DEDICATED TO: TaraXx and Sierra156! Your reviews were awesome! =D Thank you so much!

Hi again! I cannot believe I have over 700 reviews on this. Cannot. Believe. I used to think that 45 for my 15-chapter story was a lot… And frankly, this story was kind of an accident- I wrote out a chapter for fun, figuring I wouldn't actually post it, but then I had the idea to turn it into a soccer fic, and BOOM! School Days. XD

(If anyone hasn't caught on yet, I'm hooked on anything that has to do with soccer.)

Someone (I think lilianneherondale?) commented on my vocabulary being lengthy for a thirteen year old. =D I actually pride myself on that. Tee hee! That's what comes from reading a lot.

And I discovered that Croif is actually spelled Cruyff. Whoops. Well, croif is easier to read/sound out… XD

For a few moments, it was pure bliss. Max's arms around my neck, her lips pressed to mine, the warmth of her body so close to me- it was everything I could have ever imagined and more. Perfection.

I stood completely still, praying that this was real and that I wasn't dreaming yet again, only to wake up to harsh reality. I dug my nails deep into my palms, the sharp pain causing me to flinch a little. That would definitely have woken me up from a dream, yet Max was still here. It was real. It was actually real. An army of fireworks lit up in my stomach, flooding me with warmth from head to toe. Max was kissing me.

Dear lord, Max was kissing me!

Just as I was about to wrap my arms around her, Max turned her head and broke away. She stepped back, staring at me like a frightened deer. I could only stare back, still struck by what had just happened. "Oh…" Max gasped the word sending shivers up my arms and down my back. At that moment, there was nothing I wanted more in the world than to just step forward and kiss her agai-

"Crap!" Max yelled, startling me out of my thoughts. She spun around on her heel, her ponytatil whipping sharply in my face as she did so. I blinked for a second, utterly confused, before I realized that Max was running away.

"Max!" The word was ripped from my throat almost involuntarily. "Max, wait!" I screamed, suddenly snapping to alertness. Max was sprinting now, and I was running after her. She was yards ahead of me though, and the distance was growing rapidly. Max had gotten a good head start on me in the first place, and I already knew that I couldn't' keep up with her when she was going full bore. Which obviously, she was doing right now.

Was I really that repulsive?

I slowed to a halt, watching helplessly as Max continued to run away. She didn't look back. Not once.

Within seconds Max had whipped around the street corner, almost blurring with speed. There was no way I could ever catch up to her, not when she wanted to escape so badly. Max was the fastest girl in the ninth grade, and probably the fastest girl in the entire school.

I considered taking a shortcut to her house and heading her off there, but decided against it. My brain was still fried, and I didn't know what I wanted to say to her anyway.

Numbly, I stopped running, and turned around to retreat back to my own house. My thoughts swirled like a hurricane in my head, bumping drunkenly into each other and careening uselessly about. Nothing made sense to me.

Max had kissed me. She had kissed me, and promptly sprinted away.

I'll admit that I had had more than enough daydreams about finally digging up the guts to tell Max that I liked her as more than just a bestie. I will also freely admit that every single one of those daydreams involved a long, dramatic kiss after my confession. Several of the more pessimistic ones even predicted Max running away afterward. However, never once in those daydreams had I thought that Max would kiss me first, nor did I think that I would be so stunned by it that I wouldn't be able to respond at all.

I was so stupid!

I sighed heavily, trudging up the path to my front door. As I stepped inside, my mom called out from somewhere near the kitchen. "Fang! Is that you?" she asked, her voice echoing in the empty house.

"Yeah," I replied quietly, heading directly up the stairs.

Mom appeared in the entry hall below me, looking up curiously. "Are you okay, Fang? You sound a bit… subdued." She looked at me worriedly, searching my face for signs of distress.

I laughed, somewhat sardonically. "Subdued is too weak of a word for it," I muttered.

"Pardon?"

"Nothing Mom," I said, louder this time. "I'm going to bed." I continued up the stairs, trying to sound normal, like I did every time I came home from babysitting Angel.

Mom didn't seem convinced. "Hmm," was her only comment. "Good night, dear."

"Night, Mom."

On my way to my room, I caught a glimpse of Maria already snuggled into her bed. Her curls were spread willy nilly across her pillow, and her hands were fisted in the blankets surrounding her. I smiled at the sight, realizing she must have crashed the second she stepped into bed. It was a wonder of the six year old being to be have the ability to fall asleep in less than ten seconds.

