Roswell Fanatics

When She's With You
by Dreaming In Purple

Pairings: M/L/Z, M/M, A/Lonnie, K/?

Rating: Adult (Eventually) ~ AU ~ No Aliens

Disclaimer: I don’t own Roswell or any of the characters from the show. Jason Katims (bonehead that he is) and all networks that show it own it. I’m just playing with Zan and Max for a while.

Summary: Two guys love one girl. How do they deal with it?

Author's Note: I'm picking this story up again. Believe it or not it's about 13 years old and I never finished it. I read through it a while ago and fell in love with the characters all over again. I am revising each chapter then reposting them. Then I'll continuing on until it's finished. Feedback is motivational, so please leave some.

Author's Note about the characters: Max, Zan, and Lonnie are triplets. The Dupes aren't evil, just people with issues like everyone else.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Chapter 1
“Liz, have you seen Zan today? Mmm mmm, he’s looking good!” Maria said while applying her bubble gum pink lipstick in the bathroom mirror. “And Max... god I’m telling you if I wasn’t otherwise spoken for I’d be doing double duty with those two.”

“Maria, come on. They don’t look that good,” Liz said touching up her eyeliner. Maria just stared at her with one perfectly sculpted eyebrow arched. “Ok…,” Liz shrugged. “So they're kinda hot. But you won’t see me falling all over myself to let them get in my pants like some of the skanks around here.”

“Would you guys stop droolin over my brothas. Ewww… it’s just... Ewww,” Lonnie shivered and made a gagging noise from the sink she was leaning against, waiting for her friends to finish putting on their war paint. “They’re dogs! You know this! Come on, let’s get out of here. I’m sick of watchin ya paint ya faces.”

“Lonnie just cause you look good naturally doesn’t mean we don’t have to work at it. Besides I want Michael falling all over himself trying to get in my pants,” Maria said with a wink.

They made their way to the cafeteria to buy their lunches, then went to their usual table outside in the quad.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Michael was looking for his best friend who'd gone missing from PE halfway through class. Peeking over the side of the bleachers, he scanned the seats looking for Zan’s dark spiky head. Sure enough he found him lounging a couple of rows up.

“Hey, Zan,” Michael said as he climbed the steps.

“Hey, Mikey,” Zan said giving his usual head nod in greeting. He looked around and asked, “Where’s motor mouth? I expected you two to be holed up somewheres locked at the lip by now,” he teased his friend.

“All in good time, m’man,” Michael said and slapped Zan’s hand with a smirk. “Hey, why you hangin out back here?”

Zan got a mischievous smile and nodded his head toward the girls bouncing up and down on the trampoline for gymnastics. “Just enjoyin the view,” he said.

Michael laughed and sat down to join his friend’s activity.

Zan looked at his friend with a wry smile. He’d known Michael for as long as he could remember. When they were little he used to come over to play with Zan and his brother and sister., before Zan and Lonnie moved moved to New York with their dad. Their friendship picked up again like Zan had never been gone when they returned from New York a few years ago.

Michael might seem like a loner with a quick temper to people, he was very intelligent. Creative types didn't follow the leader like most, so he and Zan got along great. He could be trusted and that's all that mattered.

“You seen Liz today,” Michael asked leaning back and watching the girls giggling and jumping around.

Zan sighed.

“Don’t start with me, Mikey.” He stood up and hopped down from his perch on the bleachers. Michael got up slowly, still watching the action below, and followed him.

“What is it with you? Any other girl you’d of jumped and been all over her a long time ago,” Michael said shaking his head at his friend.

Zan rolled his eyes.

“Liz ain’t just any other girl. Now drop it,” Zan said heading out to the quad.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Max stood at his locker tossing in the books from his last class, when a picture he had taped to the door caught his eye, again. It was of the seven of them at the reservoir last year. Alex and Kyle were both making stupid faces at the camera and Lonnie was rolling her eyes at them. Maria and Liz had their arms over each others shoulder’s and had these cheesy grins from ear to ear, and Max, Michael, and Zan all stood behind them smirking.

His eyes drifted back to Liz and how happy she looked. That had been one of the best days of his life. Liz, Maria, and Lonnie had convinced him to be in their sand sculpture. At the time he hadn’t realized they were going to bury him up to his neck in the sand and turn him into a mermaid. Liz had topped it off by putting seashells over his boobs and giving him seaweed hair.

“I remember that day,” Kyle’s voice drifted over his shoulder. Max looked up to see Alex and Kyle standing behind him.

“What day,” Alex said.

“Remember the day we all went the beach and Maxie boy got all gussied up for the mermaid ball. Met any handsome mermen lately, Maxie Poo,” Kyle teased making kissing noises.

“Shut up, Kyle,” Max said slamming his locker closed and heading out for lunch.

“Leave poor Max alone. You know he’s sensitive about the Maxine incident,” Alex loudly whispered.

Max stopped and turned around glaring at them. Crossing his arms he said, “Both of you shut up or I’ll tell Lonnie that I caught the two of you trying on her bra’s when she wasn’t home.”

A look of total terror crossed both their faces. “That’s what I thought,” Max said and turned back toward his destination with a self-satisfied smirk.

“Grouch,” Alex grumbled as he watched Max walk out the doors.

“I know,” Kyle said. “I don’t think he’s gettin any lately.”

“I thought he was dating Tess Harding.”

“Nah, he dropped her a long time ago. He was going out with Pam Troy, but he dumped her about two weeks ago. Man, Alex you gotta keep up with these things.”

“Dude! It’s hard keeping track. Between him and Zan they’ve just about gone through the whole female population of West Roswell.” Alex threw up his hands in defeat. “Who do you think he has his eye on now?”

“I don’t know, but I’m sure he’s got someone in mind,” Kyle said as they headed out the door.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

“So, Liz… I saw Max looking at you again,” Maria said with a smirk.

“Maria, that is so in your imagination,” Liz said skeptically.

“Hmp… I catch Max and Zan checkin you out all da time,” Lonnie said “You’d be amazed at the crap they do when they think no one’s lookin.”

At their curious looks Lonnie got this conspiratorial grin and leaned in. She quietly said, “Maxie reads Romeo and Juliet and gets all weepy, and Zan writes these lovey dovey songs and poetry. He won’t let anyone read them or hear his songs but, he’s got this notebook full.”

“You’re kidding,” Maria said giggling.

“No Way,” Liz said trying to imagine those two big tough guys having such sensitive sides.
Liz and Maria just stared at her with their mouths hanging open.

“I kid you not,” Lonnie said laughing and shaking her head.

Liz looked down at her tray thinking about it. Romeo and Juliet was one of her all time favorite love stories. She had a well worn copy of her own. And she thought about Zan writing poetry and smiled. She had kept a journal of all her deepest thoughts and emotions for years. She never would have thought she’d have something so personal in common with either of the guys.

“Yo, here they come. Keep all that on the low. They’ll kick my ass if they find out I told you.”

All of a sudden the table is invaded by testosterone. Michael plopped down on the bench next to Maria and pulled her onto his lap.

“Hey babe.”

“Michael,” Maria squealed at being manhandled so rudely. “You don’t just grab a girl and toss her around as you please. You act like a caveman!”

“You know you like it,” Michael said with a knowing smirk and kissed her neck.

“Well… maybe I do,” Maria said blushing. “But that’s still no excuse.”

Zan sat on the table next to Lonnie and stole a hand full of fries off her tray.

“Hey, go get your own food,” Lonnie said slapping his hand away.

“Stolen fries taste betta,” Zan said popping one in his mouth.

Max dropped a tray overflowing with food on the table next to Liz and sat down. He had spaghetti with meat sauce, two cheese burgers, fries, a piece of chocolate cake and a cherry coke all piled on there.

“Damn, Max,” Lonnie said staring at his food.

“What? We got a big game tomorrow. I need energy.” Max shrugged and dug in.

Zan reached over and stole some fries from his tray.

“Hey,” Max said. “Go get your own food.”

Zan just grinned and popped some into his mouth. Liz smiled at how weird the Evans triplets were and quickly ate her own fries before Zan got a hold of them.

Michael whispered something into Maria’s ear then lightly bit her earlobe. “See ya later, chicas,” Maria said before she and Michael hopped up and disappeared into the school, just as Kyle and Alex showed up and sat down.

“Where are they headed off to,” Alex wondered aloud.

“The eraser room, of course,” Kyle smirked.

“Ya know, they need to soundproof the eraser room,” Liz said offhandedly. “I was walking by it the other day and somebody was making out, loudly. I could them saying ‘Oh baby… Oh yeah baby… yes… yes… I’m gonna’ and there was this high pitched scream.' Liz reenacted the scene, tossing her head and moaning the sounds she’d heard with a laugh. 'I about busted a gut laughing. The bell rang before I got to see who was in there though.'”

All of a sudden Kyle spewed the soda he was drinking all over his tray and turned beet red. Lonnie and Alex were cracking up, and Max and Zan were starring at her with these strange intense looks. “What,” Liz said thinking everyone had gone crazy.

“It was Kyle and Vicky DeLanie,” Lonnie said trying to catch her breath. “The principal musta walked by right after you left, cause he caught ‘em in there,” she explained totally enjoying embarrassing the hell out of their friend.

“He called their parents and they got detention for a month! Mrs. Delanie threatened to castrate Kyle next time he goes near her daughter.” She and Alex were laughing so hard they were crying and Alex was leaning on Lonnie to keep from falling off the bench.

Alex tried to speak between his fits of laughter, “I heard that when they found them, Kyle had his pants down around his ankles and Vicky was on her knees. That means it… it had to be… it was Kyle!”

