Roswell Fanatics

One of Us
Author: bluejanuar


(banner by the lovely Candysteffi)

Disclaimer: The characters and plot lines that appear in the series and books of Roswell are not mine. They belong to Melinda Metz, UPN, etc.

Pairing: mainly M&M, with the other CC pairings as "supporting acts"

Rating: Adult (just to be safe )

Summary: After a traumatic experience seventeen year old Maria Deluca moves to Roswell with her mother to start a new life. She quickly finds her way into a tight-knit circle of friends and there's instant attraction between her and biker boy Michael. But he hides something and she is haunted by her own demons. As his secrets are revealed, Maria has to fight hard to keep their group from falling apart.

Author's Note: This is my very first fanfic and I'm so excited about it! I'm actually posting this on another board, but decided that I'd post this here as well, just because I can, . I hope that you guys enjoy my story.

As you can probably imagine, feedback is greatly appreciated. Updates as often as I can manage.

Thanks to my wonderful beta ArchAngel1973. You're the best!




Chapter One – The first day


“MARIA!”



The loud voice of her mother reached her ears while she was lying on the bed in her new room, staring at the ceiling. Old bed, new room, new house, new town. Damn. ”WHAT?” We should just get an intercom.



Not that the house was that big. Actually it was rather small, only just large enough for two people to live in. And that’s all there was, her mom Amy and herself, seventeen-year-old Maria Deluca from Albuquerque. Well, from Roswell now. Alien capital of the world. Brilliant.



“DINNER’S READY!”



Maria sighed and got up to make her way into the kitchen. They had just moved here the last weekend, in the middle of the school year. Maria’s mother was convinced that living in a small town was just what her daughter needed after the stress of the previous months. And she had picked Roswell. Of all the towns to choose from mom had to decide on a tourist trap in the middle of nowhere.



The last few weeks had passed in somewhat of a blur. After Maria had been released from the hospital her mother had calmly informed her of her decision to leave the big city and start a new life somewhere else. She had already started her frenzied preparations, selling their old house and the hippy new age shop that had supplied their income since Maria was a little girl. They rented the new house and got Maria registered at West Roswell High and, of course, said goodbye to all of their friends…



And here they were now, in Roswell, New Mexico, to start a new life and, hopefully, to mend.



*****



Maria woke up early and rolled over to stare accusingly at the still suspiciously dark sky that was visible through a crack in the curtains. Great, it can’t be any later than six o’clock. A look at her watch confirmed that assumption. 5:45. Just Perfect. It had taken her a long time to fall asleep last night and she hadn’t slept well because she was a little apprehensive about her first day in the new school. Maria hated being the new girl. She had liked her old school and had been pretty popular with the other students. She had had friends and been happy. At least until that fateful day last October… And now she had to face a whole school full of strangers who knew nothing about her. But 3000 students weren’t that many, she tried to reassure herself, her old high school had had at least twice as many. This day was surely going to be a cakewalk. Yeah, keep telling yourself that, Deluca. She got up resignedly and started to get ready for school.



After showering and deciding on what to wear, which had taken her longer than expected, Maria was actually just in time to grab some breakfast before she had to leave.



On her way to the kitchen she passed the large mirror in the hall. She paused in front of it and contemplated her appearance with critical regard. She still was a little on the thin side, and her skin hadn’t yet gotten back to its usual rosy tone. But her long blonde hair had lost the dull gleam and was falling in shiny loose strands over her shoulders. It was the end of February, so she had chosen a light blue tight fitting sweater and simple jeans with white sneakers. The outfit wasn’t too fancy, but accentuated her slender figure while the color made her pale skin look a little healthier. She wore only a light make up, which set off her most prominent features, the very full lips and clear green eyes in a slim face which was now looking back at her with stony determination. I can do this.



She turned away and went into the kitchen to make coffee. While she was sipping her first cup of java her mother walked in, fully dressed and in a ridiculously good mood. “Good morning, honey. Ready for the big day?”



“I wish you would stop saying it like that. It’s just a new school, not my first day as president of the United States!” Maria gloomily looked at the lively woman with the happy smile. They had the same slender build and sparkling green eyes and were both of average height. The brown, shoulder length hair that was framing her mother’s beautiful face was bouncing enthusiastically as she was flinging herself down on one of the barstools by the kitchen counter.



“Oh, you don’t have to be afraid, Maria, I’m sure they will love you and you’ll make new friends in no time at all,” Amy said, now taking a sip of her own cup of coffee.



“I’m not afraid.” She wasn’t.



“I know you’re not. Wanna grab breakfast in that cute little bakery around the corner? After that I can drop you off at school.”



“Sure.” There was nothing like arriving in an ancient red VW Jetta to make a good first impression. I need my own set of wheels.



*****



Maria waved goodbye after her mother’s Jetta that slowly made its way off the school parking lot, cringing internally when she witnessed her mom harassing the other drivers while honking the horn like a maniac. Amy was anxious to get going, because she had a job interview with a local shop owner today. Maria felt a sinking feeling in her stomach when she watched her mother barely avoid a collision with a truck twice the size of the Jetta. God help the poor citizens of Roswell who had the ill luck of getting in the way of Amy Deluca.



Maria rolled her eyes in annoyance. Well, that was certainly not the way to avoid drawing unnecessary attention. Other students arriving at the same time were throwing curious glances her way. She turned to look at the large yellow brick building. It looked nothing out of the ordinary. Definitely no flying saucers in sight. Well, maybe they keep them in the basement, she thought with a wry smile. She entered the school along with the stream of students and made her way to the office.



After knocking at the door she entered the cozy little room where a pleasant looking elderly woman was sitting behind a counter. The secretary looked up and smiled at her expectantly.



“Hi, I’m Maria Deluca.”



“Good morning,” the secretary smiled. “You’re the transfer student from Albuquerque?” After seeing her nod she handed Maria two sheets of paper. “This right here is your schedule and this is a map of the school. Your locker is number 815. The combination is 2342. ” She paused, and after seeing the girl’s confused face, continued, “I’ll write it down for you. I’m sure the first day at a new school can be a bit scary, but you’ll find your way around here very soon, I promise. If you are lost, just ask someone.” And with a twinkle in the eye she added, “If you find yourself being abducted, just offer the aliens a candy bar. They like chocolate.” With that, the secretary handed Maria a Snickers and dismissed her.



When out in the hall, Maria dumped the map into the next trash can. No way am I going to run around with a map in front of my face all day. I’ll find my way without it. After all, this school was a good deal smaller than the one in Albuquerque. She took out the second slip of paper and studied her schedule.



Her first class was English with Mrs. Dracula. You’ve got to be kidding me. First Aliens, now Vampires, too? What sick twist of fate had made a woman by that name into an English teacher? Slowly she began to suspect that the people in this town weren’t quite right in the heads. Maybe Mom didn’t pick the wrong place for us after all. She chuckled and entered the classroom.



The teacher was a small woman with a huge set of glasses and a pitifully absent sense of fashion who couldn’t look anything less like a bloodsucking monster if she tried, Maria noted. After welcoming her and indicating a vacant seat in the last row she threw her new student a suspiciously sympathetic look, which made Maria wonder how much the school staff knew about the situation at her old school. Maybe they had the records transferred here from Albuquerque.



Maria took the seat in the back and looked around the slowly filling classroom, taking in the number of strange faces around her. Suddenly a voice piped up beside her.



“Hi, you’re the new girl, right? I’m Tess,” a girl in the seat on her right said. She had blonde curls that fell to her shoulders and regarded her with piercing blue eyes. She seemed nice. “That’s my boyfriend Kyle.” She pointed at a handsome boy with short brown hair and a friendly smile who was waving from the seat beside her.



“Hi, my name is Maria. I’m from Albuquerque.” She smiled.



“Oh, the big city! I would love to live there! This town is so boring at times. I mean, sure, there are the aliens.” Her voice lowered to a conspiratorial whisper.



How often am I gonna hear about that today? It’s not even noon yet.



“You know, of course nobody really believes they exist,” Tess continued. “But I know they do.” Her voice dropped so low it was hardly audible anymore, but still loud enough for her boyfriend to hear who pretended very hard not to listen in on their conversation. “Kyle’s one of them!” She winked at the other girl to play along.



Kyle leaned in a little more to catch her response and tried to be inconspicuous about it. He failed miserably.



“He is? How can you be sure?” Maria tried to keep an earnest expression on her face. She was beginning to really like Tess, even if she was a bit insane.



“Oh, once I saw him eat, there really was no doubt,” the small blonde girl answered with a grin.



At Kyle’s indignant “Hey!” they broke out in a fit of giggles.



*****



The English lesson was as boring as expected. Maria had already had to read Macbeth in her old high school so she only pretended to listen and instead watched the other students around her. They didn’t seem to be so different from her classmates in Albuquerque. Maybe the clothing style of some was a bit too country for her taste, but she had never been one of those shallow girls who judged others by their appearance.



Sometime during class Maria noticed a couple of boys in the front, who were repeatedly turning around to look at her, whispering to each other, snickering, then looking again. She leaned in to Tess and quietly asked, “Who are they?”



“Just some brainless football jocks.” She rolled her eyes. “They are in Kyle’s team. Just ignore them.”



And Maria tried. Their behavior was starting to really get on her nerves when the bell rang, indicating the end of the class. Thank god. One minute more of this and I’d have been forced to walk over there and provide something else to occupy them. Maybe kicking their balls up in their throat would do the job.



When Tess, Kyle and Maria passed them on their way out of class, the tallest one of the boys, obviously the leader, spoke up. “Hey Valenti, one little blonde not enough for you anymore? How about we share?” He laughed and suggestively raised his eyebrows at the girls.



Kyle was about to make an angry retort, but Tess only snorted, “Dream on, Steve!” and pulled her boyfriend out of class behind her.



Once out of the room, she shoved him in the direction of his next class. He was still irritably muttering under his breath and she briefly gazed after him with a soft expression on her face. Then she turned back to Maria and asked, “Want me to walk you to your next class?”



Maria quickly agreed and the two girls headed down the hall.



*****





The rest of the morning passed pretty uneventfully. The teachers seemed nice enough and thankfully none of them made her stand in front of the class and introduce herself. Maria was beginning to relax a little and actually began to look forward to meeting Tess and her friends for lunch when she entered her last class of the morning, which was History.



She once again let her gaze wander around the room in a quick assessment of the class. Her gaze was drawn to three students who were sitting by the window. Two of them looked like they could be siblings, a boy and a girl, both with shiny auburn hair and large soulful hazel eyes. The boy also had an exceptionally noticeable pair of ears and the way they looked at each other made it clear that they were in no way related. God, hopefully not. Everything else would just be … wrong.



But what had kept her attention was the boy sitting behind them. He was leaning forward a little to talk to his friends and as she was looking on all three of them started to laugh softly. He seemed to sense he was being watched, because at this moment he looked up and met her gaze with the most unusual light brown eyes Maria had ever seen. He’s beautiful! He had the classic features of a fashion model with a wide mouth and strong chin and a nose that was very straight and just a tad bit too long, which made his face even more interesting. All of this was framed by an unruly mane of sandy brown wavy hair that was long enough to brush the collar of his shirt. The tight fitting black T-shirt he wore emphasized his broad shoulders and though he was sitting Maria suspected that he must be tall. Like a Greek god.



The Greek god in question had meanwhile begun to frown in her direction. Oh my god, I’m staring at him! He must think I’m an idiot! Get a grip, Deluca! She abruptly turned away and made her way to the teacher’s desk.



Mr. Locke warmly welcomed her, then laid a finger against his lips and contemplated, “Hmm, where should I place you?” His gaze swept over the now filled class in search of any empty seats. There was one next to the Greek god.



[/i]Please not there! I will totally flunk this class if I have to sit next to him all year![/i]



“I think you best sit here in the front row for now, so I can keep an eye on you in case you can’t keep up with the workload.”



Maria released the breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. Relieved she sat down in front of the brown haired couple and tried to catch a last glimpse of him. Instead she accidentally caught the eye of the girl behind her who gave her a kind smile. Of course I will also totally flunk this class if I have to concentrate on not turning around all year. She thought she could already feel his gaze boring into her from behind. Angrily she called herself to order and tried to listen to the teacher, who had now started his lecture on World War II.



After class she hurriedly left the room to avoid any more encounters of the third kind. I must indeed be loosing my mind if I start using alien phrases in my head. She stopped short just outside the room and looked down the hallway in both directions when she realized she had no idea where her locker was. Why can’t there be maps or directions on the walls for this? How am I supposed to find it and be in time to meet Tess for lunch? Maria was slowly getting annoyed. She generously ignored the fact that she had had a map and the secretary had kindly marked the location of her locker on it.



“Lost?”



Maria spun around and found herself eye to chest with the object of her earlier admiration. He was tall. She looked up to see him grinning cockily down on her, a challenging gleam in his eyes.



“No, thank you,” she answered flippantly. “I know exactly where I’m going.” With that she purposefully turned left and started down the hallway.



“That way is the gym.” He chuckled softly.



“I knew that!” Maria spun around, her cheeks blazing. But he was already sauntering down the hallway in the opposite direction, his back to her.



Oh boy…



*****



When Maria finally exited the building after a long and futile search for her locker, she felt momentarily overwhelmed by the sheer number of people around her, all hurrying to find a good place to sit for lunch. Somehow the thought of 3000 strangers hadn’t seemed quite so frightening this morning. How on earth am I supposed to find Tess here? She looked around and tried to get a glimpse of the tiny blonde girl, but all she could see were strangers, some ignoring her, some smiling at her and others openly gawking. What am I, the eighth world wonder? They stare at me like I’m the alien. An alien in Roswell, what a joke. When someone bumped into her shoulder she realized she was standing in the doorway, blocking the way of the other students who were streaming by her left and right on their way out into the sun.



Maria was just about to move out of the way when she suddenly felt a hand on her ass, giving it a hearty squeeze before disappearing again. She almost jumped out of her skin, frantically looking around and trying to identify the offender. While she was still scanning the crowd in what could only be described as outrage, a chipper voice spoke up behind her.



“Hey Maria, were you looking for me? How was class?” Tess. Finally.



“Great,” Maria mumbled distractedly, still searching the other students for signs that would give the culprit away. It annoyed her to no end that someone had the nerve to just paw her in public and without her consent no less. If he had at least talked to her first, then maybe … If he wasn’t too repulsive … No! Maria Deluca, are you out of your mind? You don’t just hand your ass out to some stranger! Well, maybe if said stranger had longish, light brown curls and the most gorgeous whisky eyes, soft, sensual lips and… No! Not even then.



“Great,” Tess said, giving her a curious sideways glance. “Well, let’s go then. My friends and I usually sit on the other side of the schoolyard.” And, after getting no response from her, she asked, “Is everything alright? You look … flushed.”



“No, I’m fine.” Maria glanced at her new friend of sorts, taking in her genuine smile and bouncy walk. There really only was one person she could tell about it at this time, she thought while she started to follow Tess in the direction of the picnic tables, listening to her gossiping about people Maria didn’t know. In a school full of obviously mentally challenged people it’s probably best to stick with the wacko you know rather than the wacko you don’t. At least Tess doesn’t look like she is going to turn around and maul me or worse. “Um, Tess?”



Tess immediately stopped the excessive summary of her morning classes and turned to look at Maria with clear blue eyes. “Yes?”



Maria was getting slightly uncomfortable under the scrutiny. What if it was normal for the people in this crazy alien town to just assgrab and be assgrabbed by anyone and everyone? Only one way to find out. “Someone just squeezed my ass.”



“What?!” Tess seemed utterly astonished.



Okay, so it wasn’t the standard getting-to-know-the-new-girl procedure. Maria felt somehow relieved, even though she hadn’t really believed it was.



“When? Who?” Maria could see the corners of Tess’ mouth twitch under the effort to control the laughter. The mere thought was obviously hilarious.



“Just before you arrived. And I don’t know who. He didn’t introduce himself and I didn’t see him.” Maria was getting really irritated by the other girl who had now broken out in full out hysterics, unable to hold it in any longer. The students they were passing were giving them curious glances, undoubtedly wondering what was so amusing. “Could you keep it in? It’s not that funny!”



“I’m sorry,” Tess said a little breathlessly while still breaking out in giggles now and then. “It’s just, you probably haven’t even talked to more than a handful of people today and already you managed to engage in sexual actions with a mysterious stranger. I envy you!”



“Just forget about it.” Maria answered exasperatedly, but a small smile played around the corners of her mouth. They were nearing the picnic area and Tess was leading the way to a table already occupied by six people.



“Hey Guys, this is Maria,” Tess introduced her. “She just moved here from Albuquerque.” She turned around to face Maria and pointed at her friends. “This is the rest of our merry little group. You know Kyle already. These two are Isabel and Alex.” She indicated a statuesque blonde girl that looked like she just jumped off of the cover of Vogue magazine, sitting next to a tall and lanky guy with a slightly geekish appearance. Both were smiling at her.



“Hi, nice to meet you,” Maria said.



“And this,” Tess continued, “is Liz, Max and Michael.” She pointed out the other three.



Oh God, no. This can’t be happening. Watching her from their seats at the table was the trio from her History class. The dark haired couple, Max and Liz, was sitting very close together while the Greek god, alias Michael, held himself a little apart.



“Hi, we’re in history together, right?” Liz asked with a friendly smile.



“Yeah.” Maria really had no idea what else to say, this situation was so uncomfortable. So she just sat down beside Tess, on the seat opposite from Michael. She tried very hard not to look at him, hoping he wouldn’t bring up their earlier run-in in the hall.



“So, did you find your locker yet?” No such luck. He regarded her with an innocent expression and flashed a glimpse into her bag that was sitting at her feet, open and obviously still full of books.



She narrowed her eyes at him which made him smile even wider. What a jerk.



“Didn’t they give you a map at the office?” Alex asked. “They usually do that for the new students. The secretary could have at least told you where to find your locker.” He shook his head.



She sheepishly stared down at the table and mumbled something unintelligible.



“What did you say?”



Maria resigned herself to obvious loser status and repeated a little louder, “I said she did give me a map. I threw it away.”



Laughter broke out around the table and her cheeks heated up in embarrassment.



“What number is it?” Liz wanted to know while munching on her homemade sandwich.



She had to check the note in her bag before replying, “815.”



“Oh, I think that’s near mine. I’ll show you where it is after lunch.”



Maria smiled tentatively at the other girl. “Thanks.”



“Yeah, but beware of any ass grabbing guys this time,” Tess chuckled.



She was still embarrassed about that. “Tess!”



“What do you mean?” Naturally the others were curious.



Despite Maria’s attempts to stop her, Tess was all too willing to inform her friends of the earlier incident. “Maria just had an encounter with someone’s hand that was seeking intimate contact with her… behind.”



Michael’s brows pulled down in a frown. “What? You just let anyone feel you up in public?”



“Of course not!” She angrily retorted. “I was surrounded by people and when I turned around he was already gone.”



Now he looked downright furious. “And you’re okay with that?!”



“What do you want me to do? I –“



They were interrupted by a sleazy voice. “Hey, Maria, is it?” Steve and his two companions were standing next to the table. “You don’t seem to be having too much fun with your new friends.”



The others had been so fascinated by the argument between Michael and Maria that nobody had noticed the three approaching. Now they regarded the newcomers with varying degrees of revulsion.



“What do you know?” Maria looked at Steve in annoyance. Just a second ago she had been very much enjoying herself while fighting with Michael.



“I know enough. Tight little bottom you have there. I wouldn’t mind a piece of that sometime in the future.” He sneered.



Maria leapt up, the disgust audible in her voice. “That was you!”



Michael was out of his seat so fast nobody had time to react before he punched Steve hard in the chin. There was nothing the other boy could do to prevent himself from making contact with the ground. His friends just stood behind him, slack-jawed and immobile. Michael didn’t even spare them one glance when he stood over his opponent and threatened him in a low voice, “If you touch her against her will one more time, I’ll find you.”



Steve quickly scrambled away, his friends in tow, now and then throwing murderous glances back at them.



When Michael turned around to the table he was surprised by Maria standing directly behind him. His whole body stiffened as if he expected her to be angry at him for defending her and he carefully schooled his expression into a mask of indifference. She just stared into his eyes as if looking for something, but remained silent.



He didn’t even know her and yet he had immediately jumped to her defense. It’s exactly what Sean would have done. The thought of her cousin instantly caused a stab of pain in her stomach but she quickly suppressed it. There was time for that later, when she was alone. Maria slowly reached for Michael’s right hand, gently inspecting it for any damage. Then she stood up on her toes and softly kissed him on the cheek. “Thank you.” She turned and dug out her wallet from the depths of her book bag and with a quick “Be right back!” she was gone.



The others had been intrigued with watching the scene. “What just happened?” Alex asked confused.



Michael, who had been immovably staring in the direction Maria had just vanished, was shaken out of his stupor by that question. He slowly sat down at the table again. “I don’t know.”



“I think Michael just got his first kiss,” Max teased.



Everyone snickered. Everyone but Michael, that is.



*****



When Maria returned a short while later, she was holding a bottle of water in her hand. She sat back down and reached across the table to offer the cold bottle to Michael. “Here.”



He just stared at her uncomprehendingly.



“It’s for your hand.”



The others watched as he slowly took the water from her and placed it on his right hand. He remained silent, but a small smile tucked at the corners of his mouth.



The rest of the lunch break passed quickly. Maria listened to the chatter of the group, but only spoke when asked a direct question. Now and again her gaze flashed to the boy sitting across from her. He had gone equally quiet, lost in his own thoughts.



When the bell rang Maria followed Liz to her locker. She appreciated the other girl’s silence, who refrained from drilling her with questions even though Maria caught her a few times giving her curious glances out of the corner of her eye.



“Thank you, Liz” Maria said after they had reached their destination. Finally I can get rid of all these books.



“No problem. Hey, you wanna come to the CrashDown after school? It’s a café my parents own, I work there as a waitress. We usually hang out there after school.”



Maria was surprised, but elated by the invitation. “Sure. But I’d have to call my mom first.”



“That’s okay. You can ride with Max and me. Just meet us in the school parking lot after sixth period.” With that, she waved goodbye and left.



*****



Half an hour after the end of sixth period, Maria finally turned the corner to the hallway of her evasive locker. This is not a school, it’s a maze constructed to capture poor students and prevent them from ever finding the way out again, let alone reach their own lockers. Liz will probably be asking herself where I am. She stopped short when she saw who was leaning against the wall next to her locker, motorcycle helmet in hand.



“Michael.”



He looked up, an impatient expression on his face. “There you are. Liz asked me to give you a ride since she had to get to work.” He turned around and began to walk in the direction of the school exit. After a few yards he stopped and half-turned his face back to her. “You comin’?”



Maria, who had until this moment still been rooted to the spot, hurried to stash the rest of her books in her locker and followed him out of the school.


~TBC

Hi everyone! I just wanted to inform you that I have quite a few chapters written already so updates for now will be pretty frequent. Thanks for reading!

Eve: Thank you! You won't have to wait for long, lol.



Chapter Two – Crashing down at the CrashDown

Maria followed Michael to the school’s parking lot where he led her to stand in front of a shiny black motorcycle. He turned to her and watched her face as if to gauge her reaction.

“That’s yours?” Oh, she could definitely see him riding that. Suddenly a whole bunch of fantasies popped up in her head, including Michael, herself, and lots of black metal. Note to self: Get an appointment for the psychiatrist’s a.s.a.p.

“No, it’s my grandmother’s.” He rolled his eyes. Then, at her disbelieving expression, amended, “Yeah, it’s mine. Here, put this on.” He held the black motorcycle helmet out to her.

She took it from him and idly turned it around in her hands, peeking up at him, then back at the helmet. “Where’s yours?”

He snorted, “I wasn’t planning on having a passenger today.” He snatched the helmet back out of her fingers and put it on her head, quickly fastening the chinstrap. “Don’t worry, it’s just a short ride.” Then he swung his leg over the bike and waited for her to settle into the seat behind him.

Maria carefully climbed onto the machine and placed her feet onto the pegs. She was unsure what to do with her hands, so she gripped the edge of the seat with her left hand and gingerly put the other one on his shoulder.

“Were you planning on hitting the pavement as soon as we hit the road?”

“What do you mean?” She was puzzled.

“Your hands. This way you have no leverage whatsoever if I have to brake or we go around a corner. You need to-“ But instead of explaining any further, he just reached back and pulled both of her arms around his torso until her fingers met at the front.

Oh my. This was definitely not helping. Where she was pressed closely to his back she could feel the firm muscles of his body through the layers of both of their jackets. She desperately tried to keep in mind that he was an arrogant prick. But he’s also so damn delicious.

“Like this. Now hold on to me tight,” he told her.

“Is that your way of telling me you’re a sucker for illegal street racing?”

He just chuckled and pulled out of the parking lot.

The ride really was short. Too short for Maria’s taste, who was feeling rather comfortable behind Michael after the initial feeling of nervousness had subsided. He was actually a very good driver. She felt safer with him than in the passenger seat of the Jetta when her mom was driving. I’d feel safer with him if he were deaf and blind than in any car with my mom sitting behind the wheel.

After a few short minutes they pulled into a parking lot in front of the CrashDown Café. Maria reluctantly released her hold around his body and slid off the bike. Michael came to stand in front of her and, as she struggled with the chinstrap of the helmet, pushed her fingers aside, swiftly releasing the strap and taking the helmet off. When she was finally freed, Maria was caught off guard by how close he was standing. He was just looking at her, his expression unreadable. His hair was ruffled from the ride and it took everything she had to keep from reaching up and smoothing it down. She wanted so badly to touch its silky softness, to trace the contours of his face and stroke her fingers over the sensual fullness of his lips. She involuntarily leaned in closer to him, thrilled when he did the same. Oh my god, he’s going to kiss me! His arms slid around her to pull her even closer. Maria felt her heart speed up, beating like a jackhammer in her chest. Her mouth was suddenly dry and she couldn’t take her eyes from his mouth that was now only a few inches from hers. His breath ghosted across her cheeks and then he -

“Maria! Michael! Where have you been?”

- and then he pulled away, putting a safe distance between them, turning on the intruder. “Liz. What are you doing out here, you serving the masses on the streets now?” His brows were pulled together in an irritated scowl.

He’s so sexy when he’s angry. I have to remember to annoy him some more later. Maria smiled at that and turned around to face an oblivious Liz in her short green working uniform, complete with alien apron and silver antennas. “So, this is your parents’ café?” Over the entrance hung a large artificial flying saucer, with the name “CrashDown” in red, glowing letters written across its top. Tacky, but strangely fitting for this town.

Liz ignored a still glowering Michael and answered Maria instead. “Yes, it is. Do you like it?”

Maybe this isn’t the time to be too honest. “It’s, um … different.” She heard Michael’s disbelieving snort behind her back.

“It is, isn’t it? Come on in, I’ll treat you to an Alien Blast on the house.” Liz took Maria’s hand and pulled her inside, with Michael following on their trail.

The interior of the small café consequently continued to pursue the alien theme, the walls plastered in pictures of little green men and the furniture kept in the same color than Liz’ waitress uniform. The very color, Maria suspected, one was expected to associate with extraterrestrials. Nobody was more surprised than herself that she actually liked it. It had a certain charm, and despite the obsessive use of the color green, it was quite cozy.

She spied Tess, Kyle and Max sitting in a booth in the back and moved over with Michael to join them while Liz went back to work and promised to deliver her Alien Blast soon. Whatever that might be.

The others barely interrupted their light banter to greet them when they sat down, Maria next to Tess and across from Michael. Maria felt a sense of relief when she noticed that Isabel and Alex were missing. It was hard enough to be around so many strangers without the intimidating presence of Small Town Barbie with her otherworldly beauty.

Tess, of course, was curious. “Hey, you two. Where have you been?”

Maria was just about to admit that the delay was her fault for getting lost – again – when Michael interrupted her.

“I had some problems with my bike.”

Maria stared at him in surprise, her mouth slightly agape. Then, realizing how she must look, she quickly shut it.

Tess snorted, rolling her eyes at Maria. “That’s typical. First he practically begs us to leave so he can give you a ride and then he can’t get his engine going.”

Kyle and Max snickered at her choice of words.

Michael’s cheeks turned a nice shade of red while he pretended not to be involved in their conversation. Maria regarded him with speculation in her eyes, delighted to see him so uncomfortable. Like that, is it? Let’s see if I can push his buttons some more.

Just then Liz arrived with her Alien Blast, which turned out to be an ordinary vanilla milk shake colored with green food dye. While the others still hurled good natured insults back and forth, Maria took the drinking straw between her lips, alternating between snaking her tongue out to play with it and sucking suggestively on her drink. All the while she was watching Michael through lowered lashes, waiting for him to notice what she was doing.

When he finally did look in her direction, he almost choked on his cherry coke, barely avoiding spitting it all over the table. After he had composed himself, he glared at her with narrowed eyes. Maria smiled sweetly back at him, extraordinarily pleased with herself. She had badly wanted to get back at him for throwing her off balance all day, so it was very satisfying to see him this affected by her.

Tess watched them amusedly and with a calculating glance in Michael’s direction turned to Maria and asked, “So, did you leave a boyfriend in Albuquerque?”

