Roswell Series: Before I Knew You: Fic 8: Elsewhere (1/1)
Author: X_tremeroswellian
Email: faithboscorelli1@yahoo.com
Disclaimer: Obviously they're not mine, and neither is the show. The song "Elsewhere" is by Sarah McLachlan and appears on her album, Fumbling Towards Ecstacy.
Rating: PG-13 for violence and adult language.
Spoilers: Only for the first two parts of my "Before I Knew You" series,"Building A Mystery" and "Posession." No spoilers for the show.
Summary: What was going on with Max and Liz a month before the shooting at the Crashdown?
"Oh, the quiet child
Awaits the day
When she can break free
The mold that clings
Like desperation..."
"Elsewhere" by Sarah McLachlan
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Elsewhere
Liz groaned inwardly as she saw Pam Troy, Gina Walker and Stacey Schenin come in the front door of her parents' cafe, The Crashdown. She suddenly had the urge to bang her head into the wall repeatedly.
Instead, she sucked in a deep breath, grabbed her order book, and walked over to their table. "Welcome to The Crashdown. Can I take your order?" she asked, forcing herself to be friendly and cheerful.
Stacey took one look at Liz in her green waitress uniform, alien apron, and bobbing antennae and wrinkled her nose. "That outfit is so tacky."
"Don't bother talking to Liz about fashion," Pam warned. "Most everything she wears is outdated."
The girls snickered. Liz bit down on her lip to keep from saying something rude.
"Do you have anything, you know, that's not greasy or fattening?" Stacey asked, glancing over the menu.
"Do you eat here, Liz?" Pam asked sweetly.
"Uh, yeah. My parents own the cafe," Liz reminded her.
"Does that answer your question, Stace? Everything here is fattening. Look at Liz."
Liz stared at her. "Excuse me?"
"I'm sorry, Liz. But you are a bit, well," Pam lowered her voice. "Fat."
"She's right," Stacey agreed.
"Are you going to order anything?" Liz asked impatiently.
Pam sighed and leaned back in her chair. "Yeah. I'll just have a coke."
"Same here," Stacey and Gina agreed.
"Pam, you're still meeting me at the lab this afternoon to work on our lab, right?" Liz asked, almost hoping she would say no.
"I'll be there."
"Great. Three cokes coming right up." Liz started away from the table.
"Oh. Liz, make those cokes diet, please. We like to watch our weight even if you don't," Pam called after her. The girls began laughing.
Max watched Liz straighten her back and quicken her steps from his place in the corner booth. He shook his head. How could anyone be mean to Liz? he wondered in disbelief. And fat? Pam Troy has more fat in her tongue than Liz Parker has in her whole body.
He watched Liz as she carried back their cokes and set them down politely, her cheeks flushed. Then she looked up and noticed him sitting there. He quickly looked down at the menu. She walked over to him, visibly upset, but trying to hide it.
"What can I get you?" she asked, her voice strained.
Max realized she was trying not to cry. "Uh, I'll just have an alien blast."
"Okay," she answered, jotting it down on the order book. "It'll just be a couple minutes."
"Liz?"
"Yeah?"
"I think I need some help in biology. I mean, you're the smartest person in our class. Well, in the whole school really, and I was just wondering..."
Liz stared at him in surprise. "You want my help in biology?"
"Yeah. I mean, if you time. If you don't, I understand."
"No, I have time. I'm just a little surprised, that's all."
"Why?"
"It's just--you're a straight A student and probably the only guy I know that's taking geometry and trig, so I guess it's just strange to me that you'd need my help in anything..." She stopped talking and mentally slapped herself. She'd just flat out admitted she knew the guy's schedule. They barely knew each other.
Max was just as surprised. He didn't know that Liz knew he was in trig. Well, duh, Alex is in your trig class, the voice in his head told him. "Uh, yeah. But for some reason, I'm just kind of struggling with biology."
"Oh. Well, sure, I'll help you. I'm going to be in the bio lab this afternoon around two, if you want to drop in," she volunteered.
"Great," he said, smiling.
She smiled back. "I'll be back with your alien blast in just a few minutes," she told him.
Max watched her walk away. Okay, so maybe he didn't need help in biology. But it was the first thing he could think of to say to take her mind off what Pam had said to her. She'd been about to cry and that was something he couldn't stand to even think about.
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Liz grabbed the vanilla ice cream bucket out of the freezer. Maria walked over to her. "I see Max Evans is here," she commented.
"Yep." Liz didn't think anything of her remark. She scooped the ice cream into the blender.
"You talked to him for quite awhile."