Alex laughed so hard he couldn’t breathe. He was clutching his stomach and rolled right off the bench. Kyle was glaring at them. You could just see the plots for revenge brewing in his brain.

“Lonnie, Alex has a naked picture of Claudia Schiffer with your face taped to it that he beats off to every night!” ‘Two down in one shot,’ he thought with a smug grin.

Alex gasped and his eyes went wide. Lonnie went from looking confused, to disgusted, to pissed off.

“What!?”

“Bye.” Alex took off before Lonnie could grab him.

“Get your ass back here!” She took off after him intent on kicking his ass. Kyle happily continued to eat his lunch like nothing had happened.

Max shook his head and said, “I don’t know why they don’t just get it over with. All this foreplay is just delaying the inevitable.”

Zan nodded his agreement. “She wants him bad.” He plopped down in Lonnie’s seat and commenced to eat her lunch.

“You guys really think so,” Liz wondered watching two of her best friends chasing each other around the quad. “Hmm… I never noticed.”

“Hey Liz, how’s the play going,” Zan asked ignoring the antics going on behind them.

“We’re just starting rehearsals this week. I’m really excited about it, but I don’t know what I was thinking trying to take on the play, and cheerleading, and trying to keep up with school, and working at the Crashdown. I’m never going to have time for anything,” Liz said. “I just wish Maria or Lonnie had auditioned too. Then at least I’d have a familiar face to hang out with during down times.”

“You can handle it sweets, sides I was thinkin bout joining the stage crew,” Zan said.

“Really, Zan? That would be so cool,” Liz said getting happy.

Max eyed his brother suspiciously. “This is new. I didn’t think you were into musicals, Zan.”

“I’m not,” he shrugged. “My Shop teacher said he’d give me extra credit if I helped out.”

“Interesting,” Max said unbelieving. “Liz you coming with us after the game tomorrow night?” Max changed the subject. It irked him that Zan had found a way to spend time with Liz. He wasn’t going to sit there and watch while she was stolen away from him.

“What’s happening tomorrow night,” Liz asked.

“Yeah, what’s happening tomorrow night, Maxie,” Zan said glaring at Max. ‘Oh, so Maxie’s trying to block huh. Well we’ll see who's better at this game.'

“Just some of the guys from the team having a bonfire out at the old soap factory. Michael said he was going with Maria, you want to come,” Max asked smiling at Liz.

“Sounds fun. Sure, I’ll go,” Liz said smiling back.

“It does sound fun, doesn’ it? I think I’ll go too, Maxie. You know I bet Lonnie and Alex’ll wanna go too,” Zan said crossing his arms and grinning.

“But, there won’t be enough room in the jeep, with Michael and Maria riding with me too,” Max said his smile straining a bit with frustration.

“Hmm… that does seem to be a problem,” Zan said tapping his chin, like he was in deep thought. “I know! You can take Lon’s, Mikey, and Mouth. Kyle here can take Alex, and Liz can ride with me on Betty. There problem solved.”

Zan looked so pleased with himself. Not only did he get back at Maxie boy, but he got Liz ridin with him. He could just imagine her sitting behind him, wearing that little cheerleading uniform, holding him tight to keep from fallin off. ‘Oh yeah, I’m definitely Da Man.’

“Sounds good to me,” Liz said nodding. “Are you sure I’ll be safe riding with you Zan?” she teased.

“Just leave yourself in my hands, sweets. I’ll take care of ya,” Zan said giving her a wink and sexy grin.

‘Damn it!" Max could have seriously strangled Zan right then.

The bell rang signaling the end of lunch.

“Well, I’ve got to get my things from my locker. See you guys later.” With that Liz got up, tossed her tray in the trash and disappeared into the school.

“Very smooth, Zan. Verrry smooth,” Kyle said lightly punching him in the arm as he too got up and left.
Zan leaned forward on the table staring at Max with a satisfied grin. Max just glared at him.

“I thought we had deal,” Max said.

“You the one that broke it with dat ‘You wanna hang out afta the game’ crap,” Zan said in a high girly voice.

“No I didn’t. You all of a sudden decided to get involved in the school play? Not because Liz will be there and you get to see her dancing around in a leotard everyday, nooo, but for ‘Extra Credit’. Yeah… right,” Max said unconvinced.

“You know what? I want outa dis deal, Max! I don’t care no more, I want her. I’m sick of these chickens around here. Don’t none of ‘em compare to Liz,” Zan said finally getting angry.

“Zan, come on,” Max sighed. “I know Liz is beautiful, and smart, and talented… and she kicks our asses at Playstation on a regular basis,” Max said with a smile. “But that’s the problem, she’s perfect for both of us. If neither of us is willing to give her up, then where does that leave us?”

Max ran a frustrated hand through his hair. They’d had this conversation so many times before. “Zan, we’ve never fought over a girl before, and I don’t want to start now. The only thing we can do is both of us leave her alone.”

Zan was quiet for a while looking around at the people leaving the quad and heading to their classes.

“We could let her choose,” he said. He didn't really want that, because there was a real possibility Liz would choose Max. And if that happened Zan would be left having to try to steal her away. It could destroy his relationship with his brother.

Zan had brought up this idea before and it always came down to the same thing. “And what if she chooses me, Zan, then you get hurt. And if she chooses you, I get hurt. So, either way one of us is going to lose in this situation. Nothing’s changed,” Max said patiently.

Zan looked at Max for a minute as he considered things. He stared Max in the eyes as he said, “Not if we share her.”

Max frowned as he tried to process Zan’s last statement.

“What!?” Zan had gone out of his mind, that was the only possible explanation. “Are you crazy? Liz would never go for something like that.”

“I been thinkin bout it, Max. The only way we both get to be with Liz is if we share her,” Zan said matter-of-factly.

“That’s it! You’ve officially lost it.” Max dropped his head into his arms thinking about how desperate they were to be thinking of crazy stuff like this.

He was shaking his head when his muffled voice drifted out. “OK, I can’t believe I’m even considering this, but… how could we make it work?” He lifted his head enough to look Zan in the eyes and asked, “And more importantly how the hell do we get Liz to go along with it.”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
TBC...

Let me know how often I should post new chapters. I have about 14 ready to go.

I love this, and how could not help but fall in love with these kids again?
Sure looking forward to more and I'll leave it up to you how often you want to post.
Very funny.......Kyle and Vicky......
Thanks,
Carolyn

Really interesting start: Zan against Max for Liz's love! Wow... poor Girl!
Having to Chose isn't the easier Thing in this Story...

Of course, waiting for more... Thanks! EVE

Author's Note:
Thank you for the feedback Eve and Carolyn. I'm glad you enjoyed the first part.

I forgot to mention this in the first chapter, but I have a playlist of music that goes with this story. As I write I have certain songs I listen too because they inspired scenes. I thought I'd share the songs for each chapter in case you guys want to listen as you read.

I'm posting 2 chapters this time. Mostly just because I wanted to get to the description of Zan because... he's just lickable and I wanted y'all to see him and Max too

Playlist for the 2nd chapter: My Gospel by Charlie Puth and Company by Justin Bieber.
Playlist for the 3rd chapter: Company by Justin Bieber, DNA by Little Mix, and What Makes You Beautiful by One Direction.


From Chapter 1:
“I been thinkin bout it, Max. The only way we both get to be with Liz is if we share her,” Zan said matter-of-factly.

“That’s it! You’ve officially lost it.” Max dropped his head into his arms thinking about how desperate they were to be thinking of crazy stuff like this.

He was shaking his head when his muffled voice drifted out. “OK, I can’t believe I’m even considering this, but… how could we make it work?” He lifted his head enough to look Zan in the eyes and asked, “And more importantly how the hell do we get Liz to go along with it.”

Chapter 2
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Zan grinned at his brother’s question. At least Max was finally thinking about it.

“I figure we got to get her to want us both so bad she can’t resist either of us,” he said with a smirk.

A smile crept onto Max’s face as he thought of all the possibilities.

“I think I get the idea,” he said finally lifting his head and straightening as the images in his mind energized him.

Zan was watching his brother closely, trying to gage Max’s reaction to his “solution” to their problem. When he saw the cocky smirk that reflected his own, he knew it was on.

He held out his fist. “I knew ya had it in ya, little brotha.”

Max hit Zan’s fist with his own.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Liz was talking to Maria while grabbing her AP Biology book out of her locker, when all of a sudden Zan appeared and leaned on the locker next to her. He didn’t say anything, he just stood there staring at her.

“Hey, Zan. What’s up?” Liz asked hesitantly. He had a slightly puzzled look on his face.

“Hey,” he said nodding at her. He was staring at her hair and reached a hand out and wrapped a lock of her hair around his finger, letting the length slide through his hand as he gently tugged on it.

Shivers ran down her spine and little goose bumps tingled across her skin.

“I was just wonderin if it was a soft as it looks,” he said giving her a little smile.

“Um… thank you,” she finally managed to get out after realizing what he’d said. Now she was the one standing there staring at him. He held her gaze as he started backing away.

“See ya later.” When he finally noticed Maria was standing there, he nodded to her. “Hey Re-Re.” He called out and disappeared down the crowded hallway.

“Well that was interesting,” Maria said with a surprised look on her face.

“That’s one word for it.” Liz said looking at Maria with a dazed smile.

“Well, I’m off to class before Ms. Crabopple has another conniption cause I’m late. See ya at practice.” Maria said taking off down the hall.

“She’s gonna get you for calling her that one of these days,” Liz called out as Maria walked away.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah…,” she heard Maria’s fading voice.

Liz grabbed the book she needed and hurried to her class. The ball rang just as she walked through the door.

“Just in time, Ms. Parker,” Mr. Henderson said giving her a stern look. Liz ducked her head and hurried to her work bench. She slid into her seat next to her lab partner, Max and smiled.

