Passion (M&M & CC/UC, AU, Adult, ) (Complete)

[April]

nibbles:

martini's are such an un-Michael drink.

That's true. I'd say he's more of a beer man.
pookie76: You'll be happy to know that there does come a time in this story where Michael's luck gets a little . . . unluckier, so stay tuned!
Mag:

Michael isn't human. He's probably the spawn of Satan and of one poor girl who turned insane after giving birth to him.

Well, even though he is enough to drive a person crazy, in the end, he's just a lucky guy, not the spawn of Satan.
Christina:

I actually enjoyed Max's joke too. Yes it was cheesy, but I thought it was cute. And it certainly made me giggle.

Yeah, it wasn't a horrible joke. Not the best, but not the worst, either. Oh, and I had a feeling you would enjoy Max and Liz's silent look they gave each other.
Krista:

Those damned stuffed animals are all ugly and bootleg now.

Ain't that the truth? When I was in Vegas, I was too young to gamble, and I had to settle for the arcade. The games are fun, but the so-called prizes . . . ugly as hell. One time a won a teddy bear that looked more like a moose. Sick.
lilah:

gotta say my husband and I were there 2 years ago when I turned 21 and we certainly didn't win $1000

Part of it depends what casino you were playing in. I was too young to gamble when I went, but I know my mom (yes, I went to Vegas with my mom!) lost a lot of money in Vegas, barely won anything.
tequathisy:

Even though Kyle appears to notice and be jealous of Alex, he hasn't done much by the way of staking his claim on Isabel. So he's either not worried about losing her to Alex, or losing her doesn't bother him all that much.

Well, Kyle's kind of gotten used to be "the man," so it's probably a combination of him not seeing Alex as a threat and not having as strong of feelings for Isabel as he'd like to think he does. Now, if Alex were flirting with Tess, on the other hand, Kyle would open up a can of whoop-ass immediately!
spacegirl23:

OMG, Michael throwing himself in the pool with Maria?! Now that is SOOO HOT!

Glad you liked that! But just wait, there is a Vegas part coming up soon that's really hot!
Sara:

But I can see how insecure Liz would be around Maria....its just annoying.

Oh yeah, Liz's insecurities are a driving force for her character.
mariadac:

But how can Max and Liz honestly think that Michael and Maria don't love each other if its so obvious to everyone else

Oh, it's even obvious to Max and Liz. They're just in denial big-time.
Elle: Hey, I'm happy to see you're still reading! I understand that things get busy, so don't worry about not feedbacking. But thanks for this feedback!
Tine:

but it's probably gonna take a LOT more than that to make hin realize, that he's not only developing a prettyhuge physical attraction towards Maria.

Oh, yeah. Don't expect Michael to have some huge epiphany yet (if ever.) His story is very much about time, the time it takes to understand his feelings, the time it takes to act on his urges, the time it takes to grow up.
Vael: New reader! Yea! I'm glad you're interested in this story. I must say, it's interesting to read some different opinions. Most of my readers seem to dislike Max and Liz and like Tess/Alex/Isabel/Kyle. So like I said, it's interesting to read the different opinions. And since M+M are the main characters, it's nice to know that they "entice" you.





Thank you everyone for reading and feedbacking!










Part 71








“Ugh, I’m all chlorine-y,” Maria complained when she, Max, Michael, and Liz all walked back into their hotel room. She tried to run her fingers through her wet hair, but it was knotted because of the pool’s chlorine. “Ugh,” she groaned again.

“That was fun,” Michael commented, tossing his wet towel onto the bathroom floor.

“Yeah,” Maria agreed, “except for the near-drowning.”

He smiled. “Sorry about that.”

“Oh, I’m sure you are.”

“Ow,” Liz said, gently touching her own shoulder. “I think I got burned.”

“Sunburned?” Michael asked, looking her over.

“Yeah.”

Maria rolled her eyes. “You have a darker complexion than I do, and you wore sun block,” she reminded her. “You didn’t get burnt. I mean, you always look a little crispy, but . . .”

“Crispy?” Liz echoed.

“Her insults are all over the place today,” Michael said, shaking his head. “You wanna shower?”

“Ew, no,” Maria answered immediately, though it actually sounded like a magnificent idea.

“I wasn’t asking you,” he informed her.

“Oh.” Right, she thought. He was asking Liz. “Wait a minute, wait a minute. I think we need to figure out the showering schedule here. I get to go first because I say so. Liz gets to go next ‘cause she’s a supposedly a girl. Max gets to go third ‘cause he’s a nice guy, and Michael gets to go last ‘cause blugh. And of course, Max and I can double up or you two can double up if you must.”

“Or you two can double up,” Michael suggested hopefully, pointing to both Liz and Maria. “No?”

Liz shook her head. “No, honey.”

“Hell no,” Maria replied emphatically. “If I were to shower with another girl, it would be Tess, not Liz.”

Michael smiled dazedly and gestured to the adjoining door between the hotel rooms. “So let’s go get Tess then.”

Maria rolled her eyes at him and looked over to Max. “Is it just me, or is he getting more and more perverted by the day?”

“It’s a gift,” Michael proclaimed before Max could answer. “Come on, Liz.”

“Okay.”

“What? No!” Maria shrieked as they scurried into the bathroom and shut and locked the door. “Liz goes second! I’m number one! I’m number one! You asshole!” She slammed her fist on the door angrily as she heard the water start up. “Great,” she grunted. “The point of shower is to get clean . . . or have sex, but right now, I wanna get clean. How am I supposed to do that after they dirty it up? I’m so pissed.”

“Really?” Max said, pulling a t-shirt over his head. “‘Cause it kinda sounds like you’re jealous.”

Maria froze and looked into his eyes. Jealous? Yeah, she was. She wanted it to be her in the shower with Michael, not Liz. She wasn’t surprised that Max picked up on it, but she was surprised that he made a comment about it. She wasn’t sure how to respond. “Max . . .”

“I’m gonna go get some pizza,” he said. “Swimming always makes me hungry. You want some?”

He was brushing over it, going on as if he hadn’t said anything important at all. It baffled her, yet she didn’t really mind. She didn’t want to get into a fight with him, or even a serious conversation for that matter, so she just said, “Yeah.”

“Okay. Extra cheese, right?”

She nodded. “Right.”

“Okay, I’ll be back.”

She watched as he left the room, seeming downtrodden. She knew she didn’t pay as much attention to Max as she should. She never had. But as she saw him walk out of that room with slumped shoulders and a look of disappointment in his eyes, she realized that he wasn’t happy. He loved her, but he wasn’t happy.

And it was all her fault.

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

Maria lay in bed that night, staring up at the ceiling. She was having a hard time getting to sleep. It wasn’t that the bed was uncomfortable. Au contraire, it was actually the most comfortable mattress she’d ever felt in her life. It wasn’t that she wasn’t tired, either. Their group had hit the club scene that night and partied for hours. She was tired and the bed was comfortable, but she was too busy thinking to fall asleep. Thinking about her life and wishing it wasn’t so complicated. Wishing she hadn’t been the one to make it so complicated.

She turned her head to the side and saw Michael and Liz cuddled up and asleep on their bed. Michael lay flat on his back with one arm around Liz. She rested her head on his chest and her hand on his stomach. Maria felt the sharp pangs of envy, and when she turned her head to the other side to see Max lying beside her, she felt waves of guilt, too.

He’d been distant all night, and she couldn’t blame him. She’d spent most of her evening paying attention to Michael. She couldn’t help it. If Max Evans and Michael Guerin were in a room together, her eye would instinctively land on Michael. Her words would be used arguing with him. She was actually surprised Max hadn’t acted more distant that evening. She’d barely noticed him.

She turned over onto her side and moved in close to him, watching him sleep for a moment. He was really a great guy. There were a lot of girls who would love to have him. Good-looking. Sweet. Sincere. Smart. Max was like the perfect package. He wasn’t the problem. She was. She had a passion with Michael she didn’t have with Max. And it was all about passion.

“I’m sorry, Max,” she whispered, briefly pondering waking him up and telling him everything. Everything. But then he surprised her when he spoke.

“What for?”

“Oh,” she said, sliding backward on the bed a little bit. “I thought you were asleep.”

“Not yet,” he said. “What are you sorry for, Maria?”

Shit, she thought. Here he was, awake, but she couldn’t tell him anything. Cowardice and all that. She quickly thought up a lie. “Oh, um . . . just for wasting so much of your money today. And for complaining about the seat on the airplane.”

He smiled. “32F.”

“Yeah. I just . . . you do so much for me, and I don’t know if I’ve ever even said thank you.”

“You said it,” Max assured her.

“Yeah, but . . . I should say it louder or more or . . . better.”

He laughed a little and said, “Wanna give it a try?”

“Sure.” She moved in closer and placed her hand on his shoulder. “Thank you.”

He smiled. “You’re welcome.” He leaned in, then, and kissed her gently. Max was a good kisser, too. Another good quality.

I bet Michael’s an amazing kisser, Maria found herself thinking as her lips moved against Max’s. I’m sorry, Max.

She pulled away slowly, smiled at him despite her guilt, and rolled over onto her other side so that her back was to him. He moved up close behind her and wrapped his arms around her, spooning her. He pressed a soft kiss to her shoulder and murmured, “I love you.”

“I love you, too,” she blurted, and the moment the words left her mouth, she wished to God they hadn’t. She stiffened momentarily, silently cursing herself for being so stupid. She could practically hear Max smile behind her. Obviously, hearing her say the words made him happy. He was in love with her, and now he thought she loved him back. Now he was happy.

She tried to relax and focus on falling asleep, but she couldn’t do that. Because there was one perpetual thought running through her mind: I’m so sorry, Max. I don't love you.

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

“Wait, you said it? You said ‘I love you’?”

It was hard not to notice the disbelief on Tess’s face. “Too,” Maria added quietly. “I said ‘I love you, too.’”

“Oh my god, Maria.” Tess dug her hands into her hair and shook her head in shock. “Why?”

“I don’t know, Tess,” Maria admitted. “I just . . . I don’t know. One minute I was gonna let him down easy, and the next I just said it. And when I realized what I said, it was too late to take it back.”

“Right about that.” Tess opened the bathroom door and peered back outside into the restaurant. “Okay, Kyle’s still doing armpit farts,” she observed. “We’ve still got a few minutes.”

Maria sighed heavily and said, “I just can’t believe I made things even more complicated. Oh god, and you should’ve seen Max this morning. He was, like . . . jolly, Tess. He was a jolly person.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, singing in the shower, telling jokes that were actually semi-funny, skipping down the hallway.”

“Skipping?”

“Well, no, not—no, he was skipping. Or sashaying or something. Something happy.”

“Well, it’s good that Max is happy,” Tess said. “It’s not good that he’s happy ‘cause of a lie.”

“Oh, I suck,” Maria groaned, pacing back and forth. She stopped in front of the mirror and took a look at herself, nothing the tired bags beneath her eyes and the distress on her face. “Why does Max love me?” she wondered aloud.

“Well, you can’t help who you love,” Tess offered. “You of all people should know that.”

Maria turned back around to face her friend. “I just said it. I don’t feel it.”

Tess hesitated a moment, biting her bottom lip contemplatively before suggesting, “Maybe you do.”

Maria didn’t understand. “What?”

“Well, I mean . . . I’ve gotten to know you pretty well over the past two years, Maria; and I know you don’t say those words very often . . . or at all. So maybe, since you actually said it . . . maybe you do feel it. Maybe you do love Max.”

“I don’t,” Maria responded rapidly. “I mean, I-I do. I . . . I love Max. In the way you love a brother or a lifelong friend. Not like he loves me.”

“Okay, getting creepy,” Tess said. “You love him like a brother, yet you have sex with him?”

“Well . . . no, I just love him like a brother; I don’t actually think of him as one.”

“Well, what do you think of him as, Maria?”

“Just as . . . Max,” she answered dumbly. Tess gave her a look, and she sighed. “Not Michael.”

“Right. So if you want Michael and Max is not Michael, then why did you start dating him in the first place?”

Maria flapped her arms helplessly against her sides, feeling like a broken record. “I don’t know.”

“Maria . . .”

“Back when I first started feeling things for Michael . . . he asked me who I had feelings for, and I couldn’t very well just go out and say, ‘Oh, funny you ask, ‘cause it’s you.’”

“Why not?”

“Because I was afraid, Tess. And I just blurted out Max’s name ‘cause it was the only name that came to mind; and it was just another one of those things when stupid words came out of my stupid mouth, and I stupidly sat there and let it happen. Just like last night dropping the l-bomb. Stupid. Stupid thing to do.”

Tess opened her mouth and looked to be about to say something when the door to the bathroom opened and a middle-aged woman tried to step in.

“Uh, occupied!” Tess said, shoving the door shut again.

“There’s stalls,” the poor woman moaned desperately.

“Occupied regardless!” Tess said fervently.

“No, actually, we should be getting back out there,” Maria said. “They’re probably all wondering what we’re doing.”

“I guess,” Tess agreed reluctantly. “But we should talk later. Because Maria . . . this whole thing’s really unfair to Max.”

Maria looked down at her feet, feeling guilty as ever. “Yeah,” she whispered. “That’s the one thing I do know.”

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

“I can’t believe you got the tuna salad. That’s just . . .”

Liz laughed a little and looked up at him. “What? Max got it, too.”

“But for breakfast?” Michael shook his head, not understanding it.

“Brunch,” Liz corrected. “There’s a difference.”

“Yeah,” Max agreed. “Besides, tuna salad’s excellent.”

“Excellent?” Michael echoed. “Who says that?”

Max shrugged as Maria and Tess came back to the table.

“Hey,” Michael said, mostly to Maria. “Glad you decided to rejoin us.”

Maria slid across Max’s lap and sat down in between him and Alex. She was strangely quiet. Tess plopped down next to Kyle and asked, “So our food’s not here yet?”

“No, but the waitress said just a few more minutes,” Kyle told her.

“Excellent.”

Michael and Max exchanged a look, and Michael laughed a little. “Alright, so who’s hittin’ the casino with me today?”

Tess, Kyle, and Maria all chimed in immediately. Liz leaned into him and said, “I’ll go if you’re there,” and Max said something along the same lines to Maria. Alex didn’t say anything, and Isabel sort of just looked at him and smiled. Michael noticed it. He wondered if Kyle did, too.

“I wanna play Roulette,” Tess chirped excitedly. “I think it could be the game for me. I know my colors.”

Kyle chuckled. “It's just black and red, baby. Just black and red.”

“No pink?”

He laughed again.

“I might actually play today,” Max piped up. “You know, I think I might get lucky.”

Michael raised an eyebrow and shot a look at Maria. “Is that true, DeLuca?”

“Maybe,” was all she offered in response. “Really none of your business.”

“Huh. Well . . .” He clapped his hands together once and said, “You know what else we can do? Stratosphere, anyone?”

“Sounds awesome,” Kyle said. Isabel, Tess, Alex, and Maria all nodded their heads in agreement. Max and Liz, however, exchanged confused looks. Michael could practically sense the scientific aroma in the air, and when Liz inquired, “The second layer of the earth’s atmosphere?” he was reminded that the two of them were, at heart, big science geeks. Liz just hid it well these days.

“Uh, actually the Stratosphere’s a hotel,” he informed them. “You know, that one at the end of the Strip, built like the Seattle Space Needle. Yeah, there’s a rollercoaster on top of it. Supposedly it’s pretty awesome. And there’s some other rides, too.”

“Oh,” Max said.

“Oh,” Liz echoed. “Sorry. Science stuff from . . . back in the day.”

“Right,” Michael said, smiling. ‘Back in the day’ had only been a couple of months ago. “That’s alright,” he said, hoping Liz didn’t feel embarrassed. “Common mistake.”

“Common mistake,” Tess agreed emphatically. “God, is our food ever gonna get here?”

“I know,” Max said. “I really want that tuna salad.”

“Me, too,” Liz agreed.

Michael shook his head, and Max smiled. Hmm, Michael thought. That guy’s been smiling a lot this morning. All morning. Something was different about Max. He wasn’t sure what, but he’d known the guy for eight years. There was a reason why he was acting so . . . cloud nine. “Hey, Maxwell,” he said, “what’s goin’ on with you? You’re acting . . . happy. Not to insinuate you’re not a happy guy. You are, or at least I think you are. It’s just that today, you almost seem . . .” He trailed off, unable to think of the word.

“Jolly,” Tess filled in.

“Yeah, jolly.” That was it. “What’s up with that?”

Max smiled and put his arm around Maria’s shoulders. “What can I say?” he said. “I just get the feeling this is gonna be a good day.”

Michael surveyed the two of them, not quite sure what was going on. But Max sure as hell looked happier than Maria did.

Incredible blowjob? he wondered. Probably. Look at those lips . . .

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

“Yes!” Kyle hissed as he won another hand of blackjack that day. His chip collection was growing fast, and it was only 1:00 in the afternoon. If his good luck and gambling smarts held up, he’d be leaving the casino with a substantial amount of money that day.

“Dammit!” Isabel cursed, throwing her hands up in the air. “That’s it! I’ve had it with this game!”

“You gotta stick with it,” Kyle told her. “Tess did yesterday. She came out ahead.”

“But I don’t get it,” Isabel said, holding up her cards. “Look. A king, a queen, and a two. Twenty-two. How could I lose?”

“Isabel. The point is to get twenty-one. Anything over that, you automatically lose,” he informed her.

“Oh,” she said, setting her cards back down on the table. “That explains why I’ve been losing so much.”

“You wanna try again?” he asked, already setting out the next chips he planned to bet.

“Nah,” she decided. “I’m gonna go hit the arcade, see if I can find Alex.”

He watched out of the corner of his eye as she walked away, not particularly happy about that. “Of course you are,” he muttered, knowing now how she probably felt all those times that he’d paid more attention to Tess than to her. It wasn’t really a good feeling. At all.

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

Michael stuck a ten dollar bill in one of many change machines in the casinos and held his change bucket underneath the dispenser as quarters fell out. Max did the same after him, looking excited. Michael couldn’t blame him. A man’s first gambling experience was practically an orgasm.

“So, uh, you never answered my question earlier,” Michael said casually as they walked back through the casino toward the slot machines where they’d left Maria and Liz. “Why are you so happy?”

“Don’t you mean jolly?”

“Oh, see? That subtle joking . . . that’s not you, man. No offense.”

Max shrugged. “None taken.”

Michael jingled his quarters around in his bucket, still wondering. “So?”

Max smiled a little and said, “Well, it happened last night . . .”

“Oh, incredible blowjob,” Michael cut in. “I figured.”

“No, better.”

“What could be better?”

Max’s smile managed to grow, and he looked to be blushing a little as he said, “Maria told me she loved me last night.”

Although hearing that was enough to make him stop in his tracks, Michael kept walking, shocked to say the least. “She did, huh?”

“Yeah. Just out of nowhere. I definitely wasn’t expecting it, but it was a relief to hear it.”

“I’ll bet,” Michael said, still trying to fathom what Max was telling him. It was just so . . . out of character for Maria. Had she ever said that before to anyone? Now she was saying it to Max? He supposed it was okay. The guy was her boyfriend, after all. Had been for awhile now. It was just . . . weird.

“Pretty neat, huh?” Max said.

“Neat,” Michael echoed. “Okay, Maxwell. First ‘excellent,’ now ‘neat.’ These adjectives . . .”

“Sorry,” Max said. “I can’t help it. I’m jolly.” He smiled and laughed at himself.

“Ha,” Michael said. “Ha, ha. Yeah.” Maria told him she loved him, he thought over and over again. He wasn’t sure why it confused him so much. “Huh.”









TBC . . .

-April

[April]

Krista:

You drive a hard bargain, but I'm willing to sell you my soul in exchange for something actually going right in this story.

LMAO! Well, it just so happens I’ve been in the market for a soul! (Side note: I can still drive a harder bargain. Trust me on that.)
nibbles:

Max does not deserve to be led on and lied to and used in the way she's doing.

I agree. Even though he’s living in denial, at the end of the day Max is a good guy with good intentions, and those guys are all too rare these days.
Sara:

I just can't get over Max and Maria....she really needs to do the right thing and let Max down gentley

Yep, she would be wise to do that. The only problem is . . . there’s just no possible way to let him down gently at this point. The lie has gone on too long.
pookie76:

He needs to have to work for the things he wants. I'm sure then he would appreciate them a lot more.

All I can do is nod my head and say “Mmm-hmm.” I think you’re absolutely right.
spacegirl23: If you want to keep Max happy and in denial for awhile, that must mean you’re somewhat like Passion Maria! (scary thought, lol) That’s exactly what she’s trying to do.
Christina:

Is it just me, or do these parts seem to be getting shorter?

lol, no! They probably average out to be about 9-10 pages, some being a little longer and some being a little shorter. I think today’s update is a little longer.
killjoy:

You know I said in my first feedback that I wasn't very fond of Maria in this story...and to be honest I'm still not fond of her.

Oh, that’s perfectly fine! Actually, I’m surprised that most people seem to like her. Before I started posting this, I worried that nobody would like her. We’ll see if you change your mind at some point. Anything is possible.
mariadac: Oh yeah, Michael’s definitely waking up a little more. It’s taking him awhile (a looooong while), but he’s making progress.
Vael:

Sorry if my disliking of Kyle bothers you

Oh, no, don’t worry, nothing bothers me. I knew when I began posting this that every single character was going to be loved by some and hated by some. Kyle’s not a mean or malicious guy; he’s just been blind to the fact that he treats Isabel as someone less than Tess.
tequathisy:

Is Liz too classy and dignified to respond to Maria's increasingly bitchy jealousy or is she too much of a wimp?

Well, in my mind, she knows she can’t win against Maria. In addition, she knows that Michael will always side with Maria in an argument, so she’s actually being pretty smart by avoiding confrontation with Maria as best she can. If she can avoid drama with Maria, she can avoid drama with Michael.
starcrazed:

I think the reason why Liz is ignoring Maria's comments is because she doesn't really have it in her to go up against Maria.

Yep, I think that’s a big part of it. I mean, I wouldn’t want to go up against Maria. Hell, I’ve written this Maria, but I still wouldn’t want to go up against her!
Mercedes:

Michael is such a complex guy. He is very over the top when it comes to the things he does, yet he is so subtle when it comes to the things he feels.

Couldn’t have said it better myself! I agree with that assessment 100%.
mrs_guerin:

I cant believe with all the doubts max is having that he just pushes them aside when maria says she loves him and doesn't even think to question it in the slightest.

Yeah, he would do well to hold onto his doubts and continue questioning the genuineness of Maria’s feelings. Now that Maria has said those three fateful words, he’s clinging to (false) hope. It’s bad.





I hope you readers like this part. It's pretty fun, and you get a glimpse into my own personal Rocky Balboa obsession! Everyone have a good weekend!










Part 72 (and can you believe it's page 696?!)








It was useless. No matter how hard Maria tried, no matter how much she hoped, no matter how many quarters she put in, she never won anything. Not one dollar. Not even one penny. All she did was lose money. Max’s money.

“Dammit,” she swore when she reached into her pocket and felt around for coins. She pulled out a nickel. Great . . .

All of a sudden, seemingly out of nowhere, a quarter appeared in front of her. She looked up and saw a guy she had never seen before smiling down at her. He was good looking enough, but he was another Not Michael.

“Thanks,” she said, taking the quarter from him. She dropped it into the slot and pulled the lever.

“I’m Donny,” he said, sitting down beside her, extending his hand for a handshake.

“I’m not interested,” she said, ignoring the handshake offer as she watched the reels spin. Again . . . nothing. Big surprise.

“Are you sure?” he tried again. “Because I’m--”

“I’m sure.”

“But you know I--”

“I’m sure.” She turned around and saw Michael and Max coming towards her. “Thank God,” she said.

Mr. Quarter Guy noticed them and asked, “So which one’s your boyfriend?”

She rolled her eyes and didn’t answer.

He grinned at her and said, “You look like a girl who can handle double penetration. I bet it’s both.”

“Okay, you just went from annoying to inappropriate in almost record timing. Go away, Danny.”

“Donny,” he corrected.

“Whatever.” He didn’t move, so she decided she would. “Fine, I’ll go away,” she said, standing up.

“Wait a minute.” He stood up, too, and grabbed her arm.

“Hey!” she yelped. What did he think he was going to do, assault her in the middle of a crowded casino?

“I’m not done with you, yet.”

Before she could knee him in the nuts, Michael shouted, “Hey!” and was by her side in no time. “Get your hands off her!” he growled, pushing Donny away.

“Ah,” Donny said to Maria. “It must just be this one.” He turned to Michael and said, “You’re a lucky guy, dude.”

“Get the hell outta here,” Michael said, pushing him away. As Donny stumbled away, Michael asked Maria, “You alright?”

“I’m fine,” she said. Stupid loser guys were nothing she hadn’t dealt with before.

“Hey, are you alright?” Max asked as he joined them.

“I’m fine,” she repeated.

“Where’s Liz?” Michael asked.

“Uh . . .” She sighed heavily and looked around. “I didn’t really notice her leave.”

“Great,” he said. “I lost my girlfriend again.”

“Or that guy Donny’s got her,” Maria suggested.

Michael actually seemed to grow concerned at that. “You think so?”

“No,” she said, laughing a little. “Guys like that prey on hot blondes. Liz is neither hot nor blonde, so . . .”

“Liz is hot.”

“Liz is missing.”

“Uh . . .” Max interrupted the two of them, pointing down a row of slot machines. “Liz is right there.”

Maria and Michael both turned to find Liz walking slowly toward them. My god, she looks horrible, Maria thought. She was sort of sweaty and greenish, and she was holding one hand to her stomach.

“Liz,” Michael said, rushing towards her. “What’s wrong? You look . . . not your best.”

“I just started feeling a little sick,” she admitted.

“What, like lightheaded, or--”

“Lightheaded?” Maria spat. “Does she look lightheaded to you? No, she looks like she’s gonna puke.”

Michael immediately took a step back.

“Oh, be a man,” Maria told him, slapping him on the back. “Take her back to the room. She can’t ride the Stratosphere rollercoaster like this.”

Michael sighed and said, “Yeah, I guess you’re right. Alright, Liz, come with me.” He moved forward to put his arm around her waist, but as he was doing so, she lurched forward and launched what appeared to be the entire contents of her stomach all over Michael’s shoes.

“Ew!” Maria shrieked, turning away.

“Oh . . . kay,” Michael said slowly, staring down at his feet. “This sucks.”

“I’m sorry,” Liz apologized, holding one hand over her mouth and one to her stomach. “I’m so sorry.”

“That’s okay,” Michael said. “That’s okay. Hello, Mirage cleaning staff?” He waved his hands in the air expectantly. “Right here.” He pointed to his feet. “Right now. Would be nice.”

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

“Walk faster, Michael.”

“I’m walkin’ as fast as I can,” Michael assured Liz as he quickly carried her down the hallway to their hotel room.

“Michael . . .”

“Don’t spew yet. I just got my shoes cleaned. Come on, help me out, DeLuca.”

“Okay, okay,” Maria said, quickly inserting her electronic room key into the electronic lock on the door and pushing it open. Michael immediately set Liz down inside, and she rushed into the bathroom and slammed the door. A few seconds later, he cringed and listened as she threw up again. It sounded extremely unpleasant.

“Man,” Maria said, “did someone, like, spike her water this morning or something?”

“I don’t know,” Michael replied. “Max, what do you think?”

“Huh? Oh, I don’t know,” Max answered, sounding sort of out of it.

Maria’s mouth dropped open, and her eyes grew wide as she gasped, then, and apparently came across a realization. “Oh!” she exclaimed, looking at Michael. “Pregnant!”

The fear was immediate, but he tried to laugh it off. “What? No. No, that’s . . . that’s crazy. That’s . . .” He trailed off, and his laughter died in an instant. Panic seized at him at the thought. “Oh, shit,” he said, thinking to himself, Damn me and my dick.

“My, how the tables have turned,” Maria said, grinning smugly.

“Shit,” Michael said again, taking two strides to the bathroom door. He knocked on it furiously and asked, “Liz, are you pregnant?”

“No,” she answered weakly. “I just got my period today.”

“Oh,” Maria said. “Thanks for sharing, sweetie.”

“Oh, thank God,” Michael said, thoroughly relieved. “Thank you, God!”

“You lucky son of a bitch,” Maria said. “I swear, one of these days . . .” She trailed off, all of a sudden, when Max let out a huge burp.

“Sorry,” he apologized, holding his hand over his mouth. “Sorry.”

“Max,” Maria said slowly, surveying him. “Are you okay?”

“Um . . . no, I’m . . . I’m not sure. I think I’m just . . .” He burped again. “Sympathy pains or something.”

Michael didn’t believe that for a second. “Maxwell,” he said, stepping back cautiously, “you look a little . . .”

“Liz-like,” Maria filled in, also taking a step back. “You’re not okay.”

“I’m not okay,” Max agreed, shaking his head. He held one hand to his stomach in the same manner Liz had and groaned, “Oh god.”

“Here we go again,” Michael said warily. “Maria, get him a bucket.”

She glanced downward at the money bucket she was holding in her hand, shrugged, and held it out to her boyfriend.

“Not my money bucket,” Michael snapped, seizing it back from her.

Just then, the bathroom door opened, and Liz came hobbling out, looking more miserable than ever.

“Make way!” Max shouted, squeezing past her. He shut himself in the bathroom then, and did exactly what Liz had just done. Michael watched as Maria made a face and covered her own mouth with her hand.

“Oh, no,” he said worriedly. “No, not you, too.”

“No, I’m not sick. Just grossed out,” she assured him. “All these puking people . . .”

He nodded. He was grossed out, too, but he didn’t dare complain about it too much when his sick girlfriend was in the room. “Liz, you feel better?” he asked her.

She just groaned and lay down on her side on the bed.

“I’ll take that as a no,” he said. “Man, what’s going on with these two?”

“I have a thought,” Maria volunteered.

“Maria, don’t make things any worse.”

“It’s a good, solid thought, okay? Come on. It’s obvious. They both have the same symptoms. They both ate that god-awful tuna salad for brunch. Diagnosis?” She looked at Michael as though she were expecting him to answer.

Hell if I know, he thought, throwing something out there. “Spastic colon?”

She rolled her eyes. “Food poisoning, Guerin.”

“Oh.” He nodded. That made sense. “Get a load of you. Doctor DeLuca.”

She shrugged. “Well . . .”

The door to the bathroom opened again, and Max came out much in the same way Liz had. “That was intense,” he said. “Sorry about this, guys.”

“No, it’s not your fault,” Maria said. “Did you hear my diagnosis?”

“Yeah, food poisoning. Sounds about right.” He lay down on his and Maria’s bed and curled up just like Liz had, looking awful.

“I knew that tuna salad was a bad idea,” Michael said, happy he’d had an aversion to it.

“Uh . . .” Max groaned audibly. “Liz?”

“Max? This sucks,” she groaned back.

“I know.”