Maria rolled her eyes at the other girl. Very subtle, Tess. Michael had stopped pretending to be interested in the guys’ discussion over football vs. baseball and openly looked at her to hear the answer. Maria decided that, in this case, honesty might be a good strategy. “No, actually I was spending most of my time with my cousin Sean back there. He was my best friend.”

Tess was sympathetic. “You must miss him, then.”

“Yeah.” If only you knew. But she was unwilling to talk about Sean anymore. It still hurt too much. So she tried a diversionary tactic to prevent Tess from asking anymore questions about her past. “So, you and Kyle, how long have you been dating?”

“For over a year now, since I moved in with him.”

“You live together?” Maria considered herself to be a pretty open-minded person, but two teenagers living together at seventeen was still a big deal in her book.

“Yes. I’m an orphan, and when Kyle and I became friends in school the sheriff decided to take me in.”

“The sheriff?”

“Kyle’s father. Of course he wasn’t too pleased when he discovered that Kyle and I were becoming… very friendly with each other.” Tess smiled.

Kyle decided to add his two cents. “Yeah, he practically hit the roof when he discovered that I was getting it on with my foster sister.”

“Kyle Valenti, if I ever hear you refer to me as your ‘sister’ again, I will kick your ass!” Tess exclaimed and whacked him over the head with her palm.

Kyle cautiously emerged from where he was hiding under his forearms with a rather sheepish expression. “Um, I’m sorry, Ma’am.”

Tess ignored him and continued her inquisition. “So, Maria, what do your parents do for a living?”

“My mom had a shop back in Albuquerque. She actually had a job interview with a shop owner here in town today. I guess I’ll hear how that went when I get home later.”

“And your dad?”

“I don’t have a dad. Ha walked out on us when I was six.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. I guess you have something in common with Michael then.”

Maria looked at Michael who had been following their conversation without actively participating. “Your mom’s single, too?”

He didn’t seem too pleased that Tess had revealed personal information about him. “Technically, no. She has boyfriends, but they’re not father material.”

He appeared reluctant to talk about himself anymore, so Maria decided to spare him and distract Tess once again. “So, where are Isabel and Alex?”

“Alex has band practice and Iz is on a shopping trip with her mom, undoubtedly trying to convince her again that she can’t possibly keep sharing a car with her brother.”

“I can understand that.” Having no car of her own, Maria could deeply relate to the tall blonde girl.

“Yeah, especially since her brother needs the jeep to follow his girlfriend around town and make gooey eyes at her. Right, Maxwell?” Michael chipped in with a teasing smirk.

Maria turned to Max, surprised. “Oh, you’re Isabel’s brother? You guys don’t look anything alike.”

Once again Michael barged in, answering for his friend with a wide grin. “Yeah, we deduced that when they divided the assets between the twins, Iz got the beauty and the brains and Max got … the ears.”

The others erupted in laughter while Max resentfully glowered at Michael, the ears in question turning a painful shade of red, drawing even more attention to themselves. Liz had heard the last of the teasing and, in passing, stroked over her boyfriend’s head once in comfort.

Maria, with a look at Liz in her uniform, sobered and mused, “I guess I’ll need to start looking for a job, too, if I want to have my own car before my thirtieth birthday. Being driven around town in that thing my mother owns is inacceptable.”

“Oh, the red Jetta?“ Liz asked, returning to their table with a refilled plate of Saturn Rings. “I heard she nearly ran over Principal Linus this morning in the school parking lot.”

Maria hid her face behind her hands. “Oh, god!”

*****

When she entered their house through the front door a little later, Maria could hear her mother rummaging in the kitchen. She followed the sounds to find her standing at the hearth, surrounded by pots and pans and covered in flour. “Hi, mom,” she smiled affectionately.

“Hey honey, how was your day?” Amy asked while continuing her dinner preparations.

“It was ok. I met this girl, Tess, in English. She seems really nice. One of her friends’ parents owns a café in town, the CrashDown. I told you earlier on the phone I was hanging out there with them after school.”

“Right. Who was that boy?” Amy’s clear green gaze locked on her daughter.

Oh, no. “What boy?” Maria tried with big honest eyes, feigning ignorance.

“The boy that was driving you home on his motorcycle five minutes ago.” Obviously her mother had been peeking through the curtains when Michael had dropped her of.

Damn, so denial is out. “His name is Michael,” Maria resigned.

“Is he one of your new friends?”

“I guess you could say that,” she reluctantly admitted.

“Maria, I don’t want you to-“

Maria suspected that she knew very well where her mother was going with that sentence, and she wasn’t having that. She heatedly interrupted, “Mom, you can’t forbid me to ride with him! He is a really safe driver and I can’t call you every time I want to go somewhere with my friends!” A little calmer, she pleaded, “Please don’t make me humiliate myself by driving around town in the Jetta!”

“Are you finished?” Amy asked.

“Yes,” she sighed.

“I wasn’t going to forbid you to ride on his motorcycle.”

Oh. “You weren’t?”

“No. I trust you when you say he’s a good driver. But I don’t want you to ride with him unless you are both wearing a helmet.”

“Oh.” Oh, indeed. Now she was embarrassed by her outburst.

“You wouldn’t want him to get hurt in an accident, would you?” Amy was just putting the finishing touches on their dinner, stirring a pot full of something green and disgustingly slimy, obviously a new recipe.

“No, of course not.” Suddenly Maria stood up a little straighter from where she was leaning in the doorway. “I totally forgot, how was your interview? Did you get the job?”

“Oh, you know me, honey, nobody stands between me and something I really want. Juliet and I totally hit it off. She was really excited about some of my ideas for the shop. I can start tomorrow, isn’t that great?” Amy seemed inordinately pleased with herself when she put their food on plates, handed one to her daughter and sat down to eat.

Maria joined her mother on the table, warily eying the puke colored substance in front of her. “Yeah. Congratulations, mom.” That’s good, at least we can pay the rent now. Wait. “What kind of shop is it, by the way?”

Amy swallowed the first spoonful of the sticky mass, her eyes tearing up and her face contorting into a grimace. Despite that, she bravely continued to eat and innocently asked, “What was that boy’s name again? Mark? He was cute.”

Diversion. This can’t be good. “Mom?”

“It’s an alien souvenir shop for tourists, but honey, it’s got some great potential!”

Maria put her head down on her arms and groaned.

“So, do you like him? Mark?”

Maria groaned again.

*****

She woke up early again the next morning and, after checking the alarm clock – 5:35 – Maria rolled over and contentedly snuggled a little deeper into her soft and warm bed. No need to get up just yet. Thank God. Going back to sleep was out, so she watched the light gradually grow outside her window while she mulled the previous day over in her head. It really hadn’t been that bad. Most of the teachers she had met were pretty easy going and as far as she could tell she wasn’t too much behind in any of her classes, despite her long absence from school. To her great surprise, she had even made some new friends. And that after only one day. She rolled on her back and unconsciously smiled up at the ceiling when she remembered the afternoon at the silly little café of Liz’ parents. Tess and Kyle had been very much fun to be around, bantering and joking with each other like crazy and taking turns in telling Maria all of the most embarrassing stories about the other. Max and Liz were the quieter couple, more gentle in their interaction among themselves and with the others, though with a wicked humor that sometimes emerged like a desert flower ready to bloom, colorful and impossible to be contained any longer.

And then there was Michael. He’s such an enigma. Irritatingly arrogant one minute and the other doing something so incredibly sweet that you just want to kiss him. Oh, yeah, about that ... Maria went over their almost-kiss in her head. Had he really tried to kiss me? I didn’t just imagine it, did I? He hadn’t attempted to do it again last night in front of her house which, in hindsight, had been a smart move on his part. Maria very much doubted that Amy’s reaction about Michael would have been the same had she caught them making out on the front porch.

Maria sighed and got up to get ready for school. She refused to admit – even to herself – that the fact she spent an extra amount of this morning’s time with picking out her outfit had anything to do with a certain long haired biker boy. She decided to wear her blonde strands in two braids, falling over each of her shoulders. No need to run around with wild hair all day in case Michael lets me ride on his motorcycle again. She stopped short. Wow, that just sounded way more sexual than intended! She quietly laughed at the direction her thoughts were taking and entered the kitchen where her mother was already busy preparing breakfast.

“Good morning, Sweetie.” Amy handed her daughter a steaming cup of coffee and turned back to the frying pan.

“Good morning. Hmmm, that smells great.” Maria appreciatively sniffed the air, detecting the aroma of something sweet and fatty baking on the stove.

“Yeah, after that cooking fiasco last night I thought I’d try some good old pancakes for a change.”

“Really, Mom, the green slimy stuff wasn’t so bad,” Maria tried to reassure her mother, while she begun digging into the stack of warm, brown pancakes in front of her.

“Maria, you took one look at it and put it in the trash. I took two bites and it gave me indigestion. I should have never believed that woman in the Natural Foods store who told me it was some really old Native American recipe.”

“Well maybe it wasn’t meant for eating.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” Amy pulled her brows together in a skeptical frown.

“Maybe it was some really old Native American recipe for super glue,” Maria said with a mischievous grin.

“Very funny.”

“Can you drop me off at school again before you have to go to work?” Maria asked as she polished off the last of her breakfast.

“No, I don’t think so,” her mother denied.

“Oh.” Was her mother really that mad because of one little joke? “I guess I could take the bus.”

“Don’t be silly.” Amy threw her a stern look. “You already have a driver. That friend of yours, Michael? He has been lurking around in front of the house for the past half hour and I do very much hope that his reason for doing that is to pick you up. Anything else would be creepy.”

Maria’s eyes appeared as round as saucers. “He’s here?!” She jumped up, ran to the window that faced the street and peeked through the curtains. And there he really was, sitting on his motorcycle wearing his black helmet and holding another one – this one white in color– in his hands. She turned back to her mom and reproachfully asked, “Why didn’t you ask him to come in?”

“Maria, I believe that boy is old enough to ring a bell.”

“Yeah, whatever. I have to go.” She hurriedly grabbed her bag and jacket and called over her shoulder, “See you tonight!” before she rushed out the door.

When she approached Michael in what she hoped was a calm and confident stroll, he looked up.

“Hey,” he said.

Keep it cool. “Hey, yourself,” she greeted and took the white helmet he held out to her. “Have you been waiting for long?” Like you don’t know, Deluca.

“Only a couple of minutes,” he answered. “Let’s go.”

Maria tried to hide her smile at the obvious lie and got on the bike behind him.


*****

Once at the school, Michael followed her to her locker, which actually wasn’t that hard to find, once you got the knack of it. And after searching the whole school twice, you practically have no choice but to get the knack of it.

He casually leaned against the wall next to her while she dug around for her notebook. “So.”

“So?” He wants something. Interesting. Maria was intrigued.

“There’s an empty seat next to me in History.” He tried to appear indifferent.

Aha. “Is there? I hadn’t noticed.” Yeah, right, Deluca.

He cracked quickly. “Come on, Maria, don’t be so difficult. Will you sit next to me in History? Please?” he pleaded. “I almost began rotting away yesterday just to have something to do! I need you to keep me from dying of boredom. It’s for the greater good,” he added with a half-smirk.

He’s so cute when he’s begging. Maria decided to go easy on him. After all, how could one resist such logical reasoning? “Okay,” she smiled.

“Okay?” He seemed delighted, though he quickly hid it again.

“Okay,” she said again, before she turned and left for English. And then she heard his low voice behind her back, just before she rounded the corner.

“Okay.”

She smiled.

*****

At lunch time, when Maria arrived at the picnic area with Liz, the rest of the group was already seated at their usual table. They amiably greeted the girls and made room for them to sit, Liz next to Max and Maria on the bench beside Michael, who had scooted over a little when he saw them approach.

Maria unpacked her lunch and began to eat while she listened to the conversation. She looked around the table and was secretly amazed at how much she already felt like a part of their group. They had easily accepted her into their little circle from the first minute. Even Michael, who wasn’t as open as the others about it, seemed to genuinely like her and want her around. Well, hopefully he wants a little more than that. She unconsciously grinned. It felt good to be part of a group again. Even back in Albuquerque, it had mostly just been her and Sean. She had had other friends, but her cousin had always been closest to her. She really missed that. Being close to someone, having someone to confide in. Someone other than her mother.

She was pulled out of her thoughts when Liz called her name.

“Earth to Maria.” Liz laughed at Maria’s startled look. “Where have you been?”

Maria smiled apologetically. “Just thinking.”

“I just wanted to tell you that I thought about what you said about looking for a job yesterday. I talked to my dad and he said we could use another waitress at the CrashDown. What do you think?”

“Are you serious? That’d be absolutely great! I don’t have any experience with waitressing though.”

“That’s okay, it’s not that hard. You could come by after school today and then we can see how it goes,” Liz said.

Maria nodded. “Yeah, sure. Thanks, Liz.”

“If I were you, I’d think about it a little longer,” Isabel chipped in with a teasing grin. “You’ll have to wear that hideous uniform. I helped Liz out once and I swear that thing made my IQ drop about 20%.”

“It hasn’t harmed Liz’ intelligence,” Max said, throwing an admiring look at his girlfriend.

“Maybe she’s immune since her mom actually designed it,” his sister answered. Then she turned to the dark haired girl. “Oh, by the way, Liz, did you ask your parents about Saturday?”

“Yes, they said it’s okay to go. Dad even gave me Saturday afternoon off to get ready with you.”

“What’s on Saturday?” Maria wanted to know.

“There’s this party at the old soap factory.” Kyle answered. “Wanna go?”

Maria stole a quick glance at the boy next to her. “Are all of you going?” Are you going, Michael?

But it was Kyle who answered her question again, not Michael. “Yeah, we’re all driving there together. So, are you in?”

“Yes, I’d love that.” A thrill of anticipation shot through her stomach at the thought of going to a party that was probably against the law with the seven friends. No need to tell Amy about the illegal part, though.

~TBC

Hey, people! So, after posting chapter two, I realized that when copying from my word file all the italics have gone missing and I had to go back and change them back by hand. So, if the first chapters seemed a bit strange while reading, I apologize. So, maybe one of you can help me: Is there a way to copy and paste from word that doesn't involve all the formatting to go kaboom? Or do I have to add the correct code every time? (Don't get me wrong, I'll do it if I have to, but it would still be nice if there was an easier way...)
Anyway, despite this minor inconvenience, I thank you for reading and feedbacking!

Ginger: Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed it. Jail, huh? Well, we'll see . . .

Eve: Yes, Maria had a really great start with the group, didn't she? As for her working in the Crashdown . . . some things are just meant to be, right?


Chapter Three – Get this party started

After school Maria once again found Michael waiting for her at her locker. I could really get used to this. Sitting next to him in class today had been more fun than she would’ve thought. He was actually very smart and the quick-witted remarks he had kept whispering in her ear during the lecture had brought her to the edge of cracking up more than once. That had earned her a few warning looks from Mr. Locke and she was sure the teacher already regretted letting her switch seats.

Maria approached Michael with a bright smile that slowly turned to a frown when she got a closer look at his appearance. She worriedly took in the tired slump of his shoulders and the slight rings that were beginning to show under his eyes. Why didn’t I notice that before? He looks exhausted!

Just like the day before, he was leaning against the wall. He was staring unseeingly at the floor in front of him, only noticing her when she stood directly beside him. He looked up then and smirked, “Hey.” His smile faded when he became aware of the expression on her face. “What’s wrong?”

“What’s wrong?” Maria replied. “I should be asking you that. You look terrible.”

His reaction was instant and, Maria thought, extremely unpleasant. “Thanks,” he snapped. Then he turned away and took off in the direction of the school exits. “Come on, I don’t have all day!”

“Well, that went well,” Maria muttered and followed him.

After a short and very frosty ride Michael pulled up in front of the CrashDown. Maria got off the bike and, after taking off the helmet, turned to face him. He had pulled off his helmet as well and glared at her from where he was still sitting on his motorcycle.

She sighed and said, “Look, Michael, about before …”

His eyes narrowed, but he didn’t react otherwise.

Maria was slowly getting annoyed by his behavior. “I wasn’t trying to insult you, you jackass! Forgive me for having the audacity to worry about you, it won’t happen again!”

His frown changed to a half-irritated, half-amused expression. “And you don’t think calling me jackass is insulting at all, do you?”

“That was supposed to be an insult. You deserve it!” She was getting close to hitting him over the head with the helmet.

He seemed to sense the acute danger he was in because he swiftly took the helmet from her and tried to distract her with his next question. “Why were you worried about me?”

That quickly and effectively took the wind out of her sails. Her anger vanished and she answered in a serious voice, “Because you looked so tired. Still do.” The dark circles under his eyes were very faint, but also very definitely there.

“Oh.” He was so taken aback that he actually answered. “I am.” He seemed embarrassed when he ran the fingers of his right hand through his hair and avoided her eyes.

“Why?”

“Um, didn’t sleep well last night,” he reluctantly answered, obviously fascinated by the dull grey surface of the pavement under his feet. When he finally looked up again, a mischievous smirk had replaced the cautious expression. “So, are you nervous about being Roswell’s newest alien waitress?”

Since he had seemed so uncomfortable before, she once again let him deflect the attention away from him by changing the topic. This time. “Well, I wasn’t until now.” And it was true. She hadn’t even thought about her new job until Michael had brought it up. Now though, she felt a twinge of apprehension at the prospect of going inside and dressing up to serve the tourists greasy, alien themed food. “Should I be nervous?” she asked.

He snorted, the teasing note gone from his voice. “Of course not. Mr. Parker is really great as a boss. You’ll do fine.”

“How do you know what kind of boss Liz’ dad is?” she wanted to know.

“I worked here as cook all through last year.”

Maria opened her eyes wide in mock astonishment. “You can cook?”

He grinned briefly in reply. “Not really, but it was enough for the CrashDown,” he said. “I make a mean cheese burger, though,” he added with a hint of bragging.

She didn’t have the guts to ask him if he would cook one for her some time, so she asked a different question instead. “Well then, are you going to come inside and watch me trip over my own feet and spill the food all over the poor unsuspecting customers?”

“Tempting, but no.” He lightly shook his head. “I have to get to work.”

Dang. She had been looking forward to watching him during her shift. “Where do you work?” she asked to cover her disappointment.

“I’m an assistant mechanic at Larry’s Garage. Kyle, too. He got me the job.”

“That’s great,” she said with fake cheerfulness. Then another thought occurred to her. “I’ll call my mom to pick me up after my shift.”

“No, don’t do that!” he promptly forestalled, holding his hand up as if to stop her if she made any move to reach for her cell phone. “I’ll come by after work and give you a ride home.”

“Actually, I wanted to talk to you about that.”

“You don’t want to ride with me?” His brows pulled together in a confused frown as if that thought occurred to him for the first time.

And it probably does. Typical. But who was she to deny the obvious? “I do,” she answered honestly. “But I want to pay you for it.” That was an issue that had been permanently on her mind since the previous night.

“I’m not taking money from you.” He glowered at her, his expression forbidding any further arguments on that matter.

“Why not?” She exasperatedly threw her hands in the air. “You’re making so many extra trips for me, it just doesn’t seem fair that you get nothing in return!” Someday I’m going to beat some sense into his thick skull. Someday soon.

“I wouldn’t quite put it like that,” he snapped. “And I won’t let you pay me. Period.” Before Maria had time to reply, he put his helmet back on, kicked his bike into action and raced off down the street.

“Fine!” she screamed at his receding back. She was practically fuming as she watched him disappear around the corner. Then she turned on her heels and angrily stomped off into the café.

The CrashDown was buzzing with activity when Maria entered, with customers occupying every available booth and table. Little green aliens, er, waitresses were swiftly bouncing to and fro, laden with trays of French Fries and Saturn Rings. She amusedly watched the goings-on for a minute, her anger at Michael momentarily forgotten, when a loud voice calling her name pulled her out of her thoughts.

“Maria!” Liz shouted, waving excitedly from the door to what Maria supposed was the back room.

Maria made her way through the restaurant to join her friend. “Hey, Liz! Man, this place is crowded! It wasn’t like this yesterday.” She let herself be towed through the door to a small room with a worn old sofa and a few lockers. There was a staircase leading into the upper apartment and a door leading to the back alley.

Liz laughed. “Yeah, we have the orthodontists’ convention in town today. Don’t worry, it isn’t always like this.” Then she turned and, with a voice that made Maria cringe from the sheer volume of it, screamed, “DAD!” in the direction of the stairs. Then she turned and dug around in her locker. “I already got you a uniform. Here.” She handed Maria one of the short green dresses and an alien apron. On top of the pile lay a headband with silver antennas.

“Thank you, Liz.” She eyed the clothes with a skeptical frown and asked, “Do I have to wear the headband?”

Liz laughed. “I’m afraid you do. My father considers it a necessity to communicate our alien theme in any way possible, especially by making us dress up in these ridiculous costumes. You can go change in the bathroom.”

“Okay.” Just before Maria closed the door of the bathroom behind her, she once again heard Liz call for her father in an earsplitting scream. God, just go up the stairs! She shook her head and began to change into the uniform.

When she was finished, she took a moment to look herself over in the tiny bathroom mirror. The pale green wasn’t exactly the most favorable color for her skin tone and the antennas bobbed with every move she made. I look absolutely ridiculous. She put her hand out as if to greet the image in the mirror. “Hi. My name is E.T.” She softly snorted and left the bathroom.

She found Liz engaged in conversation with a tall dark haired man. When she approached them, they turned to her and the man gave her a friendly smile.

“That’s her, dad,” Liz said to him. Then she faced Maria and introduced, “Maria, this is my father, Jeff Parker.”

“Hello, Mr. Parker. Nice to meet you.” She held her hand out to him and smiled.

“It’s nice to meet you, too,” Mr. Parker said, shaking her hand with a firm grip. “So, you want to try your luck as a waitress in Roswell’s most famous café?” His eyes twinkled with humor.

His cordial demeanor made her loose all her initial shyness. “Yes, I do. Thanks for giving me the chance.”

“Oh, don’t thank me yet. It’s a hard job and I expect you to give your best. Unfortunately I can’t pay you very much, but I’m sure you’ll earn a few great tips with that smile of yours,” he said and winked at her.

“Yeah, the orthodontists will be thrilled,” Liz said dryly. “Come on, Maria, I’ll show you around.” With that she took Maria’s arm and pulled her towards the crowded front room.

*****

At ten p.m. Maria was just finishing wiping down the counter. The last of the customers had left half an hour earlier and she had agreed to help Liz clean up before heading home. The afternoon had been very exhausting, what with the never ending stream of customers ordering Saturn Rings, Alien Blasts, Men-in-Blackberry-Pie and endless amounts of French Fries. Her feet were killing her from the unfamiliar exertion and she could feel a backache coming as well. But despite that, she had managed pretty well, she thought. No tripping over her own feet, no spilling drinks. She smiled, pleased with herself, and began sweeping the floor. Liz was in the back taking out the trash and Maria reveled in the silence of the deserted café. The monotonous work unfortunately left her mind free to return to her issues with Michael. Throughout the evening she had been so busy that she had successfully avoided thinking about him, but now she couldn’t help but wonder if he’d still show up to take her home. He had really been put out about her offer to pay him, though she didn’t understand why. She pulled out her cell phone and contemplated calling her mom. She had spoken to her earlier to tell her about the job and that she would catch a ride home with Michael again. But now that he hadn’t shown up, she wasn’t sure what to do. Her mother might already be in bed, but Maria wasn’t keen on walking home in the dark by herself, either. She was about to press the speed dial for her mother’s phone number when the front door of the café opened and Michael walked in.

Relief flooded through her at the sight of him. She hadn’t realized how worried she had been that he might ditch her. “You came!” she exclaimed.

“Of course.” He frowned. “I said I would, didn’t I?” He stood in the middle of the room as if unsure what to do next. “You’re not ready yet, are you?”

“No, sorry. Do you want something to drink while you wait?” She followed him to the booth he and his friends usually occupied. The exhaustion in his posture was much more prominent now.

“Yeah, thank you,” he said and sat down.

She waited, but he didn’t say anything else. Finally she asked, “So, what would you like?”

“Hmmm,” he contemplated. “Cherry Coke?”

“Is that a question?” she asked with a cheeky smile.

“No.” A small smile played around the corners of his mouth in return.

“Okay. I’ll be right back.” She went to prepare his drink for him and returned to put the filled glass in front of him. “Here you go.”

“Thanks,” he answered. Then he looked her up and down, for the first time noticing her outfit. He grinned and said, “By the way, you really pull it off. The whole alien thing, I mean.”

She rolled her eyes at that and blushed. “Thanks. I guess. I’ll just go change and then we can leave.”

*****

When Maria exited the back room a short while later, Michael lay sprawled across the booth with his head resting on his outstretched arms, fast asleep between the bottle of ketchup and the untouched Cherry Coke. His face was turned towards the wall, away from her. From where she stood she could see his chest gently rise and fall with his slow breathing. After the hectic afternoon, the vacant front room of the café seemed eerily quiet and she walked over to him with soft footsteps so as not to disturb him. She cautiously slid into the booth beside him and just watched him for a minute. His whole posture was relaxed, the muscles of his arms and shoulders unusually slackened and what she could see of the right side of his face appeared to have lost some of its tension, the scowling expression he usually wore finally surrendered to the innocence of sleep.

Sitting there next to his big warm form, she felt oddly peaceful. And strangely powerful as well. As if she was keeping watch over his body while his mind was drifting in the secret world of his dreams. She was reluctant to wake him, but a quick look on the clock warned her that her mother would already be waiting for her. Amy always got worried when Maria was out late, even if she knew exactly where her daughter was.

Maria cautiously leaned over Michael and rested her hand on his neck with a gentle touch. “Michael,” she whispered.

He stirred a little, but didn’t wake. God, he must really be out of it. Poor baby.

She lightly stroked over his head and called his name again, this time a little louder. “Michael, wake up.”

This time he woke with a start. His shoulders tensed up and he sat bolt upright, knocking the glass of Coke over in the process.

Maria, startled herself, had immediately retracted her hand when he had flinched away from her. She stared at him, confused by his violent reaction. Her mouth felt dry and her voice escaped in a toneless whisper. “I’m sorry.”

He looked around the dimly lit restaurant, clearly disoriented. After a few seconds his brown eyes filled with awareness and his gaze settled on the puddle of Cherry Coke on the table. “Oh,” he said in a quiet voice. “I didn’t mean to make such a mess. Sorry.” He was obviously embarrassed.

“Don’t worry about it,” Maria replied and quickly got up to grab a few napkins from the counter. She was glad for the opportunity to get away from him for a few moments and watched him from the corner of her eyes while she wiped up the spilled drink. He was vigorously rubbing his face with both hands and ran his fingers through his hair, making the long strands stand up in a dozen directions. Despite the awkward situation she couldn’t help but laugh out loud at the sight of him. “You look like a drowsy porcupine.”

“Yeah?” He smiled slightly and smoothed his hands over his hair. “You’re right about the drowsy part, at least. God, I’m tired.”

“I can see that.” She had finished cleaning up the Coke and sat down beside him again, facing him with an earnest expression. “Really, Michael, you should’ve just gone home. I could have called my mom to pick me up.”

“No, I’m okay,” he denied. “We should get going, though. It’s late.” He reached into the back pocket of his jeans and pulled out his wallet.

“Oh no, you don’t, buster!” she said with a disbelieving laugh and prevented him from pulling out the money by laying her right hand on his. The little jolt that went through her at the touch felt almost familiar by now. “You’re not paying for the Coke!”

“I’m not? And why is that?” he seemed slightly irritated again, but this time Maria was determined not to let him win the argument.

“You don’t want any compensation for playing my own personal chauffeur? Fine. But you’re not paying here during my shift!” He opened his mouth, but she cut him off. “End of story!”

He rolled his eyes and put the wallet away. “Thanks. I guess,” he said, using her earlier words. Then he ushered her out of the booth and got out after her, making his way to the front door.

Maria was grinning inwardly, pleased with his quick surrender. One battle won, but the war’s not over yet. The smirk faded from her face when she heard his low chuckling voice coming from the door.

“And I never said I didn’t want compensation.”

Damn.

*****

When Michael pulled the bike up in the driveway of her house, Maria dismounted and took off her shiny white helmet. She held it out to Michael, who had removed his black one and hung it over the handle of the motorcycle. “Here. Thank you for bringing it with you.” She smiled tentatively, a peace offering after their earlier quarrels.

Michael briefly looked at the helmet in her hand and frowned. “No,” he shook his head. “That one’s yours. Keep it.” He raised his gaze to look into her eyes.

She was baffled. “But-“

“No buts,” he firmly interrupted.”What would I want with a white helmet? Come on, how uncool is that?” But he smiled to take the sting out of the words.

“Michael, no. That’s too much!” she insisted while she repeatedly tried to shove the helmet into his hands.

He laughed, but otherwise ignored her efforts. Instead of saying goodbye though, he surprised her by dismounting and walking around the bike to stand next to her. He reached down, took her hand with a firm grasp and started pulling her up the driveway in the direction of the front door. “I wanted to talk to you about something else.” He threw her a shy glance, but apart from that kept on looking straight ahead until they reached the doorstep. There he took a deep breath and turned to face her.

