Anonymous (AU, M/L, TEEN) Part 17, Nov/22/05, Complete!

[maxandliz4ever1357]

Thanks to Onarek for the loverly banner!

Title: Anonymous
Category: M/L mainly with a dose of M/M and a drop of A/I, Liz POV, No Aliens
Disclaimer: Not only do I not own Roswell, I own practically nothing. So if you sue, don't expect to get too much out of it
Rating: Teen
Summary: Liz has been in love with Max Evans; captain of the basketball team and head jock, for as long as she can remember. The problem is, she’s one of those studious, pretty-in-a-plain way girls and she doesn’t think he could ever notice her. What happens when Liz starts getting anonymous love notes from a secret admirer?
Author’s note: What am I thinking?! I have two fics going already, and I don’t need another one! But this idea has been bugging me for some time, and I really wanted to write something fluffy since my other stories are anything but. So that’s exactly what this is going to be, another one of those light, high school ones with no big bads and no life-threatening events. Hope you enjoy!
Feedback: I love it! Please leave feedback, not matter what you have to say!

Prologue

I was standing there, listening to Maria prattle on about an experience she had with some rude guy with spiky hair, when Max Evans made his usual grand entrance into West Roswell. I, of course, completely blocked Maria out as I watched him swagger through the doors with at least a dozen beautiful perfect cheerleaders surrounding him. I listened to his warm laugh as her walked by, and then ogled his perfect butt as he passed me.

I sighed softly. What I wouldn’t give to date Max Evans. I’ve loved him ever since the 3rd grade, when he stopped Kyle from pulling on my braids and teasing me when I was 8 years old. He was my knight and shining armor.

“Earth to Liz!” My best friend, Maria, said, sounding annoyed. I couldn’t really blame her. I had been staring too hard at Max to take in a word Maria had said.

“What?” I asked, a blush heating my cheeks.

“Drool over Max Evans later, ok? I have a huge crisis here!” she said really loudly. I gasped and clapped my hands over her mouth.

“Maria, shut up! Are you trying to announce to the entire school that I have a crush on Max?!” I hissed, removing my hand from her face. If anyone ever found out about my love for Max, I think I would die of embarrassment. Not only because Max would never go for a geeky underdeveloped girl like me, but also because virtually every female in school had tried time and time again to grab his attention. None of them had ever succeeded, so why would I stand a chance? The cheerleaders would probably tease me even worse than they do now for thinking I ever had a shot with Max-basketball-star-Evans.

“Sorry chica.” Marie apologized. “But you get so annoying when you go off into Max world like that. I was trying to tell you something important.” she huffed.

“Hey!” I said, slapping her on the shoulder as my blush became brighter. “I do not have a Max world!”

Maria snorted. “Pu-leeze. Your two seconds away from becoming a stalker.” she scoffed, flipping her hair over her shoulder.

I shook my head at her, and then changed the subject. “What were you saying? You had a crisis?” I asked, hoping she’d follow me and leave my stalker-like tendencies behind.

“Oh yeah, so I bumped into this guy yesterday. You know the captain of the football team, with the spiky hair?” she asked.

“Michael.” I said promptly, and then blushed again.

“How did you…” she started, but then comprehension dawned in her eyes. “Oh, I get it. He hangs out with Max, right? God, you even know all of his friends by name?” she asked, her eyebrows raised.

“Uh, I guess.” I said, ducking my head in embarrassment. “So what did he do?” I asked, once again switching the subject to a more comfortable one.

“Oh, right.” Maria said, and I was relieved when she started to rant again. “So he bumps into me, right, and all of my books fall out of my arms. So I’m scrambling to pick them up, and it was just after the bell rang, so everyone was out in the halls and stepping all over them. So I get all of my books back, and some have shoe prints on them and dirt all over the pages, and do you know what he says?” she asked rhetorically. “He says, ‘Watch where your going next time, will ya?’ and walks away! He didn’t even try to help me pick up my books!!” she finished, banging her fist against her locker and then wincing and cradling her hand.

“Some people are so rude.” I said consolingly, opening my locker. I pulled out my books, and a heart shaped piece of paper fell from the locker.

“Hey, what’s this?” I asked Maria blankly.

[maxandliz4ever1357]

Thanks for the feedback everyone!!! It is much appreciated!!!

Here's part one, hope you like!

Part 1

“What’s what?” Maria asked, opening her locker.

“This.” I said. I bent down and picked the piece of paper off the floor. I turned it over and found writing on it.

Dear Liz

I don’t know what your feelings are towards me, but I have decided to tell you mine anyway. I have never told anyone about them, in fear that word would get out and I would be made fun of if you didn’t love me back. I must admit to you now, however, that I have loved you since the day I laid eyes on you. Your beautiful, brilliant, funny, and sweet. Quite simply, you are the girl of my dreams.

Just know that there is someone out there who loves you.

Signed, Anonymous

I gasped and reread the note, realizing it was a love letter. “Maria, read this!” I said, shoving it into her hands. She read it over and then looked up, staring at me in shocked silence. Too bad it didn’t last long.

“Lizzie!” she shrieked, causing people to turn around and stare. I shushed her warningly, and she quieted her voice. “You have a secret admirer!” she said excitedly as the bell rang. We gathered our stuff and started to walk to class.

“I don’t know, ‘Ria. It’s probably just a joke.” I said doubtfully. “I mean, who would ever write a love note to me?” I asked. Before Maria could answer, Kyle came up and put his arms over our shoulders.

“How are my favorite girls doing?” he asked, putting on a charming smile. We smiled back. Kyle was probably the only nice jock in school besides Max. He had been our friend since 4th grade (after he stopped pulling on my hair) and he didn’t ditch us in junior high when he became popular and we didn’t.

“What’s up Kyle?” I asked, catching the glares coming our way from more than a few girls. Did I mention that Kyle was also a total babe magnet?

“Nothing much, just a game tomorrow. You guys are coming right?” he asked, looking at us with puppy dog eyes. Since I would never pass up the opportunity to stare at Max and make it look like I was simply following a game, I nodded my head instantly. Maria, on the other hand, wasn’t so sure.

“Oh, I don’t know, Kyle. Basketball is just not my thing.” she said, wrinkling her nose.

I raised my eyebrows at her. “Since when do you turn down an opportunity to watch sweaty guys play with balls?” I asked her.

She seemed to consider this deeply for a minute and then said, “I’m in.”

“Great.” Kyle said. He winked and slapped me on the butt.

“Kyle!” I yelped, slapping him on the shoulder. “We’ve gone over this before! Keep your paws to yourself.”

Kyle didn’t answer. He turned to Maria, but stopped dead in his tracks when she said, “Don’t even think about it, Valenti, unless you want to lose your dribble hand.”

He shrugged. “Suit yourself. See you guys later.” he said, taking his arms off of our shoulders. “Gotta go be a good student.”

“Since when have you ever done that?” I called after him. He sent me a smile over his shoulder and continued to walk to class.

“Ooh!” Maria said, as if she had made a startling discovery after Kyle had gone. “I know who could have sent you the note!” She said.

“Who?” I asked quickly.

“Kyle!” she replied triumphantly.

“Kyle?” I repeated, laughing out loud. “Yeah right. That so did not sound like something Kyle would write. And besides, he’s my buddy!”

She narrowed her eyes speculatively. “He's my buddy too, but notice how he didn’t slap my butt.” she said, as if this was evidence.

“Yeah, but that's only ‘cause you threatened him with loss of limbs.” I replied as we walked into biology class.

We sat down in our usual spots and I looked up at the board to see what we were doing today.

“Oh good, we’re going over our homework. I didn’t get question 3.” I commented. Maria moaned.

“Shit!” she said, “I forgot to do it!”

I stared at her disapprovingly as she pulled out her book and a piece of paper. She started writing, meaning that I would no longer have anyone to talk to for the 3 minutes remaining before class started. My gaze wandered around the room until it landed on a group of cheerleaders that all sat by each other. They were just within earshot, and I heard something that made me perk up my ears.

“Max Evans and I are going out tomorrow.” Pam Troy, the co-captain of the cheerleading squad said. The rest of the cheerleaders ooohed and awwwed, and turned to stare at Max.

“He already asked you out?” Tess Harding asked in what could be mistaken for a friendly voice, but I could hear the underlying jealousy.

Pam shook her head. “No, but I know he’s going to. I’ve given him all the clues and no man can resist me.” she said, puffing her chest out. Boy was that ever true. There were rumors that even Tess’s father had wanted Pam, and that they had had an affair. Personally, if it was true I wouldn’t have been bragging about it. I mean, he’s a middle aged bald man.