Thirty minutes later found me wishing I too possessed that talent.

I went about with my normal nightly routine: shower, brush teeth, get dressed for bed. It was simply a miracle that I had finished all of my homework before soccer practice today, because there was no way I could have managed to focus on algebraic equations or historical dates tonight or any night this weekend. Not when my best friend, whom I happened to be already in love with anyway, had just kissed me without warning and ran away directly after.

What was I supposed to say to Max now? Should I confront her about it and see what she had to say? Or should I just act normally and pretend the whole thing hadn't ever happened.

But my problem was, it had happened. It had definitely happened. And it was a better kiss than any I'd ever experienced before. It wasn't better because of technique or skill or even the fact that Max was the first girl I had ever kissed who was tall enough so I didn't have to bend in half to be on her level. It was better because I really loved her.

I lay in bed for a long time simply staring up at the blank ceiling, wondering if it could somehow miraculously answer all of my problems. Only one thought kept replaying in my head as the minutes ticked by.

Max kissed me.

I turned over on my side, staring out the window instead of at the ceiling. The streetlights were on, and I could see orbs of orange glowing through the night all the way down the road to the corner. The same corner Max had raced down to get away from me. I closed my eyes, still seeing the scene. Max running, me chasing, always several feet behind her and rapidly losing ground. My heart twanged a bit at the memory.

"Get a grip. Fang," I growled to myself, sitting up and slapping myself hard across the face. The stinging snapped me out of my mournful stupor, and I shook my head a few times for good measure. The last thing I needed was to actually become emo from this whole event, especially considering all of the 'you're so emo!' jabs I received already concerning my hair and choice of clothing. Max obviously thought the kiss was a mistake. I should forget about it, keep acting as if nothing had happened.

But could I? Now that I knew how it felt when she had grabbed my shoulders and kissed me senseless?

Obviously not. Duh.

I would need to confront Max about it, whether or not she tried to avoid me, even if she never wanted to see me again. What had caused her to kiss me in the first place? I needed to know.

With that thought in mind, I lay back down and closed my eyes. Tomorrow was Saturday, so we didn't have school or soccer together, but I could walk over to her house and corner her there. Yes, that's exactly what I should do. I took a deep breath in, and slowly released it. All I had to do was ask Max why she had pulled a kiss-and-run on me. No big deal, right?

Wrong.

O.o.O.o:O:o.O.o.O

MPOV

I woke up to the sun shining in my eyes. Mumbling incoherently I rolled over and attempted to fall back asleep. My eyes drifted shut, and I slipped back into a doze.

"MAAAAAAX!"

I sat bolt upright, my heart pounding as all of my muscles tensed up from the sound of my sister screaming my name. My body was on high alert, and my mind was racing. What had happened? Had Mom fallen down in the shower and broken her legs? Was the house burning down? I could smell smoke!

"Oh my God, the house is burning down!" I screamed, leaping out of bed. Or I should say, attempting to leap out of bed. My legs got tangled in the sheets halfway out, and I landed painfully on my elbows on the floor instead. "OW! Dear lord, the house is burning down and I'm stuck in bed!" I shrieked, writhing in my sheets on the floor.

"Max?" Mom poked her head around the corner of my doorway, giving me a strange, inquisitive look as she took in my position splayed on the floor. "What on earth are you yelling about?"

I looked weakly up at her. "Why aren't you evacuating?" I asked, nursing my bruised elbows as I sat up.

Mom furrowed her eyebrows. "Evacuating? What for?" She sounded very confused.

"The house is burning down, Mom! Can't you smell the smoke? And Ella screamed my name!" I protested, struggling out of my sheets and scrambling to my feet. "We need to get out of here!"

Mom smiled at me. "Max, there's no fire," she assured me. "The smoke you're smelling is the product of Ella's straightener overheating and burning both her hair and the rubber handle grip. She screamed for you to come help her, but you were peacefully comatose in bed, so I came to her rescue instead," she explained, sounding amused.

I flopped back down onto my bed. "Oh. Whoops," I murmured sheepishly.

Mom laughed, ducking back out of sight. I could hear her high heels clicking on the wooden floor as she walked away. "And you and Ella are coming with me to work today, Max!" she called. "It's a surprise!"

