Night Sky (AU,M/L,Adult) chpt 10, 7/5/16
Posted: Sat May 16, 2015 5:15 pm
Amazing, gorgeous banner by Steffi, thank you so much!!
Title: Night Sky
Author: jake17
Couple: M/L
Rating: Adult
Disclaimer: I own nothing to do with Roswell
Summary: Liz is a beautiful, intelligent, popular senior who has everything going for her, especially the heart to notice someone who is so much more than he seems.
Author’s Note: This is a challenge from dreamon, she had this amazingly romantic idea and was nice enough to offer it to me. So all the credit for this story line goes to her. Great job dreamon! I don’t want to give too much away, I'd love for it to unfold naturally. Sorry this took so long to post dreamon, hope you like it.
The poem is actually the lyrics to Nitesky by Robot Koch,
Chapter one
Walking through the halls of her high school Liz looked around with a sentimental sigh realizing that by this time next year she would be away at college.
Surrounded by a large group of friends, she flipped through her notes for Spanish hoping that she studied enough, trying to avoid the gossip that was being passed around from girl to girl.
Being popular was great, it certainly made life easier, but she couldn’t help feeling different from the rest of the kids.
The entire culture that surrounded them was something that she just couldn’t stand, it seemed shallow, not to mention severely disrespectful to women, the music alone was just beyond her understanding.
Then there was the backstabbing, and idle chatter of who slept with who, or who wore what, social media had turned people into piranhas, having the cowardliness to hide behind Text’s and the computer made everyone much crueler in her view.
For the most part she was able to ignore the worst of what came with being part of the in crowd, and focus on her true friends, she had many but there were only two she considered to be true friends, people that she would do anything for and would do anything for her.
Alex Whitman, and Maria DeLuca had been the closest two people in her life since she could remember.
They very much had their own personalities, never bending to the will of the popular crowd.
Alex was everything great in this world, sweet, funny, crazy smart, he was truly the friend that grounded her, that when everything was out of control he was the calming rational voice that she could always rely on.
Maria was just the opposite, like perpetual fireworks, Maria was all that was exciting, and fun in Liz’s life. Whenever Liz would get too serious about school or a stupid boy, Maria was there to lift her spirits like no one else.
Able to excel in almost everything if only she gave the effort, Maria lived for the moment, a true seize the day kind of girl that lit the room with her smile, demanding all eyes on her. Beautiful, with her own edgy style she paid little attention to trends or what was demanded by the clones that lined the hallways.
So all in all Liz was very lucky, she had great friends, a happy home life with great parents, an extremely promising future, with her choice of Ivy league schools that were already showing interest.
It was all so perfect, maybe even too perfect, because for all that she had, there was one thing that was missing, it was nothing that she could put her finger on, just a void deep inside that longed to be filled.
A connection, someone special, more than a friend, love perhaps, a boy that saw the world as she did.
Someone who’s existence didn’t revolve around Friday night football games, or smoking pot in the bathrooms. A guy who she could really talk to about life and the things that really mattered to her that she wouldn’t dare share with anyone else besides Alex and Maria.
High School was like a big shark tank, if the elites smelled blood in the water, you were dead, so Liz stayed neutral for the most part, quiet in her opinions, but never participating in the hunt, she could never be that way, never be cruel, it just wasn’t her nature.
Hearing the bell ring throughout the halls, most everyone scattered off to their respective classes, busy on their phones, or searching for their homework, until disappearing altogether.
Liz sighed with relief, as the dull roar dwindled down to the sweet relief of silence.
It was fifth period, her last of the day, better yet it was Friday, which meant that because of her grades she was allowed to leave early.
Debating on whether to knock out the rest of her Spanish homework early, or head home, she wandered towards the library unaware that there was anyone there.
That’s when she heard it, a sound as if someone was gasping for air, coughing, struggling to breathe.
Turning the corner, she saw him, huddled against the wall, bent over, his hands braced on his knees with the Gym teacher, Mr. Lovak standing by his side.
