Wow! I got a nice response for chapter 23, guys! Thank you all so much!
DEDICATED TO: All of my reviewers! Me, Salute Horses, Kali Be Gold, Sierra156, BookWorm2011, zammielicious98, umm, hermione321, AwesomeCoolPerson, jojoankristinaRbamfZ, GirlWithTheBrokenWings, dancerxforlifex3, The EpitomeofAwesomeness, Love My Writing or Else, FANGirlforFANG, whocares1313, ADarkWingedForever, Amazing Grace, The Seagull, AssassinationOfDylan, Birdwatched, maceygirl (dude, those reviews were intense. XD), Animalover, Obeudan, Dark Skitty Power, MaximumMelody, CoffeeHouseGirl274, InsanityDerivedBlindLove, WhatIsLove, flip800and1, faxtothemax51799, ixdookiie, DaughterofWolf, LilacRose6, bloodyXfangs, Another Winged Soul, LupoLunaMoon, livelaughloveanddance, Hey, and xXAthena-MinervaXx!
Especially to ADarkWingedForever, my lovely 500th reviewer! And Amazing Grace, you have no idea how amazing it was (ironic, I know XD) to hear someone comment on the Man U vs Barca! I am indeed a Barca fan. WOOT! =D
You have no idea how ego-boosting it is to have all of those reviews to look at. I feel a bit teary-eyed.
Gazzy: TMI is such a girl.
… -_-'' No longer teary-eyed. XD Anyway, on with the chapter!
Neither Max nor I spoke about our little interaction in her front yard at school the next day.
I wasn't sure about her, but that last exchange had been very monumental for me. In my sheer, nearing-on-giddiness, I had nearly kissed Max right then and there. Then her nose kinda smacked mine, and I was jolted back into logic. If I had kissed Max… I didn't want to even think about the consequences. Luckily, I managed to turn my
almost-full-on-kiss into a very inconspicuous oh-dear-I-hope-your-eye-feels-better-maneuver.
I'm such an idiot.
Sighing, I stowed my history binder in my locker and shut the door, blending into place in the throng of students heading for the cafeteria. As I walked along, I tried to think of something other than Max. I focused on the guy walking in front of me. He was tall and blond, and walked slightly undecisively, like he wasn't sure where he was going quite yet.
Max has blondish hair.
I mentally facepalmed. Let's try again to not focus on Max. Steer my thoughts away from my bestie, who I was mysteriously attracted to, who was really a kick-ass girl in general…
Refocusing!
I set my eyes on the girl beside the blond guy. She was much shorter than him, but she looked fit and agile all the same. Her blue sweatshirt declared her to be a member of the Raine Valley United soccer club, specifically number seven on a team called the Downpour.
That was the club that Gazzy and I played for, and the team Max had been considering trying out for.
I shook my head for a moment, trying to banish all thoughts of Max trickling in. I had to stop obsessing over her. She would flip if she knew that I-
"Hi bestie!"
I almost socked Max in the face as I whirled around, startled by both her abrupt greeting and sudden appearance. "When did you get here?" I asked stupidly.
Max grinned, falling into step with me as we entered the cafeteria. "I teleported with my amazing super powers," she teased, flipping her hair dramatically.
I snorted, and Max smacked my shoulder in retaliation. "It's true!" she protested, trying to hide her smile and appear serious as we approached our usual table. "I am a magical being! Fear me!"
"Max is a fairy," I announced to our lunch table as I sat down. Gazzy, Ella and Iggy looked mystified, but Nudge was simply excited.
"ZOMG really? That would be so freaking cool, I wanna be a fairy! Then I'd have wings, and that would be so amazing! I've always wanted to fly, actually I've been thinking about going to aviation school and becoming a pilot! That would be so cool! But I also kinda want to be like a NASA programmer or something sweet like that, 'cause it would probably have a great salary, and I would get to work with lots of computers, and you don't have people asking for more peanuts all the time when you're a programmer. I don't like peanuts in general, but airline peanuts are great! They're so good, but of course peanuts have nothing on peanut butter, which is like, the essence of deliciousity. Did I ever tell you about that one time I got peanut butter stuck on my-"
"Thank you Nudge, that's enough," Gazzy interrupted, clamping a hand over Nudge's mouth. She poured, smacking his hand away and taking a moody bite of her apple.
