Hey everybody!

Just posted an AHS Fic yesterday, when I realized that this story has gotten 63 reviews! That is truly amazing, and thanks to everyone who kept this story going.

As a token of my gratitude, here is a new chappie!

I woke up the next morning and fought the urge to return to sleep. I think it is a plain miracle that anyone would wake up before 11 on a Saturday morning, but my sister had the astounding quality of being a morning person. When I peeled my eyelids apart, Ella was sitting with her nose in a book in the chair adjacent to my bed. She heard my rustling, looked up, and gave me a devilish smile.

"It's aliiiiiiiiiiiiiive!" she yells as she flings aside her book and tackles me back onto my pillow. "I heard you were quite busy last night! Maybe Total should get lost more often…"

I groaned under her weight and accusations, and tried to suppress the confusing memories from last night. I raised a hand to my head in an attempt to block out the thought of running away from Fang when he had finally opened up to me. Did I even like Fang? The prospect of being vulnerable to another human being was more than intimidating. I don't know what possessed me to kiss him, but I'm sure he thought I was some sort of ditz.

"Alright, get off, get off!" I said as I pushed Ella from the bed. I rolled over to check my cell phone, and there were no messages. I knew that I had screwed up the moment, so it was my turn to reach out to Fang. I waved my sister out of the room, and tried to painstakingly compose a text.

Hey, Fang. Sorry about last night.

I'm no writer, but it'll do. I hit send, and immediately started to analyze every letter and punctuation mark. Was it too distant? Too sincere? Too closed off?

I shook off the feeling of insecurity and started to rise out of the bed, when my phone went off. I looked down in anticipation.

Fang:No problem. I see you as more of a friend anyway.

The cold, calculated words stung. Did he really mean that? I thought the way he looked at me meant-

Nothing, it meant nothing. I clamped the pain growing in the pit of my stomach, and threw the phone on the bed. I was not going to let that snot-nosed, arrogant boy ruin this day. My phone buzzed again, and a hope grew that maybe it was Fang. Unfortunately, the hope was quickly squashed.

Dylan: Hey, Max! I'm so sorry about that party. Give me another chance?

I pictured Dylan's attractive, boyish face, and I internally shrugged. Everyone deserves a second chance, right? I mean, I'm definitely not perfect. Plus, doing something with a cute boy sure beats watching reruns of Law & Order with my sister. I quickly responded, even though my thoughts were still swirling around rejection from Fang.

Sure, why not? What do you have in mind?

He responded quickly, and soon Dylan and I had plans to grab dinner at 6. Because Ella had woken me up so early, I had quite a while to obsess over my outfit and possible makeup. I decided to distract myself with some reading, until my mom barged into my room looking frazzled.

"Max, go to the convenience store and buy a lint roller. That dog is getting hair all over my lab jackets." she instructed me, and then shut the door. I laughed because she was so out of it that she hadn't even yelled at Ella for keeping the dog. I quickly got dressed and brushed my teeth, and headed out the door to the store. The sidewalked was awash with morning light, and it was tranquil.

I entered the automatic door and hunted into the tightly packed shelves full of everything from baby powder to windshield wipers. I grabbed the lint roller, and inspected the makeup section. Was one kind of mascara really so different from another? I picked up an obnoxiously bright orange tube of eyeliner, when I heard a voice from behind me.

"Decided to become a circus clown after all?" Fang questioned , voice thick with sarcasm. I bristled, and remembered my feelings of hurt.

"Well, figured I'd check it out. What's it like being in a freak show?" I asked him scathingly. He pushed back his hair, revealing a slight smile at my defensiveness. Fang's eyes locked with mine with an intensity that made me uncomfortable. I imagined how it felt to have his arms around me, and his lips on-

"I have another date tonight," I blabbered, trying to spite him even though I was hopelessly drawn to him. Fang immediately dropped his eyes and his mouth was a hard line. His hands were fists and I took a step back.

"Good luck. Hope he's a better kisser than I am," he shot back, walking with purpose back to the check out counter. I felt a pang of guilt, but then remembered this morning's text. I regained confidence, and then went to pay for the lint roller. I purposefully selected another cashier, even though there was no line at Fang's station.

I returned back home without a hitch, still burning from my encounter with Fang. I enlisted Ella to do my makeup (something she was always happy to do) and put on a slightly sheer black crop sleeve shirt and coral shorts. In the mirror, the girl returning my reflection looked… pretty good. Ella was giddy and took several pictures, which I'm sure would end up on her blog later.

At 6:03, knock on the door resounded through the house, and gave me a twinge of anxiety. After the last time I was with Dylan, I wasn't exactly excited at the idea of spending the evening with him. I readied myself once more in the mirror, and answered the door.

There he was, looking like he had just stepped out of a magazine shoot. Dylan's blonde hair flowed back carelessly, and his blue button down matched his eyes perfectly. His calm, collected demeanor set me at ease, and his smile sped up my heart beat. Maybe the night wasn't doomed at all. I smiled at him nervously.

"Max! You look great!" he exclaimed, his expression reflecting his genuine happiness at seeing me. He pulled me in for a surprise hug, and after a moment of standing stiff, I relaxed into it and returned the gesture. He smelled like chocolate ice cream. He pulled away, but gave me his hand and lead me off the front porch. Dylan's grin made my senses tingle in a way that only one other could have made me feel, and I was intentionally not thinking about him at the moment. I ducked into Dylan's car, ready to get away for a little while.

While I was in my star struck stupor, I didn't notice the dark shadow's movement behind me.

Whaddya think? I always love feedback, especially from readers who've encouraged me to get back.

Thank you always!

love always,

~Me