So Pam and Max, huh? I shouldn't be disappointed, since I never stood a chance anyway. Still, I would have thought he had more taste than the school sleaz.

“Oh, wow Pam.” Courtney said in a bubbly voice. “Do you think he could introduce me to Michael?”

Pam shot her an peeved look. “Who cares about Michael?” Pam asked snottily, sounding as if she was annoyed that Courtney didn’t want the guy Pam was bragging about. “Max is way hotter than he’ll ever be.”

Courtney knew not to mess with the co-captain of the cheerleading squad, so she immediately backed off and nodded her head in agreement.

“And,” Pam added, sounding smug, “He’s mine.”

Just then Isabel Evans, the other captain of the cheerleading squad and brother of superstar Max Evans, appeared out of nowhere.

“Really Pam?” she asked icily, and it was clear that she had been eavesdropping as well. “You think so?”

Pam narrowed her eyes. Whew, did it just get cold in here out what? “I know so. He wants me way too much to say no.”

Isabel laughed. “I don't think so, sugar cakes. We already have a dog, and I doubt Max is going to get another one.” she said before walking down the isle to her seat and turning more than a few guys’ heads.

Ooooh! Burn! Troy got dissed!!

Pam huffed and puffed and started whispering frantically to her cheerleading buddies. All of them turned and gave Isabel dirty looks, but Princess Isabel looked quite unaffected.

“All right class, settle down.” the teacher said, walking into the room. As usual, nobody listened and continued to talk. Maria held up her finished paper in triumph, closing her book and sticking it back in her backpack.

"Class, quiet down." Mrs. Hardy said, trying once again to bring the room back to order. It didn't work.

The teacher glanced around the room in frustration. “Well, I have been debating with myself for some time now whether to be nice and let you keep the lab partners you chose, or assign my own pairs to stop the incessant talking. You have just made my mind up for me.” Mrs. Hardy said angrily. “Everybody stand up.”

There was a universal groan as the whole class stood from their tables and picked up there belongings. Mrs. Hardy began to read off the pairings.

"Courtney Banks and...Peter Bryant at this table." she said, indicating to the table in front of her. Courtney’s face scrunched up in disappointment, and sent a longing look at Michael before walking to the table she was assigned.

“Maria Deluca and...Michael Guerin at table 2.” Mrs. Hardy said.

“What?!” Maria shrieked. “I am not sitting with him!”

Mrs. Hardy looked at her sternly. “Yes you will, Miss. Deluca, unless you’d rather spend today in detention.” Mrs. Hardy said, and then added, "And I would suggest that you do your homework at home next time." Maria relented and slumped over to her new table, glaring at Michael reproachfully. He gave her a 'what the hell is your problem?' look.

If one of them doesn't die by the end of the week, I'll be shocked.

“Isabel Evans and...Alex Whitman at table 3.” Mrs. Hardy continued. Go Alex! He was my best guy friend other than the possible exception of Kyle, and he had the total hots for Isabel. Maybe he could break through the ice wall that Princess Iz had around her.

“Max Evans and…” I wonder which cheerleader will get paired with Max. Every one of them besides Courtney, who was glaring at Maria, had their fingers crossed. “Liz Parker at table 5.” the teacher finished.

I should have known it would be---wait, that’s me! I walked nervously over to the table we were to share as the other girls sent daggers at me. Sheesh, It’s not my fault I got paired with him, it’s the teacher’s. Not that I’m complaining!

“Hi, Liz.” he said in his wonderfully deep voice that sent shivers down my spine. “ I guess we’re working together, huh?” he said in a friendly manner.

I nodded and smiled, unable to speak. How was I going to be his lab partner if I couldn’t even speak to him? He looked at me strangely, as if he was wondering whether I was sane or not, and then the teacher started talking once more. She finished listing the pairs and then described the lab we would be completing. Max and I listened to the directions and then began to work.

Max and I. That kind of had a nice ring to it, didn't it?

[maxandliz4ever1357]

Thanks for all the feedback guys!!! This is short, sorry!!

Part 2

“How can you sit there smiling when this travesty has befallen upon me?” Maria asked, tapping her foot impatiently as we sat down to eat at lunch. It was a beautiful day, so we decided to eat outside in the grass rather than in the stuffy cafeteria.

“Ok, one; Michael being your lab partner does not count as a travesty. Death and loss of appendage fall into that category. Second; Max is my new lab partner! Need I say more?” I asked happily, a dreamy smile covering my face.

“Oh sure,” Maria sneered, “Sit over there, blessing your good fortune, while your best friend is in agony due to her evil twist of fate.”

I rolled my eyes. “Maria, get any more dramatic and I might have to kill you.” I said, starting on my bologna sandwich.

“Lizzie, I hate him! And now I have to work with him every day.” She said in a longsuffering tone. “How could this get any worse?”

Be warned, you should never say that phrase. Because at that moment, someone appeared out of nowhere and trampled over her lunch.

“Ew! OMG!” she shrieked, trying to save her PB&J sandwich. But it was too late; the guy had already smashed it. I tried not to laugh as I watched Maria’s face heat up and turn red.

“Sorry—” The guy grunted, and I looked up to see who it was. Oh my God!! What are the odds?!

“Hey Michael.” I said, unable to hold my laughter. He looked at me strangely and then turned to Maria again. She looked ready to kill.

“Sorry.” he said again, “This loser over here pushed me.” he said, pointing his thumb to the person standing behind him. I caught a look at his friend's face and I ceased my laughter immediately, causing me to bite my tongue. I let out a little squeal and waved my hand at my mouth .

“Liz?” Max asked, walking over and leaning down next to me. “Are you ok?” he asked sincerely. Aw! He has freckles on his nose.

“Yeah.” I replied, talking kind of funny due to my tongue. “I bit my tongue.” I said, as if that wasn’t obvious. Max looked like he was about to say something when Maria interrupted. I suppose she was worried about me for half a second, but now her mind was back on Michael.

“You jerk!” she shouted standing up. This move was surprisingly impressive considering she’s about as short as I am. “You self-centered, rude, obnoxious jerk! You are going to get out money, and you are going to go buy me a new lunch!” she said, cold fury in every word.

“Hey, I don’t—” Michael started.

“NOW!” She shouted, poking him in the chest.

Max sighed and moved away from me, reaching into his back pocket. He pulled out his wallet and handed Maria a few dollars. “Here Maria.” he said in a resigned voice.

Maria gave him a look, snatched the money, and said, “Max, your too nice to be hanging out with an idiot like this.” Then, she turned up her nose and left.

“Lets get out of here before she gets back.” Michael said, sounding flabbergasted. They both said goodbye and started to walk away.

“What’s up with that chick?” Michael asked as they left.

“Dude, you crushed her lunch.” I heard Max reply.

Maria came back a little while later, carrying a new lunch. She had just opened her sandwich to take a bite when the bell sounded. I snickered.

“Don’t say anything.” she said threateningly as she dumped her brand new lunch in the trash.


~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“And remember students, the Valentine’s day Draw-A-Date will be here before you know it! Simply pay 5 dollars at the booth in front of the school and your name will be put into a jar. There will be 2 sets of jars; one girls’, one boys’, and on Valentine’s day we’ll be drawing a name from each bowl at the same time. The name that is drawn with your name will be your date for the night! But remember, in order to make the numbers even, we’ve arranged it so that the first 60 that apply, 30 boys and thirty girls, are the only ones eligible. It's first come, first serve, so get a move on!!” the end-of-the-day announcements said.

I turned to Maria and wrinkled my nose. “Why would anybody participate in something as stupid as that?” I asked.

Maria looked uncomfortable. “Well…I...” she started, fidgeting in her chair.

“Maria, what did you do?” I asked with a deep sense of foreboding.

“Lizzie, remember when I entered you in that blind date contest and you won?” I nodded and she continued, “Well, remember you were really mad at me for doing it, but then you thanked me after you went out with that dreamy hunk?” she asked.

“If by 'thanking you' you mean trying to choke you then yes, I do.” I said, afraid of what she was going to say next.

“Ok, well don’t choke me this time; it took me a long time to regain regular breathing after that, but I entered both of us in the contest!” she said excitedly.

“What!?” I asked, horrified.

“Yeah, I figured we could use a night of romance!” she said happily.

“Maria! How could you!?” I hissed, trying not to cause a scene.

“I know your mad now, but you’ll thank me later!” she said, “And not by way of choking either, a real thank you.” She said.