Michael and Maria exchanged a look. She seemed to be silently asking him what to do, but he had no idea and just shrugged helplessly.

“Well, maybe we should take you guys to the hospital?” Maria suggested questioningly.

“No!” Max and Liz answered in unison emphatically.

“Wow,” Michael commented. They really didn’t want to go.

“No. No travel. No motion. Thanks anyway, Maria,” Max said. “I kinda just wanna . . . lay here. For awhile. All day.”

“Me, too,” Liz said softly.

Michael turned to Maria, seeing nothing wrong with that idea. He didn’t care to hang around the puke twins all day. Maybe a better boyfriend would have, but . . . “Okay,” he said.

“Okay,” Maria echoed, seeming to have similar thoughts. “So we’ll just . . .”

“Make ourselves scarce,” he finished, “let you guys rest.”

“Thank you,” Liz practically whispered.

“Thanks, guys,” Max said before letting out another agonized groan. “Uh . . .”

“Let’s get outta here,” Michael said quietly to Maria, opening the door and nudging her out into the hallway.

“Stratosphere?” she asked.

“You know it.”

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

Kyle and Tess joined Michael and Maria on the Stratosphere rollercoaster that afternoon. They had to wait in line for a good half an hour, but it was worth it. The Stratosphere was easily one of the tallest structures on the Strip, so the ride was sufficiently thrilling. Maria screamed so loudly, she practically blew Michael’s eardrums out, and since Tess was screaming in the seat behind him, he got off the ride hitting his left ear with his hand, trying to get the sound back. “Holy shit, girls,” he said. “Think you could’ve toned it down a little bit?”

“No,” Tess answered. “That was so awesome!”

“It was pretty fun,” Kyle agreed.

“Okay, let’s focus here, though. How’s my hair?” Maria asked Tess.

“Good,” Tess replied. “Just smooth down the right side a little. No, my right. Hey, how’s my hair?”

“Uh . . . do you really wanna know?”

“Yes. No. Do I?”

Michael laughed and pressed the down button on the elevators. He was happy to see that Maria and Tess were becoming such good friends lately. Maria had never really had a close female friend before. All the girls were usually too jealous of her. She’d come close with Liz, but that had fizzled out practically before it’d begun. Still, Michael couldn’t help but wonder what had prompted Maria and Tess to bond. They were always talking about something . . .

“It’s too bad Max and Liz got sick,” Kyle commented as Maria and Tess continued to fuss about their hair.

“Yeah,” Michael agreed, “but it’s good they got sick when they did. I mean, could you imagine if they went on this rollercoaster prior to throwing up?”

Kyle chuckled. “Yeah, somebody down on the street would’ve gotten an unpleasant surprise.”

“Yeah. And my shoes can attest to just how unpleasant it is.”

“Ah, a guy’s life is never complete until his girlfriend throws up on him. Trust me,” Kyle said as the elevator doors opened. The two of them stepped on and hollered at the girls.

“Come on. Move it or lose it. Elevator’s goin’ down,” Michael said.

Maria and Tess got on the elevator, and Tess giggled and looped her fingers through Kyle’s belt loops. “If we were alone on here,” she said, “I’d be going down, too.”

Kyle smiled. “Nice.”

“Gag,” Maria put in.

“Wait a minute, what does that mean?” Michael said. “The mighty Maria DeLuca can’t handle a little cum in the mouth?”

“Oh, I can,” she assured him. “I do. Just ask Max. Or my male professors.” She shrugged.

“Yeah, I forgot you used to sleep with your profs,” Tess said. “God, it just seems like such a long time ago. You’ve really evolved, Maria.”

“Well, you know me. I’m all about the evolution.”

“Yeah, and you don’t drink anymore,” Kyle added. “Evolution.”

“And you have a boyfriend,” Michael put in. “Evolution.”

“Mmm-hmm,” Maria said. “Yea me. But, while we’re on the subject, Michael . . .” She trailed off and shook her head. “No, you really haven’t evolved. Never mind.”

“Story of my life,” Michael said as the elevator doors opened and they stepped off. “I give the girl a compliment, I get an insult back. I love that, Maria. That’s our thing. Okay?”

“What?”

“That’s our thing. Playful banter.”

“Okay.”

Tess giggled as they walked out of the hotel and back out onto the Strip. She asked her boyfriend, “Kyle, do we have a thing?”

“Oh, yeah,” Kyle replied confidently. “Doggie style.”

“Oh, yeah!”

Maria laughed and remarked, “I think you two need to go back to your hotel room.”

“No, I wanna go back to the casino,” Tess said as they started down the Strip. “I was doing really good on Roulette. I was just totally guessing, right, didn’t even know what I was doing, but I won, like, a hundred dollars.”

“You’re awesome, Tess,” Kyle said adoringly.

“Yeah, that’s really good,” Michael agreed, hoping he would have the same luck when he started playing tables.

“What?” Maria shrieked. “I’m sorry, I mean what?!” She stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and started spouting off. “Why is everyone here winning something except for me?”

“Oh, not everyone’s winning,” Kyle assured her.

“You are! Tess is! Michael sure as hell is. Even Isabel and Alex are winning at the arcade.”

“Right,” Kyle said. “Isabel and Alex.”

“Well, they’re playing against ten year-olds,” Tess pointed out.

“Yeah, but they’re still winning.”

“Maria, why don’t you start playing tables with me?” Michael suggested. “I mean, unless you want to switch over to the penny machines. I’m gonna play Craps today. I’ll teach you how.”

“No thanks. I think I’ll pass,” she decided quickly. “You’re probably the worst teacher ever.”

“Oh, I can’t be. I mean, I taught Liz everything she knows about sex.”

Maria made a face of disgust. “Oh, visuals abound. None of them pleasant.”

“Nice, man,” Kyle said, giving him a pat on the back.

“Hello?” Tess piped up again. “Casinos. Vamos.”

Michael exchanged a glance with Maria, and he could tell she didn’t feel like losing more money yet. So he told his friends, “You guys go. Maria and I can find something else to do.”

“Alright,” Kyle said. “You know, if I didn’t know you two any better, I’d think you were referencing sex, man.”

Michael laughed as Tess and Kyle bravely crossed the street and he and Maria stayed behind. Sex, he thought. Usually. But not . . . no.

Maria raised an eyebrow at him, and he quickly assured her, “I’m not.”

“Oh. Good,” she replied. “Because I would’ve . . . been outraged.”

“Me, too,” he said, nodding. “Yeah. Yeah.” He glanced on down the Strip, trying to think of something they could do that wouldn’t turn him on too much. And then it occurred to him. “Alright, come on.”

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

“The wax museum?” Maria raised an eyebrow, skeptical. “Seriously?”

“Yeah.”

She laughed a little. They were at the Venetian hotel, and she had been hoping for maybe a romantic ride in the gondola or something. But she should’ve known better. Wishful thinking. Michael was neither romantic nor gondola-eager.

“I read it’s pretty awesome,” he said as the short line at the entrance of the museum shuffled forward.

“You can read?" she teased. "I’m sorry. Just, all I can think about is that movie, The Wax House.”

“The new one or the old one?” he inquired.

“The new one.”

“Ah, come on. That’s not even scary.”

“I know. It’s just gory.”

“Yeah, well, Paris Hilton acting? That’s about as gory as it gets.”

She laughed. It was so true. That girl gave blondes everywhere a bad name.

“Maybe there’s a Paris Hilton wax figure in here,” Michael speculated as they got even closer to the front of the line. “You know, it’s all celebrity wax figures in here. Pretty cool, huh?”

“Yeah, that actually does sound cool,” she said. “Do you think they have wax figures of the One Tree Hill cast?”

“No.”

“My god, I love that show.”

“Me, too.” Michael froze when those words came out of his mouth, and Maria couldn’t believe it. She’d seen him sneaking a peek at the show once in awhile, but she figured it was just because he liked the actresses. “I mean . . . I like it ‘cause you like it,” he said dumbly.

“Right,” she said, not believing him for an instant. “Just admit it, Michael. You have a thing for chick-flick TV.”

“Well, you have a thing for . . . cocks.”

“Yes.”

“And . . . losing all your boyfriend’s money in Vegas.”

“Don’t make me make your black eye even blacker,” she warned.

“It’s no longer a black eye; it’s a grey eye. Get it right, Maria. It’s a grey eye.”

She rolled her eyes, and they finally got to the entrance of the wax museum.

“Hi, how much?” Michael asked the worker taking money.

“Twenty dollars per guest.”

“Ah, fuck me,” Michael muttered, taking forty bucks out of his pocket.

“Big spender,” Maria teased.

“Well, I’m a jackpot winner, you know.” He smirked.

She shook her head, trying not to smile at his ironically charming arrogance. “Your ego, I swear, it’s gonna need its own seat on the flight back home.”

“Definitely,” he agreed. “Its own first class seat.”

She hit his chest with her fist playfully and shook her head as they headed into the wax museum.

Once inside, Maria was definitely not disappointed. In her opinion, twenty dollars for one person was still a little much, but it was probably worth it in the long run. There was quite a wide array of celebrity figures, ranging from Marilyn Monroe to Sarah Michelle Gellar. Everything looked very realistic. Maria was impressed. When she saw the wax figure of Britney Spears dangling from a pole during her infamous “I’m a Slave 4 U” performance in Las Vegas, she squealed in delight and ran up to the pole herself. “Get a picture!” she chirped, grabbing onto the pole with one hand, arching backward just like waxy Britney. A few people gave her strange looks, but Michael just took out a small disposable camera, snapped the photo, and proclaimed, “Nice.”

“Oh, Beyonce!” she exclaimed, spying her next photo op. She hopped up onto wax figure Beyonce’s platform and hit a dance pose, sticking her butt out just like Beyonce always did. Michael laughed and took another picture.

“Yea!” she chirped, clapping her hands. If the wax figures looked real enough in the pictures, she would show them to all the people back at the university and claim she’d met the actual celebrities. Most of those people were probably stupid enough to believe her.

She hopped down off Beyonce’s platform and said to Michael, “Okay, tell me the truth: Who’s more ‘bootylicious?’ Me or B?”

“Uh, well, if I knew what ‘bootylicious’ meant, I could tell you.”

“Huh,” she said, thinking about it. “Actually, I don’t even know what it means.” She glanced back at the wax figure and said, “Well, her butt’s definitely bigger than mine.”

“Yeah,” he agreed, “but I like your butt better.”

She smiled, a little dazed by that unexpected compliment, and accidentally walked into someone. “Oh, I’m sorry,” she apologized, glancing up at the man she’d collided with . Only it wasn’t a man. It was an Arnold Schwarzenegger wax figure. “Creepy,” she said.

“Oh, Maria!” Michael suddenly exclaimed. “Oh, cue the Rocky theme song! It’s a Stallone wax figure!”

Maria glanced over at the other side of the room. He was right. There was a very real looking Sylvester Stallone clad in a business suit instead of his Rocky boxing shorts.

“Is this awesome or what?” Michael said. “Come on, take my picture.”

She followed him over to the was figure and asked, “So, which movie did he start the steroids for? The fourth one? He looked pretty bulky in the fourth one.”

“No, the Russian was on steroids in the fourth one. Maria, you really gotta re-watch.”

“No, I’m talking about Stallone. He was on steroids, right? Like in real life?”

“What? I don’t know. Steroids are like the new pot, Maria. Sly was just ahead of his time.” He handed her the camera and said. “Alright, take the picture.”

“You look so puny next to him,” Maria couldn’t help but inform him.

“What? I’m taller. Just not on steroids.”

“So he was on steroids,” Maria concluded.

“Maria, just take the picture.”

She held the camera up in front of her eye and was about to press the button to take the picture when Michael said, “Wait, wait, wait. Wait a minute.”

She groaned. “Your hair looks fine.”

“No, I just wanna . . . hit a dramatic pose here.” He curled his left hand into a fist and held it up, aiming it at the Stallone wax figure. “I’m a South Paul,” he proudly proclaimed.

“What?”

“Oh, man, Maria, you really need to re-watch the Rocky saga. I'm disappointed in you, babe. You should know this. A South Paul’s a left-handed fighter.”

“You’re not left-handed.”

“Just take the picture!”

Maria lifted the camera again and tried to line up the shot.

“Pow,” Michael said, pretending to sock Stallone in the face. “Winner by knockout. Pow.”

“Would you stop moving?”

“Pow. Whoa . . .”

Maria lowered the camera as Michael lowered his arm. She saw something on the floor, but it looked like . . . “Oh my god!” she exclaimed a little too loudly. “Is that . . . is that waxy Stallone’s nose?”

“Shh,” Michael said, bending down to pick it up.

Mouth agape, Maria took a look at the wax figure. It was nose-less. “Michael!” she whispered loudly.

“I don’t know my own strength,” he said, turning around and attempting to conspicuously place the nose back on the face again.

“Must’ve been loose before this,” Maria figured, noticing the way a couple of people were looking at them. There were a few security guards in the corner who were really eyeing them closely. “Michael,” she said, “Hurry up.”

“I can’t get it back on.”

She tensed as she watched one guard say something to another before heading towards them. “Michael . . .” she said again.

“Shit,” he cursed. “Alright, bail.” He grabbed her hand, and, squealing, she fled the wax museum with him. She laughed loudly and said, “If we go to jail, I hope you drop the soap!”

“You, too, baby!”

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

Max walked out of the bathroom, groaning. He honestly didn’t feel any better. He and Liz were trying to watch a movie on TV, but they both kept getting up and heading into the bathroom to toss the contents of their stomachs so much that neither one of them could focus. Max wasn’t sure whether the movie was about a monster or an ex-wife. All he was sure of was that he felt miserable and couldn’t wait to feel better.

He was on his way back to his bed when there was a knock on the door. Slowly, he turned and went to open it. It was Tess and Kyle. Tess smiled and waved. Kyle let him have it. “You look like shit, man.”

“It was the tuna salad.”

“Yeah, we heard.”

“We just wanted to pop by and see how you guys were doing,” Tess added. “FYI, the Stratosphere rollercoaster was really fun, but you and Liz wouldn’t have fared so well.”

“Yeah, I bet not.”

“Well, we’re about to go immerse ourselves in gambling again, so . . .” She trailed off for a moment before offering, “I mean, you can join us if you feel up to it, but . . .”

“Yeah, I’m not. Thanks anyway,” he said. “Uh, where’s Maria?”

“Oh.” Tess fell quite and looked up at Kyle.

“Uh . . . she and Michael are still out there. Somewhere,” Kyle answered slowly. “Doing something. Together.”

“Oh.” Of course, Max’s first reaction was to be jealous, but he made sure to remind himself that he didn’t have to be. Not anymore. Not after what Maria had said to him. “Well, that’s good,” he said. “They deserve to have fun even if Liz and I can’t.”

“Oh, I’m sure they’re having a marvelous time,” Tess said.

“Marvelous?” Kyle echoed.

“Yeah. New adjective. You like it?”

“I like it,” Kyle said. “But not as much as I like you.”

“Aw . . .”

Kyle chuckled and said, “Alright, let’s get goin’ before we make Max even more nauseous.”

“Not possible,” Max informed them. “See you guys.”

“Bye, Max.”

He closed the door and made his way back to his bed, groaning again as he lay down.

“Not feeling any better?” Liz asked.

“Not really.”

“Me, neither.” She sighed and asked, “Was that Tess and Kyle at the door?”

“Yeah,” he replied.

“Where are Michael and Maria?”

I should’ve known she’d ask that, Max thought. I asked the same thing. “They’re still out and about,” he replied, holding his hands over his stomach as it started to rumble again.

“Together?”

“Yeah. It’s okay, though,” he quickly assured her before she could find a bottle of tequila and make herself even more miserable. “Maria told me she loved me last night. She wouldn’t say it if she didn’t mean it, but she did say it, so . . . she must mean it.”

“Wow,” Liz said. “That’s . . . wow, Max.”

“I know. I never thought I’d hear her say it, let alone to me. But she did.” Just thinking about it made him feel a little better. A lot better. It was what was keeping him from getting jealous of the fact that Maria and Michael were spending an entire afternoon together. “If I wasn’t throwing up every five minutes,” he said, “I’d be on top of the world.”









TBC . . .

-April

(The next update will be later on Sunday, and I think you'll all enjoy it.)

[April]

Hi, guys! I ended up getting sick with a very bad cold this weekend and almost staying home an extra day, so this update was almost postponed until tomorrow! I dragged myself back to my dorm and my Internet access, though, just to give you guys updatey goodness. Yea on me?

Anyway, it was pointed out to me that, amidst all the Rocky references in the last part, the real term for a left-handed fighter is South Paw, not South Paul. I went back and watched this scene on my Rocky DVDs, and can you believe that my subtitles are wrong? WTF?! You pay good money for these things, and they can't even get the subtitles right. Good lord.

Anyway, I won't ramble any longer. I'll just send out a big online thanks (hugs included) to:

Sara
Mercedes
nibbles
pookie76
lilah
Krista
killjoy
Brie
tequathisy
Christina (and hey, you don't have to have a Mac to make vids!)










Part 73









Maria could barely breathe; she was laughing so hard. She and Michael had run all the way down to the Mandalay Bay hotel and casino, which was a good halfway down the Strip from the Venetian wax museum. They’d managed to escape the security guards, but just barely.

“You think we lost them?” Michael asked, sounding fairly out of breath himself.

“Yeah,” she answered, gasping for air. “Oh my god, that was so fun!”

“I ran right over this little kid,” Michael admitted.

“I totally knocked an old woman out of her wheelchair. I felt so bad.” She let out a gigantic whoosh of air and said, “You know what? I feel like Jack and Rose on Titanic, you know, when they’re running from that grey-haired guy and they run all the way down to third class. Except we’re running down the Vegas Strip, but . . .” She laughed.

“Yeah,” he agreed. “Well, you know, after Rose and Jack ran, they had sex in a car.”

“What’s your point?”

He shrugged. “Lots of cars around here. Nice. Spacious.”

“Oh, please,” she said, pretending to not care even though the idea was very enticing.

“Hey, look at this,” he said, reaching into his pocket.

She watched as he pulled out the nose of the Sylvester Stallone wax figure and shook her head. “I can’t believe you took that. What’re you gonna do, sell it on Ebay, claim it’s the real deal?”

“Nah, it’s a souvenir,” he claimed, pocketing the nose again. “Something to remember the trip by.”

“A wax nose. Nice.”

He chuckled. “I know. Alright, what do you wanna do now?”

“I don’t know. What do you wanna do?”

“Well . . . we could go back to our hotel and check up on our sick significant others.”

“Huh,” she said. “We could.” Maybe it was selfish, but she really wasn’t in the mood to do that.

“Or . . . we could do something fun.”

She giggled. “More fun than stealing Stallone’s wax nose?”

“More fun than that.”

“Shopping?” she guessed hopefully.

“Shopping.” He made a less than excited face in response to that idea. “No.”

“Yeah!” she exclaimed enthusiastically. “You said it yourself. You’re a jackpot winner. You can buy me things.” She clapped her hands together, liking that idea, and skipped off inside the Mandalay Bay hotel. There were surely a few good stores in there.

Michael groaned and followed her.

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

“Wow. We really made a haul on the stuffed animals.”

Isabel laughed when she glanced back at him. He was carrying at least a dozen arcade prizes in his hands. Tigers. Lions. Bears. Some of them were pretty big. Alex looked pretty ridiculous. “Oh my god,” she said. “How are we gonna get all these home?”

“I don’t know.”

“Where am I gonna put them? My dorm room’s so tiny.”

“Well, we could put half in there, half in my apartment,” Alex said.

“Okay.” Isabel stopped walking and turned to face him when what he said registered. “Wait, you have an apartment? I didn’t know that.”

“Yeah, I do.”

“I guess I always see you out and about on campus or over at Kyle’s house. Or, you know, in Vegas.”

He chuckled. “Yeah, well . . . I mean, it’s a really small apartment. It’s kind of lame, but my parents pay my rent right now since I don’t have a job.”

“Oh, that’s what parents are for,” she said. “My mom and dad are paying for my college. Like, the whole thing.”

“Wow.”

“Yeah, so, rent on an apartment? Not that bad.”

“I guess,” he agreed. “You’ll have to come over sometime, maybe hang out. Would you like that?”

She blushed. “Yeah,” she replied, surprised at how receptive she was to that offer. “There’s nothing I’d like more.” There was just something about spending time with Alex Whitman that was so enjoyable.

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

Maria gasped in delight when she saw what looked to be the perfect bra for her and held it up for Michael to see. “What do you think?” she asked him. It was pink, sparkly, and had the word ‘Las’ written out in rhinestones on the right cup and ‘Vegas’ on the left cup.

“Well, personally, I think bras are a waste of time,” he replied.

“Funny. But for real, is this something you’d like to see on me?”

He grinned and answered to that question in typical Michael Guerin fashion, too. “Well, I like you best in your nudist attire, Maria.”

She rolled her eyes. “Fine. Would Max or any other not completely perverted guy enjoy me in this?”

“I would imagine.”

“Okay, then I wanna get it,” she said, draping the bra over her left arm. “Oh, and this, too.” She picked up a silver tiara that said Mandalay Bay on it.

“What? Why do you need a Mandalay Bay tiara?”

“I don’t need one; I just want one,” she explained. “And these, too!” She seized a pair of oversized black sunglasses. “I want these.”

“You already have, like, twenty sunglasses.”

“Twenty-one.” She smirked and put the sunglasses on over her eyes. “How do they look?”

“Too big for your face.”

“Oh, shut up. It’s the ‘in’ thing. You know, summer’s just a few months away. I fully intend to put all twenty-one pairs of sunglasses to good use.”

“Yeah, this summer’s gonna rock,” he agreed. “I can quit freakin’ Fiona’s Model Management, start workin’ on a movie.”

She smiled at that and took the sunglasses off so she could really look him in the eye. “So you’re for sure not going to Los Angeles? You’re gonna stay in Santa Fe with me? And Liz, and . . . everyone else.”

He nodded. “Yeah. I may never be the next Steven Spielberg down here, but I could settle for being the next George Lucas.”

“And I’ll be dancing with the Modern Dance Association.” She smiled, envisioning it. “It is gonna be a great summer.”

“And we won’t have to go back to class in the fall. Bonus.”

“Yeah.” She reached up and took off her tiara, suddenly feeling very stupid with it on. She glanced down at the floor, feeling embarrassed for what she was about to say. “Look, I don’t wanna sound mushy or anything, but . . .” She looked back up at him and said, “I’m really glad you’re staying.”

“Yeah. Me, too,” he said. “My life just wouldn’t be complete if I couldn’t make fun of you every day.”

“Huh, well, glad I could be of service.”

“Oh, you could be of service for something else.” He grinned.

“My god, you are so . . .”

“Sexy?” he filled in.

Yes, she thought but didn’t dare say. “Unbelievable. And that’s not necessarily a good thing.”

“Oh, it’s a good thing,” he said confidently. “You think I’m unbelievable.”

“I do not.”

“You just said it, baby.”

“I think you’re a big geek.”

“Hey, watch it. I’m the one buying you all this shit. Tiara.” He grunted. “Who the hell needs that?”

“Hmm.” She stood up on her tiptoes and placed the tiara atop his head. “There,” she said. “You’re a queen. But then again, I always knew that.”

“I’m so cute,” he said. “You want me?”

“No.”

“You sure?”

“No.”

“No?”

“Yes. I mean . . .”

“Maria.”

“I meant yes, I’m sure.”

“You said no.”

“I meant yes.”

“You said no.”

“I meant . . . uh!” Her frustration with him boiled over, and she whacked him on the shoulder with the pink Las Vegas bra he was going to buy for her. It was good, acted like a whip.

“Hey! Ow!” he yelped.

She whacked him again, but this time the strap hit his face.

“Ah, my eye!”

“Serves you right,” she declared. “Now come on. We have more shopping to do.”

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

“I can’t believe I spent so much money on you,” Michael said when he and Maria finally returned to their hotel room at 8:00 that night.

“I can,” Maria chirped.

Michael set her four bags down on the floor, astonished at how heavy they were. “A four-hundred dollar shopping spree. Plus the wax museum. Plus, you sat in my expensive first class seat on the flight down here. I spoil you, DeLuca.”

“Well, maybe that’s why I decided to live with three guys. Spoiling benefits.” She smiled.

“Hmm.” He glanced into the room and saw Liz and Max both asleep on their beds. They both looked completely exhausted. “Oh, we should be quiet.”

“Yeah. Lively room we have here,” she whispered sarcastically.

“We should probably head back out.”

“You wanna get a hold of Tess and Kyle and all them, see what they’re doing?”

“Yeah,” he said, though he didn’t really want to do that. He liked this unimpeded Maria-time and didn’t want it to end quite yet. “Or we could just keep doing our own thing,” he quickly suggested.

She smiled up at him and asked, “What do you have in mind?”

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

“No way.” Maria turned to face Michael, giving him a look of disbelief. He’d brought her down to the pool. VH1 was throwing a Vegas spring break party, and it was pretty obvious what event was coming up. “You entered me in a whipped cream bikini contest?”

“No, it’s not exactly that kind of contest,” he quickly assured her.

“Michael!”

“And I didn’t enter you. Yet. We’re gonna be last minute entries.”

“We?” She tried to figure that one out herself, but it made no sense. “Okay, I’m both confused and outraged at this point. Clarify pronto.”

“Alright, it’s . . . it’s actually pretty tame for your standards. It’s a partner thing. One person—that would be you—strips down.”

“To what?”

“Well, just your bra and shorts. That would be good.”

“Then what?”

“Then you get whipped cream sprayed on you, and you hold a cherry in your mouth. Then it’s a race between the guys to see who can get the whipped cream off the girl and the cherry out of her mouth the fastest.”

“I see,” Maria said, nodding. “And I suppose this is a no hands, mouth only kind of thing?”

“Yes. Yes, it is.”

“Hmm.” She wasn’t sure how to react to that. Inside, she was freaking out, silently squealing with delight at the thought of Michael licking whipped cream off of her. But on the other hand, if Max and Liz found out about it, there’d be hell to pay.

Max and Liz aren’t here, she reminded herself, smiling.

“Alright, you’re in,” Michael decided for her. “Let’s go sign up before it’s too late.”

I’m so stoked for this, Maria thought as she followed Michael over to the registration table. The pool area was really crowded and almost completely consisted of college people. A small group of people were hitting a huge beach ball back and forth in the pool, and one time it bounced out too far and hit Maria in the head.

“Hey, watch it! She’s gotta concentrate!” Michael snapped, tossing the ball almost violently back into the water.

“How’d you even find out about this?” Maria asked him.

“I saw it advertised on TV today. I mean, it’s no MTV bash, but VH1’s alright. The prize is six-hundred bucks.”

“Really?” As if she hadn’t had enough incentive before . . .

“Yeah. I figure we’ll win, I’ll oh-so-generously let you have all the money, and you just might walk out of Vegas on the positive end of the money scale.”

“That would be nice.”

Michael cleared his throat when they came upon the registration table and told the guy sitting there, “Yeah, hi. We wanna enter the whipped cream contest. It’s not too late, right?”

“Contest starts in a couple minutes,” the guy informed them, “but no, you’re not too late to enter. Just toss me your twenty dollar registration fee.”

Michael reached into his pocket, took out his wallet, and pulled out yet another twenty dollar bill for the day. “Spoiled brat,” he teased Maria as he handed it over.

“Yeah, right. This contest is just as much for you as it is for me.”

Michael grinned and, as usual, just admitted it. “Yeah . . .”

“Can I get your names?” the registration guy asked, cutting in.

“Yeah. Michael Guerin—G-U-E-R-I-N—and Maria DeLuca,” Michael answered.

“Alright. Michael and Maria.” The guy wrote their names down on a piece of paper and said, “Okay, you guys are in. The contest is about to start any minute, so get ready. Good luck.”

“Thanks,” Maria said as they headed over to the stage. There looked to be a lot of other couples, couples, most of whom probably had real life experience eating things off each other’s bodies. Michael and I are at a slight disadvantage, she realized. We’re not dating like all these people probably are. “You really think we’re gonna win?” she asked him.

“Yeah, I know we are. Listen, I’m the best whipped-cream licker in the west. I have an agile tongue. None of these losers stand a chance.”

“Hmm. And all I have to do is stand there and look hot, right?”

“Yeah, basically. I’ll do all the work.”

“Ooh, this is my kind of contest.” She glanced over at the other couples and noticed a few of them warming up. The guys were wriggling their tongues from side to side, and the girls were . . . well, being drunk, mostly.

A moment later, the host of the event came up onstage and starting talking to the audience. Maria squealed when she saw who it was. “Oh my god! That’s that really hot guy from TV!”

“Oh, well, that narrows it down.”

She rolled her eyes. Truthfully, there were too many ‘hot guys’ on TV for her to keep them straight. “Think Host Hottie can be my partner instead of you?” she joked.

“Oh, you don’t want that,” Michael said confidently, “because I, my dear, am not only gonna propel you to a win, but I’m gonna make you very happy in the process.”

“Oh, I’m counting on it.”

Suddenly, all the contestants were running up on the stage.

“Shit, your shirt,” Michael said, reaching down and yanking it off of her.

“Oh, okay,” she said as he tossed it on the ground and pushed her up onto the stage. Suddenly, Maria found herself facing a bright light and a bunch of people she didn’t even know. Drunk, slobbering college guys she didn’t know, and she was only wearing her bra and her skimpy denim shorts.

“It’s okay,” Michael leaned in and said in her ear as if he were reading her mind. “You wore less for my costume party.”

She smiled and eased up then, fully intent on winning this thing. The registration guy and a couple of other guys working on the event started walking down the row of contestants, spraying whipped cream on the girls. Maria quickly took a ponytail holder out of her pocket and put her hair up in a messy bun.

“Good idea,” Michael said as the registration guy came up to her and started spraying the whipped cream all over her skin. Maria just stood there, wondering how Michael was going to feel about eating whipped cream off of her back and shoulders, her arms, her stomach, her neck, and, most notably, her cleavage. She was about to say something when Registration Guy placed a cherry between her lips and moved on to the next person.

Wait a minute, she thought. Michael has to get this cherry out of my mouth? With his mouth? He’d practically be kissing her. She maneuvered the cherry a bit so that she was just holding onto the stem and the cherry itself was hanging outside of her mouth. That way, Michael’s lips would come close, but not too close. It wasn’t that she didn’t want him to kiss her, but if he ever really did, she wanted it to be because of something more than just a spring break contest.

“Is everybody ready?” Host Hottie hollered.

The audience cheered.

“Contestants, are you ready?”

“Yeah!” Michael and the other guys roared enthusiastically.

“Hands behind your backs, men.”

They did as they were told.

“You better be the best in the west. I don’t wanna lose,” Maria managed to ground out while keeping the cherry stem between her teeth.

“Alright, we got a bunch of dirty girls,” Host Hottie said. “Time to clean ‘em of! Go, guys! Go, go, go!”