I rolled my eyes. What could be so surprising about going to Mom's veterinary office? I lolled back onto my pillows, gazing up at the ceiling. I had the oddest feeling I was forgetting something hugely monumental and important, but at the present I didn't particularly care.

Ella chose this time to come running into my room, the ends of her hair blackened and smoking and the expression on her face absolutely priceless. "Max!" she wailed." The straightener ate my hair!"

I raised an eyebrow at her, trying in vain to keep a straight face. "Ella, you probably just kept it in your hair too long while you were daydreaming about Iggy," I said knowingly, tapping my temple.

Ella blushed, instantly proving my point. "Maybe," she hedged, which of course obviously meant yes in Ellish.

"So how did your date go?" I prodded, smiling suggestively at my sister dearest. "Where did he take you? Was he polite? Do I need to kick his skinny white ass? Because I probably could take him on in history and Ms. Hell wouldn't notice."

Ella waved me off, laughing at my enthusiasm. "No, you most certainly do not need to kick Iggy's ass," she replied. "He was super sweet and a perfect gentleman, and I could tell he was nervous even though he was being all suave, which was even cuter! He took me out for burgers and ice cream, and then we saw Tower Heist, which was freaking hilarious!"

I looked at her questioningly. "Iggy took you to see a movie even though he's blind and can't physically watch the movie himself?" I asked.

Ella nodded. "Yeah, but he apparently heard at school that I was dying to see it, which I was, and he's super good at piecing everything together just by sound, and I explained anything he didn't catch. It was awesome. When he brought me home he kissed me goodnight!" she said dreamily, her eyes glazed as she remembered the moment. "It was perfect." We sat there quietly for a minute, Ella obviously reliving her date and me waiting for her to continue. "Oh," she said abruptly, breaking the silence. "Nudge told me she was going to ask you to babysit with her and Fang last night. How did that go?"

My stomach suddenly condensed into a block of ice, freezing my mind and my voice along with my entire body. Numbly, I could feel my eyes widen and my mouth drop open, even though I had no conscious decision in the actions.

Oh my God- Fang.

Ella looked at me worriedly. "Max, are you okay? You look like you saw a ghost," she said worriedly, carefully inspecting my face.

With a great amount of effort, I managed to summon my voice back into action. "Oh, nothing," I said, too brightly, as the recollection of last night swirled in my head. "We had fun- played in Nudge's pool and watched a movie. The girls were angels. Well, Maria was Maria and Angel was Angel," I babbled, laughing nervously.

"Max, what happened?" Ella demanded, her no nonsense tone snapping me back to reality. "You're hiding something. What is it?"

I gulped nervously, internally chastising myself for being such an idiot last night. What on earth had made me kiss my best friend? "Umm…" I hedged, reluctant to repeat my stupid actions aloud.

"Max, you need to get ready to go!" Mom called up the stairs, her interruption saving me from answering Ella. "Ells, I need you downstairs now!"

Ella stood up, giving me one last, lingering suspicious look as she headed back out of my room. "You're going to tell me later, Max," she warned me.

"I have no doubt that you'll weasel it out of me," I agreed resignedly. As soon as she was gone, I mutely stood up and starting pulling on a pair of running shorts. "Now all I need to find out," I murmured to myself as I adjusted the waist, "is how to acquire some memory wiping equipment and use it on Fang."

Against my will, I started remembering his lips on mine, soft and warm and so… Fang. It had certainly beaten out any kiss I had ever shared with Sam, even it was only one sided. I shivered thinking about how amazing the kiss would've been if Fang had actually responded.

But he hadn't, and that was the end, I reminded myself sharply. The best case scenario for me would be if Fang just never mentioned it. I would stifle those stupid emotions that pestered me when I was around Fang, or die trying. There was no other solution to this problem I had gotten myself into besides avoiding Fang altogether, which would be both suspicious and miserable.

"Max! Are you ready yet?" Mom called.

"Gimme a sec!" I yelled back, springing off my bed where I had been reclining. I quickly pulled on a random tank top and sweatshirt and some socks, trapped my hair in a high ponytail, and clasped a plain silver necklace around my neck just for kicks. Done.

Without another thought, I grabbed my phone and ran out of the room.