Maria was distinctly curious about what to make of this peculiar behavior, though the feel of his big, warm paw closed securely around her smaller fingers was slightly distracting. He appeared to have taken a tremendous interest in the tips of his shoes, for he was staring down intently, now and then running his free hand through his hair. Maria quietly watched the show and patiently waited for what was surely to be an interesting conversation. When he finally did look up it was somewhat of a shock for her to find his clear brown eyes steadily locked on hers.

He inhaled once, paused, and said, “I’m sorry.” His gaze then fixed on a spot somewhere over her right shoulder.

That’s it? He’s sorry? For what? “For what?” she asked.

“Huh?” His gaze shifted back to hers. “Oh. For being a jerk today. You know, when I dropped you off earlier … and then later … at the CrashDown … I wasn’t expecting you to…” He stopped, at a loss for words.

He looked so pathetically sweet there in front of her, trying to apologize, that she decided to end his suffering. “It’s okay.”

“No.” He frowned. “Look, I’ve had some trouble sleeping, that’s why I’ve been so tired. And when I’m tired I get irritable. I shouldn’t have taken it out on you. Sorry.”

“It really is okay, Michael. I understand.” She wanted to reach up and stroke his cheek to comfort him, but her right hand was still comfortably trapped in his warm grasp while the other was clutching the stupid helmet. So she tried to keep him talking, to tell her what was wrong. “Why haven’t you been sleeping?”

He quickly backpedaled, embarrassed. “It’s nothing, really.”

“It’s not nothing, Michael!” she insisted. “You were so exhausted you fell asleep at the Crashdown! And when I woke you, you-“

“I overreacted, okay?” he defensively interrupted her. He turned his stony face to the side, avoiding her eyes. “I said I was sorry,” he gritted out between clenched teeth.

“No, it’s not okay. I don’t want you to apologize, I want you to tell me what’s going on with you. That’s not normal behavior when being woken.”

“Oh, so now I’m not normal?” He tried to pull his hand away, but now it was her that held on tight.

“Michael, please,” she begged.

He stopped the struggle but kept his gaze averted.

“I’m sorry,” she said in a soft voice.

For a long moment he stood frozen, staring into the dark. Then he closed his eyes and heaved a deep sigh. “No, don’t be.” He turned back to face her once more, an apologetic and somewhat strained smile on his lips. “I did it again, didn’t I?”

“Yes, you did,” she said, smiling in return. His behavior deeply worried her, but she realized that she wasn’t going to make him talk against his will. Not tonight, at least. “I’ll leave it alone, okay?” For now.

He relaxed a bit at that. “Thank you.” And with a sideways glance at the door he added, “You should probably get inside.” In contrast to his words his free hand settled on her waist and pulled her a little closer.

“Mm-hm,” she affirmed, though she made no move to free herself. Michael’s hand had released hers to snake around her midriff and pull her flush against his chest. She reached up with her right hand to lightly stroke his cheek, tracing his bottom lip with her thumb, like she had wanted to do practically since the moment she had met him. He slowly lowered his head and she tilted hers up to meet him, but before their lips could touch, she gently pressed her fingers against his mouth to stop him. “Michael?”

“What?” he murmured against her fingers.

“Before we take this any further I should tell you that my mom is probably watching our every move from the kitchen window.”

He stiffened, then snorted in amusement and straightened up again, but didn’t let go of her. “You sure know how to kill the mood, Deluca.”

“I’m sorry.” She smiled ruefully.

He lightly shook his head. “No need.” Then he swiftly bent down and kissed her on the cheek. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” He released her and turned to leave.

“Good night, Michael,” she whispered after his receding back, cheeks still flushed from his kiss. She couldn’t be sure in the dark, but she thought she saw him smile.

*****

“How do I look?” Tess emerged from behind the curtain of the tiny changing room, wearing a skin tight blue top and an ultra short black mini skirt.

“Well …” Maria looked to Liz for support, but the brunette just stared at their friend, open-mouthed.

“Where’s your skirt?” she finally asked.

Tess rolled her eyes and twisted around in front of the large mirror to get a view of her backside. “I’m wearing it, Liz. Believe it or not, this is a skirt!”

It was Thursday afternoon and Maria, Liz, Tess and Isabel were shopping for the party on Saturday. Liz had their working schedules rearranged so that she and Maria had the day off, and Isabel had unceremoniously hijacked her brother’s jeep to transport them to the mall of Roswell. They had spent the last two hours browsing the pitifully sparse selection of party outfits in the stores with varying degrees of success. Isabel had quickly decided on a low-cut classy red dress and had then proceeded to force her friends to try on the most ridiculous clothes.

Tess now turned to Liz and inquired, “What are you gonna wear, anyway?”

Liz blushed. “I thought I’d just wear jeans and …” Her voice trailed off when she saw Tess and Maria simultaneously shake their heads in denial.

“Liz, you can’t wear jeans to a party,” Tess said decisively. “I won’t let you.”

“Don’t you want to be pretty for Max?” Maria reinforced. She knew it was probably unfair to gang up on their friend like that, but she had already figured out that Liz sometimes needed a little help in the clothing department.

“Of course I do,” Liz conceded.

“Than I have just the thing for you!” a bright voice chirped up behind them.

They turned around to find Isabel standing there, laden with piles of clothes, an enthusiastic smile on her perfect features.

“Is she allowed to bring that many pieces back here at once?” Maria murmured to Tess out of the corner of her mouth while Isabel was busy ushering Liz behind one of the curtains.

“No, but the store clerks know better than to stand in the way of Iz in shopping mode,” Tess whispered. “She goes a little over board, you see?”

“Tess, what on earth are you wearing?” Isabel had returned and was eying Tess’ outfit with disapproval. “I didn’t pick that out for you. And where the heck is your skirt?”

“I picked it out,” Tess defensively answered. “I like it.”

“You know, between you and Liz, it’s a miracle I haven’t gone insane yet.” Isabel scoffed. Then her gaze fixed on the other blonde with a determination that made Maria’s stomach knot in cold fear. “You!”

Maria swallowed hard and looked at Tess for help. But the other girl had returned to admiring herself in the mirror and pointedly ignored them. Apparently, when it came to Isabel, it was every man for himself.

Maria threw a fearful look first at Isabel, then at the huge pile of clothes at her feet. “Yes, Isabel?”

“I have found the cutest dress for you.” She pulled Maria to her feet. “Come on, I want to see how it looks on you!”

Ten dresses later – which actually felt like a hundred, Maria thought – Maria re-emerged from the changing room to find her three friends sitting in the waiting area, immersed in animated chatter. Liz had finally received approval in a jeans skirt and black top and was released from fitting duty by Isabel. When Maria appeared in front of them, they looked up and promptly broke out in enthusiastic cries.

“You look so hot, girl!” Tess exclaimed.

“That dress is really pretty, Maria,” Liz agreed.

But Maria knew who held the deciding vote on whether the shopping ordeal would be over, so she expectantly looked at Isabel.

The other girl was watching her critically, tapping her finger against her lips. Then she suddenly smiled and said, “This will do.”

Maria puffed out the breath she had been holding.

“Thank god!” Tess groaned and let herself fall back against the backrest of the chair she was sitting in.

Maria had wandered over to the mirror and was examining her appearance from every possible angle. Not bad. The short black dress clung to her like a second skin and accentuated her legs while the high neckline somewhat concealed the missing cleavage.

Tess had followed her. “I bet Michael will love this dress!” she said with a wicked grin.

“I’m not dressing up for Michael, Tess!” Maria stressed.

The other girl just laughed at that. “Come on, you so have the hots for each other! It’s obvious.”

Maria ignored her, returning to inspecting her reflection with flaming cheeks. She was pretty sure that Michael did like her. And she liked him too, of course. Maybe this dress would help her to finally get that kiss on Saturday. She smiled at herself in the mirror. Isabel, who had followed them with Liz, pulled her out of her musings.

“Speaking of Michael,” she said. “What exactly do you want from him?”

Maria turned and stared at her. “Excuse me?”

“I just …” The statuesque blonde hesitated. “I just want to make sure you’re not just playing with him, you know?”

“Iz,” Maria said with an incredulous half-laugh. “Are you asking for my intentions?”

“What if I am?” the other girl asked defensively. “Michael is my friend and I don’t want him to get hurt! I think he really likes you and he doesn’t deserve to be used.”

“I wasn’t planning on using him,” Maria answered calmly. “I like him, but I don’t know where this will lead. And,” she added decisively, “if we feel more than friendship for each other, it’s between him and me. This doesn’t concern you.” She thought it necessary to make that clear from the beginning. Isabel’s pushy attitude could very well become a problem between them. Maybe it’s best to put her in her place right now.

Isabel’s eyes were blazing with fury at the rebuke. “Fine!” she snapped and whirled around to storm off in the direction of the store exit.

“Uh-oh, now you’ve done it,” Liz’ apprehensive voice came from behind Maria’s back.

*****

On Saturday evening, the girls were just putting the finishing touches on their appearance in Isabel’s bathroom at the Evans’ home. The atmosphere between Maria and Isabel was still a little strained, but they had both decided to let the issue rest for now and concentrate on more important things, namely the party. The boys were waiting downstairs in the living room. Mr. and Mrs. Evans had vacated the premises to celebrate their twenty year anniversary, so the kids had the house all to themselves.

Maria was arranging her curls in front of the mirror. Her mother had been a little difficult when she told her about the party. It had taken a little convincing from Maria and the absolute promise not to leave the group before Amy had agreed, though setting up a strict curfew of 2:00 a.m. Maybe that had to do with the fact that Maria had been deliberately vague as to where exactly the party was taking place. But being from the big city she had probably guessed that it wasn’t exactly legal und refrained from asking anymore questions.

“Hey, girl, move aside. You’re hogging all the mirror space.” Tess pushed Maria aside with a bump of her hip while her hands were busy fastening the huge sparkling hoops on her earlobes. Despite Isabel’s protests she was wearing her chosen outfit, the micro mini nicely displaying her shapely legs.

The other two girls were already done and sat waiting in Isabel’s bedroom.

“Tess! Maria! Hurry up, or we’re gonna be late.” Isabel’s impatient voice came from the adjoining room.

Tess rolled her eyes at Maria and mumbled, “Queen Isabel’s wish…” As the two girls entered the bedroom, she said, “You know, Iz, it’s a party, not a banquet. You can’t be late to a party.”

Isabel was already at the door, barely turning around before she answered, “Whatever,” and left the room to go downstairs.

The others followed her to join the boys in the living room. Their appearance was greeted with general applause by the guys. Tess bounced down the stairs and jumped directly in the arms of her boyfriend, who caught her and spun her around.

“Man, Tess, you look awesome!” he said.

Alex was also complimenting Isabel on her dress, while Max and Liz just stared into each others eyes, carrying on a wordless conversation that wasn’t meant for the ears of outsiders.

But Maria only had eyes for Michael. When she had appeared at the top of the stairs, he had looked up and frozen, watching her descend with an unreadable expression on his face.

Tess now nudged him in the ribs and asked with an innocent grin, “So, Michael, what do you think of Maria’s dress?”

He still didn’t look away when he answered. “It’s … um, nice.” A slight flush appeared on his cheeks.

“You look very nice, yourself,” Maria answered with a smile. He was wickedly handsome in another one of his tight black t-shirts and form fitting jeans. She came to stand beside him and could smell the faintest hint of cologne mixed with a scent that was warm and spicy and very much Michael.

“Okay, folks, before we leave we have to decide on who rides with me in the jeep, and who’s going with Alex in his Toyota,” Max announced.

Maria suddenly noticed Kyle, who was standing behind Max, wildly gesturing first at Michael, then at Max’ back and at the front door. Maria frowned and looked up at Michael, who had also watched the spectacle and now gave a slight nod in Kyle’s direction.

“I’m riding with you, Max,” Liz piped up, looking adoringly in the eyes of her boyfriend.

Maria internally rolled her eyes. Way to state the obvious, Liz. She was just about to open her mouth and ask Michael what was wrong with Kyle, when he took her hand and gave it a warning squeeze. He leaned down and whispered in her ear, “In a few moments I’m gonna tell you to run outside. Just straight out to the jeep, okay?”

Maria just nodded, puzzled. She didn’t understand it a bit, but if he wanted her to run, she would run.

“Michael, is this decision not important enough for you?” Max asked his friend, obviously irked at not receiving the full attention of the group.

Michael just looked at Max innocently and shrugged. Out of the corner of her eyes Maria could see Kyle silently beginning to count with his fingers. On three Michael suddenly lunged forward, snatched the car keys out of Max’ hand and shouted, “Now! Go!” He ran to the front door, pulling Maria outside with Kyle and Tess hot on their heels.

The door softly clicked shut, and the four remaining teens speechlessly looked at each other for a minute while the sound of the jeeps roaring engine faded away in the distance.

“Well, I guess that’s decided, then,” Alex dryly remarked.


~TBC

Ginger: Lol, stealing the jeep . . . It was just a little prank among friends. Thank you.

Eve: Yes, they "borrowed" the jeep, but the others are not without a car. They still have Alex' Toyota to get to the party.

About what Michael is hiding . . . One of your guesses is halfway right. I'm not telling you which, though.

Author's note: The song used in this chapter is Katy Perry's "Teenage Dream". None of the song belongs to me.

Chapter Four – Dance with somebody

Maria laughed, exhilarated at the success of their little coup. She turned around from where she was sitting in the shotgun seat and grinned at Tess who was huddled close to Kyle in the back. The top of the jeep was down and the cold night air was blowing their loose hair around their heads in billowing clouds. Maria glanced at Michael. He was in the driver’s seat, confidently leading the vehicle through the outskirts of town, a broad smirk on his face.

“That wasn’t the first time you stole Max’ car, was it?” she asked. This had gone way too smoothly in her opinion.

He risked an amused glance in her direction before concentrating on the road again. “How d’you figure?”

At the same time Kyle leaned forward and rested his elbows on the back of her seat. He said, “Naw, we’ve done it a couple of times now.” And with a quick grin at Michael, he added, “It’s a wonder we can still catch Evans off guard with this. You’d think he would’ve learned his lesson by now.”

“Maybe he lets you do it on purpose, so he can bore you to death with the lecture you’re going to get when we meet up again,” Tess pondered.

The boys shared an apprehensive look in the back mirror. “Crap,” they said in unison.

Tess laughed and looked at Maria. “You’d think they would’ve learned their lesson by now,” she mocked. Then she shivered and scooted closer to Kyle again. He immediately took her in his arms and started rubbing the exposed skin of her shoulders. In the rush of their departure neither of the girls had thought to bring a jacket or their purses.

“Are you cold, Tessie? Do you want my jacket?” Kyle asked his girlfriend. Maria found his concern rather touching.

Tess gratefully accepted the offer and was soon securely wrapped in Kyle’s jacket and his arms.

Michael, who had also been following the exchange, quickly looked over at Maria, taking in the gooseflesh covering every inch of her arms and legs. “You’re cold, too,” he accused.

Maria almost rolled her eyes at this. “Yes, I am,” she simply answered. Because I am wearing this ridiculous dress to impress you, you moron.

Michael did roll his eyes at her answer and began to pull over, completely ignoring Kyle, who asked, “Man, Guerin, why are you stopping?”

“You’re going to catch a cold,” Michael said when he pulled the car to a stop. He unbuckled his seat belt and began to take off his black leather jacket.

“And what makes you think you won’t? Wearing nothing but a t-shirt?” She muttered under her breath when she took the jacket from him, noticing how his skin had broken out in goosebumps the second the cold night air had reached his skin. He ignored her and pulled back out on the road.

If she was being honest, she hadn’t wanted him to take off his jacket, though she was freezing in her flimsy dress. He had looked a little better over the last couple of days so apparently he had gotten a little sleep since Tuesday. But she was still worried about his health and he still refused to talk about anything remotely related to his near complete exhaustion. He just clammed up whenever she broached the subject or he changed the topic. And she had had plenty of opportunities to try to coax him into talking this past week, because he had continued to pick her up for school in the morning and drop her off again at night.

Amy was mortally curious about “that boy” and it had been a close call more than once for Maria to avoid interrogation by her mother these past days. Though her mom had infinite trust in her daughter’s assessment of people, she wanted to meet this peculiar boy who had taken such an instant like to her “baby”. Consequently, her requests for Maria to invite him over to dinner had been getting more and more vehement throughout the week.

Maria covertly watched him out of the corner of her eyes. It was highly doubtful how he would take such an invitation. He’ll probably turn around and run. And if he doesn’t . . . The thought of an entire evening of witnessing tight-lipped Michael only responding in monosyllabic answers to Amy’s nosy questions sent cold shivers of horror down her spine. Now there’s an uncomfortable notion if there ever was one. She shuddered again and huddled deeper into the cozy depths of the leather jacket.

Michael threw her a questioning look and began, “Are you still co-“

“OOH, I love this song!” Tess interrupted him from the back seat. She bounced up and down on the bench and reached forward to turn the radio up, filling the jeep with the first beats of a popular pop song. She formed an imaginary microphone with her hands, shook out her curls and started to launch into the first verse along with the singer.
She held the micro out to her boyfriend, who looked at her, puzzled. At her threatening glare he hesitantly began to join in the song. Maria’s brows almost met her hairline in surprise when she discovered that he knew every word of the lyrics. He just shrugged at her and blushed a little, bravely continuing to sing along to the music.
“Come on, guys!” Tess shouted excitedly, slapping Michael lightly on the shoulder. “Sing along!” And with a wink at Maria she added, “I know you want to.”

“No way am I singing to this pop crap,” he muttered, stoically looking straight ahead.

“Stop being so grouchy,” Maria told him before turning around in her seat and loudly joining the other two.
She caught Michael’s eye when he briefly glanced in her direction. With his nose slightly reddened from the cold and the long hair flying in the wind, he had a faint resemblance to a very grumpy Santa Clause. Well, the model version of Santa; minus the beard, the red coat and the bag full of presents. She wondered if he had any idea how fitting the words of the song were for how she felt about him. So she sang the words she didn’t dare to tell him to his face.
At this point Kyle lunged into a fervent solo performance, half-dancing in his seat while shaking his head wildly and playing the air guitar with total abandon. He loudly sang the next verse with his eyes closed and didn’t notice Michael pulling onto the field that was being used as a parking lot in front of the old factory.
The laughter that erupted around him made him open his eyes, a horrified expression replacing the look of dreamlike passion as he took in the bunch of people standing near the jeep in the parking lot. His mouth opened and closed a few times, but no words escaped. This made him look remarkably like a really big fish, and Maria and Tess laughed out loud at the sight.

“Come on, Katy,” Michael teased. “Get out of the car.” He jumped out of his seat and closed the door behind himself.

Just then Alex’ grey Toyota pulled up beside them. The others quickly scrambled out of the jeep, not to be caught in close proximity with exhibit A – the stolen car - by Max, the lawyer’s son.

The others exited the smaller car and Max came to stand opposite from Michael, arms crossed and a thunderous expression on his face, complete with an angry vertical furrow on his forehead.

Impressive, Maria thought. He looks like a father that’s about to lecture his good-for-nothing son.

But Michael didn’t budge in this silent battle of wills. He just smirked, shrugged once and held the keys out to his friend. “I know, Maxwell,” he said, “There’s a difference between right and wrong, and I will never know it.” His tone took on a hint of bitter resignation, the earlier lightheartedness gone. “Stealing is bad, got it. Spare me the lecture, I won’t do it again.”

There was an undercurrent to the words that Maria couldn’t quite make sense of.

When Max took the keys he opened his mouth as if to say something, but Michael cut him off in a low voice.
“Leave it be,” he said. Then he turned to the building and raised his voice to address the whole group. “Lets go, people. There’s a party to attend to.”

The others started to follow him in the direction of the old factory. It was a huge solitary building the size of a small football stadium, flanked by a few side barracks that stood deserted in the dark. Judging by the number of cars in the parking lot, there were already a good many people inside the building. Groups of teens still stood chatting by their cars or made their way to the entrance. Through the closed doors they could hear the screeching of electric guitars and the dull pounding of too loud basses. There were no windows, so the only light illuminating the ground before their feet came from the faint glow of the desert stars.

Maria had let herself fall behind the others and could now see Michael waiting beside the entry, leaning against a post in his usual manner, arms crossed and face indifferent. He let his friends pass by him, but when she approached, he straightened up.

“Wait,” he said to her.

“What is it?” she asked, curious. What could he want now? His moods changed so fast it was hard for her to keep up sometimes.

He held his hand out to her. “Come with me.” His eyes held a gleam that she found intriguing, but also slightly disconcerting.

After a moment’s hesitation she took his hand and let herself be pulled along behind him towards the corner of the building.

As soon as they rounded the corner, his mouth was on hers, his body pushing her into the outer wall of the factory building. She could feel the cold hardness of the stones pressing into her back and, in contrast, the feverish heat of his skin radiating through his shirt where his front was plastered to hers.

She was so caught off guard that she didn’t respond to his kiss at all, at first.

He realized her lips were slack beneath his and pulled back at once, uncertain. His face was once again transformed into that obscure mask she began to know so well, hiding all emotion.

When she had recovered from this sudden approach, she reached up and took his face into her hands, forcing him to look into her eyes and thus preventing him from pulling away completely. “You just took me by surprise,” she whispered, stroking his cheekbones with her thumbs. “Come back here.”

His expression softened in response and he lowered his head again, sliding his arms around her waist under the jacket and drawing her close to his body.

She interlaced her fingers behind his neck and pulled him to her, guiding his mouth to settle onto hers once more. And then he was kissing her. His lips were soft and firm at the same time and she could feel all his warmth and passion and want, so much want.

The intensity of it was making her slightly dizzy and she was responding eagerly to his kiss, holding him to her with all her might while opening herself to be taken over completely by him. His tongue touched hers, velvety smooth and warm in her mouth, exploring and teasing. His arms pulled her even closer, and she could feel his heart against her chest, beating out of control in a stuttering rhythm. Or maybe it’s mine.

He gentled the kiss at last, and after a final soft touch of his lips he drew back, panting a little. She smiled up at him dazedly, her arms still securely locked around his neck. Wow.

“I’ve wanted to do this since Monday,” he said in a low voice, one corner of his mouth pulled up in a half-smirk.

“I’ve wanted you to do this since Monday,” she replied, reaching up for another kiss.

This one was slower, gentler. She laid all the tenderness she felt for him into the kiss, slowly exploring him while her hands wandered down over his shoulders to rest on his chest.

For a while she reveled in the firm give of his muscles under her fingertips, fascinated by the promise of the raw strength held tightly in check by his iron control. She shuddered briefly at the thought of what would happen if he ever lost control of his temper and this power was to be released. She pressed herself even closer to him.

He tightened his arms in response and broke the kiss, looking down on her. “We should go inside. It’s cold,” he said with a hint of regret.

She reluctantly agreed and removed her arms from around his neck, only to slip her right hand into his left, making him smile.

They returned to the entrance of the building and entered.

*****

When they came to stand in the huge front hall of the former factory, Maria was momentarily overwhelmed by the atmosphere. There were bodies gyrating to the music and bright lights everywhere, the music so loud that conversation was next to impossible. Of course that might have been because they were standing directly in front of one of the huge loudspeakers someone had positioned around the room. The power of the basses was like a physical force pushing into her body from all sides, making the floor underneath her feet vibrate.

She gripped Michael’s hand harder.

He tightened his grasp in response and pulled her a little aside to a small alcove generated by a few steel pillars. Here the music was still loud, but not quite deafening anymore.

He leaned down and spoke into her ear to be heard over the noise. “D’you want something to drink?”

She just nodded, finding the effort needed to make a vocal response too great to undertake at the moment.

He led her a little further into the building, through a doorway and into an adjoining production hall nearly as large as the other. He pointed to the farthest corner, and when she followed the direction of his arm, she spotted all of their friends standing in a tight circle, engaged in animated conversation.

Michael came to stand closely behind her and leaned down to speak into her ear once more. His hot breath against her neck made it difficult for her to concentrate on what he was saying. It took a conscious effort to ignore the physical effects he was having on her body and to make sense of the words he was saying.
“Go over to them,” he said. “I’ll get us something to drink and then I’ll be right there.” He turned her around and took her by the shoulders. “Don’t go anywhere alone, okay?” he urged.

“I won’t,” she promised. As if I’d have the nerve. She recognized a few faces of the teens around her from school, but most of them were strangers to her.

He nodded once, then he flashed her a smile and bent down to briefly press his lips against hers. When she had gathered her wits enough to open her eyes again, he was already gone, vanished into the crowd of people.

She dreamily smiled as she made her way through the dancers to reach the others. Who would have thought that Michael Guerin was such a great kisser? I certainly had no idea. If I had, I probably would’ve dragged him into the infamous eraser room and never let him out once this week. Terrible thing that would’ve done to my attendance record. She smirked.

“Hey, girl, what are you grinning about?” Tess teased when Maria finally reached her friends.

“Nothing,” Maria answered, hoping very much the others couldn’t see the flush she felt creeping up her cheeks.

“Where’s Michael?” Isabel pointedly asked.

“Um,” Maria hesitated, squirming under the other girls’ knowing look. “He’s getting us drinks.”

“What took you so long outside?” Max asked, ignorantly.

“Max!” Liz chided, jamming her elbow into his side to shut him up.

He winced and looked at her, confused. “What?”

Tess rolled her eyes and took Maria by the arm, dragging her into the direction of what passed as the dance floor. “Come on, girls,” she shouted to the others, “Let’s dance!”

Maria let herself be towed away from the boys, acutely aware of the fact that Tess would start her interrogation as soon as she found either enough breath to talk above the music or a quieter place to trap Maria and start her twenty questions. If she was being honest, she even wanted to tell Tess about what had happened with Michael outside, wanted to have a little girl time in which to gossip about the boys. But for now she just let all that slip aside and got lost in the music with her friends.

*****

“So, girl, spill!” Tess demanded when they finally left the dance floor to take a little break. She absentmindedly wiped the sweat off her forehead with the back of her hand.

The air in the factory building was hot from the many moving bodies and every one of the four girls was flushed from dancing.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Maria smiled innocently at Tess and glanced briefly in the direction of the boys. Michael and the others were still standing in the same corner on the far side of the room, talking and slightly nodding their heads to the music.

When Michael had returned with their drinks earlier, Maria had walked over to return his jacket and take a sip of the cherry coke he had offered her. Then she had headed back to Tess, Liz and Isabel, all the time feeling his eyes on her back. He hadn’t stopped watching her since.

“Oh, come on, Maria, we’re not stupid,” Liz laughed, following the example of Isabel and Tess by turning and looking at Michael.

He was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, dark and aloof, every now and again making a curt remark to the other boys, who were immersed in conversation beside him. When he noticed the four girls watching him, he briskly turned away. From the distance it looked to Maria like the tips of his ears had turned a faint pink.

She smiled and turned back to the girls. “He kissed me,” she said in a casual tone.

“What?” Isabel asked, incredulous.

“Ha!” Tess said triumphantly, turning to face Liz and Isabel. “I told you!”

Liz kindly smiled at Maria. “I’m happy for you,” she said. “How was it?”

Three pairs of eyes locked on Maria, two curious, one critical. The scrutiny made her slightly uncomfortable. “Um, it was nice,” she evaded.

“Just nice?” Tess asked doubtfully. “Then he did it wrong,” she teased.

“He didn’t do it wrong,” Maria answered indignantly, defensive on his behalf. “Actually, if he had done it any more right, I would have fainted on the spot.”

Tess smirked. “Then you’re together now, right?” she asked.

“Well . . .” Maria said, glancing over at where he was standing across the room. “I guess.”

“You guess?” Tess repeated skeptically. “Huh. Well, I guess he isn’t really great at expressing his feelings, the big boor. He’s always been like that. Right, Izzy?”

But Isabel wasn’t paying attention anymore. She was staring over at where a girl had joined the boys in the corner. She had long, red hair and was wearing very tight jeans.

I wonder how she can still walk in those, Maria thought. “Who’s that?” she asked.

“That’s Pam Troy,” Liz, who had also followed Isabel’s gaze, answered. “Isn’t she the one that goes to every concert of The Whits, Izzy?” she asked.

The Whits, Maria had learned, was Alex’ indie-rock band, semi-professional but very popular among the students of West Roswell High. Especially the girls, apparently.

“Uh-huh,” Isabel confirmed.

While they were watching, Pam moved inconspicuously closer to Alex. Now she laughed at something he had said and threw her long hair back, batting her eyelashes at him flirtatiously. Oh, please, Maria thought, obvious much?

Alex kindly smiled at Pam and involved her in the conversation.

“I need a drink,” Isabel suddenly said, then turned around and vanished into the crowd.

Maria uncertainly glanced after her. “Shouldn’t we follow her?”

“Let her cool off first,” Tess answered, unworried. “She’s a little oversensitive where Alex is concerned.”

Maria shared a doubtful look with Liz. “If you say so,” she said.

“Yes, I say so.” Tess rolled her eyes. “Let’s go back to the point where you were about to describe the almost-faint-worthy kiss you shared with Michael in excruciating detail,” she said with a gleam in her eyes.

