The Ultimate, Cielo [the top 100 crime novels of all time TXT] 📗

Chapter 1

“MAX!” My mom called from downstairs. “It's time to get up for school!”
With a groan, I rolled out of bed. It was Monday, new school, new town. See, my mom works as an environmental scientist, and she is always moving around, bringing me, my brother Iggy, and my sister Nudge along with her. I love my mom, but all this moving has let me only have one friend: Dylan. His dad moves wherever we move because he's my mom's working partner.
I think she likes him. I think as I evaluate my closet. After about...zero deliberation, I decide on wearing a black mini skirt, a black spaghetti strapped shirt with a thin black leather jacket over it, and-of course-my favorite black fedora with black hightop converses. My favorite outfit. I like to think of it as my 'new school, new town' outfit.
I walked downstairs to the kitchen, to find my little sister of twelve years old (I'm sixteen) sitting at the table eating a poptart.
“Oh, Max.” Nudge sighed as she saw me, “That outfit would look so much cooler if you look like you believe it's cooler instead of looking like you picked it out because it was one of the few decent things you own that you've washed.”
“Technically, that's true. I forgot to wash last night.” I told her as I sat down, and got a poptart for myself.
“Yeah, but that doesn't mean you have to look like it.” she said, “No wonder Dylan is the only guy that talks to you.” she muttered under her breath. I kicked her shin under the table, and got a grim satisfaction when she grimanced.
“Be nice.” I told her just as my brother, Iggy who is 15, walked through the door.
“I am always nice.” he said as he plopped into a chair.
“I was not talking to you.” I said.
He started eating a poptart as well, and my mom, Dr. Martinez, walked through the door.
“Ok Max, I'm going to have to go in to the lab early so I'm going to have to ask you to pick up Dylan from down the street, and take everyone to their school. Please.” she said as she came in, still brushing her hair.
“No problem mom.” I said as I stood.”Nudge,” I said as I finally noticed her clothes, “How long did it take you to put that together?” I asked. She was dressed in a pink summer dress with a bow in her hair, positioned to perfectly, I think she took a protractor to it, with white flats that no matter how much mud she has to run through, I swear, they will still be perfectly white when we get back home.
She shrugged, “Not long actually, about two hours.”
“Goodness Nudge,” I said as I got my backpack and keys. I looked over at Iggy. All he was wearing was a white T-shirt and some jeans. At least he was semi-normal. “Come on guys, we still have to pick up Dylan, and drop Nudge off at school.”
We walked out of the house to the garage. I love my car. It is the cutest black porche you will ever lay your eyes on. We got in the car, and drove to Dylan's house. Once we got there-he only lived a couple of blocks down the street-I honked the horn only about...a thousand times. It's safe to say I'm not that patient.
“I'm coming, I'm coming.” Dylan said as he quickly ran down the sidewalk and to the car, trying to keep messenger bag from falling off of his shoulder. He hopped into the backseat since shotgun was already taken by Nudge, and we were on our way.
After I had dropped Nudge off, I drove about five blocks away from her school, then parked the car over to the side of the road. “Ok guys,” I said as I turned around to glance back at them, “You know the drill. No flirting with every other girl that walks by Dylan, pick one. Iggy, no making stuff explode. I'm serious about this stuff.” I told them 'severely', they never listen, but hey, a girl can try.
“Of course, Mother.” Iggy said mockingly as he hopped into the front seat.
“Ha ha,” I said as I drove to the high school, Tyler Prepatory, our school.
When I got there I parked. “Ok Ig, we'll get yor schedule first, then Dylan and I will go to our first class.” I said.
“No way. I already have to get driven by you. I am so not going to let people see me walking into school to get my schedule with my sister. I'll just go to the freshman side by myself.” he said.
“Fine, but don't get lost,” I told him, “Like last time,” I muttered under my breath. At the last school we went to, he got lost, and ended up at the high school (he was in eighth grade then) and got beat up by some seniors.
“Yeah, yeah,” he muttered as he got out of the car, and walked away.
“Ready for sophmore year?” Dylan said from behind me as he got out of the car.
“Yeah, yeah.” I said in the name of Iggy as I got out of the car, and Dylan and I started walking towards the school.

