Broken hearts parade
And I'm putting my heart out on display
There's no... masquerade
Just a funeral march for love today
The band strikes up and they're playing a song
Dressed in black and we're singing along to the...
Broken hearts parade
I've never been better than I am today

-"Broken Hearts Parade" by Good Charlotte

Chapter 6: Don't Try to Fight the Feeling

Mack's POV

Ignoring Aiden's presence I threw my backpack by the front door and kicked off my shoes before walking into the kitchen. Instantly I could smell fresh baked cookies and I knew that my little sister, Max, was home.

Max was a bouncing-around-hyper type of little girl. She was very childish, duh she's a kid, but she knows when to be serious. When she was serious it was hard for me to actually believe that she was just a nine-year-old. It's weird having a teenage-type conversation with her but she's the best one to listen to and she has a flair for being a good listener and giving good advice.

"Hey Maxie," I greeted her as I ruffled her jet black hair. It matched mine and she looked exactly like me except for one difference, our eyes. I have blue eyes and she has one green eye and one blue eye. She, my twin Matt, and I always joke that she is half me and half Matt because of her green eye. "What's up?"

"I'm just doing some homework," she responded without looking up from her math textbook. Her feet were swinging back and forth as she concentrated on the problem that she was on. I nodded before moving back to the stove and taking a cookie off of the pan. I blew on it lightly and took a bite, feeling it practically melt in my mouth.

Max made the best cookies. They were always warm and chewy and they always melted in your mouth. Whenever you smelled them your mouth would water instantly until you got one and it would totally be worth the wait. I swear that she could be a professional chef one day.

"Matt's in his room if you're looking for him," she continued, lifting her head to look at me. "I heard you got a new 'friend'." She put finger quotes around the word friend and stared at me pointedly.

"He's not my friend," I responded as I sat down in the chair next to her. "He's just this dude that won't leave me alone. And I had to show around school today because Principal Hewitt was being an ass and made me." I rolled my eyes and Max nodded in understanding.

"Is he the guy that's here?" She asked as her eyebrows knitted together as she listened. "Dad's playing his metal CD again and the only time he does that is if you bring a guy over and he wants to scare them away. Except Austen, but he's a special case. What's the guy's name?"

"Aiden Powers," I spat. "He's that guy who sits out in front of The Music Scene and plays his guitar."

"Oh that guy!" Max said as her eyes lit up. "I've seen him around town a couple of times with Dad on the weekend. He's really nice. He even bought me some ice cream once."

"Not you!" I gasped as I looked at her. How could my sister betray me like that? I know that it wasn't intentional, but come on! "Not my own sister. Please tell me you're not falling for his fake-ass charm."

"Relax," she said with a laugh. "All I said was that he was nice for buying me ice cream, no need to interrogate me." She paused and gave me what I liked to call her Max Look. It always appeared on her face when she was suspicious of something. She would have one eye brow raised and her eyes would be squinted slightly but enough so you could tell that she was suspicious about something.

"What?" I asked, instantly regretting asking. Whenever she had that look on her face it was a bad idea to ask her what she was thinking. Usually whatever she spits out ends up with her hitting the nail on the head. It's very annoying, trust me. You can't keep secrets from that kid. Either she'd get it out of you the first time or, if you're really stubborn, she'd drag it out of you with some sort of embarrassment.

"You're acting like a jealous girlfriend," she pointed out. "Interrogating me like that, I mean."

"Ugh!" I grunted as I made a face. Me like that jerk!? That's impossible! That's unfathomable! Max laughed at the look that was on my face as I stuck my finger in my ear and wiggled it to make sure I had heard her right. "That's just so sick and wrong on so many levels!"

"Hey, I hear metal music," Matt commented as he entered the kitchen. "Does she have someone over again?" He asked as he poked me in the side. I made a face as I slapped his hand away and he laughed.

Matt and I looked a lot alike: same black hair, same mole on the upper right side of our lip, and same smile. But that's the only way we're the same, other than that we're totally different. He has green eyes while I have blue ones. He's quiet and I'm loud. He loves silence and I love noise. I like to do things without thinking of the consequences and he likes to think things through entirely before going ahead with it. The only thing that we have in common was our love for music.

"Yeah, someone from her class," Max responded. "I'm surprised you didn't meet him yet?"

"Junior year's a busy year," Matt said with a shrug, "Besides; I didn't see her all day. Clubs and extracurricular has gotten me busy."

Did I mention that Matt's obsessed about college now? He's making sure he gets into a good one by taking up a lot of extracurricular activities and clubs. He's such a nerd when it comes to things like that but he's helped me think of a college that I might go to so he's good to have around.