“Tess!” Maria said in exasperation.

*****

A while later - Maria, Liz and Tess had returned to the dance floor - there was still no sign of Isabel. Maria had grown gradually more worried throughout the past half hour. She didn’t feel comfortable with knowing the tall blonde girl to be left by herself, even if there were people everywhere around. Or maybe that’s exactly why. Some of the people around them where students from their High School, but many seemed to be older, maybe the age of college students.

Maria had learned from past experience to be wary of strangers. She knew how dangerous it could be for a girl to be alone in an unfamiliar environment. She noticed Alex sweeping the room with his eyes again, searching for Isabel. He had grown more restless in the last minutes since he had noticed her absence.

Maria decisively faced Liz and Tess and said, “I’m going to search for Isabel. She shouldn’t be alone here.”

Tess sighed then nodded reluctantly. “Maybe you’re right. I’m gonna tell the boys.”

“I’ll help you look,” Liz said to Maria.

“Thanks,” she answered. She motioned to Michael that she and Liz were going to move around for a while. He narrowed his eyes, but nodded.

Then Maria took Liz’ hand to prevent them losing each other in the crowd and ducked through the doorway into the next room.

*****

After they had searched every corner of the building twice, Maria and Liz finally decided to make a quick sweep of the grounds surrounding the factory.

After that, it didn’t take long to locate Isabel.

When they rounded the corner they not only found their friend, they almost fell over her. Isabel, usually tall and intimidating, was huddled against the cold stone of the building’s outer wall, at the moment resembling nothing so much as a lost puppy.

“Izzy!” Liz exclaimed and dropped down to her knees beside the blonde.

Isabel raised her head from where it had been resting on her knees. When the pale light illuminated her features, Maria and Liz could see the thin sheen of sweat that covered her face, the skin a sickly green color.

“Oh my god, Isabel, what happened to you?” Maria asked and crouched down in front of the other girl to get a better look at her.

“I’m . . . I’m not feeling so good,” Isabel mumbled and let her head sink back down on her knees.

“Isabel!” Liz shouted, panicked at seeing her friend like this. She took her by the shoulders and began to shake her roughly. “Isabel!”

“Liz!” Maria intercepted her by laying a hand on her arm. “Stop that. She’s not sick,” she said with certainty.

For when Liz had been shaking Isabel, Maria had caught a very distinct smell coming from the blonde girl. Now she knew exactly what was wrong, all right. “She’s drunk off her ass.”

“What?!” Liz asked, incredulous. She fixed an accusing glare at Isabel, all concern evaporated. “Iz, what did you do?”

Isabel answered into her knees, not bothering to raise her head again. Maria thought she heard the words “Alex” and “slut” somewhere in the mumbled response.

“Are you trying to tell us that you got drunk because some skank talked up Alex?”

Isabel’s muffled reply could be taken as affirmation, if one was so inclined. Maria was. She shared a concerned look with Liz.

“Izzy,” the brunette girl said while softly stroking her friend’s lowered head. “No guy’s worth that. Not even Alex.”

“I know that!” Isabel answered, suddenly furious. Then she turned her head to the side and was violently sick.

Maria clutched her by the shoulders while Liz held back her hair, both girls desperately trying to help their friend as best as they could. When the retching finally subsided, Maria came to a decision.

“Liz, give me the car keys,” she ordered.

“Which one?” Liz asked, thoroughly confused. Then she shook her head and came to her senses. “Maria, you can’t leave! How are we supposed to get home with only one car?”

“I’m not going to leave without you.” Maria replied, getting impatient while she tried to help Isabel stand up against the wall. “But we need to get Izzy home. Give me the keys to the Toyota and I’ll get her settled in the car while you round up the others. Okay?”

“Are you sure?” Liz’ doubtful gaze wandered from Isabel’s statuesque figure to Maria’s much smaller form.

“Yes, I am,” she replied resolutely and slung one of Izzy’s arms over her shoulder. Then she wordlessly held her hand out to Liz, palm up.

“Okay . . .” Liz hesitantly began to dig through the contents of her purse, now and again glancing up at the unresponsive Isabel who was leaning heavily on the smaller blonde. Finally she retrieved the key with a small sound of triumph and let it drop into Maria’s hand.

“Thanks,” Maria said. “Now hurry!”

Liz scurried away, but couldn’t resist throwing a last worried glance over her shoulder before rounding the corner.

Maria looked after her then she purposefully tightened her grip around Isabel’s waist and said, “Let’s go.”

She didn’t expect a response from the lifeless form beside her, which was good, because she didn’t get one.

The place where they had left the cars was only a few hundred yards away, but with the additional weight of Isabel, the distance seemed to stretch on forever. Maria dragged her across the rocky ground, slowly and carefully, while supporting most of the other girl’s weight. The uneven ground, combined with her strappy high heels, turned mere walking into a rather dangerous undertaking, even without the added ballast. Her ankles wobbled precariously with every step until finally, after only a few paces, she stopped. This will gain me nothing besides two broken ankles. God, Isabel, did you have to be so stupid?

Maria came to a decision. If she wanted to make it to the car, she was going to have to part with her shoes, at least temporarily. Her anger and annoyance at the tall blonde girl clinging to her shoulders flared up again. She couldn’t understand Isabel’s actions, couldn’t comprehend what the other girl had wanted to achieve by getting drunk as a skunk. As if that would make Alex want her more. Quite the opposite, if anything. It hadn’t even looked that serious between Alex and the red haired girl, they had just been talking from what Maria had seen. In her opinion, Isabel had thoroughly overreacted.

Maria tried to raise her left foot while still trying to hold her friend upright, but that turned out to be impossible without loosing her balance. She briefly considered dumping Isabel on her ass, but was afraid she would never be able to get her up again.

“Iz!” she said insistently, lightly shaking the other girl. “Can you stand on your own for a second? I need to take off my shoes.”

An unintelligible mumble was the only verbal response, but Maria felt a considerable amount of weight being taken off her shoulders as Isabel straightened and stood, if swaying precariously, on her own feet.

Maria swiftly removed her black sandals and regretfully dropped them on the ground, needing both of her hands to support Isabel. She once again grabbed her around the waist and they made their way over to the cars, now with a slightly better foothold.

After a laborious march they finally arrived at the dirt field that served as a parking lot. Maria was now puffing under the strain and had broken out in a sweat. Isabel, of course, suffered from no such vexations.
When they reached the Toyota, Maria leaned Isabel against the car like a rather ornamental piece of furniture and unlocked the door, all the while keeping an eye on her friend in case she suddenly decided to keel over. But, Maria ascertained, she looked a little better now. Her eyes were open and focused and she was able to keep herself in an upright position, albeit with the help of the car.

But she still looks as though she’s about to hurl. Well, there’s no help for that now, Maria thought while she helped Isabel to fold her long legs into the back seat. She got in after her and quickly opened both windows to let the fresh, cool night air fill the car and maybe help prevent Isabel from puking all over the interior.

Where are the others? Maria felt a little helpless. She didn’t have much experience with drunk people and she didn’t know quite what to do to help her friend. “How are you feeling?” she softly asked and touched Isabel’s shoulder.

“Like hell,” came the subdued reply. The other girl was leaning against the door, her hands were clenched around the opening of the window and her head hung outside. Her eyes were shut tight and her lips compressed into a thin line in an obvious effort not to loose her stomach. “Max and Michael will kill me.”

“No, they won’t,” Maria tried to soothe her. “They’ll probably be angry at first, but then they’ll be glad you’re okay. Alex, too.”

At the last words Isabel’s head snapped up and she regarded Maria with an angry expression.

Uh-oh. Big mistake, Deluca.

“You don’t know anything about Alex!” Isabel hissed. Obviously, needing an outlet, all of her sudden anger directed at the girl beside her.

Maria shrank away from the furious girl, taken aback and confused by her outburst.

“You don’t know anything about any of us!” Isabel shouted. “Not about me, or Alex, and especially not about Michael!” Now that she had begun, Isabel didn’t seem to be able to stop herself. The words left her mouth in a rush, getting louder by the second. “You have been here for what, a week? And you pretend that you belong to us, that we are friends, but we’re not. So stop following us everywhere!” After a little pause she added in a nasty tone, “You’re not one of us.” She huffed angrily and reverted to her earlier position, turning her back on Maria.

Maria just sat there, unmoving, unable to form a response. Her heart hammered in her chest in shock and she felt quite sick, herself, at the moment. The hurtful words of the other girl repeated over and over in her head, forming an endless echo of humiliation in the back of her mind. You’re not one of us . . . not one of us . . . one of us . . . of us . . .

Her face flushed hot at the realization that she had indeed spent most of last week with the members of this little group of friends. She had eaten her lunch at their table and passed her afternoons working in the CrashDown. Is this what they all secretly think? Am I just an annoying little girl they allow to tag along because they don’t want to be rude? They say that drunk people always tell the truth. At least now I know what Isabel thinks about me. She rubbed her upper lip, swallowing hard. Even after just a few days she had already considered the others her friends. It hurt that maybe they weren’t feeling quite the same way about her. The thoughts were spinning in her head, it was hard to concentrate.

Just then she looked out of her window and spotted the others hurrying in their direction. Thank god! She just wanted to go home, crawl into her bed and maybe cry a little.

Maria spied Max approaching the cars with a worried expression. Liz must have filled them in on what happened. When he saw Maria sitting in the back of Alex’ car with his sister, he turned and, after a short shout, tossed his keys to Michael. Michael caught them with a smirk and leaned around Max to give Maria a questioning look that said Are you okay?

She replied with a shaky smile and a little wave then followed him with her eyes as he joined Liz, Kyle and Tess in the jeep.

Max had ripped open the front door and now entered the car, immediately turning to his sister. “Iz?” he asked and reached for her shoulder.

Isabel didn’t stir from her position at the window, but gave a little grunt in acknowledgement. Alex had slid in behind the steering wheel and now also regarded Isabel with a worried glance.

“How bad is it?” he asked Maria in a quiet voice.

“She’ll be okay. She’s just dead drunk,” she tried to reassure them. Since Isabel had been more or less coherent just a few minutes before, she wasn’t so worried about possible alcohol poisoning anymore. “She just needs to sleep it off, I think,” she added. Then, with a glance at the jeep, she asked, “Can Michael still drive?” She hadn’t kept track of what he had been drinking throughout the evening, but had seen Kyle with a bottle of beer earlier, so she knew there had been alcohol available somewhere.

“Michael doesn’t drink,” Max absentmindedly replied while still watching his sister.

Alex started the car and got in line with the other vehicles leaving the field. It was getting late, or rather early, and the parking lot was rapidly clearing.

Maria was just about to buckle her seat belt, when a thought hit her. “Wait!” she shouted, grabbing the backs of the front seats in a death grip.

Alex, startled, slammed on the breaks, which resulted in a loud, resentful honking from the car behind them.
“What? What is it?” Alex asked confusedly.

“I forgot my shoes! I’ve got to get them! Wait here for me!” Maria said and hurriedly left the car before any of the guys could respond.

*****

When Maria reached the spot where she had dropped her shoes, she was relieved to find the strappy high heels still lying in the dirt. After all, who would steal shoes of all things? But you never know . . . She swiftly dusted off her feet and put the sandals back on. Then she started back to the parking lot as fast as she could, awkwardly hobbling over the bumpy ground.

*****

In the Toyota, Max had impatiently been staring after Maria’s receding back. After a quick assessing look at his sister, who was now laying sprawled flat across the back seat, he said, “Alex?”

“Hm?” his friend replied, watching Isabel in the back mirror.

“We need to get Izzy home before my parents get back, or else she’ll be grounded till she’s thirty.” And with a reproachful look he added, “And me, too, for not looking after her.”

Alex doubtfully looked in the direction Maria had vanished. How long could it take to get a pair of shoes? And who leaves their shoes in the middle of the desert, anyway? “What about Maria?” he asked.

Max also peered out of his window, scanning the night for any sign of the small blonde girl. “She can ride with Michael,” he finally decided. “She’ll just have to squeeze in with the others. Really, Alex, we need to go, now!” he urged.

Alex, still hesitant, restarted the car and followed the stream of vehicles out onto the road leading back into town.

Neither of them had noticed that their friends in the jeep had already left the parking lot.

~TBC

Ginger: Thank you for feedbacking! No, that certainly wasn't the nicest way to thank Maria But Isabel was drunk, and she was . . . well, Isabel. Rest assured that the Evanses are not the evil guys in this story. They're just slightly self-centered and . . . misguided, shall we say?

Moomin: Thanks for the feedback. Yes, that was just a horrible chain of misunderstandings and coincidences. You could be right about Isabel's motives, and of course her outburst was totally unjustified.

Being left alone at night would freak anyone out, I think, so let's see how well Maria handles the situation.

Knight in shining armor, eh? Lol, that's what I was going for. Think he will come to the rescue?

Thank you! I know that most of the readers here are dreamers, so I was a little nervous about posting this fic on RF. There's going to be bits and pieces of the other couples now and then.



Chapter Five – Save me, Cinderella

After hurrying over the uneven ground as fast as she could, Maria finally returned to the parking lot. With surprise she noticed that most of the cars had already left and the few people that remained were preparing to take off. Huh. The party is obviously over.

She skimmed the field before her in search of Alex’ Toyota. When she didn’t detect it immediately, a faint sense of unease began to build in the pit of her stomach. She felt her heartbeat increasing, but fought down the growing panic and walked a few steps further onto the field. She turned around in a circle, looking, searching for any trace of the old grey car or maybe even the jeep. But there was none.

They left me. Oh, God, they left me.

The remaining cars pulled out onto the road while she was standing there rooted to the spot, fighting the realization that she was indeed standing alone in the desert at night with no way to contact anyone. She vaguely thought that maybe she ought to stop one of the strange cars and try to catch a ride with someone else, but she couldn’t make herself move or even cry out. Her lungs felt like someone had wound a leather belt around her chest and pulled it tight with all his might. Too tight. The vision blurred before her eyes as she struggled to draw breath.

You’re having a panic attack. So that’s what it feels like.

One car, a huge dark thing, was still standing not twenty yards from her in the deserted parking lot. Surrounding it were four young men. They looked older than high school students, more threatening. While she was still struggling to get herself back under control, one of them, a tall, dark haired man with the stature of a bodybuilder and a leering face, made a remark to his friends. They all erupted in laughter. Turning to her he took a step in her direction.

In the dark Maria was reminded very strongly of another night and another man, stalking her. Hunting her. Don’t think about that now, Maria, or you’ll lose it completely. The fear clawed at her as he approached another step. She slowly backed off.

When the heel of her left foot caught on a stone it sent her tumbling backwards, landing in an undignified heap on the ground. The man was coming closer now. He was reaching out with his hand and talking to her, but the sound of her own blood rushing in her ears, pulsing in time with the frantic rhythm of her heartbeat, drowned out everything else. His face was the face of the hunter, coming for her to finish what he had begun almost half a year before.

Like the roiling waves of a storm-troubled sea, the memories of that night clashed together over her, pulling her under. She scrambled to her feet and fled into the desert.

*****

“Aw, come on, M, that guy is totally in love with you!”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Seanie,” Maria laughed. “I haven’t even talked to him for five minutes!” she added exasperatedly and linked arms with her cousin.

It was late and they were walking home after a party at the house of one of their friends from school. The night breeze was still warm enough and they had decided not to take the Jetta since it was only a few minutes by foot to Amy’s house. The neighborhood lay quiet, with the sound of their bantering the only noise, and the deserted street lit only by the glow of the full moon and the sporadic lights of the street lamps.

“Trust me on this, M,” Sean said and squeezed her arm with a conspiratorial wink in her direction. “I’ve seen the way he looked at you. The man’s a goner.”

“I’m surprised you noticed anything besides Patty Austen’s tonsils tonight,” she snorted. “So tell me, my dear cousin, is it true what they say about tongue piercings?”

He laughed. “Well, it was an interesting experience and I’ll not say I didn’t enjoy it. But all in all,” he added, “not worth the trouble of letting someone prick you with a lancet and risk possible mutilation, I’d say.” He shuddered briefly at the thought and turned a stern look at her. “Don’t you ever let me catch you with any holes pierced into your skin.”

“Please,” she rolled her eyes, “as if I’d even let anyone come near me with a sharp object. So,” she said with a curious glance at her cousin. “You’ll not see her again?”

“Who? Patty?” he asked. “Naw,” he said with a mischievous grin while he let go of her arm and turned to walk backwards in front of her, spreading his hands out to the sides. “This man wasn’t created for just one woman. Let the others have their chance at enjoying the Deluca body, too!”

She laughed out loud and lightly punched him in the stomach, making him double over and exhale his breath in a rush. “You’re so full of yourself!”

“That’s why you love me!” he grinned, draping his arm over her shoulders and pulling her close.

They rounded the corner and stopped short. A couple of yards away from them stood four men, dressed in black. The way they were handling themselves broadcasted a distinctly dangerous intent; a threat of violence. Everything in Maria screamed at her to run, to take Sean’s hand and run as fast as they could. But it was already too late. When the dark quartet caught sight of Maria and Sean, they slowly advanced, spreading out like a pack of wolves ready to attack.

“Well, well, what do we have here?” the alpha male said. He was a tall man with a thick mop of black hair and bushy eyebrows which grew together over the root of a ridiculously small and pointed nose. Small, beady, black eyes observed his prey with unnerving intensity.

Sean had quickly and silently moved in front of Maria, shielding her from the leering stares of the men. She could feel his fingers painfully digging into her wrist where he held her in a death grip. She knew he was afraid. And so was she. Despite being tall and muscular for his age, it was quite obvious that Sean didn’t stand a chance against four grown men. She mentally counted the money left in her purse, resolutely pushing away the nagging fear at the edge of her consciousness that they could have something else on their minds; something worse than mere robbery.

“Looks like two little love birds to me, Poke,” a small, rat-faced fellow with dirty yellow hair answered, scrunching up his nose in a manner that intensified his rodent-like appearance significantly. “Come here to me, Sugar,” he leered at Maria, one hand reaching up to absentmindedly scratch a pimpled cheek. “I’ll show you a good time.”

Maria shuddered in response and pressed herself closer against Sean’s back. He briefly tightened his grip on her wrist in a silent promise that he wouldn’t let anything happen to her. Maria rather thought that he was in danger of being violated himself. The way two of them were eyeing him, she wasn’t altogether sure that female companionship was all they were after.

“Shut up,” alpha wolf said to rat face. “You’re scaring the lady.” He winked at Maria. “Right, Sweetheart?” Taking a step to the side, he reached a hand around Sean and tried to get a hold of her sleeve.

Sean instantly pushed her back and snarled, “Don’t you touch her!”

Alpha wolf emitted a barking laugh. “Did you hear that, guys? ‘Don’t I touch her’,” he mocked. While rat face sneered at that, the other two chuckled in a dense manner that made it quite apparent who the brain of this operation was; it wasn’t them.

Their leader advanced another threatening step and pushed Sean back by the shoulder with the confidence of a man that believed himself safe in numbers. “Well, maybe I’ll start with touching you first, pally, huh?” Never taking his eyes off Sean, he half-turned back to his companions. “What do you say, guys? Do you want to play?”

What Maria saw then made her blood run cold. For when rat face had taken a step forward, the cool night breeze had caught the tail of his shabby shirt and lifted it, thus revealing the rounded black handle of a gun jutting out of the waistband of his pants.

Judging from the stiffening of Sean’s shoulders, Maria thought he must have seen it, too. He took an inconspicuous step aside, pushing her a little closer to the corner they had so unsuspectingly rounded just a few minutes before.

Reaching behind himself, alpha wolf drew forward his hand in a fluid motion. The light of a nearby street lamp caught in the object he held in a flash of silver. A knife. He has a knife, she thought with a sickening roll of her stomach.

Things progressed very fast after that, but in the fashion of someone high on adrenaline, Maria was able to process the events as if they happened in slow motion, seeing everything, yet unable to interfere.

She felt Sean letting go of her wrist at the same time that she saw the other man raise his knife. His companions stood staring motionlessly at the scene unfolding before their eyes. Despite being unarmed and outnumbered, Sean lunged himself at the attacker, grabbing the hand holding the knife, trying to twist it to make the other man let go of his weapon. For a second they stood locked, the strained grunting of two men in a battle of power the only sounds. Maria could see a vein pulsing at the man’s neck, his face gone a deep purple red from exertion. Slowly, slowly Sean was gaining the upper hand, managing to aim the knife’s tip at his opponent and pushing it down, down, down until it almost touched the other man’s neck.

Alpha male emitted a strangled croaking sound, but managed to speak. “Restrain him, you idiots!” he forced out between clenched teeth.

Finally the others came out of their stupor and stepped into the fight. Rat face crossed his right forearm over Sean’s neck, cutting off his air supply and choking him while the other two each grabbed one of his arms to restrain him. Alpha wolf, now unhindered, advanced again, the knife’s tip descending on Sean’s face. Maria watched in horror as the sharp point came to rest just below his right eye. But instead of fixing his gaze on the attacker, her cousin locked eyes with her. In that short moment she could see all the love he felt for her shining in his eyes, and a fierce determination to protect her as best as he could. He would die for her, if necessary. He formed a silent command with his lips, then closed his eyes as if deep in concentration and kicked the man before him in the crotch with all his might.

Maria watched, frozen, as the dark man doubled over, uttering a violent swear, the knife clattering to the ground with a metallic clank. All four criminals were preoccupied with Sean now. Her brain took a moment to make sense of what he had wanted to tell her. Then it clicked. The word had been “Run!”

For one eternal second time stood still and she thought she couldn’t move, and nearly panicked. Then her feet took a slow step, and another, and another. And then she was around the corner, running. Running for her life and for Sean’s; for her sweet cousin who had sacrificed himself to give her a chance to escape. Her feet had taken her nearly half a block when rational thought returned. Help, I need help, she thought, and ran to the nearest door. Pounding on the thick wooden door, she constantly looked over her shoulder to see if she was being pursued, but the dark street was empty. So far.

“Help!” she shouted. “Please, I need help!” Torn between the urge to make herself heard and the crippling fear of drawing the attention of possible pursuers, her voice came out as a choked cry. Her hands were starting to sting from the pounding and her ragged breathing sounded impossibly loud to her own ears, but she heard the noise nonetheless. The sound of approaching footsteps on the gravel walk behind her.

She whirled around in panic, and there he was, not fifty yards away from her. The tall, dark man with the pointed nose and the feral smile, metal blade in hand and murder in his eyes. She turned and hammered at the door with renewed urgency “HELP ME!” she screamed.

“Now, now, sweetheart,” he chuckled in a low voice, slowly advancing in a threatening stalk. “You’ll wake the whole neighborhood. Come with me, I’ll take you back to your curly friend and we can have a nice talk, hm? I ain’t gonna hurt you,” he lied.

She applied another futile salve of thumps to the unyielding door, then pressed her back flat against it, as if she could flow to safety by sheer osmosis. “Leave me alone,” she whispered. Desperation washed over her when he came another step closer. There was nowhere to go for her, nowhere to hide and no one to help her. A sob escaped her.

“There’s no use in cryin’, sweetheart,” he said in a false soothing voice and an insane glint in his black eyes. “No one’s comin’ for you, you know? Might as well get it over with.”

He’s right, she thought while the tears streamed down her cheeks. No one’s coming.

The citizens of Albuquerque had bolted their homes against the creatures of the night and would not open them again.

*****

The jeep stood in the deserted parking lot in front of the CrashDown. They had just been dropping off Liz, and Michael was just about to start the car to make his way to the sheriff’s house, when his cell phone emitted an insistent ringing. He impatiently dug it out of his pants pocket and glanced at the caller ID. “It’s Max. Probably wondering what’s taking us so long,” he said. “Here, you talk to him,” he added and shoved his phone at Kyle in the shotgun seat.

Kyle tried to fend off the attempt, slapping the cell away. “Wha-? No!” He didn’t want to be the one explaining to Max how Michael had decided to test drive the jeep at full speed on the highway out of town. He, Kyle, had only waited at the sidelines and timed, while Tess stood beside him trying to stop a very annoyed Liz from calling her boyfriend. Michael, naturally, already saw himself as the next cross country rally champion.

“I can’t. I’m driving,” Michael said with an impish grin, turned the key and pulled out of the parking lot.

Kyle looked back at Tess with his best puppy dog look, seeking help, but she just shrugged and motioned for him to take the phone. Resignedly, he picked up. “Evans,” he greeted.

“Kyle, is that you? I wanted to talk to Michael.”

“Yeah, well, he’s busy,” Kyle answered with an annoyed sideways glance at his friend.

“Busy how?” Max asked. Then, “Never mind. Can you ask Maria what I should do with her purse? She left it here and I was wondering if she needs it right away or if it’s okay to drop it off tomorrow.”

“Maria?” Kyle asked with a puzzled frown. From the corner of his eye he saw Michael’s ears perk up at the name.

“Yes, Maria. You know, small, blonde, pretty? Michael’s girl. Can you just ask her?”

Kyle picked up on the slightly impatient undertone in Max’ voice, and with a rising feeling of impending doom and a glance to the left, Kyle answered, “Maria’s not here, Max.”

“What do you mean, she’s not there?” Max asked.

Suddenly the car swerved and Kyle barely had time to clutch the handle of the door. He heard Tess gasping behind him when the jeep came to an abrupt stop at the side of the road. The phone was snatched out of his grasp by Michael.

“Max, it’s Michael. What is all this talk about Maria?” he demanded.

Kyle couldn’t hear the answer on the other end of the line, but the expression on his best friend’s face grew more concerned by the second.

“What are you talking about?” Michael now inquired. “Last time I saw her she was sitting safe in the back of Alex’ car.” A long silence followed. “Maxwell? Max, talk to me this instant or I swear you’re never gonna see your jeep again!” he threatened and ran his fingers through his hair, his movements jerky.

There was a long and winding explanation on the other end, but Kyle couldn’t quite catch the words.

While he listened, Michael’s face underwent an alarming transformation from chalky white to furious red and back in seconds. “What do you mean, ‘you left her’?” he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

Kyle exchanged an appalled glance with Tess.

After listening to Max’ ramblings for a few seconds longer, Michael simply snapped the phone shut, slammed the car into gear and started back the way they had come at a breakneck speed, completely ignoring traffic rules and speed limits.

“What is it?” Kyle asked, taking hold of the door handle once more to steady himself. “Michael, what happened?”

There was no response from the rigid form behind the steering wheel, the tiny twitching muscle of his clenched jaw the only movement on his otherwise stony face. Michael was staring straight ahead, racing past the city limits with fierce determination.

Realizing the futility of trying to get Michael to talk, Kyle dug out his own phone and dialed. There was a click when someone picked up on the other end and he wasted no time before asking, “Max, what the hell happened?”

“We left Maria at the soap factory.”

“What?! Why?” Kyle asked incredulously.

“We wanted to get home fast and I thought she could ride with you.” Max said, sounding thoroughly wretched.

“Max, we were already gone before you even started the car.” Kyle ran a hand through his hair. He had difficulties wrapping his mind around the idea.

“I know that, now.” Max answered. “Oh, god, Kyle, we need to go get her!”

Kyle closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose with two fingers. “We’re already on our way. Talk to you later,” he replied curtly and hung up with a disbelieving shake of his head. Sometimes Max could be incredibly stupid. How could he just leave a girl alone in the desert in the middle of the night?

Michael’s thought process apparently ran along about the same lines. His eyes were blazing with furious rage and his foot pushed the gas pedal all the way down to the floor panel. He was strung tight as a bowstring, looking as though he was about to snap at the lightest touch.

“Michael, slow down,” Kyle urged. Michael ignored him. If anything, the jeep even accelerated. Kyle threw a worried glance back at Tess who was sitting quietly behind them, pale-faced and chewing her bottom lip.

The desert was swishing past them in a blur and they were rapidly nearing the area around the old factory building, but Michael was still going at a suicidal speed.

Kyle had enough. “For god’s sake, Michael,” he shouted, and said the only thing he thought would get through to his friend at this stage, “if she’s out on the street you’re gonna run her over! Now slow down!”

The car slowed considerably until they were going at a normal pace.

Michael relaxed his hold on the steering wheel with obvious effort. “You don’t understand, Kyle!” he said, the desperation and misery clearly audible in his voice. “I told her that she shouldn’t go anywhere by herself and then I left her alone. I left her!”

“Huh-uh, buddy,” Kyle denied and resolutely shook his head. “You don’t get to take this on your own shoulders.”

“But it is my fault!” Michael insisted.

Kyle sighed. “Let’s find her first, okay? We can split the blame later.” He turned in his seat and stared out through the windshield, scanning the street for any sign of Maria. He shuddered as he envisioned Michael’s reaction if they found her and she was hurt in any way. Decisively he shoved aside the thought of what would happen if they didn’t find her.

*****

Maria stood, looking up at the dark, empty building in front of her. After she had gotten a grip on her emotions and, with no little difficulty, fought down the panic, she had returned to the parking lot, but the last of the cars were long gone by now. The factory lay deserted.

She shivered. Without a jacket and in a dress that barely covered her to mid-thigh, there was nothing to protect her from the cold and creeping darkness of the night. Feeling alone and most awfully afraid, she turned to the street and began to walk, stumbling and floundering along the bumpy path that – hopefully – led to the street back to Roswell.