"Yeah, he asked me to help him in biology."
"Oh." Maria looked to where Max was sitting. He realized she was watching him and he looked out the window. Maria smiled. "He's cute."
"Who? Max?" Liz asked, glancing at her as she turned on the blender.
Maria's grin widened. "Yeah."
Liz looked over at him, staring out the window. "Yeah." She turned back to what she was doing. The conversation wasn't exactly the first one they'd had about Max Evans. They both agreed he was most definitely one of the cutest guys at West Roswell. And the shyest. And he's awfully sweet, Liz thought.
She'd known him since the third grade. She remembered the first time she'd seen him. She was standing in the front of the school, playing a game with Maria and another friend of theirs that had moved long ago. Liz looked up from the game to see a young boy and girl holding hands, climbing off the bus together. They were the same age, the same height, but the girl had straight, chin-length blond hair, and the little boy had short, wavy dark brown hair. They had stared at each other for several long moments. Isabel had finally let go of his hand and walked into the school on her own.
Then she'd smiled at him, grabbed Maria's hand and gone over to introduce herself. He smiled shyly at her, introduced himself and then she'd taken his hand in her free one, and the three of them walked together into the school. Liz smiled at the memory.
Then she realized the milkshake was done and she quickly poured it into a glass, added a straw and carried it over to Max's table. "Here's your alien blast," she said with a smile.
Max looked up at her. "Thank you," he said quietly.
Their eyes locked for a few seconds and Liz's breath caught in her throat. "I have to get back to work," she said, turning away from him and breaking the gaze. She walked back over to the counter. I am going out with Kyle, she reminded herself.
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Max watched as Pam, Gina and Stacey stood up, threw down a three cent tip and left the cafe laughing. He finished his alien blast, paid Maria since he didn't see Liz, threw two dollars down on his table and then grabbed the pennies off Pam's. He replaced it with a five dollar bill once he was sure no one was watching. And no one ever knew the difference but him.
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Liz looked at her watch. It was five til two. Pam wasn't there yet. Big surprise, she thought. She set up their lab station with the proper equipment.
Then she realized someone was standing in the doorway and she looked up. Max Evans stood there, holding onto his books and looking a bit nervous. "Hi," she said.
"Uh, hi," he answered, swallowing hard. He stepped into the room after much hesitation and sat down at the lab station behind Liz's.
Liz turned to look at him. "So, what do you need help on?" she asked.
He bit his lip. "You look like you're busy, and I don't want to interupt, so I'm just going to go."
She blinked in surprise. "No, it's okay. I'm not busy."
"It's okay, Liz." Max started towards the door.
"Max, if you need help, that's okay. You don't have to try to figure it out alone. I'm here," she said softly.
He stopped in his place and raised his head. Then he turned to look at her. "Really?"
Liz nodded. "Yeah, of course."
Max let out the breath he'd been holding. "Okay." He walked back over to her and this time, he sat down beside her.
She gave him a warm smile. "So, what do you need help with?"
"The labs," he answered immediatly. "I have Stacey Schenin as my partner, and well, she's not a lot of help."
Liz laughed. "Yeah, I know exactly how you feel."
The breath caught in his throat. "You do."
"I have Pam as a partner," she reminded him.
He blinked. "Right." Why did he suddenly have the urge to spill his guts about everything? Geez, Max. Michael and Isabel are right. You have to be careful about this girl. Maybe not, another voice aruged. Maybe she wouldn't freak out if I told her the truth. Maybe she'd understand, he thought.
"Max?"
He looked at her, his eyes focusing on her eyes, which were watching him with concern. She wouldn't freak out. She's too good of a person for that. "Sorry. My mind was wandering," he apologized. He was nearly overcome with the urge to tell her. Then he heard Michael's warning come back to him. "Just be careful. Because one of these days this obsession you have with her is going to get you into trouble."
"It's okay," Liz replied. She turned to read over the lab sheet instructions that Ms. Hardy gave them. "All right." She looked at her watch. It was now 2:30. "I don't think Pam's going to show up, and my guess is Stacey won't be helping you on your lab, so why don't we work together?" she suggested.
"Yeah, okay," he agreed quickly.
Just then, Ms. Hardy walked in. "Liz, Max, hi," she said in surprise.
"Oh, hi," Liz said, smiling. "We just came in to work on our labs."
"Oh. Where are Pam and Stacey?"
Max and Liz exchanged a look. "Um, I don't think they're going to be here," Liz answered.
Ms. Hardy frowned. "I see."
"Is it all right if we work together?" Liz asked, biting her lip nervously.
