I have put this part up at the PA but I didn't realize that I still had a thread here. New parts are coming soon, I hope to have 3 before I head back to England. Hope being the key word.
A bit of a warning for the next part. Rememeber, this is the first time the group as we know it, has met. And Maria's got herself in a little bit of trouble, and well, Tess, she never backs down. And Michael doesn't always think before he acts. But I promise happy warm fuzzies are coming. This is fluff afterall.
I hope you guys like this and (hint,hint) feedback is always welcome.
~muse
Chapter 10
Liz stood on the deck of her cottage with her eyes closed and tilted her face up toward the sun, enjoying the warm glow on her skin. Lowering her head she chuckled at the sight the before her: a harried Maria trailing behind an equally agitated Alex, who paced the length of the dock. His reaction to Maria’s kooky plan of the week had gone over pretty well actually; he was just refusing to go meet Maria’s new love interest Kyle Valenti. It was totally understandable. After all, Maria did let it slip to Kyle and his brother Michael that Alex was a she and however fabricated her best friend’s story was, Liz had to admit it was going to cause quite the commotion when the three of them went next door to for the barbeque in a few hours.
Thankfully, Michael hadn’t stopped by that morning to visit Liz for coffee or Kyle hadn’t taken Maria out in boat. Liz knew the boys were busy with guests of their own. Returning her thoughts to her friends, she watched the drama as it continued to unfold.
Maria had managed to calm Alex long enough to give him a hug and from the look of remorse on her face, beg for forgiveness. Alex wouldn’t be able to last long against this onslaught of tears and pleading. Maria and Liz were part of his trio, the Roswell Three Musketeers. They did everything together. A friendship like theirs was rare, true and timeless.
I give it three more minutes before he agrees to wear a bikini and shave his legs. Snorting, Liz covered her mouth. It wouldn’t do any good for Alex to see her making fun of his plight.
One thing was for sure, it was never, ever boring hanging with Maria Deluca.
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Three hours. Three hours. That was all it took to keep Isabel happy. Michael counted himself lucky. He’d seen the closest thing to a sister he had do much more damage after breaking a nail. All it took was some slight furniture rearrangement and a few small sacrifices on his part; well, more on Kyle’s really. The dwarf was stuck sharing the pull-out couch with Maxwell, while he moved into the smaller of the bedrooms leaving the master room for Izzy and her friend Tess.
Knowing from experience how uncomfortable the old couch was, and how hard it was to sleep with springs stabbing into your back, Michael couldn’t help but grin and mock. “Don’t worry man. Max stopped wetting the bed back in the 5th grade. I’m sure he hasn’t had a relapse in ages.”
With Max’s protests in his ears, Michael narrowly avoided the Gatorade bottle that Kyle whipped at his head as he ran towards the door.
“Loser” Kyle muttered under his breath and stared at Max evilly. “If anything he said is true Evans, you’re sleeping in the jeep.”
Snickering, Michael went outside and found Isabel and Tess sprawled contentedly on lounge chairs, coated in gobs of greasy tanning oil. The scent of sickeningly sweet and fake smelling coconut plugged his nostrils. Both girls had on two piece bathing suits that could be mistaken for small triangles of brightly coloured fabric strung together with dental floss.
Michael cocked on eyebrow. “Did you forget to actually pack clothes in the 12 suitcases you brought Isabel? ‘Cause if you were looking to actually protect yourself from the elements, that” he pointed at her “really isn’t gonna do you much good.”
Isabel gave him a bored look before dismissing him with a wave of her hand. “While it’s nice to that my pseudo-brother has finally taken some interest in designer swimwear, it’s really no concern of yours what I do or do not wear Michael.”
“Tess and I look fantastic. And if this little number happens to get the attention of some tall, dark and handsome stranger on this very lake, then all the power to it.”
Michael snorted. “You mean the power of your breasts.”
Isabel sat up in her chair and gave Michael that grin that made him shuffle his feet back and forth. “I hope that if, and I do stress if here Michael, I meet someone, that he notices all of my assets.”
Frustrated, Michael gave Tess an accusing glare. “She gets this from you, you know. Certain qualities of your personality seem to be rubbing off on Iz.”
Narrowing her sea blue eyes, Tess got up from her seat and stood with her hands on her hips. “And what is that supposed to mean?”
“Oh, I’m sure you’ll figure it out eventually Tess. But in case you need a hint, think about Disney movies for a sec.”
Michael smirked at the confused look on the smaller girls clueless face. Pointing to Isabel he said “Lady.” Gesturing now to Tess his smirk deepened. “And the Tramp.”
“Michael!” Isabel exclaimed, deep with disapproval.
