There's Nothing Interesting. (AU,M/L,Teen) A/N 11/05/05[WIP]

[maxandliz4ever1357]

Thanks to the very talented lizard_queen for this awesome banner!


Title: There’s Nothing Interesting About Roswell
Author: Me, or maxandliz4ever1357
Rating: TEEN
Category: M/L mainly with CC, Liz’s POV, w/aliens
Summary: What if Liz was never a part of the gang? What if she moved into Roswell after everything in season one had happened? And what if she started to get curious about the shy dark haired boy sitting in the back of the classroom?
A/N: I’ve had this idea bouncing around in my head for a while and I couldn’t resist, so I hope you enjoy! Feedback welcome!
Disclaimer: I do not own Roswell or any of it's characters (too bad... )

<center>Prologue</center>

I looked out the window of my parents’ car and took in my new surroundings. Not that that there was a lot to take in. Desert, big rock, cactus, more desert, small rock, oh and look! Another rock.

Why would anyone want to live in this place? Aside from the hot weather and bland landscape, all of the alien stuff was kind of...creepy. One could only see so many little creatures with big heads and pupil-less eyes without going loopy.

I just had to ask again. “Why did we move here?” I grumbled from the backseat.

My dad glanced back at me. “I told you Lizzie, this job offer was too good to let go. I’ll be making twice as much money as I used to make.” he said.

“It’s not like we were broke before, dad.” I bit out. “You were doing pretty well.”

Jeff sent a nervous look at my mother, not knowing what to say to convince me. After all, if money didn't do the trick, what would? It was almost funny, watching him squirm. He deserved it.

I loved living in New York City. Sure, I wasn’t one of those people with blue hair, and I didn’t have piercings anywhere but my ears, but the atmosphere of NY was so charged, so busy, so fun. How was I supposed to get used to being a small town girl after that?

“Come on Lizzie.” My mother said. “Think of it as an adventure.”

I snorted. “Gee mom, what fun. I bet I could go explore the whole city of Roswell! After all I do have a whole 15 minutes on my hands.” I said, wondering if she’d turn around and slap me.

Seeing that this approach wasn’t working, my mom took a different one. “Well, your father will be making a lot of money now Liz. We could by you a car! Think about it; it would have been pointless to buy one in New York, but out here, there’s all this space. We could get you a nice Jetta! That way you could pick up all the handsome boys.” she said, turning in her seat to look at me.

“Wow, pulling out the big guns. Bribery already?” I said, not at all tempted.

Nancy sighed. “I know you didn’t want to move here, but please Liz, help us out. This is what’s best for all of us.”

Crap. Now I felt guilty. See, the thing was, I wasn't a bad daughter. In fact, I was an excellent one. I got straight A’s, I didn’t drink, smoke, party, or have sex. I was your average goody-two-shoes. So why, you might ask, was I acting like such a witch? Because this was freaking Roswell! How would you feel?

“Fine.” I said. In truth it was anything but fine, but I was supposed to be the perfect daughter. I was just doing what perfect daughters do; lying to her parents so that they would feel better about shattering their kid’s world.

The car remained silent for the rest of the trip, giving me time to think. Thinking wasn’t good at the moment. As if moving wasn’t bad enough, my boyfriend of 3 months, Sean, broke up with me when he found out I was leaving. What was it he said? Oh yeah, something like ‘Babe, your hot and I like you, but I don’t like you that much. Long distance relationships suck.’

You’re probably thinking that he was a jerk right? Well he was, and I don’t know what I saw in him, or what persuaded me to stay with him for so long. He was going to break up with me anyways, since I never let him get past second base. I guess it was better this way.

What I was really upset about was leaving my best friend Courtney behind. I had known her for just about forever, and we did everything together. She could always think of interesting things to do, and I was never bored around her. If she was in Roswell with me, I have no doubt that right now we would be flashing the cars as they drove by or something (Well, she would be flashing, but I wouldn’t considering how there wasn't anything to flash)

What was I saying again? Oh yes. Roswell sucked, my life was falling apart, my parents were clueless...yup that about summed it up.

“We’re here!” My mom singsonged, breaking me out of my thoughts.

I looked around as the car pulled to a stop. It was actually a very cute neighborhood, with neat, moderate houses, and nice, freshly cut lawns (grass actually grew in New Mexico?) and little picket fences. I glanced around the neighborhood, my eyes landing on the the house across the street from us. There was a black jeep in the driveway. I teenager must have lived there, because I couldn't imagine someone my dad’s age driving a doorless wind machine like that.

“And guess what? My boss lives right next door. His name is Philip something." My dad frowned in concentration. "Emit, Edmond, Evan, Evans...Evans! Philip Evans!” my dad said, looking triumphant.

“Nice dad, you can remember your boss's name.” I said with an eye roll, although this time it was more of a daughter joking around with her father rather than a pissed teenager snapping at everyone. Which I still was, but what could I say? Guilt went a long way.

I looked across the street and saw a boy about my age exiting Philip Evans' house, and I couldn't help but stare. He was gorgeous, I could tell even from this distance. He had dark, dark hair with cute little bangs, and a nice ass. He hopped into the jeep and drove away, leaving me staring after him.

“Liz? Did you here me?” My dad asked, pulling me out of the fog I was in.

“Sorry, what dad?” I asked, brushing off the strange experience.

“Why don’t you go up and pick out your room? The moving van should be here in a couple of hours, and I can’t wait to move in.” he said, sounding excited.

I bit back a sigh and obediently walked into the house.

How was I going to survive here?


TBC.....what do you think??

[maxandliz4ever1357]

Thanks for the feedback! Sry it took me so long. I intended to have this up earlier, but schoolwork got in the way (I'll probably take some breaks later on too, since finals are next week. Sry in advance!)

Those were all great quesions that u guys had (particularly who got shot in the Crashdown if it wasn't Liz...) but sadly they won't be answered quite yet. As for Max and Liz's first meeting, however...keep reading...

Part One

The moving van was delayed. As if my life couldn't get any worse, I was stuck wearing the same underwear until its arrival, which was indefinite. Life was just a bucket full of laughs wasn't it?

To add to the fun, I was on my way to look for a new job. My parents did the classic ‘you need to learn the value of a dollar, Liz’ routine. Which I guess was true, I mean I definitley didn't want to rely on my parents for my drug money.

Ha ha! I had you didn't I? Yeah right, like perfect little Parker would ever do drugs.

Anyway, so I had been to about every place you can imagine, and everything had creepy alien dolls and pictures that glared as I walked by. I would probably be found curled up in the corner mumbling to myself if I worked around them for too long. Still I filled out an application, handed it in, and went to my next stop. Money made the world go round.

One place wasn't too bad. It was called the Crashdown Cafe. I had given up on trying to find a normal, non-alien infested place to work at, so I figured, how hard could waitressing be?

I walked into the restaurant and sat in one of the little booths, waiting for someone to come up and talk to me. While I did this I was able to scope the place out. Most of the cutsomers were teens, about my age, and the decorum was; you guessed it, alien centured.

“Hi, I’m Maria, can I take your order?” A voice asked, pulling me out of my scrutiny of the place. I turned to look at the bouncy blonde, who stared back at me expectantly.

“Um, yeah I was hoping to get a—” I started.

“Maria, your order’s up! Get you cute butt over here, now!” I boy about my age yelled from the kitchen. He pushed the little bell that alerts the waitresses of their orders excessively. All I could see from here was his face and shoulders, but I could still make out his scowl. Jeez, what crawled up his butt and died?

The girl beside me tapped an agitated foot. “Shut up, spaceboy! I’m taking someone’s order!” she yelled back, and then turned to me. “So anyways, what were you saying?” she said, pulling a complete 180 from a loud, annoyed girlfriend (or so I was assuming), to a sweet, cheerful waitress.

“I was wondering if I could get a job application. I want to work here.” I said.

Maria smiled genuinely. “Really? Cool, I’ll get you the form. Fill it out and then return it to us. After that I’ll let the manager interview you.”

“Peachy.” I said, but the bubbly girl missed my sarcasm.

<center> *********</center>

After I ran out of jobs to apply for, I sat on a bench and thought about what to do for the rest of the day. Since, I really didn’t want to go home and sit on the hardwood floor all day, I decided to look around Roswell. After about 10 minutes I was contemplating how long I could sit on that floor without my ass going numb.

Deciding that anything was better than sitting at home alone, I walked into a funky little building called the UFO Center. I walked around the musuem, questioing the sanity of the people that lived in Roswell. Did they really believe that aliens had formed a secret society in the middle of the Earth? Or that Opera was abducted by aliens, and that that was how she lost all that weight?

“This is the most ridiculous thing I have ever seen in my life. And I lived in New York!” I mumbled. I heard laughter behind me and quickly turned, coming face to face with the boy I had seen earlier. The one with the cute ass.

"Can I help you?" he asked in a friendly way.