"So what's happening?" Max asked through a mouthful of sandwich.
"Everyone's buzzing about our game yesterday. Oh, and your lovely black eye!" Ella informed her, looking strangely proud of the fact. "If anyone didn't know who Max Ride was before, they do now."
Max scowled, reaching a hand up to touch her bruise. "Great. So now I'm known as the freshman wuss who was punched in the eye twice?"
"Yep," Iggy confirmed gleefully. "It's so funny!"
"If you say another word, Iggy, you'll be known as the freshman wuss who was given a black eye by Max Ride because you were pissing her off too much," Max threatened, cracking her knuckles ominously.
Before Max could get a chance to beat up Iggy, an announcement crackled over the loudspeaker. "Will Jonathan Fields please come to the office, Jonathan Fields?"
Iggy stood up hurriedly, tossing his lunch away and swinging his legs over the bench. "Whoops, got to go," he murmured, waving a rushed good bye at us and starting to walk away.
"Wait, Igs!" Gazzy called after him. "What did you do this time?"
"Nothing, it's probably my dad dropping off my English essay," Iggy replied distractedly, hurrying away. I could distinctly hear him muttering, "He better have powdered donuts," before the cafeteria crowd swallowed Iggy from view.
"That was weird," I commented, wondering who was giving Iggy powdered donuts. Those things could be dangerous when in contact with Iggy, all for various figuratively explosive and all too literally explosive reasons.
"He was lucky this time," Max growled, looking slightly murderous as she glared after Iggy's retreating back. The effect of her expression combined with her black eye created a rather threatening picture. Yet, I couldn't help but focus on how pretty she somehow managed to look at the same time…
I had to get out of here, before I did something stupid about my secret Max-obsession, like rush up and kiss her or something equally as condemning.
"I'm done," I announced, finishing my sandwich and tossing the empty bag in the trash can nearby. I stood up, avoiding looking at Max as I did so.
"Are you okay, Fang?" Max asked, looking slightly concerned. "You seem a bit preoccupied."
Well it's your fault that I am preocuppied, Max dearest. "I'm fine," I said out loud. "See you guys later." And with that, I hurried out of the cafeteria.
This whole being-in-love-with-my-best-friend was hard work. I wondered how long I could keep this stoic façade up.
It was probably a good time for some deep, philosophical pondering on my crappy situation. What do you do when you're in love with your best friend, who was hinted before that she has a more-than-slightly-problematic phobia of relationships?
Yep. It was definitely philosophical thinking time for me.
O.o.O.o:O:o.O.o.O
Philosophical thinking does wonders for answering questions, you know.
Well, it does if you actually make an attempt to even think
philosophically. I abandoned the effort halfway into the first thought in art class, which happened to be, "Why the hell do I love Max?"
I was very grateful that Max, who was sitting next to me, did not have the gift of telepathy.
After this demonstration of how horrible I was at philosophical thinking, I decided to ask Gazzy about my epiphany. Despite the fact that he was a little bit of a pyromaniac, a lot bit of ADHD, and one-hundred percent soccer fanatic, he made a good advice consultant about everything from nachos to girls to betting.
Go figure.
I made my way up to him in the locker room after soccer practice after school. Gazzy was joking around with Danny, tossing a soccer ball back and forth, volleying and heading it to keep the ball from touching the ground. "Heads up!" Gazzy yelled, vaulting over a bank of lockers to kick the ball back to Danny. Everyone else who was changing their clothes ignored the two overly energetic boys. This kind of behavior was to be expected from them after all kinds of training sessions, be they easy or life-threatening.
Danny laughed, heading the ball swiftly back in Gazzy's direction. The two of them were extremely good with their ball skills and control, and the blue soccer ball they were passing rarely touched the ground.
The next time Gazzy volleyed the ball back to Danny, I stepped in and plucked it right out of the air. "Hey!" Gazzy objected, pouting at me.
"Trying out for goalie, eh Fang?" Danny asked, grinning good-naturedly.
