Naha, new story! Yes, I am totally irresponsible. I know, I know. I couldn't help it, inspiration struck me - in the middle of a Latin test, mind you - and I had to start writing it. If nobody likes it I'll stop, but I like it. It's AU, obviously, with no wings, and so far Iggy (James) isn't blind. He might go blind later, though. Nudge, Angel, Max, JJ, and Ella are all 15, and Iggy and Fang are 16~

Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride *sob*, House of Night *sob!* or My Chemical Romance *SOB!*

Hi, I'm Max. You might know me as a Maximum Ride - that's right, the world famous actress.

I've always been really tall for my age. My mom, Marion Ride, signed me up for modelling when I was 12, along with the theatre I've done since I was a toddler. I posted a lot of my pictures online, and sold them and stuff – we're not exactly poor, if you know what I mean. Then at one of my bigger plays, Twelfth Night – I was Viola – I got scouted by one of them talent scouts, and I got an agent and all of that stuff. Soon enough I was auditioning for movies and getting roles – generally big ones. That's the story of how Maximum Ride became a huge hit actress at the age of 13.

However, Maximum Ride isn't the end of the story. I'm still down to earth, and despite all the fame I'm still me. I currently live with my dad, Jeb Batchelder and my stepmom Anne Walker. Mom doesn't mind, as long as she sees me once a month and bla, bla, bla. Anne is nice, but strict. She and Jeb home school me, which is cool, and they let me live the life of a mostly normal 15 year old girl. I have friends, we go out as long as nobody recognizes me, and I do theatre in my neighbourhood under the name of Maxine Walker. It doesn't bother me, really – everyone calls me Max.

Today I was in the mood to get out. My friends Ella and JJ – who know I'm really Maximum Ride – were busy studying for school, so I was basically alone. We met at theatre when we were kids, and they were my only true friends back when I became famous. I was sick of the fake friends so I came to live with Jeb and Anne. Mom is such a drill sergeant, anyways – wake up early, practice, audition, study, sleep. I barely had time for friends - Ella, JJ and I call her 'The Director'. She thinks that she's the boss of my life, which sucks.

At 5 I was supposed to meet up with my friends Angelica and Tiffany – or Angel and Nudge, as we prefer – at Angel's house for a 'tea party'. She loves dressing up like a doll and wearing that weird frilly Lolita clothing – which I find kind of strange, to be honest – and I wasn't going to rain on her parade. She and Nudge are my best famous friends, and know what it's like to be constant gossip fodder. They both rock, even though they are really, really girly.

In the meantime, I decided I would hang out in town. Getting ready took a while: I tied my boring, brown hair up into a ponytail and then tucked it under my favorite hat (a deviant Art 'box cap') leaving just a few bits to frame my face because, let's be honest here, most people look better with hair around their face. Me included. I pulled on a plain red T-shirt and a pair of grey jeans (with a hole in the left knee from that time I busted face on a skateboard) and then just put on an old pair of battered Nike sneakers. All I needed was my ancient (red, again) messenger bag and my skateboard and I was good to go! Did I mention I love skateboarding? 'Cuz I do.

Anne didn't mind that I went out, although she warned me not to get home to late, because I needed to get ready for later and more crap like that. I nodded, and said I wouldn't, and basically pretended I listened to her nag. I like Anne, really I do, but she acts like she's my mom or something. And I'm not exactly a little kid, either. I skated away, just taking some time to get away from the house. I'm really claustrophobic so being inside for a long time stresses me out. Another reason I hate cars. I never gave a first one, did I? Well now I have.

I stopped at Starbucks to get a coffee and then just basically wandered through a park, looking around and such. Ever since I was a kid, I wanted to fly –like, wings fly, since airplanes scare the bejeezus out of me – so I was thinking about that when I totally walked into someone, and since I was holding coffee, any guess to what happened? Anybody…? Well if you guessed, 'spilled coffee on complete stranger', you were correct!

"Ohmigod, I am so sorry!" I cried, looking up at the guy. He was about my age, maybe older, but he was still a couple inches taller than me – so more older, yeah? He had dark floppy hair, not quite emo but close to it and these kind of blackish eyes. One side of his mouth quirked up.

"I am so so sorry," I said, rummaging around in my bag until I found some Kleenex and started dabbing at his shirt. "That was retarded of me, are you okay?"

"Well it's not like hot coffee is going to kill me," he said nonchalantly.

"No, seriously, I feel really bad. Can I get you something to drink, to make up for it?" I looked up at him. Fairness is really big to me so I really wanted to make it up for this guy. "I'm Max, Maxine Walker. What's your name?"

"I'm Fang," he said, looking at me as if daring me to laugh or something.

"Well then, can I make it up to you somehow… Fang?"

"Sure. A drink would be cool."

So I found myself back at Starbucks, paying for some guy with a name that means tooth 's drink. I got him what he wanted – black coffee – and let myself get another latte as I sat down next to him.

"Thanks," he said as I passed him his drink. I waited for him to say something for a while, but he didn't.

"You don't talk much, do you?" I asked him curiously.

"Not as much as you, it seems," he smirked. "So, Maxine Walker, who are you?"

"Well," I said, stirring my drink. "My name is Max, please. I live around here with my dad and step-mom, I'm home schooled which is probably why I don't know you, I do modelling part-time and I'm in to drama." None of which were lies, mind you. See? With me, it's more important to see what I don't say than what I do. "Your turn. Who are you, oh mysterious Dark One?"

"The only name you need remember me by is Fang, I go to the Lerner Day and Night School, and I act." He smiled briefly and it was like, the day became brighter. I could tell this kid didn't smile much.

