A Baby Story (AU, ?C Teen) *Need Kyle, Isabel, Michael*

[KatnotKath]

~Liz~

"Uh...hey... I just thought maybe we could talk..."

I look up, surprised. I left the room, expecting that I would be the last person that Maria would want to talk to, and yet she's followed me out... Maybe she just wants to yell again, I can't say I would blame her because I know that I probably deserve everything that she could throw at me... I swallow nervously, preparing myself for whatever she might be going to say, determined to stand and listen, and accept it, it's nothing more than I deserve... "Y-yeah...of course...if that's what you want..." I respond softly, moving to one side slightly in case she wants to lean against the wall too.

I take a breath and decide to get something in first. "M-maria...I'm really sorry... I messed up, and I'm not going to claim that I didn't..." I shake my head. "I just couldn't deal with the fact that Alex was gone, and I know that's not really any excuse, but I guess I just..." I swallow again and bite down hard on my lip, blinking back some tears. I don't want to make myself out as a victim here... I'm the one who hurt Maria, and Sean... I force myself to look back at her, meeting her gaze and shaking my head again. "I just, I'm sorry Maria... I know that it doesn't make everything better, but I never meant to get Sean in trouble, and I never wanted to hurt you or any of the others... I just didn't know what to do, I thought that there had to be some explanation, and I couldn't accept that the simplest was the correct one... A-Alex died in an accident...nothing more complicated than that..." I look down a moment, tears filling my eyes once more as I think about the great friend we all lost. I miss him so much...

I miss Maria too... There's this gaping hole where our friendship should be, and such a distance between us that I don't know how to bridge.

[DaisyMae24]

Hope this is okay!! It's been awhile since I've done this!! Let me know if it needs to be longer and I'll think of something else to add!!

*Kyle*

I sigh as Tess pulls her hand from mine and runs down the hall, disappearing into the girls bathroom. What she said hurt and I know she feels bad for hurting me but it still doesn't change things. I still love her and she's still having Max's baby.

I wander over to the bathrooms and lean against the wall outside the girls bathroom, wanting to make sure she's okay but not sure she'll talk to me when she does come out.

[FaithfulAngel24]

*Maria*

Liz's words sting me. She is not the only one at fault here. Maybe if I would have made myself more approachable. If I would have listened to her instead of running away none of this would have happened.

"I'm sorry too Liz. I should have been there for you. You needed me and I immersed myself in projects anything to take my mind off of our problems. Please forgive me."

My eyes pour tears leaving me feeling vulnerable and put out there.
I hope this helps us back to where we used to be. I miss my friend.

[KatnotKath]

OOC: sorry, not as long as I would like and I know it's taken a while.

~Liz~

"I'm sorry too Liz. I should have been there for you. You needed me and I immersed myself in projects anything to take my mind off of our problems. Please forgive me."

I look up, to find Maria crying too. It's the last thing that I expected, and I'm not really sure how to take it. The last time I spoke to Maria, she basically told me she didn't want anything to do with me anymore... I've missed her terribly, but I didn't want to push it, I knew that what she said about Sean was right... It was unfair and wrong of me to get him involved... Now he's paying the price for my mistake...

I bite down on my lip, hesitating a moment before stepping towards her with open arms. "Of course I forgive you Maria... You're my best friend, you always have been..."

Silent tear continue to stream down my cheeks as I look at her, a spark of hope beginning to light in my heart. "I'm so sorry Maria...c-can we be friends again...?" I ask, hoping that I'm not making a mistake in doing so... I don't want to misread her actions, or push too hard...

[FaithfulAngel24]

*Maria*

"I'm so sorry Maria...c-can we be friends again...?"

I step forward erasing the distance between us.

"Of course, but things can't be the way they were before. It really hurt me what you did. I know you never meant for anything bad to happen ,but it did. The fault here is not completely yours. If I would have opened myself up to you and listened maybe it never would have got that far. So from now on we confinde in each other and trust our friendship. Okay?"

I hope she understands what I'm saying. We really messed things up last time. I hope we can regain the trust we lost in each other.

[StormWolfstone]

~Isabel~


As I gently pull Max with me towards the door, feeling it best that we give Michael and Maria the chance to talk once Maria had finished speaking with Liz, he simply replies with, "Sure, Izzy."

I don't say anything as we go towards the jeep, thinking that it's better if I remain silent for the moment because I'm still not sure how well we can handle things. "Where do you want to talk? Do you think Mom will be home?"