I was about to yell at her some more when the bell rang. Maria jumped up, grabbed her backpack, and headed out the door before I could say another word. Sometimes I wish we had never bonded over that hurt baby bird back in kindergarten.

[maxandliz4ever1357]

This is kinda short, sorry! Anyways, hope you enjoy! Thanks for all the feedback

Part 3

“Liz.” Maria called teasingly. “Guess what?”

I rolled my eyes. “What Maria?” I asked, playing along.

“Dreamboy’s out there, and he sat in your section.” she replied with a smirk, making me blush.

I snapped my gaze to his usual booth, taking in his rock-star-like appearance. “Uh, ok. I guess I should go take it order then.” I said.

“Right.” Maria laughed. “Because that’s kinda your job.” she said, winking. I slapped her on the shoulder and then walked toward Max’s table, my heart hammering in my chest.

“What can I get you?” I asked him nervously once I got there.

“Well, usually I get the Alien Blast, but I’m looking for something different this time.” he said, but he was studying me instead of the menu. “ How about...you?” he asked, suddenly sounding seductive.

I was in the process of writing the 'Y' on my notepad when my head jerked up and my pen fell from my hand. “Huh? Wha—what did you say?” I sputtered.

He suddenly looked very sincere. “I’ve loved you since 3rd grade, Liz." he said, looking into my eyes. "I want to be with you forever.” And then, in front of the whole café, he stood up, wrapped his strong arms around me and—

“Liz!” Jose yelled, breaking me out of my fantasy. “Your orders been ready for like ten minutes!”

I sighed and got up from my seat at the counter to pick up my order. Too bad fantasy can’t be like reality, but then I guess is wouldn’t be fantasy.

“What’s up chica?” Maria called, while carrying two plates of food in her arms. “You were spacing out there.”

“Oh, uh...nothing.” I said embarrassedly, avoiding her eyes. She gave me a knowing look and then whirled away.

“Oh look, it’s mousy little Elizabeth Parker.” I heard from behind me. I turned to find at least half the cheerleading squad; all dressed to too tight clothes and wearing too much makeup, sitting in my section. Yup, this is definitely real life.

“What can I get you?” I asked, giving a tight smile.

“Definitely not that outfit!” Pam screeched, causing all of her cronies to laugh. “I mean, who came up with those hideous things?”

"I know!" One of them said. I honestly don't know who, they all look and sound a lot alike. "The designers must have been colorblind! I mean, no one would pick that color on purpose!"

Tess laughed at all of the jokes and then picked up the menu. “Do you have anything that isn’t covered in grease?” she asked snottily, staring at our food choices disgustedly.

I sighed. “Do you guys want something or not?” I asked through girtted teeth.

“Tsk tsk, Lizzie! No need to be rude!” Pam said haughtily, flipping her hair. “Haven’t you even heard ‘the customer is always right’?” she asked.

"Well in that case, do you guys want anything or not?" I asked again.

“We’ll all have tossed salads, with no crutans or cheese, very light dressing, and bottles of water all around.” she said, ordering for the whole table.

“Coming right up.” I said, writing it down.

I walked up to drop the order off, meeting Maria on the way. She had her eyes trained angrily on the idiots I had just taken the order from.

“Are they bothering you again, Liz? ‘Cause if they are I’ll pound the hair dye out of ‘em!” she said, pounding her fist into her hand in a somewhat comical display.

I laughed and grabbed her hand before she ended up hurting herself. “No, Maria, it’s fine. Just let it go.” I said.

Maria shook her head. “Why do you always have to let it go? Why can’t you tell them off at least once?” she asked, sounding agrivated.

“I don’t care about them Maria.” I said, “I don’t want to—” the little bell attached to the door rang, interrupting me and announcing new customers. I glanced towards the new people and as my eyes landed on them, or him, everything started to move in slow motion. I sighed as I watched the object of my affection reach up, nonchalantly scratch his ear, and then turn to say something to his sister and Michael.

“Liz!” Maria yelled in my ear, bringing me back to reality. The café went halfway quiet and people turned toward us curiously. I waited for them to lose interest and start talking again, and then I turned to Maria.

“What was that about?” I asked angrily. "Why do you always do that?"

“I called you like three times! You’ve gotta stop the Max Evans thing!” she said, shaking her head.

“Whatever, Maria. What did you want?” I asked her.

“I was going to say that you can have whatever table they sit in. I am so not going near I’m-so-cocky-I-think-I’m-all-that Michael Guerin.” she said, sending him a glare. I rolled my eyes at her.

“You ever heard of the saying hate is just another way to love?” I asked her amusedly. Her eyes snapped over to me.

“No, don’t you even say that. I’d have to be as brain dead as Courtney Banks to find him attractive." She said incredulously.

I laughed. Courtney was pretty stupid. “Did I ever say that you liked Michael? Or is that the first thing your mind jumped to because it’s, oh I don’t know, true maybe?”

Maria’s eyes narrowed. “Oh, I don’t think so! You know you were insinuating it.” she said. I laughed again, but stopped when she pointed to the table in which Max and his crew sat and wagged her finger expectantly. I started walking towards them, by heart beating a nervous rhythm in my chest.

“Hi, what can I get you?” I asked, which reminded me of my fantasy. I felt a blush heat up my cheeks at the thought and I hoped they don’t notice.

“I’ll have my—” Max started, but was interrupted when Pam and the other girls snaked past me and moved into the booth. Pam moved to sit next to Max, but Tess got there first. She smiled sweetly when Pam glared at her, and then turned to him.

“Hey Maxie pooh, when are we going on our date?” she asked, hanging onto his side like a leech.

“Uh, Tess, we don’t have a—” he started, but then he broke off and jumped slightly. Puzzled, I looked around to see the cause of his reaction and found that Pam had magically situated herself across from Max. I also noticed that she had her leg outstretched under the table and I could guess where she had her foot situated. Oh, gag me! Max seemed to be having the same reaction, and he reached his hand down to push her unwanted foot out of his lap.

“Tess, we don’t have a date.” he said firmly.

“That’s because we do, right Max?” Pam purred, stretching her leg out again. Max seemed to take this as the last straw, and he stood up, almost knocking Tess, who was practically sitting on his lap, on the floor.

“Let’s just get out of here.” Isabel said, sending the girls a disgusted look. “This place is inhabited by cockroaches.” she quipped, and I knew it wasn’t at my parents establishment, but at the filthy little rodents sitting in their booth.

As Max and the others walked out the door, Pam turned to me and said, “Hell-ooo? Where are our salads? Geez, you'd think this place'ed have better service.” she said snootily.

[maxandliz4ever1357]

Part 4

“GO, FIGHT, WIN!” I shouted, screaming until my throat was sore. I watched as Kyle made a spectacular pass to Max, who caught the ball with ease and dunked it into the basket.

“WHOOOO!!!! GO COMETS!!!” I yelled, forgetting myself and dancing around like a maniac. This lasted a few minutes, and then I calmed down and returned to my seat again. I glanced over at Maria, who had apparently frozen in the process of eating her fries, because she had a french-fry hanging out of her mouth.

“Who are you and what have you done with my best friend?” she asked, the half chewed fry falling from her lips.

I wrinkled my nose, staring down at the object. “Oh Maria, that’s just gross. Your supposed to eat with your mouth closed.” I said, reaching over and pushing her chin up.

“Seriously though, Liz. I have never seen you act like this before.” she said, staring at me.

I shrugged. “It’s a fun game to watch.” I replied, returning my eyes to the court just in time to see Max make yet another basket. I stood up and started to scream again, pulling Maria up with me. At first she was stiff as a board, but eventually she loosened up and even participated in the Wave.

“Yeah, fun.” she said, and I looked over to see her staring at number 5. Hmm, number 5 was Michael. The buzzer sounded, signaling the start of halftime. The cheerleaders all ran onto the court, jumping and smiling and waving like perfect little robots.

“Give me an M!” Pam shouted, doing a little jump.

“Give me an A!” Tess shouted, all smiles.

“Give me an X!” Another girl shouted, sliding into a split.

“What’s that spell?” the three shouted.

“MAX!” The other members screamed, jumping up and down.

“I think they’re in some sort of Max worshiping cult.” Maria said, staring at the scene in front of with mild disgust.

I gazed longingly at the topic of our conversation. “Sign me up.” I mumbled.

Maria snorted. “What was that?” she asked, but I was pretty sure she heard me the first time.

“I said ‘half time’s up’.” I replied brightly.