Nothing seemed to annoy that boy. He had a perpetually sunny disposition.
I shook my head in reply. "I need Gaz for a sec," I explained, twirling the ball in my hands.
Gazzy pouted again. "But I'm playing with Danny," he whined.
"Jeez, Gaz. I swear that you're eight years old sometimes," I replied, feeling slightly exasperated with him. I needed advice here! I felt pretty sure that my abrupt infatuation with my best friend outranked passing a soccer ball around on the list of important things to attend to.
"Nah, Angel acts more grown-up than him sometimes, and she's only six," Danny reminded me slyly. He winked, flipping another ball up from his heels in an impressive rainbow and starting to head it repeatedly. It reminded me vaguely of a performing seal.
"Hey!" Gazzy yelped, crossing his arms across his chest.
Danny just laughed. "Admit it, Gaz. You know it's true! That little sister of yours far outranks you in maturity!"
Gazzy muttered something indecipherable and most likely explicit under his breath. "Fine, Fang. I don't want to talk to Danny anymore anyway," Gazzy announced, grabbing his backpack and stalking dramatically out of the locker rooms. I tossed the ball back to a grinning Danny and followed the diva out.
Gazzy stopped just outside the door, and set his eyes on me. "So, Fangles, what do you want?" he asked bluntly, getting straight to the point.
"I need some help," I replied, glancing around the hallway. Max was nowhere in sight, but I could hear some rather loud shrieks and giggles emanating from the girls' locker room. "Can we not talk here?" I added, looking pointedly towards the locker room door.
Gazzy seemed to understand. "Sure. Your house?" he suggested, already walking towards the road. I half-smiled, following behind him as I tried to marshal my thoughts.
We walked in companionable silence, the only sound the familiar jingling of Gazzy's keychain-festooned backpack. That was another thing about Gazzy that I appreciated. He understood the meaning of silence.
When I opened the door to my house, I was greeted by the scent of cooking dinner pervading every corner of the house. Mom appeared in the hallway, holding a silver culinary gadget and wearing a blue apron. "Oh, Fang, you're home," Mom said brightly, smiling at me. "And hello Gazzy!"
"Hi Linda," Gazzy replied cheerfully, nodding at my mom. The two of them were practically best friends themselves.
"Would you like to stay for dinner, Gazzy? It'll be ready in about ten minutes," Mom offered.
Gazzy's smile grew. "I'd love to, Linda! Your cooking is always amazing."
"Oh thank you, Gazzy," Mom said, smiling at the praise.
"We'll be in my room," I announced, starting up the stairs. Gazzy followed dutifully behind me, and my mom disappeared back into the kitchen.
Gazzy dumped his backpack in the middle of my room, plopped down on my bed, and motioned for me to start talking. "What do you need, Fang?" he asked, his blue eyes looking slightly concerned.
I fell into my desk chair, staring up at the blank white ceiling. "I think… I like Max. As more than a friend," I said slowly, feeling my throat clench up in an attempt to stop the words from emerging. This was the kind of talking I despised the most, but I had brought it upon myself.
Gazzy didn't blink. "And?" he prompted patiently.
I snapped my head around to stare at him. "What do you mean 'and'?" I demanded, the constriction in my throat vanishing at my surprise. "I just told you, I think I like Max! Max!"
Gazzy was unruffled by my outburst. He propped his chin in his hands, looking thoughtfully at me. "Wait," Gazzy said slowly, his voice tinged with curiosity. "You just realized that you like Max?"
"Well, yeah," I muttered, feeling slightly peeved by Gazzy's response. "Obviously."
"Fang," Gazzy started slowly. He stopped, sighed, and began again. "Fang, Nudge and I have known that you liked Max since the day she and Ella came to town," Gazzy informed me bluntly.
I stared at him, unable to fully comprehend what he was saying. All I could manage to say was, "What?"
Gazzy winced at the strangled quality my voice had taken on. "Umm, yeah, we've known for awhile now," he confirmed. "We didn't know you yourself hadn't realized it though," Gazzy added. "We all thought you were just keeping it a secret that you liked her."