"Well, sure. By all means." She smiled at them. "I'll be in my office you need anything."
"Thanks," Liz and Max said together. Ms. Hardy disapperared into her office.
"Let's get started," Liz said, glancing at him. She reached for a pair of goggles and handed him another pair and then she lit the bunsen burner.
Max watched her for a moment, and then reached for the flask of water. He didn't realize that the outside of the flask had water on it, and it promptly slipped out of his hand and shattered on the desk top.
Liz jumped back in surprise. "I'll grab the garbage can."
Without thinking, Max reached to pick up the pieces of broken glass and promptly cut himself. "Ow, damn!" he muttered, yanking his hand away.
Liz returned with the trash can, and then looked at him in horror when she realized what had happened. "Max, you're cut!"
"I'm okay."
"No, let me see," she said quickly, taking his hand in her own. "It doesn't look too deep. Here, let me clean it up for you." She hurried to the first aid box on the wall and grabbed the peroxide, some cotton balls and a bandaid. She took his hand again. She poured some of the peroxide onto the cotton balls and gently cleaned the cut.
Max watched her in fascination. Her hair hung in her face as she leaned over his hand in complete concentration with what she was doing. Her touch was soft and careful. Max knew she was trying her hardest not to hurt him in any way as she carefully cleaned and bandaged his wound. He suddenly had a flash of a time long ago.
They were in third grade then, and the class had been playing tag at recess. Kyle Valenti had shoved him so hard when tagging him "it" that Max fell down and scraped his hands on the concrete. Kyle had laughed at him, along with a few other guys in their class, but Liz and Maria had run over to him. Maria glared at the guys while Liz dropped to her knees and tried to help him.
"Max is a sissy, Max is a sissy," Kyle had said.
He'd never forget the look in Liz's eyes when Kyle had said that. She looked up at Kyle with fire blazing in her beautiful brown eyes, and snapped, "Stop being such a stupid jerk, Kyle!"
That had shut him up in a hurry. All the other guys stopped laughing, too. He'd just stared at her in amazement as she helped him up and escorted him to the nurse's office, her arm wrapped around his shoulders.
Max couldn't help smile. She finished bandaging the wound. "Thank you," he said softly.
Liz smiled back at him. "You're welcome. Better?"
"Yeah." She definitely wouldn't freak out, he thought.
A comfortable silence fell between them as they continued and finished the lab within a half-hour. Ms. Hardy reappeared and smiled at them. "Well, I have to admit, I was watching you from my office, and you seem to work very well together. How would you like to be permenant lab partners?"
Max looked at Liz. Liz looked at Max. They turned to Ms. Hardy. "It's fine by me, if it's okay with Max," Liz said.
"Yeah, yeah, it's fine," he agreed quickly. He smiled at Liz. She smiled back.
"Great," Ms. Hardy said. "I'll just pair up Stacey and Pam." She went back to her office.
"I think we'll make good partners," Liz said shyly.
Max gazed at her. "Yeah. Me too."
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"So, how's it going with Kyle?" Maria asked as Liz spun the combination on her locker.
Liz sighed. "Well, he apologized for what happened a couple days ago."
"Honestly, Liz. I don't know why you stay with him. You could, like, do so much better. Half the guys in school drool over you."
Liz rolled her eyes. "Yeah, male equivalents to Pam Troy. I mean, you should see her in biology. She needs a bib the way she drools over Max. Although, she did leave me a five dollar tip the other day."
"Max, huh?" Maria teased. "I hope you're not including him as a male equivilant to Wam-Bam-Pam."
Liz couldn't help laugh at Maria's nickname for the girl. "Hardly."
"Because he does stare at you all the time."
"He asked for my help in biology."
"Are you sure that's all he wants your help in?"
"Maria!" Liz scolded, putting her books in her locker. She turned to look at her friend, who suddenly burst out laughing. It was too contagious and Liz started laughing as well.
Max spotted her as he walked down the hall. God, she's beautiful, he though. She and Maria were standing at Liz's locker, talking and laughing about something. He continued watching her as he walked. She didn't seem to notice him.
His eyes locked on hers, so focused that he didn't even watch where he was going, and he ran straight into some guy that was in his trig class. "Sorry," Max mumbled. He turned and looked at Liz one last time before heading to class. And he wished again that he was anyone else in the world. Someone normal, who could just go up to her and ask her out. Or that he knew for sure that she wouldn't flip out if he told her the truth. He didn't think she would, but everytime he even considered telling her, the voice of doubt, which sounded an awful lot like Michael, whispered in his ear.
If only it was just him and Liz, and they were any where else but Roswell, New Mexico. Then maybe it would work. But that wasn't the case.