She tsk’d me. “Lizzie, Lizzie, Lizzie.” she said in a condescending tone. “This is exactly why I signed you up for the Valentine’s day date thing. If your never going to make a move on Max Evans, than you need to get over him!” she said.

My stomach clenched at the thought of the date contest. I had managed to forget about it for a while, but now it was back and I was worried. I don’t want to sit on an entire date with some loser! What if I get a geek? Wait, that wouldn’t be so bad since I’m a geek too. But what if I get someone like Doug Prince? OMG! He’s the biggest meathead there is, and he’s always looking for a new piece of ass!

“Lizzie, you’ve got the terrified, jackrabbit ‘I’m going to hop away as fast as my fluffy little feet will carry me’ look in your eyes.” Maria said, interrupting me out of my thoughts. “Look, don’t worry ok? You'll get some great guy, and you’ll fall madly I love and live happily ever after.” she said, sighing at the thought.

I snapped my fingers in front of her face, bringing her back to reality. Or as close as Maria gets to reality. “Maria! Would you stop it! This isn’t some sappy romantic love story, ok? This is real life and I’m going to end up with some loser who gets drunk and pukes all over my dress!” I said, panic clear in my voice.

She rolled her eyes. “And I'm the one making up crazy scenarios?” she asked sarcastically, placing a hand on my shoulder. “Listen, there’s nothing you can do to change it, so just don’t worry about it, ok? Whatever happens, happens. It’ll be like… like fate!” she said, getting that dreamy look again.

I snorted. “Sniff some cedar oil Maria.” I said, turning to watch the game again.

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

“Please Lizzie?!”

“No!”

“Please?!”

“Maria, I’m not doing it. I’m not going.” I said firmly.

“Oh come on, the after party will be fun!” Maria begs sincerely.

“Since when do you want to hang out with those stupid popular people?” I asked incredulously.

“It’s not just popular people!” she insisted. “There are regular people there too, and I really want to go. You know, blow of some steam.”

“Uh-uh!” I said, crossing my arms and giving her a determined look. She returned my look with a sly one of her own. Uh-oh.

“The basketball team will be there.” she said smugly, smiling like the Cheshire cat. I always hated that cat!

“So?” I asked, though I was pretty sure I knew where she was going. Determination failing… we’re going down...Mayday Mayday!

“So, what would the team be without their star...Max Evans?” she asked, grinning. BOOM! Crash! Splat!

“Fine.” I conceded, slumping in the seat.

Maria shook he head so that her curls bounced. “You so pathetic.” she said, pulling out of the school parking lot. She drove to a huge, expensive house with what looked like a hundred cars outside. We walked into the party, the music blasting my eardrums. The smell of beer accosted me.

What did I get myself into?

Maria grabbed my arm and pulled me over to a group of people. I glanced at her, confused. Why was she acting like these strangers were her very best friends? Then I saw her look over her shoulder. I followed her gaze and caught sight of Michael, who was lounging against the wall and staring darkly at Maria. And I'm pathetic?

After about 10 minutes of this, Maria made a sudden movement and I turned to see Michael walk off with Isabel and Max. Maria glared as the three headed upstairs and then glanced at me.

“Lizzie, don’t you have to go to the bathroom?” she asked, her gaze darting from my face to the stairs.

I sighed. “No, but do you want me to pretend I do so that you can follow Michael around?” I asked.

She gasped and slapped my arm. “For your information I’m...looking for stuff to blackmail him with. Now come on.” she said, yanking my up the stairs. She then proceeded to look in all the doors in the upstairs rooms. She came to one and we heard voices, so Maria opened the door. We were greeted with the sight of Pam, Tess, Courtney, Max Michael, and Isabel, all standing in the same room.

“Oh, sorry.” Maria said fakely. “We were looking for the bathroom.”

Instead of giving us directions, however, Pam said, “Oh, look who it is! Why don’t you two join us? We were just about to play a little truth or dare.” she said, sending a strange look at Max.

Something about the whole offer screamed ‘trap’. Maybe it was the fact that Pam hates us, or that she never holds back when picking on us, or that she’s played ‘jokes’ before, but I was pretty sure she was setting us up. Maria, however, was too anxious to stay in the same room with Michael to consider Pam’s intentions.

“Sure,” she said eagerly, walking into the room. I sighed deeply and followed her.

“Pam, you told us all to meet you here because you had something important to say.” Isabel snapped. “What is it?”

“Hm, I’ll tell you after we play our little game.” Pam said, giving Max another look and then glancing at me. For some reason he flushed. “Ok, so I’ll start.” Pam continued. “ I choose….Max. Truth or Dare?” she said unsurprisingly.

He sighed. “Dare.” he said through gritted teeth. I wonder what Pam wanted to tell them that was keeping him in the same room with her.

Pam laughed. “Ok, I dare you...to take off your shirt.” she said, winking.

I stared at him. He seemed to be contemplating it, chewing his lip adorably. For some reason he shot a look in my direction, and then, to my surprise, peeled his shirt off.

Pam gave a catcall as every female in the room with the exception of Isabel, who shook her head disgustedly, drank in the sight of his muscled torso appreciatively. He blushed slightly, and scratched his ear awkwardly.

“Great, now your turn.” Pam purred, not moving her eyes away from his chest.

“Uh...I don’t know… Isabel.” he said.

“Truth.” she said, studying her nails in a show of boredom.

“Aw, Isabel, that’s boring.” Pam reprimanded, but Isabel simply rolled her eyes.

Max seemed to be in deep thought. “Uh, how do you feel about that tall lanky kid? Your lab partner.” he asked, sounding as if he couldn’t come up with anything better.

Isabel stopped looking at her nails and, to everyone’s shock, a slight blush heated up her cheeks. “He’s ok.” she answered, her voice a little uneven. Pam let out a snicker, which goaded Isabel into action.

“Pam? Truth or Dare? You pick Truth?” she said angrily in one breath, not giving Pam the chance to respond. “Ok, exactly how long have you been trying to get into my brother’s pants?” she asked, smiling smugly when Pam flushed.

“None of your damn business!” Pam yelled angrily.

Isabel’s smile widened, “Your supposed to tell the truth, Pam. That’s the whole point.”

“Yeah, cause you were really answered honestly.” Pam shot back, giving a triumphant look when Isabel blushed again.

“Uh guys, why are we doing this?” Michael asked, sounding puzzled.

“’Cause I know Max’s big secret.” Pam said. Max flushed. “It wasn’t all that hard to figure out either. Now I just have to find out how to use it to my best advantage.” She was about to go on when a yell sounded form somewhere in the house.

“PAMALA MARIE TROY! WHAT IS GOING ON?!”

“Oh shit!” Pam screeched. "Daddy?"

[maxandliz4ever1357]

Here you go, finally! It's kinda short, but I hope you enjoy! Oh and a big shout out to my new beta!! Thanks a bunch To_Kiss_A_Frog!!!

Part 5

"Was Pam's party weird or what?" I asked Maria at school the next day. After Pam's parents came home they started yelling and screaming, and Maria and I got out of there before they could start shooting up the place. We hadn't really got a chance to talk about it after that.

"Really wierd." Maria frowned, and then smiled suddenly. "I heard that they yelled at her for two hours straight, and made her clean the house with a toothbrush! People say she's grounded for 2 months!" Maria said, laughing happily. She eventually sobered up and said, "I wonder what Max's secret is."

I shrugged as indifferently as I could, trying to make it look like I didn't care. "Who knows?" I said.

She appeared to be deep in thought. "Maybe he's gay." she said thoughtfully, making me gasp in horror.

"How dare you say that about him! Of course he isn't!" I screeched. Not that I have anything against people who are, but that would just ruin all my fantasies.

She laughed again. "You got it bad, girl." she said.

“ I know," I sighed, opening my locker. "Oh, I don’t believe it.” I said, watching the little piece of paper fall out of my locker and flutter to the floor.

“Don’t believe what?” Maria asked, staring into her portable mirror and adding lip gloss to her lips.

As I bent down to pick up the paper I answered, “I got another note. And why are you getting all made up for first period?” I asked innocently, but then snickered as she blushed. Oooh. Michael.

“I'm not. We have a fieldtrip today, remember? I want to look my best; you never know who your going to meet.” she said defensively, and then pulled a subject change. “ So, what’s it say?”

I looked back down at the paper and read:

Dear Liz

I saw you at the game yesterday. You were quite amusing with all your screaming and dancing. Then I spotted you at the after-party, which seemed strange. You normally don’t go to things like that, do you? I was glad you did, I loved seeing you there.