Mom and Ella were lounging in the kitchen when I arrived, sneakers in hand. Ella had trimmed the burned ends off of her hair, shortening it by about two inches, and Mom was busy concocting her life juice (aka strong black coffee). While I put on my shoes, Ella proceeded to babble on about her date last night, Mom smiling and nodding along. I held my breath and tried not to think about boys in general, focusing on tying my shoelaces.

Within minutes we were in the car, heading for Mom's veterinary office. I was munching on a blueberry muffin, and Ella still managed to find new things to explain to us in very great detail about her date. These things included the color of Iggy's shirt, how the waitress gave her a thumbs up when she took their order, and how Ella realized halfway through the date that she was stupid to have spent thirty five minutes on her makeup when Iggy couldn't see it anyway.

I stared out the window, wishing that I could rewind time. I would have said no to the babysitting job in the first place, no matter how tempting the offer was. If I had never babysat, I wouldn't have kissed Fang, and I wouldn't keep getting bombarded by memories now. The remembrances of how Fang smiled lovingly at his sister, how strong and real he felt holding me in the pool, how he let me sit on the counter and did all the work by himself making dinner for us, and of course, the kiss monopolized my thoughts.

Dear lord, I had a one track mind today.

"We're here," Mom announced, pulling into a small gravel parking lot and killing the engine in a space marked 'RESERVED FOR DR. MARTINEZ'.

Ella and I followed Mom somewhat awkwardly up to the white building, glancing questioningly at each other. Neither of us had any idea why we were here. Mom rarely ever brought us to work with her, and it was even rarer when she didn't explain anything about why we had come at all.

"Sooo… why are we here again?" Ella asked, voicing my thoughts. I nodded in agreement, mentally shooing thoughts of Fang away. We had entered the lobby now, a small white room with tan swirls on the carpets and the odor of animals lurking around every corner of the furniture. It was obvious someone had attempted to mask the smell with an overpowering lavender scent, but they were fighting a losing battle there.

Mom smiled secretively at us. For a moment she didn't reply as she nodded at the receptionist and walked through the swinging door to the back rooms. We followed hesitantly, wondering where Mom was heading towards with this adventure. She plucked a white vet coat off of a hook and slipped it on before turning back to face us again. "Max, you know how you came home a few days ago steaming about how we don't have a dog even though I'm a veterinarian?"

Ella laughed, and I nodded sheepishly. That was the day Dylan had first come to school, and I had ben in a pissy mood. I distinctly remembered grumbling about my lack of dog-ness all day, and confronting my mom about it that night. She had laughed it off before, saying Ella and I were more work than a dozen dogs and that she didn't need another one to look after.

"Well," Mom said, breaking into my thoughts. Her eyes glittered with suspense. "Look at who we have here!" she pulled open a door with a flourish, unveiling a small, clean dog kennel complete with water, food, and dog.

I gaped at the dog. He was small and black, his fur sticking up at odd angles and his black eyes intelligent as they stared me down. He wagged his short tail slightly, stepping forward and leaning his front paws against the wiring at the front of the kennel.

"This," Mom announced, "is Total. Meet our newest addition to the clinic, girls."

Ella ran forward and dropped to her knees in front of the kennel, her mouth wide open and her eyes huge. The light of understanding was dawning slowly in her eyes, and she looked quickly back up at Mom. "Can we keep him?" she whispered, touching the pads of his front paws. Total grinned at her in an almost frighteningly human fashion.

Mom nodded, smiling at us.

"OMG YES!" Ella squealed, springing up and attacking Mom in a hug. "Thank you thank you thank you soooo much OMG I love him already!" Ella gushed, releasing Mom and falling instantly back to Total's level. "Did you hear that Total? Me and Max get to keep you!" Ella couldn't stop grinning- she reminded me of a five year old on Christmas morning, a little girl who had received a pony when she was expecting clothing. "OMG, he's a Scottie, right Mom? I love Scotties!"

Total barked in reply, which I took as a good sign.

"You can take him out and play with him," Mom suggested. "Max, you can open the kennel. I have to get to work now." And with one more smile, Mom walked out of the room, her white coat swirling behind her.

I stepped forward and knelt next to Ella, unlocking the kennel and opening the door. Total walked calmly out, peering first at Ella, who giggled and petted his head. Total cocked an ear at her, flashing another doggy grin. Then he stepped over to me, walking right up to my knees into my lap. I held out my hands palms up, and he placed his front paws in them and lifted himself to my eye level. I stared into his black eyes, and was instantly reminded of Fang again.