Maria was shocked at how fast Michael delved in. He went right to her stomach first, shoving his mouth right into the mass of whipped cream. Maria laughed as she watched him. He looked so ridiculous with all that whipped cream around his mouth, covering his face. He moved fast, though, and got it off. It wasn’t until he got down around her belly button and started dipping his tongue inside to lick all the cream out that she felt her stomach muscles start to flutter in pleasure. He sure hadn’t been kidding when he said he had an agile tongue. It was working wonders, and it was all in the name of fun, not romance.

Michael had already eaten all the whipped cream off of her back and had started work on her arms and shoulders by the time most of the other guys were just finishing up with the stomach. She had a feeling he’d be sick in the morning but she hoped that, since his tongue was dancing all over her body, sickness was the last thing on his mind.

He held her arm out, opened his mouth, placed it on her shoulder, and literally just drug his tongue all the way down to her wrist where the whipped cream stopped. It piled up in his mouth, and he worked to swallow it down. Then he repeated the process on her other arm.

“We’re winning!” he exclaimed confidently.

“Shut up,” she ground out, still careful to keep the cherry in her mouth.

He bent down, leaned in, and plastered his mouth to her neck, licking and sucking vigorously at the whipped cream piled there. She rolled her head to the side to give him better access and moaned, unable to help herself. She knew they weren’t really doing anything. Not really. But it still felt amazing.

Once her neck was clear, he didn’t even hesitate to follow the trail of whipped cream down to her chest. She could barely hold onto the cherry in her mouth as he worked his magic there, licking and lapping, scooping the cream up and off solely with his graceful tongue. He actually seemed upset that there wasn’t more.

Far before anyone else, he had her entire body cleared off and came up, not for air, but for the cherry. He pulled it out of her mouth into his and threw his hands up in the air. Maria jumped up and down excitedly, and the crowd began to scream. Host Hottie ran back up on stage and said, “Unbelievable, party people! We have, for the first time ever in the history of televised VH1 whipped cream eating . . . a tie!”

“What?” Maria barked.

Michael spat the cherry out of his mouth and echoed her. “What?”

“Two sets of partners finished at exactly the same time! Will the winners step forward?”

Maria took a step forward with Michael, peered down the line of contestants, and gasped in shock. “Kyle? Tess?”

“Maria?” Kyle barked. “Michael?”

Maria stared at them in disbelief. She hadn’t noticed them before. There were a lot of contestants, and Kyle and Tess were standing pretty far down the line.

“What’re you guys doing here?” Kyle asked them.

“Winning!” Michael answered. “We won!”

The crowd cheered.

“No, we won!” Kyle insisted, pumping his fist in the air.

The crowd cheered just as loudly.

“Oh, I’m sorry, you guys, but it was a dead-on tie,” Host Hottie announced. “But since you all seem to know each other, I’m sure you can work something out with your winnings. It’s six-hundred total, so we’ll give three-hundred to each of our winning teams here. Congratulations, guys. Let’s give a big round of applause to all our contestants.”

The crowd cheered and applauded some more.

“Great plan, Guerin,” Maria muttered. “I can’t believe Kyle and Tess are here.”

“Hey, you got some money,” he pointed out. “I think the what you mean to say is thank you. Besides . . . I know you got off on this.”

She huffed, pretending to be outraged and claimed, “No.” Almost, she thought. She understood now why there was so much hype about Michael’s tongue. It definitely didn’t disappoint.










TBC . . .

-April



(And before anyone asks, I'm about 99.9% sure I shamelessly stole the whipped cream contest idea from The O.C.)

[April]

pookie76: Well, in order to be unhappy about the VH1 contest, Max and Liz have to find out about it first, right? I think it’s safe to say that M+M, being sneaky and smart in their own special way, aren’t going to let their partners find out.
nibbles:

I loved Michael wanting to spend time with Maria and only Maria.

Oh, yes, he likes having her all to himself.
Krista: No bitch-wrath coming. Michael and Maria will happily keep their mouth shut about their little whipped cream adventure.
Christina: I know what you mean about America’s Next Best Dance Crew! (It’s a dance show. Of course I’m watching it.) The Sass x7 girls can dance, but they’re not at the same hard-hitting level as the other crews. I mean, they did a routine that I could have done, and I’m not up to the standard of that show. Distorted X was definitely much better. I liked the group ASIID the best, with their whole ‘walking the dog’ moves. Okay, now I’m rambling. It’s a good show.
lilah:

Why am I not surprised that Tess and Kyle would be in this kind of contest with Michael and Maria?

Well, probably because Tess and Kyle are daring and perverted like Michael and Maria.
killjoy: Trust me, I can understand why you don’t like Maria. I’m surprised more people don’t dislike her. She’s definitely making bad decision after bad decision when it comes to Max, and you’re right: she’s using a friend. In the end, there’s really no excuse for that, so you know she’ll have to deal with the consequences of her actions eventually.
tequathisy:

So Kyle and Tess with all their experience of licking and being licked could only manage to match Michael and Maria's score.

Yep. It must have just come naturally for M+M.
spacegirl23:

It's on TV! It can be shown anytime! But of course, M+M aren't the smartest people on the planet, and they probably wanted to do it, w/o thinking of the consequences.

Yep, Michael and Maria sometimes have an ‘act now, think later’ perspective on life. It could get them into trouble later on . . .
Sara: Glad you loved it! And I think you’re right, that Alex deserves some ACTION!
Brie: Oh yeah, keep waiting for the kiss. With each part you read, you get a little closer to it.
Alien_Friend: Wow, how nice of you to leave feedback on each part! *online hug* Oh, and you say OTH comes back on Sept 1st? Thanks for that info. Wow, that’s really not that far off! I’m glad you and your friends had fun while you were away, but I’m glad to have you back, too!
mariadac: Keep waiting patiently for the kiss. It will happen, I promise.
Vael: Oh my god, you seriously had food poisoning? How strange is that? I hope you feel better now. Thanks for the feedback!




Thank you everyone for reading and leaving feedback!

Once again, I have in mind a song for one part of this chapter. It's sort of embarrassing, because it's a Ricky Martin song, but for some reason, I love it! I couldn't find it on Youtube, but you can listen to it here, I believe: http://www.imeem.com/people/CkKMCX/musi ... lola_lola/ I picture it during the part I signaled with the smiley.

Anyway, enjoy!









Part 74








After the contest that night, Maria suggested going to the Mirage buffet for a late dinner. She and Tess ransacked the buffet tables, especially the salad bar, and made a mess of everything before sitting down with Kyle and Michael in a booth and pigging out. Michael watched in astonishment as they shoved incredible amounts of food in their mouths. They were both so small, but they could eat more than most grown men could.

“I’m so hungry,” Tess said as she shoveled a fork full of macaroni and cheese into her mouth.

“Me, too,” Maria said. “I haven’t eaten all day. Well, since brunch anyway. Still hungry.”

Michael looked over at her and smiled. She looked so amazing. They’d lost her shirt after he’d thrown it on the ground at the contest, so he’d been forced to give her his over-shirt to wear instead. Of course it was huge on her, though, so she hiked it up and tied it beneath her breasts mid-riff style. Paired with her little jean shorts, she looked like a tiny Daisy Duke. Hot as hell.

She seemed to notice the way he was looking at her, because she froze with half a spaghetti noodle hanging out of her mouth and asked, “What?”

“Nothing,” he said quickly, forcing himself to look away. The attraction . . . it was still killing him.

“Uh, I couldn’t eat anything right now if I tried,” Kyle groaned, holding a hand to his stomach.

“I know,” Michael agreed. “Man, I’m stuffed. I don’t wanna eat whipped cream for the rest of my life. Or at least for the rest of the week.”

Maria set her fork down and said, “What, was it my body or the whipped cream that was so bad?”

“It definitely wasn’t your body,” he assured her. He’d surprised himself at how he’d been able to keep it together and be a warrior in the contest. It had been so arousing, which had, in truth, been his main motivation. “Whipped cream’s kinda like fudge, though,” he went on to explain. “It’s good, but too much of it, and you get sick.”

“I never get sick of fudge,” Maria said.

“Me, neither,” Tess piped up. “If we can be serious for a minute, though . . . we were really not expecting to see you two there.”

Maria and Michael exchanged a glance, and Michael decided to do the explaining. “Well, it was a spur of the moment thing. Maria needed the money, so . . .”

“Oh, speaking of . . .” Kyle reached into his pocket and pulled out a wad of cash. He slid it across the table to Maria. “We figured as much, so we decided you can have our share of the money.”

Maria’s eyes lit up. “Really?”

“Yeah. We’re all doin’ really well in the casinos, and you’re not, so . . .”

“Thanks,” she said, handing the cash to Michael to hold onto. “That’s really nice of you guys.”

“No prob,” Tess said. “So, uh . . . did Max and Liz know you guys were . . . whipping it up?”

Again, Michael and Maria exchanged a look, and again Michael decided to answer. “No. But they were asleep when we stopped by the room, so we figured, why wake ‘em?”

“Exactly,” Maria added. “And, you know, it would be really cool if maybe you guys didn’t tell them anything. ‘Cause, you know, it was all for fun and money and stuff, but jealousy . . . it’s just . . .”

“It sucks,” Michael filled in.

“Right. Not fun for anyone. So . . .”

“So we’ll keep our lips zipped,” Tess cut in quickly. “Got it.”

“Yeah, we won’t say a word,” Kyle agreed. “You guys just better hope they didn’t watch VH1 tonight.”

“No, Max is more of a Discovery Channel kind of guy,” Maria said.

“And Liz is usually too busy thinking about me to watch TV,” Michael offered. “I mean, it sounds self-centered and usually it’s meant to be, but this time it’s true. My girlfriend has a boyfriend focus.”

“Yeah,” Kyle said, stretching out his arm so that he could put it around Tess. “My girlfriend does, too.”

“Uh, no, sweetie, I have a fashion focus,” Tess told him. “You come after that.”

“Oh, slam!” Maria exclaimed. “Good one, Tess.”

“Thank you.”

Michael chuckled and said, “Alright, Valenti, ignore the chicks. I got something that’s gonna interest you.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out the Sylvester Stallone wax nose and laid it on the table.

“Ew!” Tess shrieked, recoiling. “Is that a nose?”

“Dude, that’s awesome!” was Kyle’s response.

“It’s a wax nose,” Michael explained. “Maria and I went to the wax museum at the Venetian today.”

“Yeah, Michael punched off Stallone’s nose.”

“It was loose when I got there.”

“The point is, we had to run halfway down the Strip because security guards were chasing us.”

“Ah, don’t let her kid you. This was one of the best days of her life,” Michael assured them.

Maria blushed a little and admitted, “It was a pretty good day.”

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

Alex sat next to Isabel on one of the beds in their hotel room that night, surrounded by all the stuffed animals they had won. Isabel had been very energetic and light-hearted the entire day, but things had taken a turn for the worse that night when she’d called Kyle and Tess and had to leave a voicemail with both of them. She said it bothered her when she couldn’t get a hold of them, and it bothered her even more when they didn’t call her back. Alex wanted to do something to cheer her up, but he wasn’t sure what could possibly take her mind off her boyfriend and his primary girlfriend.

“I bet Michael and Maria are off doing something crazy,” Alex said solely in order to break the silence. Michael and Maria were MIA, too. The only difference was that their significant others were too sick to notice.

“Probably,” Isabel agreed quietly. “And Kyle and Tess . . . well, actually, I’m not really sure where they are. But I bet I know what they’re doing.” She sighed. “I just wish one of them would have called me, just to, like, I don’t know, check up or something. Make sure I’m still alive.”

“I’m sure they’ll be back soon,” he said, glancing at the clock. “It’s almost midnight.”

“Yeah, it’s still early.”

“Early?” He wasn’t so sure about that. “Wow, does that make me like an old man or something? I’m actually kind of tired.”

She smiled a little. It was the first genuine smile he’d gotten out of her within the hour. “Well, the arcade takes a lot out of you.”

“That it does.”

She turned to look at him and said, “I had a lot of fun with you today, Alex. I’m sorry, I don’t mean to complain and make it seem like hanging out here with you isn’t enough.”

“It’s okay. You’re wondering where your boyfriend is. It’s okay. But can I ask you something?”

“Hmm?”

“Well, if Kyle’s your boyfriend, does that make Tess your girlfriend?” He laughed a little, wondering this in all seriousness. “This has baffled me for as long as I’ve known you guys.”

Isabel laughed a little and explained, “No, Tess is just my best friend.”

“Oh. Two best friends and a guy? That never ends well.”

“Thanks for that vote of confidence.”

“Sorry.”

She sighed and said sadly, “I think you might be right, though. I mean . . . I love Kyle. I do. And I think he loves me, too, but I’ve always known that what he has with Tess is just . . . more. I mean, when we met him our freshman year at this party, she was the one he couldn’t stop looking at. Or talking to. Or dancing with. And when they hooked up that night, he kind of just happened to invite me along. It’s always been the two of them, and I’m the third wheel. I just feel so separate from them sometimes, and it’s not a good feeling.”

Alex just sat there and listened. That was a big admission, one that he hadn’t quite expected her to say to him. They had become good friends, but only a few months ago, he was fairly certain she hadn’t even known his name.

“Wow,” she whispered. “I think that’s the first time I’ve ever said that out loud.”

“Scary?” he asked her.

“More like sad. I mean, sometimes what the three of us have doesn’t work. But sometimes it does.”

“Yeah.” He didn’t buy it, though. Not for a second. “But Isabel, ‘sometimes’ isn’t enough. You’re an amazing girl, and you deserve a guy who realizes that. If Kyle doesn’t value you the way you deserve to be valued, then he’s not worthy of you.”

“No, Kyle’s a really good guy, Alex.”

“Okay, so he’s a good guy, but maybe he’s not the right guy.”

“Well, if he’s not, then who is?”

Don’t do it, he told himself. Don’t say anything you’re gonna regret in the morning. You know who the right guy is, but she doesn’t. And you shouldn’t say anything.

So he didn’t. Instead, he shocked the hell out of himself by leaning in and kissing her. Just like that. Sudden. Unexpected. But perfect. What surprised him most, though, was the fact that she kissed him back. Slowly and unsurely, she moved her lips against his. She didn’t seem disgusted or repulsed. In fact, she sort of seemed as though she were enjoying herself.

But then, she slowly pulled away. “Alex . . .”

I didn’t say anything, he thought. I just . . . did something.

She looked him right in the eye and said, “Alex, I can’t.”

Confusion engulfed him. Hadn’t she felt from that kiss what he had? Was she comparing him to Kyle? Was she secretly repulsed and just hiding it well?

“You can’t?” he asked. “Or you don’t want to?” He watched as a tear spilled from her eye onto her cheek, and he was sure she was going to say she didn’t want to. But wonders never ceased.

“I can’t.”

Alex just sat there, dumbfounded, as Isabel sprung off the bed and fled from the room. What just happened? he asked himself. In one instant, his life had gone from the best it had ever been to the worst.

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

“You guys, I’m not even tired,” Maria whined as she, Michael, Kyle, and Tess strode down the hallway to their hotel rooms. She was in no hurry to crawl into bed next to Max. Usually, he was a great smelling guy, but after an entire day of being sick and throwing up, she was going to have issues if he was sleeping with his mouth open.

“Kyle and I aren’t tired, either,” Tess said, grinning. “There’s other things to do in a hotel room besides sleep.”

“Oh, I get it.”

“Yeah, it’s one of the benefits of actually being a dating couple. You two should try it,” Tess suggested, gesturing to Michael and Maria.

“Huh, funny,” Maria replied. “Well, what about Isabel and Alex? Do you guys think they’re back yet?”

Just then, as if on cue, Isabel burst out of her hotel room, looking a little upset. When she saw the rest of them, though, she ran towards them and exclaimed, “Kyle! Tess.”

“Hey, Iz. Missed you today,” Kyle said.

“Really?”

“Mmm-hmm.”

She smiled. “Good. I missed you, too. I was thinking maybe the three of us could hang out tonight . . . in the room.”

So not subtle, Maria thought, smiling and rolling her eyes.

Kyle exchanged a quick glance with Tess and told Isabel, “Yeah, sure. That sounds great. Think we can get Whitman to vacate?”

Again as if on cue, the door to the Harding-Valenti-Evans-Whitman hotel room opened up, and this time Alex came out. “Isabel, we have to talk about--” He cut off abruptly when he saw all of them standing there and said, “Oh. Hi, guys.”

“Hi, Alex,” Maria chirped.

“Hey, Whitman. What’s up?” Michael greeted.

“Uh . . . nothing. Nothing much.”

Awkward, Maria thought, surveying everyone around her. Something was weird. Usually Alex gelled pretty well with their group thanks to his established friendship with Michael and burgeoning relationship with Isabel. But he and Isabel both seemed a little . . . off.

“Hey, these three are gonna boink,” Michael informed him flat-out, “so you’re gonna have to crash in our room.”

Alex’s only response was to look at Isabel and say, “Oh.”

They totally did something, Maria realized. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure it out.

“Yeah,” Isabel said quietly, grabbing on to Kyle’s hand. “Let’s go guys.” She stared down at the floor as she walked by Alex with Kyle and Tess. “Goodnight, Alex,” she said before the three of them disappeared into the room.

Poor Alex, Maria thought. Used and abused. She saw a couple of similarities between him and Max but decided not to dwell on them too much. She’d had too good of a day to ruin it by feeling guilty about her own relationship.

“Wow,” Michael said. “What happened here? Pretend that I care.”

“Nothing,” Alex muttered quickly. “You guys think I’ll be comfortable in your bathtub?”

“Oh, Alex, you can’t go to sleep yet,” Maria said, placing an arm around his shoulder. “It’s early.”

“I’m actually kind of tired. How come no one else is tired?”

“It’s Las Vegas, man,” Michael reminded him. “City that never sleeps.”

“Yeah. The nightlife is calling out to you, Alex,” Maria agreed. “Come with us. We’ll take your mind off of . . . other things.”

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

Michael wasn’t sure how he, Maria, and Alex had ended up in a penthouse suite of the Riviera hotel with a bunch of people he didn’t even know. It was a private party. They were crashing.

“I thought for sure you guys were taking me to a strip club,” Alex mumbled.

“Sorry,” Maria apologized. “Contrary to what a lot of people think, I don’t like naked girls.”

“I do,” Michael said, “but I think if Liz found out about it, she’d be pissed.”

“I thought that was your whole Vegas motivation,” Maria said. “Remember? You said Kyle wanted to gamble, you wanted strippers.”

“Yeah, well, I got the whipped cream contest,” he reminded her. “I’m good.”

She rolled her eyes.

“Whipped cream?” Alex echoed in question.

“Nothing,” Maria said hastily.

Michael laughed a little. He was still surprised that Maria had agreed to that. His original plan had been to try to convince Liz to do it (for logical reasons), but then she had gotten sick; and he wasn’t exactly devastated that Maria had done it instead.

“So, Alex,” Maria said. “Are you feeling any better?”

“I’m not sure,” he answered honestly. “I mean . . . we’re crashing a wedding reception.”

“A Mexican wedding reception,” Maria corrected.

“Why?”

“Because. Mexican wedding receptions are the best. Everyone’s really drunk and really happy. Plus, there’s sombreros. What’s not to like?”

“Well, yeah, but . . . we kind of stick out like sore thumbs, don’t you think?”

Michael looked around. Alex was right. Maria was the only blonde in the room, and the three of them were the only people who weren’t naturally tan.

“Okay, so we’re noticeable,” Maria admitted, “but that’s what we want. That’s a good thing.”

“Why is that a good thing?” Alex asked.

Before Maria could answer, a woman came up to the table with a video camera in her hand. “Te gustaria grabar un mensaje?” she asked Maria.

Maria just stared at her and said, “Uh, what?”

“Te gustaria grabar un mensaje?”

“Uh . . .”

“She’s asking you if you wanna record a message,” Alex translated for her. “You know, for the bride and groom.”

“Oh. Yeah,” Maria said. “Si.”

The video camera woman smiled and pressed the record button. Maria smiled at the camera over-exaggeratedly and waved. “Hola! Me gusta . . .” She trailed off, apparently at a loss. “You guys. Congratulations!”

Michael clapped his hands. “Love that Spanglish.”

“Shut up.”

“Gracias, gracias,” the video camera woman said graciously. She looked at Michael and Alex and asked, “Y tu? Y tu?”

“Si, si,” Michael replied. “El sexo.” He motioned between himself and the woman. “El sexo?”

The woman gasped in outrage and ran away from their table. Michael laughed.

“Michael!” Maria scolded. “You scared her.”

“I guess these girls aren’t as easy as American chicks,” he concluded. “That’s a shame, too, ‘cause they’re damn good-lookin’.”

“Is that really the word? Sexo? Is that for real?” Maria asked.

“Yeah. I just remembered the important Spanish words. Hello. Goodbye. Sex. Bitch.”

“God, you are such an ass.”

“Oh, I remembered that one, too. Asno.”

“You are such an asno.”

Alex cleared his throat, cutting in to their banter. “You never answered my question, Maria. Why is it a good thing that we’re so noticeable here?”

“Oh, just . . . you know . . .” Maria trailed off and finally came right out and said it. “Alright, it’s pretty obvious that something happened between you and Isabel tonight.”

“What? How did you know?”

“Like I said, it’s obvious. So I’m assuming you guys slept together.”

“What? No! I would never . . . I mean, I would, but not when she has a boyfriend! We just kissed! Once!”

“Right, and now she’s hooking up with Kyle . . . and Tess. And that sucks for you.”

Michael chuckled. “Are you tryin’ to help him out, DeLuca, or what?”

“Yes!” she insisted. “Look, in the great tradition of wedding crashers, I think it’s only right that you meet up with a nice, naïve bridesmaid and, you know . . . go for it.”

“Ah, hookin’ up with a girl. No strings attached. Just get off and get gone.” Michael smiled fondly, remembering. “Those were the days.”

“Maybe for you, but not for me,” Alex said decidedly. “I’m not into that kind of thing.”

Maria leaned across the table, lowered her voice, and asked, “Alex. Have you ever had sex?”

Alex laughed nervously and said, “What? Yes, I . . . no, not so much.”

“That’s okay,” Maria assured him. “Max was a virgin until a couple months ago, too.”

“Such a bad girl,” Michael teased her, grinning.

“Well, I appreciate the interest,” Alex said, “but I won’t be hooking up with a bridesmaid tonight. Or any night. When I finally do . . . it . . . well, it’s gonna be with the girl of my dreams. And it’s gonna be special.”

“Aw, well that’s nice, I guess,” Maria said. “Don’t worry, Alex. Isabel and Tess and Kyle . . . they’re not gonna be able to keep this up much longer. And once they crumble, you won’t be a virgin much longer.”

“Meaning?”

“Meaning Isabel’s totally into you. Duh.”

“You think so?”

“I’m a girl, Alex. I know so.”

“Awesome.” Alex sounded amazed. “But, of course, I’ll have to wait for that day to come. Meanwhile she’ll just hop in bed with Kyle. Oh god, you know, I really don’t wanna visualize that. You guys think we could not talk about Isabel for the rest of the night?”

“Sounds like a plan to me,” Maria said with an affirmative nod. “So what should we talk about?”

The three of them sat there in silence for a moment, none of them coming up with any ideas. Then it dawned on Michael. “Oh!” He reached into his pocket and pulled out what would undoubtedly be the best souvenir of the vacation. “Stallone’s nose!”

“Dude, tell me that is wax,” Alex said.

“Yeah, but still . . .”

“It’s still sacred,” Alex agreed. “Long live Rocky Balboa.”

“That’s what I’m sayin’, man.”



Maria rolled her eyes at the two of them, but Michael saw her face light up when a different Latin song began to play and everyone started dancing. Apparently, she recognized it, because she squealed with delight, “Oh my god, Ricky Martin! I used to love this song! Come on, let’s dance!”

“No,” Michael said emphatically, shaking his head.

“Maybe later,” was Alex’s response.

“Uh, you guys suck,” she said, getting out of her seat. Michael watched as she skipped across the room to a group of people who were dancing. She immediately got right into it, and even though no one knew her, they all smiled, laughed, and started dancing with her. She quickly became the center of attention, what with all her wild, free-flowing moves. She shook her hips and shimmied her chest as though she were at a dance club instead of a wedding reception. She wasn’t dressed up like the rest of them, either, so she stood out in that respect, too. The people were responding to her, though. They whooped and holler and clapped their hands for her, and a few of the women started to mimic her moves.

Michael sat back and watched her, smiling. She was so . . . crazy. It was the only word that came to mind. She was like a tiger. Wild, couldn’t be tamed. And he loved the way she danced, the way it just took over her.

Her energy was contagious. The people at the wedding couldn’t seem to get enough of her. When she bent over, slapped the ground and rolled back up again, sticking her butt high in the air, everyone laughed and clapped and started doing the same thing. She smirked and twirled her arms around in the air, twirling her hips right along with them. Again, the wedding party cheered her on. She grinned and started shimmying some more, motioning for everyone to join her, but she didn’t have to. They joined willingly.

Michael laughed as the bride started tossing her head about just like Maria did. Her veil fell off, and her new husband dove to recover it before it got trampled by all the dancing feet. The bridesmaids all grabbed a groomsman and danced close as they copied Maria’s sexy moves.

When she turned and locked her steaming gaze on Michael, he almost went mad with desire. She swayed her hips as she made the ‘come here’ gesture by wriggling her fingers. He laughed, but she looked serious. She tore her eyes away from him, though, when a little girl tapped her on the shoulder and asked her how to do something. Maria demonstrated a shimmy, and then the little girl tried it. Everyone laughed, because she looked quite different than Maria when she did it, but Maria smiled and gave her a high five. Then she glanced back over at Michael and pouted sexily.

“Come on, man,” Alex urged. “You’re not gonna make your girl dance alone, are you?”

“Shut up,” Michael said, standing. “I’ll be back.” He made his way over to the dancers, to Maria.

“Ha, I knew you couldn’t resist,” she teased. “Ready, chicas?” The bridge of the song came about again, and she led all the females in a stream of sexy motions, each one emphasizing a certain asset. A few of the women were really good. The bride herself got quite into it, but nobody got into it the way Maria did.

“Shimmy, girls!”

Michael just stood there, laughing and watching her until she grabbed his hands and tried to show him the rhythm, too. He wasn’t a good dancer, but she didn’t seem to mind. She looped her arms around his neck and lifted one leg to wrap around his waist, pulling him in closer. The bridesmaids saw that and immediately did the same thing to the groomsmen they were dancing with.

Life of the party, Michael thought as he laughed and tried to keep up with Maria. Always is.

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

Michael, Maria, and Alex didn’t head back to their hotel until about 4:30 in the morning. By the time they walked down half he Strip and into their hotel, it was 5:00 a.m.

“Oh, that was so fun!” Maria exclaimed as they walked down the hallway. She knew she was being a little loud and probably waking some people up, but she didn’t really care. “I hope Yolanda and I stay in touch. She was really cool. And how cool was that Pedro guy?”

“Maria, I didn’t know you could dance so much,” Alex commented.

“Oh, yeah.” She stopped walking right in front of Michael and swayed her hips around against him, singing part of one of the many Latin songs she’d danced to. “Sola, sola!”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, Maria,” Michael said, taking a step back. That was some arousing contact right there.

“Sorry,” she apologized. She could feel the erection he’d gotten dancing with her earlier and knew he probably didn’t want it to get any worse. “I forget, that’s Liz’s job.”

“Well, it can be your job if you want,” he mumbled under his breath.

“Lola, lola!” she sang out loud, snapping her fingers.

“Shh,” Alex whispered, pressing is index finger against his lips. “People are asleep.”

She disregarded that and opened the door to the room with her key card. “Lola, lola, ay!” she exclaimed as she danced on into the room.

“Shh!” Alex hissed again, but it was too late. Max shot straight up in the bed, and Liz stirred.

“What’s going on?” Max asked, looking around frantically. “What’s happening?”

“I’m sorry, Max,” she apologized, still speaking a little too loudly.

Max looked at Michael and asked, “Was she drinking?”

“No, just dancing. Go back to sleep, man. It’s 5:00 in the morning.”

Max just glanced at the bedside clock and rubbed his forehead. He still didn’t look particularly well, but he looked better than he had before.

“I’m sorry,” Maria apologized again, sitting down beside him on the bed as Michael and Alex got to work constructing a spot on the floor for Alex to sleep. “I really didn’t mean to wake you. I’m just hyper right now. And really sweaty, so don’t get too close.”

“Shh,” Max said quietly. “Liz is still asleep.”

“Oh, right.” She dropped her voice to a whisper and said, “It’s too bad you were sick today. Or yesterday, I guess it was.”

“Did you have a good time?” Max asked her.

“Mmm-hmm.”

“What’d you do?”

“Well, Michael and I went on the Stratosphere rollercoaster, and then we stole Sylvester Stallone’s nose from his wax museum figure; and then we shopped for hours on end, and then we crashed a Mexican wedding reception.” She smiled.

“Hmm, that sounds . . . interesting.”

“Yeah, it was fun. People were paying more attention to me than to the bride.”

“Oh, I’ll bet.” Max smiled and asked, “Do anything else exciting?”

She flashed back to that arousing whipped cream competition, remembering the feel of Michael’s tongue between her breasts. That had definitely been exciting. “No,” she answered, trying to smile again and still be believable. But the truth was, Michael had done more to turn her on during that contest than Max ever had.

Wasn't his fault.








TBC . . .

-April

[April]

I have to be speedy today, so I'll just give a BIG thank you for the feedback to:

mariadac
Alien_Friend
Brie
nibbles
Sara
Vael
tequathisy
Mercedes
mrs_guerin
Krista

Okay, so there is one little warning part in this part. You guys know the drill, it happens when you see the smiley and ends when you see him again. The good news is, I believe this is the last instance where I'll have to use the warning smileys. I think.

Anyway, here's the next part!









Part 75









What time is it? Liz wondered to herself when she sat up that morning. The sun was out and out pretty bright. Morning was definitely in full swing. She glanced at the clock. 9:06, it read. I can’t believe it, she thought. I slept for fourteen hours. It had done her a lot of good, though. She could already tell that she felt a lot better. Her stomach was still feeling a little wily, but nothing she couldn’t handle. The food poisoning was thankfully passing. She’d already had to waste a perfectly good day of spring break feeling miserable.

She looked down beside her at Michael. He was sprawled out on his stomach, the side of his face pressed against his pillow, his mouth hanging open slightly. She hadn’t even heard him come in, let alone crawl into bed with her. She figured he must have had a late night, though, because he looked out of it. When she glanced over at the other bed, she noticed that Maria looked out of it, too. Max wasn’t lying next to her.

Liz got out of bed, careful not to wake Michael. She took one step and bumped into Alex on the floor. “Oh.” She didn’t know why he was lying there, but he looked as exhausted as Michael and Maria combined. She stepped over him just as the bathroom door opened and Max came out.

“Liz,” he said. “You’re up.”

“Yeah. You, too.” She couldn’t help but notice that he was only clad in a pair of sweatpants. She had to stop seeing Max naked or half-naked. It was becoming a habit.