“Look Evans, I know you don’t want anyone to know about what’s going on, but I can’t have you passing out during class. I’m sorry but I’m going to need a note before allowing you back. For now just go to the library until the end of the period.”
Liz clung to the corner of the wall, hiding from the situation unfolding before her, knowing it was wrong to spy, but unable to tear her eyes away from him.
She watched as he brushed his long hair from his eyes, the pain on his face was tangible, she felt it inside clenching her heart, she had never known anyone who truly had it as bad as Max Evans.
Straightening up, he leaned against the wall working hard to catch his breath, it was a rare moment when she was able to see his beautiful eyes that were always hidden by his shaggy long hair.
She suspected that he kept it that way on purpose to hide from the sharks that preyed upon the outcasts and the weak.
Unfortunately Max fit both of these stereotypes through no fault of his own.
From what she knew about him, Max was an orphan who had been bounced around countless group homes over the years.
Always poor, Max had little means of buying the ‘cool’ clothes or having the meaningless possessions that everyone else took for granted.
Besides what was obviously a horrible, unstable home life, Max was severely shy, from what she could tell he had no one, well one friend, Michael Guerin, the class badass and all around troublemaker, who if rarely ever made it to school.
She wasn’t sure if they were actually friends or if Michael just enjoyed beating the shit out of the guys who would randomly choose to shove Max around from time to time.
If Liz were to guess they probably had some common ground, Michael himself was being raised by a single father, on the wrong side of the tracks, who was the epitome of an asshole.
The big difference between Max and Michael, was that Max wouldn’t hurt a fly, he barely spoke, while Michael had no problem swearing up a storm and smacking anyone down who dared get in his way.
Truth be told Liz had been secretly noticing Max since the third grade, he had a sweetness about him, while other boys were fighting over video games, or who could take the hardest punch, Max seemed to be always looking out the window, deep in thought, just somewhere else, somewhere better.
While the rest of the school looked at him as though he was a freak, a social outcast, Liz saw through his often disheveled appearance, and sad eyes.
To be honest she thought his eyes were beautiful, the most beautiful color she’d ever seen, like a sunset, or honey in a jar when the light hits it just right.
There were times when she caught him reading, lost in a book, when he thought no one was looking, where she could see just how cute he was, he was definitely a mystery, one that she always wanted to discover, but to do so would be social suicide, and as kind hearted as Liz was, even she was afraid of that kind of backlash.
So there she stood, hiding behind a large plant, around the corner watching him, wondering, concerned as he picked up his worn book bag and made his way toward the library.
That’s when she saw it, a notebook that had fallen out of his back pack, left behind on the floor.
Looking around, making sure no one was coming, she made her way over and picked it up, holding it in her hands as curiosity washed over her.
It was clear this was something personal, she could see that the pages were used almost all the way through till the end.
The notebook itself was bent and wrinkled, as if he kept it rolled in his hands most of the time, this wasn’t notes on some class, it was private, absolutely none of her business.
Sighing, knowing he was in the library, she decided to keep her eyes out of it, and just hand it to him, she was going there anyway, it wasn’t as if it was any big deal just to drop it off.
Only half way there she found herself in an empty class room, feeling horribly guilty as she flipped through the pages of what turned out to be the most thought provoking, heart wrenching poetry she had ever read.
Some poems were very vague, speaking of life and death, specific struggles that weren’t very clearly written out, as if you had to be in on the secret to understand them.
But there was one, one in particular that caught her eye, titled Night sky.
Tucking her silky hair behind her ears, she pulled her knees up to her chest as if trying to hide her wrongdoing as she whispered it out loud, truly moved by it’s beauty.
Night sky
No one knows, what it's like
you and me
you and I
underneath the night sky
you and me
you and I
I get lost
all the time
in my thoughts
in my mind
you come through
like a light, in the dark, give me sight
No one sees what it’s like
You and me, you and I
Never go, never hide
You and me, you and I
If you let my soul out
It’ll come right back to you
Her big brown expressive eyes followed the words as if each one touched her in places she never allowed anyone to see.