You look beautiful today.

Sincerely, Anonymous

Maria grabbed it, read it over, and then threw it back to me. “Lizzie, some guy’s got it bad for you.” she said, smiling.

I shook my head, as if the idea was impossible. Which it kind of is. “Nu-uh! I’m still not entirely convinced that it’s an actual person, and not someone playing a prank on me.” I said, wrinkling my nose.

Maria frowned and asked, “Why would anyone do that?”

I rolled my eyes at her naivety. “Because,” I said patiently, “I’m a geek. They don’t need any more reason than that.”

Maria shook her head. “You should be more confident Lizzie! Your beautiful, smart, and you have a great personality. Any guy would be lucky to have you!” she insisted.

“Yeah, right.” I said sarcastically, rolling my eyes. This from the girl who once owned a hairless cat when she was 12 because she thought it was unique and beautiful. That thing was freaky too, let me tell you. It’s just not natural!

We walked into biology to find everyone standing around, waiting for the teachers to usher us out into the buses.

“Where are we going again?” I asked Maria while we waited.

Maria made a face. “To the Museum of Art. You know, one of the only buildings in this town not inhabited by aliens?” she asked. “Too bad it’s inhabited with 3 floors of boring paintings by dead guys who’s names you can’t pronounce.” she added distastefully.

I shrugged. “We’re out of school aren’t we?” I asked, knowing Maria would love that. Just as I predicted, her face brightened.

“Yup!” said, and of course the first thing she pointed out was, “Which means no working with Michael today!” she squeaked gleefully. I’m starting to think she really does like him. The last time she was this adamant about hating a boy, she ended up dating him for 2 months. They would have gone out longer, but she ended up dumping his sorry rear-end after he was caught digging in the sandbox with Stacy Stevens. Ok, so it was in 1st grade, but you get the point.

“Hey!” An offended voice called, and I turned to see Michael staring at Maria with an affronted look on his face. Max was standing a little ways behind him.

“What?” Maria snapped, narrowing her eyes. “Got a problem Guerin?”

“You just...you—what did I—” he sputtered, and Max patted him on the back sympathetically.

“Let it go, man.” Max said, sounding wise. “You’ll never understand them.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Liz, come on!” Maria said, dragging me to the school bus. “I want to get the seat over the wheel! It’s the best spot, ‘cause when the bus driver goes over a bump it’s like WHEE!” She said, trying to yank my arm off.

“How old are you, 10?” I asked, staring at her incredulously as she pulled me along. We walked down the bus isle, looking for empty seats. I spotted Max to my left, and I saw a seat just behind him. I leapt for it, catching Maria off guard and knocking her straight into the person sitting next to Max, who just happened to be a surprised looking Michael.

Maria landed on Michael’s lap, looking shocked as to how she had ended up there. She sent me a glare, and I returned it with an apologetic smile, trying not to laugh at both of their expressions. After a few moments of comical silence, Michael cleared his throat.

“Plan on getting off me some time today, Blondie?” Michael asked, though his voice was a little deeper than usual.

Maria huffed and stood up in a highly dignified way. She sent him a withering look, straightened her clothing, and proceeded to walk down the isle and sit in the seat farthest from him. Half of me was tempted to hop into the seat behind Max and ignore Maria, but of course I couldn’t do that, so I had no choice but to follow her to the back.

“I wanted to sit up there!” I hissed once I had gotten there and the bus had started moving. Everyone was having their own conversations, so I was pretty sure no one would notice us.

“I have been humiliated in front of the whole school.” she said dramatically. “Can we please not talk about your crush right now?”

I rolled my eyes. “Oh Maria come on. It wasn’t the whole school, just the better part of the 11th grade.” I said. She sent me an ‘oh that helps’ look. “And you weren’t even humiliated, you just landed on Michael’s lap, that’s not...not—” I broke off and had to bite my lip to keep from laughing.

She looked scandalized. “Liz Parker! Are you laughing at me?” she asked. I shook my head, still biting my lip. “You have no sympathy for what I feel do you?” she asked angrily.

The laughter won. “Oh come on Maria!” I said in between giggles. “You have to admit, you hate the guy but you ended up falling in his lap. It is kinda funny.” I said, holding my side. “Talk about your irony.”

But Maria didn’t smile, and her expression became stony. That wasn’t a good sign.

“I’m going to tell Max.” she threatened in a quiet voice. I stopped laughing mid giggle.

“Maria!” I said, my eyes wide. “You wouldn’t!” I hissed.

She maintained the look for a few seconds, and then humor filled her eyes. “No I wouldn’t,” she promised, a mischievous smile forming on her lips. “But it made you stop laughing!”

I slapped her on the shoulder and she winced. “Don’t you ever do that again!” I scolded her. “For a second there I thought I was going to have to kill you!”

“Class, settle down! We’re here.” The teacher said as the bus rolled to a stop.

[maxandliz4ever1357]

Hey guys! A big thanks to:

To_Kiss_A_Frog
hazz
taressa05
g7silvers
RASaero611
obsession
anonymousarfan
Bixie
imnotlc
dreamer destiny
Lizza

Sadly, this will be my last part for a while. I leave Sunday to go on a horse oriented trip ( my idea of fun!). I'll see you next Sunday for a new part!

Also, I'm thinking about changing the subject to M/L and M/M. I haven't done a lot of candy stuff, and I had no idea how much fun those two were to write! But don't worry, Max and Liz will definitely be the forefront couple. Oh, and the two paintings mentioned don't actually exist, I made them up.

Anyway, on with the part!

<center> Part 6 </center>

“And this is a picture by…” the guide droned on in a monotone voice. I stared around museum without interest... until my gaze landed on Max. He looked so good today, wearing nice fitting jeans and an emerald shirt that molded his arms perfectly. Maria nudged me and I looked at her in annoyance, only to see that the rest if the class was moving on without us. I jumped and followed Maria as the guide led us to yet another painting.

Maria leaned in close to me and whispered, “I never want to look at another piece of art as long as I live.” she whispered, giving me a suffering look. “Why didn’t we just skip today?” I was about to tell her that that would have been wrong when Mrs. Hardy turned toward us.

“Liz!” the teacher hissed. “Stop talking!” she reprimanded, and I stared at her in indignation when she didn’t get Maria in trouble too.

“But—I...she—” I started, but was silenced by Mrs. Hardy’s warning glare. I rolled my eyes and tried to focus on what the guide was saying.

“The painting to your left is called Visions in the Night. The painter was trying to portray a woman in a dream world, and the rules of reality are bent do to that fact. Notice the way the person in the back is flying…”

I suppressed a groan at his dull words, not wanting to get caught by Mrs. Hardy’s supersonic hearing. Maria let out a small huff next to me and I turned to see her glaring at someone to the left of us. I turned to see Courtney standing very close to Michael, sending him suggestive looks that seemed to be lost on him. He caught Maria staring and gave a questioning look, causing her to blushed and turned away.

“The next painting is called An Unknown Love. The subject, a young girl, is glancing over her shoulder at a young man about her age…” The guy said, but I didn’t hear him. I was concentrating on the painting too intently. The rest of the class moved away, giving me the opportunity to get a better view. The girl in the picture had dark hair and a plain looking face, while the boy she was gazing at out of the corner of her eye was handsome and well dressed.

“Wow,” I breathed, amazed at how much the picture resembled my life. I would always be this girl, the one who stared at the cute guy but was never quite good enough to snag him.

“Nice painting, isn’t it?” A deep voice behind asked. Startled, I whipped around and lost my balance, falling forward. I saw Max’s surprised face as I crashed into him, his arms immediately going to me waist to steady me as I threw my hands on his chest to catch myself. We stood like that, our bodies pressed up together, for a few seconds longer than necessary and then I pulled away, blushing a bright red.

“You ok?” he asked, concern and something I couldn’t quite place in his voice.

“Fine, thanks.” I said, my voice sounding squeaky. I cleared my throat and continued. “You surprised me.” I told him, as if that wasn’t obvious.

“Sorry.” he said, and then went back to looking at the painting. I turned and stared at it too, chuckling inwardly at the irony of it all. I was basically staring at my life on this canvas, and the boy whom the man in the picture represents is standing next to me, staring at it as well. “You seem to like this one.” he said, indicating to the picture.

“ Uh yeah. It’s… interesting.” I finished somewhat lamely, my blush growing brighter. Then feeling brave, I went on, “The girl seems to really love the boy she gazing at, but she doesn’t believe that he could ever notice her. So she goes around, staring at him when his back is turned, but never really trying to move things forward because…because he’d never feel that way for her if she did make her feelings known.” I finished quietly, speaking words that were so true to me.

