? You can't blame him for not thinking straight."

"What are you saying? Do you want me to blame you?"

Her eyes widened. "I – I mean –"

"It sure sounds like you want me to blame you for this whole thing. And I'm assuming Edward's in Canada because he's angry at you for cheating on him. It all makes sense now."

"Max, please don't be mad," she begged. "I've made it very clear to him that it would never happen again."

"What will exactly never happen again?" I demanded. Why was I so mad? I didn't feel so possessive over Jacob until I found out that somebody else wanted him. "What exactly did you two do?"

"Nothing!" she said quickly. "It was just a few… kisses here and there."

"Oh, that makes it all better," I said sarcastically. "Thank goodness it was only a few kisses."

"I've apologized for my mistakes, Max!" Bella yelled. "What else do you want me to do? Get down on my knees and beg for your forgiveness?"

"I don't think that'll cut it," I hissed.

"Why are you acting like this is such a betrayal for you? You didn't even want Jacob before you left!"

"That doesn't mean he's yours to take."

"Jacob is a person! Stop making it sound like he's unwanted and just someone's leftovers."

I rolled my eyes, not wanting to argue anymore. I unlocked my car and started the engine. "What, are you leaving me here?" Bella demanded.

Raising an eyebrow, I asked, "Do you want to ride with me?"

She frowned. "I'd rather walk."

"Have fun." I sped off, leaving her scowling at me.

Jacob wasn't anybody's leftovers. How dare she make that analogy?

Jacob is mine.

Jacob's POV

The cutting knife slipped out of my hands, nearly amputating my toes. My eyes were wide, unable to recognize the foreign feeling running through my veins. I couldn't figure it out. Just a moment ago, I was thinking about Bella, and then Max's face came into my mind.

Oh.

I felt my face go red. Was I thinking about… that? I guess it's just a teenage guy thing, but for Max? That's embarrassing. Not that she's not hot, because she is. But she's also fiercely headstrong and opinionated. And she gets angry easily and is too hotheaded. And she had that thing with Seth, which pissed me off to the nines.

But she was my mate, after all. And I have the right to want her at times. What I couldn't figure out was why I was thinking about Max when Bella and I almost…

I bent down and picked up the knife, placing it back on the cutting board. Before Max came back, I knew in my heart that Bella was the one I wanted, even though I was just a rebound for her problems with Edward. But now, my brain is telling me that I need to be with Max, and I think my heart agrees.

Love is such bullshit.

I ran out the door.

I pounded on the door, nearly knocking it off the frames. It opened to reveal an angry looking Max, whose eyes widened when she saw me. However, they quickly narrowed and she tried slamming the door. I shot my foot out and stopped her from closing it.

"We need to talk," I said.

"Go talk to yourself," she said.

"About Bella."

She rolled her eyes. "Oh, yes, the infamous Bella Swan. What about her? Did her eyes draw you in? Or maybe it was the hurt, innocent persona?"

"You don't know what you're talking about," I growled.

"I don't? How I see it, you saw a window of opportunity with Edward temporarily out of the picture and you seized it. Who could blame you? After all, Bella's just exactly what you want in a girl."

I kicked the door in and it bounced against the wall loudly, causing Max to jump. "What the hell?" she yelled.

"I didn't come here to argue," I said, trying to stay calm. But that was a hard task since Max just never failed to get on my every last nerve. "I am willing to focus all of my attention on you, and only you. No more Bella. I will devote one hundred percent of my heart to Maximum Ride."

Disbelievingly, she scoffed nervously. "Why would I take you up on that deal?"

"I know you want to be with me."

"Don't be cocky, you tool."

"I know because I felt it."

She crossed her arms. "What are you talking about?"

"Don't deny it – I know you felt it too."

"I actually am clueless, for once, about what you're going on about. What – felt it?"

I put my hand over my heart. "Here."

"My boob?"

"Your heart," I corrected patiently. "I know you felt it because I felt it, too. I don't know why it took you this long, but I know that you feel it now."

"I don't think you get the fact that I don't understand."

My hands cupped her face and I kissed her, holding her tightly when she tried to push me away. Her arms hit against my chest, and I'll admit it was hard to fight against her resistance. However, I held on tight until she began to relax. I kissed her gently and then pulled away. Her cheeks were rosy and I could tell she was grueling my actions over and over in her head.

"W-what was that all about?"

"You were gone and Bella was lonely – that's why we turned to each other. To be honest, I don't regret it happening." She opened her mouth in anger, but I put a finger to it. "I don't regret it because it made you realize your feelings for me."

"And you're so sure that I have feelings for you?" she asked, still breathless.

"I know it. Because we are mates, and I know exactly what your feelings are all the time. Whenever I want to." I pulled her in to my chest, setting my chin on the top of her head. "Right now, you're embarrassed that I kissed you. Earlier, you were really angry, which is probably when you found out about what Bella and I did. In between, though, you were… possessive." Max dug her head even lower, and I could almost feel her blush.

"I wasn't possessive," she said, voice muffled by my shirt. "It was just – Bella's taken, you know? You didn't have the right to be with her. Especially because I'm your mate. But I wasn't being possessive."

"I think your smart brain is lagging because that's exactly what possessive is," I laughed quietly.

"Shut up."

"So you admitted that you are my mate. That means that you can't do anything with Seth anymore."

"Too late," she squeaked.

I flared. "What?"

"It was one kiss. He sang me a song. And… uh, well it's over now. But he did tell me that he can bench more than you."

"That twink fucking kissed you?" I tore away, gripping her by the shoulders at arms length.

"He sang me a song," she said. "And that was it."

"It ends. Right now. And then you're never going to see him again. No wait, I'll just go kill him. Stay right here."

"Who's acting possessive now?" she said impishly, a sly grin on her face.

"Max…"

"Don't worry, I already told him that I wouldn't be with him. You can calm down now."

"I am calm."

"You just said that you would kill him."

"I will. Just not now."

She looked up at me. "You know, this feelings thing isn't just a one way street. I can literally feel your jealousy."

"You are not up for grabs," I said firmly. "You never were."

"Yes, I know."

"You cannot talk to Seth anymore without me there."

"Yes, I know."

"Don't forget that I am willing to devote all of myself to you, so you better not put me through hell again because that would just be rude."

"Yes, I know."

"Remember that you like me too."

"Yes, I know."

"And I actually bench more than Seth."

She laughed. "Okay."