Maximum Ride Saves Us All

Is There A First Time for Everything?

MAX POV

 

               

“Gazzy, don’t sit so close to the television. You’ll go blind.” I hackled.

                “Careful how loud you say that Max, Ig’s around here somewhere.” He warned.

                “Closer than you think.” Said Iggy as he walked around the corner from the bedrooms to the living area.

                “Ig…I didn’t-“

                “I know Max,” he said cutting me off. “I better make breakfast because the Lord knows if Max does…let’s just say Gazzy would be better off blind.” He smirked and headed across the room to the kitchen that was connected to the living room.

                “BURRNNNNNN. Iggy, quick! Make bacon so I can make the joke!!” Gazzy yelped with excitement.

                “Ha, okay I deserved that. Gazzy, settle down.” I said.

                We were all carrying on in the living room and having a blast when Fang burst through the front door. He was staggering all over the place…drunk.

                “Fang.” I sputtered.

                He just wobbled around dizzy. He tried to walk forward then toppled straight into me. I uncrossed my arms to catch him so he wouldn’t hit the floor. His head just lulled in circles.

                “Iggy, get all of the kids out of here.” I demanded. He just nodded and booked it down the hall, snatching Gazzy by the collar of his shirt along the way. I waited a couple moments until I heard windows opening and the whoosh of unfurling wings, followed by the sound flapping wings. It sounded similar to a helicopter.

                I just stared down at the heap of teenage boy and tried my hardest not to lose my temper. Fang was never one to drink. I recalled the times Jeb used to drink, responsibly though. It was a completely different reaction.

                “Fang, what happened?” he just mumbled a sloshed compilation of words that I could not for the life of me figure out. “You’re going to have to try and piece together your words. Can you do that for me?” I asked slowly.

                I saw him attempt to nod. I waited as he tried to compose himself. I drug his body over to the couch gently which was across from the doorway. I leaned him against it and shuffled to the kitchen to find some water. When I returned to him, his eyes were half open and his pupils were acting strange. They would change size frequently. I checked his pulse which was really slow. I started to worry as his forehead began to sweat. Because it was winter, I whipped out the medical kit.

                “Fang? Fang, can you hear me?” I asked over and over as I pulled random junk from the medical kit, including one of Gazzy’s miniature bombs. I recalled him saying ‘No one would look for a deadly explosive in a medical kit!’ as he fell into a fit of laughter. He was right.

                Fangs head began to lull again. At one point he could barely keep it up. “Fang, if you can hear me, move your finger.” Nothing. I asked again. This time his finger tapped against his leg. “Okay Fang. I need you to answer me. Twiddle your finger if someone drugged you.”

                Fang's finger looked like it was a flag blowing in the wind. I took it as a strong yes. Oh god. My heart started racing because I did not know how to help someone recover from being drugged, plus there was the whole issue of not knowing what drug was causing Fang to lose consciousness.

                “Fang…did the School do this?” his finger gave one sure tap. I heard him take a large breath.

                “I lov…Ma…I love...you…” then he was unconscious.

               

 

 

               

That was the first time Fang ever said he loved me. Ever. He was never one for feelings or expressing inner emotion. I left it alone and never asked him about it because honestly, even I wasn’t one hundred percent sure it happened. I never asked him about it because I wasn’t sure I wanted to know the reason behind it. What if he just said it because he thought he was dying? What if it was only platonic? I wasn’t even sure if there was a reason behind it, so for the most part, I just forgot it had ever happened.

Well at least I thought I did. I tried anyway.

Fang came out of his coma five hours later. It was one of the worst days of my life and the most stressful five hours I had ever spent alive on the planet earth. I couldn’t place all of these emotions I was feeling about him, about losing him because they were all so new and foreign. The flock returned a couple hours after the whole episode and we all sat around waiting for Fang to wake up.

The Flock kept asking me if Fang would make it or if he would be okay. For once, I didn’t have an answer. I was Maximum Ride and even I couldn’t look my family, my flock in the eyes and give them a for sure answer. I couldn’t alleviate their pain, their worry or their sorrow. All I could do was sit, wait and watch. I refused to even let horrible thoughts past my mental guard for more than five seconds.

Once I thought about it. I could never live in a world where Fang didn’t exist or continue to exist. The thought of living the rest of my life, however short terrified me, and the thought of those thoughts and the feelings behind them terrified me. Was I in love with Fang? Could I even fall in love?

Who was I kidding? I didn’t even know what love was that wasn’t platonic, family love. I was Maximum Ride, leader of the Flock. I didn’t fall in love. I wouldn’t. Love would be a distraction, and I wouldn’t even know I was in love if it hit me in the face.

From then on, I swore I would never love and that I wouldn’t let anyone into my heart romantically because once you do, you let your guard down and I couldn’t afford to let my guard down. In that moment, I told myself I didn’t love Fang that way and I never would.

Little did I know I would be telling myself the biggest lie I had ever told.