Chapter 2

Dylan and I had every class together because we were new and, as the lady at the front desk said, 'might be more comfortable if we had someone we knew in every class'. Yeah, whatever.
The first half of the day passed by uneventfully. Dylan and I stuck together like glue. And as always, rumors were already spreading about us being a 'thing'. Please, if you haven't gotten it now, I just want to clear this up...NO. No, we are just friends, and will always be just friends. But we've learned to ignore the ignorant people who still assume. You know what they about assumeing.
Then it was lunch time. Like we had been doing the rest of the day, Dylan and I walked in together. I took a good look around the lunchroom, and had my gaze frozen. My eyes had accidentally locked with a guy in the back of the cafeteria. He was sitting all by himself, and he was wearing all black. Even his eyes were black. But that wasn't why I couldn't turn away. I couldn't because there was something so...right about it. Like, something clicked.
It was, without a doubt, the weirdest feeling I've ever had, and I was glad when Dylan waved his hand in front of my face, saying “Earth to Max...?”
I shook my head to clear it. “Sorry, Dyl, I, um, got distracted.”
Dylan glanced over to where I was staring, “Yeah, right.” he said, but I knew him well enough to know he knew me well enough to know I was not telling the whole truth. But, again, he knew me well enough to know that he was never going to get me to spill, so that was the end of said conversation.
We got our food, and were surprised to see a hand waving in the air. When we looked over at it, a girl with the cliché perfect blonde hair start waving slightly more, and say, “Hey, Dylan, Max! Come sit with us!”
As she said it, the whole cafeteria got quiet. It was really weird. Then all of a sudden whispers broke out everywhere. With nothing else to do, Dylan and I walked over to the girl and sat.
“Hey guys!” she said cheerfully. “We don't normally add newbies, but you guys look cool. Don't prove us wrong, and you can sit with us at lunch.” she said with a perfect white, straight smile.
“Let me guess...you, like, the popular people?” I asked.
“Well...duh.” she said like it was obvious. “I'm Jaquleen, and this is Kyle, Macca, Brittney, Jake, and Tyler.” she said, pointing around the table. We received hellos with various levels of enthusiasm.
“Yeah...well, I don't do popular.” I said. Dylan looked at me like I was crazy.
Jaquleen looked taken aback, “Wh-what do you mean you don't 'do popular'?” she asked.
“I mean I don't like your kind, therefore, I won't sit with it blondie.” I said.
“Listen girl,” Jaquleen said with venom, “I can build your reputation, and I can destroy it with a smap of my fingers. Stay, and you can have the glamorous life that every high school aged kid could want. Leave, and I can make your life more miserable than I do the chess club.” she finished with a fake smile to go with the venom in her voice.
“Listen to me. I didn't like you the minute you flashed those pearly whites, so get this and get it good: I. Do. Not. Care. I have learned to live with stuff like that, and, more importantly, I don't dress to impress anybody but myself, and I sure as my fedora is black, won't dress to impress any of you or any of your crowd. You are the ones who bring others down. I'm the one who tries to build a wall in between you and them. Always have, and always will. Got it? Good.” And with that, I walked away. Then I noticed Dylan wasn't following me.
“Dylan?” I asked as I walked back, “What's up?”
“Well Max, I'm tired of being in the back. I'm tired of helping people I don't really care about. I want to be able to go to the cool parties, and not be made fun of for the whole stay in town. So I guess what I'm saying is...I'm with her...” Dylan said looking at Jaquleen.
Jaquleen looked smug. “Your friend here is choosing correctly, Max.”
My eyes blurred with tears. I could not believe it. Dylan and I have been together since kindergarten. We were a package deal. Best friends. What was happening was like a nightmare come true, but the last thing I was going to do was let the jerk see me cry, so I just said, “Fine.” and I walked away from their table.

Chapter 3

I couldn't leave the cafeteria, that would show that Dylan's refusal to be on my side had gotten to me. So I walked over to the back of the cafeteria where that guy I had seen earlier was sitting. The whispering increased dramatically. I heard peices of conversation, like:
"She's sitting with him?"
"She turned down Jaquleen to be with him?"
"He's such a loner, I don't know why she would even try."
"If he didn't talk to me, why does she think he would talk to her?"
Extremely odd, but I was determined to ignore them. So in an attempt to forget what had just happened, and to distract myself from the chatter around me, I looked up from my tray, and looked at the guy across from me. If I let myself admit it, he was pretty hot. "So, what's your name?" I asked him.
He looked at me strangely, as if he were deciding to answer me, or ignore me like he-apparently-did everybody else. Finally he said, "Nick, but they call me Fang."
"So...Fang?" he nodded, "I'm Maximum, but you can call me Max."
He nodded. "So...do you talk much?" I asked him. He shook his head. "Do you play any sports?" He shook his head. "Do you roller blade?" He nodded. "Do you skateboard?" He nodded. "I give up! You're impossible!" I angrily got up, and marched to the library to...I had no idea, but I had