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"I'm getting an F on our lab because of you," he heard Pam Troy say as soon as headed for the bio lab from his locker.
"I waited here for you for three hours, Pam, so I could tell you that we're no longer lab partners, but that I would still help you on this lab if you needed it. You never showed."
"So you went ahead and told Ms. Hardy that I didn't show up?" Pam demanded.
"No, Ms. Hardy showed up. I wasn't going to lie."
"Well, thank you, you worthless bitch!"
Max walked in and walked over to he and Liz's lab station. "Is there a problem here, Pam?" he asked, anger edging into his voice.
"Yes. There is a problem. Liz here ditched me on our lab assignment."
Max met her eyes. "No, she didn't."
"What?! How would you know?"
"Because I was here. Liz and I are lab partners now," he said coolly. "And she waited for you. You never showed up. So if you flunk the assignment then it's your own fault. And I think you owe her an apology."
"For what?"
"For what you just called her."
"I'm not apologizing to her for anything."
"Max, forget it," Liz said quickly. "It's not worth it."
Pam rolled her eyes. "Oh, now she's trying to play the victim. Gag me."
"Wouldn't I like to," Max muttered. Liz heard him and she couldn't hold back the laugh that escaped her lips. Max looked at her and grinned. Then he laughed with her.
Pam stood there, staring at them in confusion. Then she rolled her eyes in disgust and sat down at the lab station behind them.
After they recovered from laughing, Max reached over and touched her hand. "What she said isn't true, you know. She's just not a very nice person," he whispered.
Liz's hand felt warm where he touched her and she suddenly wondered what it would be like to kiss him. She had a feeling it would be soft and gentle like his touch. Would Max caress her face, thread his fingers through her hair, hold her close to him?
Her cheeks flushed at the mental image she had suddenly conjured up. Oh, my God. Stop it. I'm going out with Kyle, she reminded herself yet again.
"Liz?"
She looked up into his eyes. Why does he have to have such beautiful eyes? she wondered. "Sorry. What?"
"Are you all right?"
"Yeah, I'm okay. Thanks." She tore her gaze from his face and turned to face Ms. Hardy as she came into the classroom. "Max?"
"Yeah?" he whispered back.
"If you don't want to be my lab partner, it's okay. I mean, I don't want you to feel obligated or anything."
Max stared at her, surprised by her own insecurities, surprised even more that they mirrored his own. "No, I mean, I do. Want to be your lab partner, I mean. If you want to be mine," he added shyly.
Liz offered him a shy smile of her own. "Yeah, it's fine." Then she turned to face forward again, unable to squash the sense of excitement she suddenly felt.
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"So, let me get this straight. You and Max are lab partners now?" Maria asked.
"Yeah."
"Uh-huh."
"Maria, he just agreed with Ms. Hardy so he wouldn't hurt my feelings or something."
"Okay. Let's add up the facts. First, the guy pulls you from your car and stays with you until you regain consciousness after your car accident," Maria said, counting on her fingers. "He then proceeds to fix your car, free of charge, I might add. Then, Max Evans--who never gets involved with anything with anyone, least of all a fight--jumps into the middle of the verbal beating Pam was giving you, and defends you to her. Then, of course, let's not forget the fact that he stares at you all the time."
"Maria, Max Evans? Come on. You've got to be joking. He's just--a really great guy."
"Who happens to be in love with you."
"Oh, stop it. Seriously. Max could have any girl in the entire school, Maria. No way does he even vaguely like me that way." She dropped the magazine she was looking at onto her bed and gazed at the bedspread.
Maria watched her carefully. "You like him!"
"I'm going out with Kyle."
"You totally have a crush on Max Evans!"
Liz sighed and laid back. "Okay, so I think he's a really sweet guy who just happens to be incredibly good looking."
Maria grinned. "I knew it!" she said triumphantly. "So, why don't you ask him out?"
Liz sat up and stared at her. "And just what am I supposed to do about Kyle?" she demanded.
Maria shrugged. "You're right. Keep going out with him. I mean, why take a shot at happiness?"
Liz gave her a wry look. "I can't just...break up with him on the chance Max might say yes. I mean, other than a couple of incidents, Kyle's been really great. Stable, dependable."
"And we all know that's what love is based on."
Liz sighed. "And besides, I am so not convinced that Max even considers me as anything more than a lab partner or a distant friend."
"Do you want me to talk to him?" Maria volunteered.
"No! No, because when he says no, and I have to sit by him and work with him in biology, things would be way too weird." Liz gazed out her bedroom window. "Besides, Maria. If it's meant to happen, it will happen on its own."