"Hey, my friends go there. Ella Martinez and Jennifer Joy Cabot mean anything to you?"

"Yeah, I might have heard of them. They seem nice I guess."

We sat like that in companionable silence for I don't know how long, occasionally saying something. It was nice – we seemed to always be on the same wavelength. I was enjoying the silence when all of a sudden my cell phone rang with "Teenagers" by My Chemical Romance. He smirked at me, as if to say 'ringtone much?' but I ignored him and answered.

"Hello?"

"MAXIMU –"

"Hi, Anne, I'm with a friend," I cut her off worriedly, glancing back at Fang, who thankfully hadn't reacted. This close to blowing my secret!

"MAX! It's 4:30, where are you? We need to get you ready to go to Angel's!"

"I know, I know, I'm sorry! I lost track of the time," I said, scrambling to my feet and chucking my crap back into my bag. "I'll be right there, I'm really really sorry Anne! Bye!" I hung up hurriedly and stuffed my phone in my pocket. "Fang, I'm sorry, I totally forgot I had stuff to do, maybe I'll see you later?" Not even waiting a reply, I jumped on my skateboard and was outta there like a bat out of hell.

The last half hour was a total rush. It was whir of changing, putting on makeup, curling my hair, getting herded into the car and whooshed out of there – enough to make a person – or me, at least – dizzy. Anne had stuffed me into this dress that Angel and Nudge had picked out for me –isn't too bad, mind you – (A.N/ find it at http :/ images . cosplay . com /i/ costumes /200/ 205714 . jpg !) and despite looking great I felt like I was a little doll. I wasn't Max now; I was another one of my characters. I kept up the act, smiling graciously and walking daintily, although in my head I kept on mocking myself in my lacy tights, old-fashioned bonnet and corkscrew curls.

Angel and Nudge were wearing matching outfits and both looked really cute. Flimsy and breakable, but beautiful none the less. We greeted each other formally, smiled and waved to the few paparazzi by the gate and then delicately walked up the path to Angel's big, white house with our lace parasols and such, until we were inside and the door was closed, where we all flopped down on the couch. Well, I flopped, they sat.

"Angel, Nudge, I love you guys, but the whole porcelain doll act is kind of old, no?"

"But Max, it's symbolic! In a time period where beauty equates to short skirts and skimpy clothing Lolita style is a return to the modesty and elegance of Victorian times, and through it women can feel cute and elegant!"

"Thank you Motormouth Nudge!" I laughed.

"You look really pretty, Max,"

"Aww, thanks sweetie." I hugged her. Even though Angel is three years younger than me, she's one of my best friends. Our parents – that is, The Director and her mom – are really close friends so we're always seeing each other, and when she was smaller I would babysit her – and still do sometimes.

"Hey Max? Next time you come you should totally wear that dress with the white boots and the black-and-white Alice Bow from Angelic Pretty. It goes really well with your complexion, and the contrast with your hair is cool. You have such pretty eyes!"

I rolled my eyes.

"Thanks, Nudge. Just brown and brown – amazing, ain't it?"

"No! Remember when we all went to France to shoot that vampire movie, and Ari and Gazzy ate a whole box of chocolate, but didn't know there was alcohol in them and puked?" Ari and Gazzy – real name Zephyr, but due to his horrible digestive problems we call him the Gasman – are my 10-year-old twin stepbrothers.

"My eyes look like barfed up chocolate?" I asked faintly.

"No, before they were barfed."

"So my eyes look like un-barfed chocolate. Thanks, Nudge! You sure know how to cheer me up," I said with a cheerful smile.

"Oh, its no proble – that was sarcasm, wasn't it?" she gave me a dirty look.

I was about to retaliate with a smart aleck answer when there was a knock at the door. We all straightened, the sweet dollies and what not.

"Oh, Maximum, Tiffany – there are some people to meet us. My mother has thrown a gathering for the rest of the cast of Marked. Don't fret, Max – the dress code is the same, we won't be the only ones dressed like this. Shall we go greet them?"

Marked is the latest movie we're working on. It's about a boarding school for vampires etc etc. It's based on a book series by PC Cast, by the way. I'm playing the main part, a girl called Zoey who has powers –affinities, sorry – for the elements and such. Nudge and Angel play 'the twins', who are actually opposites and not related, more mind twins. A girl called Ami Parker was going to play my supposed 'BFF' Stevie Rae, who's a total cowgirl. This guy James Jeffson was going to play Damien, the gay guy of the group, and then Lissa Dweyer, who's a nice girl I've worked with before is going to play Aphrodite, the mean girl. Her sister, Brigid Dweyer plays the principal. The only member I haven't met yet was the elusive Nick Venom, who supposedly plays my love interest. Whatever.

Everyone else was dressed up in fancy garden party dresses, and there was a big table with tea and cake and crap and little tables with chairs. Nudge, Angel and I greeted everybody individually and made small talk. Having greeted everybody but one, I did a quick recon. Brigid and Lissa were chatting to Ami; Nudge was discussing car engines with James (she loves cars, even with all the lace crap, kind of contradictory ain't it?) and Angel was pouring herself some tea. I must be really distracted today, because someone had been saying my name the whole time.

"Maximum? Hello, Maximum. Earth to Ride."

"Pardon? Sorry, I'm distracted today…"

I looked up to see myself staring at the illusive half-smirk of none other than… C'mon, guess? No? Dark, mysterious? Yes – that's right! I was looking up into who else but Strong and Silent Type, Fang.

Well? Love it? Hate it? Consider it 5 pages on Word wasted? Tell me in a review~! They make the world go round for me~!