I just stared at him, struggling to think straight. "So you've known I liked Max for the past four weeks," I clarified blankly.
Gazzy nodded.
"And I didn't."
Gazzy nodded again.
"Well why didn't you tell me then?" I demanded, suddenly on my feet. "That would've been nice to know!"
Gazzy stood also, looking surprised at my outburst. "When you figure out that one of your best friends likes another of your best friends, you tend to assume that he already knows that he does," Gazzy replied calmly. "Frankly, I can't figure out how it took you four weeks to realize you like Max!"
"Shh!" I hissed, glancing towards my closed door. "Someone might hear you!"
"Like who?" Gazzy retorted. "I bet you that the only person who doesn't know you like Max is Max herself. She's kind of oblivious about these things."
I narrowed my eyes at him. "Thanks, Gaz."
Gazzy sighed, falling back down on my bed again. "Look, Fang. You like Max, now you know. What are you going to do about it?"
There was a silent pause while I thought about it. What was I supposed to do about liking my best friend?
"I don't know!"
MPOV
"He so likes you," Nudge said randomly in the locker room as we were getting changed out of our sweaty, post-practice clothes.
"Pardon?" Liz asked behind me, sounding confused.
"No Liz, I wasn't talking to you, I was talking to Max," Nudge explained.
"Ah. Fang?" Liz asked knowingly, nodding her head in an attempt at adopting a wise aura.
"Yes. They would be so cute together, that's for sure!"
"I know, right?"
"I can hear you!" I said loudly, interrupting Liz and Nudge's
scintillating conversation.
"Hush, Max," Nudge ordered. "I don't want to hear your whining. I know you're just gonna deny your obvious chemistry with dear Fangles anyway."
I slammed my head into my locker. "There is no chemistry between Fang and I! My science partner is JJ," I grumbled weakly.
"Failed joke, Max," Lauri remarked, pulling off her socks.
"Shut up, Lauri."
"I'd like to take a vote here!" Juliann announced suddenly, standing up on top of the bench. "Who here believes that Fang and Max should date? Please say aye!"
Instantly, a chorus of 'ayes' rang out throughout the room.
It appeared that the entire female population of the Cromwell Lynxes soccer team was rooting for Fang and I to go out. Well, this was mildly mortifying.
"Guys!" I protested shrilly, feeling that horrible blush rise up again. I had never blushed this much in Nevada! Stupid Californian air…
Suddenly, Anne poked her head out of the small connecting office, grinning mischievously. "Aye!" she called, a wicked glint in her eyes.
Everyone shrieked and giggled, but I just sat there and gaped at Anne. "How could you?" I cried, springing to my feet. "Anne, as my coach you should be supporting me unconditionally in my times of need!"
"I'm sorry, Max, but I couldn't pass that up," Anne replied, slightly apologetically. "Plus, it's totally true. Did you see the way Fang was looking at you during practice today? I almost went over to have a talk with him about not staring at fellow team mates during practice!"
"Anne!" I shrieked, now thoroughly mortified and scarred for life. Anne simply laughed, shrugged, and disappeared back into her office. Nudge and Ella practically screamed with laughter, slapping high fives. Meanwhile, Liz, Lauri, Rosanna, and Juliann were all rolling around on the floor like their ribs were going to burst from giggling so hard.
Such supportive team mates I have here.
"You guys all suck," I announced hotly, grabbing my backpack and stalking out of the room.
"We love you too, Maxikins!" Rosanna called after me.
"Hugs and kisses!" Juliann added.
I let the door slam shut behind me. Those jerks!
I stormed off towards the entrance to campus, feeling suitably ruffled by my team mates' teasing. It didn't matter that Fang was gorgeous- I could accept that in my bestie. It also didn't matter how sweet he could be, or how protective he got over my problems. It didn't matter that he was the most amazing guy I had ever met, bar none.
I couldn't commit to another relationship. Sam had ruined my trust, and I wasn't nearly ready to bare my heart again. I wouldn't be able to take another heartbreak, not after the horrible one I experienced with stupid Sam and the awful Brigid, with her ever present little cell phone and her always perfect appearance.
I shuddered at the memory of the heartbreaking duo. It was best not to dig up old wounds.