“Ah, but how does she know that? Don’t concentrate on her, look at him. See how his eyes are slanted towards the girl? How does she know he doesn't care about her? He’s just too scared to tell her because she’s never let on her feelings for him. He’s as insecure as she is, he’s just better at hiding it.” he said, looking over at me, and I swear the look in his eyes was…

No, I wouldn't get my hopes up. His words had nothing to do with our relationship, or lack there of. He was just making an observation that I had missed.

“She’s lucky then.” I said finally, looking back at the canvas. “It doesn’t usually work out that way.”

“No she’s not, and he isn’t either.” he contradicted, following her gaze. “They’ll never be together, since they both think the other has no feelings for them. They do love each other, but their fear stops them from being happy.”

I stared at him when he’d finished. “You sound like you understand.” I blurted in surprise, and then blushed when he sent me a funny look.

“Why wouldn’t I?” He asked, almost defensively.

“Oh come on, who wouldn’t want Mr. Basketball star Max Evans?” I asked out of sheer nervousness, and then mentally kicked myself.

“You’d be surprised.” he mumbled, shrugging, and then switched the topic of discussion. “So, have you noticed this whole thing with Michael and Maria?”

Relieved, I took the new subject and ran with it. “You mean their whole love/hate relationship?” I asked. “Kind of hard not to. Why?”

“Oh, well Michael was wondering what she thought of him.” he said casually, and my heart plummeted in my chest. Had Michael sent him over here to ask questions about Maria? Was that the only reason we were having this conversation?

“Did Michael make you ask me that?” I asked him, trying hard to keep the hurt out of my voice while blinking back tears.

He must have heard it anyways, or else seen my shoulders stiffen, since he said quickly, “No… well yes but—” he started.

The hurt switched to anger. “No, it’s fine.” I said, my voice colder then I would have liked. “I should have known Max Evans would never want to talk to me if he didn’t have to.” I snapped. He tried to speak, but I talked over him. “Truthfully I think she’s got a big crush on him. Anyway, we should get back.” I said, walking away from him without waiting for a reply and silently berating for myself for thinking he would voluntarily hang out with me.

Against my better judgment I looked back at him to find him standing with his head down and shoulders slumped. Brushing this off I continued to walk, and returned to the huddle of our classmates just in time to hear an argument burst out. Who was in the argument, you might ask? I’ll give you one guess.

“What is your problem?” Michael all but yelled, confusion and anger written on his face.

“My problem? MY PROBLEM?” Maria asked, as if she couldn't believe her ears. Both of them ignored Mrs. Hardy’s warning yell.

“Yes, your problem! Did I not say it slowly enough?” Michael threw back at her.

“Oh shut up, you pig! Might I remind you that that is the second time you’ve bumped into me and not apologized for it?!” she asked, her face turning red.

“I didn’t bump into you, you bumped into me! And what other time did I bump into you?” he demanded, his fists clenching.

“You forgot?! Oh you are such a jerk, Guerin!” Maria yelled, her hands raised.

“Why does having a bad memory make me a jerk?! And how do I know you aren’t making this up anyway!?” he asked indignantly.

“Why on earth would I do that?!” Maria demanded.

“To get my attention, maybe?” he asked. I winced as he said that, knowing he was in for it.

Maria just sputtered for a second, seemingly too incensed to speak. “Yeah right! Not if you were the last man on earth!” she yelled finally.

“Oh yeah! Ditto!” Michael snapped back at her. And then the two of them did something totally unexpected. They threw themselves at each other and started making out! Seriously, in front of all our peers and our science teacher! Everyone started laughing and catcalling except Courtney, who broke down into disappointed tears.

“Michael! Maria! This is unacceptable behavior!” Mrs. Hardy yelled, sounding thoroughly shocked. “Detach yourselves from each other at once!” When they didn’t she continued somewhat desperately, “You are both suspended for 2 days!”

Maria broke away from Michael and shoved him back, looking very disheveled in appearance. “What!” she shrieked. “My mom will kill me!!”

[maxandliz4ever1357]

Hey everyone! I got back early! Hope you like the new part!!! Oh and if anyone out there is handy with photoshop and wants to make the painting, that would be really cool. I'd like to see how you guys imagine it. Anyways, enjoy!


<center>Part 7</center>


I walked up to Maria’s house, my pace slowing as heard a loud screeching sound. I stood uncertainly at the door, listening to the voices.

“My baby’s… sex!!” I heard Maria’s mother yell.

Maria retaliation was muffled, but I heard, “It was…kiss... not sleeping... him!”

More yelling from Amy Deluca. “You better not… I’ll ground you until.. thirty!”

After that the voices died down, and I took a chance, knocking on the door. I heard some voices, a door slamming, and then the front door opened and Maria’s mom appeared.

“Oh, hello Liz.” she said, trying to smile even though she looked seriously angry. “Maria can’t talk to you right now, she’s grounded.” Amy told me, and her face darkened with anger. “You’d tell me if my daughter was sleeping with this boy, wouldn’t you?” she asked sternly, giving me her most evil look.

I gulped. “Of course, Miss Deluca, and I know she isn’t. I doubt she’s even so much as kissed him before today.” I said. “I just came to get my bio book. I think Maria took it by mistake.” I said innocently, lying though me teeth. In reality I just really needed to talk to Maria about the whole the whole Michael incident, and also about my Max encounter.

Amy’s eyes scrutinized me for a second, and I had trouble not squirming under her gaze. Then she said, “You have 10 minutes. I’ll come get you when your time’s up.”

I nodded and walked into the house, heading straight for Maria’s room. She must have heard my footsteps because she yelled through the door, “Mom, go away! You’ve already searched my room twice. I’m not sure what your looking for, but it’s obvious your not going to find it in here!”

I opened the door and popped my head in, “That bad, huh?” I asked sympathetically. She saw me and quickly beckoned me into her room, and then closed the door behind me.

“Thank God you’re here! I though I was going to go crazy! She won’t let me use the phone, the computer, anything, and I can’t even leave the house! She thinks that just because I kissed a guy that I must be sleeping with him.” Maria sputtered angrily, starting to pace.

“She’s just worried about you.” I said, trying to calm her down a little. I only had ten minutes after all, and time was ticking away.

“It was one kiss!” she exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air indignantly. “True, it was in the middle of a museum on a class fieldtrip, but come on!”

“Maria,” I sighed. “You know she just worries about you because she got pregnant at a young age. She just doesn’t want you to make the same mistake.” I said, and then winced at my own words, knowing she was going to take them wrong.

“So I’m a mistake?” she asked, shooting me a hurt look.

I quickly shook my head. “No, that’s not what I meant. Anyone who meets you knows you weren’t a mistake. I’m just saying, it wasn’t exactly easy for her to have a child out of wedlock at a young age in a small town that loves it's gossip. She doesn’t want you to go through the same thing.”

Maria sighed. “I guess, but if this is how she’s going to react to me kissing a guy, then how’s she going to be when I actually get a boyfriend?” she asked, looking positively horrified by the idea.

I laughed. “I don’t even want to think about it.” I said. “So, you want to talk about the whole kissing Michael thing? I thought you hated him.” I asked, looking at her expectantly.

Maria shrugged, but the blush gliding up her face belied the nonchalant action. “I do. He’s annoying, self centered, rude, and let’s not even talk about his table manners,” she said, rolling her eyes before continuing. “But then I look at him… and I don’t know, I just can’t help myself.”

“So are you together now?” I asked her after a small pause.

She immediately shook her head. “Nope, nuh-uh, definitely not.” I sent her a surprised look and she added, “It’s just attraction that holds us together, and I’m going to fight it. I refuse to be with Michael Guerin.” she said, shaking her head resolutely.

“Uh, ok then.” I said, also shaking my head.

“So what did Max say to you?” she asked, changing the subject.

My head shot up and a blush started on my cheeks. “Uh, what?” I asked unconvincingly.

“I saw you two talking.” she said matter-of-factly.

I sighed and slumped my shoulders. “Well it certainly wasn’t because he wanted to. Michael made him ask me if you had a thing for Michael.”

“Seriously?” she asked, looking flattered. Then her face changed and she tried to look indifferent. “That’s interesting.” she said.

“Glad you think so.” I said, a little annoyed that she didn’t catch onto the fact that I wasn’t interesting enough for Max to talk to me on his own.

“Oh.” she said softly in comprehension. “I’m sure he would have talked to you anyway. I mean, why wouldn’t he?” she asked.