"Either way, I need you to do something for me," I said as I draped my arm around his shoulders and led him to the living room where Aiden was talking to Dad. Metal music was pouring out of the stereo system I was surprised that they weren't deaf. This is the only time that I wish my Mom was here to break this little get-together up so Aiden could finally leave! "Get him outta here!" I said as I shoved him over to Aiden and Dad.

"Hey, I'm Matt, Mackenzie's brother," he said as he shook Aiden's hand.

"Aiden," he said with a small smile. "Are you a metal fan?" he gestured to the stereo and the CDs that were scattered on the floor.

"Somewhat," Matt said with a shrug. "Usually it depends on my mood but I'm a huge Metallica fan."

"Did you know that they're working on their ninth album now?"

Letting out a frustrated sigh I turned, grabbed my backpack, and stomped up the stairs to my room, aka My Sanctuary. Whenever I get home and wanted to get away from the stress of the outside world I'd shut myself up in my room, blast music, and let my thoughts wander. Sometimes that's what helps me get some of my good songs written, other times it just relaxes me. And boy, did I need relaxing.

I tossed my backpack into the corner and shut the door behind me. I jumped onto my bed and ran my finger along my rows of CDs before I found the One-X Three Days Grace CD. I put it into the player and turned the volume up before flopping down onto my bed and closing me eyes.

You're sick of feeling numb
You're not the only one
I'll take you by the hand
And I'll show you a world that you can understand
This life is filled with hurt
When happiness doesn't work
Trust me and take my hand
When the lights go out you will understand

I blinked open my eyes when I got the strange feeling that I was being watched. I shifted my eyes before they landed on Aiden who was sitting in my swivel chair, the back rest was resting on his chest as he hand his arms resting on the top. God, does he not understand that I don't want anything to do with him?

"Done staring?" I asked sarcastically as I looked up at my ceiling.

"No good morning?" He asked in an offended tone. I rolled my eyes and stayed silent. "Has anyone ever told you you're such a downer? You don't laugh. You hardly smile. You don't talk. Are you afraid of making friends or something?"

"Why don't you mind your own fucking business?" I snapped as I turned to face him. "And why the hell are you in my room anyway? Are you some sort of psychotic stalker? And where do you get off barging into my house like that?"

"Well, now you are my business," Aiden responded. "I came here to see what you were up to. No, I'm not a stalker; I just like to observe you. And your Dad let me in if you've forgotten that part."

"I didn't forget that you lied straight to my Dad's face," I spoke up. He gave me a puzzled look. "The smoking thing. You lied."

"I don't smoke," he denied.

"Really? So you smell like an ash tray why? You made out with a grill or something?" I really wanted to wipe that smirk off of his face but that meant I'd actually have to get in proximity of him. And right now the only thing I wanted to do was get away from him, as far as I possibly could. This would be hard considering he had me cornered in my own Sanctuary. I opened my mouth to say something but my phone rang, silencing me. I searched around for it but looked up when Aiden cleared his throat and held up my phone. Before I could move he flipped it open and answered it.

"Hello?" He muttered. He stayed silent for a couple of seconds before he made a face and rolled his eyes up to the ceiling. "Hello Lucas....No, she's sitting right here...She's busy at the moment...Working on homework....You didn't think of an idea?...Ok, we can talk about it tomorrow." He made a face as I listened to his side of the conversation. "Lunch would be fine...outside...What?...I always bring it...Ok, bye." He hung up the phone and made an irritated face. "How can you like this clone?" He asked as he tossed me the phone.

"Who said anything about me liking him?" I asked as I caught it and put it on my bedside dresser. "He's just some dude that Austen and I used to hang out with. But a better question is why do you care?"

"Because he's a fake," Aiden instantly replied. "And he's a conformist. He goes around following the latest trends and doesn't even try to be himself. He's the type of guy that goes out with five girls in two weeks and they all don't know about each other. He's the type of guy that breaks people's hearts for fun."

"Broken hearts parade and I'm putting my heart out on display," I sung under my breath as Pain switched to Animal I Have Become. I whipped my head around to look at the clock before looking at the door and counted down from five. "Five...four...three..."

"What're you doing?" Aiden asked in a tone that suggested he thought I was stupid or belong to an insane asylum. I bet my Mom thought that sometimes, with the way she looks at me as if I'm Satan himself.

"Two...one..." Right as I said one I pointed to the door. The door flew open and my Mom stepped inside as Aiden turned around to face her. Mom never knocked on my door, she just barged right in which really pissed me off. She says that no doors in our house should be locked or closed, except for the bathroom for obvious reasons. If my door was closed even slightly she'd give me a thirty minute lecture on how an open door would help keep me safe one day. Yeah, what a load of shit, she's probably just making sure I'm not having sex or smoking pot.

