This chapter really short, but I hope you still like it. Consider this a filler.

MY OH SO BELOVED REVIEWERS:
emo squirrel (just saying, that's an amazing penname.), Lilac Rose6 (ZOMG DO I GET CAKE? And yeah, I figured it would be too much trouble to thoroughly explain each move when it'd just confuzzle people anyway. XD), ChRiSyBzA (XD nah, TMI is Too Much Information. I do like the Mortal Instruments though.), AlliAlways (THANK YOU! I'll have to take you up on that offer... =D), Jace'n'Fanglover (Thanks! =D), aries4me (I'm so sorry. =( I'm doing the best I can to fix the format. Glad you're liking the plot though!), MaxRide125 (I'm glad you like the chapters! I'll answer your question below), Fly On Maximum Taylor Ride (Thank you! I'm glad you're liking my story so far!), Rhaksha Ora (I know, right? My fingers hurt. XD), ADarkWingedForever (idk Cas, probably. Maria is adorable though, if I do say so myself. Thanks for all the reviews!), padfootlover109 (you show up on my spellcheck now. XD and Maria is kinda like will show up later, but I didn't want her to be Fang's sister.), rebeca (no, Max doesn't know yet. XD she'll figure it out eventually), bloodyXfangs (I'm glad you likes it. =D I liked the huggy part too. It's as much fun to write it as it is to read it, I assure you.)

I tend to update whenevaz I get inspiration. When I write an uber long chappie, it might take a long time, or a couple days. It depends. However, I just sprained my ankle, so I might get more writing time for a bit! Let us begin.

I stepped out of the bathroom in a pair of soccer shorts and a camisole, toweling my wet hair dry. A cloud of steam escorted me out into the hallway as it drifted out of the bathroom. After we got back from the Rianilds', I had immediately gone to the bathroom, stripped off Ella's skirt, and prepared for a long hot shower. My instep still throbbed slightly, but it felt a lot better than before. Fang and I had gone inside shortly after our soccer match, innocently sidling by the plate of brownies and nabbing a few more. I hadn't gotten to see his room, or any of the upstairs, because Ella had insisted we play Apples to Apples in the living room instead. Apples to Apples was a card game that Ella had a very unhealthy obsession with. After our hour-long game, it was time to go home. Ells had kept shooting me weird looks the entire car ride home, which I had decided to ignore. She was acting a bit strangely, and when Ella acted strangely, you hoped for your damn life she wasn't plotting about you. Unfortunately, I was fairly sure she WAS plotting about me. It may have had something to do with her mentioning a mysterious 'Plan' yesterday. It may have been the creepy smile she kept directing at me. Or, it may have been the fact that she had practically stared me down the entire ride home from the Rianilds' house, grinning scarily.

Sisters: possibly the most terrifying beings to roam the earth.

I stumbled slightly in the hall, banging my tender instep against the wall. I choked back a curse, instead choosing to glare at the wall. It was cowering in fear, I assure you. After I had properly punished the wall for damaging my injured foot, I continued down the hall to my new room. It still reeked of paint, since I had just painted it yesterday, but I didn't mind. I sat down on the bare bed, gazing out over my creation. As I had previously decided, the wall with the door was painted with Sweet Benevolence, and the parallel wall with the windows was coated in Forever Cerulean.

The other two had been carefully painted with Washed with Gold and Love the Night, and I was loving the effect. I was very happy with my painting abilities.

The room was cold, since Mom had opened the windows to air it out. I shivered as a gust of wind danced along my wet head. Inspecting my instep again, I noted the slight bruise that was forming. Part of my foot was slightly puffy, and it was turning purplish. Fang had had to practically carry me back inside, too, although I refused to let him pick me up again. It wasn't that I didn't like him carrying me. I just hated the feeling of being helpless while someone else was in control of either keeping me aloft or dropping me. Instead of carrying me bridal-style again, I had made Fang bend over slightly so I could wrap an arm around his shoulder and use him as a crutch. I smiled as I remembered our argument about this method.

"Just let me carry you. It's easier," Fang insisted, looking slightly annoyed. I shook my head defiantly, crossing my arms over my chest.

"No. I don't like being picked up," I replied. "I'll just lean on you." I had staggered over to him, heavily favoring my left foot, and slammed into him. Fang stumbled back from the impact, frowning a little. "Sorry. Loss of motor skills," I offered, grinning at him. Fang rolled his eyes, silently leaning over so I could loop an arm over his shoulder. We went three steps this way before he started complaining.

"This makes my back hurt."

"Suck it up."

"No."