“Where do you get off Guerin?” Tess asked angrily, her milky skin turning red from embarrassment and hurt.
“Just saying it like it is, princess.” He answered bitingly turning the endearment into an insult. “You chase Max around for years, throwing yourself at him, knowing the whole time that my brother Kyle was in love you. And when you finally give him a chance – you break his heart!”
“That’s enough!”
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“You know, I’m beginning to get a really good feeling about this,” Alex smiled at Liz as he helped her put saran wrap over the potato salad they were bringing over to Kyle and Michael’s cabin.
“From everything you two have said about these guys, they sound pretty cool. And if Kyle understands Maria at all, he’ll know that today’s surprise is just the tip of the iceberg.”
Pausing, he grinned wryly. “Just wait until he realizes that Maria Deluca is more like the iceberg herself.”
Shaking her head Liz packed the food into some plastic shopping bags. “Alex what are you talking about?”
“She’s the iceberg that sank the Titanic.”
Liz giggled and rolled her eyes. “Come on Alex, it’s not that bad.”
“Are you serious? Maria Deluca is a force of destruction so great and terrifying that we all get sucked up into each knew disaster she creates.”
“Sounds more like a tornado.” Liz pointed out.
“Actually, I prefer hurricane.” Maria pursed her lips as Alex sheepishly shrugged his shoulders. Leaning against the counter with her arms crossed she watched Alex squirm for a second or two then smiled.
“Come on Dorothy and Toto, we’re off to see the Scarecrow and the Cowardly Lion.” Linking her arms with Alex and Liz she started off to the door. She made it two steps before Liz stopped and gave in to her curiosity.
“Alright Maria – which is which? Is Michael the lion and Kyle the scarecrow? Or the other way around?”
Maria pinched Liz’s cheek. “Sorry sweetie. Glinda the good witch never reveals the secret of the ruby slippers until the end of the movie. You’ll have to use that big brain of yours and figure it out.”
“She’s got it wrong Liz.” Alex grumbled “I’m not Toto. I’m definitely in need of a brain for going through with this.”
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“Michael,” Kyle struggled to keep his voice even when all he wanted to do was wring his stubborn brother’s stupid neck. “That’s enough. Whatever happened between Tess and me is none of your business. It’s the past, man. If I had any reason to be angry with her, I’ve let it go. Do the same.”
“Kyle, come on”
“Michael.”
It was the tone of his brother’s voice that made him close his mouth and bite down on his next retort. He hated knowing he was upsetting Kyle. Michael would rather cut off his own arm than let the Keebler Elf go through any pain. He walked away instead, heading down to the water.
“Tess, I’m sorry.” Kyle saw the unshed tears in her eyes and the way she blinked them back and gave him a ghost of a smile. “It’s okay Kyle, really. He’s your brother. He’s only trying to look out for you the only way he knows how to.”
Kyle brushed the blonde curls out of her face and pulled her in close, his chin resting on top of her head. So intent on taking care of his friend Kyle didn’t hear the approaching footfalls behind him.
“Well chica, there’s your answer.” Kyle let go of Tess and saw Maria arm in arm with Liz and a very tall, skinny and completely unfeminine Alex. Maria’s lips were set in a straight line and her green eyes nearly glowed with fury. She gave Liz a brittle smile. “I did have it wrong. He’s not the lion or the scarecrow.”
Pulling Alex with her Maria made her introductions. “Alex meet Kyle, the Tin Man. You know, the one that has no heart.” Her hand still holding Alex’s she continued. “Kyle this is Alex. I see you’ve noticed that he is in fact not a girl nor has he ever been.”
Liz pushed forward standing in between the completely befuddled Kyle and her angry friend. “So,” she stated brightly “what’s for dinner?”
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The dinner was the definition of awkward. Silence circled the group, the only sounds the scrape of plastic cutlery on Styrofoam plates in between the chewing of food. Tension seemed to be between everyone. Kyle regarded Alex suspiciously, while ignoring Maria. Maria took turns glaring at Kyle and the pretty blonde he had been holding when she, Liz and Alex arrived at Valenti-Guerin cabin. Tess seemed to find the whole situation amusing, and was doing her best to make things worse by sitting as close to Kyle as she could without actually falling in his lap. Alex was at one end of the picnic table in a beat up plastic lawn chair with Isabel, another gorgeous blonde, beside him on the same bench as Kyle and Tess. She and Maria sat across from them.
The final guest, Max Evans, Isabel’s younger brother was at the other end of the table; his chair a twin to Alex’s. He seemed to be the only person that wasn’t upset or uncomfortable. Quiet and intense-like, with dark hair that nearly fell into his eyes, he ate his food and watched the others thoughtfully.