He opened up a drawer, pulled out a sweatshirt, and yanked it on. “Feelin’ better?” he asked.

“Yeah, you?”

He nodded. “A lot better. Yesterday was . . .”

“Torture,” she filled in. “But at least we were in it together.”

“And at least we feel better now,” Max pointed out. “Although, I can’t say the same for these three.”

“Yeah.” Liz took another look at Michael, Maria, and Alex. “Late night?”

“5:00 a.m.,” Max informed her.

She cringed. “Oh. So they probably won’t be up for awhile.”

“No, no. And I knocked on the door to the other room, but . . . nothing. So I guess Kyle and Tess and . . . my sister had a late night, too. But I don’t even wanna think about that one.”

Liz laughed a little and said, “So I guess it’s just you and me, then.”

“Yep. Just you and me.” He smiled a little and said, “Uh, you wanna go get something to eat? I know it sounds crazy after what we went through yesterday, but . . .”

“We gotta eat something,” Liz filled in. “Sure. Let’s do breakfast. No tuna salad.”

“No tuna salad,” he agreed.

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

Maria heard the door shut, and that was enough to bring her out of her beautiful sleep reverie for a moment. “No,” she groaned. She felt as though she’d just gone to sleep five minutes ago. She rolled over onto her side and looked at the clock. Way too early, she thought. She rarely even woke up that early even on days when she had class.

“Hola.”

She glanced over at Michael’s bed, barely able to keep her eyelids open. He looked like he was asleep, but apparently he wasn’t. “I didn’t know you were awake,” she managed sleepily.

“I barely am,” he said. “We’ve only been asleep for four hours.”

“That’s why I’m going back to bed.” She buried her face in her pillow, fully intent on doing that and nothing more until she heard Michael get up. Seconds later, he was crawling into bed beside her.

“What? What’re you doing?” she demanded tiredly.

“My bed’s hard as rock. This is better.”

She moved over a bit and allowed him to get comfy next to her. She actually loved sleeping in a bed with Michael. It wasn’t something she got to do a lot, but when she did . . . he was so warm. “If I wasn’t so tired, I’d toss your ass outta this bed,” she told him. Total lie.

“Sure you would.”

She smiled and curled up next to him. She didn’t know where Max and Liz were. It sounded bad, but . . . she didn’t really care.

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

When he felt something sticky on his cheek, Alex woke up. “Ah, I’m sleeping in gum,” he complained, hating the floor more than ever. “I’m sleeping in gum.” He sat up and ripped the sticky gum from his cheek. He tried to toss it into the trashcan, but he missed. “Oh, that’s it,” he said. “Guerin, I’m about to crawl in with you.” He grabbed onto the bed and pulled himself up to his knees. But the bed was empty. “Guerin?” He looked over onto the other bed and found out where Guerin was: in bed with Maria. Not naked or anything, but still close.

Alex shook his head, not understanding the crazy relationship between those two. One minute, they were teasing each other or yelling at each other. The next, they were doing sexy salsa dancing or sleeping next to each other in bed. The whole thing they had going was so obvious.

Alex stood up, went to pick up the piece of gum off the floor, and dropped it into the trash can. Then he sauntered towards the bathroom, grunting as he walked past Michael and Maria. “Just friends,” he said. “Yeah, right.” He had just slipped into the bathroom when he heard the door to the room open. Then he heard Liz talking.

“I just don’t understand how craps is played. Do you?”

“No.”

Max, Alex realized. Max and Liz in the room? Thinking he quickly, he burst out of the bathroom and jumped in front of Liz and Max before they could peer around the corner and see Michael and Maria asleep in bed together. “Guys!” he exclaimed.

“Alex,” Liz said. “You’re awake.”

“Yeah, I’m-I’m actually not feeling so well.”

“Oh, no. You, too?”

“Yeah, yeah. I think it was all that Mexican food last night. You know how they put beans in everything.”

Liz cringed. “Ooh . . .”

“Yeah, that sounds . . .” Max trailed off.

“It’s bad. It’s really bad,” Alex kept on. “Tell you what: how ‘bout you guys duck outside for a minute while I make things right in here. You know, I’ll spray some air freshener, give you guys the all clear.”

“Oh, um . . .” Liz waited a moment before acquiescing. “Well, if you want us to.”

“I do. I really do,” he said, placing his hand on her arm, urging her towards the door. “I’m just kinda embarrassed.”

“Oh, don’t worry,” Max said. “We were both doing the same thing yesterday.”

“Oh, that’s nice. I’ll just be a minute.” Alex practically shoved them both out of the room and slammed the door. He breathed a momentary sigh of relief, then ran back over to the bed. “Michael!” he hissed, hitting his friend on the head. “Get up.”

“No, man.”

“Dude, your girlfriend and Max are right outside that door. If you don’t move it fast, there’s gonna be hell to pay.”

“Oh, I can’t pay hell,” Michael groaned, immediately moving back over to his own bed. “I pay money. Jackpot . . . winner.”

“Okay, man.” Alex breathed another sigh of relief and ran into the bathroom. He grabbed the first bottle of body spray he saw and sprayed it a few times in the air to follow through with his cover story. Then he set it back down and by the sink and pulled open the door for Max and Liz. “Better!” he exclaimed, plastering a fake smile on his face.

Liz and Max both smiled and walked past him into the room. “Aw,” Liz cooed as she went to sit down beside her boyfriend. “Michael looks so cute when he sleeps.”

“So does Maria,” Max said.

“Oh, boy.” Alex ran his hands through his hair. They had no idea . . .

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

Maria finally got out of bed that afternoon. The first thing she did was take a shower. She still had Michael’s spit all over her (the whipped cream contest), and she wasn’t going to be one of those disgusting girls who refused to wash her arm just because his mouth had been there. After that, she got dressed and headed down the hallway with her ice bucket in hand. Tess walked out of the other room and skipped towards her. “Hello, chica,” she chirped. “Alex said you guys partied with Mexicans last night.”

“Yeah, into the wee hours of the morning. I’m so tired.”

“Whatcha doin’?”

“Just getting some ice. Later I think I’m gonna go down to the casino and spend some of that contest money.”

“Hmm. Six-hundred dollars.” Tess smiled.

“Yeah.” Maria started back for her room and said, “Hey, thanks again for not telling Max about that. There’s just no need for him to freak out.”

“Actually, there is,” Tess corrected. “You have feelings for another guy.”

Maria stopped outside her door and sighed. She couldn’t deny it. Tess had become her confidante over the past few months. The girl knew everything.

“Have you talked to him since the infamous ‘I love you,’ told him how you really feel?” Tess asked her.

Maria went over to the other side of the hallway, leaned back against the wall, and slid down onto the floor. “No,” she confessed. “I was thinking about doing that yesterday, but then he got sick, so I just . . . didn’t do it.”

“Oh, how convenient,” Tess remarked, sitting down beside her. “You can’t lie to me, Maria. I know you were never gonna tell him.”

Maria sighed dramatically. “It’s just really hard.”

“Yeah, but the longer it goes on . . .”

“The harder it’s gonna be,” she recited. “I know. But let me ask you something, Tess. Why haven’t you and Kyle called it quits with Isabel? You know, you guys could cut her loose, have the whole relationship all to yourselves. Because, let’s be real here, it’s obvious that’s what you guys want. The longer it goes on, the harder it’s gonna be. So why don’t you just tell her?”

“Because . . .” That seemed to strike a chord with Tess, because she paused, quieted her voice, and replied, “We don’t wanna hurt her feelings.”

“Exactly. I don’t wanna hurt anybody’s feelings, either. Max is one of my best friends; I’ve known him for eight years. If I tell him how I feel . . . and don’t feel . . . I’ll ruin that friendship. And that might screw up my friendship with Michael, too. And I can’t have that. So for right now, I’m completely fine with keeping quiet. I wanna enjoy—I wanna keep enjoying my spring break.”

“Yeah,” Tess said. “I get that.” She smiled knowingly and said, “Alright. Subject switcheroo. Kyle and I are going to see Blue Man Group at the Luxor tonight. You wanna come?”

Maria smiled and shook her head. “No, not really.”

“Didn’t think so. Isabel and Alex are coming, so we’ll have company.”

“Oh, that should be cozy,” Maria predicted.

“What do you mean?”

“Well . . . Isabel and Alex maybe . . . might have kissed last night.”

“Huh,” was all Tess said in response. “Saw that coming.”

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

That evening, after another fun day of gambling (and in Maria’s case losing) money, Michael, Maria, Liz, and Max went out to eat at the famed Rainforest Café in the MGM Grand hotel. It was a fun-looking restaurant, set up to look like a rainforest. There was a gorilla room with a lot of electronic gorilla figures and an elephant room with electronic elephant figures. In addition, there was a waterfall above the bar, and, occasionally, simulated thunderstorms that caused the electronic animals to go crazy.

Between appetizers and the main course, Michael went to the bathroom, and he was gone for ten minutes. Maria was seriously beginning to wonder where he was when he suddenly came running back toward the table waving a piece of paper in his hand. “Guess what, guys. I just became an official member of the Rainforest Café Safari Club,” he announced excitedly. “I don’t know what it is, but it was free, so I joined.”

“Why?” Maria asked.

He shrugged and sat down beside Liz in the booth. “I don’t know. I just thought, if the director dream somehow doesn’t work out and I actually have to go out there and get a real job at Burger Hut or something, I might wanna have a couple clubs on my resume, show ‘em I’m a joiner.”

“I don’t think it’s that kind of club,” Max cautioned. “I think it’s the kind where they try to get you to buy things.”

“Way to burst my bubble, man,” Michael said. “No, wait a minute, it says on the paper, priority seating, 10% off entrees and merchandise.”

“See,” Max said. “Merchandise.”

“Ah, whatever. Is our fuckin’ food here yet?”

“Not yet,” Liz told him, “but it should be here soon. I’m seriously hungry for the first time in thirty-six hours.”

“Me, too,” Max agreed.

“Ow!” Maria yelped suddenly when the electronic elephant figure beside her moved its trunk and hit her in the face. “This elephant trunk keeps hitting me!”

“Wanna trade seats?” Max asked her.

“No, it’s okay.” She didn’t want to sit across from Michael, because she was worried she would lift up her foot and provide some of the stimulation she had given him a couple of weeks ago. She couldn’t be held responsible if her foot just happened to find its way to his crotch.

“Do you guys think Tess and Kyle and Isabel and Alex are enjoying the Blue Man Group?” Liz asked.

“Alex is enjoying the Blue Man Group,” Max said. “Tess and Kyle and Isabel are probably enjoying each other.”

“I don’t know,” Maria said. “Izzy and Alex have sparkage.” She sighed. “Love trapezoids can be so complicated.” She sent Michael a look, but he was just looking over his Safari Club membership form again.

“What exactly is the Blue Man Group?” Max asked. “I’ve heard a lot about them, but . . .”

“I think they’re, like, this satirical, mute, percussion group. And blue,” Liz answered.

Max nodded as though that explained everything. “Oh . . .”

“Satirical?” Maria echoed, a bit unfamiliar with English terms. It sounded like an English term, anyway.

“Yeah, I don’t get it, either,” Michael said.

“Satire. It’s like when people make fun of something with irony and sarcasm and ridicule,” Max explained.

“I think the Blue Man Group satirizes modern America a lot,” Liz added on.

“Fascinating,” Michael muttered. “I’m surrounded by smart people. And Maria.”

She laughed sarcastically. “Oh-ho. Knee-slapper. Truly.”

“Hey, silence. Here comes the grub,” Michael said. “And the hot waitress accompanying it.”

Maria glanced across the table at Liz and asked her, “Doesn’t it bother you when he says stuff like that?”

“No,” Liz replied, placing her hand on her boyfriend’s shoulder, “‘cause I know he only has feelings for me.”

Maria wasn’t sure what to say to that, so all she said was, “Well, good for you.”

“Okay!” the waitress said cheerily as she approached their table with a large round plate holding four smaller plates balanced on her head. “We have the Primal Steak . . .” She set Michael’s food down in front of him. “And the Rumble in the Jungle Turkey Wrap . . .” That one was for Max. “And for our jungle ladies, the Volcanic Cobb Salad . . .” She reached over and slid Liz’s plate to her. “And the Gorilla Grilled Cheese.”

Maria smiled. It had been a long time since she’d had a grilled cheese sandwich.

“If you guys need anything, let me know. Otherwise, enjoy!”

“Thanks!” Maria chirped, already picking up one half of her sandwich. She took one bite out of it and stopped when she noticed the way Michael was looking at her. “What?” she asked.

“You ordered off the kid’s menu?” he asked in disbelief.

“Shut up! I was in the mood for grilled cheese.”

“Mmm, this salad’s really good,” Liz remarked. “I don’t know how I’m gonna be able to eat it all, though.”

“Well, don’t overload yourself,” Michael said. “I’m still flashing back to yesterday.”

“Believe me, so am I,” she said. “Sorry about your shoes.”

“Oh, that’s alright. They’re alright.”

“That’s good,” Liz said. “So, um . . . Max, Maria . . . what’re you guys gonna do tonight?”

“Uh . . .” Max looked to Maria and said, “I don’t know. What are we gonna do, Maria?”

“Uh, I don’t know,” she echoed nervously. “Whatever you feel like.”

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

“Uh . . .” A moan escaped Maria as she moved up and down atop Max. Sex hadn’t been her intention upon leaving dinner that night, but when they got back to the room and sat down and started talking he told her he loved her again. That immediately alarmed her, and she decided that sex would be a good distraction from the fact that she wasn’t going to say it back to him. Again.

“Wow,” Max said, his face full of wonder as she slid up and down his length.

The sex wasn’t bad. Far from it. In fact, in comparison to some of the other sexual experiences she’d had over the years, it was downright scintillating. Max, having overcome his initial virgin anxiety, now knew what he was doing and did it well. Most of the time, he still let her take the lead, though, which was what she liked best. But still . . .

He wasn’t Michael.

She placed her hands on his shoulders and kept moving steadily, concentrating. He was a lot farther along on the road to orgasm than she was. He’d cum without her if he didn’t start touching her.

“Max,” she said, taking his hand and bringing it down between them. She needed some clitoral stimulation if she was going to get any satisfaction out of this.

Max was just about to start providing that stimulation when the door to the room suddenly opened. Maria froze on top of Max and gasped in horror when Michael and Liz came in. She quickly got off of her boyfriend and lay down beside him, covering herself up with the blankets. “Guys, what’re you doing here?”

“Same thing you are,” Michael replied. “Let’s hit the showers, Liz.”

“Okay.”

Maria watched in horror as the two of them headed into the bathroom. Great, she thought. Not only did Michael see me having sex again, but now I have to listen to him and Liz getting it on, too? Her only hope was that he wouldn't be able to get it up again.

“This has to be hell,” she grumbled.

“Seems pretty nice to me,” Max commented, already reaching out for her again. “You wanna keep . . .”

No, she thought. She was totally out of the mood. Actually, she’d never really been that in the mood to begin with. She would have rather been crashing a Mexican wedding reception with Michael.

“Maria?”

“What? Oh. Yeah. Sure,” she sputtered, getting back on top of him. She position herself above the tip of his cock and slowly sank down again, just as the water started running in the bathroom. Ignore it, she told herself. It’s not important. What was important was having an orgasm, which wasn’t going to happen if she didn’t forget about Michael and Liz and starting thinking about Max.

I’m with you, Max, she thought. I’m right here. But her mind was elsewhere. It was all over Michael.

She heard Liz gasp, “Oh, Michael!” loudly, and it was too much. She couldn’t do it.

“Sorry,” she said, halting her movements. “I’m sorry, Max. I just . . .” She lifted her hips away from him, breaking the two of them apart again, and lay down beside him.

“Are you alright?” he asked her, sounding out of breath.

“Yeah,” she said. “It’s just . . . you know, they kind of ruined the moment.” She sighed and looked under the covers. Poor guy. He was still impossibly hard. “But I guess you can’t stay like that forever,” she said, crawling down beneath the covers to take care of it quickly.

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

Michael felt . . . honestly, sort of like a jackass. Even though Liz hadn’t been a virgin for awhile, she was still an innocent kind of girl. So when he got her in the shower, turned her around, and started slamming into her ass while the water poured down on them, he felt . . . well, like an ass. But he was a guy. Guys enjoyed rough and tumble sex sometimes. A lot of the time.

Liz, pressed against the shower wall, made a few sounds in her throat. Her face was wrinkled, her eyes closed, and she was biting her bottom lip. She looked a little uncomfortable, understandably. From Michael’s experience, every girl got the same look on her face the first time she had her backside rammed.

He glanced down and watched himself fucking her for a moment, but then strangely, his thoughts started to wander. He found himself remembering licking whipped cream off of Maria’s stomach, dancing with her, and, most notably, watching her walk into the house on the night of his costume party without a stitch of clothing on. She had a beautiful body. And right now, Max was probably enjoying—or had just finished enjoying—her.

Her jerked himself out of those thoughts, wondering why he was thinking about Maria when he was literally inside of Liz. Sure, she wasn’t quite as exotically enticing as Maria, but she had a good body, too, and he enjoyed having sex with her. He really did. Hell, if he didn’t, she wouldn’t be his girlfriend.

Still . . . thinking about Maria had made him all the more aroused. It’s not my fault, he thought. I have too many hormones. He began to thrust into Liz harder, faster. Probably way too fast. She whimpered, withstood it for a minute, then reached back and placed her hand on his hip, stalling him. “Michael.”

Shit, he thought. He’d just ventured into fucking territory that only a girl like Maria could handle. But he was with Liz. “You okay?” he asked her.

“Uh-huh,” she answered. “Just . . . go a little slower, okay?”

He felt bad. He was with his girlfriend, yet he was thinking about another girl. At the beginning of the year, he wouldn’t have felt bad about that. Hell, he wouldn’t have even had a girlfriend at the beginning of the year. But now he did have a girlfriend, now he did feel bad, and it wasn’t a good feeling.

Dammit, Maria, he thought. Why do you have to be so . . .

“I’m sorry,” he said, pulling out of her. “I’m sorry, Liz. You don’t have to do this.” He could easily get himself off. All he had to do was think of . . . someone.

“No, it’s okay,” Liz said, turning around to face him. “I want to. I’m fine.”

He shook his head, disregarding that. “Anal sex is kind of a guy thing, anyway. It’s alright.”

“Michael . . .” She trailed off, was quiet for a moment, then smiled and got down on her knees to take him in her mouth. He let her, but he sort of wished she hadn’t. Because he still felt bad.



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

Maria lay in bed that evening, staring up at the ceiling again. She wasn’t sure why she was having such a hard time falling asleep. It was a comfy bed, and Max wasn’t hogging space by any means. He was even letting her have all the covers. Nice guy.

She closed her eyes and tried to remember a simpler time in her life, a time when she wasn’t concealing her feelings for one of her best friends while pretending to have feelings for her other best friend. She remembered high school, sitting at the “Fab Four” lunch table with Max, Kyle, and Michael. She remembered skipping school all the time to go do something fun. (Max had never been a part of those escapades, but that went without saying.) All in all, high school had been so simple. Cheat on exams. Sleep with guys. Go out and get drunk. Her first three and a half years of college hadn’t been much different. But now, during her last semester, everything was changing. Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined that she would feel such strong romantic feelings for Michael. But she did. Never, either, in her wildest dreams, had she imagined that she would have sex with Max. But she did. Hell, even Kyle, the rock of their group, was starting to hit the relationship skids with the new Isabel/Alex developments.

She sighed and opened her eyes again. There was no way she could get to sleep when her mind was racing so fast.

She glanced over to the other bed for no real reason, even though she knew she would get jealous of how close Liz was sleeping next to Michael. A few seconds after she did that, though, Michael surprised her by turning his head to look at her. He smiled, and she smiled back. It figured. He couldn’t get to sleep, either.

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

Maria and Michael left the hotel room that night and headed outside to walk along the Strip. It wasn’t cold by any means, but it was a little chillier than a typical New Mexico night. Michael gave her his jacket, though, claiming that he didn’t need it since he was a big, tough, manly man.

“I can’t believe tomorrow’s gonna be our last full day here,” Maria, said, already missing Vegas even though she hadn’t left yet. It was such a different city. Lights everywhere, for one thing. She would miss seeing the decked out McDonalds down the Strip. There were people everywhere, too. In general, people in Santa Fe went to bed at midnight. People in Las Vegas barely ever went to bed at all.

“It’s gone fast,” Michael agreed.

“God, our school’s spring break so needs to be longer.”

“Dammit, it’s our last one, too,” he said. “I mean, the last official one. We can all take a trip next year, too, but we won’t be able to say we’re college students on spring break.”

“Yeah,” she said, thinking about what he’d said. “We all can take a trip?”

“Yeah.”

“You mean, you think you and Liz are gonna make it that long?”

“Sure, why not?” he said. “You’re gonna try to stick it out with Maxwell, aren’t you?”

Oh, shit, she thought. How do I do this, get myself into these situations where I either have to lie or look suspicious? “Yeah,” she answered. “Of course.”

“Yeah, so . . . and I don’t know what’s gonna be goin’ on with Kyle and Isabel and all them, but . . .”

“Isabel and Alex will be together,” she said confidently.

“You think so?”

“Yeah.” She shrugged, feeling unsure about what she was about to say. “People who are meant to be together always end up together somehow.” Too mushy? she wondered. Too obvious?

Michael chuckled. “I’m not sure I believe in all that fate crap. And I didn’t think you did, either.”

She made a face. “That’s bleak.”

“What? I can’t agree with you. I’ll sound like a pansy.”

“Hey, Max agrees with me all the time. Are you implying that he’s a pansy?”

“You said it; I didn’t.”

She rolled her eyes and took a seat on a bench near the bus stop. He sat down beside her and sighed. “So, we men did a pretty good job on spring break, didn’t we?”

“You men?” She laughed and shook her head. “Oh, this delusion that you’re actually more than just a perverted kid, Michael. Max and Kyle and Alex are men. You, on the other hand . . .”

“Are the man,” he filled in. “Exactly. It’s okay, Maria. You don’t have to flatter me. I’m modest.”

“Oh, please.”

“I think it’s been a good spring break, though. I mean, excluding the food poisoning for Max and Liz and my various eye injuries, and the excruciating shopping I had to do with you the other day.”

“It wasn’t excruciating!”

“Four hours, Maria. It was excruciating.”

“Shut up or I’ll make it five tomorrow,” she warned.

“Shutting up,” he said, but he started talking immediately thereafter. “You know, there’s some stuff to be remembered about this trip, though, too. Stallone’s nose. Whipped cream.”

“Uh, I’m actually trying to forget that one,” she lied. “I was covered in your spit for hours that night. I--”

“Loved it,” he cut in, smirking. “Man, I’m still pissed that Kyle and Tess tied us, though.”

“I know! If you hadn’t spent so much time on my boobs, we would’ve gotten first.”

“I couldn’t . . . help myself,” he admitted, smiling. “Dirty girl. I had to clean you off.”

“Oh, ugly boy,” she sighed, “you so have a one-track mind.”

“Yeah, well, when we get back, it’s gonna have to be a two-track mind. I gotta get started on final video project for Videography.”

“Oh god, Michael, all the smart people have already started. I guess that explains why you’re lagging behind.”

He chuckled. “You’re a bitch, you know that?”

She smiled. “Proud of it.” Sighing contentedly, she glanced around. The Luxor Hotel was having its light show. She could see the laser lights going off in the distance. As she watched the lights, she said, “It’ll be kind of good to get back, though,” she said. “I’ll get to do my showcase dance and get a job at the Modern Dance Association. Yea for me.”

“You aren’t nervous or anything?”

She smiled. “No. Well, I mean, maybe a little bit. No, not even a little bit. I’m just excited, really. I mean, I really want a job there. I can’t do another stupid job.”

“The modeling thing wasn’t so bad. You got to sex it up with me. You should feel honored.”

“Or I could feel nauseous.”

“Hey, watch it,” he warned. “So you think you’re gonna get it?”

“What, the dance job? Hell yes.”

He grinned. “You gonna get up there and shake your ass?”

“Not the usual dance team way,” she informed him. “I’m gonna do a contemporary dance this time. Not a hip hop one. You probably won’t like it as much ‘cause it’s not as slutty, but the MDA’s gonna like it a lot.”

“Hmm. I’m sure it’s good. And at least a little slutty,” he said. “You’re a dancing machine, Maria. You know that?”

“A dancing machine?”

“Yep. Just like I’m a sex machine. You’re a dancing machine.”

“I’m a sex machine, too,” she informed him proudly.

“Multi-talented chick. Let me ask you something: You think it’s possible to have dance while you’re having sex?”

“Hmm.” She thought about it, but it didn’t seem likely. “Not the way I dance,” she replied. “Or the way I have sex.”

“You on top?” he guessed.

“Always. Come on, you should know. You walked in on me and Max today.”

He nodded. “That I did.”

She waited a moment, then asked, “What about you? You on top?”

“Oh, yeah. A lot of the time.”

“Hmm. It’s a good thing we’re not together then. We might have a dominance problem.”

“Or a phenomenon,” he suggested. “No, you’d give in. Trust me.”

“You’d give in.”

“Fine, doggie style then.” He grinned. “Come on. What happens in Vegas . . .”

Stays in Vegas, she thought, intrigued. I can’t believe this. Michael and I are talking about doing doggie style with each other. He’s not be serious. I sure as hell am. But since she knew he was probably—or rather definitely—kidding, she couldn’t very well agree to the offer. “Are you trying to kill me?” she asked. “Death by disgusting-ness?”

He laughed slightly before saying, “Yeah, that is pretty raunchy. I think we’d have to be pretty drunk for something like that to happen. And since you’re not drinking anything these days . . .”

“Not gonna happen,” she filled in, disappointed. For the past two and a half months, Michael Guerin and sex with Michael Guerin had been the primary thoughts in her mind. It was like prolonged, frustrating foreplay/teasing without the orgasmic payoff at the end. But she didn’t want Michael to see her looking disappointed, so she quickly covered it up. “Good. That’s good. You probably have all these nasty STDs by now anyway.”

“Not as many as you, babe.”

She slapped him on the shoulder, and he laughed. “Ah, I crack myself up.”

Maria shook her head, trying not to smile. Herself, Michael, and sex. She knew what she would be dreaming about when she finally fell asleep that night.

Same thing she dreamt about every night.









TBC . . .

-April

(Next update will be late Sunday again. You guys know the drill.)

[April]

Whew, what a relief, it doesn't look as though I've lost any readers with the move here! That's good to know, because I would hate to lose readers this late in the story! Believe me, though, I was panicked when I glanced at the AU board and couldn't find it. This section is probably where it belongs though. It is definitely alien abyss material. I should have just posted it here to begin with. Stupid me.

Krista:

So does the disappearance of devil dude mean this is the beginning of the end?

I'd say that's a good way to put it. Not the end, but the beginning of the end.
Heavenli24: New reader! Makes me happy! I'd say your nitpick is justified. I don't know how cold it is in Vegas vs. New Mexico, but I wouldn't be surprised if New Mexico was in fact colder.
Mercedes: Hey, I like your assessment of the last part. I think you're definitely right about M+M having an "emotional affair" and about Maria and Liz thinking of sex as more of an obligation.
Brie: Michael and Maria are definitely getting close to telling each other how they feel. I'm glad you like it.
lilah: Yes, the evil smiley will hopefully not be making any more appearances.
Vael:

M/M are a hoot with all the sex talk, be interesting when they finally get their

Yes, M+M are literally obsessed with sex. I think you'll enjoy it when they get their . All I'll say is that it was a fun scene to write.
Alien_Friend:

They are so disciplined they adore their friendship so much they won't give into their hormones. It's commendable. Which is ironic to say about ths two of them.

I agree!
nibbles:

considering where that had just been - gross.

I know, I was wondering if anyone was going to comment on the yuckness of that fact.
Christina:

It was kind of interesting how Maria and Liz finished the guys off in the same way.

Yeah, Maria and Liz aren't quite as different as they'd like to think they are.
Mag:

I hope that Michael and Maria won' t be able to have sex with Max and Liz, now, after that experience.

Well, if they do still have sex with them, I'm pretty sure you won't have to read about it. Like 95% sure.
tequathisy:

That was interesting, I think that may possibly be the first time ever that Michael said no to sex

I think you're right!
mariadac:

And since the evil little devils are gone does that mean that the relationships are coming to a head quickly?

Well, they're coming to a head . . . not necessarily quickly. More like gradually.
mrs_guerin: I'm glad to hear your bookmarks still work. Hopefully that works for anyone else who had it bookmarked, too.
Elle:

Maria is really annoying me with this whole 'divert Max with sex', it's getting old and I really want her to admit to Michael how she feels!
Will that be soon?? A little hint?? Please??

Depends on your definition of soon. I'll just say that a big moment could be coming . . . one of these days. I'm SOOOO evil!
pookie76: Ready for what? A new part? Well, if that's the case . . .




(I couldn't decide where to cut this part off at, so I just made it into a bit of a longer one. Enjoy!)









Part 76









The last day in Vegas turned out to be sort of a downer for some. Kyle and Tess had a few bad hands of blackjack—really bad—and ended up losing most of the money they had won over break. Isabel hardly said two words to anyone, especially Alex, and instead chose to follow Kyle around and look sad whenever he and Tess started flirting or making out. Since Alex didn’t want to gamble, he spent the majority of his day alone in the arcade with no Isabel to accompany him. Eventually, Liz said she felt bad for him and decided to invest in pinball and give him some company.

On the brighter side, both Max and Liz seemed to be feeling fine. The food poisoning epidemic had completely passed, and Max still seemed to be on the same metaphoric high he’d been on ever since Maria had told him she loved him. Michael still didn’t understand that. Maria and those words . . . they didn’t mix.

“Poo,” Maria grumbled as she dropped one of her last quarters into a slot machine. “This sucks. I’ve already spent that entire six-hundred dollars.”

“Where’d you get that anyway?” Max asked. “I didn’t bring that kind of gambling money along.”

Michael averted eye contact and looked away. Whipped cream, whipped cream . . . he thought to himself.

“Sidewalk,” Maria blurted. “Yeah, I was just walking, and there it was.”

“Hey, so you’re not unlucky after all,” Max said.

She smiled up at him and just said, “Hmm.”

Michael couldn’t resist. He had to jump in and agree. “Yeah, Maria. Max is right. You’re a very lucky person. I mean, just gettin’ that six hundred bucks like that . . . that must’ve been one of the greatest, most memorable, awesome experiences of your life.”

“Oh, you wish. I think you’re exaggerating it a bit, Michael,” she said, turning to give him a warning glare that Max couldn’t see.

“Alright, I’ll shut up. Drop another quarter in.” He had decided not to gamble that day. He wanted to walk out of Vegas with a substantial amount of cash in hand.

“I only have three quarters left,” she pointed out.

