Author: Alison
Genre: M/L, but all CC and that does include K/T
Summary: A party. Max and Liz. Spin the Bottle. Fluff.
Disclaimer: Not mine. Don’t sue.
Rating: Uh, Teen?
A/N: Just a short fluff piece from me. Got bored, finished off one that I started some time last year. That’s why I believe it improves as we get into the later parts. Will post every week till finished, scout’s honour.
Thanks to Steph, my wonderful beta!
Thanks go to Rosdude for the awesome banner!
Spin Me
Part One
“Maria, I need to talk to y-”
I’m interrupted by Jane who sees fit to inform me of what I already knew.
“Liz, do you know what Alex is doing right now? You might want to go rescue him before he does anything really stupid.”
I nod, concealing my annoyance and gesture to Maria, “Just getting reinforcements. Alex is a little too much for me to handle on my own.”
“Fair enough. Considering some of the moves he’s been pulling I’d say you’d need some extra help.”
I roll my eyes. “I’d say that he’s the one who needs help.”
She laughs and heads off and I turn back to the table where everyone is looking at me. My eyes flick around the table in confusion before settling on Maria.
“What?”
“Uh, babe-” I follow Maria’s eyes to the table where I finally notice the empty bottle pointing at me.
Oh, please don’t tell me-
“Spin the bottle. And you have been selected.”
My mouth drops open and I almost groan with annoyance.
“But I wasn’t even playing! I just sat down to tell you something and got distracted. Surely I don’t have to-”
“Sorry babe. The bottle was spun after you sat down and by joining the table you joined the game. You have to perform.”
My eyes close in frustration and I take a deep breath.
“Fine.” I grunt out. “But after this we have to rescue Alex. He’s drunk and that means that he’s making a fool out of himself over a girl. I don’t have to tell you which one.”
It’s a well known fact that Alex has an enormous crush on Isabel Evans. Personally myself, I cannot see the attraction. Yes, you have the big breasts, long legs and blonde hair, but you also have the soul that reminds you of the reincarnation of the devil.
“So, let’s get this over with.” I pause as I take in the fact that I have to kiss some strange guy. “Who actually spun the bottle?”
My question sounds stupid even to my own ears. I’ve obviously never done this before because it wasn’t my first thought to ask who I had to kiss. I’ve kissed guys before but I’ve never played spin the bottle before. Usually the guys aren’t appealing or I’m just too shy to actually try it.
“Max Evans.”
I’m certain that my mouth has dropped open and I’m staring at Maria in horror. There is no way that I am going to kiss Max Evans.
It’s not that I don’t want to kiss him, but I’m terrified that I won’t meet his expectations. He’s the hottest guy in school, almost every girl has an enormous crush on him and they expect me to kiss him with an audience?
I am going to make the biggest idiot out of myself.
“M-max?” I stutter and Maria nods with dancing eyes.
“Yes. Max,” she answers glibly like a female Morpheus. I turn to the table where Max is sitting looking at me with an unreadable expression on his perfect features.
Why me? Oh, this is so intimidating. Why couldn’t I have gotten Michael or one of the other guys at the table?
Actually, on second viewing, the other guys at the table are all fairly rank. But there’s still a large gathering of pretty girls on the table. They were probably hoping to score Michael or Max and from the jealous glares that I’m receiving, I surmise that I’m correct in my assessment.
“Right.” I pull myself together and put some steel in my backbone. Max doesn’t need to know how intimidated he makes me feel. He’s already far too cocky for his own good. The guy has arrogant down to an art form. I say this but that doesn’t stop me from fantasising about kissing him. He may be an ass, but I’ll be damned if I’m not extremely attracted to him.
Me and about five hundred other girls.
“Well. I’d better get this over with then so we can rescue Alex.”
Good enough reasoning to make this quick and hopefully painless. Poor Max. His face gives nothing away, but he’s probably dreading this more than I am for completely different reasons. Imagine, he has the pick of a bunch of blonde, sexually active bimbos to spin from and by some horrible twist of fate, he gets stuck with mousy, inexperienced Liz Parker.
Guess he’ll have to wait till his next turn to pick up some random blonde.
I rise from the table and head over to him, my heart beating in my mouth and my whole body tingling. He hasn’t said a word to me yet and I find his silence unsettling. He could at least attempt to make me feel better about this by laughing it off as a joke. But no, he has to be completely silent, like he’s awaiting a death sentence.
Right Liz, here’s the plan. Quick peck to the lips and under no circumstance do you let yourself get carried away and try to take the kiss further. Everyone knows that you’re not drunk and it would be mortifying to go back to school with everyone knowing how Liz Parker tried to stick her tongue down Max Evans’s throat and got rejected.
Just think about mud.
I hear whispering and sniggers as I walk and I curse Maria mentally. Damn her for embarrassing me like this! Why was she here anyway? I’ll have to put that thought aside and ponder that later because I’ve reached Max.
God that table is long.