The worst of it was that Michael wasn’t even here. All she could get out of Kyle between his arguing with Maria was that he had stormed off somewhere. “Let him cool of Liz, he’ll be back eventually.” was the only explanation she was given. No one else seemed to be concerned with his disappearance.
She could feel Isabel’s eyes on her, sizing her up. Liz fought the urge to shrink under the girl’s stare and sat up straight. It was hard to not feel intimidated. Isabel was beautiful. Long flowing blond locks with a killer body and a wicked smile that had reduced poor Alex to a stuttering fool upon meeting her. Liz was surprised that he hadn’t spontaneously combusted from being so close to her.
Meeting Isabel’s direct gaze evenly Liz waited for the interrogation to begin. “So, Liz? It is Liz, isn’t?” Isabel’s voice was falsely cheerful, the type of shrill babble you’d expect from the dumb cheerleader type; but Liz could sense underlying steel in the supermodel look-a-like. This girl was no idiot. And even worse, she was one of Michael’s closest confidantes.
Liz wondered if they had ever dated. Comparing her bra size to Isabel’s, Liz hoped not.
“Yeah. It’s Isabel right?”
Nodding Isabel gave another high wattage smile, her prefect white teeth gleaming in the afternoon sun. “It’s strange, that we’ve never met before. I’ve been visiting Kyle and Michael at this cabin for years now. Did your family just buy the one next door?”
Liz gave a sad smile. “No it belonged to my grandmother. She died last year.”
The fake smile dimmed and Liz saw real compassion come over Isabel’s face. “I’m sorry Liz.”
“It’s okay Isabel. I hadn’t been here in a long time, not since I was a kid. I thought that it would be good to see my Grandmother Claudia’s cottage again before I go to school in the fall.”
“You’re going to college?” Isabel asked, “Where?”
“Harvard, actually.”
“Impressive,” Isabel raised an eyebrow, “You must be a brain. Scholarship?”
“Partial. My parents are going to pay for what they can and I have some savings from working at the Crashdown.”
“That’s the restaurant that you’re parents own? The alien-themed café in Roswell?”
Tess giggled. “Let me guess. Bug-eyed green aliens painted on the walls, greasy food and some very scary uniforms that probably involve antennae.”
“Gee Tess, what are you psychic?” Liz asked a little coolly.
“For your information, blondie, I work at the Crashdown as well, and it’s a great place.” Maria glared at Tess, just warming up. “The food, while maybe not to your caviar and pate tastes, is fantastic and we happen to look pretty damn cute in our uniforms.”
“I wasn’t being bitchy Maria. I’ve been to the Crashdown.”
“What?” Maria exclaimed. “Sure you have. And I'm Avril Lavigne and you’re really the Virgin Mary."
“Maria,” Alex started, just as Isabel fixed a scary look his friends way, “Let her finish.”
“I can’t believe you Alex! She just”
“MARIA!”
“Fine, Fine.” Maria waved her hands around dramatically and gave a small bow to Tess. “Go on. Tell your little story.”
Taking a deep breath Tess tried to stay calm. It wasn’t her fault that Kyle’s new summer fling had seen him give her a hug. She and Valenti were ancient history. And what Tess couldn’t understand was where Maria’s victim status came from. Hadn’t she told Kyle that her friend Alex was a girl?
Rolling her eyes, she went on “As I was saying. I’ve been to Roswell. My Dad is in the army and until he retired a few years back I spent most of my life moving from one place to the next. He was stationed on the base outside Roswell for a few weeks one summer when I was a kid.” Tess pushed her hair out of her face, remembering what it was like being that girl. “I was lonely; not many families were staying there at the same time so I was on my own a lot. But I remember my Dad taking me to your parent’s restaurant Liz. I loved how bright and colourful it was. And the food, was excellent.”
Turning her attention to Maria, Tess smirked. “I’ve never liked caviar. Unlike some people, I actually care about what I put in my mouth.”
Liz got to her feet in record time and pulled Maria away from the picnic table. Alex, knowing Maria as well as she did, knew the stunned look and speechlessness would only last so long before “Hurricane” Deluca went into action
“It was a lovely meal, Kyle. Nice to meet all of you.” Liz thanked the group, and started for the cottage but not before she noticed the slight smile and amused look on Max’s face. His smile grew when he saw her looking at him. Liz smiled automatically in response, glad that someone was actually enjoying themselves.
Alex’s gaze lingered on Isabel and he melted as she smiled back at him. “Thanks again. Sorry about all the… everything.” Flustered he hurried after Liz who was dragging a screeching Maria back to the cottage.
~end part.
K, guys, I promise, next time it's skinny-dipping!