“Switch to pennies. Or nickels at least,” Tess suggested. “Or just walk away now. Three quarters are, like, totally minimal, but it’s more than you came with. I’m telling you, Maria, after the blackjack debacle Kyle and I had today, we’re barely even leaving with a profit.”

“We’re not leaving with a profit,” Kyle corrected, “if you take into account the hotel and the plane and the dinners and the Blue Man Group tickets.”

Tess smiled fondly. “I loved Blue Man Group.”

“Yeah, me, too,” Kyle agreed.

“Me, too,” Isabel echoed softly.

“What was their show like?” Max asked. “Were they all they’re hyped up to be?”

“Oh, definitely,” Tess answered enthusiastically. “Max, you’re an intellectual, so I think you’d really like them . . .”

Maria turned toward Michael as Tess, Max, and Kyle started having their own conversation. “Whatever,” she said, dropping one of those last three quarters into the slot on the machine. “I’m goin’ out the way I came in, which is on--”

“Drugs?” Michael filled in.

“Quarters.” Maria pulled the lever and waited while the reels spun. Nada. Yet again. Of course. “Dammit,” she cursed, pouting. “Why can’t I win?”

“Karma,” Michael replied as he glanced over to a couple of other machines in the center aisle. “That’s what you get for bein’ a bitch, Maria.”

“Oh, yeah, and your karma’s just so good that you’re walking out of here with loads of cash? Give me a break.”

Michael watched in interest as a man sitting at a typical lever slot machine got up and walked away. His gut told him that machine was about to pay off soon, so he figured he’d clue Maria in. “Hey, that machine.”

“What about it?”

“Get on it.” He suspected that was a phrase she’d heard more than once in her life, probably mostly in the bedroom.

“Why?” she asked.

“‘Cause it’s about to pay out. Slot machines are like girls, Maria. They try to be virtuous, but eventually, they give it up. Way of the world.”

“Philosophical,” she remarked sarcastically. “How do you know it’s about to . . . put out or pay out or whatever?”

“I just do. I’m talented guy, Maria. I wouldn’t be surprised if I’m a little psychic.”

“Oh, if you’re so psychic, tell me where I’m gonna be in ten years?”

He smiled. “Naked.”

“I said where, not how.”

He just smiled again and repeated, “Naked.”

She rolled her eyes and got up, heading over to the machine he’d told her to play.

“And knocked up!” he called after her.

“Shut up!” she called back.

“For the third time!”

“Shut up!”

Michael laughed and watched her go. God, what was she thinking wearing that denim mini-skirt? Didn’t she know how horny it made him?

Maybe she did, and she was wearing it on purpose. The little vixen . . .

Just as Maria was about to sit down at the machine, some idiot guy cut in front of her and slid into the seat. She stopped right before sitting on his lap and started to walk away.

“No!” Michael called, pointing a finger at her. “It has to be that machine, Maria!”

She motioned toward the guy in exasperation.

“That’s it,” he muttered, heading over there. “Hey, buddy, she was gonna play on this machine.”

“There’s another machine right beside me,” the man pointed out.

“Yeah, but she wants this one. Why don’t you just be a gentleman, let the lady sit here.”

The man sighed, reluctantly stood up, and moved down toward the end of the aisle.

“Sit down,” Michael told her.

Maria smiled and said, “You just lectured a guy in a suit. About being a gentleman. As though you actually know something about that. And you called me a lady.”

“Yeah, I figured that’d be more effective than slut. “

She gasped in outrage.

“Come on, win some money,” he said before turning back to his friends. “Hey guys, get over here.”

Max, Kyle, and Tess, and Isabel heard him and came to join them. “What’s going on?” Max asked.

“Maria’s finally gonna win something,” Michael replied confidently. “A sexy psychic told her so.”

“Psycho,” Maria corrected. “And not sexy.”

“Whatever. Come on, spin it.”

She sighed, dropped a quarter into the slot, and pulled the lever. The reels spun and came up with . . .

“Uh, nothing!” she groaned exasperatedly. “So much for being psychic, you dumb-ass!” She whacked him in the stomach, apparently none too pleased with him for having gotten her hopes up.

“Try again,” he urged.

“This is my last quarter.”

“Well, make it count.”

“Good vibes, Maria,” Tess put in. “I have good vibes.”

Maria sighed again. “Okay . . .” She repeated the process, dropping her quarter into the slot and slowly pulling down the lever. The first reel came up as a 7. The wait for the next reel, in which Tess bit her fingernails and Max nervously closed one eye, seemed to go on forever. But much to Maria’s surprise, that reel came up as a 7, too. Michael felt the anticipation building, and he could see the hope on Maria’s face as the last reel turned agonizingly, finally coming to stop on . . .

. . . a 7!

“Woo!” Maria screamed, throwing her hands in the air. Tess and Kyle and Max cheered, too, and Michael smiled and gave himself a mental pat on the back. He wasn’t really psychic by any means, but he had a way with slot machines. And now Maria had actually won something.

“You did it,” Max said, placing a hand on her shoulder.

“Nice, Maria!” Tess exclaimed.

“Jackpot. Winner,” came the machine. “Jackpot. Winner.”

“Ooh, yea, I’m excited,” Maria chirped as quarters began falling out. “How much did I win?”

Michael bent down to catch the coins in a bucket and told her, “Too much for this machine to shell out in quarters.”

“How much?”

“About three-thousand dollars.”

“Three-thousand dollars?!” she shrieked. “What? Oh! My god! Do you know what this means? I’ve won more than all of you combined!” She laughed gleefully and clapped her hands. “I’m so rich!”

“Good job, Maria,” Max said. “And I know you spent it all, but I still think that six-hundred bucks on the sidewalk is pretty cool, too.”

Look away, Michael told himself. Look away.

Maria laughed and said, “Yeah, but this is better.”

Michael grunted. This was pretty cool for her, but the whipped cream . . . “The six-hundred bucks was better.”

“Shut up,” she snapped at him. “I win!”

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

Max recommended that everyone go to bed early that night, even though no one was really tired. They had a flight at 8:00 in the morning, which he said meant they needed to be at the airport at 6:00. With Vegas traffic, that meant they had to leave their hotel no later than 5:00 a.m.

Michael lay in bed around midnight with his arm around Liz, not tired at all. Hell, he hadn’t woken up until noon that day. He was still wide awake. “Liz?” he whispered. “Liz, you tired?”

“Mmm, a little,” she murmured, her breath tickling his chest.

Of course she was. She and Max liked to wake up early for some reason.

She sat up and smiled down at him. “Why? You wanna make-out?”

“Oh, I wanna do more than that.”

She laughed a little and leaned down to kiss him. He remembered the first time he’d kissed her. It hadn’t been a bad kiss by any means, but it had been full of inexperience. Not anymore.

He brought his hands up around her to grasp her waist and run his fingers up under her shirt. If he had one regret about the trip, it was that he and Liz hadn’t had their own private room where they could fuck and sleep naked. Or not sleep at all if they were too busy fucking. But, on the other hand, sharing a room with Maria wasn’t so bad.

Liz rubbed her clothed mound against his slight erection, and he groaned into her mouth, deepening their kiss. No more inexperience. None at all.

The mood was sharply interrupted all of a sudden when, from the other bed, Maria snapped, “Stop it.”

Michael pulled away from Liz and glanced over at his friend. He should’ve known that she’d still be awake. She’d slept until noon that morning, too.

“I can hear the smacking,” she said without opening her eyes.

Michael chuckled before returning his attention to Liz. “Let’s piss her off. Let’s do it,” he said quietly, kissing her again.

“Gee, Michael you sure know how to romance a girl,” Maria muttered sarcastically. “Seriously, if you ever wrote a book, it’d be all about male stupidity.”

Michael broke off his kiss with Liz again and said, “We could do without the commentary, DeLuca.”

“Well, I could do without the squeaking bedsprings I’ll hear if you guys start . . . starting. So don’t start.”

Michael sighed and looked at Liz. “Still tired?” he asked her.

“Still a little, yeah.”

“Okay. You should go to sleep then,” he suggested, lifting her small frame off of him to rest beside him.

“Okay,” she said, pressing a quick kiss to his chest before resting her head on it and snuggling close to him. “Goodnight.”

“Night.” He sighed and glanced at the clock. 12:05. Still early . . .

An hour later, he still wasn’t asleep. Max was snoring. Liz was sort of . . . drooling on him. And Maria hadn’t moved for forty-five minutes. He knew he wouldn’t be dozing off anytime soon, so he carefully untangled himself from Liz, got up out of the bed, and dressed in some clothes. Although he had vowed not to gamble that day and walk out with a huge profit in hand, he could no longer resist the urge. He was only going to be in Vegas for a few more hours. He figured he should make the most of it. And if he was going to make the most of it, he couldn’t do it alone.

“Maria,” he said, shaking her by the shoulders, gently at first, and then not so gently.

“Oh, what?” she groaned, rolling over onto her back and rubbing her eyes.

“Get up. Get dressed.”

“What, why?”

“‘Cause we’re goin’ out.”

“I’m sleeping,” she whined.

“Well, wake up. Come on, get your fat ass outta bed, DeLuca.”

“My ass isn’t fat,” she responded sleepily. “It’s perfect. Just like the rest of me.”

He smiled. Well . . . she was right about that. “Come on, dirty girl.”

“Oh . . .”

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

“So, why do you need me here again?”

Michael stood at the craps table, eagerly awaiting a chance to roll the dice. A week in Vegas, and he hadn’t played a single table game. That was so wrong.

“Hello? Are you listening?” Maria whined.

“I’m focusing.”

“On what? Michael, this is stupid. I don’t even know how to play this game. What is this game?”

“Craps, Maria.”

“Ew. What kind of game’s called craps?”

“The good kind.” He watched as the two base dealers on either side of the boxman collected the pay bets. He wasn’t putting too much money down to start with. If he started winning, though, he’d definitely up the ante.

“I was in stage two sleep . . .” she groaned. “You realize we have to be at the airport in, like, five hours?”

“Come on, DeLuca. We gotta make the most of this. Sleep’s a waste of time,” he reasoned as the boxman examined the dice, making sure they weren’t loaded.

“Well, how do you play?” she asked.

“I can’t get into that right now. It’s too complicated. You’ll see,” he said as the stickman shoved five dice across the craps table with an elongated wooden stick.

“Pick two,” the stickman instructed.

Michael picked two random dice, and the stickman brought the others back in towards him with the wooden stick. “Come-out roller!” he announced enthusiastically.

“‘Bout time you came out,” Maria remarked.

“Funny.” Michael picked up the dice and jiggled them around in his hands. “Alright, table minimum, pass line bet. Basically we really want seven or eleven. We don’t want two, three, or twelve. Anything else is alright for now. Got it?”

“What the hell’s a pass line bet?”

“Never mind. Just blow on my balls. Ha, ha. I mean dice,” he said, holding them out on the palm of his hand in front of her lips.

She gave him a look. “That’s why you woke me up? Isn’t that, like, a cheating thing anyway?”

“Yeah, but I’m havin’ you do it as a good luck thing. Come on, blow.”

She rolled her eyes and let out a tiny puff of air on the dice.

“Harder than that.”

She blew a little bit more.

“Harder.”

She did.

“Harder . . .”

Finally, she seemed to get fed up and practically blew the dice right out of his hand.

“Jesus Christ,” he said, curling his hand around the dice. He shook them a bit and prepared himself. “Alright, we go.” Envisioning a seven or eleven roll, he tossed the dice onto the table. They bounced off the wall surrounding the table and came face up as a two and a five for a total of seven.

“Yeah!” he exclaimed, throwing his arms in the air. A few people standing around and watching him clapped.

“Seven natural!” the stickman announced as he collected the dice.

“Yeah!” Michael exclaimed again, turning to Maria. “Damn, baby, you know how to blow.”

She whacked his arm and tried to act mad, but he knew she wasn’t. Finally, she resigned and said, “It’s true. I am good at it.”

“Alright, round two,” Michael said, rubbing his hands together greedily. “We’re gonna try something different.”

“What?” she asked.

“Six the hard way. ‘Cause, you know, we both like it the hard way.”

“What’s six the hard way?” she asked.

“Two threes.”

“Isn’t that, like, really unlikely?”

“Yeah. That’s why you gotta blow again,” he said as the stickman shoved the dice across the table to him again. He picked them up and held them out for her. She blew on them again, smiling a little and looking more awake now.

“Alright, here we go,” he said, shaking the dice in his hands. “Was that a good blow?”

“Mmm-hmm.”

“You need to do it again?”

“Nope.”

“You sure?”

“Yep.”

He was about to throw them, but he stopped and asked again, “You sure?”

“Yes!”

He chuckled. “Okay.” With the flick of his wrists, he sent the dice flying onto the table. They bounced off the wall and came up with . . .

“Yeah!” Two threes! It was improbable to say the least, but there it was.

“Six hard way!” the stickman announced as everyone cheered for him.

“Oh my god, Michael,” Maria said in astonishment. “I’m startin’ to get excited. You could really make a killing off this. Hey!” she snapped at the stickman. “Give him the dice; I wanna blow!”

Michael chuckled and said, “Oh, Maria, I bet you came outta the womb sayin’ that.”

“Shut up!”

He waited as the stickman held the dice up to the light and examined it. He wouldn’t find anything, though. “Hey, I’m not cheating,” Michael informed him. “I’m just gettin’ lucky.” He smiled and bragged, “Happens all the time.”

The stickman eventually put the dice back down on the table and slid them across the table to Michael with the elongated stick. Michael shook the dice around in his hands, considering what kind of bet he wanted to do. “Let's do a . . . a come bet,” he told the dealer before turning to Maria and saying, “‘cause, you know . . .”

“We both like to cum,” she filled in, rolling her eyes. “I can’t believe you place your bets based on your hormones.”

“I can’t help it. I have too many.” He grinned.

She smiled back at him. “Hmm, me, too.”

Oh god, girl, you are so hot.

“Shooter rolls,” the stickman said impatiently.

Before Michael could do anything, a guy he didn’t know at a neighboring table and looked over and said, “Hey, are you winnin’, man?”

“Yeah,” Michael said proudly.

“Man, I’ve been playin’ for an hour, haven’t won anything,” the guy lamented. “How’s about you toss your pretty lucky charm over here. She could blow on my dice.”

“Sorry,” Michael said, wrapping a possessive arm around Maria’s shoulders. “Charm stays with me.” He held the dice in front of her mouth and instructed again, “Blow.”

She blew.

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

The gang left Las Vegas early in the morning, arrived at the airport, and got on a plane for Tucson. Once there, they waited out a three hour layover, each one of them tired and a bit depressed that spring break was over.

“Layovers,” Tess groaned, sounding barely awake as she rested her head on Kyle’s shoulder.

“Yeah, I know. I wish we could’ve gotten a direct flight,” Kyle said.

“You know what sucks? At this time tomorrow, I’m gonna be in my Textiles and Design class.”

“I thought you liked that class,” Kyle said.

“Yeah, but not as much as I like Vegas.”

Liz smiled, understanding Tess’s sadness upon leaving. Even though Liz had suffered a day’s worth of food poisoning and hadn’t even gambled once, she’d had a really good time. Of course her parents would never know about it. Ever. North Dakota was still the cover story.

“You guys are almost done with school,” Tess went on. “Isabel and I still have two years left.”

Liz raised her hand and piped up, “Three years.”

“Oh, you’re right. I forgot about that,” Tess said. “Poor freshman.”

Liz shrugged. “It’s not so bad. I actually like college. And if I can get into Bio 214 next semester, I’ll like it even more.”

“Oh, that’s a great class,” Max said. “I tutor for that class.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Take it with Professor Jarvick, if you can. I had him. He’s really good.”

“Jarvick,” Liz registered. “Got it.” She realized that she was quickly slipping back into the nerd zone by talking about biology, so she didn’t say any more on the subject. Sometimes with Max, they just got talking about school and science and stuff like that, and it was hard for her to uphold the popular persona she had worked so hard to maintain over the past three months.

“Are they still arguing?” she asked, glancing up at Michael and Maria. They were standing a ways away, facing each other and yelling loud enough for people to hear all the way down in the next gate concourse.

“It never ends with them,” Kyle mumbled.

Liz didn’t have to listen hard to overhear what they were arguing about. It was just as she predicted, too: who would get to sit in first class on the remaining leg of the flight home.

“I let you sit in first class from Vegas to here,” Michael said. “And you sat there on the way to Vegas.”

“Only half the time and I had to fight you for it,” she reminded him.

“I fuckin’ paid for the seat!” he roared. “And I financed your Vegas shopping spree, and I told you about the jackpot slot machine!”

“So what? I blew on your dice!”

Liz immediately exchanged an alarmed look with Max, but he said reassuringly, “I think it’s a gambling thing.”

She nodded. It’d better be.

“You know what?” she heard Michael say. “I think I should have two seats. One for me and one for my monster cock!”

“Oh my god! I swear, if you could just go for ten seconds of your life without talking about your male parts!” Maria exclaimed loudly in exasperation. “I mean, you don’t hear me talkin’ about, ‘Ooh, my pussy.’”

“You should. Everyone else does.”

She gasped and slapped him—literally slapped him—on the face.

“Ah, my eye!”

Liz actually laughed a little. It was only fitting that Michael ended the trip the way he had started it.

“Southwest Flight 929, now boarding Group 3,” the woman at the gate announced. “Again, that’s Group 3.”

Kyle stood up, and the rest of their group stood up along with him. “Hey!” he called to Michael and Maria. “While you two are talking about sex organs, the rest of us are gonna board the plane.”

Liz stood back and watched as Kyle and Tess went to stand in the boarding line, smiling and talking to each other. Isabel stood beside them, not saying much of anything, and Alex stood beside Isabel, not looking at her. Something weird was definitely going on there, but Liz wasn’t sure what it was.

Max picked up Maria’s bag and brought it over to her. “Ready to go?” he asked.

“Yep.”

Liz waited for Michael to come over to her and pick up his own bag. She wasn’t strong enough to carry that big thing. “Almost home,” she remarked.

“Yep,” he said. “Listen, Maria’s probably gonna win out on the seat thing again, so . . .”

“I’ll sit with you,” she said eagerly. Flying with Maria was not a fun experience since they weren’t getting along.

“No, you sit in first class,” he told her.

“But I wanna be with you.”

“Well, you are with me,” he said, falling into the boarding line.

She sighed, wondering if that was true. Because it seemed like he had spent a lot more time in Vegas with Maria than he had with her. But then again, maybe that was just because of the food poisoning day.

But maybe not.

Insecurities, she thought, resting her head against his arm as they waited for the line to move forward. When are you gonna get over that?

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

Alex stuffed his bag into the overhead compartment, eager to get home. The first half of spring break had been awesome, best days of his pathetic life. The second half, the post-smooch with Isabel half, had been agonizing and awkward. She’d barely spoken to him. At all. Hell, she’d barely spoken to anyone.

He was about to sit down in his seat when he looked up and saw Isabel just standing by the seats, blocking the people in the aisle who were trying to get farther back in the plane.

“Uh, sweet cheeks?” some rude guy said. “It’s called walking. Sitting, maybe.”

Alex sighed. Apparently her seat on this plane was right next to his. A week ago, that wouldn’t have mattered to her. Now it clearly did.

“Honey, move please,” an impatiently woman said, trying to squeeze past her.

“Sorry,” Isabel said, slipping in to the seat next to Alex. She didn’t sit down, though. Instead, she glanced back a couple of rows to where Kyle and Tess were getting seated and said, “Kyle?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah, sorry. It’s a smaller plane. I couldn’t get three seats together,” he said apologetically.

Alex laughed angrily and said quietly enough so that only she could hear him, “I didn’t know I was that bad of a kisser.”

She looked back down at him. “What?”

“The kiss. It must’ve been pretty horrible for you to treat me like this.”

“Alex . . .” She paused for a moment, looking shell-shocked to be hearing what he had to say. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to hurt your feelings, but . . . that kiss shouldn’t have happened.”

“Well, it did.” He wasn’t going to back down and agree with her. No way. In his opinion, it was about damn time they talked about it.

“I’m sorry,” she repeated. “But it’s not gonna happen again.”

Alex felt as though she’d just taken a sledgehammer to his heart. Over and over again. He loved that girl. He did. He was sure he loved her more than Kyle ever would. Maybe Kyle loved her, too, but he loved Tess more. Isabel didn’t deserve second place.

He was about to open his mouth to say all that to her when she tapped the shoulder of an older man in front of her and asked, “Excuse me, sir, are you sitting alone?”

He nodded and replied, “Yes.”

“Do you think I could trade seats with you? Being in the emergency exit row just really makes me nervous.”

“Sure thing.”

Alex sat back and got grumpier as Isabel and the grandpa man changed seats. He started to think that maybe she was right. Maybe the kiss shouldn’t have happened. Because before that, they’d been really good friends. Now . . .

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

“I don’t understand, Maria. What’s so bad about 28D? It’s not the back of the plane.”

“Yeah, but it’s not the front of the plane, either,” Maria said as she found her row—well, not technically her row, but Michael and Liz’s row, and slipped in to the window seat. “Come on, just spoil me,” she said as she stashed her carry-on suitcase under the seat in front of her. “You know you want to.”

“No, actually I wanna spoil me,” Michael said.

“I’ll spoil you,” Liz piped up.

“Ooh, now that I like the sound of.”

I don’t, Maria thought. “Sick,” she said. “Just the thought of it . . . here comes the vomit.”

“Okay, Max, you can sit with her,” Liz said. “Row twenty-eight’s fine with me.”

“You sure?” Max asked.

“Yeah. Trust me, I’d rather be sitting anywhere but here.”

Maria rolled her eyes. It hadn’t been long ago that Liz had idolized her.

Max sat down beside her, and Michael was about to reluctantly carry on down the aisle with Liz in tow when Maria noticed that something was missing, and she automatically assumed Michael took it. “Hey, give me back my purse,” she snapped at him.

He stopped walking and spat, “What?”

“Well, I don’t have it. I assume you took it. Give it back, ass.”

He chuckled and said, “I don’t have it.”

“What?”

“I don’t have your damn purse.”

All of a sudden, panic engulfed her. A girl was truly at her most frantic when she didn’t know where her purse was. “Oh my god,” she said, freaking out.

“You okay?” Max asked.

“No, I don’t have my . . . my purse!” she shrieked. “I don’t . . . “ She shook her head, trying to remember where it was. She’d taken it over to Hot Dog City to pay for her chili dog. Then she’d taken it into the bathroom to reapply lip gloss and . . . “That’s it,” she said. “I set it down on the counter in the bathroom, and I got distracted ‘cause I got busy looking at myself in the mirror and thinking about how beautiful I am, and I just left it in there! Oh my god, somebody probably stole it! And I have my casino check in there!”

“I like how you just automatically assume that I took it,” Michael said, “like I’m still in the fourth grade or something.”

She ignored him and stood up, sliding past Max. “I have to go get it,” she said, sliding out into the aisle between Liz and Michael. “Excuse me?” she said to a flight attendant a little farther back. “Yeah, I left my purse in the airport. If I get off this plane, I can get back on, right?”

“What’s your name?”

“Maria DeLuca.”

“Alright, Maria, I’ll just tell the ticket agent; you’ll be able to get back on. But just so you know, we should start to take off in five to ten minutes.”

“Okay, great.” She squeezed past Liz and started to make her way up the aisle, past all the other passengers who were moving in the opposite way as she was. She turned back around, though, pointed to Michael, and made sure to add, “Oh, and if he tries to sit in my seat, don’t let him, okay? He is a terrorist.”

She heard Michael laugh, then, and say to the attractive flight attendant, “She’s kidding. I’m not . . . do you have to frisk me? ‘Cause you can.”

Suddenly, a thought occurred to Maria, so she turned back around and squeezed back down to the aisle to where Michael was. “Come with me,” she said, grabbing him by the arm.

“What?” Forgetting his suitcase, he let Maria drag him along with her, past all the impatient people who just wanted to get in their seats and get home.

“My poor purse could’ve been stolen by a thug,” she reasoned. “You might have to Rocky-up, beat it out of him.”

“Eye of the tiger, baby.”

“Michael!” Liz called.

“I’ll just be a minute, Liz!” he called back.

“Dammit, my purse,” Maria grumbled, finally managing to squeeze past all the passengers and break free into the corridor connecting the plane to the airport. “Come on, Michael!”

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

It took a little longer to run back to the bathroom than Maria had hoped it would. The problem was, she had stopped earlier to pee in a different concourse, so she had to get on the monorail system and take a two minute ride, all the while dragging a grumpy Michael along with her.

“I can’t believe you made me come with you. I was gonna get frisked by the hot flight attendant . . .”

“Yeah, in front of your girlfriend? Real nice.”

He just shrugged. “Whatever, Maria. You know, since I’m comin’ with you, you might wanna be nice enough to give me my first class seat back.”

“Fat chance.” When the monorail doors opened up, she grabbed Michael’s hand and tore out into the concourse. She had to stop and look around to get her bearings. “Okay, bathroom, bathroom . . . God dammit, Michael, where was the bathroom?”

“Don’t know, babe.”

She rolled her eyes, feeling defeated until she spotted the bathroom not far away. “Oh, over here! Come on!” They ran over to the bathroom. There was a long line outside stretching all the way down to the men’s bathroom, but Maria ignored it. “You stay out here,” she told Michael, pushing open the door to the bathroom and going inside, ignoring the angry protests and insults the women standing in line spat out. Holding her breath, she looked over at the sinks. Yes, there it was. Her beautiful, gold, shiny purse.

“Oh, thank God,” she sighed, relieved. She rushed over to it, picked it up, and clutched it to her chest. “Thank God.” How she had forgotten about it for so long, she did not know. It was an odd feeling for a girl, not having her purse slung over her shoulder whenever she was out and about. Her only explanation was that she had been too busy arguing with Michael about first class seating to notice its very noticeable absence.

She set her purse back down, then, and opened it up to peer inside and make sure nothing was missing. Cell phone. Wallet. Three-thousand dollar casino check inside the wallet. Miraculously, nothing appeared to have been stolen. She breathed another sigh of relief and shook her head, cursing herself for being so stupid.

“I was wondering whose purse that was,” a young woman standing at the sink beside her commented as she washed her hands. “You’re lucky it’s still here.”

“I know, right? I thought it’d be gone,” Maria admitted. She slung the purse over her shoulder and would have just smiled and walked away had her eyes not focused in on something. “That shirt,” she said, pointing to the black t-shirt the girl was wearing. How could she miss it? It was an emblem of one of her favorite reality TV shows. It said So You Think You Can Dance? on the back and had a list of all the cities the show had toured at. On the front was a picture of all the season three contestants.

The girl stopped washing her hands and gave Maria a look. “What about it?”

“I love that show,” Maria said. “I’ve watched all the seasons. I swear it just keeps getting better.”

“It does. It really does,” the girl agreed, smiling.

“Yeah, and I totally wanted to get tickets for the tour. Stayed up all night one night on Ebay, but they were too expensive.”

“Well, my boyfriend got me tickets for my birthday,” the girl explained.

“How was it? Amazing?”

“Oh, yeah. You would’ve loved it. Those hip-hop dances looked so fun.”

“I love hip-hop!”

“And the contemporary routines are so breathtaking.”

Maria held her hand to her chest just thinking about some of those dances. “I know,” she said. “Sometimes I’ve thought about auditioning for the show, but then the winners just, like, disappear into oblivion, you know?”

“Yeah, my thoughts exactly.”

Maria laughed a little and said, “So you dance?”

“Mmm-hmm. I actually used to dance as a part of the Modern Dance Association until I blew my knee out last year.”

Maria’s mouth dropped open. “Shut up.”

“Um . . .”

“No, I mean don’t literally shut up. Tell me more! I’m auditioning for the MDA in New Mexico in a few days.”

“Oh, so you want some pointers?”

“Hell, yeah!”

The girl laughed and started in. “Okay, well, I guess the first thing I can say is, don’t be afraid to be original. You’re probably doing a contemporary dance, so really make an effort to make it look different from all the others.”

“Oh, no problem,” Maria said confidently. “Originality’s like my middle name.”

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

Who said middle-aged women aren’t hot? Michael thought as he flirted with a hot soccer mom while she waited in line for the bathroom. She was probably forty or something, but that wasn’t a problem for him. She still looked twenty-five.

“Yeah, I know what you mean about lines,” he said. “Back in college . . . you know, back in the day when I was still in college, I used to have to stand in line to get my textbooks.”

The soccer mom cringed. “Oh. Not fun.”

“Definitely not. It’s like Disney World without the fun.”

She laughed.

He flashed her one of his trademark grins and said, “Alright, well . . . I should probably . . . go somewhere else. I don’t want your husband seein’ me talking to you, gettin’ pissed.”

“Actually, I, um, don’t have a husband.”

“Really? Alright, your boyfriend, then.”

“Well, I don’t quite have one of those, either.”

“Really?” He smiled. “Well, that’s good. Good for me, I mean.”

She smiled, blushed, and looked away for a moment, obviously trying to control the effect his regard was having on her. “What about you?” she asked.

“Me? No, no boyfriend.”

She giggled and asked, “What about that girl you came runnin’ over here with? She your girlfriend?”

“Who, Maria?” He made a face. “No. No, not . . . not really.”

“Not really?”

He laughed at himself. Why hadn’t he just said no? “She’s not.”

“Oh. So . . . you don’t have a girlfriend here with you?”

“Well . . . technically, not here with me.” He thought of Liz, and he knew that what he was doing with Soccer Mom would not progress beyond flirtation. He was still an ass, but not that big of one. “She’s still the on the plane,” he said, and when he said it, it dawned on him. The plane. The one that he and Maria were supposed to be on. The one that was sitting in a different concourse and getting ready to take off any minute. “Oh . . . shit!” He forgot about Soccer Mom and ran towards the front of the line. He pushed open the door just as a little girl came out of one of the stalls. She saw him and started crying.

“Mommy, there’s a boy in the bathroom!”

He ignored the kid and snapped, “Maria!”

She was just standing there with her purse in hand talking to some girl. “What?” she said.

“Haul ass, dirty girl! Our plane’s about to leave!”

Apparently she had lost track of time, too, because realization flood her face. “Oh. Fuck!”

He dashed out of the bathroom, and she followed him. “Nice talking to you! Thanks for the tips!” she called to the girl she’d been talking to.

“Bye!” Soccer Mom called to Michael as he whizzed past her.

He quickly spun back around and said, “You wanna exchange numbers? ‘Cause we could do that real fast.”

“Michael, now is not the time to be on the make!” Maria yelled as she ran ahead of him.

“Right. See ya.” He reluctantly ran away from Soccer Mom without even giving her a proper goodbye. It was a damn shame, too. She was so hot, kind of like how he pictured Maria looking in twenty years.

They ran back to the monorail, Michael slightly ahead of Maria. He got there just as the doors were closing, so he stuck his foot in between to keep them from closing all the way. “Shit!” he roared as the doors pressed on either side of his foot. Gradually, they opened back up again, and he and Maria were able to hop on.