“Were you laughing at me?” I asked in an irritated voice. He didn’t even know me. He had no right to laugh at me.

“Sorry, but you're amusing. Do you always talk to yourself?” He asked, giving another chuckle that really grated. I hated being laughed at.

“As a matter of fact I wasn’t talking to myself. I was talking to the little alien that crawled into my head.” I snapped back.

“In that case, how about a two for one pass? It’s only $15.00 more, and you and your alien get a free lunch box.” he countered smoothly.

I raised my eyebrows. “Was there something you wanted, or do you just make a habit out of annoying customers?” I asked, noting his cute little yellow vest.

“Do you always talk to yourself in public?" he replied, not answering my question. That was probably a good thing, since it was rhetorical. I doubted that he actually did annoy paying customers.

“Nice comeback.” I replied. I didn't know why I was being such a bicca, but for some reason this guy got on my nerves.

"I try."

"Ha ha, I'm so amused."I snapped.

“Are you always like this?” he asked, bemused.

“Nope. I have split personalities. There's Susie and Lula Belle, and Buttercup--”

“Right, so you have aliens living in your head, and split personanalities too." He interupted, chuckling. "Listen, I have to get back to work. Hope you enjoy your time at the UFO center. You should consider buying a season pass. Just one small payment of $35.00 will get you in for a whole season of your choice.” he said in a ‘my boss makes me say this crap’ kind of way.

“Uhuh, I'll think about it.” I said, turning back around. No I wouldn't, was he kidding? I didn't even want to be in here now.. I certainly wouldn't visit enough to need a pass.

I didn't know what to do next, so I glanced at my watch to see how much time I had left. Dammit! I was supposed to be home thirty minutes ago. Something about dinner with some new neighbor.

Like I really wanted to meet any more Roswelleans!

[maxandliz4ever1357]

Part 2

I looked myself over in the mirror once again. I looked stupid. My parents went out and bought some what they term 'appropriate clothes' . Mine consisted of a long-sleeved top with no neckline, and a flowery skirt that hung down to my feet. Nobody my age dressed up like this. Most of the time it was a goal to be as undressy as possible. And if they did get dressed up, they at least tried to show off as much skin as possible.

“Why do I have to wear this?” I whined.

My dad turned to look at me. “Because I want to give a good impression on my boss. This is our first true meeting, and I want him to think well of my family and me.” He said, which caused my mouth to fall open.

“Your...your boss? That’s who we’re having dinner with?” I asked. I knew I saw the boy come out of that house. Did I have to actually sit through an entire dinner with him? He was so annoying! And he wasn't attractive at all! Nope, those light brown eyes were absolutely repulsive! And the well muscled chest and stong arms were enough to make me gag...

Ok I had to admit, he was hot. But that didn't make him a good guy. I probably should have been nicer to Max, but something about him just bugged me.

Whoops, my dad was talking to me.

“Lizzie, did you hear me?” He asked, looking concerned.

I shook my head slightly to clear my thoughts. “Uh yeah dad, I heard you. So back to the dress thing. Do I really have to wear this?” I asked again.

“Yes Liz,” He said in a final voice. “You have to wear it, and don’t ask me again.”

I did the only thing I could do. I huffed and I puffed and I stomped to my room, slamming my feet down on the stairs as I went up like a 4 year.

Only it didn’t really do any good because right then my mother yelled, “Liz stop throwing a temper tantrum and get down here! We’re supposed to be there at 7:00 and we have to be on time. Let’s go!” she reiterated, and it wasn't like I could argue. I stomped back down the stairs and followed my parents out the door.

We walked across the street and stood by the Evan's door, waiting for my dad to knock. Instead of doing this, however, he reached up to straighten his tie. “Ok, now everyone be nice, polite, and talk about appropriate subjects. Use good manners and—”

My mom interupted his little rant. “Honey if you go on for much longer, we’re going to be late. Knock on the door, Jeff.” She said encouragingly, while I rolled my eyes. He took a deep breath and knocked.

A man a little older then my dad opened the door and smiled. “Hey Jeff! Glad you’re here.” He said, smiling widely. This was the guy that set my dad on edge? He looked like Santa Claus. All jolly and cheerful.

“Come in, come in!” he said enthusiastically.

“Thanks.” My dad said, seeming to have calmed down a bit. “This is my wife Nancy, and my daughter Elizabeth.” he said.

I rolled my eyes playfully and smiled. “ It’s Liz actually.” I said good naturedly, shaking his hand. Hey, I may have been a tad pessimistic at times, but I knew how nervous my dad is about this. I wasn't going to blow it for him.

“Nice to meet you all. I’m Philip, and that’s my wife Diane.” he said, pointing to the kitchen. A plump, kind looking women waved.

"She's finishing up dinner so you'll have to excuse her for not coming to meet you. I also have two kids around here somewhere. I think they’re upstairs.” He said. “I’ll just go get them, if you’ll excuse me…”

“Oh, why don’t you let my daughter do that? I wanted to talk a little more about the business if you don’t mind. ” My dad said. I wanted to kick him, but I put on a smile and said, “Sure. I just go up the stairs?”

He nodded. “Thanks.”

I bit back a sigh and headed up the stairs. I saw a long hallway with a few different doors so I walked down it, listening for voices. I heard mumbling from the room to my right, so I went to knock, but something stopped me.

The door was open slightly, so I took a peak into the room. It was the boy I had seen earlier with a beautiful blonde girl that I assumed was his sister. They were talking in deep serious voices.

“You have to talk to someone about this Max!” She said urgently. “You can’t keep it all bottled up!”

Max shook his head. “Who am I supposed to talk to Isabel? A shrink? You know I can’t tell them anything. Besides I’m fine. I’m over it.”

Isabel grabbed his arm suddenly, and he flinched slightly. “See, you're not over it. I’ve heard you at night Max, I know your having nightmares. Did you ever consider Michael and I? Or what about Tess? We could help.” she finished desperately.

“I don’t need help! I’m fine, Isabel. I had nightmares at first but they’re getting better. What I do need you guys to do is be careful. I won’t let them get you, or Michael, or Tess. I can’t…I...just be careful ok?”

“Ok, Max.” Isabel said softly.

"And about Tess, Isabel. I know she's one of us, but I don't fully trust her yet. Be cautious around her ok?" Max said.

"Max, she helped get you out of there. If it wasn't for her we wouldn't have been able to." Isabel defended.

"I know, but she doesn't seem...emotional enough. Being raised by Nasado...I don't think she views things the same way that we do. Just be careful." He unstructed her.

"That's been our motto lately." Isabel said, sounding regretful.

"We were always careful. Now it's just a little more important." He corrected her.

She nodded.

What the hell? What had happened to this guy that would cause him to have nightmares, and why couldn’t tell his friends about it? And who was after them? And why did they need to be careful? And who was Tess? Was that his girlfriend? Did he have a girlfriend? Wait, I didn't care about that. And what did 'one of us' mean?

I didn't get any of this, but I knew enough to know that they probably didn’t want me to overhear their conversation. I tiptoed back down the hallway, and then turned to walk up it again a little more noisily. They both rushed out of the room, with looks of...What was that? Fear? Panic?

“Um, hi.” I said nervously. Did they know that I had heard them? It certainly felt like they did. “Your dad wanted me to tell you to come down. It’s time to eat.”

Isabel eyed me suspiciously. “You’re the new girl right? The one from New York?”

“Yup. I guess news travels fast.” I said. The girl was being rude for no reason, and that was not something that I usually put up with.

“Always does in a small town.” She sniffed.

“I wouldn’t know.” I snapped back.

“Whatever, I’m Isabel, and this is my brother, Max.” She introduced stiffly.

I nodded to him. “Yeah, we’ve met.” I said.

To my surprise, Isabel glared over at him like he had done something wrong, and then she turned and glared at me. Jeez, why was she so protective?

“Oh, well whatever. We should go downstairs. The sooner this dinner gets started, the sooner it’s over. Nice outfit by the way.” She said, the slight at my clothes obvious in her voice.

“Spoiled brat.” I whispered to her back as I followed her and Max down.

<center> ********* </center>

We were getting to desert and there hadn't been any problems so far. Well except for the fact that Max had somehow ended up sitting next to me, and Isabel was placed across from us. She kept glaring at me like I was doing something wrong, while Max sat totally silent on my right.

Despite this, I had joined in on the polite dinner converation that took place, smiled sweetly, and laughed at all of Mr Evan's jokes. Speaking of which, he really needed some new material.

I couldn't help but notice how quiet Isabel and Max were, like they didn't want our company. Which I guess was true, but they could have at least tried to engage in the conversation.

I reached over to grab my spoon, so I could start on the ice cream/browny/fudge cake thing Mrs. Evans made, when Isabel sent me another look. I shifted, not liking to be under her annoyed gaze, and ended up dropping said spoon on the ground.