Email: faithboscorelli1@yahoo.com
Disclaimer: Obviously they're not mine, and neither is the show. The song "Elsewhere" is by Sarah McLachlan and appears on her album, Fumbling Towards Ecstacy.
Rating: PG-13 for violence and adult language.
Spoilers: Only for the first two parts of my "Before I Knew You" series,"Building A Mystery" and "Posession." No spoilers for the show.
Summary: What was going on with Max and Liz a month before the shooting at the Crashdown?
"Oh, the quiet child
Awaits the day
When she can break free
The mold that clings
Like desperation..."
"Elsewhere" by Sarah McLachlan
------------------
Elsewhere
Liz groaned inwardly as she saw Pam Troy, Gina Walker and Stacey Schenin come in the front door of her parents' cafe, The Crashdown. She suddenly had the urge to bang her head into the wall repeatedly.
Instead, she sucked in a deep breath, grabbed her order book, and walked over to their table. "Welcome to The Crashdown. Can I take your order?" she asked, forcing herself to be friendly and cheerful.
Stacey took one look at Liz in her green waitress uniform, alien apron, and bobbing antennae and wrinkled her nose. "That outfit is so tacky."
"Don't bother talking to Liz about fashion," Pam warned. "Most everything she wears is outdated."
The girls snickered. Liz bit down on her lip to keep from saying something rude.
"Do you have anything, you know, that's not greasy or fattening?" Stacey asked, glancing over the menu.
"Do you eat here, Liz?" Pam asked sweetly.
"Uh, yeah. My parents own the cafe," Liz reminded her.
"Does that answer your question, Stace? Everything here is fattening. Look at Liz."
Liz stared at her. "Excuse me?"
"I'm sorry, Liz. But you are a bit, well," Pam lowered her voice. "Fat."
"She's right," Stacey agreed.
"Are you going to order anything?" Liz asked impatiently.
Pam sighed and leaned back in her chair. "Yeah. I'll just have a coke."
"Same here," Stacey and Gina agreed.
"Pam, you're still meeting me at the lab this afternoon to work on our lab, right?" Liz asked, almost hoping she would say no.
"I'll be there."
"Great. Three cokes coming right up." Liz started away from the table.
"Oh. Liz, make those cokes diet, please. We like to watch our weight even if you don't," Pam called after her. The girls began laughing.
Max watched Liz straighten her back and quicken her steps from his place in the corner booth. He shook his head. How could anyone be mean to Liz? he wondered in disbelief. And fat? Pam Troy has more fat in her tongue than Liz Parker has in her whole body.
He watched Liz as she carried back their cokes and set them down politely, her cheeks flushed. Then she looked up and noticed him sitting there. He quickly looked down at the menu. She walked over to him, visibly upset, but trying to hide it.
"What can I get you?" she asked, her voice strained.
Max realized she was trying not to cry. "Uh, I'll just have an alien blast."
"Okay," she answered, jotting it down on the order book. "It'll just be a couple minutes."
"Liz?"
"Yeah?"
"I think I need some help in biology. I mean, you're the smartest person in our class. Well, in the whole school really, and I was just wondering..."
Liz stared at him in surprise. "You want my help in biology?"
"Yeah. I mean, if you time. If you don't, I understand."
"No, I have time. I'm just a little surprised, that's all."
"Why?"
"It's just--you're a straight A student and probably the only guy I know that's taking geometry and trig, so I guess it's just strange to me that you'd need my help in anything..." She stopped talking and mentally slapped herself. She'd just flat out admitted she knew the guy's schedule. They barely knew each other.
Max was just as surprised. He didn't know that Liz knew he was in trig. Well, duh, Alex is in your trig class, the voice in his head told him. "Uh, yeah. But for some reason, I'm just kind of struggling with biology."
"Oh. Well, sure, I'll help you. I'm going to be in the bio lab this afternoon around two, if you want to drop in," she volunteered.
"Great," he said, smiling.
She smiled back. "I'll be back with your alien blast in just a few minutes," she told him.
Max watched her walk away. Okay, so maybe he didn't need help in biology. But it was the first thing he could think of to say to take her mind off what Pam had said to her. She'd been about to cry and that was something he couldn't stand to even think about.
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Liz grabbed the vanilla ice cream bucket out of the freezer. Maria walked over to her. "I see Max Evans is here," she commented.
"Yep." Liz didn't think anything of her remark. She scooped the ice cream into the blender.
"You talked to him for quite awhile."
"Yeah, he asked me to help him in biology."