After a two-minute monorail ride that seemed like it took forever, they arrived back in their flight’s concourse. They both ran back to their gate number, but Michael knew something was wrong when he looked outside and saw that the plane wasn’t there. Still, he asked the gatekeeper, “Can we still get on the flight?”

“I’m sorry, sir.”

“No, I was the girl who had to go find my purse,” Maria elaborated. “Didn’t they tell you about me? Can’t you at least let me on?”

“I’m sorry,” the gatekeeper said, “but the flight just left a few minutes ago. You missed the plane.”

Michael slowly turned to glare at Maria. “Missed the plane?”

She smiled innocently and said, “Oops.”










TBC . . .

-April

(Sorry for the extreme lateness of this update. And sorry if my description of craps was all wrong.)

[April]

nibbles:

awesome - Maria and Michael alone somewhere with no Liz or Max and $3,000 to their name. If I didn't know you better I'd get really excited at this prospect. But it still should be fun.

Yeah, I must say, I think this part has some adorable fun stuff.
lilah: Well, technically they're stranded in the Tucson airport, not Vegas. But regardless, they still have no supervision.
Heavenli24: Yes, Maria is definitely Michael's lucky charm!
Alien_Friend:

They are like joined at the hip. They do everything together.

That's so true! You'd think they would get tired of each other, but they don't.
Krista:

I hope that you'll provide insight into what the hell she was thinking once her and Michael break up.

That's the problem. Liz isn't really thinking right now. She's too busy swooning over Michael and changing herself to be with him to give much thought to the long line of horrible choices she's made.
mariadac: Thanks!
Christina:

And now... on to Maria. I also think I'm the only one who's getting more and more fed up with her attitude. I do love that she's always herself, but the whole diva thing can be somewhat annoying. Don't get me wrong, I love her, but at the same time I sometimes just wanna strangle her. Lol. I suppose in that regard I can sense the love/hate relationship between Michael and Maria.

Hey, that's how I feel about her sometimes, too, and I'm the one writing her!
tequathisy:

So that's what I don't like about Liz, that she's transformed herself for a man.

Yep, yep. And a man who doesn't even love her at that. Liz is pretty much a walking disaster right now.
Evans3: Hi, I'm sorry I wasn't able to send you a message regarding the move of this fic! But I'm glad you were able to find it again and that you're still reading! Thank you!
Mag:

So Michael flirts, thinks it won’t go that far but even running desperately to catch his plane, he asks for that older woman’s phone number?

Yes, Michael is a bit of a contradiction, isn't he? He really is making a big effort to not cheat on Liz, though, so he wouldn't have really done anything that woman.
starcrazed:

I like it when Liz goes back to her old persona talking biology with Max. It gives me hope that @ some point she can return to form and not be a fake person or a bitch to Maria.

Well, anything's possible. You never know what could happen.
Mercedes:

They don't want to mess up their friendship, and I don't want them to mess up their friendship, either. That would be about the worst thing that could possibly happen

For sure, I agree. I'm so glad you understand their romantic hesitance!
Elle:

So about that Michael and Maria part I was asking for...my definition of soon is like in the next two or three parts?? Is it going to be that soon??

No, not that soon! But you're definitely getting there. Oh, and about Max and Isabel . . . yeah, they're siblings, but they're definitely not that close right now, not close enough to discuss relationship stuff with each other. You'll see a bit more of their dynamic later on in the story.
spacegirl23:

Hmm, and why did Liz and Max let them run off like that?

Well, Max and Liz probably couldn't have stopped them if they'd tried.
Vael:

I don't want Michael to be like Kyle & hurting the woman he is with.

And strangely enough, Michael doesn't want to be like that, either.
mrs_guerin: I was wondering when someone was going to bring up that episode of That 70s Show! That's totally 100% where I got the idea for all of Michael's eye injuries. (I love that show.) It just struck me that Passion Michael Guerin has some similarities to Michael Kelso. Good-looking, not the smartest guy around, but hopefully loveable. lol
Brie: Thanks for reading!





Thanks for the wonderful feedback, everyone! I must admit, I like this part. I couldn't decide where to cut it off again, so it's another longer one. Enjoy!









Part 77 (Page 763 for those who would like to know!)









Having missed their flight by merely minutes, Michael and Maria went to the Southwest airlines counter to try to book seats on another flight. Neither one of them was too happy. No one enjoyed being stranded in the airport.

“This is why we should’ve driven,” Michael grumbled while impatiently waiting behind a huge group of students taking forever to check in and get their tickets. He hated flying. “I’m never gettin’ on a plane again.”

“Michael, it’s not the plane’s fault.”

“That’s right. It’s yours. We missed the flight because you were talking about a stupid reality TV show.”

“And my upcoming dance audition. That girl gave me some helpful tips,” Maria insisted.

“Like what?”

“Like . . . to wear shorts instead of pants because the judges or whatever are gonna wanna see my legs.”

He couldn’t help smirking at that. “That’s a universal desire.”

“Of course it is. And shut up. I didn’t see you making any huge effort to keep me on the clock there. And why not? Oh, ‘cause you were too busy being Mr. Horny with a woman twice your age!”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“She’s old.”

“She’s not old. She’s experienced.”

“You say tomato . . .”

“Besides, you told me to wait out there, so I did.”

She waved her hands around in front of his face and exclaimed exasperatedly, “So not the point!”

“What is the point?”

“That you’re a himbo!”

He raised an eyebrow, only slightly confused. “A himbo.”

“Yeah, male version of a bimbo. That’s you.”

“Himbo, huh?” He let the word roll off his tongue, testing it. “I like that. I could get used to that.”

“It’s not a compliment, Michael.”

He grinned smugly. “It is to me.”

“Oh my god.”

“You know,” he said, leaning in closer to her, “every himbo needs a bimbo. I guess you’re mine.”

“Oh, I am not yours. At all.”

“Yeah, you are.”

“I think Max would argue with that.”

“Touché, bitch.” He moved to the front of the line when the students finally cleared out and quickly relayed the condensed version of their airport misadventure to the ticket agent. “Yeah, hi. We were supposed to be on the 4:30 flight to New Mexico, but we missed it ‘cause of her.” He motioned to Maria.

She whirled to face him again and spat, “You know what, Michael?”

“What, Maria?

“One of these days . . .”

“Oh, idle threats, baby. I’ve been hearin’ ‘em for eight years.”

“Oh, my threats are not idle,” she promised. “They’re . . . un-idle.”

He chuckled and teased, “Man, DeLuca, you got a way with words.”

“Yeah? Well, I’m about to give you a few choice words. You know, four letters, rhymes with duck? The next word’s ‘you.’ Fuck you, Michael. Seriously.”

“Sounds like a plan. Fuck me,” he said, rubbing his hands together. He reached down and pretended to undo his belt. “Let me just break out Big Daddy here . . .”

“Ew, gross.”

Michael laughed, then remembered the predicament they were in when the terrified ticket agent cleared his throat and piped up, “So, I take it you two want seats on the next flight to Santa Fe?”

“Yeah,” Maria said through a sigh. “I have class tomorrow. Although that’s not really a motivation to go home.”

“We’ll go crazy in a stressful situation together,” Michael explained. “Is there, like, a flight at 6:30 or something? Or 7:30. I think we could make it ‘til 7:30.”

The ticket agent typed some information into his computer and said, “Well, there’s 6:30.”

“Awesome,” was Michael’s immediate response.

“Tomorrow morning.”

“Tomorrow morning?!” he then shrieked.

“Yes, 6:30 a.m. It’s a flight on Southwest Airlines. It’s the earliest flight to Santa Fe, scheduled to land at 7:30 a.m.”

“No,” Michael said. “You’re shittin’ me.”

“Dammit,” Maria swore. “We should just rent a car and drive.”

“Well, there are no rentals at this airport,” the ticket agent informed her. “Plus, once you rent the car, pay for the gas if you need it, and get it back . . . it’ll probably be more expensive than the plane tickets.”

“How much are the tickets?” Michael asked, well aware of the fact that he was without his wallet.

“Two-hundred and fifty dollars each.”

Michael nodded and tried to speedily do the math in his head. “Four-fifty added up.”

Maria gave him a know-it-all look. “Five-fifty.”

“Five-hundred,” the ticket agent told them. “Luckily, there’s plenty of seats available. I can even get you two seats next to each other. Unless you don’t want that.”

“No, that’s fine,” Michael said quickly. “Alright, so let’s go ahead and get the tickets.”

“Okay. Do you have a credit card, or . . .”

Michael shoved his hands into his pockets, feeling the emptiness. He glanced at Maria, almost smiling, and said, “My wallet. In Liz’s purse. On the plane.”

She groaned, tossing her head back. “Why would you let your girlfriend possess your wallet? That’s, like, an unwritten law. You don’t do that.”

“Well, I don’t know, Maria. Why would you leave your purse in the bathroom?” he retorted.

She rolled her eyes and whined, “Then how are we supposed to pay for our tickets? I don’t have a credit card. But I should. But I’d have bad credit. But oh well.”

“Debit card, maybe,” the ticket agent suggested, “if you have enough funds on it.”

“No, I don’t have one of those, either,” Maria said. “Mostly, my guys just buy me stuff.”

“Spoiled brat,” Michael muttered, and then something dawned on him. “Hey. Spoiled brat . . . with a three-thousand dollar casino check in her purse.”

“What? No! I won that!” she yelped.

He ignored her then, asking the ticket agent, “Is there a bank nearby where we could cash that?”

“Um, well, if that’s a casino check, you’ll need to cash that at your bank. I suppose you could try to open up an account at a bank here . . . do you have any ID with you?”

Maria glanced into her purse and said, “Well, not really. I mean, my driver’s license, but it’s all expired. I never drive.”

“Spoiled,” Michael said again.

The ticket agent shook his head. “Banks usually require two valid forms of ID, too. I’m sorry. You two are really up a creek without a paddle right now. I can’t give you the tickets if you don’t have a way to pay for them.”

“Dammit,” Maria said. “What’re we gonna do, Michael? We’re stranded here. All we have is an empty wallet, a check that can’t be cashed, and my hot body.”

He thought about it and came to a decision. “Alright. I had a feeling it’d come to this. Maria, take off your clothes. It’s time for you to exchange sexual favors for cash.”

“Are you trying to pimp me out?” she screeched, whacking him in the arm with her purse. “In the airport?”

“Well, what else are we supposed to do? I’m not good with money and travel, Maria.”

“Obviously.”

The ticket agent cleared his throat and suggested, “Is there anyone you guys could call, maybe someone willing to help you out?”

Maria’s eyes lit up and she said, “Duh, Michael. We have friends.”

He snapped his fingers together as the plan formed in his mind. “Kyle. And the emergency credit card.”

She pointed her finger at him in a rare moment of agreement. “Yes.”

Just then, as if by a miracle, Maria’s cell phone rang. She quickly pulled it out of her purse, and she smiled when she read the caller ID. “It’s Kyle!” she exclaimed excitedly. She flipped it open and started talking. “Buddy, your ears must’ve been ringing, because we were totally just talking about you.”

“Give me that,” Michael said, snatching the phone away from her. “Valenti.”

“Man, what happened to you guys?” Kyle asked. “We tried to get them to hold the plane for you, but . . .”

“Yeah, Maria was runnin’ her mouth,” Michael replied.

She leaned over and shouted into the phone, “Michael was being slutty!”

He moved the phone over to the other side of his head and got serious with Kyle. “We gotta get tickets for this 6:30 a.m. flight tomorrow. You got the emergency credit card with you?”

“Yeah, man. I’ll let you use it, but you will be paying the bill, alright? Not me.”

“Yeah, whatever.”

“I’m serious, man.”

“Yeah, I got it.”

“Okay, you have something to write with, something to write on?” Kyle asked.

“Uh . . .” Michael glanced down into Maria’s purse, took out an old gum wrapper and a pen and got ready to write. “Alright.”

“Okay, I’m gonna give you all the information,” Kyle said. He began relaying number after number, but static started to get in the way about halfway through. Michael strained to hear him, but he couldn’t hear the very last number.

“Wait, Valenti, what’d you say? What’s the last number? Valenti?” He waited, but there was no response. Holding the phone out in front of him, he noticed that it had shut off. He gave Maria look and said, “Nice job keepin’ the battery charged.”

“It’s dead?”

He dropped the phone back in her purse, pissed off. He hated this. He really hated this. No longer did he just despise flying. Now he despised airports.

He slid the gum wrapper across the counter toward the ticket agent and said, “I think the last number’s a four. Or a six. Or a nine. I don’t know.”

The ticket agent smiled sympathetically and said, “You’ll need to have the right information. Payphones are right down there.” He pointed.

Michael sighed and glanced down at the payphones over by the escalators. He was tired, and he had a feeling they were in for a long, sleepless night. But since he was with Maria, it’d be bearable. And definitely fun.

“Alright, let’s go.”

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

Liz stood back at the baggage claim, watching as Kyle lifted his, Isabel’s, and Tess’s bags off the conveyor while talking to Michael on his cell phone.

“What? It’s an emergency credit card, man. That doesn’t apply to hotel rooms.”

Liz stiffened. They wanted to get a hotel room?

“Well, sleep in the airport,” Kyle suggested. “It’s your guys’ fault you’re stuck there anyway.”

What followed was a heated exchange of “It’s Maria’s fault!” and “It’s Michael’s fault!” that Liz could hear even though she wasn’t on the phone with them.

“Dude, you guys are givin’ me a headache,” Kyle said. “Hold on.” He lowered his phone and pressed it against his thigh, turning to Max. “Max, what do you think?” he asked his friend. “You think we should let ‘em get a hotel room?”

Liz watched as Max stiffened, too, and replied, “Uh . . . well, some hotels don’t even accept charges.”

“No, apparently Maria found one she likes that takes Mastercard.”

Max sighed, obviously having the same thoughts that Liz was and said, “Well, maybe you should remind them that whatever they charge, they have to pay off.”

“Good,” Kyle said. “That’s good.” He picked up his phone again and did just that. “Yeah, whatever you guys charge, you pay off,” Kyle said. “And I know you guys. You’ll be paying off these cheap plane tickets for the next twelve years.”

Tess leaned over, smirking, and said to Liz, “What do you bet Maria’s gonna want a first class ticket, too?”

Liz smiled and tried to laugh a little, but truthfully, she found nothing about their situation funny. Once again, Michael and Maria were somewhere together and she and Max were left without them. The majority of spring break, as enjoyable as it had been, had gone that way. Michael and Maria. Liz and Max. Not that there was anything wrong with spending time with Max, but he wasn’t her boyfriend.

Kyle hung up his phone literally a few second later, looking exasperated. “Finally. Got that taken care of,” he said.

“Are they just gonna sleep in the airport?” Liz asked hopefully.

“Yeah,” Kyle replied. “Come on, let’s go home. I don’t know about you guys, but I’m tired.”

Liz hung towards the back of the group with Max as they walked out to the parking garage and quietly confessed to him, “I kind of wish I was stranded in the Tucson airport, too.”

“Yeah,” Max admitted in return. “So do I.”

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

Maria yawned as she flipped through a celebrity gossip magazine for sale at one of the gift shops. More trouble for Britney. No big surprise there. Another actress pregnant. No surprise there, either. Another famous couple was divorcing after two months of marriage. Hollywood was getting so damn predictable.

“How’s Britney doing?” Michael asked, peering over her shoulder.

“Bipolar,” she replied. She set the magazine back down on the shelf and sighed. “I’m tired.”

“Tired?”

“Yeah. Someone woke me up in the middle of the night to blow on his dice.”

He shrugged. “It worked, didn’t it?”

She rolled her eyes and wondered aloud, “How is it that we always end up doing stuff together? Like, I didn’t plan for this to happen. Yet, here we are, stranded in the airport. You and me.”

“You and me,” he echoed. “It’s fate. Face it, Maria, we’re destined to annoy each other for all eternity.”

“Oh, goodie.”

“Yep. I can see it now. Years from now when we’re older and slightly less attractive, we’ll be neighbors in the retirement home. Yeah, and you’ll sneak out of your room with your walker every night, come over to mine, beg to get your rocks off.”

“Sick!”

He smirked. “I’ll still be giving good orgasms.”

“And I’ll still be having them. But not with you,” she said emphatically, even though having a Michael-induced orgasm was quickly becoming her number one life dream.

“Who you gonna get ‘em from then?” he asked. “Huh? Ninety year-old Max?”

“Well, what about ninety year-old Liz? Where’s she at?”

“Oh, she’s there. With her walker. She’s behind you, waitin’ in line for her orgasm. And there’s a bunch of other girls—well, I guess, grannies, technically—behind her, too, waitin’. Like that Rachel girl and--”

“That girl’s name is Rachelle,” Maria informed him.

“Whatever. She’s there, too. In the retirement home. Wantin’ me.” He grinned and licked his lips. “Not as much as you want me, but . . .”

“Oh my god.” She shook her head, trying not to smile as she headed over to the front counter to pick up a Snickers candy bar. The store clerk had her back turned to her and was sweeping, so Maria swiped the candy bar, opened it, and headed back over to the corner to eat it inconspicuously with her back turned toward the clerk.

“What’re you doing?” Michael asked her.

“Stealing,” she whispered in reply.

“Nice.” Before the clerk turned around, he quickly swiped a Snickers for himself and joined Maria in the corner.

Maria laughed and said, “My mother would be horrified. I’m breaking one of the Ten Commandments.”

Michal laughed, too. “Maria, don’t you break all ten of the Ten Commandments on a daily basis?”

“No. I haven’t done the adultery one for a long time,” she informed him. “Neither have you.”

“Huh. I guess I haven’t.”

She took another bite of her candy bar and said, “But you were about to.”

“What?”

“Old soccer mom.”

“Experienced soccer mom,” he corrected. “I was just messin’ around. I wasn’t really gonna do her.”

“Really?” She wasn’t sure whether to believe that or not. And she wasn’t sure how to feel about it. “So . . . so you’re not gonna cheat on Liz?”

“I haven’t so far, have I?”

“No.”

“Yeah, so . . . what makes you think I’m gonna cheat on Liz?”

“Well, you’re an asshole.”

“Yeah, but not that much of an asshole.”

She stuffed the rest of the candy bar into her mouth, feeling a little . . . disappointed. Maybe it was wrong to want him to cheat on a girl who was her former friend. It was definitely wrong for her to even consider having an affair on Max. But she imagined an affair with Michael would be all passionate and exotic. And something that would never happen. Which was probably for the best. Still . . . now she was having horrible visions of Michael’s future . . . with Liz. Him getting married to Liz and knocking out babies with Liz. And would she still be with Max, wishing she was with Michael?

The future looked a little . . . not great to say the least.

He stuffed the rest of his candy bar in his mouth as well and said, “Man, what’re we gonna do all night?”

She had a few ideas, but since he was being faithful to Liz . . . “Sleep, I guess.”

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

At midnight, Michael and Maria settled into seats by their gate. Maria took his jacket and curled up underneath it, facing away from him. He stretched out, crossed his arms over his chest, and tilted his head back, trying to pretend that he was comfortable. But he wasn’t. And apparently Maria wasn’t, either, because she groaned, started moving around, and grumbled, “Uh, I can’t get to sleep.”

“Me, neither,” he said, without opening his eyes. He kept them closed until he felt her pushing down on his shoulder. “What’re you doing?” he asked.

She moved in closer to him and rested her head on his shoulder, still wrapped up in his jacket as well. He smiled as he looked at her next to him, her eyes closed, her hair a little messed up, her make-up a little imperfect. And gorgeous. And hilarious. And his best friend. If he had to be stranded in an airport, he was glad he was stranded with her.

“Maria, don’t fall asleep,” he said.

“Why not?”

“‘Cause I’m not gonna fall asleep. And if I’m awake, you gotta stay awake with me.”

“Mmm,” she groaned. “I’m tired.”

“I know. But I’m gonna be really bored if you fall asleep.”

“Mmm,” she groaned again, sitting up slowly. “Well, what’re we supposed to do for the next six and a half hours?”

“Well . . . we could go walk around,” he suggested.

“We already did that.”

“Hmm. We could make fun of each other.”

“We do that constantly.”

“We do, so . . .” He had run out of ideas, so he said the first random thought that came to mind. “Rock, Paper, Scissors?”

She waited a moment, then shrugged. “Okay.” She lowered the jacket and laid her left hand out before her, palm facing upward. He did the same, and they both curled their other hands into fists and pounded them down on their palms three times.

“Rock, paper, scissors.”

Michael waited just a split-second, saw that Maria kept her hand in a fist as a “rock,” and laid his own hand down flat for “paper.” Paper covered rock. He won. But she caught on to his deception immediately.

“No fair. You waited until you saw what I put down.”

“No, I didn’t,” he lied.

“Yes, you did. Come on, redo. And no cheating.”

“Fine.” They did the same thing again. “Rock, paper, scissors.” This time, he opened his index and middle finger up into a V, into the “scissors” position. Maria kept her hand as a rock.

“Ha!” she exclaimed, pounding her fist down atop his fingers.

“Ah! Jesus,” he swore, pulling his hand back when she hit it. That hurt.

“Ha,” she said again, smiling.

“Alright, new game,” he decided. “I don’t want you to damage my fingering hand.”

“Oh, wouldn’t want that.” She laughed a little and said, “Okay, what’s the next game?”

“‘I Never ,’” he decided.

“What? What’s the point of ‘I Never’ without alcohol?”

“Just . . . drink imaginary alcohol.”

“Okay,” she said. “You start.”

“Alright. I never . . .” He trailed off, trying to think of something. Everything that came to mind didn’t qualify. “No, I have done that. Did that. Did that, too.” He sighed, struggling. “I can’t think of anything.”

“Here, I have something,” Maria volunteered. “I never had sex with a girl.”

“You sure?”

“Yep.”

He went along with the game, pretending to raise a shot glass up to his mouth and down it. Then it was his turn. “Alright, I never had sex with a guy. Drink up, dirty girl. ‘Cause you’ve had sex with lots of guys.”

She rolled her eyes and pretended to down a shot as well.

“Awesome. Alright, new game.” He chuckled. “Uh . . .” He was going to have to think up a lot of games at this rate. None of them seemed to stick.

“Too bad we can’t play beer pong,” she said. “No beer. No pong.”

“Yeah, it sucks,” he agreed. He clapped his hands together once and said, “Alright. I’m thinking of a number . . .”

“A number?”

“Yeah. Between 1 and 3,092. Guess.”

“3,091,” she guessed without hesitation.

“Yeah.”

“Seriously?”

“Yeah, how did you know?”

“I don’t know,” she replied in astonishment. “I’m just getting too smart for my own good, I guess.”

He chuckled and said, “So, smarty pants, are you goin’ to class tomorrow? You know, our plane’s supposed to land early.”

“Yeah. No,” she said. “I’m not goin’ to class. I probably should. I’ve got this huge calculus review tomorrow, but . . . nah. I’ll just stay home and sleep and work on my dance.”

“Me, too,” he said. “Well, not my dance, but my movie. I gotta get my ass in gear on that.”

“Yeah,” she agreed emphatically. “What’s it gonna be about anyway?”

“No idea.”

“Well, is it gonna be, like, a scripted movie or . . . what?”

“Yeah. Probably. I don’t know. Probably scripted. Maybe.”

“So you’re gonna write it? Or are you just gonna do a remake of a movie, or a film version of a play, or are you gonna get someone else to write it?”

He was taken aback by all the questions, mostly because he hadn’t given the movie any thought. He figured he’d just throw something together at last minute, do a little editing, and get the good grade he always got in that class. But this movie was a big deal. It was his final project, and it was worth fifty percent of his grade. He knew other people in the class who had been working on their movies the entire semester. There was one guy who was getting the campus orchestra club to compose an original score for him. There was one girl who was going to Paris to film some of the locations she wanted. Hell, even Alex was making more progress than him, and Alex was by no means a born director.

“You need help,” Maria concluded upon his prolonged silence. “Luckily, you have me.”

“You’re gonna help?”

“Yeah. We’ve got nothing better to do; we can’t sleep. We’re gonna write your movie script.”

“Oh, shit,” he said, smiling at the thought of it. “That should go well.”

She opened her purse and pulled out a pen, suddenly looking much more awake than she had a few minutes ago. “Paper,” she said, looking around. “We need paper.” Michael watched as her eyes fixed on a little boy sitting over at the adjacent gate with his parents, drawing something on a notebook. “Oh, come on,” she said, standing up, grabbing his hand and pulling him with her. He followed her over to the little boy, and she knelt down in front of him and asked him, “Hi. Can we use a sheet of paper you have there, little boy?”

He looked scared and tugged on his mom’s shirt. His mom was asleep, though, her head tilted over to the side, her mouth hanging open, drool falling out. The kid’s dad looked equally as out of it.

“No, we’re nice strangers,” Maria assured him. “Well, not nice to each other, but . . . just give us the paper, kid.”

He started to cry, so she grabbed the notebook from him, tore out two sheets of paper, and then handed it back to him. “Thanks.”

Michael laughed as they walked away. “Maternal Maria leaves a lot to be desired.”

“Oh, right, like Paternal Michael’s so much better.” She rolled her eyes and led him over to a spot on the floor. The airport was so deserted. They could sprawl out there and not be in anyone’s way, so they did. Maria lay on her stomach with the paper out in front of her and the pen poised in her hand. Michael lay down on his side beside her, too busy watching her to say or do much of anything. Sometimes she looked so strangely innocent. As she sat there, ready to write what would never be a theatrical masterpiece, she looked that way. Innocent.

“Okay,” she said, sounding all serious. “So I’m thinking this should be, like, a romantic dramedy. You know, drama ‘cause that’s substance, and comedy to keep it light.”

“Sure, sure,” he said, “but I’m not so sure about the romance part. I was thinking more along the lines of action.”

“Oh, please,” she scoffed. “I’ve seen you hauling that camera around for eight years. I’ve never once seen you film any action scene.”

“That’s ‘cause I’m too busy filming you,” he reasoned. “I should’ve brought the camera along to Vegas, you know? I could’ve gotten some good stuff. I could’ve been filming you right now.”

“Ew, no. I look bad,” she said, running her hands through her hair.

“Well, you don’t look your best.”

She stiffened and said, “What do you mean by that?”

“Well, you said you look bad.”

“So you agree?”

“No, I just said you don’t look your best.”

“So you think I look bad?”

“No, I think you look good.”

She huffed. “You should’ve just said that from the beginning. God, guys are so stupid.” She smiled and said. “That should be the title for your movie. Guys Are So Stupid.” She wrote that down at the top of the paper in all capital letters.

“Oh, yeah, this is gonna be great,” he mumbled. “How about Girls Are So Crazy? ‘Cause that’s true, too.”

“No. Guys Are So Stupid is better,” she said decisively. “Alright, now characters. You need a hot female lead. She needs a sexy name. Come on, Guerin. Brainstorming. Let’s think outside the box here.”

He rubbed his forehead and yawned tiredly. “I don’t know.”

“I know!” she exclaimed. “Maria.”

He chuckled. “Hot female lead, huh?”

“Yep. Maria . . . Sexalica.”

“Wow. Sexalica?”

“Mmm-hmm. And she’s . . . a dancer.”

“Stripper?”

“No, a dancer.”

“Maria, I’m not makin’ a dance movie,” he told her emphatically.

“Why not? Some of the best movies ever made are dance movies.”

“No, some of the worst movies with the worst acting and the most predictable plots ever made are dance movies,” he corrected.

“Predictable plots?”

“Yeah. Rich kid from the ghetto lights it up on stage, has a nice little romantic subplot, happy ending.”

She rolled her eyes. “Fine, whatever, you won’t make a dance movie. But stay on track, Guerin. We’re characterizing. So we’ve got Maria Sexalica, the super-hot, superbly awesome, best, most perfect person ever dancer, and now we need her sexy male counterpart. A love interest. What should we call her love interest?”

He gazed at her, and he couldn’t resist. “Michael.”

It took her a moment to look into his eyes and say, “Funny. But seriously.”

“Maybe I am serious.”

She glanced back down at the paper in front of her for again and wrote a name down. “Sawyer,” she said.

“As in Sawyer from Lost?”

“Yes. Mucho hot. Me likey. Okay, now for the plot. I’m thinking that we open with a little sex on the beach. I’ll play Maria, of course, and we can place a call to Josh Holloway, get him to play Sawyer. We’ll go full-body nude, and, um, we won’t fake the sex. We’ll actually have it. We want everything to look realistic.”

“That’s not plot, Maria. That’s porn,” he pointed out.

“Yeah, I know, but I don’t hear you coming up with any bright ideas.”

He chuckled and decided to sit back and let her be imaginative. “Alright, so porno sex on the beach. What’s next?”

“Ooh, I’m glad you asked, because, scene two, porno sex in the shower.”

“Ooh.”

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

Max and Liz stayed up late into the night watching a movie on TBS. Max made some popcorn, and they sat on the couch and ate it all down, each one staring at the screen, not really thinking about the movie, but thinking about Michael and Maria. During one of the commercial breaks, Liz piped up and said, “This movie’s . . . really bad.”

“Yeah,” Max agreed. “We should have rented.”

“Yeah.” She popped the last kernel of popcorn into her mouth and said, “Thanks for letting me hang out over here tonight, though. I just got back to that dorm room, and it was so small and ugly. I couldn’t take it.”

“It’s no problem,” he said. “For once, I’m not studying, and since Maria isn’t here . . . it’s nice to have someone to hang out with.”

“I’m not even tired,” she said. “Are you?”

“Not really. I slept pretty well last night.”

“Me, too.”

“I bet Michael and Maria are tired, though. They went down to the casinos last night.”

“Really?” That came as a surprise to Liz. “Without us?”

“Yeah. I think we were already asleep or something.”

“Huh.” She didn’t really like the thought of that, but there was nothing she could do about it now. “So they’re probably fast asleep right now.”

“Yep. Fast asleep.”

“And not in a hotel room.”

“Yep. No hotel.”

“Cool.” The commercial break ended, and the movie came back on, but Liz was so uninterested. She didn’t even know what the movie was called, what it was about, or who the characters were. So instead of pretending to sit there and watch, she decided it would be more fun to talk to Max some more. “So,” she said. “Graduation’s coming up. “

“Yeah.”

“One and a half months.”

“Yeah.”

“Are you ready?”

“Um . . .” Max nodded thoughtfully. “Yeah, I think so. I hope so.”

“So what’re you gonna have a degree in? I never found out.” She felt sort of bad that she’d never really gotten to know Max all that well. Usually whenever they talked, it was about Michael and Maria.

“Microbiology,” he replied.

“Oh. And what does one do, exactly, with a degree in Microbiology?”

“Well . . . biology.”

She laughed a little. “Well, that makes sense.”

“Yeah. And a whole bunch of other stuff that would bore you to death.”

“Oh, don’t be too sure. I used to love science.” She smiled, remembering those days, and went on to ask, “What are your plans then once you have your degree?”

“Well, I’ll start graduate classes in the fall, so . . . it’s not like I’ll really be gone.”