"Its dinner time," she said as she gave me a hard look. She then proceeded to cross her arms over her chest and purse her lips, her way of getting ready to scold me. Here we go. "You know you're not supposed to keep your door closed and your music is too loud, it could deafen you one day." She turned around and stopped as if she slammed into a brick wall when she saw Aiden sitting in the chair. The two stared at each other before Mom finally spoke. I could tell by the look in her eyes that she was trying not to explode at me in front of him. "Hello. We haven't met. I'm Mrs. Montgomery, Mackenzie's mother."

"Aiden," he said with a nod. "I'm in her class," he added as he pointed at me. "She showed me around too." He quickly reached up and pulled off his beanie, revealing a mess of bright blond unkempt hair sticking out every which way, a charming smile was on his face. Nice try, you're not going to win over my Mother I thought in amusement.

"I'm glad to hear that she's helped you out," Mom said through what I knew was a fake smile. The little twitch in the corner of her mouth gave her away. "Shouldn't you be going?" She all but demanded in an icy tone as her eyes shifted from him to me and back again.

Aiden's eyes flickered over at me and I could see the smirk he was keeping off of his face as he responded. "Actually, Mr. Montgomery invited me to stay for dinner and I accepted."

I tried not to laugh at the stunned look that came onto my Mom's face before she put on a smile, which wasn't working too well. "Um, ok. Well, dinner's ready in the kitchen. There should be an extra place set up for you then." Aiden nodded and stood before leaving the room. Mom then whirled around to face me. All right, let me have it. I can't do anything right in your eyes, can I? "Closing your door? Listening to loud music? Having a boy in your room!?"

"You let me have Austen in here and you never had a problem with him," I pointed out as I stood and stretched. "And besides, it's not like I asked for him to be here!"

"But a boy I don' know what in your room. And you didn't even let me know that you were having someone over," she continued. "You're showing very poor judgment young lady." Oooh, 'young lady'. Now I'm really in for it.

"It's not like I was having sex with him," I pointed out as I glared at her. "And I didn't even know that he was going to come over here. I was going to walk home but he drove me instead. Dad was the one who invited him not me. If you want to get mad at someone get mad at him instead of getting mad at me for nothing!"

I brushed past her and started down the stairs but stopped when I saw Max sitting there. She looked up at me with sad eyes and I knew that she had listened to our fight again. Most times I caught her listening to our fights and it really bothered me but she never said anything about it and I didn't either.

Fighting is my way of communicating with my Mom. Actually, it's the only way I'll talk to her. She tries to control my life and I sure as hell won't stand up for it. I think we've been fighting ever since I could talk. I don't remember a time where we just sat down together and had a full non-argumentative conversation. She sees things one way and I see things another. I'm too headstrong to ever admit when I'm wrong so I guess that's what fuels our fights. That, and the fact that she tried to get me to wear dresses and skirts to school to look "a little more like a lady rather than act like the boy" that I'm not. Whatever. If she doesn't like me for who I am, so be it.

"C'mon, I think Dad made your favorite spaghetti," Max said as she held out her hand. I took it and allowed her to lead me down the stairs and into the kitchen. Mom and Dad sat at the head of the table on different ends: Dad's back was to the back patio and Mom's back was to the dining room. Matt and I sat across from each other and Max sat in between Matt and Mom. So guess who's the lucky girl who got to sit next to Aiden? Note the massive amounts of sarcasm on lucky.

I ate dinner as quickly as possible so I could get away from Aiden who was talking to my Dad and Matt about Metallica, again. I don't have anything against them, but metal music was not my forte. I could tell that Mom was really straining to get to know Aiden but she never really liked people that were my "type" as she called them: piercings, no smiles, walking around listening to music, defying authority, hair dyed, different beliefs, that sort of thing. It's no wonder we fight all of the time.

Aiden was so polite it was making me sick. He managed to compliment my Mom on the food every chance he had along with asking how my family's day was and paying a lot of attention to Max, which I knew she secretly liked. Max didn't get that much attention from Mom and Dad so Matt and I tried to give her as much as we possibly could by taking her to movies, hanging out with her, playing games with her, things like that. I knew that she hated how we were seven years apart in age but I knew she also liked being the youngest because she could get away with anything.

And I mean anything. One time she managed to knock over a pot of boiling water onto the floor and blamed Matt for it. He got in trouble for it, but it would've been impossible for him to do that seeing as he was at soccer practice a few minutes before the incident. That little girl is trouble.