When she tripped over yet another well and almost fell face-down into the dirt, she cursed and, bending down, took off her shoes again to carry them in her hand and walk barefoot. After a few minutes she came upon the paved road she thought must lead her back home. How late is it, anyway? She knew without a doubt that Amy would raise heaven and hell if she didn’t make it home on time. A look up at the star-filled night sky told her nothing about the time. What did you expect, Deluca? You’re no damn sailor. And can sailors tell the time from the position of the stars, anyway? She snorted and began to walk, painfully aware of what she was trying to do. She was trying to take her mind off the fact that she was alone. She was alone and it was dark and she was scared. Well, that went well as far as distractions went. She internally rolled her eyes at herself.

How long did the drive out here take us? She really hadn’t paid any attention. Ten minutes at the most, right? Surely no more than twenty. She wondered how long it would take to walk the distance by foot. Though she still hadn’t given up hope completely that the others would come back, she wouldn’t bet any money on it. They had left her, plain and simple. Either as a joke or because they really didn’t give a damn about her. She crossed her arms around herself and squinted back the tears that wanted to surface at the thought.

Suddenly she could see headlights appearing in the distance, growing rapidly larger as the vehicle they were attached to neared. Michael! Her heart leapt in her chest, the first thought on her mind that he had come back to rescue her. Then her subconscious piped up in a very nasty tone, What if it isn’t him? What if it is the dark man? Dropping her shoes, she reached for a sturdy branch lying by the roadside.


The car was slowing, coming to a stop a short distance away from her. Her eyes, now adapted to the darkness of the desert, were momentarily blinded by the blazing brightness of the headlights. She heard the driver’s side door open, then a man stepped out of the car, his shape a black shadow outlined in white.

For a moment she had a vision of the alpha wolf, dark and dangerous, coming to get her. Then he spoke, and her knees went weak with relief.

“Maria, it’s me. Michael.”

She lost her grip on the club and it hit the pavement with a loud clatter. Then her legs gave way and she fell to her knees, shaking violently with cold and nerves, her arms hugged around her torso to keep herself from falling apart.

And then Michael was there. He knelt by her side and she felt his arms coming around her, enveloping her with his warmth. He hugged her tightly to his chest, whispering comforting reassurances into her ear and rocking her gently back and forth. She had her forehead pressed against his neck and tried to listen to his words, but there was an odd gasping noise that drowned out everything else, almost like sobbing. With a start she realized that the sound was coming from her, and she made herself stop with considerable effort. Now she could make sense of what he was saying. He was repeating the same words over and over while stroking her hair and back in a soothing rhythm.

“Shhh, it’s okay,” he whispered against her ear. “I got you. You’re safe now, you’re okay. I got you.”

Slowly the shaking subsided and she relaxed in his hold, suddenly too tired to move. They were still both kneeling in the middle of the street, but her limbs felt like lead weights and she just couldn’t make herself move out of his arms. Closing her eyes she snuggled into his embrace. She felt one of his arms sliding under her knees and then he effortlessly lifted her up and carried her to the jeep. Through the fog that seemed to envelop everything around her with a soft grey haze, she was dimly aware of two figures standing hand in hand beside the car, looking worried. Kyle and Tess, she was almost certain.

Michael helped her into the passenger seat, then reached over her to wrap her in his jacket and secured the seat belt.


The others also climbed back into the jeep and Michael slid behind the steering wheel beside her. When he reached for the key she remembered something and laid her cold hand on his warm one to stop him.

“My shoes,” she said, staring out of the windshield.

He looked puzzled for a moment, then followed her gaze to the two lonely black sandals lying abandoned in front of the car, the glow of the headlights like a spotlight illuminating two actors on stage.

“I’ll get them,” he said and quickly left the car. In a heartbeat he was back, dropping the shoes at her feet. Then glancing at her with a worried frown, he started the car and made a U-turn back to Roswell.

The drive was silent. Nobody spoke and Maria pulled her feet up on the seat, hugged her knees and rested her temple against the cool windowpane. She was too weary to talk, too tired to think and generally too exhausted to do anything besides sitting there and letting the desert pass by her in an endless flow of rocks and sand and darkness. She closed her eyes.

She must have dozed off, because the next thing she noticed was a warm hand on her shoulder and a low voice calling her name.

“Maria, wake up, you’re home.”

She opened her eyes and watched him. His brown eyes looked troubled and he was pale and still obviously very upset.

She glanced at the back seat, but it was empty. She fuzzily recalled Tess’ and Kyle’s mumbled words of farewell, but had been too far gone to react at the time.

“They’re gone,” Michael answered her unspoken thought. “I dropped them off first. I-“

She held up a hand to forestall him. “I can’t deal with this right now, Michael,” she said and sighed. “I’m tired. Good night.” She opened the door and stood swaying in the fresh night breeze, breathing deeply. Home. I’m home. She walked up the driveway and entered the house. The rooms were dark, asleep, but she knew her mother would still be awake in her bedroom, waiting for her to come home. She closed the door behind herself and went to the kitchen to check the digital clock of the microwave.

1:59 am.

*****

Michael watched her walk up the path leading to her house and vanish through the door. Turning back after she was gone, his eye caught on a small object looking out from under her seat. He leaned forward and fished it out of its hiding place. Holding it in his hand, he stared at it for a long time, unmoving. Then he gently and carefully put the delicate black shoe back down to lie next to its companion.

Crossing his arms he leaned forward to rest his forehead against the steering wheel. Then, still silent, he began to shake.


~TBC

Eve: Thanks for feedbacking. It really was a stupid mistake. One that will take time to fully get past for all of them. Max, Alex and Isabel acted irresposibly, and they are aware of that (well, mostly ) and will try to make amends with Maria.

Chapter Six – The choice

It was midmorning by the time Maria shuffled into the kitchen wearing her oldest pajamas, yellow cotton with koala bears printed on the front, feet clad in giant fluffy slippers the shape of penguins. Though still half asleep, she was feeling surprisingly rested. The nightmares that had plagued her since last fall had been absent all week. In fact, she hadn’t dreamt at all, which she supposed was good under the circumstances.

“Good morning, honey,” her mom greeted Maria when she caught sight of her somewhat wrinkled daughter, placing a plate of fresh waffles on the kitchen table.

“Morning, mom,” Maria mumbled, letting herself fall into one of the chairs and grabbing a cup of coffee.

Amy placed the last items on the table and sat down to join her daughter for the traditional Deluca Sunday breakfast, which usually consisted of lots of fats and sugars and the exchange of detailed stories of their week. She made herself comfortable in her chair and began her interrogation with barely concealed curiosity. “Did you sleep well?”

So she starts with an innocent question. Very clever. As if I didn’t know she’s literally dying to hear every detail about the party. “Uh-huh,” Maria answered, busying herself with stirring her coffee and avoiding her mother’s eye.

“So, how was the party?”

Maria almost laughed at her mother’s impatience. “It was okay.” Then, pulling her plate closer, she began munching away on her waffles in hopes of getting her mother to drop the subject. “These are really good,” she muttered with her mouth full, gesturing at the waffles before her with the fork.

“Oh, Maria, I know you don’t think you get away with ‘It was okay’.” Amy ignored her daughter’s last remark, crossing her arms and giving Maria a stern look across the table. “Give your poor mother some details, hm?”

With a sigh Maria gave up and dutifully began a minute-by-minute account of last night’s events, only skipping over minor irrelevances like the fact that Michael had kissed her, that Isabel had gotten drunk and that they then had proceeded to abandon her in the desert. Maria had a feeling that her mom would have a major fit if she told her the unabbreviated version of the story. She would probably drag her daughter to the sheriff’s office, demand for Michael to be arrested for sexual assault and Isabel for public drunkenness and she would no doubt find some flimsy reason to press charges against the others, too. Then she would pack up their stuff and promptly head back to Albuquerque, disillusioned with small town’s reputation of safety and peace.

Intently following the little white helix of cream in her coffee with her eyes, Maria thought that maybe leaving wouldn’t be so bad. She was aware that skipping town was the coward’s way out, but she honestly didn’t know how to face Isabel tomorrow at school. Or the others, for that matter. She still didn’t know what was behind them leaving her, since she hadn’t let Michael tell her yesterday. She made a face at the memory of how she had cut him off last night, refusing to let him explain.

Amy had been intently following her daughter’s less than enthusiastic report and was now studying her gloomily playing with her food. “Sounds like you had fun,” she said skeptically, one eyebrow raised.

“Yeah,” came the subdued answer from across the table. Maria was shoving pieces of her waffles from one end of the plate to the other with a fork.

“Then why do you look like somebody ran over your puppy with a lawn mower?”

Maria cringed at that. Thanks for the mental image, mom. “No, I did have fun,” she tried to convince her mother. “Really.”

“Honey,” Amy said in a soft voice that made Maria look up in surprise. “Do you know why I took us away from home?” she inquired.

“You wanted us to make a new start after … Sean.”

“Yes, that. And I wanted to see you smile again.” Amy put down her cup and earnestly looked at her from across the tabletop, eyes bright with unshed tears. “You haven’t laughed once since that day; you were barely living, only going through the motions. And I just couldn’t stand to lose my second child, too. To see you so sad, so broken, it was more than I could take.”

In all that time, Maria had scarcely ever thought about how the loss of Sean had affected her mother, so immersed was she in her own pain. Her cousin, who was like a son to Amy and the child of her heart, had lived with them since he was ten. Maria felt the tears burning behind her eyes as she stared unseeingly at the tabletop. “I’m sorry I made this so hard for you, mom,” she whispered and felt the first tear run down her cheek. “So sorry.”

She heard her mother’s chair slide back and the rushing steps when she came around the table to sit next to her. Then Amy’s arms came around her shoulders and hugged her tight. “It wasn’t your fault, baby,” she murmured soothingly into her ear, her own voice choked with emotion. “I just wanted to see you alive again; I wanted the old, happy, bubbly Maria back. And I thought that maybe I saw a glimpse of her over the last week?” Amy drew slightly back to look at her daughter, searching for an answer on her face while wiping the tear tracks from her own cheeks.

“You did.” Maria sniffled.

Amy handed her a tissue and waited until she blew her nose before continuing, “But now . . . I’m not so sure. Something happened last night that you won’t tell me.” She saw her daughter open her mouth to interrupt, and quickly continued. “And you don’t have to, just . . . you need to tell me if you can’t be happy here. We can leave again, go back, or . . . or somewhere else. It’s your choice, okay?” She looked at Maria uncertainly, waiting for an answer, a decision.

“Mom, no, it’s fine,” Maria said, overwhelmed with suddenly being given the choice she had wished for just a few minutes ago. To stay or to go? Oh god.

Amy saw the warring emotions and the uncertainty on her daughter’s features, and pulled her back into her arms with a choked cry. “Oh, Maria, did I make a mistake bringing us here?”

I don’t know. Maria let herself be rocked in her mother’s arms, seeking comfort in the physical contact.

*****

Maria lay sprawled on her bed, sightlessly staring at the ceiling. After taking a long, hot shower while trying to sort out her jumbled thoughts and exchanging her comfy koala pajamas for an equally comfy, yet slightly less ridiculous cotton shirt and sweat pants, she was still no closer to a solution than before. With difficulty she had convinced her mother not to cancel her appointment with her boss, Juliet. In spite of it being Sunday, the two women wanted to get together to discuss some new ideas for the shop. Maria was glad to be left alone for a while. She desperately needed time to think.

To stay or to go? God, this can’t be my life! She slapped the top of the covers in frustration.

The sound of someone clearing their throat pulled her out of her thoughts rather rudely. She raised her head and spied Michael stiffly leaning in the open doorway of her room, glowing bright red from neckline to hairline. He held her shoes and purse in his hand, her jacket slung carelessly over one shoulder.

“Michael!” Maria exclaimed in surprise, her voice squeaking unnaturally loud in her own ears. “Hi!” Quickly sitting up, she scooted back to rest against the headboard of her bed in an outwardly calm posture. Let him think you have guys in your room all the time, she thought, smiling at him as serenely as possible under the circumstances. All right, that’s good, Maria. Now breathe.

“Hey,” he said. “Um, your mom let me in on her way out.”

Maria internally cringed. “Oh, I’m sorry about that.” That explained his color. Who knew what awkwardness Amy had created in a situation like this, meeting the sort-of-boyfriend of her daughter for the first time, unsupervised.

He smirked slightly, still not moving further into her room. “Well, it wasn’t so bad,” he said dryly while his skin slowly faded back to a chalky pallor, making him look hollow-eyed and worn after the strain of a long night with too little sleep. “She only asked me questions about my intentions regarding her ‘precious, beautiful baby’,” he raised a mocking eyebrow in her direction in an ironic assessment of her not quite so beautiful clothing, which made her flush hotly with embarrassment, “my family situation and when I would finally come over for dinner; all of which I eluded nicely.” The last words were accompanied by a smug smile.

“You’re lucky she was in a hurry, then. She’s capable of much more than that,” she warned him, ignoring his little jab about her looks. It’s not as if he’s as neat as a pin himself, today. “Come on in,” she prompted, patting the bed’s quilted cover invitingly.

“I brought you your stuff.” He raised his hand that held her shoes and purse, hesitantly advancing a step further.


“Thanks.” Maria watched him carefully placing the items in the corner near the door and waited for him to sit down beside her. She felt the mattress tilt under his weight when he did and pulled her knees up to make more room for him. “So you went over to Max and Isabel’s?” she inquired.

“Uh-huh.” He warily eyed the ancient, purple teddy bear that was sitting at the foot of the bed, staring back at him with blind button eyes, and edged a little closer to her.

No love lost between Mr. Bear and Michael, apparently. She couldn’t quite hide her smile at his obvious discomfort and her inner tension eased a little while the initial shock of him so suddenly standing in her room slowly wore off. “How is Iz today?” she asked.

He finally broke his staring contest with the stuffed animal and turned his full attention to her. “No idea. She was still sleeping when I was there to get your things. Look, about yesterday . . .”

“Yes, about that,” Maria forestalled him. “I want to tell you two things first, okay?” She waited for his slow nod before continuing, “Firstly, thank you for coming back for me last night.” When she saw him draw breath to interrupt, she quickly clapped her palm over his mouth and went on, “And secondly, I’m sorry.”

He frowned and reached up to take her hand away from his mouth, but instead of releasing it, kept it in his lap. “For what?” he asked.

She stared at their entwined fingers. “I’m sorry for the way I cut you off last night in the car.” Looking up, she met his dark, golden eyes dead on. “The words I used were much too harsh, and I know you didn’t deserve that. So, forgive me?” she added with a small, hopeful smile.

“Of course,” he said, confused. “I mean, you don’t have to apologize to me. It’s okay.”

“It’s not okay,” she insisted, frustrated when she saw him start to shake his head. “It’s not. So, tell me what happened last night. Did Max tell you why they left me?”

“Oh, he did tell me, all right,” he snorted derisively while intently tracing the lines of her palm with his finger, eyebrows drawn together. “Told me it was some stupid mistake. He was all but flinging himself on the floor at my feet, begging for forgiveness.” She could feel the residual anger rolling off of him in waves.

“You didn’t . . . do anything to him, did you?” she asked apprehensively, vividly recalling Steve Whatever-his-last-name-was lying on the ground, holding his jaw after forcefully being put there by Michael.

“You mean did I hit him?” he asked. “No, I didn’t. But I wanted to,” he admitted. “He claimed that they only left to get Izzy home quickly, believing we were still in the parking lot to take you with us. Said he had no intention of abandoning you there.” He briefly looked up. “And I believe him, but it was still irresponsible and stupid. It wasn’t until later that we noticed what was going on, when Max called me to ask what he was supposed to do with your things.”

“And then you came back,” she said and scooted closer to him, extending one leg behind his back and hugging him from the side while resting her chin on his shoulder.

“Of course.” He snorted softly. “And all the way back, I imagined the most horrible things that could have happened to you. Drove like a maniac, too,” he said. “Last night . . . it . . . scared me,” he added in a very quiet voice, as if reluctant to say it at all.

“Me, too,” she answered and tightened her arms around him.

He sighed and turned his head to rest his forehead against hers, eyes closed. “I’m so sorry, Maria.”

“No, don’t be.” She reached up to take his face between her hands and make him look at her. “You did nothing wrong. It was Max and Alex who made the mistake, and even they didn’t do it on purpose. Like you said, it was just a stupid mistake.”

“Yeah, a mistake that could have gotten you hurt. I want to see how calmly they’d take it if I marooned their girlfriends in the desert at night.” He glowered resentfully at Mr. Bear who took this misdirected hostility with offending tranquility.
Her ears perked up at his words. Girlfriend? “So, does that mean I’m your girlfriend?” she teased him. She knew he had a hard time talking about what he considered “unnecessary emotional stuff”. He usually just acted on what he felt and expected everyone else to deal with it.

He looked at her with narrowed eyes, suspicious. “Is that a trick question? Ouch!” he exclaimed when she lightly whacked him over the head with her palm. “Yes, I suppose you are my girlfriend.” He rolled his eyes at being forced to state what he considered obvious. Then something occurred to him and he asked in a slightly uncertain tone, “But only if you want to be?”

She briefly smiled at this undisguised bit of Michael-cuteness. “You know,” she whispered and pulled him close, “it’s much too late to ask that.”

The kiss was sweet and tender at first, but quickly grew more passionate when she felt him getting into it. Michael’s hand settled on the back of her neck and he began exploring her mouth with his tongue.

He slowly pushed her down with his body to lie on her back and crawled to settle down half on top of her, thigh on thigh, his weight balanced on his forearms. Then, beginning to place little kisses all over her face, he slowly mapped her features with his lips. Over her cheeks and up the nose, across the forehead and down over temple and jaw he placed numerous soft kisses, before he moved his lips over the sensitive skin of her neck and began gently sucking on the spot just below her ear.

Meanwhile her hands were doing some discovering of their own. Maria slipped her fingers under the hem of his shirt and traced up the smooth, elegant curve of his spine with her fingertips until she reached his shoulders. Then, pressing her hands flat against his warm skin, she drew her palms down his back in a slow sweep from nape to small. He made a small sound deep in his throat in response, and arched his back to bring his body in even closer contact to hers. His lips settled on hers again in a deep, hot, sucking kiss that made her head spin.

After a while he drew back, gasping for air. His face was flushed, only inches from hers, with his lips red and swollen from kissing and his hair all mussed up. To her, he looked incredibly sexy.

“Sleep with me,” she murmured.

“What?!” He looked honestly scandalized.

“Not like that, goofball.” Not yet, at least. She laughed at the face he made. “I mean sleep. Rest. You look like you need it.”

“I’m not tired at all,” he denied. A predatory glint entered his eyes and in a flash of movement, he had her pinned to the bed, her wrists pinned to the covers, and began making loud, obnoxious noises into her neck. She shrieked in response, laughing and trying to kick him in the sides, but to no avail. It was like fighting a rock.

Eventually he stopped, breathing hard but grinning. He still had her trapped under him, but freed her wrists so that she could wrap her arms around his neck.

She kissed him again, softly, then said, “Okay, then. Since you’re now my boyfriend,” he rolled his eyes when she stressed the word, “why don’t you tell me something about you?”

“Don’t you have to work today?” he tried.

“Nope.”

A wary look entered his eyes as he rolled to the side to rest beside her, his long, lean body outstretched on her small bed. “What do you want to know?”

Turning over, so that she lay facing him, she asked, “How did you come to be friends with the others?” When she saw his surprised look, she elaborated, “I mean, you guys all seem so close, I’ve just wondered how that came to be.”

“Hm,” he pondered and punched the pillow to get more comfortable. “The whole group of us has really only been together for the last year.”

“And before that?”

“Well, I met Iz and Max in third grade,” he said and snuggled into the pillow. “One day, there was this boy bugging Isabel at school. I don’t know where Max was at the time, maybe he was sick. Anyway, the boy was laughing at her and pulling her braids, but she just stared him down. Even back then, she had the ice queen routine down to the spot.” He chuckled. “I went in and punched him in the nose.”

“A tiger can’t change its stripes, hm?” she dryly remarked.

“Maybe.” He smiled. “From that day on, it was the three of us together. They dragged me anywhere with them, if I wanted to or not. I think I spent more time at their house then at my own home. I guess,” he hesitated, “I guess I was some charity case for them, Izzy has always been one for volunteer work.” He stared at the colorful pattern of the quilt.

“I’m sure that’s not true,” she gently said, reaching out to brush the hair off his cheek.

“Maybe,” he allowed, closing his eyes under her touch. “But they have always been a unit, you know? Self-sufficient, I guess you could say. They didn’t really need me as a friend.”

“But you needed them?” she asked. She began carding her fingers through his hair, massaging his scalp with a light pressure.

His eyes snapped open in surprise at the question. After a moment, his brown gaze softened and he lightly shrugged. “Maybe,” he said again. “I didn’t really have many friends back then. Hell, I didn’t have many friends, ever. I guess my behavior just isn’t what you would call ‘sociable’.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t say that, exactly,” she said with a small smile and began rubbing a spot behind his ear.

He sighed and relaxed under her ministrations, a faint answering smile passing over his features. “Yeah, well, maybe I’ve changed a bit since then.”

“Maybe,” she lightly chuckled. “So, what about the others? How did you meet them?”

“I met Tess when I was about twelve years old. She had just lost her parents in a car accident and was transferred here from Santa Fe due to some capacity problems at the orphanage there.”

“Did you meet at school?”

“No, at the mall.” He laughed at her shocked look. “She had a difference of opinion with a store clerk there, about whether she was a thief or not.”

“And what was her opinion on the matter?” Maria asked interestedly.

He lifted his eyebrow at her. “That she was not. Of course,” he added, ignoring her soft snort. “I reinforced her side of the argument, meaning,” he grinned, “that I helped her escape when the clerk wanted to call the store detective to arrest her. It was us against the world, since then. She didn’t have anyone but me, and I . . .” He stopped abruptly. “Anyway,” he continued, “she was like a sister to me.”

“And Isabel?” Maria asked, clearly recalling the other girl’s words from the night before. “Is she like a sister to you, too?”

He snorted ironically at that. “No. Iz is like a mother.” He closed his eyes again and softly groaned when her fingers moved down to press into the tense muscles of his neck.

“Who was next?” she asked.

“Hm?” he frowned, eyes still shut tight. “Oh, Kyle. I knew him from school already. But he was the sheriff’s son and a dumb football jock, so I naturally stayed away from him.”

“Naturally,” she repeated, which made the corner of his mouth turn up slightly.

“Naturally. It was when Tess met him that we became friends. We were fifteen and got busted for some shit we had been doing-“

“Shit?” she probed.

“The two of us were at the sheriff’s office,” he carried on, ignoring her interruption, “when Kyle walked in. He saw Tess and Tess saw him and poof!”

She giggled, “Poof?”

He opened one eye to look at her. “How am I supposed to tell a story if you keep interrupting me?”

“Sorry,” she said demurely. “Go on.”

He watched her suspiciously for a second longer, but when she began to softly stroke her hand over his head and shoulder in a repetitive motion, his eye slowly drifted shut again.

“They were inseparable ever since. But they never made me feel like the third wheel, you know? They were a couple but they were also my best friends, and they never made me feel unwanted.” His voice had grown quiet and drowsy, lulled as he was by the softness of the bed and her light touches. “About the same time Max fell in love with Liz,” he continued sleepily. “Liz was best friends with Alex, and that’s just how it happened, I guess. It’s been the seven of us for a year now. Like a family . . .” His voice drifted of as he fell asleep.

Maria listened to his slow and even breathing, mulling over the things she had just learned. He probably had no idea that he was the link that held all of them together. Without his connection to both the twins and Tess, there would never have been a group of seven. There would be two factions consisting of Max, Isabel, Liz and Alex and the couple of Tess and Kyle. Only their refusal to relinquish his friendship had brought all of them together into a strong group, a family unit to depend on for every one of them.

She didn’t want to do anything to drive a wedge between them.

*****

“Rise and shine, sleepyhead!”

An incredibly rude, muffled response came from the depths of the white pillows and the heap of blankets heaved like storm clouds when the person under it turned onto the other side.

“Oh, come on,” Max said, suppressing a laugh, “don’ be that way. I come bearing gifts.”

The covers moved again when a head emerged, blonde hair ruffled and knotted like a bird’s nest. Isabel gave him a glare from slitted, puffy eyes.

“Max, you’re dicing with death,” she croaked. “I’ve a headache that’s about to split my skull and I’m in no mood to deal with your unbearably chirpy attitude in the middle of the night!”

He sat down on the bed and wordlessly held up the bottle of aspirin and the glass of water he had brought in wise preparation. His sister’s mood wasn’t overly bright on any morning. After too little sleep and with a hangover she resembled a bear woken from hibernation, rumpled and irritable, ready to sink its claws into the closest victim. Not something anyone would face without good reason.

“It’s almost noon,” Max said when he handed her the pills. “And mom’s already asking herself what’s wrong with you. You never sleep so late.”

“Yeah, I never drink so much, either,” she muttered and swallowed two of the small tablets.

“And,” he went on, ignoring her, “as for dicing with death, I rather feel like I could deal with anything right now, after surviving Michael’s wrath earlier this morning.” He paused and looked at her, waiting for her to take the bait.

After several long moments of loaded silence, she let herself fall back on the bed with an exasperated groan. “Fine! So what is wrong with Michael?” She didn’t say this time, but the words hung in the air between them as if she had spoken them aloud. “And just so you know,” she continued with an icy, brown glare at her brother, “I don’t really care what it is right now, but I can see that you won’t leave until you’ve told your tale.”

“Well, he came over to take Maria’s things. I think he was on his way over to her to see how she’s doing today. She was a bit shaken after Alex and I accidentally left her at the soap factory last night.”

“You WHAT?” Isabel sat up in bed, eyes round with incredulity.

“Look, I know it was wrong. Alex knows it was wrong – He called, by the way. Three times. So call him back and tell him you’re okay, he’s driving me insane! – but what were we supposed to do? When she jumped out of the car to fetch her shoes-“

“Why would she have to fetch her shoes?” Isabel interrupted him. “Didn’t she have them on?”

“How on earth am I supposed to know?” He gave her an annoyed look. “You were with her. Why don’t you tell me why she took them off in the first place?”

She looked a bit sheepish at that. “I – I don’t really remember all that well.”

“Terrific!” He threw his hands up in exasperation. “So, what else don’t you remember?” he asked her with an ironic lift of his eyebrow.

“How on earth am I supposed to know?” she repeated his earlier words, earning her a small, reluctant smile from her brother. “I remember seeing Alex with that Pam bitch,” her fist curled tightly into the blanket, “and then I went away to get something to drink. Only I – I think I drank too much, too fast, and everything after that is just a blur.”

“Iz,” Max said, his voice gone soft while he reached over and pried her hand away from the covers. “You need to talk with Alex about how you feel.” He ignored the unwilling jerk of her head. “This has gone on way too long. This – this dancing around each other, looking for hints about how the other one feels, neither coming right out and saying it. It needs to stop right now. Life is much too short for these games, and drinking,” at that, he fixed her with a stern hazel stare, “is never the solution.”

“That’s easy for you to say.”

“It is,” he said and pushed back a stray strand of hair from her forehead. “Because you’re my sister, and I love you.” Then he added in a firmer voice, “And because Alex knows that if he ever hurts you, he will get his ass kicked three times over.”

She gave a shocked little laugh. “You, Michael and Kyle?”

“No,” he grinned,” me, our mother and his mother.”

*****

“You were gonna tell me what happened with Maria at the soap factory,” Isabel said. She was lying in her bed, staring up at the ceiling. Max had stretched out next to her, on top of the covers.

“After she got out of the car,” he obediently reported, “I thought of what mom and dad would say if they knew where we were. If they had caught us coming home, and seen you totally wasted,” he felt her stiffen beside him, “you know what they would have done.”

“We never would have seen daylight again until we left for college,” she said in a hollow voice.

“Yeah,” he agreed. “And maybe not even after that.”

“So you just left her.” It wasn’t a question.

“Yes,” he said softly, mimicking her pose, sightlessly staring upward. “Alex didn’t want to. He said we should wait, but it was already getting late; all the other cars were leaving. I had given Michael the keys to the jeep, so that he could drive Liz, Tess and Kyle home. And when I saw you on the back seat, so sick, I just thought of getting you home as fast as possible. I was worried and – dammit! – I was selfish and didn’t want to be caught! And I thought the others were still there, I thought, but I was not sure!” He made an effort to control his voice that had gotten louder with agitation. After a moment he continued, calmer now. “Alex was easily convinced. He was so worried about you he barely had a thought to spare for anything else. We left and I dropped you into your bed and mom and dad came home half an hour later.” He heaved a deep sigh.

“How did she get home? Did she call someone?”

“No,” he answered, “her purse was still here, at our house. I called Michael to ask if she needed her stuff immediately, or if it was okay to bring it to her today or tomorrow at school. That’s how it came out.” He sighed again. “Michael turned back and picked her up.”

“Was she . . . hurt?” Isabel asked hesitantly.