“I was wondering where you were,” Max said.

“I just had the strangest run in with your brother,” she whispered and opened her notebook.

“Really,” Max said smiling to himself. “What happened?”

Liz looked at him and hesitated, then decided not to say anything, because… well… nothing really happened… did it?

“It was nothing. He was just being his normal odd self,” she said playing it off.

The teacher started his lecture on blood cells and Liz started taking notes. She was leaning over her notebook writing when she felt Max’s arm brush up against hers. He was leaning over her shoulder looking at her notes. The light touch gave her another shiver. She tucked her hair behind her ear and looked up at him. He smiled and went back to writing.

All of a sudden she was acutely aware of Max’s presence. Every move he made, how close he was, how the muscles in his arm moved while he was writing, how his leg brushed up against hers when he shifted in his seat. She swallowed and tried to make herself concentrate on the class.

“Ok, class for our lab experiment today you’ll be examining and typing your partner’s blood.” There were groans from all over the class. “Yes, that means you will have to prick your fingers. Just be careful not to stick it in to hard and you all should be fine.” Mr. Henderson said as he passed out pins to every bench. There were some snickers after he said this but he was oblivious to the cause.

Liz and Max started setting up for their experiment. Liz was still hypersensitive to Max’s presence so, when he went to get the microscope she was aware of every inch of his body as he squeezed past her.

He grabbed her arm to steady himself and she could feel the heat from his hand penetrating her skin. As his body passed behind her, she could feel the hard muscles of his chest against her back and the delicious heat from his body warmed her. His fingers seemed to linger and leave a trail of tingles behind as he finally moved past. It made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end and she was sure she was flushed from the heat she felt on her face.

It was so strange. She was feeling so sensitive to everything today. Things that she wouldn’t normally notice were making her feel all flushed and shivery. Maybe she was getting the flu?

She ran a hand through her hair brushing it away from her face, and began fanning herself a little. She took a couple of deep breaths trying to clear her head. They had an experiment to conduct so she needed to be thinking clearly.

When she saw Max return with the microscope she stood and stepped aside so he could pass unimpeded. She missed the look of disappointment on his face as he sat down.

They were finally ready to start their experiment. Liz picked up her stick pen then turned to Max. “You ready?” she asked.

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” he said holding out his index finger. When she raised the pin to prick his finger, Max closed his eyes tight in anticipation of the pain and kept peeping out of one to see when she was going to stick him.

“Oh, you big baby, it doesn’t hurt that much.” Liz said as she quickly pricked his finger and squeezed a small drop of his blood onto a glass slide.

When she looked up he had his finger stuck in his mouth and looked so cute nursing his boo boo.

“Aww, does the poor widdle baby want mama to kiss it and make it better,” she teased him.

Instead of him feeling embarrassed about making such a big deal over the little pain, Max stuck his finger out and in a pouting baby voice said, “Yes, kiss it and make it better.”

Liz rolled her eyes at him and quickly grabbed his hurt finger and kissed it. He had a big cheesy grin on his face like it was all better now. She shook her head at him and held out her own finger.

“My turn.”

He picked up his pin then gently held her finger with his free hand. He looked up at her before he lifted the pin to stick her. She looked as if she didn’t care whether it hurt or not.

“Ready?” he asked.

“Yes, I’m ready,” she said impatiently.

He quickly pricked her finger and looked up to see her reaction and laughed. She was scrunching up her face and hopping from one foot to the other saying, “Ow! ow! ow! ow! ow! ow!”

“Who’s being a baby now,” he teased. He quickly squeezed a drop of blood onto the glass slide and released her. She immediately stuck her finger in her mouth.

Max turned back to her after securing the slides and held out his hand.

“Want me to kiss it?” he asked.

Liz looked like she wanted to say yes, but was too ashamed to admit it.

“Give it here,” he said knowing her finger was throbbing.

She looked up at him pouting at his teasing, and held out her finger.

He looked her in the eyes as he brought the tip of her finger to his lips. The tip of his tongue lightly caressed the small wound as he gently kissed the pain away. He wasn’t ready for the contact to end, so he let his tongue linger for a moment, tickling the sensitive pad before his lips covered the finger to the knuckle then slowly pulled away.

“Better,” he asked still holding her hand.

Liz’s pulse raced. Feeling his soft lips and his hot, moist tongue on her skin caused her heart to pound in her chest. Thoughts of him kissing more than just her finger sprang to mind. She wanted so badly to say ‘No! It still hurts! Do it again!’, but just couldn’t make herself do it.

After the initial shock of pleasure wore off she realized he was still holding her hand and looking at her expectantly. She pulled her hand away, flushed from her head to her toes. She let out a breath that she didn’t even realize she was holding and swallowed trying to find her voice. “Yes, Thank you.”

She turned back to their experiment intent on keeping her mind on the work at hand. 'No, no, no! On the experiment, yeah, the experiment.' She leaned forward over the microscope and let her hair hide her flushed cheeks.

Max turned back to the workbench and bit his lip trying not to smile. But he couldn’t help it. He couldn’t resist when the opportunity had presented itself. Now that he didn’t have to hold back his feelings, he was free to let her know how badly he wanted her.

It used to drive him crazy sitting next to her and being able to smell the sweet scent of her perfume, or when her hair would accidentally brush over his arm, and especially when she would tuck her hair behind her ear and smile at him. Sometimes it took all his willpower to not grab her and kiss her senseless.

“You’ve got five minutes class. Start cleaning up your stations,” Mr. Henderson called out.

“Damn!” Liz said. She looked up at Max from the microscope. “We aren’t finished. We won’t get credit for the experiment if we don’t turn it in complete.”

“Well, maybe he’ll give us more time,” Max said trying to sooth her worries. “How about I ask him for an extension until tomorrow. We can borrow a microscope and finish it at my house tonight.”

“I guess we don’t really have much choice,” Liz huffed. “Fine, go ahead.”

Liz was frustrated. She’d let herself get distracted and now she was in danger of getting a zero on their assignment. She had to focus on her work. How was she ever going to be a molecular biologist if she didn’t keep her grades up? She didn’t want to start falling behind.

“Mr. Henderson said we could turn it in first thing in the morning,” Max said when he returned. “It’ll be ok, Liz. Don’t worry about it. I’ll pick you up after football practice and we’ll finish it. Ok?”

Max wanted to reassure her. He felt like it was his fault they didn’t finish, so he was determined to make it right. But he couldn’t help but be happy he was going to get to spend time with Liz tonight at his house. In his room... alone.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

On the courts behind the gym after school, Michael and Zan were playing Basketball. Both were covered in sweat.

Michael’s long messy hair was dripping and kept falling into his face as he tried to keep Zan from scoring the final point.

Zan was dribbling and trying to keep Michael off his back. Sweat fell from his chin, running down his bare chest as he faked left then pulled back at the last second trying to lose his determined opponent. In one smooth motion, he spun around and shot off a jumper that fell through the hoop with a swoosh.

“Dat’s game,” Zan said breathing hard. He scrubbed his face trying to wipe the sweat from his eyes.

“Damn. I thought I had you. Good game man.” Michael wiped his face with his shirt and ran a hand through his sweaty hair. “Wanna go again,” he asked picking up the ball and resting it on his hip.

“Just gimme a minute,” Zan said still trying to catch his breath. He sat on the ground and laid back looking up at the sky. Michael sat down too and leaned back on his hands happy to take a break.

“You goin to that party tomorrow night,” Michael asked.

Zan turned his head toward his friend, smiled and said, “Yeah, and guess who’s goin wit me.”

Michael’s eyebrows shot up. “Liz? No way,” he said chuckling. “Bout time you stepped to her. It took you long enough. What’s up with that anyways?”

Zan rolled his eyes and looked back up at the sky. “Would you quit bustin on me about dat. Look,” he sighed. “Me and Maxie made a promise to each otha a long time ago that we wouldn’t fight over no girl. And everything was cool till we met Liz. We both wanted to be with her, but we didn’t want to step on each other’s toes, so we decided we’d be just friends with her.”

“Oh… really? That’s cool,” Michael nodded in understanding. “You know I didn’t mean anything by it, Zan. It just didn’t make sense cause I could tell you really liked her, ya know. I think it’s cool you guys look out for each other like that.”

Michael thought about it for a second and a frown appeared on his face.

“Hey, didn’t you just say you were going to the party with Liz tomorrow night?” he asked.

Zan went still. “Um… yeah,” he answered hesitantly.

“So, if you guys are swearing off… what gives?” Michael asked confused.

‘Damn!’ He had to be more careful. Should he tell him? He could trust Mikey, he knew that, but this was different. He had to make sure Michael wouldn’t go blabbering to big mouth Maria or he wouldn’t say shit. But it’d be cool to be able to talk to him about all this.

Zan sat up, leaning on his hands and looked at Michael seriously. “Ok, Michael you gotta swear to me you gonna keep this shit on the low. No tellin nobody. Not Maria. Not Lonnie. Nobody.” Zan said his voice low and serious.

Michael’s eyebrows shot up with a confused frown. “Ok. I won’t tell anybody,” he said.

“I’m serious, Mikey. Swear on somethin’,” Zan said pressing how serious he was.

Michael realized Zan really meant it, and tried to think of something important enough for him to swear on so Zan would believe he could be trusted.

“I swear on my relationship with Maria that I won’t tell anyone what you say to me, Zan,” Michael said holding up his right hand and rolling his eyes.

Zan looked at him for a second like he was judging whether or not that was good enough. Finally he said, “Alright.”

He looked around to make sure no one was around to hear before saying, “Me and Max both gonna git with her.” He was watching Michael to see how he’d react.