I bent down to pick it up as inconspicuously as I could when my dad called my name. I jerked back up, banging my head on the edge of the table. This caused everyone's drinks to tip over, and the silverware and plates to clatter loudly. Not to mention the huge lump that was forming on my head.

I resurfaced from the table, holding my head and apoligizing, "Sorry, I dropped my spoon..." I drifted off, and moved to help everyone clean up the spilt drinks.

Though I was embarassed, I couldn't help but notice how Isabel's white shirt and kacki pants were covered in Coca cola. Haha!

"Nice outfit Isabel. I'm sorry about the Coke, but I think it comes out." Being sweet all through dinner had it's merits; no one except Isabel caught the comment for what it really was. I knew she got it by the way her face turned red and her eyes narrowed.

"I'm sorry." I said again, while continuing to clean up the drinks.

"That's ok, Liz." Mrs. Evans said. "Accidents happen."

Eventually the dinner ended and we finally got to leave.

"Thank you for inviting us over." My dad said to Mr. Evans."Your wife makes a wonderful dinner."

"It was our pleasure. Nice to meet you, and Nancy and Liz." He said to us.

I smiled. "Nice to meet you too." I said politely. Was I a good daughter or what?

"We should do this again sometime." Noooo! "Goodnight!"

"See you." My dad said, before we mosyed over to our house. Jeez, that was a nightmare! Could it have been any worse?

And what was up with Isabel and Max?

[maxandliz4ever1357]

Hey everyone, i had some free time, so i decided to write a part. It's kind of short, but I hope you like!

<center>Part 3</center>


I sat at the table in our new house, eating cereal from the box; it was almost time for me to leave to go to my new school. Since it was the first day, you'd think I'd like to make a good impression, right? Wrong: I was wearing jeans, a button down plaid shirt over a tank top, and my converse shoes. It was part of the blending in thing. I didn't get too dressed up, but I was never too dressed down. I was like a chameleon.

Anyway, so it was my first day of school and my dad was driving me there in our old station wagon. I would probably have to take them up on that car offer; this dad driving me to school thing was not going to work.

“Do you want me to walk in with you honey?” he asked, and I gave him an incredulous look. Next he was going to be asking if he could visit me during naptime.

He must have read my look because he said, “Ok, I get it. Too cool for you old dad huh?” he joked.

I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, that’s it.” I said, getting out of the car. I slammed the door shut and he pulled away.

“Let’s get this over with.” I mumbled, walking up the school steps. The bell had just rang, so there were no students in the hall. I walked around the school with a map in my hand, trying desperately to kind the office. Since when were high schools this big?

I finally found it and walked in, putting on a shy smile. Two women were returning to their seats in front of computers with cups of coffee in their hands. They were talking and I knew it was rude to interrupt, so I waited.

“Yeah, I remember her. Whatever happened to Topolsky anyways?” one of them said.

“We were never told for sure, but I recall something about her disappearing. Remember Amy Deluca? She fussed up a storm when she was supposed to have a meeting with Topolsky about Maria and couldn’t find her.” the other said. “You know what I think happened?” she continued, leaning in slightly and lowering her voice.

“What?” the other asked, also leaning forward.

“I think she had an interest in a student. You know, an interest?” she added dramatically.

“Really? Who was the student?” the other asked, completely enthralled. I was too at this point. Who knew there was so much scandal in Roswell!

“Max Evans. You know the tall dark haired one? She used to write tons of notes about him while she acted as guidance councilor. I heard that she even followed him around.” she finished. My jaw dropped, but I quickly snapped it closed and continued listening.

“Wow! I never knew! Were they ever involved do you think? ” the other lady asked, sounding completely shell-shocked.

"No. I think he’s too quiet for that; too well mannered. I think that Max complained about it and the school board must have fired her! I think they tried to keep very quiet about it, not wanting word to get out. What else could have happened to make her disappear like that?”

The other women shook her head. “And here I was, thinking she was a very nice person. I guess you can never tell, can you?”

“Guess not.” the other lady said solemnly. She took a sip of her coffee and looked up, spotting me for the first time.

“Oh hello.” she said nervously, probably thinking I was going to tell her boss she was gossiping at work.

“Hi. I’m new here and I need my schedule.” I said in a sweet voice.

“Oh, sure.” She went over to the computer. “What’s your name?” she asked.

“Elizabeth Parker.” I said. She typed in my name and printed out my schedule.

“Here it is.” she said, handing it to me. Duh. I mean, I had it in my hands didn't I? “Have a nice day.” she said, turning back around.

I walked back out of the office and looked around at the numbers. I needed to go to A.P Biology first. The room number was 345. I was in the 200’s. I walked down the hallway, trying to find the right classroom.

290, 300, 310, 335, 350…

Wait. I passed it. How did that happen? I backtracked a few steps and finally found the classroom. Now I had to walk in at the middle of the period, which would cause everyone to stare at me. I took a deep breath, and opened the door.

The teacher immediately stopped talking and every eye in the classroom turned to me. “Hi, I’m Elizabeth Parker.” I said quietly. “I’m new here.”

She nodded and smiled. “Nice to meet you, I'm Mrs. Hardy." she said, and then turned to address the class. Please don't tell them to say hi, please don't tell them to say hi... "Class this is our new student, Liz Parker. Say hello.” she said, smiling.

Curse you, you stupid teacher!

"Hello." they all chorused like a bunch of robots.

The teacher nodded approvingly. “Now, why don’t you sit over by…” she looked around the room.

“Max.” she finished. What?! How... who... what was up with this!? Why did I always end up near Max Evans?

"Max raise your hand." Mrs. Hardy said, even though I already knew who he was.

I walked over to his table and sat down. He gave me a shy smile and I returned it. The teacher called back the class's attention and started teaching again.

This was going to be a long period.

<center> ***** </center>

I'd made it to lunch! The first three classes of the day went well. It was a little boring since I didn't have any of the books or anything, but it was ok.

I bought my food and then looked around the lunch area. I didn't have anyone to sit with, which sucked. I guessed I should just walk over and sit under the trees or something.

I walked over to a nicely shaded area and sat down, hoping I didn’t look too stupid. I ate my lunch in about 15 minutes, so I decided to try and figure out where my next class was during the remaining lunch hour. I knew it was geeky, but it was better than sitting in the grass getting bitten by ants.

I got up and walked through the double doors that led into the hallway, taking out my schedule as I went. 210 this time. I looked around at the numbers, trying to find the right door. After a few minutes I heard footsteps walking down the hall, and, not wanting to get caught looking for my classroom like a dork, I dived around a corner.

I peeked at the person from behind the wall, shocked to see none other than Max Evans walking into one of the rooms on the right. The sign on the door said the Eraser Room. I had heard stories about that room! Wasn’t that the make-out room? Who was Max making out with? And why did I feel so strange about that?

I waited a few minute, curious to see who Max was meeting in the make-out room. I heard foot steps and took a peek, shocked for the second time when I saw the grill guy walking into the very same room.

OHMYGOD! I never would have guessed! I thought he was dating Maria!

I was about to turn around and leave when I heard someone else coming. I turned to look and I saw Isabel Evans walk into the exact same room.

Ewww! That was his sister! I didn't even want to know what was going on in there!

I walked away from the room as quietly as I could. I was out in the main hallway when I passed Maria, a guy, and another girl walking in the direction I had just came from. An unreasonable suspicion crossed my mind and I followed them, keeping a far enough away distance so that they wouldn't notice me. Sure enough, the 3 walked into the same room.

What was going on! I didn't think it’s a 6 way, so why would they all be meeting there? This was just getting weird!

Just then the bell rang, and the 6 of them walked out of the room one by one. I didn’t want to be seen by them, so I scuttled off to my next class.

[maxandliz4ever1357]

This is soooo short, i'm sorry! I'll have more soon, I promise!


Part 4

I was at my new job at the Crashdown Café, and Max, Isabel, Maria, that tall lanky kid, the grill guy, and another girl were all there as well. They kept exchanging these weird looks that say, ‘something huge is going on, but we’re the only ones who know about it.’

I didn't get it. What could be so important and earth shattering? They all looked somber and tense, and I could tell it was something more than bombing a test or failing to turn in homework at school.

I didn't notice Maria standing next to me until she started knocking on my head. “Hello? Anybody in there?” Maria asked.

I turned to look at Maria and noticed that two people were standing behind her. "Oh, sorry. What were you saying?" I asked.

“It's ok, I tend to space too.” she said. “I just wanted to introduce you to a few of my friends. This is Alex, and this is Kate. Guys, this is Liz." I shook both of their hands and said hello.

“Kate’s parents own this place, so you'll probably be seeing her a lot.” Maria continued.

“Oh really? Do you work here too, then?” I asked.

She smiled. “I used to, but I quit.” she said. “I'd been waitressing for as long as I can remember, and I just got fed up with it." she said.

Great, something I could look forward too. “Oh.” I said, not knowing quite how to respond.

