Ella:

Did I just say that?! Oh my god! I'm just as bad as the girls at my old school. Max ran out, crying. MAX DOESN'T CRY!

"Oh my god..." I said, running out after her. "Max!"

"Go away! I wouldn't want to scar your eyes anymore than I already have!" she yelled, running out the front door.

Max:

I knew it! She agrees with everybody I've ever met. I ran out the door and saw the stairs, reminding me of last night, and causing more tears to fall out of my eyes.

Why does life hate me?

I heard the door open and somebody run after me. I thought it was Ella.

"Go away!"

"Max..." It was Iggy. He came after me.

"What?" I asked, sitting on the steps. He sat next to me.

"She was wrong." he said, and I looked at him.

"No she isn't..."

"She is, you are amazing and gorgeous." he said and I smiled a little.

"You really mean that?" I asked, not totally believing it. He nodded.

"Lissa is a troll and you one of the most gorgeous people I've ever met..." he said.

I smiled, totally, letting everything else slip away. Then, I did something I'd never done before, I leaned in an kissed him. He was shocked at first, I could tell, and I thought he was going to pull away from me. Only, he surprised me right back, and kissed me back.

Ella:

I can't believe I just did that! Iggy went after her, so I decided to give them time to talk but then come to apologize. After about 5 minutes, I decided that time was up. I opened the door, to step outside, only to discover Iggy and Max making out! She knows that I like Iggy! I told her a billion times!

"Ahem!" I cleared my throat loudly. They jumped apart, and looked at me.

"Hey, El" Iggy said, happily.

"Hi, Ig...can I talk to Max...alone? I want to..." I paused, "apologize..." I said. He nodded, got up and went into the house.

I walked over to Max.

"El...did you really mean that-?" Max started to ask me, but I cut her off.

"What the hell was that?!" I yelled. She looked thrown off.

"What? Ig and I? I kissed him" she said. I could feel my face turning red with anger.

"I told you that I liked him!" I stated.

"Yeah? So what?"

"That means stay away, he's mine."

"No...it means you have a crush on an older guy, who likes me."

"Why should you get to date him?!"

"Cuz...he likes me and I like him" she said, in the tone I clearly picked up as 'um...duh!'

"Well..." I said, thinking of a good comeback. "I should get him, because you're just gonna break his heart."

"Oh, yeah? How's that?"

"When the cancer finally gets you. What then?"

"I have two years...I'll tell him about it and I know he'll understand."

"The doctors aren't always right...about the time."

"Yeah, I know. They tell people '2 years' all the time, and they live for 4." she said, using my words the opposite way they were meant. "Now, if we are done here, I would like to be alone."

"Okay" I said, standing up and going inside. Iggy looked up at me.

"Everything cool between you two now?" he asked and suddenly, an idea popped into my head. One that would break those two apart, for good.

"She has dark secrets...she's not who she seems. You think she's innocent? Guess again." I said, hiding a smirk. His face dropped.

"What do you mean?" he asked, standing up and walking over to me.

"I mean, did she tell you? She is dying. She is just using you as her last few days tick away."

"What? What do you mean 'dying'"

I mocked shock. "You mean, she didn't tell you?!" He shook his head. "she has stomach cancer...why else would she be so sickly skinny and have such a dead look about her?!"

"Look, I don't know what happened to you last night, Ella, but it ate your soul. On Thursday, max was your best friend, now she's your punching bag?" he said in disgust. I knew he was mad but I also knew that now he had the thought of max hiding things from him, planted in his head and that was all I needed.