“Not physically. Michael didn’t tell me much, but I’m guessing she must have been really frightened.”

“I can imagine,” she murmured. Something tugged at the edge of her memory; something regarding Maria. She couldn’t quite remember what it was, but it left an unpleasant feeling behind. “When Michael was here this morning . . . was he . . . terribly angry?” She quickly glanced at her brother.

“He was beside himself,” Max answered, his voice still held a trace of shock at the memory. “I’ve never seen him so angry before. He was pacing like a caged animal, yelling, snarling and stomping. I think mom was almost about to call the police on him.”

“Did you tell him you were sorry?”

“I did. And I was sure he was gonna smash my nose or something, after that.” He shuddered briefly. “He was so furious. He yelled that I did not need to apologize to him, that it was Maria I should apologize to. But, you know,” he turned his head to look at her, “somehow I felt that I did need to apologize to him, that with hurting Maria I had hurt him, too. Do you know what I mean?” he asked, desperately seeking understanding.

She nodded, her mouth dry.

“And I understand him.” He proceeded. “Anything could have happened to her out there, and it would have been my fault. I’ll be lucky if he ever talks to me again.”

“He cares about her very much, doesn’t he?” she asked in a small voice.

“It’s obvious, isn’t it?” he confirmed. “You could see it almost from the first minute.”

“Don’t you think -” she hesitated. “Don’t you think things are going too fast between them? I mean, it has only been a few days, and already he is spending every free minute with her.”

“Maybe,” he conceded thoughtfully. “But there’s nothing we can do about it, can we? He has to make these decisions on his own.”

She rolled over and propped herself up on her elbow, looking angrily down her small nose at her brother. “But what if he decides wrong?” she asked, outraged at the thought. “What if she hurts him, or doesn’t return his feelings the way she should, or-“

“Iz!” Max interrupted. “It’s his life. And she really doesn’t seem to me like she will turn around next week and start riding someone else’s bike.” He chuckled. “I think she cares for him as much as he does for her.” He looked at her. “Do you honestly expect him to be alone forever?”

She slumped back onto the pillow. “No, of course not. I just don’t want to see him hurt.” She wiped at her eyes. “He’s seen enough pain to last a lifetime.”

A long moment passed, in which the twins lay on the bed, unmoving, united in misery. At last, Max broke the silence.

“Izzy?”

“Yes?”

“How do I apologize to them?”

*****

Maria woke to the oppressive feeling of a heavy weight across her chest. It took a moment for her to figure out that it was Michael’s arm that kept her pinned to the bed. In his sleep, he had scooted closer and curled up like shrimp beside her, one leg wedged between her thighs and his nose buried in her hair. She silently laughed at him and gently tried to dislodge his arm, which only resulted in him tightening his grip around her waist. He murmured something unintelligible and snuffled contentedly into her neck. Even in his sleep he’s stubborn, she thought, amused. With difficulty, she managed to turn around in his arms and lie facing him, her nose just inches from his.

The light outside had changed while they slept, the blinding bright midday blaze softened into the warm, orange glow of the setting sun, painting the room in fire. The light reflected off of his hair almost like a halo and made his sleeping face glow golden. His lashes cast long shadows on his cheeks, giving it an unaccustomed innocence. She reached out and traced his features in the air with her forefinger. Though she didn’t touch him, she could feel the heat radiating off him on her hand. Very, very softly, she closed the distance between them and let her lips rest on his for a moment, sharing his breath. Then she slipped out from under his arm and quietly stood up.

She covered him with a blanket and picked up Mr. Bear, who had been rudely kicked off the bed earlier on, and deposited the stuffed animal on the desk. Then she left the room, leaving Michael to his dreams.

When she entered the kitchen, she was surprised by her mother standing at the counter, cooking. “Mom,” she said, trying not to look guilty, “I didn’t hear you coming home.”

“I can’t imagine why not.” Amy snorted sarcastically. “Michael is still here, isn’t he? I saw his bike outside.”
“Yeah, he’s . . .” Maria hesitated. He’s asleep in my bed didn’t seem like the best answer right now. “He’s-“

“Here,” his voice floated over her shoulder. “I’m here. Hi, Mrs. Deluca.”

Maria turned around and had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from bursting out laughing. His left cheek was artfully decorated with a checkered pattern of red lines where the quilt had left an imprint on his skin, made all the more hilarious because he was totally unaware of it.

Amy fixed him with a knowing look, but refrained from commenting. Instead, she asked, “Want to join us for dinner, Michael?”


“No, thank you, Mrs. Deluca,” he declined, running a hand through his disheveled hair. “I should go home, now.”

“Okay. But promise me you’re going to eat with us one of these days, okay?”

“I promise,” he said. “Goodbye, Mrs. Deluca.”

Maria quickly escorted him to the door, wrapping her arms around him as soon as they were out of her mother’s sight. “See you tomorrow?” she asked.

“You can bet on that,” he answered with a smile and kissed her. “Bye.”

“Bye.” She released him and leaned against the doorpost.

Halfway down the driveway, he turned around, gave her a boyish smile and waved. Then he put on his helmet and mounted his bike.

To stay or to go?

All day, she had thought it was a difficult decision to be made. But when she watched his receding back speeding down the road, the evening sun setting his helmet on fire and the rising breeze tugging at his clothes, it occurred to her that the decision wasn’t such a hard one, after all. In fact, she thought with the feel of his lips still vivid on hers, there was no decision to be made, at all.

She felt her mother coming to stand beside her in the doorway and turned to see her smiling at her.

“So, we stay?” Amy asked.

“Yes. We stay.”

~TBC

Moomin: Yes, Michael and Maria (and even Tess) have gone through a lot. The issues they have because of that are going to play an important role in this fic.

Haha, melodramatic is exactly the right word for Isabel in this situation. I agree that she needs to let Michael make his own decisions.

There will be apologies in this chapter.

Eve: Teddybear Michael. I'll tell him you said that.

Max and Alex were both very worried about Isabel and none of them wanted to leave her. Of course leaving Maria behind instead was the wrong thing to do and they know that.



Chapter Seven – Apologies, avoidance and arguments

The hunter steadily crept closer, black eyes intent on her. The knife’s blade glistened in his hand, raised high above his head, ready to strike at every second.

She stared at his contorted features in fear. His face was twisted into something completely inhuman-like and he looked like the monster he was, a gruesome grin where his face had been just moments before.

She wanted to scream for help, but when she opened her mouth, only a thin whisper escaped. She clutched at her throat and tried again with all her might, but it was hopeless.

She wanted to run away, but as much as she tried, she couldn’t raise her feet one inch from the ground. Desperate, she looked around wildly, frightened beyond rationality, looking for someone, anyone that would help her, while her greatest fear and horror advanced the next-to-last step. She heard him chortling with glee, his voice a toneless, hoarse whisper that seemed to come directly from hell.

Horrified, she discovered that the quiet neighborhood of Albuquerque had vanished and only an inscrutable mass of dark mist surrounded her. She heard his ghoulish giggle again, coming from a spot directly behind her left ear. With her heart in her throat, she spun round to find his nightmarish mask directly in front of her, dagger poised above her. Mute and paralyzed, she powerlessly watched the glint of insanity in his eyes change to one of determination. A fraction of a second before the pointed blade sliced down into her flesh, she raised her hands in a last, futile attempt of self-defense.

Maria suddenly jerked awake, clutching her forearm where she had banged it painfully on the nightstand in her sleep. Ugh, that’s gonna be a big, fat bruise in the morning. Her skin was covered in cold sweat, and her body was trembling all over as an aftereffect of the nightmare. The covers lay at the foot of the bed in a crumpled heap where she had kicked them off in her sleep.

A look outside showed that the sky outside was still pitch black; it was a long time till dawn. Maria knew that she wouldn’t be able to go back to sleep without help, so she laboriously got to her feet and padded barefoot through the hall into the bathroom. She turned on the bathroom light, squinting her eyes into slits when the bright glow blinded her. Far in the back corner of the small cabinet she spotted the tiny bottle of pills she was looking for.


The dreams had plagued her ever since last October, and her therapist had given her a prescription for when it got really bad. Thankfully, in the last few months she hadn’t needed them very often.

Now she shook one of the small, white pills into her hand and swallowed it dry. After taking a brief look in the mirror, she grimaced at her sweaty hair and pallid skin. Congratulations, Maria, you look absolutely hideous today. She tried to smooth down her blonde mane with her hand, but quickly gave it up as hopeless, turning off the light and quietly shuffling back to bed.

Back under the covers, she tried to think about something nice. Michael. She smiled into her pillow, conjuring up every nuance of his expressive face before her mind’s eye. She recalled the feel of his full lips on her mouth, the at once soft and rough touch of his hands on her waist, the solid weight of his body on hers. Her hand rose to her breast, cupping the soft weight there while her thumb stroked over her nipple in a repetitive motion. As she enjoyed the hardening of the small bud, she pictured Michael’s hand touching her there instead of her own.

A warm tingling started to spread throughout her body like the ripples of an earthquake, its epicenter emanating between her legs, and she experienced a sudden longing for Michael that was at once welcome and totally unexpected in its intensity.

She let her free hand slide down over her belly, envisioning his callused, broad fingers as they slowly glided down to that tiny, throbbing spot in the heart of her yearning. She sighed in pleasure when her fingers reached their destination.

Slowly, she began rubbing the soft, slick skin between her thighs, circling around and sweeping over the sensitive nub with her forefinger. Her breathing sped up as her strokes quickened, making the tingling sensation increase exponentially and resulting in a fresh wave of wetness to moisten her folds.

She began moving her hips in time with the strokes of her fingers, moaning quietly when she got closer to orgasm. Her erratic breaths left her lungs in whispered pants and ultimately she took up using more force and speed to stimulate herself, finally driving her body over the edge.

When she climaxed, every coherent thought left her mind, while only the image of Michael’s kiss-swollen lips and strong hands remained. Her hips jerked uncontrollably against her hand and she felt the soft flesh flutter under her fingers as she continued to stroke herself.

In the end, when she finally calmed down again and her body came to rest, his name left her lips in a whisper before she fell asleep.

“Michael . . .”

*****

Later that morning, Maria entered the school building with Michael at her side. He was in a surprisingly sullen mood today, dark and silent, glowering at everyone that dared to look at him the wrong way. Since he had picked her up earlier, he hadn’t even spoken two sentences to her and she was curious about his sudden moodiness. Yet, since he hadn’t resisted when she had taken his hand in hers on their way to her locker, she wasn’t all too worried. Obviously the reason for his grumpy behavior had nothing to do with her. He would tell her in his own time what bugged him, she hoped.

They were drawing quite a few stares from the other students. Michael, as usual clad all in black, split the student body like Moses parted the Red Sea, and pulled Maria along behind him. Apparently, it was not at all a common sight to see Michael Guerin holding hands with a girl, Maria concluded when she witnessed a couple of girls secretly whispering as they passed them in the hall.

When they entered the hallway that led to her locker, the sight that greeted them made her stop short. She felt Michael stiffen beside her when he, too, noticed the three figures that waited for them.

Alex and Max stood side by side waiting for her, the former holding a colorful bouquet of wildflowers in front of him like a shield while the latter clung to a huge box of chocolates like his life depended on it. Both wore identical expressions of apprehensive uncertainty while Isabel, hovering behind them, kept a close watch.

Maria quickly glanced at Michael, unsure how to react to this committee, but his stony expression and rigid posture didn’t help her much. She sighed, tightened her grip on his hand and pulled him the last few steps towards the others.

“Hi,” she said uncertainly, looking from one to the other.

The boys both mumbled a greeting in return.

“Good morning, Maria,” Isabel chirped with a thousand-watt smile that, surprisingly, wavered only a little when she glanced at Michael. “Max, Alex and I have something to say to you.” With that, she gave each of the boys a sharp jab in the side.

Alex rolled his eyes in annoyance. “This is ridiculous,” he murmured before raising his voice and addressing Maria directly. “Look, Maria, I’m terribly sorry for what we did. I know I probably should have apologized yesterday, but I thought it would be best to give you” he glanced from her face to Michael’s, “some time to relax. We should have never left you alone there. I know there’s no excuse for the way we acted and …” he trailed off, having momentarily lost the thread of his speech. “Anyway,” he carried on, regardless, “I’m sorry. That’s all.” He let out a huge sigh as if a heavy weight had been removed from his shoulders and held out the flowers to her with a hopeful smile.

He looked so ridiculously relieved that she couldn’t help but smile in return when she accepted the posy. “Thank you, Alex.” Her gaze flickered expectantly towards the twins.

“I’m sorry, too,” Max added hurriedly and thrust the sweets at her. “It really was all my fault. I persuaded Alex to leave you. I’m so sorry we did that to you and I know that, if anything had happened to you, I would never forgive myself.”

Maria heard Michael snort skeptically at that.

“It’s okay, Max,” she hastened to answer, ignoring Michael’s incredulous stare.

“But-“ Michael said.

“I know you didn’t do it on purpose,” she continued talking to Max as if Michael hadn’t interrupted and took the chocolates.

Max and Alex then hurried to class, relieved at having received absolution.

Isabel watched their receding backs with a fond smile, before straightening her shoulders and turning back to face Michael and Maria. “I guess it’s my turn now, right?” she said with a brave attempt at a smile, her earlier sunshiny façade now gone at being confronted with an annoyed Michael and a curious, but cautious Maria. “Maria, after the others told me how you took care of me at the party-“

“What do you mean, the others told you?” Michael interrupted distrustfully.

“Well,” she seemed deeply embarrassed. “I seem to suffer from loss of memory when it comes to that particular time frame.”

“So you don’t remember anything at all from Saturday night?” Maria asked. Well, that explains it. She had already wondered what had made the other girl approach her after she had made her feelings so abundantly clear.
“Not after I began drinking, no,” Isabel admitted, cheeks reddening at Michael’s muttered “Convenient” under his breath. “But I do know what Max and the others told me. And since I’m basically the reason they did what they did,” she looked sincerely at Maria, “I want to apologize, too. I made a mistake and you had to pay for it. I’m sorry.”

Maria was temporarily stunned into speechlessness. Isabel, queen of self-righteousness, had apologized to her. But though she didn’t feel particularly forgiving in regards to the other girl right now, she couldn’t very well reject the apology outright. If Isabel really didn’t remember the scathing words she had thrown at her in the car, Maria couldn’t think of a way to remind her without revealing the incident to Michael, and she was determined not to do that. Telling him the whole story would only drive him further apart from his friends and maybe even break their already strained friendship.

Michael, apparently, was not the least bit interested in mending bridges with the others. “No way in hell,” he said and crossed his arms in a forbidding gesture.

Maria swallowed the colorful remark that wanted to surface, and faced the blonde girl. “Apology accepted.” And she meant it. She had already forgiven Isabel for drinking too much, since that was a mistake most teenagers made at least once. What she couldn’t forgive so easily were the hurtful words of rejection she had received from the other girl. She still had no doubt that Isabel had meant every word of it, even if she didn’t remember them. That strengthened her resolve to keep away from the Evans twins and their friends. At least for a while.

“Okay. Thank you.” Isabel smiled, relieved. She glanced up at Michael, and decided to quickly vacate the premises at his glare. She waved at Maria and hurried off to class.

As soon as they were alone, he turned to her and exploded. “What the hell is wrong with you?!”

“What do you mean?” she asked, irritated by his attitude.

“You can’t just forgive them like that!” He agitatedly pointed in the direction the others had just left to avoid any confusion on who exactly he meant by “them”.

“Of course I can!”

“No!” he insisted with a scowl. “Saying they’re sorry with a little chocolate and flowers, that’s not good enough!”

“It is for me!” she answered, throwing her hands up in exasperation. At his unrelenting expression, she continued calmer, “Look, they made a mistake and they apologized. I can’t let this get out of hand. They are your friends and I refuse to let you break this friendship over me.”

The bell ringing for first period made her hurriedly stash her presents in her locker and grab a notebook. “I have to go to class.” Then she turned back to him and reached up to cup his cheek. “Think about it, okay? You can’t be angry at them forever. See you later.” She quickly kissed him, then turned and hurried to her English class, leaving him brooding in the hallway.

*****

During fourth period, Maria listened to Mr. Locke droning on and on about some political alliance, bored out of her mind. Michael sat beside her, absentmindedly staring out of the window and quite obviously not the slightest bit interested in the lecture. The teacher had repeatedly asked him a question, but, after only receiving a shrug and a blank stare in response, had finally given up the effort.

Maria watched Michael’s profile, secretly admiring his elegant features with the prominent nose and curved lips. Said lips were currently compressed into a thin line while he sightlessly stared ahead.


Just then, without him noticing it, a tiny folded note sailed onto his desk from the front. Max, the sender, covertly gestured at her to call Michael’s attention to the incoming mail. All throughout the morning, Max and Liz as well as Kyle and Tess had tried to make cautious conversation with her, to which she had replied friendly, but curtly, the decision to keep her distance still fresh on her mind.

Now she lightly nudged Michael’s knee, and, when he looked at her inquiringly, pointed at the slip of paper before him.

He slowly unfolded it, and Maria leaned closer to read the message over his shoulder:

Michael,
are we okay?
Max

When he began to fold the note up again, she whispered into his ear, “Answer him!”

He reluctantly grabbed a pen, and held it poised over the paper as if unsure what to write. Then, suddenly, a slow, belligerent smile appeared on his face and, while she watched, the tip of the pen lowered onto the paper and carefully formed the letter “N”.

Quickly, she intercepted him, slapping his hand away and giving him an unbelieving stare. “Don’t you dare take your pissy mood out on Max!” she whispered.

He stared at her defiantly for a moment, then smoothed down the note, scratched out the N and wrote:

Sure. M.

After that, he waded up the tiny letter into a ball and threw it against Max’ head. It bounced neatly off of his ear and disappeared beneath Liz’ neckline, making her squeal with surprise. Maria heard him chuckle when the brunette received a censorious glance from the teacher.

Impossible, she thought when she observed this.

*****

Michael trudged unhappily over to his friends’ table at lunch break. After History class, Maria had ditched him with a flimsy excuse about having to talk to her bio teacher about some extra credits. It annoyed him to no end that she didn’t want to spend her break with him. With everything that’d been going on at home lately, he wanted, no, he needed to have her close. She always made him feel better, even if it was only for a little while.

He sighed angrily when Max and the others at the picnic table came into his view. They were laughing and talking, carefree and happy. Everything he wasn’t.

“Hey, Michael,” Tess greeted him when he sat down at his usual place. “Where’s Maria?”

“Library,” he mumbled in response and shrugged.

The others also greeted him amiably, but resumed their conversation without trying to include him. They knew better than to talk to him when he was in one of his black moods, which, he had to grudgingly admit, wasn’t all that unusual.

After a while, however, Alex addressed him hesitantly, “Michael, I’ve been meaning to ask you . . . Is everything alright between us?”

Michael fixed him with a hopefully intimidating stare for a moment then nodded slowly. “But if you ever disregard Maria like that again . . .” he threatened.

Alex quickly held up his hands in surrender. “No, it won’t ever happen again, I promise! I like her, too, you know?”

Michael’s eyes narrowed dangerously at that.

“Jesus, Michael,” Alex exclaimed, exasperated. “Are we not able to have a normal conversation without you constantly pissing on your territory? I’m not interested in her like that!” His gaze flickered to Isabel who was listening intently.

Michael briefly followed his look then he smiled dryly. “No, I guess you’re not.” Poor bugger has it bad for Ice Queen. Michael wished him good luck with that. As long as nobody was after Maria, he was sufficiently satisfied.

“So, are we cool?” Alex pressed again.

“Yes, we’re cool, Alex.” Michael said and stood up to go find his girlfriend. Maybe Maria could be convinced to spend the rest of her break with him, after all. You just have to use the right incentive. He clapped Alex on the shoulder in passing. “But if you try to give me a hug now, I’m going to have to break your arm.”

Alex smiled. “Understood.”

*****

“So, what’s got you all moody and silent?”

Maria was lying on her back, her head resting on Michael’s stomach. After a short shift at the CrashDown after her last class, he had picked her up and driven out to the desert to enjoy an evening away from the stress of work, school, friends and family. The blanket underneath her created a soft surface for them to lie on while they peacefully watched the setting sun transforming the bare rocks into a fiery landscape of breathtaking beauty.

Her question broke the long silence at last.

“Nothing,” he grumbled after a pause.


“Aw, come on, Michael.” She sat up to be able to look into his face. “I can see that something’s bothering you. You’ve been exceptionally surly all day, and I want to know the reason for that. Maybe I can help?”

“You can’t,” he curtly answered and turned his face away.

“Well, then maybe talking helps,” she said exasperatedly and pinched him in the side, making him jump slightly. “So . . .” she trailed off expectantly.

“So?” He looked up at her, golden eyes slitted against the sunlight.

“So talk!”

He sighed in annoyance, but complied. “My mom’s boyfriend moved in with us last night.”

“Oh.” She hesitated. “And they didn’t tell you beforehand?”

“No.”

“And you don’t like him?”

“Well, no, but that’s not exactly the point.” He madly waved away a bug that flew about in front of his face, only to have it land neatly on top of his head, out of his sight.

“Then what is the point?” Maria encouraged him gently while reaching up and plucking the offending insect out of his locks.

“The point is,” he flapped his hands around his head to discourage any further attempts of the inquisitive flies, “that she invited him to live with us after only knowing him for two weeks. The point is that she shouldn’t keep looking for a guy to take care of her when she isn’t able to take care of herself and the point is,” he continued, “that I don’t think he’s good.” He huffed in agitation after his angry tirade.

She briefly smiled at his antics. “You don’t think he’s good for her?” she cautiously inquired.

“That, too, but what I meant was, I don’t think he is a good person.”

“Why do you think that?”

“Damned if I know.” He admitted when he looked at her from where he was lying on the blanket. “It’s just a feeling that creeps up on me whenever he’s around. It’s not something he says or does; I can’t put my finger on it. Maybe I’m just paranoid.” He reluctantly conceded.

“Maybe, and maybe not,” Maria said. “Stop that!” She caught his hand that was about to squash a harmless fly that had settled on his leg to enjoy the day’s last sun beams on the warm fabric of his jeans. “That doesn’t help any. Have you tried talking to her about it?”

“No.” He threaded his fingers through hers and let his head fall back on the blanket again with a resigned sigh. “If you knew my mother, you’d know it’s useless. She’s not interested in what I have to say.”

“I’m sorry, baby,” she said quietly, at a loss for words, while stroking her thumb over his knuckles in a soothing rhythm.

“It’s not your fault.” The corners of his mouth turned up in a wry smile. “So, now that I’ve totally ruined the mood, want to tell me something about you for a change?”

“Like what?” she asked, ready to offer him distraction from his own problems for a short while.

“Like what made you move here in the middle of the school year.”

“Oh, that.” She pulled her hand out of his grasp abruptly and traced the pattern of the blanket with her pinky finger while her mind reeled with what to tell him.

“Yes, that.” He propped himself up on his elbow, peering intently into her face. “Or is it a secret?”

She bit her bottom lip. “Not exactly, it’s just . . .” she hesitated. “It’s kind of a sore subject for my mom and me and I’m not ready to talk about it yet. Is that okay?”

He nudged her knee to make her look at him. “Maybe talking helps?” he said while an ironic smile played around his lips.

“Not in this case.” She sighed, but made an effort to return his smile. “Trust me, I’ve tried.”

They were silent for a long time after that, each of them staring in different directions, lost in their own thoughts and watching the shadows of the night soundlessly creep up over the desert.

“So, what’s your favorite ice cream flavor?” he asked at last. When he saw her incredulous expression, he shrugged. “What? I’m only trying to get to know you better.”

*****

At lunch break the next day, Maria curiously followed Michael through an unfamiliar hallway. He had claimed he had something to show her, so she willingly followed. It wasn’t really important for her of what exactly this ominous surprise consisted, as long as it had nothing to do with having lunch with the others.

Michael now triumphantly opened a nondescript wooden door at the end of the hallway. When she caught sight of the cramped room’s interior, a light finally dawned on her.

So this is the infamous eraser room, Maria thought amusedly when Michael pulled her into the tiny chamber. There was a large storage closet, a tiny table and a sink and not much else besides the dust of years and years of cleaning erasers. Not very suitable to spawn the amorous feelings of generations of lusty students, she thought with a smile. Besides privacy, she silently added when Michael turned the lock in the door. Briefly, she wondered why such an unimportant place as the eraser room needed a lock, but when Michael pressed her against the door and began kissing her, she wondered no more.

He tackled her with fierce determination, his hands roaming over her body and warming up her skin in their path while he used his body weight to pin her against the door, effectively rendering her immobile while he plundered her mouth with his tongue.

Though she undoubtedly enjoyed being assaulted by him in this manner, in the end she had to come up for air, so she reluctantly pushed him back a little, panting for breath. “Wow, you’re eager today!”

His expression immediately closed up and he backed away, brows pulled together in an annoyed frown. “So what?”

“So what’s got you so on edge?” she asked while she gripped his chin to turn his face back to her. He was behaving incredibly strange again, and she was determined to figure out why.

He jerked his head free and took a step away from her. “Do we have to talk about every damn thing all the time?” he asked irritably.

Now, that is weird. What’s wrong with him all of a sudden? “What is with you today?”

“Nothing!” he denied, stubbornly shaking his head like a pigheaded mule. “I’m just tired of listening to you yakking every little detail of my life to death!”

Though taken aback by his nasty response, she tried to stay reasonable and ignore this sudden flare of temper. “Is this about your mom’s boyfriend?” she calmly asked.

“No! And stop constantly prying into my personal affairs!” he verbally lashed out and kicked the leg of the table with remarkable force. When pushed beyond endurance, he struck back at everyone he felt was getting too close. Like a cornered tiger, she mused.

But now even her patience wore thin. “I’m not prying! But if you weren’t so closed off all the time . . .”

“So you want me to share everything about my life while you yourself are not willing to do the same, is that it?” he sneered, turning to face her while crossing his arms defensively.

“What?” She blinked in astonishment. “What do you mean?”

“Why did you move here?” he challenged. “Tell me.”

For a second she was frozen with shock at the question. She had told him she wasn’t ready to talk to him about this, and yet he had brought it up again. She was beginning to get really mad, and raised her voice to shout, “I’m not telling you anything when you’re like this!”

“Well, too bad!” His voice increased in volume and he slammed his fist against the metal doors of the storage closet with a deafening bang, making her jump. “’Cause this is me! You can deal with it or not, but I’m damn fed up with all of this right now! You’re a fucking hypocrite, Maria! You insist I tell you everything and you never, never leave it alone! So it’s your turn now! Tell me what I want to know! Why did you move here? If your cousin is your best friend, then where the hell is he? Why does he never call? Why do you never talk about him? TELL ME!” he roared.

“Stop yelling at me!” she yelled at him, not backing down. She was trembling all over with the effort not to cry in front of him. Not from fear or hurt, but from rage.

“I can fucking yell as fucking much as I fucking want!” he bellowed, hitting the closet with every profanity.

She looked at him closely then, his big body looming before her, tense and pissed off. He was panting with agitation and his bloodshot eyes were blazing with fury while his face had turned red as a beet from rage. He looked like a berserker.

Suddenly, all the fight went out of her. This is useless. She took a deep breath and said in a very controlled voice, “Fine. But don’t bother waiting for me after school; I’ll catch a ride with Max and Liz.” She turned and fled the eraser room before he had a chance to stop her.

Before she reached the corner, she heard his loud voice echo through the hallway. “The hell you will!” This was followed by another metallic clanging as the poor closet had to, once again, serve as lightning rod for the wrath of one Michael Guerin.

She hurried away, unpleasantly conscious of the curious looks of the other students in the hallway who had involuntarily witnessed their “private conversation”.

*****

After a brief stop to put away her books, Maria hurried to the school parking lot after sixth period. She was secretly relieved that Michael had obviously decided to leave her alone for now, because he hadn’t waited by her locker as was his usual habit.

It was a mystery for her how something as simple as a make out session had turned into a full-blown fight in a matter of minutes and she was still mad at him for yelling at her like that, though she began to see his side of the argument a little. Regardless, she snorted and slammed the exit doors shut behind her with a little more force than strictly necessary, that’s still no reason to start yelling like a shot boar!

When she arrived at the gravel lot, where students as well as teachers parked their cars, she immediately spied Max’ old army jeep. Hard not to, she smiled wryly to herself, that thing sticks out here like sore thumb. Maria could see the sun glinting off of Max’ and Liz’ brown hair where they were sitting in the car, waiting for her. She had written Liz a text earlier, asking if they could give her a ride to work, to which the other girl had happily agreed. Maria realized that this went a little against her plan to keep her distance from the others for a while, but other than walking to the CrashDown, which would make her horribly late for work, there really were no other options.

One other option, however, became glaringly – literally – obvious when she rounded the jeep to find Michael’s shiny black motorcycle parked next to Max’ car. Michael, himself, was leaning casually against his bike, arms crossed over his chest and doing what he did best: glaring. When he caught sight of her, he straightened up and cocked a challenging eyebrow at her.