“She works with our congresswomen now.” Maria gushed, sounding proud. Kate looked as if she was trying not to appear too pleased with herself.

“Not really, I’m just an intern.” she corrected modestly.

Wow, fascinating. I really cared.

The little bell rang, signaling that an order was ready. “I gotta get that. Liz will you wait on table 5 for me?” she said, not waiting for an answer before rushing off to pick up the order. I didn't blame her. Michael tended to get a little crazy with the bell if he was forced to wait too long for the waitresses pick up the orders.

I walked over to table 5, getting out my little notepad and pencil as I went. “What can I get you?” I said in my waitress voice. Yup, I actually had a waitress voice.

The young couple sitting in front of me looked at the menu. “Umm, how are the Alien Blasts?” the women asked.

I, of course, had no idea, but that dish was about 5 bucks more than the one under it on the menu, so it must have been better right?

“Oh, it’s one of our best.” I said, trying to sound convincing.

The women smiled. “Great I’ll have that, then. And how about the milkshakes? Which one do you recommend?” Sheesh, couldn't she make up her own mind? I looked over the women’s shoulder at the shakes section in the menu. Eeeny meeny miny mo…

“That one.” I said, pointing. The one I landed on was the Blood of Alien smoothie. Ew. I really wouldn't be inclined to drink something with the word blood in the title.

“Cool.” The lady said. “That too.” Wow, she was really trusting. Tsk, tsk.

“Honey, what do you want?” she said, turning to her husband. The husband had his neck craned and was looking around the room.

“Maybe we should tell her why we’re really here.” he said, turning back to the table.

“We’re here to eat.” she said, a hint of warning in her tone.

“Honey, why come here if we weren’t going to ask?” he said a little louder.

By this time I was curious so I said, “Were you here for some special reason?”

The wife shook her head, but the husband leaned forward. “Actually, we heard from a friend of ours that there was a shooting here last year.” he said.

Wow! Roswell had a lot of crime for such a small town. “Whoa, really? In this restaurant?" I asked.

“Yeah, and one of the waitresses got shot!” the wife jumped in, getting into the story. “And she almost died, but a boy ran up to her and healed her gunshot wound!” she said.

Now I understood. They were just another bunch of freaks looking for extraterrestrials. I should have known. “And you think that the guy is an…”

“Alien.” she finished. “If makes sense. They crashed here in 1947 and have been disguising themselves as humans ever since. That means that any one of these people around you right now could be an alien!” she said, glancing around her nervously.

“Well, let’s hope they come in peace then.” I said. It was a lame joke, but I thought that saying ‘Have you taken your medication today?’ would have been a little inappropriate.

The husband nodded. “If they ever decide to attack earth, we’d never last. They can move things with their minds!” he said, his eyes wide.

I put my hands behind my back, pinching one of them so that I didn’t laugh. “Yeah, lets hope they don’t.” I said. "did you want something to eat?” I asked him, remembering that I hadn’t taken his order yet.

“Um, just get me the same.” he said, craning his neck again. I didn't know what he expected to see. Maybe a customer with a sign that says ‘ALIEN! Hiding in plain sight!’ or something.

“So two Alien Blasts and two Blood of Alien smoothies. Coming right up.” I said. I went to the back of the restaurant to drop the order off.

Maria came to do the same thing. “Are the people here always this crazy?” I asked, shaking my head.

“Ah.” she said knowingly. “What was it this time? Saw a true alien autopsy video? Have an actual piece of the ship that crash-landed here?” she asked.

“They said that they came because some waitress was shot here last year and they claim an alien healed her.” I said, laughing. I expected Maria to join in, but i looked up to find a worried frown on her face.

"Are people still saying that?" she asked.

“Wait, was there actually a shooting?” I asked, curious.

“Yeah, just two crazies fighting about money. The gun went off and a shot was fired. No one was shot, of course, and no one was healed." she said a little too quickly.

“Oh, that must have been really scary."

"Yeah, Kate fell back onto a shelf and knocked a bottle of ketchup over. Max went to see if she was ok--"

"Max? As in Max Evans?" I asked.

"Yeah, you know Max?" she said, looking worried again.

"Yeah, I moved in next door to him." I said, wondering why it mattered.

"Oh." Maria said.

"So she knocked a bottle of ketchup over..."

"Yeah, and Max was leaning over her to see if she was ok. Two alien loonies saw it and decided that she was shot and that he healed her." she said.

"Why go with reality when make believe is so much more interesting?" I said.

“Exactly." Maria said, rolling her eyes, looking relieved. "People come here from all around looking for aliens. When they don't find anything they start to make stuff up. I have to get back to work.” she said abruptly. I looked around the café. Besides the couple I had just waited on and a few other people, there were no customers.

The little bell rang, and I went to the grill to pick up my order.

[maxandliz4ever1357]

Category: M/L mainly with CC, Liz’s POV, w/aliens

don't worry dreamers!

Here it is! Hope you like!

Part 5

Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah blah, blah. That was all I could here coming from Mrs. Hardy. I wondered if she got paid extra to talk in that monotonous voice.

"Liz, do you know the answer?" Mrs. Hardy asked. Uh-oh. I had no clue what she had just asked. I looked over at Max for help, and he mouthed the word 'marine biome'.

"Maaarriinne biioomme.” I said slowly, reading his lips. His red, pouty, soft looking lips... “My answer is marine biome." I said a little louder. The teacher gave a suspicious look that said, I could have sworn you weren’t paying attention, but she just replied, "Good. Now can anyone tell me what the northernmost biome...."

My thoughts drifted off again. Could this lady have been anymore boring? I actually loved biology, but listening to Ms. Hardy was like watching coal turn into diamonds.

“You might want to pay attention, I’m not going to tell you everything.” Max whispered, bending his head close to mine. It was the first time I had gotten a good look at his eyes. Wow, what color were they? Not quite brown, but not really a light brown. More like...amber.

Wait, why was I examining his eyes?! I gave him a look. “And who said I needed you to tell me anything? I’m quite capable of answering her questions." I sniffed, well aware that he had just saved my butt back there and resenting him for it.

“Thank you would have been a better answer.” he replied. My blood started to boil, popping and sizzling in my veins.

“Thank you for what?” I snapped. It wasn't like he had saved my life or anything, he'd just helped me answer a question.

He opened his mouth to speak, but the teacher interrupted. “Liz, Max! Are we interrupting your social hour?” she said.

“Nope, continue.” I said. Then I snapped my mouth closed, shocked at my own barb. I was never rude to teachers. Well, in my thoughts I was, but never out loud. I glared at Max, since he was at fault for my outburst. If he hadn't gotten me so angry, I wouldn't have said it.

“Watch it Miss Parker.” Ms. Hardy said in a dangerous voice. Then she turned around and continued teaching.

“Look what you made me do!” I hissed to Max. He had a habit of getting me in trouble.

“Me? I’m not the one who told her off.” he whispered back angrily.

“You got me mad!” I whispered back.

“It seems our two lovebirds can't stop talking to each other.” Mrs. Hardy said, interrupting them. The class snickered. “Both of you can come and see me after school for detention.” she continued, her eyes flashing.

She turned back to the chalkboard without waiting for a reply.

“Oh good job, Maximillion.” I whispered to him.

“I didn’t do it!”

“Do you want me to make it two days?” Ms. Hardy said, not even turning around. Did she have eyes in the back of her head or something? Max and I closed our mouths in a hurry.

I needed to get away from Max Evans before I did something I would really regret.

<center>*******</center>


“Here are your assignments, and I want them done by the time I get back.” Ms. Hardy said firmly. I couldn’t believe that I, Liz Parker, was getting a detention assignment. It was kind of thrilling to tell you the truth. Maybe I would become a hard core criminal after this; the kind that robbed convenient stores and stole diamonds and stuff.

On second thought, scratch that. I'd heard some stories about jail houses.

“I need to get some things done, but I expect both of you to be here when I get back.” she continued sternly. We both nodded meekly.

“What a great way to spend the afternoon.” I muttered to myself after she had left.

“It was your fault you know.” Max said, taking off his backpack and sitting in one of the chairs. I sat in a chair on the opposite side of the room.

“No it wasn’t. If you hadn’t gotten me so annoyed, I wouldn’t have snapped at her.” I shot back. I was so not letting him blame me for this. “Why do you always have to piss me off?”

It was liking watching Jekel turn into Hide. His eyes darkened, his back straightened, and his muscles tensed up. I had managed to get him angry, which was weird. Usually he was just bemused.

“What the hell have I done to you?! No, I can answer that. Nothing! I haven’t done anything to make you be rude the way you are! I’ve just been normal, quiet, well-mannered Max Evans. So what the hell is your problem?” he said, standing up and knocking his chair over.

I stared at him in shock and then fascination as his face changed into realization about how he had just lost it. “Damn it." he said, running his fingers over his face wearily. "I’m sorry. I’ve been under so much stress lately—”

“No.” I said, standing up so that he didn’t tower over me. It didn’t work, of course, I was just over 5 foot and he must have been 6 feet tall. But he had managed to make my anger flare, and now I was pissed off too.