When we reach the jeep, I climb in the passengers seat and pull out my planner. Opening it, I start going through the list of things, mom having given me her itinerary for the month in case something happened and we needed her. "She'll be home in about two hours for maybe a half hour and then she's gotta go back out for another three hours." I say as I glance up at my brother. "We should be safe if we hide the jeep or we can go to the cave and talk there."

[isabelle]

*Max*

Mom is going to be gone for two hours, and Izzy still feels that we'd need to hide or maybe go to the cave. Sounds like this is going to be a LONG conversation. Not that it isn't warrented. There's a lot to discuss, I'm quite sure.

"Okay, let's stop by the house and grab some water and snacks and then we can head out to the desert," I suggest. There won't be any interuptions there. No worries about anyone noticing that we're home during school hours.

Of course, it also works as a delaying tactic, making it that much longer before we get down to whatever she wants to talk about, but that's not really my intent.

"Or we could grab lunch there and talk before we leave," I add. That would work, too, if we hide the jeep, like she said, and leave before Mom's around. And it won't sound like I'm trying to duck the conversation. I'll leave it up to her...

[KatnotKath]

OOC: sorry its been so long, hope this works

~Liz~

Maria too steps forward now, closing the remaining distance and we hug.

"Of course, but things can't be the way there were before. It really hurt me what you did..."

I know that, I hate every day the fact that what I did hurt her so much. As she now goes on to say, I didn't mean to hurt her, but it doens't change the fact that I did. She's my best friend, and I hate myself for it..."

"So from now on we confide in each other and trust our friendship, Okay?"

I smile and nod pulling back slightly now and trying to wipe away the tears. "Deal..." I whisper softly, wondering briefly if this is really happening. It's like a dream, something like waking up from a nightmare... Because that's what it's like without Maria... It's almost as bad as being without Max, because although in different ways, I need both of them. They're my best friend and the man I love, I can try and deny it with Max, but always it comes back to the same thing. The feelings I have for him are like for no other person, I can lie to others, but I can't to myself...

Maria would have been the one I turned to to talk, but we haven't been talking either and that makes it really hard... I've missed her...

I look up at my friend and shake my head. "I missed you Ria...I missed you so much..." I tell her softly. I know it won't be easy or instant, but at least we're on the right track now. It's going to take time to rebuild the trust and everything, and things will be differnt I'm sure, but she's my best friend, and I don't think that'll ever really change...

[FaithfulAngel24]

*Maria*

"I missed you Ria...I missed you so much..." she whispers softly.

"I missed you too, Chica!" I reply sniffing back the tears.

Even when we were estranged I still worried about her, and she looks uneasy. I hope she can work everything out with Max. As much as I dislike this Alien Caous I know in my heart that Max and Liz belong together.

Michael and I well thats a differnt story.

Oh by the way....

"I have to go talk to Space Boy, but we'll finish this later over a pint of Ben & Jerry's. What do you say?"

[KatnotKath]

~Liz~

"I have to go talk to Space Boy, but we'll finish this later over a pint of Ben & Jerry's. What do you say?"

I desperately wish that Maria hadn't said that, I really feel like I need to talk to someone myself, but I know that she had come to talk to Michael originally it seems and I'm not going to stand in the way of that. I fix a smile on my face and nod. "Okay, Sure, Ben & Jerry's sounds great..." I reply in a falsely cheerful tone. "Good luck with Michael..."

I hug her again, before stepping back with a small wave and beginning to walk away from her.

Of course by the time I get half way along the road, I realise I don't really have anywhere to go... I was hiding out at Michael's because I skipped out of school... It's not exactly like I can just turn up again really...that would be a sure-fire way of being busted, and I certainly can't go home, because unlike Max and Isabel, or Maria, there's no chance of my parents being out... Their lives are the diner, which we live above...

Not for the first time, I curse the fact of where I live.

"Okay, so where can I go...think..." I mutter to myself as I continue walking along the pavement.

After some consideration, I realise that there's only one place I can think of... It's not exactly somewhere that I want to go, but I think maybe it would do me good...it's not like I've been since... I can't even think it... I bite down hard on my lip, closing my eyes as I feel the pain I need right now...

I don't even remember the rest of the walk, it's as though I'm walking, but I'm not really there... My mind is already at my location, and as I push open the iron gates, walking up that path and across the grass, tears are streaming down the front of my face. I don't stop though, I can't... If I do, I won't get there, and this is something that I need to do...

Stopping finally, I kneel down in front of one of the headstone bearing the name of one of my best friends. "Hi Alex..." I whisper softly, my words being lost in the wind which tosses my hair around.