I hate this chapter. It's pretty boring and I'm really really sorry for that, but I tried to make it a little longer so that maybe you can forgive me! Don't forget to review! Criticism, praise, ideas, it really doesn't matter to me! Love it? Hate it? Let me know!
KarleeRay
My next class period goes by uneventfully. However, I find myself in a very happy mood as I make my way to my Basic Hand to Hand Combat Training class. My fingers twitch at my sides, ready to take on anyone.
I meet up with Fang, Nudge, and Ella outside the door to the gym and we all walk in together. Carter is standing off to the side and I wave her over.
"I am totally out of my element here," She mumbles, twisting her black hair into a high pony tail.
"I'm sure you'll do fine. Besides, it's basic. You know? Like for beginners," I explain to her and she relaxes slightly.
A bald man in windbreaker pants and a blue t-shirt enters the room. "Okay! May I have your attention please? Will everyone have a seat on the floor? Thank you. Alright! Welcome to Basic Hand to Hand Combat Training. I understand that a lot of you may never have even thrown a correct punch. Please, do not freak out on me. We're going to take this slow and make sure we're all on the same page. I understand this is new to you all so just bear with me."
He disappears into his office for several moments and then comes back out holding a large cardboard box. "The school has decided to provide you with your own set of workout clothes. You can all come up and grab your correct size shirt and shorts and then head to the locker room and change. I want you all back out here and ready to work in ten minutes."
I stand and get into the long line forming in front of the box.
"I'm like so ready for this," I murmur to Fang who shakes his head in amusement.
"It's a beginners class, Max. This is not going to satisfy you."
I shake my head, ignoring his negativity. "I have been cooped up at a desk all day and now these people are giving me a chance to work on my fighting skills and you expect me not to be happy about it?"
"I wore this pretty dress to school today only to have to change out of it," Nudge complains sifting through the box of shirts. I take a medium in both the shirt and the shorts and make my way to the locker room.
Ten minutes later and we're all running warm up laps around the gym. I hear ragged breathing and dragging feet behind me and I have to hold in my laughter. This is nothing!
After about fifteen laps, Coach Lance stops us. We all spread out throughout the gym and he walks us through some excruciatingly basic fighting movies. Fang, Nudge, and I all have them down in seconds, but it's almost painful to watch the humans in the class try to execute the moves. By the time our forty five minute class period is up, I can tell that even Coach Lance is slightly frustrated.
When the bell rings, I groan. I had not gotten the release that I really wanted. Fang smirks at me as if to say 'I told you so.' And I stick my tongue out at him.
"Forget you," I snap as I push past him and out into the hall. Just one more period. One more and I get to go home.
"Oh goodness! You're home! Hi! How was your first day? Come on, tell me all about it. There are cookies in the kitchen," Mom gushes as we walk in the front door.
I speed up my pace childishly and beat the rest of them to the humungous plate of stacked chocolate chip cookies. I grab a handful and jump onto the counter top to sit.
"Well I had a great day! Everyone was so nice. I really like it there and I'm actually getting to learn. It's like a dream come true. I bet I'll even have a boyfriend by the time this year is over! It's so exciting… I've never experienced anything quite like it before," Nudge rambles, trying hard not to spew crumbs everywhere.
My mom beams at her and then looks at me expectantly. I shrug. "It was fine. I'm going upstairs." I hop off the counter and head upstairs to my room, feeling like a different person. My bed suddenly looks very inviting, so I slip off my shoes and jump into it, staring up at the ceiling. For the first time, in a very long time, I felt bored and I didn't like it, not one bit.
About five minutes later, I hear the door open and close and someone flops down on the bed beside me.
"Alright. What gives? You really gave your mom the cold shoulder down there. What's the matter with you?" Fangs asks, concern in his voice.
I roll over and face him. "I wasn't trying to be rude, I just, I don't know. I don't want to lose myself. I think I'm starting to realize how overrated being normal is… I don't want to be normal Fang! I want to be me."
Fang grabs my hands and looks me right in the eye. Had I been standing up when he did that, I knew there was a good chance I would have fallen down. God, he was just so gorgeous.
"You're never going to lose yourself, Max. I won't let you."
"But what if you can't see it? What if it's like a gradual thing that slowly happens over time? What if in a year I'm some dumb teenager who's obsessed with clothes and gossip and school? I don't want to be like that. I just feel so average! I live in my own house, I have my own room, I go to freaking High School! I'm so cookie cutter!"
And then, Fang laughs. He actually laughs at me, like outright. I just poured out my feelings to him and he's laughing at me.
I feel my face screw itself into a dangerous scowl and I slide off the bed, beginning to stalk towards the door.
"You're a real jerk, you know that?"
My hand closes around the door knob and I am just about to make my dramatic exit when I feel Fang's arms encircle my waist from behind. I begin to fight him and I feel him shaking with laughter. "Wait Max. Please. Okay, I'm sorry. I'll be serious now I swear."
"Nope! I'm never telling you anything ever again," I tell him, twisting around in his arms so that I can look him in the eye.
"I'm sorry," He whispers, leaning his forehead against mine. "Really. You can tell me anything." He gives me puppy dog eyes, and I can't help but melt a little.
"Fine. But you're on probation."
I lead him back over to the bed and he follows obediently. "Now, make up for laughing at me."
Fang lies back, staring at my ceiling. "Max the only reason I laughed is because the thought of that happening is just ridiculous. You could never be like those other girls, even if you wanted to, and believe me, I mean that as a compliment." He sits up. "It's like culture shock, sweetie. It's weird and it's different because we aren't accustomed to it, but I can promise you, it's not going to change you. Your personality is waaay too strong for that."
I seriously consider taking offense to that last comment, but I decide to just think that he meant it in a positive way.
"I love you," I murmur, laying down beside him and putting my head on his chest.
"I know," he replies and I scowl at him. "I love you too."
He grabs my face in his hands and leans up to kiss me. I meet the kiss eagerly, splaying my hands out across his hard chest. Things are just starting to heat up when I hear Nudge calling my name. I sigh, pulling away while Fang lets out a loud groan of annoyance.
"Max!" Nudge explains, barging into my room without a second thought. "Gone with the Wind is on!" She flops onto the end of my bed. "Where's your remote?"
Sighing, I hand it to her and she flips on my flat screen TV. Angel joins us moments later and I question her about her first day of school. She says she made a lot of new friends, but that she had decided school was overrated.
"Shhhh!" Nudge snaps, her wide brown eyes never leaving the screen.
I lay back down next to Fang, curling into his side and he wraps both arms around me.
I try to stay awake, I really do because I know Nudge wants me to watch, but I really don't find Gone with the Wind that interesting, and Fang's arms are just so warm. With that said, I was a lost cause from the start. I was out in a matter of minutes.