I walked over to him, and put my face inches from his. “Finish what you were going to say. I’m a bitch? Is that what you mean? Because you have been rude to me!” before I knew it I was shouting. “Like at dinner, really courteous Max! It couldn’t have been more obvious that you didn’t want us there!”

“I didn’t! Why should I?! I don’t even know you!” he shouted angrily, gripping my shoulders.

“And you never will, you arrogant jerk!” I shouted back, moving even closer. And then it happened. I don’t know how it happened, or why it happened, but it did. All of a sudden I found myself in a liplock with Max Evans. The kiss only lasted a few seconds, but a whole hell of a lot occurred in that amount of time. Hands moving, lips touching, tongues battling almost ferociously ...and then we both jerked away from each other.

Shit was all I could think. Shit, shit, shit, shit…”Shit.” I said. Wow, I actually spoke my mind for once. I backed farther away from him, bumping into a desk.

He was just standing there, staring at me in horror. Jeez, was I that bad of a kisser? The thought worried me for a second, until I realized that I didn’t care what Max thought.

“That shouldn’t have happened.” he blurted out, just as I said, “It was a mistake.”

“Good.” We both replied. Max stared at me a few more seconds and then picked up his bag. “I gotta go.” he said, almost running out of the door.

“But Max, wait what about your detention…?” but it was too late, he had already left. I sighed and sat down again, starting on that stupid worksheet Mrs. Hardy had given us.

<center> ***********</center>

"Hi, can I take your order?" I said to the old lady I was waiting on. I’d been working as a waitress for two days and I had to say, it wasn't as easy as I thought it would be. You had to carry a whole bunch of dishes in your arms, remember which people ordered what, and when people were rude to you, you just had to smile and endure it. Not to mention the crazy alien questions that the customers threw at you. I was asked by a man once if I thought that aliens would have enough brain capacity to live on earth. How the hell would I know?

“Yes, I’d like a...wait, what does that say? Sigourney Weaver? Isn’t she an actress? And Will Smith, he is too.” she said, sounding puzzled.

I fought the urge to roll my eyes. Customers didn’t really like it when you made them feel stupid. “Sigourney Weaver played in the ‘Alien’ movies, and Will Smith played in the ‘Men in Black' movies. Since this is an alien themed restaurant, the owners decided to name burgers after them.” I explained.

It sounded really stupid if you sat down and explained the concept, but the lady just nodded and said, “I’ll take a Sigourney Weaver then.”

“And to drink?” I asked, figuring that the lady had forgotten.

“I’ll have an iced tea, please.” she said.

“Coming right up.” I said. I went to drop off the order when the doors opened. I turned to look at who had come in, and saw Max. I ducked my head quickly and walked into the back room. When in doubt, avoid.

“Is he here?” I heard Kate ask from somewhere in the back. I looked around the corner and saw Kate and Maria peaking out of the grill window. Where was Michael?

“Yeah, prince charming is out there.” Maria replied.

“How does my hair look?” Kate asked.

“It looks fine. Liz, is that you?” Maria called out suddenly.

“Yeah.” I answered, walking into the kitchen. “Just wondering where you guys were."

“Kate is back here drooling over Max Evans.” Maria replied, rolling her eyes.

Oh, Max. She liked Max. I studied Kate’s features. She was very beautiful; about 3 inches taller than me, with flowing, shiny red hair and soft eyes.

Kate slapped Maria's shoulder. “I am not drooling, I don’t even care.” she denied. Maria raised her eyebrows and Kate’s petite shoulders slumped forward.

“Ok, maybe a little, but I’m getting worried. Why hasn’t he asked me out? I mean, your dating Michael, and Isabel is dating Alex, so he can’t think it’s still wrong.” she said. Maria sent her some kind of warning look. What for? I wondered.

“I don’t know, but maybe you should be a little more forward. Go ask him.” Maria urged.

“No.” Kate said at once. “I’m not going to ruin our friendship if it turns out he doesn’t like me. If he wants me, he’s going to have to make the first move.” she said firmly.

Maria looked out the window again and grimaced."Ugh, guess who's out there Katie." Maria said, her voice laced with annoyance.

"I'm guessing short, blonde, and dressed in some slutty blue top?" Kate asked. Maria nodded.

"He doesn't want her. I know it. He's told me how annoying he finds her." Kate said, and then she smiled. “You know, I can't force him to ask me out, but it’s not like I can’t push him in that direction.” she said slyly, applying some lip gloss to her already shiny lips.

[maxandliz4ever1357]

flyawayraven - You're on the right track...

hazz - Glad you liked the kiss! Hope you continue reading!

loviedovie - Thanks for reading, and I'm glad you liked the kiss and how they bickered!

taressa05 - A little hint , Kate doesn't know why Max won't ask her out, but she thinks it's because he thinks it's wrong.

Michelle - Here it is before Saturday morning!


Part 6

Max was standing there, talking to this blond who was wearing way to much makeup, when he excused himself and came into the back room to see someone. Who did he come to see? Me, it turned out.

When he walked through the door Kate accosted him. “Hey Max.” she said in a flirty voice. "Tess bothering you again?"

Max was staring too intensely at me to notice her flirtatious behavior or how she had herself pressed against him, so he just replied, “Uhuh. Hey, Katie.” and then to me he said, “Liz, can I talk to you for a second?”

I, who had been ducking me head and trying not to be noticed, replied, “Uh...Max—”

“It’s important.” he said, sensing I was going to say no. What was up with him? He'd practically fled the classroom in fear of his life earlier at detention. Why would he want to talk to me now?

“Max, what’s going on?” Kate asked in an annoyed voice.

He looked at Kate as if seeing her for the first time. “Bio homework.” he said, and then turned to look at me. “Liz?” he asked again.

Maria was looking out the window into the crowded restaurant. “Damn, it’s the afternoon rush. We have to get back to work. Liz, don’t take to long,” Maria said in a warning voice, pulling Kate, who was looking at us suspiciously, out the door by her arm. I knew that the warning voice wasn’t just because I was supposed to be working.

“I should go too—” I said, feeling nervous and heading toward the door.

“No wait, this will only take a minute.” he said, grabbing my arm. I felt a shiver pass though me and jerked away from him. Why did he have to affect me like this?

“What?” I snapped.

“Listen, about what happened. I just wanted to remind you that it...we shouldn't have, you know, kissed, and I wanted to make sure that you wouldn’t go talking about it with Maria or Kate or anyone.” he said, looking worried.

That didn’t sting. It didn’t. So why did it feel like he had hurt me?

I went into insult mode. “What makes you think I would? Besides the fact that I’m not one of those girls who gossips every chance she gets, it’s not exactly something to brag about, kissing you.” I threw back at him. That was a downright lie. I was willing to bet that half the girls at West Roswell High wanted to make out with the hunky Max Evans.

He looked surprised. “It’s not exactly something I wanted to do either.” he replied in an annoyed voice.

“So why did you?” I asked.

“I didn’t. You kissed me.” he said.

“I did not! You’re the one who started it.” I said indignantly. “Answer my question Max. If you didn't want to, then why did you?” I asked again.

“I should ask you the same thing.” he replied.

“It was just the heat of the moment.” I answered back. “You got me all riled up, and then you kissed me so—”

“I did not kiss you!” he bit out angrily.

“Really? Then what do you call it?” I asked him.

“A mistake!” he said through gritted teeth.

“Exactly, so we agree!” I spit back out at him.

“Obviously.” he said. We both went to walk out the door at the same time, and crashed into each other when we couldn’t fit. He backed away, rubbing his elbow, and said, “After you.”

“Thank you.” I replied in a snooty voice.

I walked out and then he followed me. When he walked back into the restaurant, the blond and Kate turned quickly toward him, putting on big, flirty smiles.

“Your fan club awaits.” I said, smiling when he groaned.

Maria, who had just taken someone's order, walked back to the grill to drop it off. She leaned in and looked around the kitchen when she didn't see anyone there. “Where the hell is Michael?” she asked, sounding irritated.

“I’m right here.” he said, his head poking out from the grill window.

“Jeez, where did you go? You were gone for like 25 minutes.” Maria asked.

“Max and Liz were talking, and it seemed rude to interrupt their private moment.” he said, snapping his eyes to both of us and glaring.

Uh oh, something told me he didn’t find it rude to eavesdrop. From the look on Max’s face, I'd say he thought so too.

“It was just about homework.” Maria said dismissively. At least she hadn’t overheard us.

“Right.” Michael said, staring hard at me. “Homework.”

Yikes. Michael must have been a friend of Kate’s or something, because I didn't see why he would care about what happened between Max and me. It wasn't like it was against some rule or something. Of it wouldn’t be, if anything was going on between us. Which there wasn't. Really.