"Oh." Maria looked to where Max was sitting. He realized she was watching him and he looked out the window. Maria smiled. "He's cute."
"Who? Max?" Liz asked, glancing at her as she turned on the blender.
Maria's grin widened. "Yeah."
Liz looked over at him, staring out the window. "Yeah." She turned back to what she was doing. The conversation wasn't exactly the first one they'd had about Max Evans. They both agreed he was most definitely one of the cutest guys at West Roswell. And the shyest. And he's awfully sweet, Liz thought.
She'd known him since the third grade. She remembered the first time she'd seen him. She was standing in the front of the school, playing a game with Maria and another friend of theirs that had moved long ago. Liz looked up from the game to see a young boy and girl holding hands, climbing off the bus together. They were the same age, the same height, but the girl had straight, chin-length blond hair, and the little boy had short, wavy dark brown hair. They had stared at each other for several long moments. Isabel had finally let go of his hand and walked into the school on her own.
Then she'd smiled at him, grabbed Maria's hand and gone over to introduce herself. He smiled shyly at her, introduced himself and then she'd taken his hand in her free one, and the three of them walked together into the school. Liz smiled at the memory.
Then she realized the milkshake was done and she quickly poured it into a glass, added a straw and carried it over to Max's table. "Here's your alien blast," she said with a smile.
Max looked up at her. "Thank you," he said quietly.
Their eyes locked for a few seconds and Liz's breath caught in her throat. "I have to get back to work," she said, turning away from him and breaking the gaze. She walked back over to the counter. I am going out with Kyle, she reminded herself.
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Max watched as Pam, Gina and Stacey stood up, threw down a three cent tip and left the cafe laughing. He finished his alien blast, paid Maria since he didn't see Liz, threw two dollars down on his table and then grabbed the pennies off Pam's. He replaced it with a five dollar bill once he was sure no one was watching. And no one ever knew the difference but him.
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Liz looked at her watch. It was five til two. Pam wasn't there yet. Big surprise, she thought. She set up their lab station with the proper equipment.
Then she realized someone was standing in the doorway and she looked up. Max Evans stood there, holding onto his books and looking a bit nervous. "Hi," she said.
"Uh, hi," he answered, swallowing hard. He stepped into the room after much hesitation and sat down at the lab station behind Liz's.
Liz turned to look at him. "So, what do you need help on?" she asked.
He bit his lip. "You look like you're busy, and I don't want to interupt, so I'm just going to go."
She blinked in surprise. "No, it's okay. I'm not busy."
"It's okay, Liz." Max started towards the door.
"Max, if you need help, that's okay. You don't have to try to figure it out alone. I'm here," she said softly.
He stopped in his place and raised his head. Then he turned to look at her. "Really?"
Liz nodded. "Yeah, of course."
Max let out the breath he'd been holding. "Okay." He walked back over to her and this time, he sat down beside her.
She gave him a warm smile. "So, what do you need help with?"
"The labs," he answered immediatly. "I have Stacey Schenin as my partner, and well, she's not a lot of help."
Liz laughed. "Yeah, I know exactly how you feel."
The breath caught in his throat. "You do."
"I have Pam as a partner," she reminded him.
He blinked. "Right." Why did he suddenly have the urge to spill his guts about everything? Geez, Max. Michael and Isabel are right. You have to be careful about this girl. Maybe not, another voice aruged. Maybe she wouldn't freak out if I told her the truth. Maybe she'd understand, he thought.
"Max?"
He looked at her, his eyes focusing on her eyes, which were watching him with concern. She wouldn't freak out. She's too good of a person for that. "Sorry. My mind was wandering," he apologized. He was nearly overcome with the urge to tell her. Then he heard Michael's warning come back to him. "Just be careful. Because one of these days this obsession you have with her is going to get you into trouble."
"It's okay," Liz replied. She turned to read over the lab sheet instructions that Ms. Hardy gave them. "All right." She looked at her watch. It was now 2:30. "I don't think Pam's going to show up, and my guess is Stacey won't be helping you on your lab, so why don't we work together?" she suggested.
"Yeah, okay," he agreed quickly.
Just then, Ms. Hardy walked in. "Liz, Max, hi," she said in surprise.
"Oh, hi," Liz said, smiling. "We just came in to work on our labs."
"Oh. Where are Pam and Stacey?"
Max and Liz exchanged a look. "Um, I don't think they're going to be here," Liz answered.
Ms. Hardy frowned. "I see."
"Is it all right if we work together?" Liz asked, biting her lip nervously.
"Well, sure. By all means." She smiled at them. "I'll be in my office you need anything."