“Maybe because I’m boring, unpopular, and not very pretty.” I said, feeling my self esteem sink even lower.

Maria shook her head. “Stop it! I’m so tired of hearing you say all of this! Trust me Liz, you are beautiful and certainly not boring, and who the hell cares if you’re popular? Those people are all idiots anyways!”

“You stop it! Things are the way they are, and no amount of pretty words and false complements are going to change that! I love you for saying it Maria, but it doesn’t change the facts.” I said resignedly.

Maria opened her mouth to respond at the exact moment that Miss. Deluca yelled, “Liz, time’s up!”

I jumped up and made a quick exit before Maria could argue with me. I shut Maria’s door behind me and walked to the front door when Amy said, “Where’s the biology book?”

Damn! I forgot about my little lie. I did some fast thinking and said with a smile, “Oh, she didn’t have it. I think I left it in my locker.”

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

I changed into my Crashdown uniform and walked out to the café, grabbing my notepad as I went. The café was pretty empty since it was just after the afternoon crowd, and the first thing I saw when I entered was Max sitting alone at a table, doing his homework. This wasn’t an unusual occurrence, since he did his homework here a lot, but it made my heart start going nonetheless.

“Liz,” someone called, and I turned to see Michael entering the café.

“Hey Michael, what’s up?” I asked confusedly, wondering what was going on.

“Can I talk to you?” ha asked.

“I have a customer.” I said, nodding toward Max’s table.

Michael turned, looked at Max and said, “Who, Max? He doesn’t mind waiting, do you Max?” Michael asked. I stared in Max’s direction too, and was surprised to find his eyes narrowed and an unusual look on his face.

“Whatever.” he said somewhat sulkily, and returned to his schoolwork. I stared at him for a second, and then looked back at Michael, who nodded for me to follow him into the back. I glanced back at Max agan only to find him looking up at us the same ugly expression on his face.

“Uh, your not supposed to come back—” I started once we had reached the back room.

“Where’s Maria?” he interrupted, turning to face me.

“At home with a ball and chain around her foot.” He sent me a confused look and I clarified, “Grounded.”

“Did her mom freak out like Maria said she would?” Michael asked anxiously.

“Yeah, and you might want to hide. She was heading for the shotgun case when I last saw her.” I chuckled as Michael stopped pacing abruptly and sent me a petrified expression.

“I’m kidding.” I told him, and he let out a breath, returning to his pacing.

“Have you talked to Maria? Did she say anything… about me?” he asked next.

“Uh, well… nope she didn’t.” I said, not wanting to tell him that Maria had sworn she wouldn’t go near him ever again.

“Damn it.” he said. "I’m really confused here. She says she hates me, and then she kisses me, and now…”

I sighed, feeling bad for him. “Sorry, but that’s just how life is with Maria.” I said, patting him on the shoulder sympathetically. At that moment the door swung open and Michael and I stared in surprise at Max, who was still wearing that funny look on his face.

“Sorry to interrupt.” He said in a somewhat cold tone. “But people are starting to ask where the waitress is. And Michael don’t you have somewhere to be?” he asked in a clipped tone.

“Uh… right. Somewhere to be.” Michael said slowly after a minute. “See you Liz.” he called, and then walked through the door leaving Max and me alone.

“Uh,” I said out of nervousness. “why don’t we go back out there and I take your order?” I asked. He shrugged and nodded, walking out the door and leaving me to follow after him.

[maxandliz4ever1357]

Hey guys, I'm so sorry for the wait !!! I got a bad case of writer's block (that I still have with my other fics, which is why they aren't updated either) and I've been really really busy! I hope you like this part! Oh, and there isn't one in this part, but more notes on the way soon!! Oh, and if I haven't told you (I'm really forgetful sometimes ) a big thanks to To_Kiss_A_Frog for being my beta!!

Thanks to all my wonderful feedbackers:

To_Kiss_A_Frog
g7silvers
taressa05
Raychelxluscious: I'm so honored to have you reading this! I'm a big fan of your fics!
dreamer destiny: Yup, he's green all right!
RASaero611
Stars my eyes: That's a good idea
anonymousarfan
kay_b
Bixie
Emz80m
SpiderGirl
Michelle in Yonkers: Thanks so much! And very smart... but I'm not saying anything about the secret admirer! He might be it, he might not be... who knows!?
Lizza
cherie: Glad to have a new reader!!
RoswellRulz
2004

Thank you so much!



<center>Part 8</center>


“So, have you talked to Michael lately?” I asked Maria casually while flipping through a magazine on her desk. It had been a week since Maria’s suspension and grounding, and Maria’s mother finally agreed that I could see her, as long as it was at their house.

Although Maria was now allowed to go to school and work, I knew it was driving her crazy to be watched like a hawk by over-reactive Amy. I guess I could understand why her mom would be shocked, since Maria’s never shown an interest in boys… well ok she has, but never in front of her mother, so Amy never really realized it. Now she’s understanding that Maria does in fact have hormones, and she got worried.

Maria made a face, and tried to sound nonchalant. “No, but that’s not for lack of him trying. He's called like 500 times, started stalking me at school, and he even sits at the Crashdown for hours while I’m working.” she said in an annoyed tone, but I could see that she was pleased with Michael’s devotion.

“Why don’t you give him a chance?” I asked her.

“Because… he drives me crazy!” she burst out. “And he doesn’t have an interest in anything other than making out and… stuff. I want my relationship to mean more than that.” she insisted.

“How do you know it’s just physical for him? I mean, have you even asked him?” I questioned.

“No… but I know his type!” she finished, banging her hand angrily on her desk and upsetting a bottle of nailpolish.

“Shit.” she muttered as the pink liquid spilled all over the dark wood desk. She grabbed a bunch of napkins and wiped the spill up, and then deposited the wad in her trashcan. Meanwhile I tried not to laugh.

At that moment the door opened, and Amy Deluca’s head popped in. “Maria, have you seen my… remote? For the T.V?” she asked shiftily.

Maria rolled her eyes. “Nope haven’t seen it.” she replied. Her mom nodded, glanced around the room, and then left.

“Still checking up on you, huh?” I asked her sympathetically, seeing through Amy’s lame remote excuse.

“Yeah, apparently she thinks that while you’re here we’re going to get a guy sneak over, and than have a three way while she’s sitting down the hall.” she said, rolling her eyes yet again.

I went into a small coughing fit. “Maria! Do you have to be so blunt about… everything?” I asked, trying to control the blush rising in my cheeks.

“Oh, you are so sheltered.” she scoffed, resuming painting her nails. After a few minutes off comfortable silence, Maria spoke again. “So, you and Max.” she stated. I started coughing again.

“Jeez Liz, want a cough drop?” she asked, smirking.

“What do you mean, me and Max?” I asked squeakily.

“Have you talked to him?” she asked.

“Why would I?” I asked cautiously. I didn’t want to bring up the argument we had last week; both of us had silently agreed not to talk about it.

She seemed to be thinking along the same lines, and then next thing I knew she was getting up and racing to the bathroom that opened up into her room.

“What on earth are you doing?” I asked, thinking maybe she had cracked under all the supervision.

She reappeared, carrying her giant makeup purse in her hands. She pulled up another chair, faced me, and sat down, unzipping the bag in the process.

“I’m sick of hearing you say you aren’t pretty.” she said. “So I’m going to give you a make-over.” she said determindly.

“Besides the fact that a makeover is the last thing I want, are you telling me that I will only be pretty if I where that crap all over my face? That I’m ugly without it?” I asked, but more to throw her off track than anything. I knew what I looked like, and I had excepted it… mostly.

She stamped her foot impatiently. “Of course not, Liz. I think your beautiful either way; the problem is you don’t. Maybe a new look can give you a little more confidence.” she explained.

“No.” I said, crossing my arms over my chest in a determined gesture.

“Just let me try it.” she begged. “And then if you don’t like it, you can take it all off.” she promised.

I eyed the look on her face seriously, knowing she’d never give in until she got what she wanted. What could it hurt? I asked myself. I’ll just take it off later.

I sat back in the chair with a sigh and said, “Fine,” and then winced at Maria’s shrill scream.

“Ok,” she said, starting to pull things out her bag of tricks. I flinched slightly at the sight of an eyeliner pencil’s sharp point. “You’re going to look good with darker colors.” she started to explain, pulling out a compact and blush. Out of curiosity I reached into the bag and pulled out a scary looking silver tool.

“What the heck is this for? To torture people?” I asked pulling the two little handles and moving the top pieces up and down.