Her eyes welled from the gentle romance that didn’t exist in her world of insensitive, vulgar immature jocks, and arrogant preppy boys, that had their entire future all laid out for them because of their rich fathers.
Shutting the book she suddenly felt as if she had peered into his heart in a very uninvited way.
Walking fast towards the library she knew that what she did was a violation of his personal thoughts, it was wrong, so wrong, but in every way she didn’t regret it.
Such beautiful words, he must really love this girl, she thought to herself.
Real love, the kind that she pinned for.
Pushing open the heavy double doors all eyes were on her, as always, Liz was stunning, far prettier than she ever realized, there wasn’t anyone, guy or girl who didn’t stop to admire or appreciate her.
Max as always was sitting at the farthest table, hidden by a stack of books that needed to be put away, probably on purpose, to be as invisible as possible.
His head was down, his jet black hair, once again swept over his eyes as he read from a thick book whose title had been worn off.
Suddenly nervous, hoping that he wouldn’t think she read what was inside, she approached him.
Standing in front of him for a few seconds, with no response she cleared her throat.
“Umm, hey, I noticed that you dropped your notebook in the hallway, I saw you in here, so I just...well … here.”
Looking at him in an entirely different way after reading his poems, she felt almost drawn to him as he lifted his eyes from the heavy book.
A myriad of emotions lit up in those beautiful eyes, nearly making her dizzy, as he lifted his hand to take the notebook from her.
“Thank you.”
His voice was soft, deeper than she expected, as if there were hints of so much more going on within him than could be seen on the surface.
Just as his hand was about to touch the notebook, another hand swiped it away holding it high above Liz’s head.
“Liz! What the hell are you doing talking to this freak? What’s going on here, is he bothering you, because we can take care of him for you!”
Liz wanted to die, behind her were the boys from her debate team, the one holding the notebook was Tyler Daily, the boy who practically had it all, except for the one thing he wanted, her.
“Give it back Tyler, please!”
Liz tried to get it, but her efforts only turned it into a game for the six foot four, blonde, blue eyed, baseball star who everyone loved, once again, everyone but Liz.
“Tyler don’t do this!”
Looking back at Max, Liz started to panic, if those kids got a hold of those poems, they would be on everyone’s laptop by the end of the day, he would be crucified, chum for the meanest of sharks.
Max was thinking the same thing, he was white as a ghost, lost as to what to say, literally shaking.
Thinking for a moment, weighing whether he should stay and get knocked around and humiliated or just leave, either way it was obvious to him that he wasn’t getting it back.
Deciding it was better just to leave, he threw his backpack over his shoulder leaving Liz to deal with Tyler, and her responsibility in this mess.
“Hmm, what do we have here. Holy shit its freaking poems! Our little Norman Bates is a poet you guys!”
Just then Tyler fell to his knees, even a good kick to the balls will send a giant to the floor with little effort.
As if it was nothing, Maria grabbed the notebook and handed it to Liz.
“I assume you want this?”
Beaming Liz hugged her friend. “Maria, you are the best! Wait here I’ll be right back.”
Running out the door, Liz looked frantically for Max before watching him leave the building altogether.
Catching up to him, she awkwardly touched his shoulder causing him to flinch nervously before turning to see that it was her.
Smiling, taking her time to look at him more closely, she slowly handed the worn notebook over.
“I’m so sorry, those guys are idiots, especially Tyler, I don’t think there’s one brain cell residing in that dyed blonde head of his.”
Shyly taking it from her, he kept his eyes low, unable to look at her directly, clearly embarrassed.
“He didn’t read it, really, I’d be surprised if he could read at all. Honestly no one did. I really am sorry Max.”
Nodding he softly muttered the word ‘thanks’ before walking away across the football field into a narrow path through the woods on the edge of campus.
Liz stood very still transfixed on him, until he fully disappeared within the thick branches and hanging colorful red and gold leaves, unable to get that poem out of her mind.
Whispering it to herself, she began to wonder even more about the quiet boy, who now held more mystery than ever before.
No one knows, what it’s like
you and me
you and I