Michael frowned in confusion and said, “Wha… I don’t get it… What?” He was shaking his head in confusion.

Zan sighed and tried again, enunciating every word this time. “Me and Max are Both going to git wit Liz.” He raised a pierced eyebrow waiting for it to sink in. He could tell exactly when Michael figured it out.

“OH, DAAYYUUM!” Michael said laughing in shock. He sat forward more intent on the conversation than before. “Oh, Man, Zan! I don’t know what to say. Is Liz cool with this?” he finally asked.

“See that’s the thing. She don’t know about it yet. We both got to git her to want to be with us first. Right now she only sees us as friends. Once we got her wanting both of us so bad she can’t choose then we’ll see what she thinks about us sharing her.”

“Wow,” Michael said shaking his head. “Zan I gotta tell you, this might backfire, man. What are you gonna do if she chooses him, or neither of you? Liz is smart you know, not the kind of girl I’d think would do something like be with 2 guys at the same time. How the hell are you going to get her to go out with both of you?” Michael seriously wanted to know.

“Ah young grasshoppa, still so much to learn,” Zan said in his impression of Mr. Miagi. “Mikey, you know me. I’m da friggen man,” Zan said teasing his bud.

“For real though, I just want her to know how much I want to be with her, and I'll do whatever it takes to get her. Even if that means sharing her with Max.”

He stood up and brushed the dirt off his back, and reached out to help Michael up. “Hey, I’m gonna go get some water,” he said heading toward the fountain by track field.

“Yeah, me too,” Michael said.


Part 3
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

“Hey Maria, will you stretch me out?” Liz asked her best friend. The cheerleaders were sitting on the field warming up for practice and she was stretching before running a couple of laps.

“Sure,” Maria said. Liz laid on her back and Maria knelt and lifted Liz’s left leg onto her shoulder. She leaned forward holding Liz's leg firmly trying to stretch the tight muscles in her hamstring.

“Push a little harder,” Liz said needing more pressure to feel the stretch. Her face contorted into a grimace as Maria leaned forward more. “Ok, that’s good,” Liz told her. Maria held her leg there for a minute then switched and did the same for the other.

“Hey, Mari,” Liz said.

“Yeah?” She answered noticing Liz's semi-serious expression.

“Something kind of strange happened earlier and I just want your opinion on it,” Liz said not quite sure how to say what was on her mind.

“Sure, go ahead, babe.” Maria said.

“Ok, well… during Biology class today we had to stick our fingers to get a drop of blood for an experiment, and of course it hurt, so Max offered to kiss it. Ya know, to make it feel better. Normally this wouldn’t be something that would overly concern me but… Maria the way he kissed it… he… well, let’s just say it made me forget all about the pain.” Liz rushed out, blushing at the memory.

“Ooo, sounds interesting,” Maria said releasing Liz’s leg and settling down beside her. Liz got to one knee and began stretching Maria’s legs. “Go on,” Maria urged.

“Well, you were there earlier when Zan turned all weird on me in the hallway,” Liz continued. “Maria when he touched me, it like… gave me chills,” Liz said and shivered just thinking about it.

“Yeah, I saw that,” Maria said with a knowing grin. “Switch, chica,” she said pulling her leg from Liz’s shoulder and lifting the other.

“Ok is it just me or were both of those incidents… ya know… were they flirting with me,” Liz asked not believing it could really be possible.

Maria seemed to think about it for a second then answered her. “Normally I would say yes, but you know how Max and Zan are. They flirt with every girl in a fifty-yard radius. It’s like they can’t control themselves or something. I wouldn’t worry about it too much.”

“Well there’s the problem, I can’t stop thinking about it,” Liz said rolling her eyes. She released Maria’s leg and helped her stand up.

“Oh? So you wanted them to be flirting with you,” Maria asked as they walked over to the track and started jogging.

“No, it’s not that... It shocked me, ya know.” Liz’s eyes drifted to the football field where Max was running drills with the team.

“I wasn’t expecting them to do that kind of thing to me. Ya know, me, little Liz, their best buddy.”

Max looked so good running patterns to avoid imaginary defenders. He was working hard to move down the field then turned at just the right moment to make a beautiful catch in the end zone.

She watched the muscles of his legs and arms move with fluid grace, and realized how toned and hard his body was. When had her friend gotten so yummy looking?

“We’ve all known each other ever since that first time they came in the Crash the summer before the ninth grade, remember?” Maria nodded, still listening.

“And in all that time they’ve never treated me like that. We’ve always been friends, just hangin out watching stupid movies, playing video games, acting silly. Now, all of sudden, I’m getting shivers and blushing when they’re near me…” Liz said as they jogged around the curve. “I like things how they are. I don’t want to start feeling weird around them.”

Just then Maria gave a low whistle which drew Liz's attention to where she was looking.

“Oh my god,” Liz groaned to herself.

Michael and Zan were standing over by the water fountain, and Michael was taking a long drink. He looked as if he’d been working out hard, and was all hot and sweaty. He looked kinda hot. But no matter how good Michael looked he was no comparison next to Zan.

Zan’s tanned skin had a sheen of sweat that glistened gold in the sunlight. He had tattoos on his arms and chest that stood out against his skin, making him look like a walking work of art. He was covered with muscles that had to have been chiseled onto his body to be so defined. Silver rings pierced and his right eyebrow and the corner of his bottom lip, and a shiny bar pierced one of his tawny nipples. Loose fitting black shorts hung low on his hips revealing a hint of the firm muscle that was hidden beneath.

As Liz watched, Zan leaned over the fountain letting the water quench his thirst. He drank long and deep, and some of the water spilled down his smooth chin. He filled his hand with the cool water to splash his face and then again to wet his spiky hair. He finally looked up, right in their direction and a familiar smile appeared on his lips.

“Mmm, my baby is so fine,” Maria said eyeing Michael from head to toe. She grabbed Liz’s elbow and turned them toward the guys.

“Maria! What are you doing?!” Liz stopped and snatched her arm free.

“What?!” Maria said frustrated by being jerked back. “I’m going over to see Michael. What’s the matter with you?”

“Nothing! We’re supposed to be practicing,” Liz said trying to quickly come up with any excuse not to go over there.

Maria looked at her like she was crazy for a second, then like she had just figured out something really shocking, her mouth popped open making a silent ohh. She glanced back at Michael and Zan then back at Liz, who was looking rather flushed.

“Liz is this one of those blushy, shivery moments you were just talking about?” Maria asked her in a loud whisper.

“Maria, let’s just go back to practice.” Liz said through gritted teeth, pointedly not looking at Zan.

“Aw, come on Liz. They’re waiting for us now. Just chill and think of him as the same old knucklehead you’ve always known and you’ll be fine.” She grabbed Liz’s arm again and pulled her over to the guys.

“Hey, big daddy. Got some sugar for your baby,” Maria said as she sauntered up to Michael.

“Mmm…,” Michael murmured, unabashedly admiring her goods in the red sports tank and tight black biker shorts she was wearing. “I think I’ve got something for ya.”

He leaned in to kiss her, but she scrunched up her nose and pushed him back with a hand on his chest.

“On second thought I think I can wait until after you’ve showered.”

“Aww, babe, your killin me,” Michael said reaching out to grab her and pull her close.

“Nah, ah, ah! I don’t think so. You stink and I refuse to walk around smelling like that,” Maria said nimbly stepping out of his reach.

“Hey, Zan,” Liz said while Maria flirted with her boyfriend. She was trying very hard not to blush and not to stare at his rippling chest, or bulging biceps, or think about a certain shiny nipple piercing, but instead decided to examine the ground, and think about all the tiny fragments that made up the dirt.

“Hey, half pint,” he said as he reached out and tugged on one of her braids.

“Half pint?” Liz finally looked up at him, albeit with an indignant frown.

“Yeah, you look like Laura Ingles,” He teased.

Liz smacked her lips, shocked that he'd compared her to the little tomboy.

“I do not!” She looked down at herself reevaluating her fashion choices.

She had braided her hair into two pigtails for practice to keep it out of her eyes. She was wearing a pink and black short sleeved v-neck shirt with matching pink and black tights and white Nike’ tennis shoes. Liz thought she looked good. She glared at him, angry because he’d hurt her pride.

“At least I’m not running around looking like the missing Osbourne,” she said and turned to walk away.

“Ouch!” Zan laughed and grabbed his chest in mock hurt. He reached out grabbing her around the waist and pulled her back before she could get away. “You so mean. I was just jokin.”

He leaned over her shoulder to see her face that still held a frown and asked, “Forgive me,” while poking out his bottom lip and giving her big puppy dog eyes.

“You’re such a dork,” Liz said rolling her eyes and grudgingly smiling. She grabbed his hands to remove them from her waist and move away, but he wasn’t having it.

“Un-uh. Not till I’m forgiven,” Zan said.

He pulled her back against him and wrapped his arms around her waist leaving no room for escape. Liz’s breath caught in her throat and all anger instantly dissolved the moment she felt that chiseled chest pressed against her and his strong arms wrapped around her. If she wasn’t warmed up before she definitely was now.

“Fine, you’re forgiven,” she said with a uncontrollable smile, blushing from her head to her toes.

He kissed her on the cheek and said “Good, I cain’t have my girl being mad at me.”

He finally let go and Liz used the opportunity to put some space between them and started walking back to practice. Looking over her shoulder, she said, “And go put some clothes on. You’re half naked.”

“Oh, so you’re thinkin bout me nekkid, huh,” Zan said wiggling his eyebrows.

Her mouth dropped open with shocked embarrassment. “You are such a dork,” she said shaking her head and walking away.