"Thanks," Liz and Max said together. Ms. Hardy disapperared into her office.
"Let's get started," Liz said, glancing at him. She reached for a pair of goggles and handed him another pair and then she lit the bunsen burner.
Max watched her for a moment, and then reached for the flask of water. He didn't realize that the outside of the flask had water on it, and it promptly slipped out of his hand and shattered on the desk top.
Liz jumped back in surprise. "I'll grab the garbage can."
Without thinking, Max reached to pick up the pieces of broken glass and promptly cut himself. "Ow, damn!" he muttered, yanking his hand away.
Liz returned with the trash can, and then looked at him in horror when she realized what had happened. "Max, you're cut!"
"I'm okay."
"No, let me see," she said quickly, taking his hand in her own. "It doesn't look too deep. Here, let me clean it up for you." She hurried to the first aid box on the wall and grabbed the peroxide, some cotton balls and a bandaid. She took his hand again. She poured some of the peroxide onto the cotton balls and gently cleaned the cut.
Max watched her in fascination. Her hair hung in her face as she leaned over his hand in complete concentration with what she was doing. Her touch was soft and careful. Max knew she was trying her hardest not to hurt him in any way as she carefully cleaned and bandaged his wound. He suddenly had a flash of a time long ago.
They were in third grade then, and the class had been playing tag at recess. Kyle Valenti had shoved him so hard when tagging him "it" that Max fell down and scraped his hands on the concrete. Kyle had laughed at him, along with a few other guys in their class, but Liz and Maria had run over to him. Maria glared at the guys while Liz dropped to her knees and tried to help him.
"Max is a sissy, Max is a sissy," Kyle had said.
He'd never forget the look in Liz's eyes when Kyle had said that. She looked up at Kyle with fire blazing in her beautiful brown eyes, and snapped, "Stop being such a stupid jerk, Kyle!"
That had shut him up in a hurry. All the other guys stopped laughing, too. He'd just stared at her in amazement as she helped him up and escorted him to the nurse's office, her arm wrapped around his shoulders.
Max couldn't help smile. She finished bandaging the wound. "Thank you," he said softly.
Liz smiled back at him. "You're welcome. Better?"
"Yeah." She definitely wouldn't freak out, he thought.
A comfortable silence fell between them as they continued and finished the lab within a half-hour. Ms. Hardy reappeared and smiled at them. "Well, I have to admit, I was watching you from my office, and you seem to work very well together. How would you like to be permenant lab partners?"
Max looked at Liz. Liz looked at Max. They turned to Ms. Hardy. "It's fine by me, if it's okay with Max," Liz said.
"Yeah, yeah, it's fine," he agreed quickly. He smiled at Liz. She smiled back.
"Great," Ms. Hardy said. "I'll just pair up Stacey and Pam." She went back to her office.
"I think we'll make good partners," Liz said shyly.
Max gazed at her. "Yeah. Me too."
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"So, how's it going with Kyle?" Maria asked as Liz spun the combination on her locker.
Liz sighed. "Well, he apologized for what happened a couple days ago."
"Honestly, Liz. I don't know why you stay with him. You could, like, do so much better. Half the guys in school drool over you."
Liz rolled her eyes. "Yeah, male equivalents to Pam Troy. I mean, you should see her in biology. She needs a bib the way she drools over Max. Although, she did leave me a five dollar tip the other day."
"Max, huh?" Maria teased. "I hope you're not including him as a male equivilant to Wam-Bam-Pam."
Liz couldn't help laugh at Maria's nickname for the girl. "Hardly."
"Because he does stare at you all the time."
"He asked for my help in biology."
"Are you sure that's all he wants your help in?"
"Maria!" Liz scolded, putting her books in her locker. She turned to look at her friend, who suddenly burst out laughing. It was too contagious and Liz started laughing as well.
Max spotted her as he walked down the hall. God, she's beautiful, he though. She and Maria were standing at Liz's locker, talking and laughing about something. He continued watching her as he walked. She didn't seem to notice him.
His eyes locked on hers, so focused that he didn't even watch where he was going, and he ran straight into some guy that was in his trig class. "Sorry," Max mumbled. He turned and looked at Liz one last time before heading to class. And he wished again that he was anyone else in the world. Someone normal, who could just go up to her and ask her out. Or that he knew for sure that she wouldn't flip out if he told her the truth. He didn't think she would, but everytime he even considered telling her, the voice of doubt, which sounded an awful lot like Michael, whispered in his ear.
If only it was just him and Liz, and they were any where else but Roswell, New Mexico. Then maybe it would work. But that wasn't the case.