Dinner finally finished but it was my turn to wash the dishes. Max followed me with a stack of dishes in her hand before she gently put them down in the sink. We learned the hard was that it wasn't smart to throw them into the sink.

"Aiden's nice," Max said.

"It's all fake," I said as I turned on the faucet. "It's just an act he's trying to get away with. He's really a conceited jerk that likes to annoy the hell out of people." I scrubbed a pot in my hand so furiously that I scratched my fingernail over the surface. It made a strange sound and it felt really weird. I hate it when I do that.

"Not people, just you," Aiden corrected his smirk still on his face. God! I really wanted that smirk to disappear all ready! "Only because you're interesting."

I could tell that Max had adapted the same smirk that was on Aiden's face without having to look at her. "Will you just leave all ready? You're overstaying your welcome," I grumbled under my breath.

"I was on my way out anyway," he said as he spun his keys around his finger. "I just wanted to know what time I should pick you up for school tomorrow."

"Matt's driving me," I responded as I turned back to the dishes, ending the conversation.

"Ok. See you, Shrimp," he said to Max before turning and walking out of the kitchen. I listened to his footsteps fade before the door opened and closed.

"I like him," Max declared.

"Shut up, Max."

"Why're you so mean to new people?" She questioned. I didn't respond, I merely bit my lip as the words sunk in. We did the rest of the dishes in silence.

I wasn't always this mean. There was a period in time when I was actually very nice and outgoing and loved to meet new people. But that was when I was an ignorant little freshman and things have changed. Some shit happened over the summer between freshman and sophomore year and I learned to grow up and not trust everyone I meet. I learned that the hard way, but at least I learned it sooner rather than later, right?

Yeah, I'm not so sure about that either...

----

I tossed my backpack into my locker and tried to stifle a yawn. I couldn't sleep at all last night, the fact that Aiden was in my house seriously bothered me enough to keep me awake.

"Hey," I heard a voice from my right.

I closed my door slightly to see Lucas standing next to me, smiling brightly. His eyes lit up like they usually did when he smiled. He had his hands shoved into his jeans pockets and his shoulders were slumped slightly. What did he want this early in the morning?

"Hey," I responded before turning back to my locker and looking for my books.

"Did you think of an idea for our project?" He asked as I continued looking.

"Nope," I responded. "I didn't have time, I was too busy."

"Yeah, that's what Aiden said," Lucas agreed. I raised an eyebrow at the trace of bitterness that was in his voice but didn't say anything about it. It must be the testosterone raging through him. Boys sure are weird when hormones kick in. "He said something about getting together outside and talking about the project over lunch."

"Mhm," I said distractedly as I started searching through my bag.

"I guess I'll see you in class then."

"I guess so."

I listened to him walk away and I glanced up. I laughed when I saw that he was cornered by the fountain by some bottle blond. I lifted my laptop strap over my shoulder before closing my locker. Right as I turned around I came face to face with Aiden. I was used to him popping up out of nowhere all ready so I didn't jump this time.

"What did he want?" Aiden asked as I brushed past him to start walking down the hall. Of course he would follow me.

"He was just talking to me about our project," I responded in an exasperated tone. I didn't need this in the morning, especially when I didn't get my Red Bull yet.

"Was he flirting with you?" He asked as his eyebrows scrunched together in the middle. I glanced at him before looking back down the hall.

"No, he wasn't."

"Good. Because you shouldn't associate with guys like him." Is he for real? He's like my Mom, trying to tell me what to do and who I should and shouldn't hang out with. Man, it's only been one day and all ready I had a million death wishes for this guy! "So, do you like him?"

"What is with people in our society?" I cracked. "They always assume someone likes someone else because they were talking to someone. No, I don't like Lucas! Geez!"

"So..." Aiden said and let his voice trail off.

"So what?' I growled through clenched teeth.

"Do you find him attractive?"

"Will you shut up?" I growled as I punched him on the arm. I could tell it hurt him but he didn't want to seem less than a man so he just blinked. "God, you're so infuriating!"

"Wow, a five syllable word, I'm surprised you're not reeling in shock," he said as he rolled his eyes. "It was just a question, chill."

"You're telling me to chill!? You're the one who's interrogating me!" I pointed out.

"Is it a crime to want to get to know you?"

"Yes," I replied instantly. Same answer every time. Austen was the only exception.

"Guilty as charged then. Don't fight the feeling, Rockstar, I know you want to get to know me as much as I want to get to know you," he said as he patted me on the shoulder and shot me an I'm-adorable-so-why-are-you-resisting-me? smile. His touch made my skin crawl and I let him know it by giving him a good punch on the arm. "You're so violent," he commented as he rubbed his arm. "You're not into that pain for pleasure kinky stuff, are ya?"