“Yep, definitely thinkin bout me nekkid.”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Across the field, practicing with the football team, Max had been watching Liz warming up with the cheerleaders and was having a hard time concentrating on what he was doing. He been running drills with the receivers and was supposed to be posting left when he caught sight of Maria stretching Liz’s legs.

Liz was making these excruciatingly sexy faces while Maria leaned over putting all her weight into the stretch. He had totally lost his focus and instead of catching the football, it hit him square in the chest and bounced to the ground.

Coach Johnson had been livid that Max had gotten distracted by the cheerleaders. As a punishment for not focusing on his practice the coach made him run 10 laps and told him he wouldn’t be starting tomorrow if he didn’t keep his mind in the game.

He’d made an extra effort to stay focused. That was until he turned the curve and saw Liz wrapped in Zan’s arms.

His stomach twisted into knots. Was he Jealous? That’s not the word he’d use to describe how he felt, but he did wish it was his arms wrapped around her, and that he was the one making her laugh and blush like that.

‘Ok, so she’s coming over tonight. I’ll just have to do something to get her to blush for me.’

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
TBC…

We should have Liz's problems....
Loved the Max/Liz pricks for blood samples....
And Zan gives her chills.
Can't wait to see where this goes.
Thanks, Carolyn

I don't know how Liz is going to put up with These twos, as the war between the hunks is growing!
But maybe, she will chose someone else...

Waiting impatiently for more! EVE

Hi I hope you guys are enjoying the story. I'm loving reading it again as I post.
Thanks Carolyn and Eve for the feedback. It's always nice to hear that someone is enjoying my story. You guys are awesome.

The songs I listened to while writing this chapter were:
Company by Justin Bieber and DNA by Little Mix

DNA makes me imagine the guys, and Company makes me think of how the guys feel when they are around Liz. Listen while you read and enjoy.



Chapter 4
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
“Hey, Evans. Heads up,” Kyle yelled just before he threw the football at Max’s head. Max barely had time to get his hands up when he saw the ball spiraling toward him.

“Watch what you’re doing, Valenti,” Max yelled and tossed it back.

“I could say the same thing to you, Evans,” Kyle said catching the football and giving Max a irritated frown.

Kyle had seen Max’s attention split between tightening up their offensive plays for tomorrow’s game against their biggest rivals and watching the cheerleaders shaking their asses and contorting their bodies into odd positions. Hey, he had noticed them too, and yeah, seeing girls dancing around and stretching their legs all over the place was hot, but damn, it wasn’t more important that beating East tomorrow.

He jogged over to Max to try to talk some sense into him. “Dude, there’s a time and a place for that shit!” Kyle nodded toward the cheerleaders practicing across the field. “Now is not the time, or place! We gotta beat East tomorrow! Wake up!” He said tapping the ball against Max’s forehead.

“I hear you. I hear you,” Max nodded, holding up his hands in placation.

He had been trying to keep his mind on practice. The coach had already grilled him once and made him run laps, and Max thought that he’d gotten off easy. He could have been running bleachers for the next two weeks, or forced to wear a cheerleader’s uniform to the game, or something even worse. The coach had been known to do such things.

But still, Max was having the hardest time trying not to notice Zan flirting with Liz, and Liz noticing Zan flirt with her. He felt like Zan had made so much progress with Liz in one day that he’d be lucky if Liz ever noticed him.

Max’s eyes drifted to the scene again unconsciously. The cheerleaders were doing some kind of stunt were Liz was being lifted above two girls’ heads and she was holding her left foot above her own head. His gaze drifted to Zan who was sitting on the bleachers grinning at Liz and clapping, looking sincerely impressed.

Max sighed and turned his attention back to his practice, just in time to see another ball coming straight for his head. He caught it in time and gave Kyle a withering glare, but didn’t say anything. He just tossed the ball back to his quarterback.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
The Girls’ Locker Room

“Did you see Max staring at me,” Pam Troy said to her friends Jessica Riley and Courtney Banks. They were showering after cheer practice. “He was staring so hard he couldn’t even catch the ball,” she said laughing smugly.

“I think you guys will be back together again soon, Pam,” Jessica said.

Maria was showering a couple stalls away and rolled her eyes in disgust when she overheard their pathetic conversation. What Max ever saw in that skanky blonde was beyond her. Aside from looks, the girl was nasty and obnoxious. Maria hoped he had the good sense stay away from her.

“Did you see Zan and Michael watching us practice? They were staring so hard,” Courtney gushed.

“I know,” Jessica said. “I’ve decided. I want him. Tomorrow night Zan is going to be mine,” she declared sounding way to cocky.

‘That’s it! I can’t take this anymore,’ Maria twisted the water off harder than necessary, grabbed her towel and stalked away from the idiots. They’re fools if they think Max or Zan wanted them for anything more than getting their rocks off, and if they were willing to let a guy use them like that…, then sorry for ‘em. 'And Michael was staring at me, you stupid twit!'

She wrapped the towel around herself and left the shower area, grumbling about stupid, fake females the whole way. When Maria got to her locker she banged open the door, snatched out the things she needed to get dressed, and plopped down on the bench next to a weary Liz.

“What’s the matter with you,” Liz asked.

“Nothing,” Maria snapped, glowering and clearly bothered.

“O-kay,” Liz said not really sure she wanted to know anyway if it had Maria this upset.

“I don’t get it. What’s the matter with girls that chase after guys they know are just going to use them and leave? I mean what do they get out of it?” Maria said shaking her head, looking bewildered.

“I don’t know, Maria,” Liz said with a weary frown. She wasn’t sure Maria really wanted an answer, but felt she had to say something. “Where’s all this coming from,” she asked trying to figure out what had her best friend so riled up.

Like she had gotten sick of the whole thing, Maria shook her head and went about getting dressed.

“Forget about it,” she said with a dismissive flick of the wrist. “I just heard the Bimbettes talking about the guys in the shower. They’re idiots, I don’t know why I even let anything they say bother me.”

“Oh,” Liz said nodding. She thought about it for a second. “So, what did they say,” she asked nonchalantly.

Maria rolled her eyes again just thinking about it. “Pam was going on about Max dropping a ball because he was looking at her during practice, Jessica was saying something about getting with Zan tomorrow night, and get this; Courtney thinks Michael and Zan were watching them during practice. What Ever! Like I said they’re idiots.”

“Oh,” Liz said again.

It didn’t bother her that Max was dropping his passes because he was staring so hard at Pam troy.

‘I guess he’s still going out with her… but he’s going around sucking on my fingers like they were his last meal? Jerk!’

And it didn’t bother her that Zan was hooking up with Jessica Riley at the party she was supposed to be riding to with him.

‘What am I supposed to do when I’m ready to leave and he’s taken off somewhere screwing Jessica? Walk home? I can’t believe this!'

Liz was brushing her hair with hard angry strokes, snatching the tangles out. Her jaw was clenched, her lips were pressed tight, and she was frowning at the locker in front of her so hard Maria was sure it was going to crack.

“Liz, why are you burning holes through your locker,” Maria asked after watching her for a second.

“What,” Liz asked pulled out of her thoughts by Maria’s voice.

“Mad at your locker all of a sudden,” Maria teased.

Liz rolled her eyes and smiled at her friend. “No. I just... I don’t understand why Max was flirting with me if he’s still with Pam Troy. And what am I supposed to do tomorrow night when Zan’s off with Jessica,” Liz said disgusted with both guys.

Maria frowned and shook her head. “Liz, Max isn’t with Pam any more. And I seriously doubt he’s missing passes over her. I think she just wishes she had his attention. And as for Zan and Jessi, I think that’s nonexistent too. They were just puffing smoke,” Maria said correcting her friend’s wayward thinking.

“Chica, I thought you said you didn’t want to feel ‘weird’ around them. What gives with the green-eyed glare,” she asked, arching that damned eyebrow. Liz tried to hide the relief she was feeling from Maria’s infallible assessment.

“I am not jealous, Maria. I just thought the guys were playing games, and I got mad. I mean think about it. If a guy is dating some girl, but flirting with you, wouldn’t that piss you off? And if you rode to a party with a guy, and he hooked up with some girl, and ditched you, that would piss you off too, right?” Liz said reasoning away the anger she felt a moment ago.

“Uh-huh. That’s all it was,” Maria said, the sarcasm just dripping from her lips. “It has nothing to do with the fact that you’re starting to like both guys and thought they were both interested in other girls.”

There was that infallible judgment again. Liz just cut her an evil look and put her things back in her locker.

“Oh, don’t give me that, Elizabeth Parker. You were the one freaking out over Pam Troy and Jessica Riley, of all people. For all the denial you’ve just been spewing, your reaction does not say I just want to be friends, Chica. I think you need to figure out what you really want. Just be careful if you decide you do like one of them. You know how they are with girls,” Maria said starting to brush her hair.

“Yeah, I know,” Liz told her.

And the thing was she really did know. She’d seen it happen over and over with both of them. One of the guys would get interested in a girl, and they’d get together for a couple weeks or so, then all of a sudden it was just over. Neither guy had had a relationship longer than a month.

Even still, as much as she hated to admit it, Liz was finding herself really attracted to both guys. She’d be crazy not to be. They were both great friends, and yes, she’d admit it, they were freaking hot! But the problem was they were both so damn doggish she couldn’t trust either of them enough to feel more for either of them than friendship. Even if she wanted to. Being friends was what she was comfortable with. It was safe.

“Hey, Mari, I got to get going. I have a biology project to finish tonight with Max. He's coming to pick me up. I’ll see you later, k,” Liz said shouldering her backpack.

“Later, babe,” Maria nodded. “Call me.”

Liz left the locker room and headed for the home. She walked through the halls and tried not to think about the conversation she’d just had with Maria. Instead she started thinking about her part in the play.