<center> **********</center>


After I finished closing up - it turned out that it was my night to do it - I left the restaurant, starting my walk home.

I was a quarter of the way there when I heard someone coming.

“Liz.” a voice called. I turned around and spotted Michael jogging towards me.

“Oh, hey Michael. What’s—” I started, but he interrupted.

“Stay away from Max Evans. I mean it.” he said, his voice becoming deeper and more dangerous. He was actually a little frightening.

I didn't like to be afraid, so I usually covered it up with sarcasm and anger. “Like I’d want to be around him. And if I did, that’s really none of your business.” I snapped, continuing to walk.

He grabbed my arm. I tried to pull out of his grasp, but he wouldn’t let go. “I heard you two talking, Liz. I know that you kissed. You don’t know anything about him, and you’re not supposed to be with him, so just stay away.”

He dropped my arm. He gave me one last warning look and then left, walking in the opposite direction. I shivered and continued walking, not really happy about being out here all alone.

A little farther on, I heard a car come up behind me, which caused me to jump. I took a deep breath. Calm down Liz, it's just a car, I told myself. I turned to see who it was and saw a black jeep. It pulled up beside me and Max came into view.

“Need a ride?” he asked without preamble.

“Not from you.” I said, continuing to walk. He drove beside me.

“Come on, you live right across the street. It’s not like it would be out of my way.” he said.

I thought about it for a second, and then Michael’s words played in my mind. Stay away from Max Evans.

You'd think that this would scare me away from going with him. Wrong. If there was one thing I couldn't stand, it was someone bossing me around. I walked to the other side of the jeep and hopped in.

“You realize that you will actually have to say thank you once I drop you off right?” he asked.

“We’ll see.” I replied, smiling slightly.

[maxandliz4ever1357]

Just a little side note: Courtney and Sean don’t exist in this fic. Well, they do, but they’re back in New York City where Liz used to live, and they have no connection to the pod squad or the humans.

Here’s the next part, hope you enjoy!

Part 7

After I got in the car, we sat in a tense silence. Niether of us had been very civil to the other when we've been alone, so I don't think either of us really knew what to say. Eventually I couldn't take it anymore, so I asked the first question that popped into my head.

"So, what's up with you and that Kate girl?" I asked.

He looked at me suspiciously; probably trying to tell if I was being nice, or just setting him up for an insult. “Uh, nothing, why?” he asked hesitantly.

I shrugged. “No reason.” I said. “I mean, I know she has feelings for you, so I was just wondering—”

“Wait, what?” he interrupted. “No she doesn’t; we’re just friends.” he said, sounding positive of his claim.

I raised my eyebrows. “What makes you so sure?” I asked. I had heard her talking about him, so I know she likes him. How could he be so clueless?

He shrugged. “We’re just different.” he said simply.

Hmmm. Max is about the most gorgeous guy I’ve ever seen. Kate is sickeningly beautiful. They seem to be great friends and have a lot in common, so I don’t get what makes them so different.

I decided to drop the subject. “Oh, ok. So what about that blonde? The one at the Crashdown?” I asked next. Liz stop! If you keep asking him about his personal life, your going to give him the false impression that your interested!

He shook his head. “She’s...well..." he paused, trying to figure out what to say. "Annoying, suffocating, clingy, and damn it, if she says the word destiny one more freaking time—”

I had a feeling that he could have gone on all night, so I stopped him. “Whoa! Slow down there cowboy.” I said. “I’ll just go with the impression that you don’t like her all that much.”

“Not really. And why are you so interested anyways?” he asked, sounding slightly hesitant. Obviously he doesn’t want me to be interested.

I felt my face flush slightly, and my anger flared. “I’m not. I was just trying to make some conversation. It’s not like you were making any effort to.” I snapped.

He looked amused again. Why does he always have to be amused? “Sorry, I didn’t know you were expecting conversation. You've made it pretty clear that you don’t really like me a whole lot.” he said.

“Yeah, and you’ve really given me a reason to like you.” I snorted, turning to look out the window. So much for conversation.

The car was silent after that. The silence became uncomfortable again, which drove me crazy. I wanted to break it, but I kept my mouth shut. I wasn’t going to try and force a conversation that neither of us wanted.

Finally, Max pulled up to my house and I was about to hop out of the car and leave when I saw Isabel rushing toward the jeep. She walked up to Max’s side, looking upset.

“Max, Kate just called. Whitaker is—” she broke off when she saw me in the car. Her face changed, blocking out her emotions.

“What is she doing here?” she asked rudely, talking about me as if I wasn’t there.

“I gave her a ride home.” Max said, looking uncomfortable. “It’s nothing.”

“Yeah, and she has a name.” I called to her.

Isabel paid no attention to me. “Max.” Isabel, said exasperatedly. “What are you doing? You can't just go around--”

“It's nothing Isabel." He interrupted. "I just gave her a ride.” he said again, only this time it was more forceful. Isabel glared at him, and then turned to me.

"Why haven’t you left yet?” she asked, addressing me for the first time.

“Back off, bitch.” I said, getting out of the car. I walked up to my front door, not listening to Isabel yelling, “What did you just call me?!”

~~^~~^~~^~~^~~^~~^~~^~~^~~^~~^~~^~~^~~^~~^~~^~~^~~^~~^

My lab partner is MIA. Yup, Max hasn’t been here for 3 days. That’s not really that weird, considering people get sick. Nope, what’s weird is that Isabel, Kate, and Tess have been missing for the same amount of time (yes, I did a little snooping, get over it) I want to know where all of them went; and I'm pretty positive that wherever they are, they're together.

Finally, my curiosity got he better of me, so I went to find Maria. If anyone would know, she would. I saw her leaning against the wall, talking on her cell phone. I walked up behind her, waiting for her to finish.

“You just left Copper Summit?” she asked, holding her hand over the other ear and listening.

“Wait so all of the people who lived in this town were…” she paused, concentrating on the person at the other end of the line. I know; it’s bad to eavesdrop, but I’m getting more and more curious about these people, so I continued to listen.

“Wow, so everything’s ok now? Have you all been careful? Michael's flipping out. He’s still pissed that you made him stay here and watch over us.” she said. She listened some more and seemed satisfied with the answer she got.

“Ok, well the bells about to ring, and if I get spotted using my cell phone it’ll get taken away.” She told whoever was on the phone. “Bye.” she said, flipping the phone closed. She turned around abruptly, and nearly ran into me. Maria jumped back, wearing that deer-caught-in-headlights look.

“Liz, what are you doing here?” she practically screeched, making me believe that she didn’t want me to hear whatever she had been discussing on her phone.

“Where’s Copper Summit?” I couldn’t help but ask. No use in beating around the bush, right?

“N-nowhere, w-why?” Maria stuttered, looking more nervous than ever.

“How can Max and the others be in Copper Summit if it doesn’t exist? You were talking to Max weren’t you? Or Kate, maybe? I know they’re all together somewhere.” I said.

“Oh, that Copper Summit. It’s...it’s a camping ground.” she said nervously.

“Oh, so why did Michael want them to be careful?” I asked. Her eyes widened and she didn’t say anything for a minute.

“Oh, you know, coyotes.” she said finally. “They’re really bad around here; lots of coyote attacks.”

I raised my eyebrows. “Coyote attacks?” I asked skeptically. She nodded and then seemed to come to her senses. Her shoulders straitened, and her eyes flashed.

“What the hell were you doing listening to my private phone calls? What are you, some kind of stalker?” she asked.

Her sudden change in behavior surprised me. "It's not my fault your huge mouth was talking too loud and I just happened to overhear what it were saying." I shot back.

Her eyes narrowed. "Look, I know your obsessed with Max Evans, but you should just leave him alone. He loves Katie, and they're meant to be together. And even if they weren't, he'd never go for someone like you." she snapped.

Oh no she did not. Now she had me pissed. "I could care less about him, you blond ditz. And if he loves her so much, then why hasn't he asked her out?" I asked.

Maria looked uncertain for a second, but then she scowled. "Whatever, you have no clue what goes on between them. And don't say that you don't have the hots for him, because you've been all over him since you moved here." she said. "Just stay away, k?" she warned, sounding a lot like Michael.

I was about to open my mouth and reply when the bell rang. Maria gave me one last scathing look, and then turned and walked away. I walked toward my next class, deep in thought.

What was Copper Summit? Obviously Maria was lying about it being camping grounds; the girl doesn’t do it very well. And why did they keep telling each other to be careful? Careful from what? To many questions, not enough answers.

I’m going to have to change that.

~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^^~^~^~^~

After I got home from work, I looked up Copper Summit on my computer. Yeah, not only is it not a camping ground, it's not even in this state. It's in Arizona. What the hell are they doing in Arizona?

I decided that if I wanted to figure out anything, I would have to do a little snooping. I walked over to the Evan's house and knocked on the door.

"Oh, hello Liz." Mrs. Evans said when she opened the door. "Did you need something? Max and Isabel aren't here, they went camping."