Oh, no way! Maria felt her hackles rising again at his provocative look. She swiftly threw her backpack onto the bench seat in the back of the jeep, and climbed in after it, ostensibly ignoring Michael, while gauging his reaction out of the corner of her eye. She might have laughed at the look of incredulous astonishment that flitted across his features when she walked by without acknowledging him, had it not been replaced by a deeply wounded expression almost instantly. Then he put on his helmet, effectively hiding all emotions behind the inscrutable visor.

The couple greeted her quietly, but both of them kept glancing at Michael, unsure of the situation.

“Hi, Liz. Max,” Maria greeted with a resigned sigh. “Thanks for giving me a ride.”

“No problem,” Max answered, wincing when Michael suddenly kicked his bike into gear with a loud noise and started racing out of the parking lot at high speed, making little pebbles of gravel fly several yards away. “What was that?” Max asked, concerned. “Are you two fighting?”

“No. Yes.” She cursed while fiddling with the seat belt. “Maybe.”

“I see,” Max mumbled in response, with a confused expression that made it very clear that he didn’t. He started the car and conferred with Liz about their Biology experiment on their drive over to the restaurant, leaving Maria to her thoughts.

*****

Later, Maria looked through the little bull’s eye window of the door leading from the back room of the CrashDown to the front. Nervously fiddling with a strand of her hair, she tried to spy Michael among the customers. It was just a quarter past six and her shift had ended fifteen minutes ago, but he still hadn’t shown up. And if he ditches me, it’s my own fault, she berated herself. She had known that he was in a touchy mood because of his mother’s boyfriend moving in with them and he probably wanted to forget about it for a while, and still she had tried to make him tell her more about it. No wonder he had reacted the way he had. He must have felt like she had tried to rub it in even further. Stupid, stupid, stupid! As much as she tried, she couldn’t forget the look of hurt on his face when she got in the car with Max, just before he had put on his helmet and sped away.

This was their first real fight and she just wanted to see him – Now! she thought stubbornly – and make things good between them again. Sure, they had bickered back and forth practically since the first second, but this was different. This wasn’t fun anymore, and she didn’t like this feeling, knowing that he was angry with her. So angry, in fact, that he might not come to pick her up today. She worriedly chewed on her bottom lip.

Just then the front door of the Café opened with a merry jingle. Her hopeful gaze flickered to the entrance, just to see Kyle walking in, his brows drawn together in a worried frown. He looked around the room, searching, while she watched from her hiding spot. When he spied Tess sitting in one of the booths, he hurried over to her, absently waving off a waitress that had approached to ask what he’d like to order. He must have come directly from the garage, Maria thought when she noticed he still wore a greasy, blue coverall.

She saw Kyle speak urgently to Tess while still looking around the dining room. It was impossible for Maria to tell what he was saying, but when she saw Tess’ eyes become round and her mouth open in a perfect pantomime of shock, a cold knot of fear began to settle in her stomach. Where’s Michael? What happened?

She wasted no time braking through the swinging door and rushed to their booth in a split-second. Please, don’t let it be Michael. Please! “Kyle? Is something wrong?” she asked, barely suppressing the quiver of fear in her voice.

The couple looked up at her in shock, then at each other.

“You better tell her,” Tess told him.

Kyle visibly swallowed, then took a deep breath and turned to look at Maria with a determined expression. “Maria, please don’t get upset now, okay? Michael’s in the hospital.”

~TBC

Eve: Thank you for feedbacking. You don't know how much I enjoy reading your replies.

You're right, as an almost-adult it is frustrating if your parents make decisions without consulting you first. You will get some insight about what Michael's relationship with his mother is like in his chapter.

Chapter eight – Meet my mom

“I told you, Maria, he’s fine!”

“Define ‘fine’, Kyle, because from where I was standing, it sounded like Michael was in the hospital!” She was sitting on the edge of her seat in the back of Kyle’s red convertible, leaning forward as much as her seatbelt allowed and glowering at his profile while he was driving.

As soon as he had dropped the news on Maria and Tess, he had loaded both of the stunned girls into his car and started down the road without further explanations, taking them to the hospital without delay. But now it’s time for him to face the Spanish Inquisition, Maria thought grimly.

“He is in the hospital,” Kyle now reluctantly admitted. “But he’s not seriously injured or anything.”

“Then tell us how he got to be there.” Tess, also impatient and slightly annoyed at his hedging, tried to extract more information from her tarrying boyfriend.

“Well, uh …”

“Kyle!”

“Well, um, a couple of days ago there was this guy at the garage. A customer,” he clarified. “And he brought us his car to tune it up a little. Larry’s garage kinda specializes in such things,” he explained with a brief look in the back mirror. “Anyway, it was a 1954 Chevrolet Corvette Convertible.” His eyes took on that awed look some people get when they describe a perfect dream and you could practically hear the three capital Cs in his faraway voice. “A classic. Jet black, leather seats, chrome-“

“Kyle, we’re not interested in any of your sexual fantasies right now!” Tess forestalled before he was able to give them an unnecessarily extensive description of the vehicle.

Maria had to contain the urge to shake him with impatience. “Yeah, proceed to the point where my Michael had to be carted off to the hospital, please.”

“Okay, okay,” he said, miffed at being pestered from both sides. “As I was about to tell you before being so rudely interrupted,” he shot a narrow-eyed look at his girlfriend, “today we were lowering the Chevy’s engine back in when – and I want you to keep in mind that this was in no way my fault – when Michael suddenly screamed like someone had cut off his co-“ he choked on the word when he remembered that he was in the company of girls, “ah … his … energy source with a pair of rusty scissors. When I looked to see what was wrong, he had his hand stuck between the engine and the car, and-“

“Wait a sec.” Maria leaned forward between the front seats. “You mean to tell me that you squashed my boyfriend’s hand with an engine?”

“Accidentally,” he stressed. “I accidentally squashed it. And, allow me to say that anyone who has heard how you two went for each others’ throats in the eraser room today, could seriously have their doubts about whether he is your boyfriend right now.” He flipped on the signal to turn off of Main Street into the lane that led up to Roswell General Hospital.

That effectively put a damper on her mood. “Oh, you heard about that?”

“Who hasn’t?” Kyle answered, and though he smiled kindly while saying it, he couldn’t help adding a small good-natured jibe. “And to answer your first question, I told you it wasn’t my fault. The idiot had his fingers in the wrong place at the wrong time. Screamed like a girl, too.”

Tess lightly slapped him on the thigh in rebuke, but smiled. “And what happened then?”

“We lifted the part back out, of course,” he answered with a duh-expression. “As soon as his hand was freed, he went white as a corpse and passed out.” Rolling his eyes when both girls uttered identical gasps of shock, he went on, “That was when Larry insisted we call for an ambulance. He was fine when they arrived, but they took him to the hospital nonetheless for x-rays and a check-up.”

“So, he was alright?” Maria had to ask again, to make sure.

“Yeah, just in a foul mood,” Kyle reassured her as well as Tess. “Probably embarrassed because he fainted.”

“It’s not unusual for people to pass out from pain.” Maria dimly remembered hearing something about that in therapy. “Happens all the time. You won’t be teasing him about that, right? Kyle?” She watched his handsome profile slowly curl up into a mischievous grin.

“Don’t make me promise something I can’t keep, Maria.”

*****

The nurse that met them at the emergency room was of the resolute sort. Short and sturdy, but with a booming voice that probably could be heard as far as Santa Fe, she could just as easily have been the commanding officer of a large regiment of mostly untrained apes, calling her troops to order; and succeeded. She was now peering down intently at her clipboard, bushy eyebrows drawn together in concentration. “Guerin. Michael Guerin. Yes, we have him here in . . .” She slowly ran her finger down the page. “Room 48.”

“Is he hurt badly?” Tess asked anxiously at the same time Maria asked, “How long does he have to stay?”

Kyle muttered something about mountains and molehills, but was ignored for the most part by the three females.

“He’s fine,” the nurse stated calmly. “Only has to stay for a couple of hours before the doctor clears him.”

“Why does he have to stay if he’s okay?” Maria vainly tried to suppress the feeling of uneasiness that befell her whenever she was in a hospital. Too many people die here.

The nurse smiled kindly at her. “He just has to wait ‘till his blood work checks out okay. We want to be extra careful because he lost consciousness for a while there.”

“Oh. Okay, um, so can we go in to see him?”

“Of course you can. But do try to make him stay in his room.” She looked at them sternly. “You can tell him, if I find him wandering my hospital one more time, I will tie him to the bed.” Then she left them to give two of her male nurses a good scolding for letting an old lady sit abandoned in the hallway in her wheelchair.

“Tie him to his bed?” Kyle echoed. “Am I the only one to whom that sounded just totally wrong?”

The girls giggled at the mental image of Michael, bound to the hospital bed with handcuffs and playing the vigorous nurse’s reluctant boy toy.

“Come on, Tess, let’s go get some coffee,” Kyle finally said and tried to pull his girlfriend down the hallway.

“But I wanna go see Michael!”

“Have you forgotten that they’re still fighting?” he asked with a nod to Maria that clearly included Michael as well. “I, personally, don’t wanna be anywhere near them before, during and right after they make up.”

Tess shuddered in mock horror. “Ungh, you’re right.”

“Helloooo!” Maria waved, annoyed. “You don’t have to talk about us as if I’m not standing right in front of you. And we’re not one of those disgusting couples that no one can stand to be around.” She added huffily. “We’re civil!”

Tess laughed. “Keep telling yourself that. We’ll give you fifteen minutes to get it together.” She took Kyle by the hand and pulled him in the direction of the vending machines. As they departed, Maria repeatedly heard her echo “We’re civil!” followed by fits of giggling.

*****

Michael’s room wasn’t hard to find. Maria followed the even numbered rooms on the left side of the corridor until she was standing in front of an unremarkable grey door with the right number on a small sign beside it. There she stood for a moment and contemplated if she should knock or not, her palms gone unpleasantly sweaty under her nervousness. She wanted to go in immediately to check on him and see if he really was okay; at the same time she fought the urge to turn around and run away as far as possible to avoid another confrontation.

She noisily took a deep breath, ignoring the curious glances of two elderly men that were slowly meandering past her down the hallway on their crutches, and entered without knocking.

Initially, she thought she had ended up in the wrong room, after all. A short hallway blocked her view into the room, leaving only the rather uninformative sight of two empty hospital beds and the outer fringes of a subdued light coming from the left corner of the room, its source invisible to her. The agitated nagging of a woman’s voice reached Maria’s ears where she was hovering just inside the doorway, unsure whether to leave unobtrusively or to announce her presence.

“How could you be so careless?” the woman now ended her tirade, obviously expecting an answer from whoever was with her in the invisible corner.

In this instant, Maria decided to try to reopen the door as soundlessly as possible and clear out quickly. This didn’t sound like a conversation she wanted to interrupt. The next words made her stop short, though, her hand poised over the door handle.

“I didn’t exactly do it on purpose, Mom!” Michael answered irritably.

“I didn’t suppose you did. Not even you could be so stupid,” his mother said in a cold voice.

Maria bit her lip at the hurtful words. How can a mother talk to her son like that?

A long silence followed. The room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop, and Maria still stood frozen just inside the doorway. If I leave now, they will certainly hear me. And if I go in, they’ll know that I eavesdropped. Damn. Damn, damn, damn.

“Well?” Michael’s mother now spoke again. “How do you suppose I should pay the bills? You’re off work for what? Three weeks?” she demanded.

“Two,” he answered in a subdued mumble that made Maria’s heart tighten in her chest.

His mother sighed. “Two weeks. And with you eating like a herd of wolves. How do you suppose I pay for that?”

“A pack,” Michael said.

“What?”

“A pack,” he repeated. “Wolves come in a pack.”

“Don’t get smart with me!”

“Why doesn’t your precious boyfriend heave his fat ass off of our couch and get himself a job?” he challenged.

“Don’t start that again, young man! You know very well that he tries. Hank just hasn’t had much luck with jobs lately. It isn’t his fault.”

“Maybe it has something to do with his cheerful personality,” he murmured sarcastically.

“You know,” his mother told him, “if you wouldn’t provoke him at every possible opportunity, you’d get along really nicely. Just yesterday he told me how sad he is that you like him so little.”

A sardonic snort was the only answer.

“Michael, please,” she tried in a softer tone. “I love him.”

“Well, mother, I’m really glad that you love him.” His derisive reply was accompanied by a soft rustle, as if someone had punched a pillow.

In this moment, Maria decided that she couldn’t bear to listen to this unkind conversation a second longer. She gathered her courage and stepped forward around the corner.

Two identical sets of light brown eyes looked at her in startled surprise.

“Hi,” she waved nervously.

Besides the beautiful eyes and the slightly sheepish look of astonishment, mother and son didn’t have much in common to look at. The woman standing next to the hospital bed was small and so spindly thin as to look almost haggard. She wore simple jeans and a sweater that looked to be at least two sizes too big for her frame. Her straight, dark hair looked scraggly and hung over her shoulders rather unremarkably, while the nearly nonexistent eyebrows were pulled up to almost meet her hairline. The deep lines that furrowed her narrow face from nose to the corners of her mouth made her look much older than she probably was, Maria noticed with a brief thought of her own mother’s youthful appearance.

Though she didn’t feel much sympathy for this woman after witnessing her harsh words towards Michael, Maria remembered her manners and extended a hand in greeting. “My name is Maria. Maria Deluca,” she said.

“Sandra Guerin,” the woman introduced herself and briefly shook Maria’s hand, making her want to wipe her palms on the seams of her jeans as soon as her skin came into contact with the other woman’s damp, limp grip. “What do you want?” she now rudely inquired.

Maria, taken aback by her bluntness, was speechless for a second. “I’m . . . um, I’m . . .”

“Mom,” Michael interrupted. He was lying, fully clothed, on top of the covers of the last hospital bed, its top part elevated to allow a half-upright position. “This’s . . . this is my, um . . .” He looked at Maria, unsure what to say. Was she still his girlfriend?

Maria looked at him and shrugged. He shrugged, too, one corner of his mouth turning up slightly.

She smiled back at him and decisively addressed his mother, “Mrs. Guerin, I’m Michael’s girlfriend.”

“Are you sure?” The woman had followed their exchange closely and was clearly skeptical.

“Of course.”

“I mean, are you sure you want him? You’re not ugly, you could do a lot better than my son, you know?” Sandra laughed at her flimsy attempt at a joke, completely oblivious to the effect her hurtful words had on her son.

Michael had his arms crossed, lips pressed together into a thin line, as he stared sightlessly onto his knees.

“No, I don’t know.” Maria felt her anger growing again at this woman who hurt her own son out of sheer stupidity. Or even worse, out of carelessness. She fixed the woman with a defiant stare and walked forward to sit down next to Michael on the bed, feeling him move aside slightly to make room for her. “I couldn’t wish for a better friend than him.”

“Whatever.” Sandra, not the least bit interested in Maria’s answer, made an impatient step in the direction of the door, gesturing for Michael to get up. “But we have to go now. Hank needs the car,” she told Michael.

“I can’t leave, yet,” he said. “Not until the doc clears me.”

Sandra sighed in exasperation. “Well, then you’re gonna have to take the bus, ‘cause I’m not coming back for you later.”

“We’ll take him,” Maria quickly interrupted, before they could get into another argument.

“You have a car?” Sandra asked with an incredulity Maria didn’t much care for. “You don’t look a day older than fifteen.”

“I’m seventeen,” she replied angrily. “But no, I don’t have a car. Kyle and Tess are here with me.”

“Kyle? The sheriff’s boy?” Sandra inquired in Michael’s direction, who nodded in affirmation. “I always wondered why he spends so much time with you,” she mused. “You have nothing in common. I mean, do you help him beat up other kids?” she asked in an accusatory tone.

Michael let himself fall back onto the pillow in resignation. “Kyle is the captain of the football team, mom. He doesn’t need me to beat up anybody.”

“Whatever,” Sandra said for the second time. “See you later.” Without a look back, she vanished through the door, leaving the two teens in loaded silence.

“So . . .” Michael said after a few minutes of mutual speechlessness.

“So . . .” she briefly glanced up at him then returned to staring at her clasped hands in her lap.

He vainly flapped his hand in the direction of the now closed door. “My mom.”

“Yeah,” Maria snorted softly and looked at him. “Is she always like that?” She made a gesture, encompassing the harsh words, breezy attitude and uncaring behavior of Sandra Guerin.

“Only on her good days,” he tried to joke.

The two of them lapsed into silence again, staring off into different directions.

“So, why did you come here?” he finally asked.

That startled her out of her thoughts and made her turn back to face him. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, did you come here to make peace or to finish the job and break the other hand?” He lifted his left hand, which was, she now saw, enclosed in a light plastic brace.

She reached over and carefully took his hurt hand into hers. “So it’s broken?”

He shrugged dismissively. “Doc says it’s just a little hairline crack in the metacarpal bone. Nothing major.” He gently withdrew his hand. “So, what are you doing here?”

“That depends.”

“Depends? On what?”

She regarded him earnestly. “Are you done freaking out on me?”

He sighed and let his head drop back onto the pillow. “Yes.”

“Can we talk, then?” she asked.

“If we must.”

She clearly heard the resignation in his voice, but as much as she wanted to hug and kiss him and tell him everything would be alright, she knew she had to get their fight cleared out of the way first.

“What was that today in the eraser room? I mean, I just asked you a question and you just, like, totally exploded!”

He remorsefully stared at his hands. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“Michael . . .” Maria couldn’t help but shake her head in exasperation. “You irritate me on a daily basis and today you really pissed me off.” She gently gripped his chin and tilted his head up to make him look into her eyes, “but I’m never, never scared of you. For you, maybe.” She reached out and took his good hand, threading her fingers through his.

He looked honestly surprised, but also slightly embarrassed by her statement. “Oh. Okay, then.”

She smiled at his response. Obviously, he didn’t know quite what to do when someone expressed concern for him. Well, you better get used to that, buddy. “You do realize that the whole school now probably thinks we’re nuts, don’t you? The way we screamed the roof down?”

He shrugged. “They already knew that about one of us.”

“Well, now they know that I’m crazy, too.”

“I meant you,” he dryly stated. They looked into each other’s eyes, and after a second both of them doubled over laughing.

After she had recovered a little, Maria straightened up again, still faintly chuckling. “Can we be serious for a second here?”

“Of course.” He smiled.

“You know,” she said, slowly stroking her thumb over his knuckles. “Today I discovered something.”

“And what is that?” he inquired curiously.

She looked him straight into the eyes, all laughter gone from her voice. “I hate fighting with you.”

His brows pulled together into an anxious frown and he pulled her into his arms. “Me, too.” He held her tight against him, letting her wrap her arms around his neck and slowly started to stroke her back while speaking into her ear in a low murmur. “I’m sorry I lost it like that today.”

She gradually relaxed in his hold, breathing in his scent. “I was so mad at you,” she admitted against his neck, taking comfort from the warm solidness of his body.

He slightly drew back, though he didn’t loosen his hold around her. “You were mad at me?” he repeated in mocking incredulity. “I was mad at you!”

“You were?” She raised her head and looked at him, big-eyed and innocent. “I didn’t notice.”

He laughed tonelessly and tightened his arms around her waist, burying his face in her hair. “You wouldn’t,” he whispered, and she heard the smile in his voice. “I’m very subtle.”

“Ha!” She pulled away, poking him in the chest with her forefinger, “you wouldn’t recognize subtle if it kicked you in the face!”

He just chortled at her outrage and pulled her close again.

“But joking aside,” she continued and made herself comfortable next to him on the bed, lifting her face so that it was only inches from his. “I realize that there are some things that you aren’t ready to discuss with me yet.” A wary look entered his eyes, but she continued anyway. “And having seen of your mom like I have, I won’t insist that you tell me anything, but -”

“But?” he prompted.

“But I want you to know that I am here for you, okay? You can tell me anything. Anything at all.”

He nodded suspiciously. “Okay.” Then, after a pause, added, “Ditto.”

Slowly, her fingers stroked over his stubbled cheek. “Next time, just tell me to keep my big, fat nose out of it, okay?”

That made him smile. “Okay. And you do the same.” He leaned his forehead against hers. “What I said about your cousin . . . I had no right to . . . You know?” he finished lamely.

“Yes, I know. And I will tell you. Soon,” she promised. “Just . . . not yet, okay?”

He nodded, then he finally closed the distance between their lips and kissed her. He gently rolled on top of her, careful not to use his injured hand to brace himself. Then his fingers threaded through her hair while his warm mouth made her forget all the unpleasant events of the day.

She was growing slightly breathless, as much from the kiss as from his weight, which he wasn’t able to support properly with only one hand. Ignoring this lack of oxygen in favor of more immediate needs, though, she scissored her legs around his hips to let him rest more fully against her, enjoying the small breathless sounds he made. Dimly, she heard another noise, which was, however, momentarily discarded as unimportant by her brain.

A loud shrieking made them jerk apart and look at the doorway.

“I’m blind! Oh God! I‘m blind!” Kyle was hopping around at the foot of the bed, both hands clutched before his eyes, apparently horrified at having caught them making out, after all. “Oh no! That I had to see this!”

Tess calmly walked past him, completely ignoring his antics. “Hey, Michael!” She sat down on the edge of the bed and gave him a hearty hug, and, because Maria was still lying next to him, she hugged her, too. Then she drew back and slapped a stunned Michael on the shoulder. “How dare you scare us like that? Maria and I were sick with worry when Kyle told us you had fainted.”

At that, Michael flushed bright red and shot a murderous look at his friend, who had by now ceased hopping, but started grinning.

Kyle just shrugged. “It’s true, isn’t it?” Then he nodded at Michael’s left hand. “So, how bad is it?”

“Off work for two weeks,” he answered, lifting his hand and regarding it dispassionately.

“Damn.” Kyle lightly kicked the leg of the bed in remorse. “I’m sorry, man.”

Michael waved his hand dismissively. “It’s okay,” he said. “What bothers me the most is that I can’t ride my bike for two weeks, either.”

“I’m sure between my mom’s Jetta and Kyle’s car we can figure something out,” Maria interjected. “Right, Kyle?”

“Sure.” Suddenly, his expression brightened. “Hey, Michael, want to go and hunt down a vending machine that has Oreos?” he asked eagerly.

“Kyle Valenti,” Tess exclaimed. “You just had two packages of those!”

“Never mind,” Michael calmed both of his friends. “I can’t go, anyway.”

Tess remembered right away. “Oh, right. The nurse.”

“Huh? What nurse?” Kyle asked, confused.

Maria laughed at his lost look, but Tess rolled her eyes and said, “Honestly, Kyle, do you ever listen to anyone other than your stomach? The nurse that told us which room Michael was in!”

“Oh, that nurse!” He clapped a hand onto his forehead in exaggerated slow-wittedness. “The feisty one!”

Michael chuckled. “Yeah, that one.” He lowered his voice to a careful whisper, making all of them huddle closer together. “She threatened to hit me with the newspaper, and the scary thing is,” he looked from one to the other, “I believe her.”

That, combined with the handcuff-comment from the nurse earlier, made the three of them burst out laughing.

~TBC

Eve: Ha ha, you're right. Think Kyle should have just spelled it out for the girls?

Michael's mom is not a very lovable person, and some would disagree with you and say that not having a mom would be better for Michael than having a mother who treats him with disrespect and carelessness.


Chapter Nine – The art of saying sorry

“Where are you taking me?” Michael frowned out of the window on his side of the Jetta when Maria missed the turn that would take them to his house.

She kept her eyes strictly on the road while trying to suppress the smile that wanted to surface and sound innocent. “We’re having dinner with my mom. Did I forget to tell you?”

‘Dumbfounded’ would be the perfect word to describe his expression, she thought with amusement when she took in his face from the corner of her eye. His mouth opened and closed soundlessly several times before he got a grip on himself and closed it.

“What, like today?” A slight note of panic inserted itself into his voice and he stared at her. “Now?”

It was Friday night, and she had just picked him up from the garage where he was helping his boss Larry with some paperwork to earn extra money during his sick leave. With the brace on his left hand, he was unable to do any heavy physical work, but, to his annoyance at having to do schoolwork despite being injured, he could hold a pen and write with his right hand.

“You don’t have to act so surprised. You promised her, remember?”

He snorted. “Well, yeah, but I didn’t actually intend to follow through.” He turned in his seat to be able to better look at her. Stormy brown eyes burned holes into her cheek. “You’re kidnapping me!” he accused.

“Oh, come on, Michael, it’ll be alright.” She tried not to show her exasperation at his childish behavior, because she knew he had a hard time with this. “She’s making pizza and she even promised not to ask any embarrassing questions.”

In fact, Amy had not merely invited, but ordered Maria to bring Michael for dinner. “Okay, young lady, I want to see Michael over here for dinner with us tomorrow. No excuses,” she had stated the night before while the two of them were washing the dishes.

“He won’t agree.” Maria had tried to get it across to her mother that, in most cases, Michael was not comfortable with being the centre of attention. And spending a meal answering personal questions was certainly not his idea of an ideal Friday night. “He will just find a loophole to get out of this.”

“Well, then you’ll just have to get creative, won’t you?” With a cheeky smile, Amy put away her dish towel. “I’ll even let you borrow my precious Jetta.”

So Maria, feeling rather like someone run over by the Amy-truck, had agreed weakly, but only after extracting the promise from her mom not to pry into Michael’s family situation.

Now, she pulled the car up in the driveway of the Deluca residence and turned the key. The silence following the ancient engine’s roaring was deafening. She was finally able to turn around and watch her abductees’ handsome profile.

“But . . .” he began then fell silent again.

“What? What is it?”

He turned abruptly back to face her, frustrated. “What if, after spending an evening with me, she decides that she doesn’t want me around you? Moms don’t like me, Maria.”

“What?” She stared back at him, completely taken aback. “That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard!”

“Mine doesn’t,” he pointed out, averting his gaze and concentrating on pulling a thread out of his jeans’ seam.

She had to swallow hard after his statement, then mentally squared her shoulders and accepted the challenge. She reached out to softly touch his arm. “Michael, look at me,” she coaxed gently. When he did – reluctantly – she continued. “I won’t lie to you here, okay? I don’t know your mother very well, and maybe she’s just one of those poor people who aren’t capable of showing the ones they love how they feel. But even if she really doesn’t care about you,” she tightened her hand on his arm to reinforce her point, “it’s through no fault of your own! Do you understand me? When there’s something wrong in the relationship between a parent and a child, it can never be the child’s fault.”

He hunched his shoulders uncomfortably then let them fall again. “But I’m not a child anymore.”

“Sometimes I wonder,” she teased him lightly, trying to lighten the mood.

“Funny,” he grumbled, but one corner of his mouth turned up reluctantly.

“I know.” She grinned briefly. “Anyway, you’re her child.” She then pulled him in to kiss him softly on the mouth before opening her door and getting out, pausing halfway outside to say over her shoulder, “As for my mom, you won’t know if you like each other until you get to know her. So get yourself in there now, I can hear your stomach growling from here.”

“Yes, Ma’am.”

*****

When they entered the house, the hearty, delicious smell of a baking pizza filled the air. After Maria hung up their jackets, she led the way into the small kitchen, with Michael trailing behind, all but dragging his feet.

“There you are, kids!” Amy was standing at the stove, clad in a flour-decorated apron, the very picture of household virtue.

Oh, how appearances can be deceiving. Maria silently chuckled, thinking about the fiasco with the traditional Native American recipe a few weeks ago. Now she walked over and gave her mother a much-warmer-than-usual hug, with the picture of Sandra Guerin fresh in her mind.

Amy looked momentarily surprised by this unexpectedly intense greeting, but returned the hug affectionately. Then she extracted herself from her daughter’s arms and walked over to Michael, who was hovering in the doorway, watching them. “Hello, Michael,” she said, extending a hand. “I’m glad you could arrange to have dinner with us tonight.”

Maria received a quick, narrow-eyed look at the word “arrange”, which she replied to with a sweet smile and a wink, but he took Amy’s hand in his big paw readily enough, answering, “Thanks for inviting me, Mrs. Deluca.”

“You’re welcome, honey.”

She briefly patted his cheek, and Maria had to bite down hard on her bottom lip to keep from laughing out loud at the face he made. She must have made some sort of sound after all, because his questioning gaze suddenly flickered in her direction, one eyebrow pulled up a fraction of an inch. But she just shook her head lightly, deciding to keep her thoughts to herself.

“Sit down, sit down, kids, the pizza’s almost ready,” Amy unceremoniously ended their little exchange and took off her apron. She pulled the baking pan out of the oven and put it on the counter while she waited for them to take their seats. “You must be hungry, Michael. I’m sure a big, young man like yourself can hoover up a marvelous amount of food!” she said admiringly, cutting off a huge piece of the steaming hot pizza. “I was thinking this big slice for you. What do you say?”

*****

All in all, the dinner went quite well, Maria mused a little while later while she was drying the plates and putting them away. Michael was standing at the sink, working quietly. They had offered to do the dishes after finishing desert – coconut pie – so Amy could rest after a long day of standing in the shop. Now she was in the adjoining living room, watching TV.