They were doing West Side Story, and she was Rita. She started humming America to herself and was really getting into it when she reached the door that led to the front of the school. She bumped it open with her hip and danced her way down the stairs, shimmying her shoulders. Clapping her hands in time with the music only she could hear, and she let out an “Ey! Ey! Ey!”

“Liz,” she heard an amused voice call out. “What are you doing?”

She looked up to see Max leaning against the side of his shiny black Jeep outside the school. She could see from the expression on his face he was thinking ‘What the hell?’. Her eyes went wide when she realized she’d been caught, but she tried to stamp down the embarrassment. She’d be singing and dancing for an audience much bigger than him soon, so why be embarrassed. She just shrugged and walked over to him.

“I was going over one of the songs from the play. I guess I was really into it, huh,” she laughed at herself. “What are you doing here? I thought you were going to pick me up from home.”

“I thought I’d give you a ride since we were both finished with practice. But I think I might change my mind if you’re going to sing like that,” he teased her.

“Hey!” Liz said slightly chagrined. She punched him in the arm for his trouble.

“Come on, let’s go,” Max said nodding toward the Jeep. “Do you need to go home first or do you just want to head over to my house,” he asked as they both hopped in.

“Um… I think I’ll just call my mom and let her know I’m going over to your house, so they know where I am,” she said pulling her cell phone out of her bag to dial home.

Max was driving and glancing at Liz every now and again while she called her mom. He kept seeing her dancing on the steps in his head, and couldn’t keep the smile off his face.

He loved it when she let her guard down around him. Some of the crazy things she came up when they all were just hanging out were the best memories he had.

Max knew the song she'd been singing and started humming it to himself. It was a kind of addictive little song. By the end of the verse, his head was bobbing in time with the music in his head.

“Mmm mmm mmm mmm, Ame-ri-ca. Daa daa, du daa daa, Ame-ri-ca. I want to live in America. Duh duh da duh duh, Ame-ri-ca!”

Liz looked over at him as she finished telling her mother about their homework assignment and had to stifle a laugh. Max looked so cute. He'd started tapping the steering wheel in time to the song. Liz knew how easy it was to get caught up in that song and took pity on him, so instead of teasing him about it she joined in.

She started humming along with him, smiling. Max turned to look at her, eyes wide and embarrassed, but smiled. He hadn’t realized she was off the phone. Liz started pounding out the beat to the song on the dashboard and turned to him expectantly. Max rolled his eyes and laughed when he realized what she was waiting for him to do. Laughing and trying not to feel stupid, he sang out, “In Ame-ri-ca.”

Liz beat out the next part and tilted her head in his direction. She had this huge smile and looked at him out of the corner of her eye waiting.

Max felt so stupid, but couldn’t resist. Laughing harder and blushing because he was going along with it, he sang out again, “In Ame-ri-ca.”

She finished out the song and when his part came up they both sang out “I want to live in Ame-ri-ca!”

“See, that was fun wasn’t it?” Liz said with knowing smile.

“What Ever,” Max grumbled, but couldn’t keep the smile off his face. He refused to admit he enjoyed singing anything from a stupid musical. Picking up an argument they'd had previously.

“Aww, you know you liked it. Just admit it, Max, musicals aren’t all 'girly',” Liz needled him.

“I refuse to comment on this further. Besides we’re here,” he said, avoiding the subject by quickly hopping out of the jeep to end the conversation. Liz just shook her head and hurried to get the front door open for him as he grabbed his book bag and the box of stuff for their experiment out of the back of the Jeep.

“Hey, mom,” Max said popping in the kitchen to greet his mother.

“Hi, Max,” Diane said as her son kissed her on the cheek.

“Hi, Mrs. Evans,” Liz said coming up behind him.

“Hi, sweetie,” Diane greeted her.

“Liz and I have a biology project due in the morning, so we’ll be working in my room for a while,” Max told his mom before heading off to his room.

“Ok. Dinner will be ready about seven. Liz, will you be having dinner with us,” Diane invited.

“Um… sure, Mrs. Evans. Thank you. I’ll just call my mom and let her know,” she said as she followed Max to his room.

Liz saw Lonnie sitting on the couch watching Ricky Lake as she was passing through the living room and stopped to say hi.

“Ooo, what’s going on,” Liz said leaning over the back of the couch next to Lonnie and getting interested in the loud argument that was happening on the screen.

“Psshh! Ol’ girl was shackin with dude right there, and steppin out on him with his brotha. Same ol’, same ol’,” Lonnie said rolling her eyes. Lonnie looked up at her and smiled. “Sup with you? I didn’t know you was comin over.”

“Me and Max have to finish our biology project tonight,” Liz shrugged. “I’m gonna go before I get pulled into the talk show abyss,” she said smiling and pushed off the couch. Turning down the hallway she heard music coming from Zan’s room as she passed. ‘I guess Zan’s home,’ she thought as she walked into Max’s room.

Liz looked around the room as she walked in. She had only been in here a couple of times before. She always felt weird entering someone’s personal space, it was like being surrounded by the person who owned it.

The room smelled slightly of spicy cologne. Liz smiled, it smelled just like Max. On one wall was a poster of The Dave Matthews in concert above his computer desk. A tall bookshelf filled with books sat next to it near the window. One of its shelves was filled with framed pictures.

His full bed sat against the center of another wall, it was covered by a thick down blanket that looked warm and cozy. A dresser sat on the far side of the room, a stereo and some of his personal items were strewn atop it and on the mirror.

The room was surprisingly clean and neat. Not how she expected a teenage boy's bedroom to be, but it fit Max. He was smart and got good grades. He took careful notes in class and made good, logical arguments when they discussed projects. His room fit him just right.

She went over to the desk, where he was setting up the equipment for their experiment.

“Hey, do you need any help,” she asked. He looked up from the slide he was looking at and smiled at her.

“No, I think I’ve got it, but I don’t think the slides we made earlier are going to be any good now, though,” he said holding it up for her to see.

Liz took the slide and held it up to the sunlight shining in the window. The drop of blood they’d put on it earlier was now dried and cracked. Even adding water to it wouldn’t do any good.

“Well, I guess were going to have to do them again,” she said thinking about what happened the last time they took a sample of each other’s blood.

Her heart rate picked up a bit as she wondered if Max would again kiss the pain away. Should she even let him try? She had decided to keep her feelings in check, and not let herself think of him that way, but it would be hard if Max was going to keep doing things like making love to her fingers and giving her heated looks.

“Yeah, I think we should,” Max said.

He felt the change in her when she realized they would have to prick their fingers again and wondered why she'd withdrawn from him again. Was she uncomfortable with what happened earlier? He'd wanted to try to push things between them a little more, but maybe he should back off so she would be comfortable with him.

“Ok,” Liz said picking up one of the pins. “Let’s get this over with.”

She looked up at Max and held out her hand expectantly. He gave his finger, but before she stuck him, she looked up with a mischievous glint in her eyes and asked, “You’re not going to go all wimpy on me again, are you?”

“Ha, ha, very funny. Just do it, smart ass,” he said smiling, and hoping things stayed this way.

Laughing at his reaction Liz quickly stuck his finger and squeezed out the drop of blood they needed. She secured the slide and turned back to Max, who again had his finger in his mouth. But instead of him making a big deal out of the pain he just picked up his pin and asked, “You ready?”

Internally Liz sighed in relief. She’d expected him to want her to kiss his finger again, but he just went on like he’d barely noticed it.

“Um… yeah,” Liz said holding out her finger.

Max quickly stuck her finger and squeezed out the drop of blood. When he turned to look at her, she had her finger in her mouth and was standing stiff like she was preparing herself for something. Max just gently smiled at her then sat in his desk chair to look at his blood sample through the microscope. Liz let out a breath, and grabbed their notes explaining how to do the experiment.

“So, what do we do now,” he asked.

Liz read the instructions to him and they continued working on the experiment like the lab partners they had been for the past year.

About an hour later they’d finished their assignment. While Max was putting the equipment and supplies away, Liz began wandering around looking at all the little things that made up his room. She felt like things were back to normal between them again. She was thankful that Max hadn’t flirted with her, or done anything that made her feel uncomfortable at all.

She walked over to his bookshelf and saw the hard-backed copy of Romeo and Juliet that Lonnie had mentioned earlier. Smiling to herself she pulled it off the shelf and began flipping through it. The book looked well used, and a few of the pages were dog-eared. She turned to one and began reading.

O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright!
It seems she hangs upon the cheek of night
Like a rich jewel in an Ethiope's ear;
Beauty too rich for use, for earth too dear!
So shows a snowy dove trooping with crows,
As yonder lady o'er her fellows shows.
The measure done, I'll watch her place of stand,
And, touching hers, make blessed my rude hand.
Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight!
For I ne'er saw true beauty till this night.

Liz sighed. It was the first time Romeo ever saw Juliet. Shakespeare had such a beautiful way of expressing things. She glanced over her shoulder at Max. He was just finishing putting away their equipment. For some reason it amazed her that Max, the touchdown hero of West Roswell High, would be touched by such a flowery and sentimental a thing as love at first sight.

Max looked up from what he was doing and saw her looking at him with that strange look on her face. “What,” he asked feeling self-conscious all of a sudden.

“Oh, nothing,” she said closing the book and replacing it on the shelf. She smiled brightly at him then turned her attention to the pictures on the shelf above.

“Aww, look at that. You guys were so cute,” she said pulling one of the frames down.

Max went to see what she was looking at over her shoulder. It was a picture of him, Lonnie, and Zan when they were kids. They’d just had a water fight in the back yard and were all dripping wet and cheesing for the camera.