"Listen up 'cause I'm only going to say this once!" I hissed as I whirled around and jabbed him in the chest. "Right now, I'm not in the mood for you or for your shit and you're really wearing down my patience, which was thin enough before you came by. You're not doing yourself a favor by winning over my family to get to me so you can just stop your act because I'm not falling for it! Stop following me around like some sort of psycho stalker and stop trying to win me over, because you won't! Got it?"

By the time I stopped talking Aiden's eyes were wide and his hands were up as if he were surrendering. "Ok," he muttered as I glared at him. "You don't have to go all PMS on me. I'll back off. It's just..." I raised an eyebrow as he suddenly looked uncomfortable. He changed his gaze and gently blew out of his mouth. "You interest me, ok?"

I blinked. "What?"

"I'm not kidding," he quickly added. "There's something about you that's interesting." I didn't know if it was because it seemed like he was being completely honest or because the hallway suddenly got hot, either way I could feel warmth spreading across my cheeks. He locked eyes with me and I felt a strike to my heart, which was an odd feeling. He cleared his right as the bell rang. "Umm, we have gym now."

"Right."

Before he could say anything I turned on my heel and ran straight out of the school and into the gym. My fingers turned into a blur and spun the dial on my lock. Once it was open I threw my books inside and finally stopped to catch my breath. I could hear the other girls slowly trickling in.

"Hey Emo Queen," Liz sneered as Mel snickered behind her. "You shouldn't be in here?"

"Why?" I asked, automatically hating myself for actually acknowledging them with a response.

"Because the girls feel uncomfortable with you in here," she replied as she put her hand on my shoulder, as if she actually cared about my well being. A group of girls stood by the doorway watching. "They don't feel comfortable with you in here watching as they undress and change for gym. I'm just looking out for everyone." She had an innocent look on her face but a sinister gleam in her eye.

"Leave her alone, Liz," Miranda, one of the members of the dance team, spoke up as she shoved past Mel to get to her locker. Miranda and I were close without being best friends. We talk to each other a lot but we have our own groups, which we're happy with. We connected solely because of dance and it's usually the only topic of our conversations but I liked that. She was also never quick to judge, which made me really appreciative of her presence because I would've beat Liz down if she didn't come in. "No one cares about what you have to say. And don't you find it a little pathetic that you have to put someone else down to feel better about yourself?"

"No. It's kinda how pathetic it is for you to have to push your boobs up to get attention, flatty," she replied. She and Mel burst out laughing before they high fived. A couple of their wannabe followers tittered before the girls split to their respective lockers.

"Thanks," I muttered.

"No problem," Miranda replied with a bright smile. "I just got sick of their voices so I wanted to shut them up somehow. Unfortunately they're going to start complaining again once they realize that we have to run some track for gym."

"Nah, they'll probably just seduce the teacher."

"Good point."

We were the first ones out on the track, all of the guys were there talking and laughing about something. Aiden, Matt, and three other guys were standing off to the side, probably feeling awkward around them.

I made a beeline in Matt's direction when Kyle stopped me. Just hearing his name made me want to punch in him in the face and now he actually wants to talk to me. "What?" I snarled before he could even open his mouth.

"C'mon, we need to talk about this," he muttered, probably so his friends wouldn't have to hear him beg.

"Hey Kyle, are you trying for round two?" A jock asked, causing all of the guys to laugh. I could tell that's Matt's eyes turned hard. He had one of the scariest glares ever, it could make anyone stop what they were doing and look at him in fear.

"That's why I don't want to talk to you, ever!" I snapped as I pulled my hand out of his grasp.

"Please," he asked.

"How else can I get this through your head?" I snapped. "Picture this: you're a soccer player, I'm the goalie. Try any trick you want but I'm still going to block your shot!"

The group 'oohed' as Kyle looked like he had been slapped in the face. Right then I knew that I had to get out of there unless I wanted my anatomy to become permanently fused with the ground. I was getting ready to move when the gym teacher, Coach Collins, came rushing over, apologizing for having to help someone with a sprained ankle.

I let out a breath of relief when Matt gently brushed my arm. "You were lucky," he muttered into my ear as we partnered up to stretch.

"He's lucky that I didn't shove my foot up his ass!" I replied as Matt chuckled.

"Easy, Crouching Tiger, I don't want you getting into trouble this year. You all ready have Mom on your case for Aiden, I don't want her on your case for this if it can be avoided."

"Thanks Matt." I wanted to add for looking out for me, even though he's not that much older than me, but I knew that he knew what I was talking about.

"Anytime."