Of course, that shouldn't have surprised me. Everything reminded me of Fang today.

I sighed and dropped my hands. Total fell to all fours in my lap, licked my fingers, and trotted back over to Ella. "OMG I love him so much," Ella gushed, hugging Total gently as he panted over her shoulder. "I'm so glad you badgered Mom about getting a dog, Max! But where did Total come from anyway? Can we really just adopt him?"

I leaned forward, a plastic rectangle on the front of the kennel catching my attention. The tag held a picture of Total, grinning photogenically at the camera, along with a paragraph of information.

Name: Total

Breed: Scottie mix

Trained or Untrained? Trained

Disposition: friendly- will not bite

Reason for Admittance: found stray on the street, abused and injured but not feral or dangerous.

Up for Adoption!

I smiled. "He's ours," I said quietly, looking up at Ella and Total. "Someone found him stray and brought him here, and he's up for adoption."

Total turned and looked at me, then grinned again, as if to say, "You got that right, honey."

So Ella had burned an inch of hair off of her head, I had nearly shattered both my knees and my elbows falling out of bed thinking the house was on fire, and I couldn't stop thinking about last night with Fang. But now I had an adorable dog.

Well, at least something went right today.

O.o.O.o:O:o.O.o.O

Mom had to work for the rest of the day, but apparently she had already filled out all of the necessary adoption forms yesterday, so she suggested Ella and I walk Total back to our house. It was about a ten mile 'walk' though, so Ella and I stashed Total in a backpack and took the bus.

Total's head poked comfortably out of the top of the nondescript white backpack. We had sat the backpack on the bus seat between Ella and I, and Total was quietly sitting inside the backpack. The bus driver hadn't noticed him with us, since I had slung the bag over my back and let my long hair shield Total's head from view. Even if he had spotted him though, Total appeared to be simply a stuffed animal.

Ella smiled happily to herself, stroking Total's silky ears and staring dreamily out the window. I knew that she was probably on cloud nine right now- she had Iggy as a boyfriend, her impromptu hair cut had actually turned out to look really good, and now she had a dog.

I, on the other hand, was stuck on cloud none. Moodily, I poked at the bruises forming on my knees, wondering if Fang would be the one to turn tail and run the next time we met.

I spent the rest of the bus ride trying to snap out of my self-pitying state of mind. I focused on Total instead, whose head was poking curiously out of the backpack and perkily examining his surroundings, a smile slid involuntarily onto my lips.

Maybe the world wasn't such a bad place. After all, there were dogs like Total in it.

When we got off at our stop, we were only a few blocks from our house. As soon as the bus rolled around a corner, Ella released Total from the backpack, clipping his leash to the silver collar we had already fastened around his neck. Total gazed around the neighborhood, his eyes bright with intelligence and his tail wagging. "Come on Total," I urged him, letting a grin take over my face. "Let's go!" I set off at a slow job, with Ella at my side and Total trotting energetically in front of us.

I couldn't stop myself from glancing at Fang's house as we passed it. The door was closed and the air quiet. It appeared that nobody was home.

I breathed a quiet sigh of relief. It would be exceedingly awkward to see Fang here now, especially with Ella here as a bystander.

Ella noticed my attention on Fang's house, and she nudged me playfully. "Looking to see if our boyfriend is home?" she teased, her eyes wide with faux innocence.

I snorted, speeding up slightly in my eagerness to leave the Rianild house behind. "Ells, Fang isn't my boyfriend," I murmured, trying to stop that god-awful blush from creeping onto my face. I managed to restrain it for once, and Ella seemed not to notice my forced nonchalance.

"Well, he should be," she huffed several minutes later, as we turned onto our own street. "You and Fang are meant to be. It's like a cliché fairy tale!"

I laughed weakly. "Right, Ells," I said quietly. "So, did Nudge already call to grill you for details about you date, or do I need to vacate the house for a few hours to preserve my ears from your squealing?" I asked, quickly changing the subject.