“Oh, Man,” Max said taking the picture from her and sitting on his bed. He leaned back against the headboard and shook his head with a wry smile. “I haven’t looked at this in a long time.”

“The three of you looked so much alike back then,” she said sitting on the foot of the bed. All 3 of them had the same bowl styled haircut, the same eyes, and same features. You could really tell they were multiples from this photo. “Now you guys look so different no one would even think your triplets.”

“I know, huh,” he nodded, his eyes lost in the picture. “That was a long time ago. I think we were… what… 8 or 9. You know back then Lonnie and Zan didn't have sound like do now, either. This was the summer before they went to New York to live with our dad. After living with him for a while they started changing.” His eyes lost some of their sparkle as he thought about it.

“It must have been hard on you guys, being separated for so long,” she said, feeling that maybe this wasn't something he wanted to talk about.

Max shrugged setting the picture aside. “Stuff happens like that sometimes when families go through divorce, I guess” he said tiredly. “It was a weird time. After the divorce, my dad moved to New York to work for some big law firm, and he wanted us all to move out there to make things more convenient for him. But my mom didn’t want to give up her life here. Which totally makes sense, ya know,” he said frustrated.

“The three of us talked it over, and Zan said dad needed us. I thought Mom needed us more, cause of all the shit Dad put her through. Lonnie was split, not wanting to choose one over the other. I finally convinced her to go with Zan, cause I knew he’d need someone to look out for him. I knew my dad would be too busy to really take care of his kids. I stayed here to take care of my mom,” he shrugged again.

He looked so sad, Liz felt bad for even saying anything. She scooted closer to him and took his hand. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I never should have brought it up.”

“It’s ok,” he shook it off. “Like I said it was a long time ago. It was actually nice talking about it for a change. Thanks for listening,” he said leaning over and tucking her hair behind her ear. His thumb brush over her cheek as they shared a quiet moment.

Liz had said she wouldn’t let herself feel anything like this for him. The thought that he went through girlfriends like tissue, and that she would probably get hurt if they ever got involved, but at that moment she couldn't seem to remember why any of it was important.

Staring into his beautiful hazel eyes, Liz was caught up in the emotions she saw there. She could see his sadness over precious time lost with his brother and sister. Contentment because she cared about him. And desire… She felt captured by his gaze, pulled into the wave of emotion and didn’t want this amazing feeling to end.

Max began leaning toward her, and his hand slid into her hair. His warm breath fluttered over her skin moments before his soft lips brushed hers, drowning all thoughts but the feel of his kiss.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Zan was sitting in his room working on a song that had been lingering in his thoughts for a while. He thought the melody had finally started to come together, but he’d been working on it for a couple of hours and needed a break. He was gettin hungry.

He sat his guitar aside and was on his way to the kitchen when he heard Max talking to someone in his room. Being nosey, Zan peeked in the door to see who it was. When he saw Liz he his chest tightened and he couldn’t seem to breath. He leaned against the wall for a second and closed his eyes, trying to get a hold of himself.

‘Damn! What’s the matter wit you? You knew this was gonna happen sooner or later. Don’t start freakin’ now. It was your damn idea in the first place!’

Taking a deep breath trying to stop the knot in his chest from choking him, Zan looked in the room again, only this time he wished he hadn’t. Max was kissing her, and she was kissing him back. Again, Zan felt like he couldn’t breathe. Hitting his head against the wall he thought, ‘What the fuck was I thinkin?’

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
TBC…

Loving the Bimbettes talking in the shower. Girls will always be girls like that.
The music from West Side Story.......one of very favorites from the past!
So Max was separated from his brother and sister for a time......
And Zan had to peek in Max's room, and didn't like what he saw!
Thanks, Carolyn

Hello again I hope you are enjoying reading. I'm glad to see people area actually reading my story. It makes me feel like it's worth the effort.

Thank you again Carolyn for your feedback. It makes my day.

I don't know if you all realize, but I'm a total Awakend Dreamer. I love Max, but there is just something about Zan that rocks my boat. lol This is my favorite scene in the story so far. I love Liz and Zan in this part so much. They were so easy to write. Please let me know what you think of their interactions.

Playlist for chapter 5:
What Makes You Beautiful by One Direction
Treasure by Bruno Mars
Company by Justin Beiber

From Chapter 4:
He sat his guitar aside and was on his way to the kitchen when he heard Max talking to someone in his room. Being nosey, Zan peeked in the door to see who it was. When he saw Liz he his chest tightened and he couldn’t seem to breath. He leaned against the wall for a second and closed his eyes, trying to get a hold of himself.

‘Damn! What’s the matter wit you? You knew this was gonna happen sooner or later. Don’t start freakin’ now. It was your damn idea in the first place.’

Taking a deep breath trying to stop the knot in his chest from choking him, Zan looked in the room again, only this time he wished he hadn’t. Max was kissing her, and she was kissing him back. Again, Zan felt like he couldn’t breathe. Hitting his head against the wall he thought, ‘What the fuck was I thinkin.’

Chapter 5
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Max had always imagined their first kiss a bit differently. He’d seen himself totally in control. He’d walk up to Liz and take her in his arms, and she would sigh and melt against him as he kissed her senseless, like in the movies. But he had never been happier to be wrong. This kiss felt perfect.

He could tell she was unsure about kissing him, but she tentatively responded kissing him back. A smile spread across his face and he lightly caressed her lips, brushing his against hers. They were soft and warm.

He felt an amazing sense of joy because, Liz Parker, the girl he'd dreamed of kissing a thousand times was kissing him. Her breath tickled his cheek, and her cool silky hair sent tingles over his skin.

His mind was telling him not to push his luck, but he wanted more. Caution pushed aside, he slipped a hand into her hair and leaned in closer to deepen their kiss.

When Max leaned toward her intending to kiss her Liz had been too shocked to react. Then his soft lips were caressing hers, and coherent thought became impossible.

She'd never reacted so strongly to a kiss before. Every inch of her body hummed with awareness, focused solely on Max.

She found herself pressing her lips against his, gently returning his kiss. Her lips tingled with each touch of his. The sweet smell of his freshly washed hair made her want to run her hands through it.

With a sigh his hand slid into her hair and he drew closer. Their sweet kiss became more intense and like a shock of cold water, she realized she was sitting on Max’s bed, in Max’s room, kissing Max. His kisses were causing flutters in her stomach... and it scared her.

How many other girls has he had in here? How many had he done this with? She was having a hard time thinking clearly. It was all too much. Not an hour earlier she had been telling herself she would just be friends with him and Zan...

She lifted her hand to his chest, stopping him from coming closer and she pulled away. Looking into his questioning eyes with an equally unsure expression of her own she tried to figure out how they got here.

“Max…,” she began, but didn't know what to say.

“Liz, please... don't say you regret kissing me.”

Max felt her tense when he’d tried to deepen their kiss, and his stomach tightened when she pushed him away.

He knew she was nervous, but he didn’t understand why. They had been friends for a long time, and they spent a lot of time together. Why was she afraid to be close to him?

“I'm sorry. I just wanted to be closer to you,” he said. A smile crept onto his lips as he explained. “Whenever I’m near you all I want to do was kiss you or touch you in some way. You're so beautiful... I couldn’t stop myself from kissing those soft lips,” he said, his gaze falling to her lips as he brushed his thumb over them, wanting to kiss her again. “I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

Liz moved away from him and stood up, trying to put some distance between them so she could think clearly and find the words to express her confused thoughts.

“No, it… I mean... yeah, I am a little uncomfortable, Max.” Liz was searching his face trying to tell if he was being honest or if he'd just fed her a line. “Yesterday everything was cool, like it’s always been. Then today…, it’s like you turned into 'That Guy'.”

She was starting to feel a little frustrated. Was this what he did with all those other girls? If it was, then she could certainly understand why so many girls had fallen victim to his charms. But she had no intention of becoming another notch on his belt. Max had never treated her like one of his fan club. Why all of a sudden was he coming on to her so strong?

“What do you mean ‘That Guy’,” Max asked frowning.

“You know what I’m talking about, Max. When you’re after a girl you go from being the nice normal guy that I’m used to hanging out with, and turn into this over heated Romeo, kind of like now.

"‘You were so beautiful I couldn’t stop myself?’ Max if that’s not a line, I’ve never heard one,” she said running her hand through her hair in frustration. “Just cut it out, ok? It's not cool. Friends don’t play with each other like that,” she finished looking hurt.

Max wasn’t quite sure what to say. He felt a little insulted, and Liz thought he was playing games with her. Did she actually think he do that?

He realized she really didn’t know just how beautiful she was, both inside and out. She had no idea how much she affected him, and looking into her warm chocolate eyes filled with concerned for him that he'd wanted nothing more than to kiss her. How could he make her understand that he was sincere?

“Liz...” he started, but was cut off when she turned away and started putting her things in her book bag.

“I’m just gonna go see if your mom needs help with dinner,” she said not looking at him. She stopped at the door and looked back at him, hurt and confusion written all over her face. She opened her mouth to say something, but in the end just shook her head and disappeared down the hall.

‘How could I have been so stupid’, he berated himself. He knew he should have just backed off. How could he have expected her to just go from being his friend to making out with him all in one day? If it had been the other way around, he would have thought the same thing.

With a heavy sigh he fell back on his bed and covered his face with his arm. ‘Damn it!’

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Liz left Max’s room feeling very confused and hurt, but she would be lying if she said she hadn’t enjoyed the kiss. She bit her lips remembering how good it felt. But she’d be damned if she let him treat her like one of his skanks that hung around waiting for a little of his attention. Just the thought got her angry. But she knew she was lying to herself, cause if this is what it felt like to have a little of his attention, G*d, how did she ever live this long without it.