Focus, Liz! Stay on task, for the love of everything holy! Do not mess this up.
I slide to a stop in front of Max and he turns to face me in his seat. At least he’s making it easier for me.
The seats are high swivel chairs and he doesn’t get up. God, why do I have to be the one who has to make the first move? He spun the bottle; shouldn’t he be kissing me instead of the other way round? Of course not. Not even in a game of spin the bottle would Max Evans make the first move. All women come to him. It’s the way of the world. Max is so perfect that he doesn’t pursue women, they pursue him.
Funnily enough he rejects a lot of them. He must be very picky. Or gay.
I hope he’s not gay. Not that it makes a difference to me. He’s still too far out of my league for him to even consider me, but I’d like to think that the one guy who really gets me hot under the collar doesn’t like other men. Although he does spend an inordinate amount of time with Michael. Hmm…
He’s looking at me expectantly, along with all the other members of the table and I blink out my musings.
“Right, well. I’m just gonna…”
I tuck my hair over my shoulder so it doesn’t get in the way (I’m a thinker!) and bend down to him haltingly. God just do it, Liz! It’s like ripping off a Band-Aid. The quicker you do it, the less it hurts.
Oh dear lord. I can’t breathe. I am an inch away from Max Evans’s face and I can’t breathe.
Mud. Think about mud and just do it. With a burst of resolution I push past the extra inch and kiss Max Freakin’ Evans.
My body is on fire as his lips hit mine. A bolt seems to sear through me and my knees feel like jelly. My mind still manages to function though and I go to pull away after kissing him for long enough. I realise I can’t as I’ve caught my jacket on something and it’s holding me there.
Max’s lips begin to move against mine and the butterflies in my stomach turn into giant birds of prey. I don’t remember this being part of the plan. The plan was to peck and leave, not to have the most sexual moment of my life in front of an audience.
I’ve been with guys and been around the second and third base area but none of that ever made me this tingly and turned on. I feel dizzy as we kiss and so I reach out to brace myself against Max’s chest. Not a wise idea considering how freaking cut he is.
The pace of our kiss is so slow and sensuous and I can’t believe that Max Evans could be this gentle. We’re still kissing and I think we’ve really surpassed the length of time that you’re meant to kiss for when you play spin the bottle.
But I don’t care. This has to be the best moment of my life. Which is supremely sad; because now the best moment of my life was when Max Evans was forced to kiss me after playing spin the bottle.
Whatever’s caught my jacket increases the tension until I step forward into Max who puts his left arm around my back as my hands run up from his chest to the top of his shoulders curling around them. The pace increases slightly and I shiver when Max’s right arm runs its way up along my arm, up my neck to cup my cheek. I can’t believe this is happening.
I especially can’t believe it when Max’s tongue seeks entrance into my mouth.
‘He’s Max Evans, who am I to deny him?’ I reason as I open my mouth and slide my tongue across his.
Christ, I can feel this in my fucking toes.
I can feel absolutely everything about this moment. It’s all imprinted in my brain.
Every inch of our bodies pressed together, my breasts pushing against his chest as I lean over him, his hand gripping the material of my jacket across my back, the exact location of his fingers in my hair. Everything.
And suddenly the magic is broken when someone coughs.
I break away and pull out of Max’s grip, blinking, trying desperately to get my bearings. I glance back at Max who is looking at me oddly.
I search desperately for a reason to leave when I look around the table. Everyone is looking at me with their mouths hanging open and I call out to Maria, trying to remember why I wanted her before.
“Uh, Maria, we need to…Um….”
“-Rescue Alex?” Maria suggests casually and I have never loved her more.
“Yeah.” I respond and turn towards the door, I’m nearly jogging I’m walking that fast.
Maria catches up with me once we’re in the hall and she asks as we walk towards the living room of the Evans’s house.
“Oh my Lord, Liz! That was not a spin the bottle kiss! That looked so frickin’ intense! You have to tell me what that was like.”
I shake my head and rub my eyes while I walk. How did I let that happen? Now Max was going to know that I’m attracted to him. Friggin fantastic.
“I’m amazed that you think there are actual words to describe that.” She exhales in amazement and I say more to myself, “Just how in the world did I let that happen?”
“You didn’t let it happen, Liz. It just happened. You can’t control everything.”
“But I had a plan!” I cry, somewhat petulantly. Next I’ll be stamping my feet. “I was going to give him a quick peck and then flee. If only I hadn’t caught my jacket on whatever that thing was…”
I pause and think about that. I had assumed that I’d caught it on the chair but my jacket wasn’t caught when I pulled away. Now that I think about it-
“Honey, that ‘thing’ that had your jacket was Max. He was holding you there.” She explains whilst looking at me strangely and I feel stunned.
Just what was he doing that for?
Maybe he was looking for some fun. How to toy with the brainy, plain, science chick by making her reveal to an audience how attracted she is to the school hunk.
What a fucking asshole!