“Wow, graduate classes,” she said in astonishment. “Did you have to write, like, a huge dissertation this year?”

“Oh, yeah. Just submitted it a few weeks ago, actually. That one paper basically determines whether or not I get admitted as a graduate student.”

“Oh, I’m sure you will. You’re the valedictorian.”

“Well, fingers crossed.”

“That sounds like a lot of hard work, though,” she remarked.

“It wasn’t that bad.”

She smiled at his modesty and kept inquiring about his plans for the future. “So, there’s graduate classes to look forward to. What else?”

“Well, I’ll probably teach some undergraduate classes if they’ll let me; and I might volunteer tutor.”

“That’s nice of you.”

“And hopefully someday I’ll be a research assistant here at the university, and hopefully someday after that I’ll be the research director.”

“Wow.” She was impressed. “You’re very goal-driven, Max. Has anyone ever told you that?”

He smiled. “My parents.”

She took the remote, turned down the volume on the TV, and inquired, “So what about Kyle and Michael and Maria? What’re they gonna do?”

“Well, as far as I know, Kyle’s gonna put that Business Administration degree to good use and take a shot at opening up his own gym.”

“Ooh.”

“Yeah. He’ll probably be really successful and make lots of money and have lots of girlfriends. You know Kyle.”

Liz nodded. Kyle was definitely an adult, knew how to make his way in the world.

“And Maria,” Max went on, “has an audition in a couple of days at the Modern Dance Association here in Santa Fe. I think she’s really excited about it.”

“I bet,” Liz said. “Well, she won’t have a problem. She’s a great dancer.”

“Yeah,” Max agreed. “It’s nice to see her passionate about something. You know, something other than arguing with Michael.”

“Huh,” was all Liz could say to that. “So what about Michael? What’s his future hold?”

“Oh, I’m not sure,” Max replied honestly. “If anyone would know, it’d be you.”

Liz almost laughed at that. “If anyone would know, it’d be Maria,” she mumbled. She noticed the questioning look on Max’s face and quickly elaborated. “I mean, they . . . talk a lot, you know, and spend a lot of time around each other and . . . you know.”

“Yeah,” Max acknowledged. “I, uh, I think he’s gonna try some independent filmmaking. It’s a long-shot, but . . .”

“Yeah, I think I remember him saying something about that once,” Liz said, trying her hardest to recall. “I don’t know. We don’t really talk about the future or . . . anything.”

“Anything?” Max echoed.

“Well, I mean, we talk. You know, once in awhile. Mostly we just, uh . . .” She trailed off.

“Have sex?” Max filled in.

“Pretty much, yeah.” She blushed and laughed a little. “To think, when I first transferred here a couple of months ago, I was . . . completely different. To say the least.”

“I remember the first time I saw you,” Max offered up. “You asked me where the library was.”

She smiled. “How do you remember that?”

“Well, I thought you seemed really nice,” Max replied. “And . . . you weren’t bad to look at, either.”

That surprised her. “Oh, god. No. I was so . . . no make-up and bad clothes and just all-around badness.”

“Those thoughts never even crossed my mind,” Max told her. “But, uh, you’re right. You are a lot different now.”

“Yeah,” she practically whispered. As much as she liked being popular and having friends and dating Michael, sometimes she missed the girl she used to be. A lot of times. That girl had been driven and determined. Now, she put all her efforts into trying to be the next Maria DeLuca. But the truth was, there was only one Maria DeLuca, and Michael was stranded in the airport with her. Liz knew she could never be Maria. In all actuality, she didn’t want to be Maria.

“I’m kinda tired now,” she said when her thoughts started to bottle up and get too serious. “I think I might go sleep in Michael’s room.”

“Yeah, I should probably get some shut-eye, too,” Max said, using the remote control to shut off the TV. Then he stood up and headed for his room. “Goodnight, Liz. I had fun watching bad movies with you tonight.”

She laughed a little. “I had fun, too.”

He smiled, nodded, and disappeared into his bedroom.

Liz sat out on the couch and sighed. It was going to feel weird lying in Michael’s bed without him next to her. She wasn’t looking forward to it.

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

Maria’s so cute when she’s exhausted, Michael thought, smiling as he watched her struggle to keep her eyes open and keep working on his movie script.

“Alright. So scene twelve. Porno sex . . . in a meat locker.”

“A meat locker?” he echoed, feeling tired himself.

“Yeah. I can’t think of anything else.” She laughed a little and lay her head down on the floor, using her arms as a pillow. She yawned and managed, “I think you’re gonna have to get someone else to write your movie. I’m no good at it.”

“Yeah, you really suck,” he agreed, laying his head down, too.

“Shut up.”

He smiled, struggling to keep his eyes open as well. Two days without sleep was too much.

“What time is it?” she asked him.

He glanced at the clock on the Southwest Airlines flight monitor screen and answered, “3:36.”

“A.m.?”

“A.m., baby.”

She groaned. “Four hours ‘til our flight.”

“Three hours,” he corrected.

“Whatever. I can’t . . . do math . . . or keep my eyes open . . .” She trailed off, and her breathing became nice and steady as she fell asleep quickly. Michael took a moment to look at her, wishing now more than ever that he had his video camera with him. Besides filming her in the shower, filming her asleep was his favorite thing to do.

Moving over closer to her, he draped his right arm over her shoulders, pulling her in to cuddle against his chest. He urged one of his legs in between hers, pulling her lower body closer to his as well. You know. Just to keep her warm.









TBC . . .

-April

[April]

mrs_guerin: We definitely seem to have similar tastes in TV shows, don’t we? (Good for us.) I don’t write for any other fandoms, though. I tried once, but the Roswell characters seem to be the only characters I can invest in to such a creative extent.
Heavenli24: Things are definitely starting to unravel! They’re going to have to unravel some more, though, before M+M get with the smoochies.
nibbles:

They're like two year olds, noisy and lound and obnoxious and draining and then when they're asleep - so cute and angelic.

That’s a great way to describe them! I agree that I wouldn’t want to know people like this in real life. I would probably strangle them! (I know people that are semi-like them, but not completely, so it’s all good!)
Christina:

I love how they can talk about sex and porn and everything and their interaction still seems sweet and romantic in a weird way.

Good, that’s the exact dynamic I was going for! And I had a feeling you would like Max and Liz’s moment about as well as anybody.
mariadac: A slightly diminishing hatred for Liz? Well, wonders never cease!
pookie76: It is a little strange that a Dreamer doesn’t want Max and Liz together, but in the context of this story, I can understand it. Right now, their relationship with each other is still revolving around their relationships with Michael and Maria, so that’s a problem.
Alien_Friend:

It seems like Max would be into Liz if she didn't change herself as much as she did.

I’d say that’s an accurate assumption. Of course, Max might not have pursued a relationship with her, because he is so crushed out on Maria. But then again, maybe Liz would have been just what Max needed to get over his crush. But she went and changed herself to be with Michael, so there were a lot of Max/Liz possibilities left unexplored right from the start.
Sara: Yes, Michael’s cuddling definitely was just a guise!
starcrazed: Michael and Maria really do have a lot of future talks, don’t they? I’m glad you enjoy them.
Vael:

Love the name she chose Maria Sex Metallica = Maria Sexalica

I didn’t even come up with that as I was writing it, but it works! Sexalica was really just a random formation of sounds that popped into my head!
tequathisy:

Maybe Michael might consider directing himself as lead actor in Maria's movie.

I’m sure he’s already considering it.
Mercedes:

I also loved the part where Michael thought of a completely random number and Maria guessed it right away.

Aw, I’m glad you liked that part. (I liked it, too!)
Krista: I’m glad that himbo was a hit, lol.



Well, readers, I’m taking off for the 4th of July, and it’s possible that I’ll skip my class on Monday and make my weekend and extra long weekend. So that means that the next update will probably be on Tuesday. Enjoy Part 78, and I’ll be back soon!







Part 78









Alex struggled out of his bed the next morning, not because he was asleep, but because he had been unable to get to sleep. All night, he had lain awake in his bed, staring up at the ceiling, thinking of everything that had transpired over spring break. It ranged from good to bad, from beautiful to ugly. And it all revolved around Isabel Evans.

Throughout the night, he had gone through the agonizing process of envying everyone else he knew. He envied Kyle, obviously, because Kyle actually had Isabel. And Tess! Very few men were ever that lucky. And Michael . . . that guy had every girl in the world wrapped around his finger. Even Max . . . he even found a way to envy Max; because even though Max and Maria would never make it in the long run, Max at least got to live a portion of his life with her, calling her his girlfriend, making love to her. Alex was fairly certain one kiss with Isabel was as far as he was going to get.

He was just about to scramble up some eggs for breakfast when there was a knock on his door. Groaning, he walked over to answer it, wondering who else would be crazy enough to be awake at 7:00 in the morning.

When he opened the door, none other than the object of his affection stood on the other side. Isabel was dressed conservatively, much more than she usually was. She stared straight down at her feet and made no effort to look up at him. For a moment, she didn’t say anything, but then she finally said, “Hi.” She still didn’t look at him, though.

Alex sighed. He wasn’t going to say it back. As much as he loved her, part of him was still furious with her.

“Aren’t you gonna invite me in?”

“Aren’t you gonna look at me?” he shot back.

Slowly, she raised her eyes, and their gazes met. Alex knew there was a connection. There had to be. There was.

Oh, god, he couldn’t resist. “Come in.”

“Thanks,” she said, slowly easing her way into his modest apartment.

She looks so right here, Alex found himself thinking as he shut the door. So right.

“You have a nice place,” she remarked.

He couldn’t bear the awkwardness of small-talk, so he came right out and asked, “Where’s Kyle?”

“Oh, he, um . . . he and Tess went to pick up Michael and Maria at the airport. I guess they finally got on a flight, so . . .”

“Huh,” Alex said. “Kyle and Tess. Imagine that.”

“Alex, don’t.”

“Don’t what? Don’t tell you how I feel? Isn’t it obvious, Isabel? I don’t think you should be with him. I think you should be with me.”

“Alex, it’s . . . it’s not that simple, okay?”

“Of course it’s that simple.”

“Kyle’s a good guy,” she insisted.

“So am I,” he promised.

“Yeah, but . . .” She trailed off and bit her bottom lip.

“Let me guess,” he filled in. “He’s not a geek? Not a nerd?”

“Alex, you know I don’t think of you like that.”

“You know what, Isabel? The day I met Michael three years ago . . . you know, I thought, you know, here’s this guy who’s got it all. King of the world and all that. And I finally had a friend. And for a long time, I thought that was the best thing that ever happened to me, getting a few friends, getting people to see me as something a little bit more than a geek. And then a year later, I met you, Isabel. And I don’t even think you really noticed me. It was at the Sigma Nu homecoming party, you were wearing that red dress. Do you remember?”

She frowned and shook her head.

“Yeah, well, I remember. Because that night was easily the best night of my life. That was the best thing that ever happened to me. Hands down.”

Tears sprang up into her eyes, and he watched as he tried to blink them away. “Alex . . .”

“I’m sure the best night of your life was the night you first screwed Kyle or whatever, because . . . it’s Kyle. And I can’t compete with him.”

“That’s not true, Alex,” she said. “The best night of my life was the night you and I . . .” She trailed off and looked away, suddenly seeming very flustered. “I should go,” she said, starting for the door.

He grabbed her arm and stopped her. “Isabel . . .”

“Alex, I can’t.”

“Yes, you can.”

“No, I can’t.”

“You can’t deny this.”

“I can’t . . .” She trailed off again, staring up into his eyes, and finally agreed with him, her voice no more than a mere whisper as she said, “I can’t . . . deny this.” And then they were kissing.

They were a mass of arms, hands, and legs as the stumbled through the living room and crashed down onto the couch. Alex could feel her hands working at the buttons on his shirt, trying to get them undone, and although his body was screaming, Don’t stop, his mind was screaming, Too fast.

“Isabel. Isabel, wait,” he managed, pushing her just slightly away from him. As much as he would have loved to finally no longer be a virgin, he couldn’t let it happen like this. She wasn’t going to deny it any longer; he could tell. But Isabel was a good person. He couldn’t let her do something she would regret. “You have to end it with Kyle,” he told her.

She frowned, looking almost sick at the mention of it and asked, “How do I do that?”

It wasn’t an entirely new idea, but Alex though he’d suggest it anyway. “Talk to him.”

Isabel nodded her head slowly and sighed in agreement. “Tonight.”

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

‘Bout damn time, Michael thought as Kyle pulled the car into the driveway. He felt as though he hadn’t been home for a month, and his jet-lag was out of control. The flight home had only taken an hour, and the drive from the airport had taken little more than fifteen minutes. But he still thought to himself, ‘Bout damn time.

Kyle yawned and shut off the car. “Dammit, I’m tired,” he said.

“We could take a nap before class,” Tess suggested. “Or we could woohoo before class.”

“Oh, I like that,” Kyle said. “Never too tired to do that. Let’s go, Tess. Let’s go woohoo.”

They climbed out of the car and practically skipped inside, leaving Michael out there with Maria. She was really out of it. Really. She was lying down in the backseat, asleep with her head in his lap. She was actually kind of drooling a little bit, for some reason, he didn’t mind.

“Alright, DeLuca, we’re here,” Michael said, moving his legs around.

“Mmm,” she groaned, wrinkling her forehead. “Tired.”

“Yeah, I know. Come on. Move your sexyback.”

“It is sexy,” she agreed, struggling to sit up. Her eyes still closed, she stretched her arms above her head and yawned, prompting him to tease her.

“Whoa, baby, you got some bad morning breath.”

“Yours is worse,” she assured him, opening the door and flopping out.

Michael got out as well, fairly certain she was too tired to make it inside without his help. He went around to her, and she immediately leaned in against him, wrapping her arms around his neck and pressing her cheek to his chest. “Mmm,” she purred. “Carry me.”

“What if I don’t want to?”

“Carry me, dumb-ass.”

He chuckled and hoisted her up into his arms easily. She was like a feather. A hot feather with great legs who could dance better than anyone else. She wrapped her legs around his waist, holding onto him, and it felt pretty good. Really good.

“You stink,” she told him as he carried her into the house.

“So do you.”

“Shut up.”

He laughed and kicked the front door shut with his foot. Later he’d get in the shower. And, hell, if she wanted to join him . . .

Now that was just a . . . bad thought. Sort of. Not really.

“I think I have to work on my calypso jumps,” Maria mumbled against his shoulder, “get ‘em higher.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” he informed her.

“Dance stuff. I’ll work on that later.”

“Later.” He sighed and laid her down on her bed. His bed. No, it was her bed now. Maria always got what she wanted, and she’d wanted that bed for three and a half years after he’d stolen it from her . . .

“Where’s Max?” she asked.

“I don’t know.” He sat down beside her, thinking about Liz for a moment, too. She was probably just asleep in her dorm room, so he figured he’d ask Maria, “You mind if I sleep with you?”

Immediately, her eyes shot open, bulging wide. “What?”

He realized how entirely . . . wrong that sounded and quickly amended. “Oh, no, not like that. Like . . . in the same bed. I can’t sleep in your bed. My bed. The other bed. Whatever, I can’t sleep in there.”

“Springy, huh?” she said. “Whatever, I don’t care. Just keep your clothes on.”

“Can I at least take my shirt off?”

“If you must.”

“I must.” He was just about to reach back over his shoulders, ball his t-shirt up in his hands, and pull it over his head when Liz appeared in the doorway. “Liz,” he said, trying to cover up the fact that he had been about to get half-nude with Maria by scratching the back of his neck instead. “Hey. What’re you doing here?”

“Oh, I didn’t feel like dorming it last night, so Max and I stayed up and watched bad movies,” she answered.

“Like porn?” Maria asked.

“Just, like, bad acting, bad plots.”

“Again I ask, like porn?”

“No.”

Michael laughed a little. “Well, uh . . .” He glanced down at Maria momentarily, sort of disappointed that he wasn’t going to get to fall back asleep with her now. Last night in the airport had been surprisingly comfortable, even though they’d been on the floor and several people had stepped on them at different intervals during the night.

“It’s still early,” Liz said. “Wanna come lie down with me?”

“Uh, yeah,” he answered. “Sure.”

“Okay.” She smiled and headed back down to the end of the hallway towards his bedroom.

Michael waited a moment, not sure why he was hesitant. Liz was his girlfriend. Sleeping with Liz, sexually or otherwise, was a good thing.

“Go,” Maria said, trying to urge him off the bed by tapping his back with her foot. “I’m sick of you.”

He laughed a little and got up, leaving the room. “Goodnight,” he said as he slowly shut the door.

“It’s morning, Guerin.”

“Good morning then.” He shut the door into place and sighed, heading down the hallway to his bedroom. He took his shirt off on the way and tossed it on the floor next to the bed. Then he kicked off his shoes and socks, got out of his jeans and boxers, and crawled into bed naked. Liz had ridded herself of all her clothing, too, and eagerly curled up against him, murmuring, “I’m glad you’re home, Michael. Did last night suck?”

Being stranded in the airport with Maria, working on a faux movie script with her, sleeping next to her . . . hell no, that hadn’t sucked. But he couldn’t tell Liz that. She’d get the wrong impression big time. So he just lied, and it wasn’t hard. “Yeah,” he said. “Last night sucked.”

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

Max went to see the University Dean the next day. Most students, whenever they had to see the Dean, were in trouble. Max, on the other hand, was in good-standing. Very good-standing. Valedictory good-standing.

“So as long as your finals go well, I see no reason why you won’t be appointed class valedictorian at graduation next month,” the Dean said as he looked over Max’s transcripts. “Congratulations, Mr. Evans. You have a lot to be proud of.”

“Thank you,” Max said with a nod of his head. Had he opted to go to Harvard or Yale or one of the other colleges that accepted him, this probably wouldn’t have been happening. He supposed he had Maria to thank for this, since she was the reason why he had decided to attend Santa Fe State in the first place.

“Now, I’ll need to review a copy of your speech address when you’re done writing it. No pressure. I know Dead Week’s coming up soon and you’ll be busy studying, but if you could just get that to me two weeks in advance . . .”

“Uh . . .” Smiling, Max reached into his backpack, took out a red folder, opened it up, and slid out the speech he had typed up a few weeks ago. “Here,” he said, handing it to the Dean. “I kind of had an idea that I might . . . so I got a head start.”

The Dean chuckled and said, “Who said being an overachiever’s a bad thing? This is great, Max. I’ll look over it when I get the chance, and once your valedictorian status is set in stone, you can drop on by and pick this back up again. I’m sure you won’t need to be make any changes to it.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“No, thank you, Max. You’re an exemplary student. The university’s been lucky to have you these past four years.”

“I just went to Vegas for spring break,” Max told him just for the heck of it. “Am I still exemplary?”

“Well, I think so, yes.” The Dean chuckled and said, “Well, alright, I don’t want you to be late for your next class.”

“Oh, right. Ten minutes to get to Cassell Hall.” He cringed. He always had to walk fast to get there on time. “Have a good day, sir.”

“You, too, Max. And thank you for overachieving.”

Max smiled and left the Dean’s office. He walked fast, taking the stairs instead of waiting for the elevator, and once outside, he settled into an easy-going jog. He’d make it on time. He always did.

As he jogged, he passed the famed dance team gymnasium. He glanced inside for a moment and stopped when he saw what was going on in there. Liz was standing before the other members of her team, looking stressed. “Guys, I think we should practice,” he heard her say, but none of the other dancers were listening to her. They were sitting on the bleachers, laughing and talking and definitely not dancing.

“Guys,” she said again, “seriously, we’ve wasted twenty minutes of practice not practicing.”

Liz wasn’t a natural captain. That much was obvious. Max felt bad for her. As much as she tried to be like Maria, she wasn’t. She was struggling to be the leader of that team.

Even though his class was going to start in five minutes, Max made the decision to go in and help Liz out for a moment. He traipsed into the gym just as Liz was groaning and raking her hands through her hair, and when she saw him, she looked surprised and said, “Max.”

“Hi,” he said. He turned to the rest of the team and said the same to them. “Hi.”

“Max Evans,” that Pam Troy girl remarked, sort of licking her lips. “Maria’s not with you, is she?”

“No.”

“Good. She’s a bitch.”

“Oh, well, obviously I don’t think of her like that,” Max said calmly, even though hearing other girls who were so clearly jealous of Maria talk about her made his blood boil. “But I understand that she can get a little . . . insane at times.”

A few of the girls grunted and muttered, “Understatement.”

“I mean, I’m just saying . . . and this is totally just my advice, but if I were you guys, I might be practicing a little right now, ‘cause if Maria finds out you guys are just sitting here talking, I guarantee she’ll march back into this gym and put you guys through boot camp or something.” He smiled and shrugged. “Like I said, just a suggestion.”

For a moment, all the girls were quiet. They looked at each other, didn’t say anything, and somehow came to the same conclusion. Pam acted as their spokesperson when she stood up and said, “Let’s practice, girls.”

“Let’s,” they chorused in agreement.

Max turned to Liz to find her breathing a sigh of relief as all the girls climbed down from the bleachers onto the gym floor. “Thank you so much, Max,” she said sincerely.

“No problem,” he replied, happy to be of assistance. “I gotta get to class.”

“Okay. Bye.”

“Bye.” He waved and headed out, resuming the jogging pace that he would need to keep up to get to Cassell Hall on time.

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

After one straight hour of non-stop dancing, Maria had to quit. She grabbed her water bottle and made her way out into the living room, chugging it as if it were alcohol. She was so thirsty.

She sat down on the couch next to Michael, who was sitting up but asleep with the remote control in his hand. She pressed the cold water bottle against the back of her neck to cool herself on and said, “Ugh, I’m so sweaty.”

“Huh?” he said, startling awake. His eyes widened when he took note of her, all decked out in practice attire (a sports bra and spandex shorts), and he remarked, “Whoa. Which fantasy is this?”

“What?”

He grew confused, too, for a moment, then, and brought his hands up to rub his eyes. “I’m awake?” he asked.

“Yeah.”

He nodded slowly. “Right.”

She rolled her eyes and asked, “Where’s Liz?”

“Liz? Uh . . . I don’t know. Class or practice or something. What about Max?”

“Probably class, too. Or studying, or tutoring or something else academic.” She made a face. Although she had developed a minor, very minor, study ethic this past semester, she still hated college classes and couldn’t wait to be done with them and have a diploma in her hand. Max was crazy, planning on graduate school. Four more years was obviously insane.

“When did you wake up?” he asked her.

“Couple hours ago. I’ve been working on my dance, but you know, now I’m thinking, if practice makes perfect but nobody’s perfect, then why practice?”

“Wow, Maria, that’s . . . actually a really good question.”

“I know. Oh, but who are we kidding. We both know somebody’s perfect. Me.” She smiled.

He laughed and said, “Oh, baby, you are not perfect. But that’s okay. I like that. I like that you screw up a lot.”

“Gee, thanks.” She rolled her eyes again and said, “Seriously, though, I’m gonna be perfect when I do this dance in a couple days. It’s gonna be so awesome. You have no idea.”

“My movie’s gonna kick your dance’s ass,” he promised.

“Oh, you wish. You haven’t even started.”

“Gotta get inspiration,” he said. “And motivation. That’s the hard part.”

“Yeah,” she agreed, sprawling out so that her legs were lying across his lap. “Remember the good old days when we’d just eat and sleep and be lazy and have sex? And get drunk. I haven’t gotten drunk since . . . the incident.”

“When I had to give you CPR.”

“Yeah, I still have your nasty-ass breath floating around in my lungs.”

He smirked and chuckled. “Lucky you.”

“You’re a dumb-ass, you know that? You really are.”

“And look who’s lovin’ it . . .”

“I swear to God, your ego just get’s, like, inflated every day. You think your you-know-what is huge, but no, your ego’s way bigger than that.”

“I don’t know, Maria. I think they’re about the same size,” he said. “I mean . . . you’ve seen the package. You know it’s huge. And you know what the funny thing is? It just keeps gettin’ bigger.”

“What?”

“Yeah, for real. You know, they say—whoever ‘they’ are—they say that your nose and your hair never stops growing. But you know what I say? It’s this.” He reached down and cupped his manhood through his sweatpants. “For me anyway. I mean, you would think someone sprinkled some Miracle Grow on it or something, ‘cause it’s outta control.”

She pressed her hands to her ears, pretending to be grossed out and said, “Ew, this imagry!”

“Makes you hot?” he guessed.

“Makes me gag.”

“Gag? I thought you liked cock, Maria.”

“I do, but not yours.” Especially yours.

“You would,” he assured her.

“I wouldn’t.”

“You would.”

Before she could get another word out in protest, the front door opened and Max came in, his backpack square on his shoulders. He stopped when he saw her, and she exclaimed, “My boyfriend!” Here she and Michael were, having a humorous discussion about his private parts, and Max walked in. Just . . . ironic.

“Hey,” he said, setting his backpack down in the chair as he came over to give her a kiss on the cheek. “You got back from Tucson.”

“Yeah, we got back.”

“Sorry I couldn’t come get you this morning. Early morning tutoring.”

“That’s okay.”

Max turned to Michael and asked, “Still hate flying, man?”

“Now more than ever,” Michael answered. “I’m so fuckin’ tired.”

“Yeah, I’ll bet,” Max said. “I’m actually a little drowsy myself.”

“Yeah, Liz said you guys stayed up and watched porn,” Maria said.

“Oh, no, not porn. Just stupid movies. If I ever were to watch porn, which I wouldn’t, because it’s not my kind of thing—but if I ever were to watch it, I’d watch it with you, Maria.”

“Aw, how sweet,” she said, smiling.

“Well, I try.” He smiled, too, and said, “Uh, well, speaking of Liz, though . . .”

“I thought we were speaking of porn.”

“Yeah, but before that, we were speaking of Liz, and it reminded me . . . I passed by the dance gym today, and I saw how their practice was going. It, uh . . . it wasn’t. They weren’t really listening to Liz and they definitely weren’t dancing, so I went in and convinced them to start practicing, but . . .”

“Max,” Maria cut in. “What’re you saying?”

“Well, just that, you know, I know you guys don’t really get along these days, but you used to be pretty good friends. And you’re the best captain that team’s ever seen. Liz could really use the help, so after you get your spot at the Modern Dance Association, maybe you might wanna think about going back to that gym, reinvigorating that team?”

“Uh-huh,” she said, not really able to picture that. “Yeah, I . . . think my dance team days have passed. As sad as it is. And, like you said, Liz and I don’t really get along these days, so . . . I think I’ll spare myself the catfight just this once and let her handle things.” There was just no way, no way that she could help Liz. Because Liz was someone she was insanely jealous of. Liz was Michael’s girlfriend. All the banter and flirting in the world couldn’t make up for some of the things Liz got to do with Michael. Naked things.

“I think I’m gonna go practice my dance some more,” she announced, feeling a little odd being alone with both Max and Michael. “You know, practice makes perfect.” One at a time, she could handle, but both of them . . . a little tricky. She had to hide her feelings for one, pretend like she had feelings for the other. Sadly, she’d gotten pretty good at it.

“I thought you said you already were perfect,” Michael commented as she got up off the couch.

“Yeah, but, if it’s possible, I could get even more perfect,” she responded as she headed down the hallway. “Work on your movie, Guerin.”

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

Isabel hooked her fingers together, twisting her hands every which way as her nervousness engulfed her. She could hear the sound of her heart beating as she neared the front door. This was going to be unbearably hard, and she knew it. For two years, she had been in love with Kyle. Even though she’d known that they never had what he and Tess had, she had loved him. And now . . . now things were different. Now she wanted to be with someone else, and she worried what his reaction would be.

She didn’t bother to knock. There was no need, and she doubted anyone would hear her anyway. She stepped inside and said, “Hello?” The living room was empty. The door to her brother’s room was shut, so she figured he was studying, and she could hear Michael and Maria down the hallway, yelling at each other about something, laughing, too. “Kyle?” she called. She crept downstairs into the familiar basement and found him sitting at his desk, a light shining down on his book. He looked as though he were about to fall asleep. Must have been some dry subject matter. “Hey,” she said.

He looked up when she spoke and said, “Oh, hey. What’re you doing here?”

“I just . . . needed to see you,” she replied.

“Needed to, huh?” He grinned and shut his book. “You’re a good girlfriend, Isabel.”

She winced when he said that and shook her head. No, I’m not, she thought. I kissed Alex. I . . . have feelings for Alex. Strong feelings.

“Isabel,” Kyle said softly. “You okay?”

She forced back her tears and struggled to overcome her nervousness as the need to tell him became greater. She went to sit down on the bed, exhaled a deep breath, and whispered, “There’s something I have to tell you.”








TBC . . .

-April

[April]

Wow, it's been five days since an update, hasn't it? I'd say it's time to give my patient readers a new update!

Mercedes: I agree, Alex is THE MAN!
Heavenli24:

I'm really not too keen on Liz in this fic - she's just not a very pleasant person at the moment

And that's a nice way to put it. Don't give up on her, though. She might surprise you. (By the way, have fun at your conference. The word 'conference' doesn't sound very fun, but have fun anyway!)
Christina:

I like the friendship that Max and Liz have formed. I just hope when they have more moments, they won't be revolving solely around Michael and Maria.

Yeah, this is a major problem for Max and Liz right now. They've just completely lost themselves in these unhealthy relationships. They need to find themselves and see the reality of these relationships before their friendship can progress.
tequathisy:

Maria needs to take a leaf from Alex's book. And well, all of them do really.

That's true! They could all learn by his example!
Alien_Friend: Good catch about the way Max defended Liz vs. the way he has defended (or rather not defended) Maria when she's being attacked by a girl like Pam. Maria is such a big, loud personality that Max kind of disappears when he is with her. He is better able to be strong and assertive when it comes to defending Liz.
Sara:

She is quite assertive when it comes to sex with Micahel (ewwww) so if she could just channel some of that into the dance team, they might just make it!

Yes, she is definitely channeling her . . . energies into the wrong things.
lilah:

I really, really hope Maria doesn't help Liz. Even if she didn't love Michael, why should she help someone who's treated her like crap for the past couple months?

Maria's thoughts exactly. Any obligation she's felt toward Liz is pretty much gone right now.
Krista: Oh, there's a whole lot of story left to tell. (I'm still not done writing it, actually.) I think it's going to get pretty intense, but . . . yeah, it's going to take more than 5 parts for Michael and Maria to finally give in to temptation. I think it's worth the wait when it happens, though.
Mag: Kyle's "voodoo" won't work on Isabel anymore.
Vael:

Sorry, but Kyle is beyond liking for me.

That's okay! Neither he, Michael, or Max is the world's most perfect guy, so I can see how someone would dislike any one of them. (Notice how I left Alex out of that group, though?)
killjoy:

I still have a soft spot for Max in this story.Sooner or later he's going to see what a total lying bitch Maria is in this story and be crushed.....yes I said bitch for unlike others I still have no love for her in this story.