Ella instantly perked up at the mention of her date. "OMG no, she hasn't yet. She probably will soon though, knowing Nudge, although I told her yesterday that I would ask Mom if she could sleep over tonight. Did I tell you how at the movies Iggy…"

And then Ella's voice faded from my hearing. I halted, accidentally jerking Total's leash back as I did so. I could sense him looking up at me curiously, wondering why we had stopped so suddenly. However, my dog's confusion wasn't my main concern at the moment. I was more focused on the boy sitting at my doorstep, his black eyes locked on mine.

"Oh, hi Fang! What's up?" Ella chirped, unaware of the tension instantly rising between us.

"Nothing much Ells," Fang replied, not taking his eyes off of me. He stood up, walking slowly towards where we stood at the front of the driveway. "I just wanted to talk to Max."

Oh no. Dear lord, no.

My mind went blank, and all I could register was dropping Total's leash and bolting. As my feet pounded the pavement and Ella called surprisedly for me to come back, the only thing I could see was Fang's intense stare searing into me.

I had screwed up again. I wasn't supposed to fall in love.

I just kept running, never wondering where I was going. My feet somehow managed to direct me towards the park, the one where I had found Fang, Gazzy, and Iggy hiding in a bush weeks ago. I pushed the thought away, focusing on getting as far away as possible from Fang. He was the source of my problems. He was too sweet, too funny, too understanding- too Fang. He was too much for my heart to guard against. The wall had broken, and now I was terrified.

I found myself running along a deserted, overgrown trail in the park. It looked unused, possibly abandoned by the everyday passerby. That was fine with me. I didn't want anyone to find me until I managed to resurrect the wall around my feelings.

However, the downside of the trail being so conveniently abandoned was that plants overflowed onto the path and the footing was treacherous. This turned out to be my downfall, literally, when my foot caught on a dip in the path, launching me straight onto the elbows I had already bruised this morning in a similar dive. I groaned once, then rolled onto my side and closed my eyes, despite the uncomfortable ground underneath me. This scenario was far too much like the one I had encountered on the day I found Sam with Brigid. The scene: facedown on a running trail. My problem: a boy. My solution: run away. My heart: caving in.

I hadn't learned my lesson the first time, and now here I was repeating history.

But Fang didn't hurt you like Sam did, a small part of me ventured to say. You hurt yourself this time, Max. You can't blame it on Fang.

"Yes I can," I mumbled defiantly into the dirt. Great. Now I was emotionally and mentally screwed up. At least no one could find me in this embarrassingly weak state.

So of course, this being my life, this was the point where some random person had to come running up with their dog. Perfect. All I want is to be alone for five minutes, and some dude with his pet has to intrude on my pity session.

The dog ran up to me first, placing rough padded paws on my shoulder and licking my cheek. I reflexively opened my eyes and was startled to meet the pure black ones of my new pet. "Total," I murmured, my voice disgustingly weak. "Where's Ella?"

"At your house," another voice answered. I squeezed my eyes shut again at the sound of the answering voice, wishing that I could disappear.

"How did you find me?" I asked flatly, my voice a monotone. My heart quivered a bit, but I refused to open my eyes. Maybe if I didn't see him, he wouldn't see me, a tiny, childish part of my mind suggested.

"Total ran after you when you split the scene," Fang replied, his tone as flat and emotionless as my own. "I don't know how, but your new puppy here can track you down without any problem."

"Good boy," I murmured, raising a hand to pet Total's head. My fingers came in contact with his silky soft ears, and Total licked my face again.

"Max, what happened last night?" Fang asked suddenly, his voice tinged slightly with desperation.

My fingers froze on Total's head. "I don't know what you're talking about," I said carefully, as composed as if I was drinking tea in a palace instead of lying facedown in the dirt.

"Damn it, Max! Yes you do!" Fang shouted, his sudden rise in volume startling me. I kept my eyes firmly shut though. If I looked at him, I would give in. That I knew for sure.

"No, I don't," I replied stubbornly.

There was silence. Then Fang stalked forward and knelt beside me, flipping me roughly over onto my back and jerking me up into a sitting position. I was about to yell in protest at this treatment when suddenly, there was a pair of lips on mine.

My thoughts stuttered, then slowed to a halt. I dimly felt Fang's arm encircle my back, pulling me into him as he cradled my head with his other hand.

Then his lips were gone, leaving my heart pounding and my mouth tingly. My eyes flew open in shock, and I stared at the familiar face so close to my own, whose own dark eyes were carefully studying my reaction.