I am never, ever going to go near Max Evans ever again! Great. Only two more years of going to school with him. And I’ll bet we have a bunch of classes together and he’ll sit there smirking and laughing with his brain dead friends.
My dazedness has certainly worn off now as I stomp down the hall.
Why me? God, it’s not like I’m a complete social outcast. I have many friends, none of them are in the ruling class of the real popular people, but I’m pretty popular throughout our year and our school. Why did he feel the need to humiliate me like that?
Maria looks at me with concern as I mutter angrily to myself.
I groan when we enter the living room. Alex is dancing on the table a la Olive from Little Miss Sunshine. Next he’ll be crawling across the table growling.
“Oh, jeez.”
I think Maria summed it up nicely. Don’t you?
We reach the table as Crooklyn Clan’s ‘Be Faithful’ comes on. Alex attempts to pull me onto the table to dance with him but overbalances and falls off, creating large amounts of cheering and clapping from the witnesses.
Maria and I pull him up and sling his arms over our shoulders and drag him out of the living room much to the anger of the crowd, who boo us for our efforts.
“Oh Lizzy, it’sh terr’bul. Izzy dudn’t wanna be wi me.”
I roll my eyes as Alex, Maria and I wobble our way to the car.
“You’ll be ok Alex. You don’t need her.”
“Yesh I do. She’sh tha most wunnerfull girl in tha whole world.” He slurs with a dreamy quality to his voice.
I smile at Alex, despite my anger at both the Evans twins and then curse as I trip over a sprinkler that was left carelessly on the lawn. What is it about the Evans family? Even their property’s out to get me.
“Well she obviously doesn’t deserve you Alex. Wait for a girl who’s worth it and who wants you back.”
Alex shakes his head as he falls into the backseat of Maria’s jetta.
“She is worf it. I jusht have ta prove that she doesh need me! I’ll prove myshelf to her!”
Alex goes to rise but I push him back down into the seat.
“Tomorrow Alex. You don’t want to seem too eager now, do you?”
Alex ponders my words and as he does he falls asleep, much to my relief.
I get in the passenger side of the car as Maria waits behind the wheel. I slam the door shut as I catch a glimpse of Max Evans in the front yard. Maria starts to drive and then looks at me with curiosity.
“You look royally pissed, Liz. What’s going on in that little head of yours?”
“Max Evans is an asshole.”
Maria seems surprised by my anger. “Ok, well I wouldn’t have thought so from the way you were kissing him five minutes ago.”
“He completely humiliated me in front of many people! He made me openly reveal how attracted I am to him and now I just know that he’s gonna be gloating with his moron friends about how he fooled Liz Parker into acting like a slut.”
Maria turns her head and looks at me with wide eyes. “You’re attracted to him? Well, that’s not so hard to grasp now, but before that kiss I would never have guessed that you felt that way about Max. Honey, how would he have known that you felt that way if I, your best friend, didn’t know? I don’t think that was a set up.”
I’m not letting him off that easy. I’m certain that Max is an arrogant pig and I’m still angry. Mostly at myself for losing control like that, but I’ll take it out on Max.
“He’s probably so arrogant that he assumes every girl secretly pines for him. Ugh, I can’t believe that I have to go back to school and see him on Monday! Is it too late to transfer?”
“Don’t you dare! You will stick it out if only for my sake! Don’t leave me here with only Alex.”
A thought flashes through my head and I follow it up. “Maria, what were you doing playing spin the bottle anyway?”
It might just be my imagination but Maria seems to flush. I can’t tell properly in the dark.
“I got dared to,” is her answer and when she doesn’t add anything I’m forced to ask, “By whom did you get dared?”
“Michael.”
“Michael? Michael Guerin?”
She nods.
“Michael Guerin dared you to play spin the bottle?”
“Yep.”
A monosyllabic Maria means that something is definitely up. Usually she’ll talk a mile a minute, underwater, with a hundred marbles in her mouth. I’m getting to the bottom of this.
“Why?”
“He said that I should take a chance. Whatever that means.”
Ok… this day keeps on getting weirder and weirder.
“Well. Sounds like a certain someone wants a slice of Maria pie.”
The tension in our car is broken as we both laugh loudly, waking Alex up.
“Wassamatter?”
Maria pulls up outside Alex’s house and we help him into his room. Thank God he’s a light guy. Maria and I aren’t particularly strong and if he wasn’t lanky we would have had some trouble.
Maria drops us off at my place because we both have work here tomorrow and it’s more convenient for her to stay overnight. We both fall into silent contemplation as we climb into bed, Maria thinking about Michael and me angrily reflecting on that kiss.
I can’t deny that it still gives me chills whenever I think about it. Thinking about it makes me even angrier. He’s obviously had a lot of practice kissing like that and it probably meant far more to me than to him. I hate him so much right now.
Why did I have to sit down? Why did that bottle have to point to me? Why did he have to kiss me like that? Why did he make me care for him when he can’t like me back? Tears are streaming down my face now from anger, pain and desperation.
It’s going to take a long time before I get over this.
***
