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Luv you all!

---

I didn't go to school on Thursday.

I stayed home, wondering what I did wrong to become the person I am today.

After, that happened, I almost yelled at Max to get out of my house. My mind was so blank, I almost punched him to death. Then, my eyes met his and reality came back to me.

He was so broken.

And I had to remember that it was his wish, the kiss.

I remembered why he was even with me and quietly told him to stay in my room. I needed time to myself. Away from Max Winters.

When I came back, he was asleep in my bed, snuggled up with my blankets from the cold and I didn't have the heart to wake him up. Katie and Mason came to ask me what happened. I told them that he'd told me his past and just passed out. Pathetic, I know.

When he woke up though, I'd told him to go and Mason took him back to his place.

We didn't meet eye to eye and I felt like Katie somehow knew what'd happened. She kept glancing at me, giving me weird worried eyes.

It's not like I had a million thoughts running in my head. Just one, and it continued to make my cheeks red, heart beat twice as fast like when I'm in a match and sweat run down like a waterfall.

Probably everyone knew that there was something going on with me. And that, didn't help at all.

"Alan," my mum called loud softly for the fifth time of the day. "You know you can tell us anything, right? Whatever that's bothering you. You don't have to think about whether we'd think wrong of it or anything."

I sighed, rubbing my face. We were in the backyard, mum playing around with the garage, dusting things while dad busied himself with the mini plants he was desperate to grow. 

It didn't work. They both didn't go to work when they realized that I was taking another day off. I know, what lovely parents I have...

"Did you do something wrong?" Oh how mum was spot on. "Would it involve money? Is that what you're so worried about?"

Realization struck to me and I didn't know if I wanted to die of laughter or relief. 

"Wait, you think I did something wrong involving drugs?! Mum, I plan on playing soccer for life! I can't have any bad lines on my list!"

"Well, what do you expect Alan! We just got through a hard time in our family and you keep on cutting school!" She had her hands up, posing on her hips. "You're a teenage boy Alan. Us parents have to be alert to everything at all times."

"I'm offended."

"Don't care."

Dad walked up to us, probably giving up for the day. "Just let the boy go will you honey? He's tell us if he needs our help, right mate?"

I nodded slowly. I never realized what kind of parents I had until now. I didn't have a name for them, their moods changed so often it scared me.

"Alan!" I turned to find Katie walking by the backdoor. She came from school while I skipped. She looked like someone run over her. See, that's what school does to one. "Max's here to see you."

"What?" I'm sure I heard wrong.

Katie rolled her eyes. "Max, god Alan, every single time. It's Max Winters! He's waiting at the front door. Go."

I robotically went over, not knowing what else to do. The reason for my school leave was haunting me. "What are you doing here?"

"You weren't at school." Max was standing at my front door, wearing a black t-shirt and jeans, his bag over one shoulder and both hands tucked in. He looked better than last time we saw each other, though I could see a bit of tiredness around his blue eyes.

"So? That concerns you in what way?"

Max seemed to stop to think for a second, probably trying to get a reaction out of me. It didn't. "It does concern me since we have a project but, I was more concerned about something else. Wondered if you were avoiding me."

I wanted to slap his face. "Why would I be avoiding you? Sure, I hate you and all but I still have to put up with you since you're my sister's boyfriend's best friend and all."

Max gulped. I saw his swallow, how features his neck looked. "You kissed me."

Swearing, I looked around the house before pushing him out. Following, I shut the door not too hard and glared at the guy in front of me. "What the hell man, keep it down! Why the fuck would you say something like that?!"

Max's expression changed, but I didn't know what it was. "You kissed me."

"I did! That's because you did it first! What were you thinking?! That I wanted to do it with you?! You were not in your right mind Max! I'm not a douche to not understand that. Why do you think I let you kiss me?"

Silence followed after.

"Whatever happened, there was something there-"

"There was nothing there Winters, stop hallucinating. Go home."

Then I winced, realizing that home meant all the things they'd talked about during their last encounter.

"Everything's fine now," he replied, "almost at least."

I nodded stiffly. "Good."

We stood there, looking at this and that. Why was it so awkward? "So, you're not going to accept that you liked-"

"I did not like it Winters! Don't you dare try to manipulate me into thinking so! I hated it! I hate you! Don't think that your brainwashing skills would work on me! Sure, you needed a little help so I did that, that was it. You wasted your wish and that's our deal ending."

"It wasn't a waste..." he muttered. My heart skipped a beat.

"What?"

"Nothing. Nice to meet you anyways, even if you have this weird thought about me being... evil."

I rolled my eyes. Sure, whatever Winters, just get out of my property.

Friday was a school day and I decided to make it. It's not like I had any other choices anyways. Mum was turning into a mini devil while dad looked like he was ready to rip me into pieces to figure out what was going on.

I dropped Katie and Tracy off again, since Mason had something else to do and met up with Drake and Brian. They were both busy talking about the trip and discussing the list of girls coming along. I didn't understand why they were so into it. All the girls belonged to the music team, which meant that they most probably sang or played instruments.

It'd be torture to be with a girl like that. No way, I'll never play musical with my girlfriend.

"So, you ready?"

I hummed, turning to Finn, who'd come along to chat as well. "For what?"

He thought it was funny and laughed. "The trip idiot, that's all every member and music people are talking about. The rest of the school's so jealous."

I nodded. "Yeah, of course. It's only for a day. Why are they acting like it's the first time going on a school trip?"

Finn rolled his eyes and Derick popped up out of no where, slinging his arms on his shoulders. "Did you know what happened?"

"What is it now?"

"The school's going crazy. Well, the seniors are. But Sarah took it to a whole new level."

Drake, surprisingly leaned into the conversation and asked what happened. I wanted to ask, what happened to the real Drake but held back.

"She started blackmailing the music team to take her in," Brian reported. Of course the guy knew every single thing that happened around. His gossiping is worse that the girls'. "She's so desperate man, it's humorous."

"Why is she like that? Seriously, if she tried, she could actually get a guy."

"I don't know Derick, I don't mind a girl willing coming to me whenever I need it." That was by another new player. Why were they hanging out with the seniors?

"Don't, every say that." Drake was the one to advice the dude.

And that is why, my friends, he's my best friend.

"Well, I'll be there too."

My eyes snapped to my left. There, standing next to Mason, who I didn't even know was with us, stood Max Winters. He had his famous glamor on his face again. 

This time, I noticed how his eyes smiled and the nose scrunched up in a cute way. Wait, what?

"Yeah man, I heard you were the one to come up with the idea."

I cleared my thoughts as I watched Drake do a fist-shake with Max. But Max, he was staring at me.

"Just thought it'd be cool before we get serious about school and start doing our own thing."

"You could've planned for two days."

I watched as Max literally burned the new guy with his fire eyes. "We paid for your free fun time. Shut it and take what's given."

People were a little surprised. Max Winters just snapped at a junior.

"Ay, man, come on chill. Don't take your grumpiness on the boys." Mason took a tight grip on Max's neck and pulled him away. "He just woke up on the wrong side of the bed. We'll see you guys later while I try to wake him up. The vending machines still have some cans right?"

Finn nodded, pointing to the one down the hallways. "They refilled."

We watched them walk away and when the hallways were loud enough, Brian broke the silence in the group. "What crawled up his ass and died?"

---

I usually wonder what crawled up Alan's ass and died but seems like Max's starting to have that disease as well...

Oh well, I have no idea what I'm doing with Alan... *sigh in tire...