"Do you only talk to argue or complain?" I asked, only half-joking. Fang narrowed his eyes at me, but didn't say anything. I sighed loudly, tightening my grip around his shoulders as we stepped back inside. Mom shook her head as she saw us enter, me leaning heavily on Fang.

"Maximum Riesra Ride! What have you done this time?" Mom scolded, standing up to inspect my injury. I shook my head at her as Fang led me over to a chair and helped me lower myself into it.

"I'm okay, Mom. There's a bruise on my foot that decided to kill me while Fang and I were playing soccer," I explained. Mom rolled her eyes, turning back to Linda and James.

"My dear daughter is very injury-prone," she told them, sighing dramatically. "The things I have to put up with!" Linda nodded sympathetically, smiling. James, however, started laughing.

"Maria manages to get herself into the most dreadful scrapes," he confided, sounding mischievous. "It seems to run in the family. I was the same way! And, this young man here," James nodded towards Fang, who raised an eyebrow warily. "He used to hurt himself awfully! I remember when you sliced open your stomach at the park when you were fourteen, and when you broke your arm, then your other arm, in the same month!" James chuckled, but Fang didn't look amused. He was rubbing his stomach like it had suddenly started hurting, and the expression on his face was not a happy one. Linda seemed to notice this, and quickly changed the subject.

"Yes, Fang and Maria are accident-prone as well, Valencia," Linda told my mom, smiling a little too brightly. Now that I thought back on that, it was a little odd. I wondered how Fang had gotten hurt that made him so uncomfortable about the matter. Injuries were commonplace for me, nothing to be ashamed of. In fact, Ella often accused me of liking talking about getting hurt. So why did Fang feel so bad about his past injury? It didn't seem too awful, if his own dad could speak so lightly about it.

Ella herself broke me out of my thoughts, once again. She poked her head into my room, shivering at the cold air. "Hey Max! It's freezing in here!" she complained. Then she noticed the towel around my shoulders, and my wet hair. "And you're wet, too! Get out of there!" Ella ordered. I rolled my eyes as I stood up, going to close the windows. We didn't need robbers on our second day here. Ella watched me until I came out into the hallway with her, apparently not trusting me to leave without her supervision.

"So, sister dearest," I drawled, following her downstairs. "What's this about your little Plan again?"

Ella stiffened, but didn't turn around to face me. Instead, she laughed. "Dang. I thought you might have forgotten about that."

"Nope," I replied, popping the 'p'. "And you didn't answer my question."

"Luckily for you, Mom and I are smart women," Ella began, leading me towards the kitchen. I followed warily, hoping not to be met with disaster. "So we've decided to do something nice for all of us." Ella raced into the kitchen, leaving me staring blankly after her. I debated on whether it would be smarter to follow or flee when she came back out and pulled me through the doorway. The kitchen looked like a unicorn had barfed on it. Pink and green lay everywhere, and I stopped in my tracks, staring at the transformed room. The table and chairs were pushed against the walls, and a pale pink blanket trimmed in pastel green lay in the middle of the floor. The lights were turned down low, and pink and green candles glowed on the counters. Various objects were spread out on the blanket, and with a twinge of alarm I noticed Ella's makeup bag among them. "Ella..." I said warningly, taking a step backwards. Mom popped up in the doorway behind Ella, smiling cheerily and carrying her electronic footbath thing. I stared at her. She was wearing a green bathrobe over her pajamas and her hair was clipped up in a bun.

"Hello, Max!" Mom beamed at me as she ushered us further into the kitchen. She set the footbath down on the counter and picked something else up off of it. Mom tossed the object at me, and I caught it instinctively. What's with people throwing things at me all the time? Mom raised an eyebrow at me. "Are you gonna put that on?" she asked, filling the footbath up in the sink. I shook out the bundle she had tossed at me. It was a plush blue bathrobe, covered in intricate silver threaded designs. Cautiously, I slipped the bathrobe over my pajamas, pulling my wet hair off my neck as I did so.

"What's with all this stuff?" I asked, jerking my head at the stuff invading our kitchen. I tied the belt to my own robe as I waited for an answer.

"Ella and I decided it would be nice to have a girls' night, to unwind from the stress of moving," Mom replied cheerily, her brown eyes warm and happy. I opened my mouth to say that this wasn't exactly my idea of unwinding, but Mom pulled her trump card. She swiftly pulled open the refrigerator door, extracting several items and waving them in the air. "And look what I've got!" My mouth watered as I gazed at her hands. Mom had bought sparkling apple cider and Ben & Jerry's!

I was immediately her slave. Mom knew all too well what I would do for those two delicacies. She knew I would put up with a spa night to be able to gorge on cider and Ben & Jerry's.

Damn it. I was hooked.