Oh, it's perfectly fine to not like her. I have mixed feelings about her myself, and I'm the one writing her. Sometimes I just want to slap her, and other times I want to hug her.
spacegirl23: Oh, yeah, there are definitely cracks in Michael and Liz's relationship. (Hell, it was never that solid to begin with.) But now, you're right, he's starting to lie to her (kind of like how Maria's been lying to Max.) Bad Michael.
nibbles:

He has Tess and she should be enough for him, if he loves her then he should respect her enough to be monogmous with her. And if he cares for Isabel, he should want her to be happy with a guy who loves her.

Kyle definitely cares about both women and wants them both to be happy in the end. This whole concept of dating two girls has mostly been about boosting his selfish male ego. (Michael is, in a way, kind of doing the same thing with Maria and Liz.)









Part 79








Alex went to answer his door when there was a knock that evening. Isabel, he thought, smiling. She must have told Kyle already. He opened the door, though, and saw . . . “Oh, Kyle.”

The larger man didn’t waste a minute. He curled his hand into a fist and swung, hitting Alex square in the jaw. Alex winced in pain as he fell to the floor. His face was definitely unaccustomed to getting hit. “Ow.”

“You slept with my girlfriend?!” Kyle bellowed, reaching down to grab him by his shirt collar.

“I didn’t sleep with her. I just kissed her.”

That didn’t seem to make Kyle any happier, because he punched Alex in the face again. The guy definitely had strength. “No wonder you’re gonna own a gym,” Alex muttered before he got hit again. He felt blood spilling out of his nose, and Kyle reluctantly stopped hitting him. Alex got to his feet and scrambled away, surprised he hadn’t gotten worse. Kyle had every right to be pissed.

“What the hell makes you think it’s okay to go after another man’s girl?” Kyle roared.

“I don’t think it’s okay. That’s why we told you now, before it progressed.”

Kyle clenched his hands into fists again, looking as though he were about to explode in anger.

“Honestly, I kinda thought . . .”

“What? That I wouldn’t care?” Kyle cut in.

“Well, you do have two girlfriends,” Alex reminded him.

“Yeah, but . . . I’ve been with Isabel for two years now. You think I can be in a relationship that long and not feel anything?”

“I think you don’t love her the way you love Tess,” Alex came right out and said, figuring he had nothing to lose. “And I think Isabel’s finally realized that, too.”

Kyle unclenched his hands and resigned a bit, some of his hostility diminishing.

“God, it’s just, it’s so simple!” Alex exclaimed exasperatedly, wondering what it was going to take for these insane people to figure their romantic lives out. “It’s obvious! Michael belongs with Maria, Max belongs with Liz, you belong with Tess, and I belong with Isabel! It’s so simple, but you guys make it so complicated!”

Kyle frowned at that and said nothing. Alex let out a relieved sigh. Kyle knew he was right. Subconsciously, he’d probably known it all along.

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

Michael sat at the kitchen counter that evening with a sheet of paper in front of him and a pen in his hand. He was trying hard to brainstorm some ideas for his movie, but nothing good was coming to mind. He wasn’t a thinker by any means, so he was about two seconds away from asking Max for help. He’d ask Maria, but she was busy practicing her dance. Plus, they would get off topic way too easily.

The door opened, and Kyle came in. “Hey, man,” he said.

“Hey,” Michael echoed, tapping his pen impatiently against the countertop. He kept waiting for an idea to just hit him. Most directors didn’t have to do this, sit down and generate an idea. Most directors were just given the material they needed to direct, and directed it. Why did his Videography class have to be so overkill?

“Are you actually doing homework?” Kyle asked him in disbelief as he stepped out of his shoes and hung his coat up in the closet.

“Sort of,” Michael replied. “I’m tryin’ to come up with ideas for my movie that I should be halfway through with already.”

“What’ve you got?” Kyle asked, peering over Michael’s shoulder at the blank paper that lay before him. “Oh, nothing. Big surprise.”

“Yeah, I’m not really creative. Except when it comes to sex.”

“Same here.” Kyle reached into the refrigerator and popped open a beer. “Why don’t you just work with the footage you’ve got?”

“All I have is Maria footage.”

“And I seem to recall this relevant detail that all your movies of the past have been Maria movies. And haven’t they all gotten A’s?”

Michael thought about it and said, “Good point.” Dirty girl was his favorite subject. Why would he even consider making a movie about anything else? “You seem like you’re in a good mood,” he commented.

“Oh, really? I’m not.”

Michael made a face, confused. “What?”

“Yeah, Isabel and I broke up tonight.”

“Really?”

Kyle nodded. “Yep.”

“Huh,” Michael said, setting his pencil down and leaning back. “Kinda saw that comin’.”

“Gee, thanks.”

“Well . . . it was obvious. She tell you about Alex?”

“Oh, yeah, and the Vegas kiss. Wait, did she tell you about that?”

“No, Maria kinda pried it out of Alex at that Mexican wedding reception we went to.”

Kyle held his hands out and asked, “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Come on, would you tell me if Liz kissed someone else?”

“Yes!”

Of course he would. Kyle always managed to do the right thing in the end. “Well, that’s ‘cause you’re a better man than me, Valenti. I’ll just admit it.”

Kyle rolled his eyes and took a drink. “Man, this sucks,” he said. “I care about Isabel, but I love Tess, you know? So . . . it sucks that I let it happen. I just . . . let it happen.” He sighed and hoisted himself up to sit on the counter, looking bummed out indeed. “I shouldn’t have even dragged Isabel along for the ride,” he mumbled. “I knew all along it was gonna end up me and Tess, so I shouldn’t have . . .” He shook his head and took another drink.

“So let me get this straight,” Michael said. “You’re not mad at Isabel; you’re mad at . . . yourself?”

Kyle nodded. “Yep, pretty much.”

“That’s messed up, man.”

“Tell me about it.” Kyle lifted the bottle and chugged half of what was left that time before turning to Michael and saying, “You know, you’re next.”

Michael didn’t get it. “I’m next?”

“Oh, yeah. I guy can’t have two girlfriends. Sooner or later he’s gotta choose. I get that now.”

Still . . . Michael didn’t get it. “But I don’t have two girlfriends,” he pointed out.

Kyle laughed and said, “I think the word delusional takes on a new meaning with you, Guerin. Or maybe it’s oblivious.”

“What’re you talkin’ about?”

Kyle slid down off the counter and said. “Come on. Think about it. Who are the two girls in your life?”

Maria and Liz, he thought. It was an easy question. “Yeah, but that’s different,” insisted. “Maria’s not . . .”

“It’s not different,” Kyle cut in. “Trust me, it’s not different.”

Michael made a face, unable to figure it out. “Man, you and Alex are both always talkin’ in riddles around me. If you wanna say something, just say it.”

“I just did.”

“Well, is there some kind of message I’m supposed to be getting, ‘cause . . . I’m not gettin’ it,” Michael informed him.

Kyle rolled his eyes and said, “What year was it that you and Maria did all those drugs, Guerin? Huh, what year was that?”

“Sophomore, high school.”

“Yeah, well, they made you really stupid,” Kyle told him. “Stupid and delusional and oblivious.”

Michael didn’t know what to say, so he tried to take it as a compliment. “Thanks?”

Kyle sighed, shook his head, and handed him the beer. Michael accepted it and took a drink.

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

Practice does make perfect after all, Maria thought as she walked out of her room that night. She’d spent the entire day reworking a couple of eight counts of the dance, making it somehow even better. Now she had the perfect performance, and she executed it perfectly. All she had to do was deliver on audition day, and she didn’t see herself having a problem with that.

Kyle and Michael were sitting in the kitchen passing a beer back and forth and talking, so she decided to join them. “Well, if it isn’t the two biggest losers ever,” she teased, taking a seat beside Michael.

“If it isn’t the sluttiest slut ever,” Michael retorted.

She rolled her eyes and inquired, “What’re you guys talking about?”

“You, actually,” Kyle replied.

“Really?” She shot Michael a look, happy to hear that. “Good,” she said. “You should never talk about anything else.” She reached for the beer bottle, but he held it out of her reach.

“Uh-uh-uh,” he said, being annoying by waving his index finger from side to side. “No beer for Miss Alcohol Poisoning ‘08.”

She groaned. Nearly drinking herself to death had been without a doubt the dumbest thing she’d ever done in her life. Now she had to be semi-responsible.

“Guess what?” Kyle said. “Isabel and I broke up.”

She forced her mouth to gape and pretended to be surprised. “What? No.”

“You saw it coming, didn’t you?”

“Yeah, kinda did.”

Kyle laughed a little and shook his head. “Man, and here I thought the three of us would make it. How crazy is that? How crazy is that, Guerin?”

“Pretty crazy,” Michael agreed.

“I’m sorry, Kyle,” Maria said. “Seriously.”

“No, it’s okay,” he assured her. “I mean, it’s not okay, but . . . it’s okay.”

She nodded. Somehow, that made sense.

“Done with your dance?” Michael asked her.

“Yep.”

“Can we see it?” Kyle asked.

“Nope.”

“Can we see you do it naked?” Michael asked hopefully.

“No!”

The boys chuckled, and Maria had to roll her eyes yet again. “You know, if I had a dollar for every time you talk about me being naked or about your . . . nether regions, I’d be so fucking rich.”

“It’s like Jesus, Maria,” he said. “My cock’s like Jesus.”

“Oh my god, it gets worse and more exaggerated all the time. I swear.”

“Can mine be Matthew?” Kyle asked.

“No.”

“Mark?”

“No.”

“Luke?”

“No.”

“John?”

“Valenti, who are those people?” Michael finally came right out and asked.

“Four Gospels,” Kyle said. “I think. It’s been a long time since church, man.”

“Tell me about it,” Michael muttered.

Maria grunted and said. “Sheesh, Michael. The Four Gospels? That’s a little ignorant even for you.”

“Oh, yeah, ‘cause you knew that. Religion chick,” he said sarcastically.

“Actually, I did.”

“How?”

“Hello, did you forget who my mom is? Or who she likes to think she is. Mrs. Jesus, a.k.a. the religious fanatic.”

“Hmm,” Michael said, suddenly looking a little more serious. “Have you talked to her since . . .”

“Since she told me I was a whore and you kicked her out of the house? No,” she answered. “Although my books did get paid for this semester, so I assume she’s still alive.”

“So she’s not gonna be at your audition tomorrow?” Kyle asked.

“God no,” she replied emphatically. “I’m only allowed to have a certain number of people in the audience, and there’s only a few certain people I want there, so . . .”

“And who would that be?” Michael asked, smiling.

“Duh. You guys and Max.” It suddenly dawned on her that she had never formally asked any of them to go, and she started to panic a little. “You guys are gonna be there, right? ‘Cause I mean, this dance . . . you’re not gonna wanna miss it.”

“I’ll be there,” Kyle assured her. “Tess, too.”

“Oh, yeah. Tess needs to be there.”

“I would’ve brought Isabel, but . . .” Kyle trailed off and shrugged. “She and Alex are probably gonna be . . . doing their own dance.”

“Horizontal mambo,” Michael came right out and said. “It’s the best dance.”

Maria gave him an expectant look and said, “You’re gonna be there, aren’t you?”

“I don’t know, maybe.”

“Maybe?!” she shrieked.

He laughed and caved. “Yeah, I’ll be there.”

“Good,” she said. “No sex with a stranger this time. I don’t want you ruining my moment like you did at championships. Just sit there and clap and salivate over me. And try not to draw too much attention to yourself.”

“That might be hard. I’m a good looking guy, Maria.”

“And don’t bring Liz.”

“Wasn’t planning on it.”

She smiled. That was . . . really good to hear. Really good to hear.

Just then, the door to Max’s room opened, and he stepped outside. “Ah,” he said. “My roommates.”

“What’re you studying for, Max?” Maria asked him. She couldn’t keep track. It was always something. Never an unproductive moment for Max Evans.

“I’ve got a bio final tomorrow,” he replied, making his way toward the counter.

“Seriously?” Maria couldn’t believe it. “God, we still have a month of class left.”

“Yeah, but it was a self-paced course.”

“Oh, and you went at a fast pace. Of course.” She smiled. “Fast is good.”

“So you’ve told me.”

“Nice one, Maxwell,” Michael said, raising his beer bottle to him before downing what was left of it.

“Max,” Maria said, turning to face him. “You’re gonna be there tomorrow, right?”

“At your audition? Of course,” he assured her. “I wouldn’t be anywhere else.”

“Good,” she said, happy that all three of her boys were going to be there to support her. “Okay, so the auditions start at 6:00, mine’s gonna be around 6:30. I’m think we should get there at 5:30 just to be on the safe side.”

“Wait a minute,” Max said. “You dance at . . . 6:30?”

“Well, give or take ten minutes. You never know with dance stuff.”

He bit down on his bottom lip, then did the one thing she’d never heard him do: swear. “Dammit.”

“Max!” she was shocked.

“Sorry,” he said. “It’s just . . .” He trailed off and sighed. “It’s nothing. Never mind.”

“What is it?” she asked.

He frowned and reluctantly explained, “My bio final . . . just happens to be at 6:00.”

“Oh. Shit,” she said, seeing the conflict.

“But it’s okay,” he assured her. “I’ll uh . . . I’ll just zip through it, and if I have the car, I can easily get there in time to see your audition.”

“Are you sure?” she said, not wanting to be the reason for him half-assing a final. “Max, if you can’t be there, you can’t be there.”

“No, I’ll be there,” he promised.

“But it’s a final. It’s a big deal. For you, anyway.”

“Come on, DeLuca, he’s valedictorian,” Michael pointed out. “He’d probably finish the final in fifteen minutes anyway.”

Still, she felt unsure. Even a whiz kid like Max who loved science more than life itself would have to spend some time on an end-of-the-year biology final, wouldn’t he?

“It’s fine, Maria,” Max assured her again. “I’ll be there.”

She smiled weakly, hoping he would be. Because he was a friend . . . who was a boy . . . who was her boyfriend. But if he wasn’t there, then she could deal. It sounded horrible, but all that really mattered was that Michael was there.









TBC . . .

-April

[April]

I have to do a quick update today, so I'll just say thank you for the wonderful feedback to:

nibbles
mrs_guerin
mariadac
pookie76
Sara
killjoy
lilah
and Mercedes

The next update is going to be on Monday . . . I'm not exactly sure if it will be Monday morning or Monday afternoon. I'm starting a new class, so I'll have to see what my schedule for the day looks like.



Alright then. So in this part, the lyrics I included are from the song "We All Have a Map of the Piano" by Mum. It is a VERY weird song, but very beautiful, too. I'm not quite sure why I included the lyrics. I really don't know what on earth the lyrics are talking about, but I just included them just . . . well, just because. You can find the song here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqDpxnieobs&fmt=18 (Ignore the video that accompanies it. I have no idea what it is.)


Enjoy this part, and know that THE NEXT PART (Monday's) contains one of the most romantic scenes in this entire story! (No kissing, though. Sorry.)









Part 80









At 5:45 that evening, Maria walked around backstage, going over the dance in her head. The tension and the nervousness back there was out of control. But she wasn’t nervous. Not at all.

Well . . . maybe just a little bit. But it was the good kind of nervous, the kind that produced optimal stress and made a person kick ass at whatever it was they were trying to do.

She tugged down on the outfit she was wearing. It was white, about the length of a very short dress, and was long-sleeved. She looked really good. She felt really good. There was no doubt in her mind that she was going to dance really good, too.

Start of the rest of my life, she thought as she marked out a complicated leap sequence. I’m ready.

“Cute outfit.”

She turned around and saw another girl, probably about her age, traipsing towards her. It was obvious that she was auditioning, too. She had the dancer body, the dancer attitude, the dancer clothes. Plus, she wouldn’t have been backstage if she wasn’t.

“Thanks,” Maria said, tugging down on the sleeves of her dress. She didn’t want them to ride up while she was dancing.

“I’m Julie,” the girl said, extending her hand cordially.

You’re my competition, Maria thought, shaking her hand despite the fact. “Maria.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” Julie said. “Are you all ready for your audition?”

“Oh, yeah.”

“Me, too,” Julie said. “Four years at Julliard all leads up to this.”

“Julliard?” Maria echoed, well aware that that remark was meant to intimidate her. It didn’t.

Julie smiled. “Yeah. Where’d you go to school?”

Maria smiled, also well aware that her answer was not going to be all that intimidating. “Santa Fe State.”

“Really?” Julie laughed a little. “Is that like a community college?”

“It’s like a university. And not a bad one. You know what they say. Some of the best dancers never went to Julliard.”

Julie smiled and said, “But most of the best ones did.”

Maria didn’t back down. She never did. “I can’t wait to destroy that misconception.”

Julie was still smiling, but she looked a little worried now, too.

“Why is a Julliard student auditioning here in little old Santa Fe?” Maria wondered aloud. “East coast too hard for you?”

“Not at all. I just have . . . family here, actually.”

“Right. Gotta love that family.” Maria pulled back the curtain and glanced out into the auditorium. Michael, Tess, and Kyle, were just taking their seats.

“Well . . .” Julie said, “good luck.”

“Thanks, but, I won’t need any,” Maria said. “Good luck to you, though.”

Julie made a face and walked away, apparently having nothing more to say.

That’s right, Maria thought, satisfied with herself. I’m good. She pulled back the curtain and peeked out again, and horror immediately engulfed her. Oh, no. They weren’t!

They were.

Kyle had a sign that was bright pink and glittery that said ‘Go, Maria, go’ on it. Tess had two cans of silly string, one in each hand, poised as if she were ready to let them pop any minute. And Michael, strangely enough, looked the most normal out of all three of them, though he did have a party noisemaker in his mouth, the kind that unrolled and made a horrible screeching noise when blown into.

“Oh my god,” she said, thinking to herself the same words that she had said to Bitchy Julie. Gotta love that family. She sneaked out onto the stage and jumped down, smiling at the judges when they gave her inquisitive looks. They were just getting situated at their table in front of the stage, so she figured they wouldn’t mind her giving her obnoxious friends a last minute talking-to.

“Guys!”

“Oh, hey, Maria,” Kyle greeted. “Are you surprised? We went all out.”

“I’m super excited,” Tess chirped. “I love silly string.”

“Yeah, who doesn’t, but Tess--”

“And,” Tess cut in, “we even have a song. Ready, Kyle?”

“Ready.”

They looked at each other and sang in unison a ridiculous little jingle accompanied by a ridiculous little dance. “Go, Maria, go! Goooooo, Maria! Go, Maria, go! Goooooo . . .”

“Okay, guys, that’s . . . actually kind of cute, actually,” Maria admitted, “but you can’t do that here. This is a formal dance audition. You have to, like, try to be civilized; and how come you weren’t singing?” She whirled to face Michael. “Are you here to support me or what?”

In response, Michael blew on the noisemaker. It unrolled and screeched.

“Just—give me that,” she snapped, tearing the noisemaker from his mouth. She seized the sign from Kyle and took the silly string containers from Tess as well. “Look, we can be wild and stupid at home. Just, give me a standing O after I’m done. That’ll be good.” She smiled, turned, and pranced back towards the stage.

“Dirty girl!” she heard Michael call.

She spun around again, and this time he was smiling at her.

“I like your outfit.”

Her heart raced the way only Michael could make it race. She’d picked it out with him in mind. “I knew you would,” she said, grinning. “You’re such a perv.” With their crazy ‘Go, Maria, go’ items in hand, she headed back to backstage.

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

Come on, hurry up, Max thought impatiently as he waited for his biology final. He’d been hoping that since it was a self-paced course and he had gone at such a quick pace that no one else would be taking the final exam yet. But there were quite a few other people who had apparently moved at the same pace, because the testing room was packed. Adding insult to injury, he’d taken a seat in the front of the room, and the tests were being distributed from the back of the room to the front. It seemed as though it were taking forever.

Come on, come on, he thought again, glancing at the clock this time. It was already 6:05. His final was getting started five minutes late! He didn’t have five minutes to spare.

At last, the exams arrived in the front of the room. Max took his and slid the rest down the length of the table to the instructor. He wasted no time, trying not to get discouraged at how heavy the packet was, and delved right in.

I know this stuff. I know this stuff, he thought confidently as he looked over the first page. The first answer was A. Had to be. If he’d had the time, he would have sat and worked through the problem thoroughly, double checked his answer the way he usually did. But he didn’t have time, so . . .

Letter A it was.

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

Michael turned on his video camera, but just for a moment. He needed to make sure the battery wasn’t going to run down. He’d plugged it in and charged it up all night, so it would probably be alright. Maria didn’t know he was going to be filming her performance, but . . . hey, he was always filming her.

“Excuse me, sir, you’ll have to put your camera away.”

He looked up at a blonde woman who was dressed formally and seemed to think she was the final word. “No, I just gotta film my . . . girl. Friend. My . . . Maria.” That hadn’t exactly come out smoothly.

“I’m sorry, you can’t do that.”

“Listen, I’m makin’ a movie, alright? So back off.”

“Excuse me?”

“You heard me. Back off, bitch.”

She gasped in outrage.

“Michael!” Maria was there in an instant, giving him a warning look. “What did you just say?”

“I’m gonna film you, Maria,” he informed her. “No one’s gonna stop me.”

“Oh my god, you’re such an idiot,” she said. “This nice woman here, is gonna stop you. Michael, this is Alicia Byrnes.”

“Is that supposed to ring a bell?”

“She’s the executive director of the Modern Dance Association.”

“Oh.” That explained her bossiness. “Shit. My bad, sorry.”

Alicia turned to Maria and said, “And he’s your . . .”

“Roommate,” Maria filled in. “And then that’s Kyle, my better roommate, and Tess, a good friend.”

Kyle and Tess waved.

“We had a sign,” Tess said, “and silly string, but Maria took it away. She’s very responsible like that.”

“Yes, that’s really not appropriate for an audition,” Alicia agreed before addressing Michael again. “Sir, if you’d put your camera away . . .”

The unfeeling bitch. “But what about my movie?”

“Put it away, Michael,” Maria snapped.

Alicia glanced down at her watch and said, “It’s after 6:00. We need to start. Maria, backstage.”

“Right.” As Alicia went to take her seat with the other judges, Maria leaned in close to Michael and growled, “I swear to God, if you screw this up for me . . .”

“I won’t,” he promised. “Go dance. Pop that ass.” He grinned, picturing it. That ass could pop.

She rolled her eyes and headed backstage.

“Go, Maria, go! Goooooo, Maria!” Tess sang out. “Woo!”

Alicia spun around in her seat and hissed, “Shh!”

“Oh,” Tess said, cowering. “I don’t think she likes us.”

“That’s okay,” Michael said. “She’ll like Maria.” He was fairly certain no one could dislike the way that girl danced.

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

6:20. Max really couldn’t believe he was doing what he was doing, filling in random answers. He’d tried working out the problems as fast as he could but had quickly found it was taking too long. So guessing came about. It was unusual to say the least. He wasn’t the type of guy who guessed, especially not on something like this. No, he’d been studying for this final for a month, and it was all coming down to this, to him being distracted, to him wanting to be somewhere else.

He filled in the bubble letters in a certain order to spell out the word decade. Then he filled in a few B’s, because he hadn’t filled in any B’s for awhile. What are you doing? he asked himself. This is your final. This is important. Maria said she’d understand if you weren’t there.

But he wanted to be there. Michael was there, and Michael wasn’t even Maria’s boyfriend.

I have to be there.

Next, he filled in the letters corresponding to the words ace, be, and bead. Before he knew it, all one-hundred rows had letters bubbled in. Decade. Ace. Be. Bead.

Even though he’d never felt more unconfident about a test in his entire life, Max got up and turned the exam in to his professor. When the paper left his hands, he realized there was no turning back. He’d really gone and done it now. He’d guessed. And it had been bad. Now all he could do was try to make it to Maria’s performance on time.

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

Julliard Julie had fallen and taken a tumble. That made Maria happy. So far, that girl seemed to be her biggest competition, and since she’d fallen . . .

Maria stepped out on stage when it was her turn, feeling confident. This was it. This was her time to do the one thing she did best in the world. And yes, this was the one thing she did best. Even better than sex. And that was saying something.

She lay down on the stage, her hair fanned out beneath her head, her arms reaching straight upward, her legs bent at the knees, and her head turned to the side. She closed her eyes and listened for the start of her music.

It was her time to shine.

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

Michael had effectively slept through the first five performances. (He’d even done a little snoring.) When Maria took to the stage, Kyle reached over and hit him on the shoulder to wake him up. “Maria’s dancing,” he whispered.

“What?” Michael’s eyes snapped open, and he seemed immediately awake. He leaned forward in his seat and watched Maria as she began to move, slowly, in time with the music.

Kyle smiled and turned to watch Maria, too.

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

Contemporary. It was fluid. Expressive. Maybe a little bit strange. It was a style of dance Maria had never really done before, not in front of anyone, anyway, but there she was, doing it. She spent about the first minute of the song, down on the floor, moving her arms and legs, twisting, turning, trying to convey all the emotion she could from down there. She rolled over onto her stomach then, placed her hands on the cold floor and arched her back, gazing up at the ceiling for a moment. She wanted to dance for the rest of her life. She needed to.

She whirled her legs around to the front, then rolled backward with her legs outstretched to each side, doing a contemporary sort of somersault. She jumped up onto her feet then, and let the music take over her as it picked up pace. She didn’t even have to think about which moves came next. It all came naturally.

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

She’s dancing, Max thought to himself impatiently as he waited at a red light. He was right there. Right there. He could see the building where he needed to be just around the corner. But it was 6:30. She’s dancing, and I’m not even there.

Finally the light turned green.

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

Michael watched in interest. He’d never seen Maria dance like this before. He’d known all along that the girl had talent, but this was more than that. This was . . . passion. She was passion.

He didn’t know the names for the moves. When she leapt in the air or kicked her leg high or turned on one foot, he didn’t know what the moves were formally called. All he knew was that she was doing them better than anyone before her, and that he couldn’t take his eyes off her. He didn’t want to.

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

There were no thoughts. Just movement. Maria couldn’t see the judges, or anybody in the audience for that matter. She was moving too fast. So all she had was herself up there, herself and her talent. And that knowledge was electrifying. This was different than dance team, more thrilling somehow. Because this wasn’t about being sexy or energetic. This was about being a dancer. And she was most definitely a dancer.

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

Max jumped out of the car with the keys in hand and slammed the door. It had stated to rain. Water pelted down on him as he ran inside the building, soaked him, chilled him. But he didn’t care.

Maria.

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

The music slowed down, and so did Maria. It gave her a chance to find Michael in the audience, make eye contact with him, dance for him. Every little move was deliberate, yet never forced. Just like her and Michael.

“Please, don’t flow so fast
You little mountain hum
I’ll take a bottle down to you.”

Nothing had ever felt better than this. Not to her. She felt as though she were made for this, made to be an artist, because dancing was an art. It was full of emotion, full of passion.

Just like her and Michael.

“Please don’t flow this fast
You hold a little hum
I’ll bottle sounds of me for you.”

Michael . . .

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

Michael wasn’t sure whether he was crazy or not, but it felt as though he were the only person in the room, like she was dancing for him and him alone. No one else. And as he watched, he was so . . . fascinated.

“Please don’t flow so fast
You little mountain din
I’ll bottle piano sounds from you.”

One thing he was sure of . . . she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. Hands down. He tended to think of Maria as hot or sexy or gorgeous. But no, she was more than that. She was beautiful.

“Please don’t flow so fast
You little mountain noise
I’ll close my eyes and bite your tongue.”

Maria . . .

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

Max knew he wasn’t supposed to be barging in on the auditions when they were already in progress, but for once in his life, he didn’t care. If his girlfriend was going to become a performer with the Modern Dance Association, he was going to be there to see it happen.

He ran up the stairs to the third floor, too impatient to take the elevator, and he wished he were going faster. For some reason, it all felt like slow motion. Too slow. Way too slow.

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

Kyle thought Maria was doing amazing, and when he turned to Michael to ask what he thought, he didn’t even have to utter a word. Because Michael’s face said it all. He was staring, barely blinking, and there was a look of pure captivation in his eyes. He would surely start teasing and arguing with Maria about something the moment they got home, but in that moment, it was so obvious. There was no hiding it.

You’re so in love with her, man, Kyle thought, returning his gaze to Maria. It was a good thing Liz wasn’t there.

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

Maria rose up on her left foot and began to spin in a clockwise direction, her right leg outstretched. One. Two. Three rapid spins. And then some. They were called fouette turns, and they weren’t easy to do. But she did them well. She was near the end of her dance. There were only a few minutes left in her dance, and they were the easy minutes, the minutes where she got to wind down, where the performance came to a satisfying conclusion, where the audience was hopefully left staring in awe.

Four. Five. Six fouette turns. Only a few more.

Seven.

And then, on the eighth turn, just as she saw the door open and Max come in, she felt it. Her ankle. The one she was turning on . . . it gave out. It rolled to the side, and with a shocked look on her face, she crashed down on the stage.

She hit hard, and it hurt. Thoughts flooded her brain as, for a moment, she ceased dancing and started thinking instead. Get up, she told herself at once. Stand up. But for some reason, she remained sitting there.

Eight years of dancing on a dance team, and never had this happened before. It sounded crazy, but of all the hundreds of her performances she’d done, she’d never messed up, let alone fallen down. Not once. Not ever.

Why now?

Get up, she told herself again as the music continued to play. It’s just your ankle. It’s not that bad. You can dance on it.

Finally, after the shock had worn off just a little bit, she pushed herself to her feet again, listening to the music, trying to figure out what spot of the dance she was at. But all of a sudden, her mind was blank. And her ankle hurt. And she was standing there, visibly shaken up.

She tried to improvise for a few seconds, but the feeling of hopelessness had already set in. Holding back tears, she glanced at Alicia and the rest of the judges. They were all looking at her in disappointment.

She was done. She hadn’t finished her dance, but the dance had finished her. The mistake . . .

Ignoring the pain in her ankle and the tears in her eyes, Maria turned and fled the stage.

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

Michael watched Maria run backstage, not really sure what had happened. It had all happened so fast. One minute, she’d been doing fine, perfect actually, and the next she was down, fallen, and looking as sad and wrecked as he’d ever seen her. And then she was gone, and the stage was empty.

He exchanged a worried look with Kyle and Tess, and Kyle said, “Should we go after her?”

Immediately, Michael got up from his seat and went to go find her. She probably wanted to be alone, but he knew she’d be better off with him.

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

Max stood in the doorway to the audition room, bewildered. He’d walked in just in time to see his girlfriend slip on stage and run off. That wasn’t the Maria he knew.

“Okay, cut the music,” one of the male judges said.

The music stopped playing, and the sound of whispers filled the room. Whispers about Maria.

“Why would she just leave?”

“That’s a little strange.”

“That’s a shame. She was doing so well.”

Max looked down at the judges. They weren’t talk to each other. They were just writing comments down on their judging papers. Max couldn’t see what the papers said, but he could see each and every single one of the judges draw one straight, horizontal line through Maria’s name, effectively crossing her out.









TBC . . .

-April