"Hello, Max."
I stopped in my tracks, narrowing my eyes at the sound of the all-too-familiar voice. "Max II," I replied levelly, turning slowly around to face him. "What a surprise to see you here. Do you really insist on stalking me?"
Max II smiled coldly. "Are you enjoying your black eye?" he asked blandly.
I clenched my fists tighter. "Why yes, I am actually," I replied sweetly. "Would you like me to give you one to match?"
Max II laughed, but it was an emotionless sound. "I'm quite alright, Max," he said, his eyes boring into me. "I appreciate the offer though."
"What do you want?" I demanded. "Why do you keep bothering me?"
Max II smiled, sticking his hands in his pockets. "That information is classified," he informed me, clearly relishing the statement.
"Ooh, does saying that make you feel important, Maxi?" I asked snidely. "You could always just say that you love me and can't bear to leave me alone."
Max's smile vanished, and his gray eyes were stony and cold. "I could give you another shiner to match your current one," he offered quietly, his voice cool and unfeeling.
I snorted. "Threatening a girl, are we? You just aim high in life, don't you Maxi?" I twirled my hair mockingly around one finger, giving him a wide, fake smile.
"I do aim high in life, Max. You'll see that soon enough," Max II promised, sounding oddly distant. With that, he abruptly walked off, then stopped only a few feet further away. Without turning around, he added, "And your boyfriend won't always be around to fight back for you."
"Whatever," I shot back. "I don't need to hear your cryptic
threats, Max."
Max II didn't acknowledge me again, simply walked off and turned a corner around a building.
"Hey Max! Wait up!"
Sighing, I turned around, only to see none other than Danny Armstrong running up behind me. "Hey Danny, wassup?" I greeted him, instantly feeling more cheerful. Danny is one of those rare, delightful and very charismatic people that you never meet. He can make people feel better just by talking to them. This was probably a huge factor in why he was one of the most popular seniors at Cromwell.
"Nothing much, Max," Danny replied, grinning at me. Suddenly, he looked a bit shy, which frankly mystified me. "Hey, I was wondering…" Danny trailed off, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly.
"Yeah?" I prompted gently. "I've got people to see, places to be, Danny boy! Hurry up!"
Danny rolled his eyes at my teasing. "Jeez, so impatient, Max. I guess that all of you Rated R are. Fang practically dragged Gazzy out of the locker room today. Apparently he had something earth shattering to tell him that couldn't wait ten minutes."
My thoughts immediately shot to last night in my front yard. Neither of us had spoken of it today, but the moment seemed almost… sacred, strangely. Was Fang going to gossip about it to Gazzy? That didn't seem like something Fang would do, but I couldn't think of anything else for Fang to have to tell Gazzy so urgently.
"So, I was wondering…" Danny continued, snapping me out of my thoughts. "Do you think if I asked Nudge out, she would say yes? I mean, I know that I'm a senior and she's only a freshman, which could be considered creepy, but I really do like her," Danny babbled.
He sounded a bit like Nudge right now.
I smiled at him, holding up a hand to cut off his rant. "I think that Nudge would be ecstatic to go out with you," I told him truthfully. "She wouldn't care about the whole age difference. I mean, we know you, Danny. It's not like you're going to rape her or something."
Danny looked alarmed at the very thought, and I couldn't help but laugh. He was in his senior year of high school, yet he was as innocent as Angel or Maria. Frankly, it was adorable. Nudge was one lucky girl.
"Well, thanks for your input!" Danny said, a slow smile breaking out on his face. "See you later, Max!" With that, Danny jogged off in the direction of the parking lot.
I smiled to myself as I headed for the entrance again. Nudge would be over the moon when Danny asked her out. She had been moaning for the past week and a half how Danny would never notice her because she was a lowly freshman and he was a glorious senior.
I beg to differ. Nudge had a nice little surprise coming up for her. She deserved it.
Then I thought of the conversation in the locker room, and scowled to myself.
Maybe Nudge didn't deserve it after all.
Meh, this chapter is half the length of my usuals… but there was honestly nothing else to add. ANYWAYZAS, please review!
~TMI~