Soo, I don't usually do authors notes, but I just wanted to apologize for my lack of updates. I was in Ohio for a few weeks on a demolition team, smashin shit up. But I'm back and finally finished this chapter. Its not exactly all turmoil and excitement, but its important for later. :) Thanks for reading! r&r!

-Rico

Max P.O.V. chapter 14:

"Max! Winter formal is in one week! Literally! if you don't have a dress by wednesday Angel and I will have no choice but to get one for you! And it will no doubt make you look gorgeous, not that you aren't already, but you could use some stardom after that nasty spat with your sister last month..." Nudge trailed off, and I tossed her most recent seventeen magazine aside, unable to find anything interesting to read in it.

"I already told you guys, I don't want to go." I sat up and dangled my legs over the side of Nudges bed. It had been a month since my fight with Maya, a blissfully quiet month, meaning Maya and her friends didn't dare to lay a single finger on me anymore. Not to say that I didn't have a little help. Fang seemed to be around every corner, waiting to make small talk or brush a strand of hair back away from my face, to my annoyance. I had stopped trying to get him to leave me alone, because he refused to go away, and I didn't want to create a scene.

"Max, If you don't go, I...I swear I'll..." Nudge clenched her fists and tried to look intimidating, before going soft, pushing out her lower lip a tiny bit, her eyes widening and glossing over with tears, dropping her chin just a tiny bit. I slapped my hands over my eyes and fell over onto my side on her bed.

"No. No Nudge, no bambi eyes." I whined, and the bed tipped away from me as she flopped down next to me, trying to pry my hands away from my eyes.

"Just say you'll go." Angel said simply from across the room, where she was lounging, painting her nails in one of Nudges beanbag chairs. I let Nudge pull away my hands, and I glared at Angel, trying to find an excuse not to go.

"Fine, but I'll only go if someone asks me." I said with an evil grin, and Angel rolled her eyes. Nobody would dare ask me to go to formal with them, for fear of what my sister would think.

"I bet Nick will ask you." Nudge said, giving me an equally evil smile. I groaned, flopping down on my back, Nudge and Angel both knew why that would be a catastrophe.

"Ugh, if he does i'm dead if I say yes or no." Angel stood up, the bottle of dark purple polish held by her index finger and thumb, blowing on the nails on her left hand.

"Then just avoid him or something. You can be like a ghost when you want too." Angel remarked, and I smiled a little. I had actually never gone to a dance before, the idea of it was too intimidating. Dresses, flowers and dancing, three of my most hated things.

"Just watch Max, someone cute is going to ask you and you'll have a great time."

I pushed through the black double doors, shivering. A thick blanket of snow covered the ground, and in my haste to get out of my house, I forgot my winter coat in my room. I wove through all the kid everywhere to my locker, trying to ignore all the curious glances at me. I took a quick glance around the hall before undoing my combination and stuffing my chemistry book into my backpack, not even bothering to zip it before hurrying to chemistry, where I hoped I would be able to avoid Fang.

"Morning Maxie!" Iggy appeared in the crowd of people, walking next to me in my race to the chemistry room. I flashed him a nervous smile as I walked past a group of chatting teachers and found my seat across from Iggys at the cluttered lab table at the back of the room.

"What got you so riled up, fair lady?" Iggy asked, running his hand through the top of his messy, stylishly cut hair. I sighed, and pulled out my notebook, leaning my elbows up on top of it.

"Nudge and Angel want me to go to winter formal." I told him wrinkling up my nose in a disgusted fashion. Iggy just snickered and pulled a silver water bottle out from his backpack, and I eyed it warily, and iggy raised his left eyebrow at me, giving me a troublesome grin.

¨Its just water. Promise."He told me as he took a swig from the water bottle. as he set it back down down the table, my sister, flanked by Ella and Brigid strutted into the room, and I rolled my eyes. Iggy turned in his seat to see where I was looking, and turned back to talk to me.

¨Looks like the whore brigade hasn't noticed that its winter yet.¨ He told me, and I snickered. he was right, they all dressed the same as they did in the summer, with short skirts and skimpy t-shirts paired with bright colored heels or boots, they looked ready to hit the west coast. Behind them came the jocks, who looked a little more winter prepared, donning either jeans or khakis with sweatshirts. Dylan turned towards Iggy and my table, sending an unsure smile my way. I quickly dropped my eyes, not sure what that smile meant.

I tapped my pen impatiently on the edge of my notebook, waiting for the chemistry teacher to show up. The stool next to me scraped backwards, and I peeked up at Iggy, who was too busy making faces at someone across the room.

"Uhh, Hi Max." I looked next to me, only to see Dylan looking at me with a shy smile on his face. I did my best to smile back, but just felt like I was choking. I quit tapping on my notebook as the teacher stepped in.

"We didn't have homework last night, if that's what you're after." I mumbled to him, keeping my eyes focused on the teacher. He chuckled slightly next to me, taking out his own notebook from his nike backpack on the floor next to his stool.

"You really think so low of me Max?" He whispered to me, and I just gave him a quiet sideways glance. he sat up straight in his chair, making me realize how close to me he had been. Iggy shot me a wary glance across the lab table, as the teacher apologise for being late and began to hand out the lab assignment.

"Well, I can't say that I think highly of you."

"I never did anything to hurt you." He told me matter of factly, receiving his paper from the teacher and scanning the page.

"But you never did anything to help me." I returned calmly, speaking truthfully. He never did anything to stop anyone from being mean to me, he only stood by while I was taunted. he shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

"Is she always so hostile?" He asked Iggy from across the table, who had motioned over a girl from across the room to be his lab partner. Iggy snorted and went back to setting up the lab.

"Not usually. Just when she wants to be." I scowled and stuck my tongue out at him, and he wrinkled up his nose and stuck his tongue out at me. Dylan chuckled beside me and bent to take out the equipment for the lab from under the table. He set them on the table and I set them up, watching him carefully. Maybe he wasn't so bad, he wasn't really ever mean to me like his friends were...

Dylan just gave a good hearted smile and looked back down at the lab report, my mind racing too fast to see him nervously pull at the back of his hair or his fist tighten around his pencil.

"I wanted to ask you something." He asked nervously, as I began mixing the first two compounds together in little beakers. I just looked up at him for a brief second, indicating that I was listening.

"Are you going to the formal?" He asked casually, stooping down to observe the color change between the two compounds. My whole chest tightened up, do I say yes or no? if I said yes, maybe I would be able to get away from Nudge on a beauty rampage, and possibly throw off Fang for a little while.

"With friends." I said simply, acting like what i was telling him was no big deal. He scribbled something down on his lab report and I slid the two used beakers away, setting up for the next segment of the experiment again.

"How would you like to go with me? As a new friend." He said, with a warm, seemingly genuine smile. A quick, devious smirk from Iggy across the table was enough encouragement.

"I'd love too." A brilliant grin spreading over his face, and a more sheepish smile on mine.