When she reached the living room, she saw Zan sitting on the floor, leaning against the couch, and playing Mortal Kombat. He had a bag of Doritos sitting next to him, so she dropped her bag next to the couch and stole a couple of his chips.

“Hey,” she said watching his character whoop on the boss.

“Hey,” he said not looking up. His attention totally focused on his game.

Liz watched him play a minute longer, then when she wandered into the kitchen Zan’s eyes followed her. He sighed then went back to playing his game.

Mrs. Evans was leaning against the kitchen sink, holding a glass of iced tea and was talking to Lonnie. She was sitting at the dinner table with a magazine open in front of her.

“Hey, Mrs. Evans, do you need any help with dinner?” Liz asked from the doorway.

Diane turned to her and smiled. “Hey, Liz. You guys are done?”

“Yeah,” she answered walking over to the sink. Diane went to the stove and looked in on her dinner.

“No, I think I’ve got everything under control. It should should be done in another 20 minutes or so. Come sit and chat with us. Lonnie was just telling me about Alex’s band,” she said tilting her head toward the table in invitation.

Liz smiled and sat down with Lonnie. “What’s up with The Whits?”

“The drummer broke his arm the other day and had to quit, so Alex is trying to convince me to try it out. He said girl drummers are hot,” Lonnie laughed. “I’m actually thinkin about it. It might be cool,” she shrugged.

“I can imagine Lonnie sitting behind a set of drums. What do you think, Mrs. Evans?” Liz asked the older woman.

“I think it would be cool. Girl drummers are…, what do you kids say, ‘da bomb’,” She said with a huge grin, laughing with the two girls.

“Aww, Ma,” Lonnie laughed shaking her head and covering her face in embarrassment.

“She’s right, Lonnie,” Liz laughed harder. “But, for real, you would look good as the drummer. Do you know how to play?”

“Alex said he could teach me,” Lonnie said, looking bashful all of a sudden.

“I didn’t know he knew how to play the drums,” Liz said slightly surprised.

“Yeah, me either. He’s fulla surprises,” Lonnie said biting her lip.

Liz’s eyes narrowed at the dreamy smile Lonnie was trying to cover. ‘Something’s up,’ she thought. She mouthed ‘We need to talk’ to Lonnie, then turned and smiled at Mrs. Evans.

“I’m gonna go see how Zan is doing on Mortal Kombat,” she smiled and headed for the living room.

“Don’t beat him to bad, hun,” Diane smiled at her as she left.

When Liz returned to the living room Zan was still sitting there playing his game. Liz couldn’t help but notice how cute he looked sitting there biting his tongue and so intent on kicking the bad guy’s ass. She sat down next to him, smiling and asked, “Hey, can I play.”

Zan paused his game and looked at her with a cocky half smile. “You gonna challenge Da Man?” He asked her like she was crazy.

Liz just rolled her eyes. “Zan, you know you can’t beat me.”

“Ohhh, It’s on now,” he said getting hyped about playing against his nemesis.

He reset the game as Liz set up her controller. Zan chose his favorite character who, like always, was a bad guy named Shang Tsung.

“Why do you always have to be evil?” Liz asked as she chose Lord Raiden, a total good guy.

Zan looked at her and mock frowned. “Cause Shang Tsung kicks ass,” he said like it was obvious. “Why you always gotta be good?” he retorted.

“Cause good always kicks evils ass,” she said like it was just as obvious. “So, you ready for your ass whoopin’?” she asked sweetly.

Zan just cut his eyes at her and hit start. The game started with the two characters on opposite sides of the screen, then a disembodied voice said, ‘Ready. Fight!’ and they began moving toward each other menacingly.

Zan threw the first blow sending a combination of round house kicks and quick jabs at Raiden’s head. Liz blocked, absorbing the attacks, then when she saw an opening threw a lightning bolt at Shang Tsung knocking him across the screen. She followed it with a flying kick to his chest. But Zan saw it coming and countered the move, knocking Raiden to the ground with a flying scissor kick.

“Ahh man,” Liz said sitting forward and biting her lip.

“Ha!,” Zan said, getting into the action too.

He sent a power blast at Raiden before he could recover, and it hit him full on.

“Damn it,” Liz shouted. “That’s it!”

All traces of a smile were gone as she turned serious and concentrated on winning the game.

Because the blast sent Raiden flying across the screen she had time to recover before Shang Tsung could hit her with another combination of punches. When Shang Tsung got near, Liz's character disappeared from the screen for a moment then reappeared behind Shang Tsung and sent his wide brimmed hat filled with electricity flying across the screen, hitting Shang Tsung full on.

“Yes!” Liz growled rising to her knees on the couch as the match got more intense. Her teeth were bared in an evil smile of satisfaction at Shang Tsung’s pain.

“Shit,” Zan said trying to get his character to block. He tucked his legs under himself trying to get in a better playing position.

Zan's character recovered from the elemental assault and called on his own mystical abilities. He transformed and was no longer Shang Tsung, but turned into Reptile.

Shouting 'Get Over Here,' he sent a chain like snake at Raiden who seemed to be safely across the screen. The snake’s head dug painfully into Raiden’s chest and drug him to the other side of the screen. A second later Zan's character returned to his normal form and sent a combination of kicks and punches at Raiden.

“I gotcha now,” Zan said excited, because it looked like he was actually going to beat Liz.

She blocked most of the attacks, but severely lost health after such a powerful attack. Her health bar was in the red, but so was Zan’s. A couple of good hits would be all Zan needed to take her out.

Liz continued blocking the assault, and when she saw an opportunity her character jumped up, flipping over Shang Tsung. And while still in the air, her character grabbed Zan's by the head, and slammed his body to the ground with the full force of his landing.

Zan's character still stood up after the surprise attack, but was unable to do anything but barely hold himself up. Liz made Lord Raiden run up to him and put all his power into an upper cut punch that sent Shang Tsung flying across the screen, where he landed in a bloody heap.

The disembodied voice came back on saying, ‘Fatality’. And the words Game Over hovered over the screen.

Liz jumped to her feet and started doing her victory dance. “Ha, Ha, I beat you! I’m da’ man! I’m da’ man! I’m da’ man! I’m da’ man,” she sang over and over as she danced in a circle in front of the tv.

Zan dropped his head back on the couch in dread of ‘The Liz Dance’. He knew what was coming.

“Say it, Zan,” Liz demanded as she continued to dance over his horrible defeat.

“Liz, you ain't a man,” he said trying to resist the humiliation.

“I don’t care. Say it, Zan. Say, you’re my bitch and I’m Da’ Man,” She said still dancing.

Zan lifted his head and looked at her. She was now standing over him dancing in place, biting her lip as she smiled. She looked way to smug.

“Dat’s it! You’re goin down!” Zan said tackling her and tickling her mercilessly. “Say, I’m Da’ Man,” he demanded digging into her sides.

Liz screamed and wriggled trying to get away.

“Nooo!”

“Say it!” he said sitting on her so she couldn’t get away.

“I’m Da’ Man,” she said trying to trick him.

“Ahht! That’s not what I said,” he rejected and again dug into her ribs.

Liz tried to curl into a ball but could only tuck her elbows in with him sitting on her. When she tried to protect her ribs, Zan grabbed her arms and pinned them above her head. He looked down into her face.

“Say it,” he said with a victorious grin.

“No, I won. You say it,” she said pouting.

“I don’t care. I’m not lettin you up til you say I’m Da’ Man, Liz.” He looked like he was content to sit there all night.

Liz raised an eyebrow in defiance and pursed her lips refusing to say anything.

Zan stared down at her and realized the position they were in. ‘Oh, god,’ he thought. Her chest was heaving up and down grazing his stomach with every breath as her body recovered from his assault. Her hair was strewn all around her from the tossing and wiggling she’d done while trying to escape him. A little wisp had fallen into her mouth, and he had to stifle a groan when her little, pink tongue peeked out trying to push it away, and then continued on to moisten her dried lips. She was beautiful.

He licked his own lips wishing he could just lean in and taste hers. Taking deep breaths, Zan tried to remain in control.

“Say it, Liz,” he said again, but this time instead of sounding cocky and arrogant, his voice came out as a husky whisper.

Liz wasn’t going to give in. She won, why should she have to give him props for losing. He wasn’t being fair. She stared back at him defiantly. She felt it when he went from being the irritating cocky bastard he'd been a moment before, to being the sexy man staring at her like he could devour her any moment. She swallowed and bit her lip.

“No,” she answered him back in the same husky voice.

Zan released her hands and leaned down on his elbows, his arms framing her face. He laid beside her on the floor and reached out, pulling the offending wisp of hair away from her lips.

“Say it, Liz,” he said again, only inches from her lips.

Liz felt his breath on her face when he spoke, and had to fight the urge to brush her lips against his. Then she remembered that just a few minutes ago she'd felt something very similar to this with Max. Ashamed of herself, she turned her face away.

“No, Zan. I won,” she said, and with both hands on his chest she pushed him away.

Zan sighed and let her her up. “Liz-,” he started but she cut him off by holding up her hand. She stood and raked a hand through her hair.

“I’m going home. Tell your mom I’m sorry, but I had to go.”

When she turned to grab her bag, she froze and her face flushed with shame. Max was leaning against the wall in the archway that led to his room. From the hurt look on his face she could tell he had seen everything that had just happened.

She turned back to Zan, but he wouldn’t look at her. Her hand flew to her mouth as she realized they both had been playing her. Her eyes narrowed in anger, and without another word, she walked out the door.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
TBC...

Thanks for all the parts! You are really quick... I can't follow you all the times but inb the w-e, then I will have more times to read!

Anyway, both guys are playing a dangerous game! Especially that Liz will have to Chose... or not!

Thanks EVE