"Max? Were you going to say something?" Ella as head towards the blanket and candles. Ella smiled as she donned another bathrobe. Hers was pink with electric blue designs scrolled on the edked sweetly, stifling a giggle. I turned towards her, scowling. However, I swiftly turned my scowl into a smile as sweet as her own.

"Why yes, Ella! I was going to suggest we get started immediately!" I chirped, plopping down on the blanket. Mom smiled triumphantly, handing me a container of Cherry Garcia and a spoon.

"Dig in," she told me, smiling as she grabbed a tub of Fudge Brownie. I tore the lid off my ice cream, not needing to be told twice. Cherry Garcia was the best ice cream ever! Ella smirked, pouring a glass of cider for herself and sitting down beside me.

"So, Max," Ella started, smiling her creepy smile I recognized from the car ride earlier. I was immediately alert. "Where did you know Fang from before? So that's what she wanted, the scoop on Fang Rianild. I didn't really blame her. Fang was an interesting guy. "I told you, I met him at school today," I replied, focusing on getting the perfect spoonful of my Cherry Garcia.

"Why did you draw him?" she persisted, fiddling with her cider.

"He's very picturesque," I deadpanned, fighting back a smile. Ella pouted.

"Come on, Max! Be serious for once. I just want to know why you like this guy so mu-"

"Whoa whoa whoa," I interrupted, staring at Ella incredulously. "I don't like Fang like that. He's just a friend."

Ella smirked. "Yes, he's very friendly, isn't he?"

"Ells!" I glared at my sister.

"Admit that you loved hugging him," Ella continued, a mischievous spark dancing in her eyes. I immediately glared at her.

"How did you know I hugged him?" I challenged. "We were on the back porch, you little spy!"

Ella smiled sweetly, completely aware that I had caught her. "So? You guys were so cute! He was so concerned about your foot!"

My scowl deepened, and I internally roared at the blush trying to rise out of my soul again. There was no way I would let it return again. "That's because he wants me to try out for the soccer team next week, and he knows I'm a lefty!"

"How does he know you're a lefty?"

"'Cause he was watching us play at lunch!"

"You mean he was watching YOU play at lunch!" Ella crowed triumphantly. I shook my head emphatically in response.

"No! He was watching all of us, not just me," I replied swiftly. There was no way Fang had just been watching me. He had said Gazzy was his friend, and he had known who the other Max was. I hadn't been singled out.

But then there was the picture he drew of me, just me, not anybody else... Suddenly, inexplicably, I felt tears spring to my eyes. I was so surprised by their appearance that I let them fall down my cheeks. Ella looked alarmed, immediately dropping her teasing air and launching herself at me in a hug. I sat, unresponsive, as she hugged me tightly. Tears leaked steadily from my eyes, and I was still too shocked to do anything about them. I had never cried about a boy before. Even when Sam had ditched me for Brigid, I didn't cry, and I had thought that I really liked Sam. So why was I crying now, just because Ella was saying that a boy I had just met today liked me? I honestly didn't know. I just sat there and let the tears fall. Mom looked a little concerned as she watched my waterworks show, but she simply let me cry, somehow knowing with her special Mom powers that I couldn't be comforted. I didn't even know what I needed comforting with. Heck, I didn't even know why I was crying in the first place!

Eventually, the tears slowed to a stop, and Ella untangled her arms from around me. She looked at me earnestly through wide brown eyes. "I'm sorry Max, I didn't mean to make you upset," she said, looking truly remorseful. I sniffed, waving her apology off.

"Don't worry Ells. I don't know why I got all drippy all of a sudden. I must be PMSing or something," I replied. Ella smiled, and Mom looked less worried.

"Well, why don't we get started with our little spa night?" Mom suggested. "You girls are finished with your homework, right?" We both nodded. I had finished mine before dinner, and I knew that Ella always holed up in the library at lunch after she finished eating and did her homework then. She always made sure her last two periods of the day after lunch were things like PE and music. "Okay then," Mom continued, plugging the footbath into an electric socket. "Max, why don't you go first? I'll get started brushing Ella's hair." Mom pulled out a blue hairbrush and attacked Ella's snarls. Ella giggled as she stole a spoonful of Mom's ice cream. I smiled. Maybe this spa night could be fun after all...

But I still couldn't get Ella's words off my mind. She was so convinced Fang liked me, when I had only felt friendliness from him. How would I feel if Fang did like me?

Judging from my tears, I wouldn't like it very much.

TSK TSK, MAX. YOU WOULD LIKE IT A LOT. TRUST ME. XD
I'll get another chapter up asap, since this one was so short! Review please! =D

~TMI~