A/N: I'm sure a lot of you are either pissed and have been waiting for an update or have totally forgotten about this story. I would like to apologize for not updating for so long. I got my wisdom teeth out and then lacrosse started and took up all of my time and then I went to Europe for ten days. So I just got back from Europe and I have hours of make-up work to do for school and lacrosse is practice starting in a half-hour but I'm choosing to update because I missed it and hopefully you guys missed me. I'm sorry for any mistakes in this chapter I didn't proof read it before posting it because as I said I really don't have time to be posting at all.

I could hear the sound of the music blasting from the second I got to the top of the stairs. It was loud with lots of drum banging and guitar. It sounded eighties and had a certain wild feel to it. The closer I got to Max's room the louder the music got and I knew that it had to have been coming from her room.

I took a deep breath before I opened the door to mentally and physically prepare myself the best I could for whatever was on the other side of the door.

Mac ran towards me as usual and I pet his head as he wagged his tail uncontrollably.

"Fang!" Max yelled. I looked up to see her jumping on her bed with a large bottle of vodka in her hands. Her flannel shirt was half hanging off her shoulder and she didn't have a shirt on underneath it like she normally did. Instead I was looking at her in a black bra which was more than I have yet to see of her ever. She was wearing a pair of baggy sweatpants that were falling a little more with every one of her jumps.

It was then that I noticed another girl in the room. She was jumping around with a cigarette hanging loosely between her fingers. She was wearing a cotton dress that had two strings hanging from it that looked as though they should tie around her waist. Her curly hair was wild and falling all around her face.

"Nudge, this is Fang," Max yelled over the shrill of a man's voice.

"Fang!" Nudge echoed loudly. She ran at me and grabbed my hand. She started to push and pull my arm while she jumped around wildly. Max took up playing guitar with her bottle of vodka and banging her head so her hair flew everywhere.

We danced around like that until the song ended. I was relieved until another came on. It sounded like an Irish jig song and the girls yelled in approval. Suddenly a guy came on screaming and the girls joined him in what you could call singing but it was really just screaming. Max jumped off the bed and stumbled a little before she walked over to Nudge. They wrapped their arms around each other and started to do an actual little Irish jig dance.

They were dancing around and singing and jumping and they were drunk out of their minds. I've never actually seen Max drunk and I'm not quite sure how I feel about it. They were banging their heads to the beat aggressively. I watched as they each took long swings of their vodka while they danced and sang.

Then that song was over and they were onto the next song which happened to be a rap song with many dirty references that they didn't hesitate to repeat with ease. I sighed and plopped down on the couch. I watched as they danced in ways I've only seen in clubs and drank and jumped around. I was a little taken back when I saw Max take a couple drags of the cigarettes Nudge kept lighting but I wasn't all that surprised really.

When I was just about getting sick of it all and was ready to leave, they finally gave it up and both plopped down on the bed. Their chests were rising and falling rapidly and the bottle was empty.

After a minute or two Max sprung up from the bed, waited a minute for her head to catch up with her body, and then went over to the speakers they had set up and turned off the music.

"I'm so fucking cocked," Nudge said. It took a minute but I quickly recognized Nudge's strong Boston accent.

"Tonic?" Max asked Nudge.

"Only if you've got gin," Nudge replied with a smirk as she started lighting at least her tenth cigarette.

"You ought to quit," Max said without missing a beat. "You're gonna die young."

"Promise?" Nudge countered with a chuckle.

Max chuckled along with her and grabbed for the cigarette.

"Watch," Max said. She took a deep drag and then blew out five consistent smoke rings. The girls chuckled and Max tossed me a water without asking if I wanted one, which I kind of did. Her throw was really off, but I didn't say anything.

"So Fang, you're dating Max now?" Nudge asked me abruptly.

I nodded slowly.

"She's a good kid make sure you treat her good," Nudge said.

Max laughed hysterically at Nudges words and even Nudge laughed a little.

"Fang, you've got a lot of catching up to do," Max said as she handed me a full bottle of whiskey.

"I think it's best that one of us is sober," I said and handed the bottle back to her.

"Only one way…" Max said.

"Narrow and straight," Nudge finished.

They laughed again and I was mystified by this new side of Max.

"Alright, I've got places to be," Nudge said.

"Nah, no way," Max said. "Sober up first."

Max walked back to the mini fridge and got Nudge a water.

"Chug," Max said. Then Max offered her a slice of pizza from her fridge.