"That's ok Mrs. Evans." I said, putting on my sweetest smile. "It’s just that I let Max borrow some of my notes for biology, and I needed to get them back. We have a huge test tomorrow and I need them to study."

Mrs. Evans smiled. "Oh, ok dear. Why don't you just go up into his room. It's the second one to your left. If you'll excuse me, I've got to go grocery shopping. Just lock up when your done ok?" she asked.

I nodded. "Sure thing Mrs. Evans." I said.

"Call me Diane, sweetie." she said, grabbing her car keys. "All this Mrs. stuff makes me feel old."

"Ok, Diane." I said. After she left, I headed up to Max’s room. I'm not quite sure what I expected to find, but there had to be something.

“Ok, if I were hiding something I didn't want found, where would I put it?” I asked myself, looking around Max’s tidy room. It was your typical guy’s room. Computer desk in the corner, bed with a plaid, masculine pattern, a few clothes on the floor, and a few books piled neatly on his night stand. It even smelled like Max; all spicy and sweet at the same time—

Focus Liz! You’re here for a reason!

I got down on my hand and knees, checking under the bed. No dice. I checked the closet, going through his clothes and the racks. Nothing. I bit my bottom lip, thinking.

Back in elementary school, I had kept a diary. When I wanted to hide it, I’d put it in between my mattress and the box spring. I knelt down next to the bed again, feeling inside the space. Sure enough, my hands closed on something small and flat.

Bingo! I pulled out what looked like a metal book. Weird; I had never seen a book like this. I flipped through the pages, trying to figure out what the book was about. It was all written in these bizarre symbols.

I saw a black string coming from somewhere inside of the book, and I flipped the pages until I found where it was. The string holding the page turned out to be a strange necklace. It had a pendant that held one of the symbols from the book.

I moved it aside and looked at the page I was on. There were pictures of people chiseled into the metal plate, and one of them looked a lot like...Max. I studied the other pictures and noticed that on the other side there was a picture of Tess, and below them a picture of Isabel and Michael.

Before I could study further, I heard a car pull into the drive way. I looked out the window and panicked when I saw a black jeep. Max and Isabel hopped out, looking dusty and tired.

I grabbed the necklace, stuck it in my pocket, and shoved the book back between Max’s bed. I ran down the stairs; careful not to make to much noise, and looked for an escape route. Eureka!! I ran through the kitchen and out the back door, not stopping until I was a good distance away.

When I was confident that they couldn’t see me, I stopped running and studied the necklace. What did these symbols mean? What kind of language was it? I didn’t know, but I was going to find out. I circled the block, heading home from the opposite direction.

[maxandliz4ever1357]

loviedovie: Yeah they are, but they're the pod squad. They love to protect their secret! I figured if some outsider that they didn't know started snooping around, everybody would be mean like that.

taressa05 - I know, I was hesitant about writing Maria and Liz fighting, but as i said, I think that our group would react that way to a curious stranger.

hazz - She was thinking that she wanted answers, lol. Silly, silly Liz!

Here it is, I hope it's ok. My muse went on a vacation and took my creativity with her

Part 8

I have come to a conclusion about Max Evans. A strange, unbelievable, crazy conclusion. I've been trying to think of a different explanation, but I can't come up with one. I mean, why is he always on my mind? And why do I always stare at him when he's not looking? And why am I wearing the very necklace that I took from his room on my neck (tucked under my shirt of course)? And then there was the thing that really proved it; that dream last night where Max and I---

Um, nevermind about that one. I'll just tell you my theory. I think that I, Liz Parker, might actually have a crush on Max Evans. I know, i know; your shocked, but I think it might be true. However, this won't change anything. I still want to know what he's hiding.

“So, are you better now?” I asked him during bio, swiping my cheek for a cell sample.

“Huh?” he asked, taking a sample from a potato.

“Well, you’ve been gone for a while.” I said, taking my sample and putting it on a slide. "Were you sick or something?" I asked.

“Oh, yeah; I was. I'm better.” he said uneasily, setting his sample on another slide. Uhuh; right. If he and his little group are going to go around lying to everyone, they should at least get their story straight. Unless of course he was camping with the flu.

“Good, because you really should be here from now on.” I scolded, looking through the microscope at my sample. “I am so not going to do all of these labs by myself again.”

He laughed. “Oh sorry. Didn’t mean to leave you all alone here.” he said.

“I guess it's ok, but don’t do it again.” I warned him.

He laughed again, and then looked down at our lab sheet. “Ok, so we’re supposed to compare the two slides.” he said, reading the directions.

“Right.” I said, taking out a pencil and paper. We wrote our comparisons down, finished the lab, and started to put our stuff away. The bell rang a few minutes later, and we both moved towards the exit. I was feeling braver than usual, so I said, “I think a virus usually stays in a person's system even after they get better."

"So?" he asked.

"So try not to kiss me again, k?” I said, winking at him.

“I didn’t—!”

I grinned and made a quick exit before he could deny it.

~~^~~^~~^~~^~~^~~^~~^~~^~~^~~^~~^~~^~~^~~^~~^~~^~~^~~^~~^~~^~~^~~

I got home from school, finished my homework, and turned on the T.V to one of my favorite shows. I love television.

"Liz." My mom said, stopping by the living room with a basket of clothes in her hands. "The garbage is full."

"So?" I asked, not looking away from Tom Welling's hansome face.

"So, take it out." she said shortly, sounding annoyed. I knew better than to argue with my mother when she was in this mood, so I heaved a sigh and got off of the couch. I walked outside, dumped the trash in the outside trashcan, and turned to go back inside when a voice spoke from the shadows.

“We need to talk.” it said, scaring the bajeezus out of me.

I let out a small shriek, whipped around, and found myself standing about a foot away from Max Evans. “Max!” I yelled, trying to calm down my beating heart. “Don’t ever do that again! You scared the crap out of me!” I scolded him.

I expected him to laugh and apologize, but he didn’t. He just kept staring at me with this serious look in his eyes. “Stop it.” he said, moving closer to me.

I had no idea what was going on, but I certainly wasn't going to back down, so I took a step forward. “Stop what?” I asked challengingly, narrowing my eyes.

He stared at me for second, and then reached out and pulled me to him, bringing our bodies into direct contact. He wrapped his arm around me and slipped his hand inside the back of my shirt.

“What the hell are you—” I started to ask, but stopped when I felt a jerk at my neck. He let go of me, stepped back, and held up the necklace that I had taken from his room.

“Stop investigating us.” he said, putting it in his pocket.

Time to lie. “What are you talking about? I found that on the first day that I moved here. It was on the ground.” I said, hoping that he would believe me. "Does it belong to you?" I asked.

“My mom asked me if I needed to come over here and borrow the notes that you took back from me." he said, not answering my question. "She said I would need them for a test that I missed.”

Uh-oh. Think Liz, think! “I thought I had let you borrow them, so I went to get them back—” I started, but he interrupted.

“She also said that she told you to go up into my room to get them. Right after that this--" he said, indicating to the necklace, “went missing.” I didn’t have anything to say to that, so I stayed silent.

“I mean it Liz, leave us alone. You have no clue what’s going on here.” he continued, still staring at me with his soulful, amber eyes.

I couldn’t help but ask. “And what is going on, Max? Come on, you can tell me. It’s not like I have any friends that I could blab to. What’s up with the metal book? With all of your pictures in it? And why were you in Arizona?” I asked.

His eyes widened. “How did you find out about Arizona?” he asked. Ha! I had managed to catch him off guard.

“Maria.” I said shortly. “I listened to her on the phone when she was talking to you.”

His eyes darkened. “Exactly how long have you been snooping around?” he asked, sounding angry.

Wow, he looked good when he was pissed. “Uh...not that long…” I said, becoming slightly scatterbrained.

He stepped closer again. “What else do you know?” he asked in a voice that said you better tell me.

“Nothing.” I said, shoving on his chest. Wow, it was really muscular… “I don’t know anything else and get away from me, you jerk. Don’t think that just because you’ve got all these...these impressive muscles that you can boss me around and intimidate me.” I shoved him again. Unfortunately, I have absolutely no muscle tone in my arms, so he didn’t budge.

“I’m not trying to intimidate you.” he said, his voice suddenly becoming husky. My hands were still on his chest, and his were gripping my shoulders in an effort to keep me from moving away. Our eyes met and the atmosphere changed, suddenly becoming charged.

“Wh--what are you doing?” I asked, my voice sounding lower than usual.

“Something stupid.” he replied, lowering his lips to mine. This kiss was softer than the other one; more hesitant. My hands stayed on his chest, and he wrapped his arms around my waist. I felt his tongue at my lips, and I opened my mouth hesitantly to let him in. Our tongues danced together until a car backfired, bringing me back to my senses. I jumped back from Max, staring at him in shock.

“I told you not to kiss me.” I said, slightly dazed.