I was once again struck speechless.

"That is what happened last night," Fang growled, his voice making me shiver. I could feel his breath rolling onto my lips, paralyzing any movement I may have attempted to make. Fang's expression softened slightly, and I could see the hurt hidden in his eyes. "But you ran away," he whispered. His tough façade rose up once more. "I'm not letting you do that again, Max. What happened?"

I could only stare at him for a moment. Then I began to struggle. "Let me go," I mumbled, trying to wriggle out of his grip. Fang's arms tightened around my back, pulling me into his hard chest and trapping my arms at my sides. My head was forced flat against his shoulder, and for a second I considered biting him. I dismissed the idea though, and tried to writhe out of his grip instead.

This plan turned out to suck, considering that Fang can be as immobile as a freaking boulder when he wants to be. After a few minutes of struggling, I fell limp against him. I was breathing hard from my exertion, but Fang was perfectly still, only intent on restraining me.

That's when the tears started to leak out. I tried to keep them back, but after a moment of valiant effort, a sob exploded from my mouth, and I started crying into Fang's shoulder.

His grip on me loosened, becoming less restraining and more comforting. "Max," he murmured into my ear, his lips just brushing the tip of it. "Max, what's wrong?"

"I can't get away," I mumbled,, closing my eyes as fat drops of liquid squeezed out of them. "There's nowhere to run anymore. Running away didn't work this time."

"From me?" Fang asked softly.

"From my heart," I corrected him, attempting to stifle another sob. "First with Sam, now with you."

Fang was silent for a moment before he spoke again. "Who's Sam?"

"My ex-boyfriend from Nevada," I said shortly. A harsh laugh escaped my chest, coupled with more tears streaming down my face. "He told me I was the only girl for him, and as soon as a new girl moved to town he was all over her. I hate both of them."

Fang shifted, and his hands were my back, slowing my tears. "So this Sam guy messed with your heart," Fang murmured, his voice quiet and soothing, "but what did I do?" I was silent, breathing in deeply as I tried to steady myself. I couldn't answer that question. "Max?"

"You made me love you," I whispered before I could stop myself. I held my breath, screwing my eyes shut as I waited for his reaction.

Fang went completely still, his fingers freezing on my back. "Ma-" he started.

I couldn't let him finish. "And I ruined everything," I blurted out, more tears sliding down my nose. I wanted nothing more than to get up and run away, but I couldn't find the strength nor the energy to do so. "I ruined our friendship," I continued, "and I let my stupid feelings get in the way, and now you probably hate me, and I have no idea why you're even here now-"

"Max," Fang interrupted, his voice calm and soft, but tinged with a hint of amusement. "You're babbling."

For a second, I managed to smile in spite of myself. "But it's true," I protested, the smile fading quickly. "I ruined everything. I kissed you."

Fang twisted slightly, so I was face to face with him again. "Max, I kissed you too," he reminded me, a slight smile pulling at the corner of his mouth. "I guess I ruined everything too then."

"Yeah, you probably did," I agreed sadly, my mind whirling back to the kiss for a moment.

Fang was quiet, his eyes roaming over my face and studying me. "Would you mind if I ruined it again?" he asked, his eyes utterly serious.

My breath caught in my throat as his lips neared mine. Fang gazed at me, waiting to see if I would disagree.

But there wouldn't be any point. I couldn't run away from Fang. He was the first one who had ever followed me when I tried to escape. I wouldn't be able to get away from Fang. He would always be following.

And then I realized that I didn't really want to.

"I wouldn't mind at all," I managed to breathe out, and then Fang was kissing me again.

And guess what? At the end, I didn't even run away.

TEE HEE.

Sorry guys- my brain tends to go like this: soccer, fanfiction, soccer, candy, soccer, Ooh maybe I should write School Days, wait look that story looks good I'll read it for two hours, whoops forgot my math homework again, I should probably get to writing, wait no I have history to finish…

And so on and so forth. =P

AND JUST A NOTE: if you anonymously review asking when I'll update, I have no way of replying until I update again. -_-" so it's a tad pointless… XD

Review please! I made them kiss again, after all. XD

ALSO VERY IMPORTANT PLEASE READ! Fanfiction did that annoying thing where it made me retype the whole chapter on Word after already typing on my iPod, sooo I'm kind of annoyed about that… Any ideas why?

~TMI~