MAX POV

When Fang had started telling my Mom about what had happened with me and Dylan, I'm not embarrassed to say, I went straight to my room. Anyone of you girls out there calling me a wuss, I'd like to see you sit through someone recounting every detail of what is obviously the worst moment of your life. When I got to my room, I called J.J, my bestfriend from Arizona.

"Who are you and what have you done with Max?" she answered.

"J.J? It's me," I responded.

"Yeah, right!" she snorted. "The Maximum Ride I know, would never be up at nine on a Saturday."

"Jennifer Joy," I said simply. Jennifer Joy was J.J's full name. She hated it, and no one calls her by it. Her temper's almost as bad as mine. Almost. I was the only person bold enough to call her that, though I only did it to annoy her.

"Oh my, gosh. It is you. What are you doing up so early?" she asked.

"I just wanted to talk to you," I half-asked.

"Even if that didn't kind of sound like a question, I still wouldn't buy it. The last time we got you up this early on a Saturday, you were supposed to spend the entire day with Sam. And even then we had to hold your mom's freshly baked chocolate-chip cookies under your nose. Now what's wrong?"

"J.J, I wanna come home," I whined.

"Max," J.J said sternly, "I know you've hated that place since before you even got there, but it can't be that bad. I mean, when we talked on Wednesday, you even said that you had a date. Speaking of which, how'd it go?" she asked.

I scoffed. "Don't even mention that."

"What happened?"

"Before or after he tried to have sex with me?" I asked, falling backwards on my bed.

"You're joking!" she said in utter disbelief.

"No, I'm serious." I told her with a sigh. I told her the entire story, from Dylan picking me up, to me calling her.

"Max," J.J breathed. "I can't believe it."

"Yeah, me either," I said walking to the window. I'd heard Fang's car pull out of the driveway.

"Is Fang still there?"

"Nah. He just left," I sighed.

"Is that disappointment I hear in your voice?" J.J teased.

"What? No," I said quickly.

"Mmhmm," she said. I could almost her hear wagging her eyebrows.

"Max," I heard my mom call from downstairs.

"I've gotta go," I told J.J. "Coming, Mom," I shouted.

"Talk to you later, Sweetie. Tell Ella and Fangy-Wangy I said hi," J.J told me, disconnecting the call before I could respond.

I walked downstairs slowly, the smell of freshly baked chocolate-chip cookies wafted up my nose.

"Yeah," I said, timidly.

"Come into the kitchen, honey."

I walked into the kitchen and saw my mom putting a batch of cookies out to cool, and sliding another batch in the oven. Now I know what you're thinking 'Cookies before breakfast? Unheard of.' Well, my mom's cool, okay. She's awesome. I think I've mentioned that before

"I'm sorry, Sweetie," she said as she turned around. "I shouldn't have judged before I knew the whole story."

"It's fine, Mom" I consoled her. I couldn't stay mad at my mom.

"No, it's not," she insisted. "And to make it up to you, we're gonna visit your friends in Arizona today."

I ran to give my mom a big bear hug as the telephone rang, taking the opportunity to steal a cookie from the cooling batch.

"Don't forget your swim suit," she said as I savoured the cookie. "Hello?" she answered the phone.

A/N: Whoa! I'm on a roll! Two chapters one night