He looked just as confused. “What is it about you?” he asked, sounding more like he was talking to himself than to me.

“What are you talking about?” I asked, taking a step back.

“Why do I feel so drawn to you?” he asked, and the question was definitely to himself. “I know I shouldn't be; that it’s not right, but I can’t help it.”

“What are you talking about?” I asked again, feeling as if I was in a fog. Did Max Evans just say he was drawn to me?

His head jerked up and his eyes cleared. That horror-struck look was back in his eyes. Only this time I cared, and this time it hurt. “Nothing, just...forget that happened ok?” he said, sounding slightly panicked.

“What?!" I asked, not able to believe my ears. my face flushed and my eyes narrowed. "Your such a jack-ass! How flattering, Max. That’s the second time you’ve kissed me, and every time you get this look of horror look in your eyes. If I’m that disgusting to you, then can’t you at least restrain yourself from making out with me?!?” Lower the voice Liz, don't want the whole neighborhood to know that Max Evans finds you repulsive.

His eyes widened. “What?! your not—I didn’t mean to make you feel— I just…” he broke off, looking confused.

“You just what Max?” I asked sharply. Maybe I'm being a little short here, but come on! Talk about your mixed signals.

“I... can't. I can’t explain why, but we...you and me...just can’t be together. And you have to stop snooping around and investigating us. I mean it.” he said, sounding serious again.

"Like I'd ever want to be with you!" I shouted at him, disregarding the rest of the speech. "Get off my property!" With that I turned on my heel and walked into my house, not waiting for a reply.

That was really stupid of him! Because now I'm pissed, and I'm going to figure out what Max Evans is hiding, even if it's the last thing I ever do!!

[maxandliz4ever1357]

Hey, just wanted to clear up the question of why Max was drawn to Liz.

or the attraction to one's soulmate?

Since I never intended to give a different impression, I can tell you that that's exactly it. He is drawn to her because he belongs with her (lol, I know, it sounds mushy, but that's how M/L are)

Thanks for all the feedback everyone! On with the next part! Sorry it's kinda short.

Part 9

After I calmed down a little, I started thinking about the things Max had said. No, not the ‘leave us alone’ part, the ‘drawn to you’ part. It seemed to me that he had feelings for me, but thought that somehow he shouldn’t. Which still pissed me off. I mean, what, am I not good enough for him to be seen with or something? What could be so wrong about it?

“Liz, how’s it going?” a voice behind me asked. I looked over my shoulder to see Kate staring at me. I turned back to my locker and started entering the combination. “Oh, look, another person telling me to leave your little group alone. What’s your approach? Going to threaten me like Michael? Or be a bitch like Isabel? Or insult me like Maria? Or get all bossy and secretive like Max?” I asked, slamming my locker shut with a loud bang. Whoa, I think I’m holding some resentment here.

“What?” she asked, looking genuinely startled. "I was just going to ask how your day was going.” she said.

I rolled my eyes that this pathetic excuse. She could have come up with a better lie than that! “Don’t give me that, because I know it’s not true.” I snapped. “Oh, I get it. Max sent you here to spy on me, right?” I asked her. I didn’t wait for an answer and started to walk down the hallway.

“Why would he do that?” she asked, trailing behind me and sounding nonplussed.

I laughed at her. " Would you stop with the innocent act already? He spread it around that I wanted to know what was going on with all of you, and you guys decided that I needed to be babysat, right?"

"Wait, what do you mean you want to know what's going on?" Kate asked.

I stopped and faced her. "I want to know your secret. I want to know what everyone else around here seems to know but me. I want to know what you're all hiding." I spat out. And although I wouldn't say this out loud, maybe, just maybe I wanted to be included in their group too. I mean, I may be sarcastic and witty, but I would like to have at least one friend here.

She looked shocked. "There's nothing going--"

"Don't even try that approach. I know something is." I interrupted, amused when she snapped her mouth closed. "And it's only a matter of time till I figure out what."

Now she looked alarmed. She leaned in towards me and lowered her voice. "Ok, listen Liz. Max hasn't told any of us about you trying to figure the mystery out, ok? Because if he had, he would be assigning you more than a babysitter. You'd need a body guard. Michael would kill you if he found out." she said seriously.

I decided to have some fun with her. "Well, can Max be my bodyguard then?" I asked, grinning. "I would love someone tall, dark, and handsome following me around."

Again with the shocked face. "So you do like him then?" she asked, sounding worried.

"I don't hate him." I replied vaguely, and then a wicked idea occurred to me. I turned toward her and said, “Give Maxie boy a message from me. You tell him that I’ll back off...as long as he keeps his lips to himself.” I grinned at her shocked face and continued to walk to class. Not so sure of herself now is she?

~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~

I looked around the lunchroom from my usual lonely spot under the trees. Nope, I still haven’t found anyone to sit with. Isn’t that pathetic?

My eyes landed on Max, who was having a conversation with Kate. I smiled as I watched him look as if he was caught with his hand in the cookie jar, and then as Kate slapped him on the head. My guess was that was the first time they had talked since my conversation with Kate that morning.

My smile turned into a frown as I watched Maria and Alex walk up to them, and then all of them walk in the double doors leading to school. Being the master snoop that I am, I quickly got up, dumped my lunch into the trashcan, and followed them into the school. I reached the hallway just in time to see all three of them turn the corner and enter the room I had caught them in last time.

Jeez, predictable much? They aren’t making it all that hard to tell something is up with these people. All you have to do to is pay attention to them, and you start to realize that something's off.

I walked over to the door on my tip toes, trying to be as quiet as I could. I squatted down and pressed my ear to the door. Well, damn. Should have known that wouldn’t have worked. All I could here was a faint mumbling sound.

I stood up, chewing my bottom lip. I was pondering how I could best spy on Max and his fan club when I heard footsteps. Not wanting to be caught by whoever was walking down the hall, and definitely not wanting to be caught by Max and the others, I ducked into the classroom next to the Eraser room.

I closed the door quickly and continued to think of how to spy.

“So do you think it’s over?” I heard floating down from the sky. I looked around me and saw a vent. Oh, not from the sky, from the vent! It was coming from next door! I quickly pushed a chair against the wall and looked through the vent. Bingo! Not only could I hear them, but I could see them too. I looked around the room and saw that the whole gang was there; Isabel, Max, Maria, Kate, Alex, Michael, Tess, and a guy I didn't recognize.

“I don’t know. We destroyed their husks, but the skins have about a couple of weeks until they dry out.” Max said, sounding, and this will shock you, worried! Jeez, does the guy feel any other emotion? Although I have to admit, that brooding pouty look does look really good on him.

“But they will die eventually, right?” Tess said.

I peered into the vent and studied them. It was funny how they were arranged. All of them were in a circle and everyone faced Max. Sort of like he was the ringleader of whatever was going on here.

“Yes, but they could still show up and come after us.” Max said.

“Sort of like a last hurah before they join the big husk in the sky?” The guy I didn't know asked. He was kinda short, with brownish blonde hair and blue eyes.

“Why is he here again?” I heard Michael grumble.

Tess walked over to the guy I didn't know. “Michael, get over it. Kyle knows our secret.” Tess said, leaning close to the guy I guessed was Kyle.

“The skins may know of his involvement in this.” Max added, sounding as if they had gone over this many times. “I want everyone here to be forewarned, because they could show up at any time.”

Kyle groaned. “Great, not only am I part of some club I never wanted to belong to in the first place; now my life is in danger.” Kyle said, sounding annoyed.

This, apparently, was too much for temperamental Michael. “Hey, Max saved you life, ok? So why don’t you just get over it? And we never wanted you to know anyways.” he practically growled.

“Guys, please.” Max said wearily, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Kyle spoke up again. “Ok, I’m warned, I’ll be on the lookout, can I go now?” He asked, walking to the door without waiting for an answer. Tess sent an evil look at Michael and then followed Kyle out, calling, “Kyle, wait up…”

“Thank god they’re gone.” Maria mumbled. Kate nodded in agreement.

Kate walked over to Max and latched onto his arm. "I don't know why we're so worried. If anything happens, Max will be able to protect us." she flirted, batting her lashes at him.

Michael snorted so loud that the whole school probably heard it.

"Uh, thanks for your faith, Katie, but don't underestimate them." he said, pulling himself out of her grip and checking his watch. “Ok, we should leave before the lunch bell rings, that way it won’t look too suspicious.” he said. Oh right, now they’re worried about looking suspicious.

They filed out of the room, leaving me sitting there, pondering what the hell they were talking about. Husks? Skins? Lives being in danger? Tess acting like she had a crush on Kyle? This was crazy.

Maybe they were into drugs. But what about the skin dudes? Uh...skins could be there code word for drug lords. But then how did Max save Kyle’s life? Taking him to the hospital when he O.Ded? I practically growled in frustration. All this snooping has gotten me nowhere!

The bell sounded and I slipped out of the empty classroom, heading toward my next class.