…

"Alright, babe," Nudge said as she stood up from Max's couch an hour later. She had thrown up in the bathroom once, drank five bottles of water, eaten three slices of pizza and walked a straight line for Max. Now she was deemed sober enough to drive by Max even though I think she was still drunk.

"Where you headed?" Max asked as she stood up too.

"I'm gonna go check in with Dylan," Nudge said. "Then I think I'm due for a quick trip up home. I might make a pit stop at some beach and meet a hot surfer, who knows?"

Max chuckled at that and then grabbed her quickly and they embraced in the tightest hug I had ever seen two people share.

"Max, you fucking bozo, take care alright," Nudge said.

"I'm the fucking bozo?" Max questioned with a chuckle.

"You don't see me dealing it," Nudge replied.

"You don't see me smoking it," Max shot back. They were both smiling now.

"Fuck it, I feel like I'm gonna cry," Nudge said.

"Get out of here already before you fuck up my day," Max said.

They squeezed each other again and then they let go just like that.

"I'll try and find you for the holidays," Max said.

"Or I'll find you," Nudge said.

"It'll work out," Max said. "Love you."

"Yeah, yeah, love you too," Nudge said.

They hugged again quickly and then Nudge gave me a quick wave. Then, just like that, Nudge was out the door and I doubted I would ever see her again.

Max let out a long sigh and fell back onto the couch next to me.

"I'm sorry I'm drunk," she said. "I don't usually get drunk like this."

"I'm not mad," I told her.

"It's just that with Nudge that's just what we do," she said. "We used to get in a lot of trouble for it too, but when I see her I just want to relive the glory days."

"The glory days?" I asked, slightly amused.

"Yeah, the days when I was the shit and I didn't have a goddamn care in the world."

I have to admit that I was partly relieved that Max wouldn't make a habit of this drinking thing.

"And I quit smoking years ago, but damn sometimes I just like to take a couple drags every now and then. It's not good for me so I don't do it. Plus, Adam always hated it."

It took me a minute to register what she had said and don't think she even realized what she said. She stood up casually and headed over to the mini fridge to grab a water for herself. I watched her carefully as she unscrewed the top and started chugging it.

"Who's Adam?" I asked.

Max looked shocked. She sputtered with her water for a minute before regaining her composure.

"Where did you hear that name?" She demanded.

"You just said it," I explained. "You just said that Adam didn't like it when you smoked."

She put her hand to her head.

"This is exactly why I don't like being drunk," she said.

We sat in silence for a long time while Max held her head in her hands. Finally, she took her hands away from her face and looked at me.

"Adam is the boy I told you about," she said. "The boy who I was going to marry before he died."

"Did Nudge know him?" I asked her.

"Of course," she said.

I knew what question I wanted to ask next, but I didn't know how she would take it.

"Did Dylan know him?"

Max's look cut deep into me. Her eyes were bright with something I've never seen before and I knew I made the wrong choice.

"We all grew up together, Fang," she said quickly. "I don't want to talk about it anymore."

I nodded.

"What's your plan for the rest of the day?" Max asked me.

"I've got some chapters to read for English," I told her.

"What book?" she asked curiously.

"I don't know," I answered.

"How do you not know?" Max demanded.

"I haven't started reading it yet and I don't remember the name," I told her.

"How much?"

"One-hundred pages for tomorrow," I answered. I had been putting it off all week and I'm going to pay the price.

"Jeez, Fang, go get it!" Max said quickly.

Twenty minutes later I was lying in Max's bed under the messy covers. She was tucked into my side. She was tangled in with me and I didn't mind. I liked having her really close like this.

"I'm still drunk," she mumbled to me.

I turned to look down at her. Her cheeks were rosy red and her eyes were drooping slowly closed.

"Will you read to me?" She whispered.

I leaned down and I kissed the top of her head. It just felt so right and she snuggled closer into me in response.

I cracked open Tale of Two Cities to start reading to her. I made it five pages in before Max made a hum of approval and I paused.

"I don't know if it's the wording or the fact that I'm drunk, but damn, Fang, your voice just sounds so amazing."

I didn't know how to respond to that so I just kept reading. About ten minutes later Max's head fell heavier against my chest and I looked down to see her sleeping soundly with her head on my chest. I smiled a little to myself and then continued to read my book silently to myself.

A/N: Like I said, I'm really, really, really sorry I took so long to update and hopefully you guys didn't forget about this story. I would really appreciate it if you took time to review even though I suck as a person and as a writer.