She grabbed in and rolled her eyes. “It’s to curl your eyelashes.” she replied as if it was the most obvious thing on earth. “We’ll get to that later. Now your going to want to…” she started to say, and I knew this was going to take a while.


********


“There.” she said, rubbing the blush brush over my cheeks for the last time, and then standing back to admire the affect. “I’m done.”

I held my breath and grabbed the mirror, wondering how bad it was going to be. I brought the mirror up to my face, and almost yelped at what I saw.

“Like it?” Maria asked happily.

“I look like a slut!” I replied. Maria rolled her eyes.

“You do not, your just not used to it. Give the look a chance.” she insisted. So I sat there for a minute, staring at my face, and as the shock wore off I started to realize that I don’t look that bad. In fact, I looked pretty good for me. Aside from just doing my makeup, she had pulled my hair into a stylish ponytail that was poofy in the front and made me look a little like a rock star.

“See, you like it right?” Maria asked knowingly.

“It’s not horrible.” I admitted grudgingly.

“Great, now let’s get you a new outfit.” she said, rushing over to her closet and flinging the doors open.

This was more than I bargained for. “Maria, what are you—” I started.

“Don’t worry.” she interrupted me. “We’re about the same size, you should be able to fit into my clothes.”

“Why would I want to?” I asked her truthfully. He clothes looked great on her, but they really weren’t my style.

“Your clothes are so baggy and plain, Liz! You’ve got a great figure, you need to show it off!” she said, pulling out a new set of clothes for me, and 15 minutes later I was dressed in low riding, skintight jeans with a lacy black tank top and black high healed boots.

“Maria…” I said, still in shock as I stared at myself in the mirror. “I can’t where this… anywhere.”

“Of course you can, Liz. This is pretty tame compared to what other people where nowadays.” she said wisely. “You look great. Now just let me add the finishing touches.” she said, putting a pair of stylish, glittery dangle earrings in my ears and a matching necklace around my neck.

“There.” she said, smiling. After she was done admiring me, she took a look at her watch and let out a shriek.

“I’m late for work! I was supposed to be there 10 minutes ago!” she said in a panicky voice. “Liz, you have to help me, I’ve lost my jetta privileges!” she begged, and since I knew how strict my dad was, I complied and quickly headed toward the door, momentarily forgetting my new look.

[maxandliz4ever1357]

Thanks for all the feedback everyone, it means so much! I don't have time to right a lot of comments at the moment, I hope you guys don't mind!

Maxsgurl
dreamer destiny
RASaero611
Earth2Mama
taressa05
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GottaFeedTheMonkey1257
g7silvers
To_Kiss_A_Frog
Michelle in Yonkers
Raychelxluscious
vampyrax
ShatteredDreamer
Topy458
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Emz80m
linliz68
Bixie: No, Liz doesn't look slutty, she just looks normal, except with Makeup and better fitting clothes.
obsession
Lizza
cherie
hazz




Just wanted to say that there are no letters in this one, but there will be in the next part, I promise! I have it all planned out! Hope you like!

<center>Part 9</center>





“Liz, drive faster!” Maria shrieked from the passenger seat.

“I am, Maria! If we get pulled over, that’s only going to slow us down.” I said calmly, used to dealing with Maria’s emotional breakdowns.

Seeing as how this was the truth, Maria didn’t say anything, just huffed and moved furhter up her seat so that she was sitting on the very edge. Since Liz could now concentrate on driving, in no time at all they pulled up to the Crashdown café. Maria jumped out of the car and raced into the building, but then slowed her pace as she opened the doors. I walked in with her, ready to bail her out of trouble with my dad when I noticed something.

“Maria, Annie’s still working.” I said, glancing at the waitress about our age as she gave two customers their food.

Maria’s cheeks reddened slightly. “Guess my watch was fast.” she said doggedly, and then quickly walked through the back door to the locker room. I stared at her retreating form, wondering what was going on, when a whistle sounded from somewhere in the back. I paid no attention, knowing it could never be for me… until I heard the clip-clop of heals and realized it was coming from my own feet.

It took a minute to sink in. “Ohmygosh!!!” I moaned in mortification, looking down at my outfit. How could I have forgotten Maria’s little makeover?! My thoughts switched to Maria, and I thought about the suspicious way she left for the back room, and the fact that Annie was still working her shift.

And then it hit me. Wham, whack, boom! “She set me up!” I exclaimed to myself, anger filling my veins. That little twisted, lying, annoying, blonde bimbo—!

“Who did?” A deep voice said, and I turned to see Greg Shellow, one of the rudest, most womanizing jocks at our school, standing behind me.

“Excuse me?” I asked, crossing my arms over my chest protectively. I did not like the hungry way his eyes roamed over my body one bit.

“Who set you up?” he asked, and then didn’t wait for an answer before saying, “Can I set you up… with me?” he asked, giving such an idiotic line that I laughed out loud.

“Good one. Tell me, does that work with… anyone?” I scoffed.

He moved way too close and grabbed my arm. “Why don’t you tell me?” he asked in a low voice.

“Let me make this clear, I’m not interested and I will never be interested in you. Let go of me and get out of my face.” I said calmly, my eyes narrowing.

His grip tightened. “I don’t think—”

“I believe she said let go.” A deep voice behind me rumbled, and a shiver went up my spine. Doug turned to see Max Evans with a heavy scowl on his face.

Since Doug knew better than to mess with Max Evans, he said, “Sorry dude, didn’t know she was taken.” and dropped my arm, making a hasty exit. My face colored at his words, realizing he thought Max and I were a couple. I turned to see if Max noticed, and I saw him still watching Doug intently, as if to make sure he left. Then he turned to me.

“Are you ok?” he asked, sounding worried.

I smiled at him, warmed by his concern for my welfare. “He wasn’t able to do much in a crowded area with my parents in the other room.” I told him. He nodded, and then his eyes widened as he stared at me.

“What?” I asked, my hand immediately going to my face. Did I have some food there or something?

“Wha—what’s with the new look?” he asked, sounding slightly flustered. Surely he wasn’t flustered over me, right?

“Oh,” I said, my mortification returning. “Maria did this stupid thing… she did all my make up and picked out an outfit and made me put it on, and then she pretended to be late for work and made me go out in public with it, ‘cause she knew I wouldn’t otherwise…” I said, trailing off when I realized I was babbling, my blush deepening.

“Wow… you look…” he sputtered, seemingly unable to get the words out.

“Uh, yeah?” I asked shyly, tucking a runaway strand of hair behind me ear.

“Beautiful.” he said, his own cheeks darkening adorably. His complement went straight to my head, sending joy rushing through my system, but a voice in my mind said, ‘Yeah, you’re beautiful now that you have this crap all over your face and tight clothes on.’

“Thanks.” I said some what stiffly, wondering if I should be happy that Max Evans was talking to me at all, even if it was only because of Maria’s work.

“But you don’t need—” he started, and I looked up in surprise.

“Liz!” Kyle interrupted, throwing an arm around my shoulder. I gritted my teeth, and tried to smile at Kyle’s bad use of timing.

“Kyle.” I said, and then looked over to see Max with the similar, tight jawed expression.

“Valenti.” he greeted coolly.

“Evans.” Kyle nodded back with the same chilly attitude.

“Parker.” I added, causing both of them to send me smiles, and then glare at each other. Ok, what the hell was going on?

“So, Liz,” Kyle said, turning to me again. “what’s with the war paint?” he asked casually.

I rolled my eyes. “Maria’s idea of fun.” I told him.

“Ah, Deluca. No need to say more.” he said, sending me a charming smile. Max cleared his throat and we both turned to look at him.

“We were talking.” he bit out, waving his hand at himself and then at me.

Kyle raised his eyebrows. “And now we’re talking.” he said pointing to me and then to him. Then they both sent each other evil looks while I watched, utterly perplexed. I moved away from Kyle backed away a little, so that I was staring at both of them.

“Guys?” I asked. “What's up with you two?”

Max sighed and ran his hands through his hair. “Nothing. I have to go. See you later.” he said, already walking away.

“Uh bye…” I said in a slightly hurt tone when he didn’t turn around.

“Listen Liz, I have to go too, but I’ll talk to you later, ok?” Kyle said, giving me a friendly kiss on the cheek. I smiled and nodded.

“See you Kyle.” I replied as he left. After he departed I turned back and headed for the back doors, doing my best to ignore the catcalls and whistles that followed me.

“Maria!” I shouted upon entry. “I’m going to kill you!”