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"I'm getting an F on our lab because of you," he heard Pam Troy say as soon as headed for the bio lab from his locker.
"I waited here for you for three hours, Pam, so I could tell you that we're no longer lab partners, but that I would still help you on this lab if you needed it. You never showed."
"So you went ahead and told Ms. Hardy that I didn't show up?" Pam demanded.
"No, Ms. Hardy showed up. I wasn't going to lie."
"Well, thank you, you worthless bitch!"
Max walked in and walked over to he and Liz's lab station. "Is there a problem here, Pam?" he asked, anger edging into his voice.
"Yes. There is a problem. Liz here ditched me on our lab assignment."
Max met her eyes. "No, she didn't."
"What?! How would you know?"
"Because I was here. Liz and I are lab partners now," he said coolly. "And she waited for you. You never showed up. So if you flunk the assignment then it's your own fault. And I think you owe her an apology."
"For what?"
"For what you just called her."
"I'm not apologizing to her for anything."
"Max, forget it," Liz said quickly. "It's not worth it."
Pam rolled her eyes. "Oh, now she's trying to play the victim. Gag me."
"Wouldn't I like to," Max muttered. Liz heard him and she couldn't hold back the laugh that escaped her lips. Max looked at her and grinned. Then he laughed with her.
Pam stood there, staring at them in confusion. Then she rolled her eyes in disgust and sat down at the lab station behind them.
After they recovered from laughing, Max reached over and touched her hand. "What she said isn't true, you know. She's just not a very nice person," he whispered.
Liz's hand felt warm where he touched her and she suddenly wondered what it would be like to kiss him. She had a feeling it would be soft and gentle like his touch. Would Max caress her face, thread his fingers through her hair, hold her close to him?
Her cheeks flushed at the mental image she had suddenly conjured up. Oh, my God. Stop it. I'm going out with Kyle, she reminded herself yet again.
"Liz?"
She looked up into his eyes. Why does he have to have such beautiful eyes? she wondered. "Sorry. What?"
"Are you all right?"
"Yeah, I'm okay. Thanks." She tore her gaze from his face and turned to face Ms. Hardy as she came into the classroom. "Max?"
"Yeah?" he whispered back.
"If you don't want to be my lab partner, it's okay. I mean, I don't want you to feel obligated or anything."
Max stared at her, surprised by her own insecurities, surprised even more that they mirrored his own. "No, I mean, I do. Want to be your lab partner, I mean. If you want to be mine," he added shyly.
Liz offered him a shy smile of her own. "Yeah, it's fine." Then she turned to face forward again, unable to squash the sense of excitement she suddenly felt.
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"So, let me get this straight. You and Max are lab partners now?" Maria asked.
"Yeah."
"Uh-huh."
"Maria, he just agreed with Ms. Hardy so he wouldn't hurt my feelings or something."
"Okay. Let's add up the facts. First, the guy pulls you from your car and stays with you until you regain consciousness after your car accident," Maria said, counting on her fingers. "He then proceeds to fix your car, free of charge, I might add. Then, Max Evans--who never gets involved with anything with anyone, least of all a fight--jumps into the middle of the verbal beating Pam was giving you, and defends you to her. Then, of course, let's not forget the fact that he stares at you all the time."
"Maria, Max Evans? Come on. You've got to be joking. He's just--a really great guy."
"Who happens to be in love with you."
"Oh, stop it. Seriously. Max could have any girl in the entire school, Maria. No way does he even vaguely like me that way." She dropped the magazine she was looking at onto her bed and gazed at the bedspread.
Maria watched her carefully. "You like him!"
"I'm going out with Kyle."
"You totally have a crush on Max Evans!"
Liz sighed and laid back. "Okay, so I think he's a really sweet guy who just happens to be incredibly good looking."
Maria grinned. "I knew it!" she said triumphantly. "So, why don't you ask him out?"
Liz sat up and stared at her. "And just what am I supposed to do about Kyle?" she demanded.
Maria shrugged. "You're right. Keep going out with him. I mean, why take a shot at happiness?"
Liz gave her a wry look. "I can't just...break up with him on the chance Max might say yes. I mean, other than a couple of incidents, Kyle's been really great. Stable, dependable."
"And we all know that's what love is based on."
Liz sighed. "And besides, I am so not convinced that Max even considers me as anything more than a lab partner or a distant friend."
"Do you want me to talk to him?" Maria volunteered.
"No! No, because when he says no, and I have to sit by him and work with him in biology, things would be way too weird." Liz gazed out her bedroom window. "Besides, Maria. If it's meant to happen, it will happen on its own."