Her mother had, like the gem she was, been true to her word and spared Michael the nosy questions, for which Maria was intensely grateful. Instead, she had prattled away about her day, reporting every little detail about the new owner of the neighboring shop – “He is tiny and bald and the most unreasonable person you can imagine.” – and generally amused them with anecdotes of the life of Amy Deluca. By asking him only inconsequential questions about school and what he liked to do in his spare time, she had gradually managed to get Michael to relax around her, eventually involving him in a discussion about how to make the best out of the poor little Jetta that had, as long as Maria could remember, been fixed by her mother herself. Sadly, this was done with much love, but precious little skill.

The only awkward moment had occurred during dessert, when Amy, while reaching over his shoulder from behind to put a second piece on Michael’s plate, had braced her hand on his shoulder. Startled by the sudden contact, he had dropped his fork, which had landed on the plate with a loud clatter. Flushing dark red, he had mumbled a quick “sorry” into the silence that followed. But Amy had only lightly brushed off the apology, calmly reassuring him by saying, “Don’t worry about it, sweetie.” She had carried on as if nothing had happened, but refrained from touching him again.

Now, after finishing the dishes, he dried his hands on the towel and leaned on the counter, watching her put away the last of the plates.

When she had finished, she walked over to stand before him, close, her arms coming around his torso.

He returned the gesture, hugging her to him. Looking at her shyly from behind lowered lashes, he softly, so as not to be heard in the next room, admitted, “You’re mom’s nice.”

She couldn’t help but smile at him. He’s so cute. “She likes you,” she answered.

“Why?”

“Excuse me?”

“Why do you think she likes me?” He looked genuinely interested. “I mean, she doesn’t know me that well.”

She stood on her toes to kiss him, slowly and thoroughly. Then she drew back a small bit. “She knows me,” she whispered. “That’s enough for now.”

*****

One week later, the group hung out in the peaceful quietness of the dining room of the CrashDown. The dinner rush was over, and only a few customers remained, randomly scattered around the booths and tables.

Max, Kyle, Tess and Isabel were occupying their usual booth in the far corner of the restaurant, slouched in their seats, each with various leftovers of food in front of them. While Liz, like a bee on pollen count duty, was busy hopping from customer to customer fulfilling the last orders, Maria, after finishing her shift, sat on a bar stool next to Michael at the far side of the counter, persistently – and unsuccessfully - trying to get him to order juice and a salad instead of his usual cheeseburger and milkshake. Alex was still at band practice.

“I’m sooooo bored,” Max groaned, shoving his empty glass away to stretch his arms out in front of himself and lie down on the table.

“Me, too!” Kyle mimicked his friend’s pose so that the two boys were lying sprawled across the table between the plates and glasses.

Over their backs, Isabel caught Tess’ eye and rolled her eyes. “We could go see a movie,” she suggested. “There’s this new romantic comedy I wanted to watch.”

“Oh, yes, I think I know which one you mean,” Tess chipped in animatedly and clapped her hands together. “The lead is so hot! He has the most gorgeous brown eyes!”

That made Kyle’s head snap up. “There’s no way I’m gonna go watch some chick flick with you two!” he said resolutely, regarding them with disbelief. “That’s just gonna be another one of those unrealistic, pseudo-humorous, illogical and high-polished films with a forced happy ending, featuring two overpaid and under-criticized ‘actors’!” he ranted. “And you’re gonna gush on and on about that actor’s hotness” - he made air-quotes at the word - “for two full hours while us guys slowly die of boredom. What’s so great about brown eyes, anyway?” he added, huffing, his own blue eyes squinted together dubiously.

“Give it up, brother,” Max muttered in resignation, not even bothering to lift his head from the tabletop. “You’re already outvoted.”

“Thanks for supporting me, man.” Kyle shot a resentful look at the back of his friend’s head. “I thought we were living in a democracy, but I guess you left your balls in your locker after gym class.” He ignored the girls’ giggling.

Now Max did lift his head and looked at his friend in amusement. “I just know how to pick my battles, my ignorant friend. You see, all of our girls are gonna wanna see that flick, which none of us guys would normally ever agree to. That would make it a tie, BUT,” He forestalled Kyle, who was about to interrupt, by raising his voice, “Alex is going to agree, because he can never say no to my sister. Michael will go, because, like every guy in his right mind, he will seize every opportunity to make out with his girlfriend uninterrupted.” He cast a quick, knowing glance at the couple at the bar who were doing just that – making out – at the moment. “Which, if you ask me, is not at all a bad idea.” After winking suggestively at a passing Liz, he returned his attention to Kyle, concluding, “So, for one of those reasons - and possibly both - I will agree, too, and you’re on your own, buddy.”

“Great,” Kyle grumbled, letting his head fall back onto the table top.

Tess laughed at him, delighted to have her way. “Aw, baby, it’s not so bad.” She leaned down to kiss his neck. “I’ll even let you buy me popcorn.”

“Terrific!” he muttered.

They were interrupted by the jingling of the door, announcing a new customer.

Alex walked in, throwing himself into a chair at their booth, radiating suppressed alacrity. “I’ve had the most fabulous idea of all times!” he announced proudly.

“Uh-huh,” Kyle replied skeptically from behind the peppermill. “And what would that be?”

“It’s spring break in a week,” Alex said, expectantly looking at each of them in turn, as if looking for some spark of enthusiasm in their faces.

“So?” Isabel asked.

“So, we’re going to go camping,” he stated, apparently pleased beyond measure with his idea.

“Camping?” Tess echoed, blinking in confusion, as if she had never heard of such an occupation.

“That’s your great idea?” Max asked.

Alex took in their less than thrilled expressions, and his light dimmed visibly. “Oh, come on, guys, it’ll be fun!”

“Fun!” Isabel snorted. “Bugs and mud and freezing cold nights. That’s not my notion of fun.”

“Being one with Mother Nature, warm days and baths in the creek. No parents,” he countered. “Fun.” He turned around to face Max and Kyle. “Come on, boys, we’ve been camping together before!”

“Yeah, but not with the girls.” Kyle emerged from between the fries and the mustard and cast a mystical glance at his girlfriend.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” she asked promptly.

“It means,” he said, smiling sweetly, “that I don’t think you’d be comfortable washing in the creek and crapping in the bushes, honey.”

“Actually, they just built a new sanitary cube at the camping grounds in Frazier Woods,” Alex tossed in. “With showers and toilets and stuff.”

Tess hit Kyle over the head in rebuke. “See?” She turned to Alex, determined. “So we’re going camping. Great.”

“Yeah. Great.” Isabel sounded distinctly less enthusiastic.

Smiling at her, Alex patted her arm. “I’ll buy you tons of bug spray.”

She smiled weakly in response to his promise when her eye caught on Michael and Maria now busy arguing over whatever a couple of yards away. “How are we gonna get those two to come along for the trip?”

Alex glanced from them to her, confused. “Shouldn’t be that much of a problem. Michael loves camping, and he’s got all the equipment. I guess Maria will go wherever he goes, won’t she?”

“I’m not so sure about that,” she mumbled, still absently watching the couple.

“What do you mean?” Max frowned.

“Has neither of you noticed that she’s avoiding us like the plague?” Isabel inquired impatiently. At their puzzled faces, she elaborated, “I mean, I asked her to go shopping with me three times last week, and she always refused, claiming she had other plans!”

“Not everyone’s into shopping, Iz,” Max said gently. “That doesn’t have to mean anything.”

“No, Izzy’s right,” Tess piped up. “She didn’t go to the movies with me on Wednesday, either. Liz, hold on!” she caught the tail of the other girl’s apron as she walked by, forcing her to stop. “Have you made plans with Maria during the last few days? I mean aside from work,” she clarified at Liz’ apparent confusion.

“Oh. No, um, I asked her to study with me last week, but she had a ‘cooking date’ or something with her mom.”

“See?” Isabel asked the others. “She only spends time with any of us when Michael is with her, because she knows he’s friends with us.”

“It’s like she does it solely for his sake,” Tess contemplated. “As if she doesn’t want to be one of us.”

One of us . . .

All of a sudden, Isabel’s whole body went stiff, and she stared at her friend, her eyes wide open. “What did you just say?” she whispered.

Tess frowned at her. “What? That she does it only for Michael’s sake?”

“No, after that!”

“She doesn’t want to be one of us,” Tess repeated slowly.

“Izzy, is everything alright?” Max asked, concerned. “You’re looking a little pale.”

But Isabel didn’t listen to her friends anymore. She stared at Maria’s back when the last puzzle piece of that night’s blurry events finally fell into place with an almost audible click. Suddenly she remembered everything she had said to the other girl in the car after the party. Every. Horrible. Word.

“Oh my God!” she whispered.

*****

“You did what?!” Alex, much like the others, stared at her after she had repeated what she had said to Maria at the soap factory, too flabbergasted to be disappointed. Until now, anyway. “How could you do that?” he asked, shaking his head in disbelief. “No wonder she’s avoiding us! She must think we hate her.” He cast a quick glance at Maria and Michael, but the two of them were still unaware of the turn in their conversation.

“That was so mean, Izzy,” Liz softly reproached, standing behind Max’ back, her hands on his shoulders, from where she had listened in on Isabel’s confession.

“I know!” She hid her face behind her hands and whispered, “I’m so sorry!”

“Well, we’re not the ones you should be apologizing to, Iz,” Alex said, gently pulling her hands back down, and when she looked at him, curtly nodded in Maria’s direction.

She apprehensively followed his gaze, taking in the affectionate bantering of the couple and the happiness that was apparent in every word, every gesture. Isabel would have never thought of herself as an unkind person, but now? How could she be capable of such cruelty and still be a good character? She sighed deeply.

Tess pulled her out of her thoughts. “Why didn’t you tell us before?”

“I . . . I just remembered.” Her brown gaze sought the blue, questioning look of her friend. “I was so drunk that night, and I didn’t remember much of it afterwards, only bits and pieces. But when you said that Maria didn’t want to be one of us . . .” Like a magnet, her eyes were drawn back to the oblivious twosome, now laughingly feeding each other French fries. “I remembered.”

“So, now what are you gonna do?” Kyle asked.

She squared her shoulders and took a deep breath, preparing for battle. “I’m going to apologize. Now.” She stood up and moved out of the booth, briefly feeling Alex’ hand close around hers in passing.

The friends closely watched her approach the couple.

“Do you think Maria told Michael about it?” Max asked no one in particular.

“No, she didn’t,” Tess negated with certainty. “If she had, Michael would have gone ballistic and we would have known immediately.”

*****

Maria looked up when Isabel approached them, alarmed at her appearance. The tall, blonde girl looked pale and drawn, completely different from her usual immaculate guise. “Isabel, are you sick?” she asked. “You don’t look so good.”

Michael was also watching her worriedly. He swiftly slid off of his barstool and gently took Isabel by the shoulders, urging, “Maybe you should sit down.”

“No, thank you.” She dislodged his hands with a weak smile then turned to Maria. “Can I talk to you?” And after a quick, uncomfortable glance at Michael, added, “Alone?”

Maria looked at Michael, astounded, but he just shrugged in response, just as mystified. What can she want now? All through the past days, she had done her best to dodge every attempt of the others to involve her in their group activities. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to. On more than one opportunity over the last couple of weeks, she had wanted to just grab the phone and call Tess or Liz to just talk or go out for a movie. When she didn’t have to work and Michael had no time for her, she often sat at home, not knowing what to do. It was lonely. But she just couldn’t forget what Isabel had said that night, and she couldn’t come right out and tell one of the others, either. They were Isabel’s friends, too. And now she wants to talk. “We can talk in the backroom, I guess,” she now answered Isabel’s request, getting up and leading the way to the small area behind the green swinging door.

When the door had softly swung shut behind them, Maria crossed her arms and looked at Isabel from across the room, expectantly cocking her head. “Well?”

Isabel swallowed hard once then she made a helpless gesture in Maria’s direction. “Maria . . .” She fell silent again.

Maria let her arms sink, now a little concerned, after all. “What is it?”

But the other girl just shook her head. “Maria . . .” Another long pause, then, “Why didn’t you say anything?”

“Why didn’t . . .” She trailed off. Oh. That. “The soap factory.” When she saw Isabel’s faint nod, she quietly said, “I was wondering if you would remember.”

“God, Maria, I’m so sorry!” She said, sounding thoroughly wretched and wringing her perfectly manicured hands in front of her chest. “I was wondering why you evaded every attempt we made to include you, and all this time it was because of me!” She took a hesitant step forward. “I know there’s no excuse for the way I acted towards you. All I can say is that I’m really, truly sorry.”

“Why did you do it?” Maria asked and sat down on the shabby little couch on the back wall. Upon hearing a confession like that, her knees had gone a little rubbery.

Isabel, obviously taking Maria’s taking a seat as an invitation, walked over and sat down beside her. Contemplating, she looked at her entwined fingers. When she began to speak, it was hesitant. “I can’t even explain it right. I’m in love with Alex. From year one.” She sighed deeply. “He’s amazing. He makes the most wonderful music, and he’s smart and funny and -” She stopped abruptly, looking into Maria’s eyes, a wry smile on her lips. “You get the picture.”

Almost against her will, Maria had to smile.

“But he’s also so damn nice!” Isabel went on, the old irritation bubbling to the surface again. “To everyone. And when he was talking to that Pam, I just -” She shrugged. “I guess I blew a fuse. I drank too much, which I usually really don’t, and you know the rest.” She leaned back to slouch against the backrest of the worn old sofa, staring at the ceiling. “I really don’t know why I said all those horrible things to you, Maria. Maybe I was jealous of you and Michael. And angry. Angry at myself, at Alex, at everyone and everything.” She sighed again, deeply, while the first tear ran down her cheek. “Can you forgive me?”

Maria mimicked Isabel’s pose, resting back against the couch, shoulder to shoulder with the girl who had caused her so much hurt, and who she was still mad at. But she could also, after hearing her words, feel what Isabel had felt. She was silent for a long time, thinking about what she’d just learned. Finally, she spoke. “I don’t know if I can just forgive and forget everything, Isabel. Hearing that from a person I considered a friend hurt me.”

“I understand.” Isabel sniffed, trying to inconspicuously wipe her eyes.

Maria had pity on her. She was not a vindictive person by nature, and seeing Isabel’s tears made her feel bad for her. So she reached over and gently rubbed her arm. “But do you think we could start anew and maybe even work towards building that friendship this time around?”

“I’d like that,” Isabel answered thickly. She dug out a tissue and noisily blew her nose, sounding remarkably like a strangled elephant. They both giggled at the sound.

“Okay, then. Hi, my name’s Maria.” She extended her hand in feigned formality.

Isabel took it, red-eyed, but smiling. “Isabel.”

“You’re friends with Michael Guerin, right? He’s pretty hot, maybe you can introduce me to him sometime.”

At the mention of Michael, all the playfulness went out of Isabel. “Ungh, speaking of Michael, you haven’t told him, have you?”

Maria shook her head in dawning horror. “Ah, no. Didn’t want to make things any more difficult than they already are.”

“Would you mind if I gave him a ride home today, then? I’ll try to explain it to him.”

“Good luck with that.”

*****

The last of the afternoon’s sunlight shone pink at the horizon, touching the surface of the desert in a soft, red hue while the hidden hollows and crevices of the landscape already lay in darkness.

Michael was looking down the steep edge of the old quarry. “What are we doing here, Iz?”

“I needed to talk to you,” she replied, not telling him that bringing him here of all places only answered the purpose of preventing him from running off in anger. The quarry lay just a few minutes outside of Roswell. Close enough, if you had a car. If. Isabel nervously felt for the Jeep’s keys in her pocket.

He turned around to look at her curiously, half of his face in shadow. “You know, this is the second Friday night in a row that I’m not endin’ up where I thought I would. I’m beginning to see a disturbing trend here.”

That distracted her enough from what she was about to tell him that she shook her head in confusion and asked, “What? What are you talking about?”

“Nevermind.” He waved a hand dismissively. “So, you need to talk to me. This wouldn’t happen to have anything to do with your super-secret talk with Maria earlier, would it?”

“Err, it does, in fact.” She shuffled her feet nervously. Now or never. “Have you noticed that Maria has been avoiding spending time with any of us but you?”

He stared at her blankly for a moment. “Why should she avoid me?”

“Not you. Us! Me!” She threw her hands up in exasperation.

Shaking his head from side to side, he slowly answered, “I’m not following you.”

“Because you’re being deliberately dense!”

“Then spell it out for me.” He frowned. “Why do you think she’s avoiding all of you?”

“Because, two weeks ago, at the party, I said something to her.” She braced herself for his reaction.

For a moment, he was silent. Then he quietly asked, “What did you say?”

She took a deep breath and hastily blurted out, “Something along the lines of ‘We don’t want you to be one of us” and that she didn’t know a thing about you. I don’t remember the exact words, but it was really nasty.” There. Now it’s out.

It took a moment for him to process what she had said. Then he brusquely turned away from her, inhaling sharply. He was facing the quarry again and the sunset threw his form into sharp relief. He stood like that for several minutes, not moving.

Finally, she couldn’t take it anymore and slowly approached him, reaching out, with caution, for his arm. “Michael . . .”

Roughly, he jerked his sleeve out of her grasp, saying, very clearly, “Don’t touch me right now, Isabel. Please.”

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, and even to her own ears it sounded like begging.

That made him turn around immediately, and he finally exploded. “Damn right you should be sorry! Do you have any idea how that must have felt for her? She’s new here, she doesn’t know many people, and you tell her that she’s not wanted?!” His voice cracked from agitation. He was wildly gesturing with his arms, his hair standing on end, looking very much like the avenging angel in the flesh. “What the hell is wrong with you?!”

“I know,” she replied weekly. “But Alex -”

“Don’t. Finish. That sentence! You’re incapable of getting that relationship of yours to work, so you decided to destroy mine. Is that it?”

“No!”

“Then why did you do it? Why are you saying things to the girl I lo -” He caught himself before saying the word, and continued on his rant, “the girl I like that you knew must hurt her?”

“I don’t know. I’m so sorry,” she said again in a subdued voice.

He was kicking the sand lightly, his fists buried deeply into his pockets, and avoided eye contact while calming down fractionally. “What did she say when you apologized? ‘Cause I’m guessing that’s what you did back there.”

“She said that we could maybe try to make a fresh start as friends. Please don’t be angry at her, Michael!” she pleaded. “She didn’t tell you because she didn’t want to be the reason for a fight between us. She didn’t want to destroy our friendship.”

He looked into her eyes then, still angry, but not furious anymore. “You managed to do that all on your own now, did you?” He paused. “No, I’m not mad at her. Though she should have told me. Why now?” he asked. “Why did you tell me now?”

“I f-forgot.”

“You forgot,” he repeated. “Okay. Can you drive me home now?” Without waiting for an answer, he walked past her and climbed into the passenger seat.

Shoulders slumped dejectedly, she followed him.

The drive to his house was silent. Isabel didn’t dare to talk again until the car was parked in front of the age-old, shabby bungalow that he called his home and he got ready to jump out without saying anything else.

“Michael?”

He stopped in mid-motion, halfway out of the car.

She cleared her throat, trying to dislodge the thickness that seemed to have permanently taken up residence there. “Maria . . . She said she would try to forgive me. Can you . . . maybe do the same?”

He sighed deeply then gruffly said, “I don’t know.” Without another word, he got out of the Jeep and hurried to the front door. There he stopped and turned around again.

It was fully dark by now, so she could only dimly make out his silhouette in front of the wooden door. When he spoke again, though, she heard him clearly.

“Maybe.”

“Thank you,” she whispered.

*****

Maria sat on her bed in the dark when her phone rang. She had expected he would call, but when she now looked at the illuminated display and saw Michael’s caller ID, her heart began to race nonetheless. What will he say? Will he be mad?

With sweaty fingers, she pushed the button and answered the call. “Hello?”

“Hey,” he greeted gruffly.

Okay, it’s impossible to read his mood from one syllable. “Hey, you,” she said. “How did it go with Isabel?”

“Not so great,” he answered after a moment’s silence. “I can’t believe she did that. And I can’t believe you didn’t tell me.”

She sighed softly, feeling bad for not telling him, though she knew she would probably do it again. “I know. And I’m really sorry, Michael.”

“I think I’ve heard about enough apologies for one day. And it wasn’t your fault, so don’t be sorry.” She could listen to the even sounds of his breathing for a moment. “I guess I’m just . . . Hell, I don’t know.”

“Angry? Disappointed?”

“Yeah, all of that. I told her I would think about accepting the apology, if that’s okay with you.”

She smiled in the dark, snuggling back into her pillows now that the storm was over. “I’m glad you did, baby.”

“Hey, you’ve still got your day off tomorrow, right?”

“Yes, I have. Wanna do something with me, Mr. Guerin?” she teased.

“Always, Deluca,” he growled. “But maybe tomorrow afternoon I could come over with Kyle and Tess and we could watch a movie or something. What do you think?”

“Sure.” Now that the issue with Isabel was somewhat out of the way, she was even looking forward to spending time with his friends.

“Sweet. See you tomorrow, then.”

“Alright. Good night, Michael.”

“G’night.”

~TBC

Eve: You're totally right, Michael's not easy.

Think the camping is going to be fun, eh? We'll see.

Moomin: Michael's situation is very, very bad, and you will learn more about it as the story progresses.


Chapter Ten – Getting to know each other

She sat alone on the swing in the abandoned playground at night. The park that was usually well-frequented by young mothers pushing their baby buggies, teenagers playing football and children running around in games of hide-and-seek, was now eerily quiet. Instead of the biting cold draft of a couple of weeks back, the night breeze was mild and balmy, lifting a stray strand of hair from her temple; a peaceful promise of another hot and dry desert summer to come. The metal chain of the swing she was sitting in squeaked slightly from the faint movement as she rocked slowly back and forth. It was a triple swing set, and she had taken the one in the middle. The other two hung empty and deserted, swaying almost imperceptibly in the wind; one on her left side, the other on her right. It was a pretty good metaphor for the way she was feeling at the moment, she thought grimly, with the empty swings representing the places that belonged to her two oldest friends. None of whom could help her right now. One, because she couldn’t talk to him; the other, because he wouldn’t talk to her.

The almost inaudible rustling of soft footsteps on the sand behind her made her spin around in her seat with a jerk, with her heart lodged in her throat.

“There you are,” he stated calmly, his tall and slender figure only visible as a shadow a few feet away.

“Alex! You scared me!” Isabel exhaled in a rush, her hand clutched to her chest.

“Sorry.” He advanced a few steps and came to stand in front of her so that she had to look up at him.

“What are you doing here?” she asked, rather irritated still that he had frightened her.

“I could be asking you the same thing,” he answered sternly, and the moon illuminated his features enough for her to see that he was scowling. “It’s the middle of the night, Iz, you shouldn’t be out here all by yourself. Do you know how many loopy weirdos hang around playgrounds at night? It’s dangerous.”

She shrugged stubbornly, watching her shoelaces. “I’m a big girl, I can take care of myself. And I needed some time to think.” She looked up, hoping he would take the hint. “Alone.”

“You mean you wanted to mope around for a little while without someone there to witness it.”

“Maybe.” She shrugged again. “So, are you gonna leave me alone again, or what?”

Instead of leaving, he settled down in the swing on her right. “That wouldn’t make much sense, would it? I just searched the whole town for you after receiving a very concerned phone call from your brother.”

“Max?”

“Are there any other siblings I should know about?” he joked lightly, but turned serious again almost instantly. “He’s worried. Says you won’t talk to him.”

“Has he said anything about our parents?” she asked with trepidation. She was not looking forward to dealing with her furious parents on top of everything else.

“I think he told them you were out on a late study session with Liz and Tess.” Always the good and caring friend, he was able to dispel these particular fears. Now he leaned forward slightly and observed her with undivided attention, clearly waiting for her to share what was on her mind. When she didn’t, he prompted, “So, what’s up?”

“Nothing,” she mumbled.

“Nothing, huh? That’s a pretty sad face for it to be ‘nothing’.”

Another minute passed, but finally she couldn’t take his quiet patience anymore, and gave up. “I’m just so ashamed, Alex. What I did was really, really horrible and I have some serious difficulties thinking of myself as a nice person at the moment. Maybe I don’t deserve to have friends if I treat them so poorly,” she added in a quieter voice, hating the self-pity in her own words. “You should have seen Michael when I told him earlier. He was pissed.”

“I think I can picture it,” he remarked dryly, but he didn’t sound particularly disturbed. On the contrary, he sounded faintly amused.

“He hates me now,” she stated with conviction.

That made him laugh a little. “No, he doesn’t. He loves you. You’re one of his closest friends. Sure he’s angry now, and maybe disappointed. Who wouldn’t be? If somebody said something like that to you, I would kick their asses.”

She lifted her head, surprised, but delighted. “You would?” She tried to peer into his face, but his features lay mostly in shadow, and even if she had grown accustomed to the dark by now, it was impossible to see his eyes.

Now it was his turn to shrug. “Of course I would. I care about you, just like the rest of us.”

Her shoulders slumped when he added the last part. Someone cheered too soon, sister, she thought resignedly. “But you’re disappointed in me, too.” It wasn’t really a question.

“No.” He shook his head decisively. “I was, at first. But not anymore. You made a mistake, but that’s nothing that can’t be mended. You made the first step towards fixing things when you apologized to Maria, and, if you ask me, that was a very brave thing to do. Michael will come around, too, in time. Trust me.” He reached for her hand and squeezed it reassuringly.

Her fingers closed slowly around his, the warmth of his skin a comfort against the night. “I do.” She smiled shakily at him.

For a moment, he just stared at her, making her really wish she could see his eyes. Then he shook himself out of it, let go of her hand and cheerily said, “Well, that’s good, isn’t it? Do you want me to call Michael? Maybe we could hang out with Maria and him tomorrow. Watch a movie, or just talk.”

“Do you think he will agree?” She had serious doubts that he would.

“I think I simply won’t leave him a choice.” He smiled cheekily and stood up. “Come on, now, Izzy, I’ll walk you home.”

“Thank you, Alex,” she breathed.

*****

Maria was watching TV – bored completely out of her mind – when the doorbell rang late Saturday afternoon. Finally! She quickly turned off the TV, jumped off the couch and bounded to the door, throwing one or two giddy skips in for good measure. Her heart leaped in excitement when she reached her destination. It didn’t matter that she had seen Michael every day for the past weeks, the joy of seeing him was always the same.

She ripped open the door, hallooing, “It’s about time! I was wondering if you had ditched me. Mom made cookies for-” She stopped abruptly when she caught sight of the six people clustered together behind Michael on the front porch, then finished lamely, “you. Um, hi,” she greeted Michael’s friends.

He stepped forward and kissed her unresisting lips, whispering into her ear, “Hey. Sorry, they kinda invited themselves along.”

“Not a problem. Come on in everyone.” She beckoned for them to enter the house, her heart racing not with excitement, but with apprehension now. It was so unexpected having all of them here so suddenly.

They filed by her in pairs of twos, like the progression of animals entering Noah’s Ark. First Max and Liz, who greeted her kindly, then Tess, who hugged her in greeting and Kyle, who slid past her, throwing her a teasing wink. Alex simply shook her hand and smiled, pulling Isabel into the house behind him.

She stopped in front of Maria and smiled tentatively. “Hi, sorry to ambush you like this,” she said.

Maria made an effort to return the smile. “No, it’s fine.” Then she raised her voice slightly to address the others, too. “My mom’s still at work so you can take a seat in the living room. I’ll fix us something to drink. Be there in a minute.” Then she more or less fled into the kitchen.

Once there, she braced her hands on the counter and took a few deep breaths, trying, only halfway successfully, to calm herself. She was not comfortable with being put on the spot like this. Had she had a say, she would have chosen to get to know them one or two at a time, not for all of them to be crammed into her living room like sardines. They all knew about the soap factory now, and she hated that they probably pitied her.

A soft voice from the doorway made her turn around.

“Hey,” Michael said and entered the kitchen.

“Oh, hey,” she said, busying herself with opening the cupboards and pulling out glasses for everyone. She didn’t want him to see how stressed out she was. “Did everyone fit in the living room? It’ll be a little cramped, but I think it’ll work out, don’t you? Are you hungry? I could make you a sandwich, I-”

“Maria, stop.” His arms came around her from behind, trapping her arms against her side, thus effectively putting a forced stop to her nervous bustle. “Are you sure you’re okay with this? I can make them leave if you’re not comfortable with all of them invading your home. They’d understand.”

She twisted out of his embrace and started putting a sandwich together. “What? Why would you think I’m not comfortable?”

“The fact that you just put Tabasco and jam on that slice of bread is a pretty good indicator. Now, personally, I don’t mind Tabasco at all. Just in combination with jam-”

She swore and dumped the ruined bread into the trash. “I’m gonna make you a new one.”

He leaned against the counter beside her, watching her. “Thanks. So, do you want me to get rid of them?”

She sighed, giving in. “No, of course not. I guess I’m just a little nervous about having all of them here. At once. And they all know about the Isabel-incident.”

“Well, yes, that’s kinda why they’re here.” He shrugged in confirmation. “They like you, and they want to be your friends.”

“How can they like me? They don’t even know me all that well!”

“They know me.” He winked impishly, throwing her own words back at her. “That’s enough for now.”

She reluctantly smiled at him. “Okay then. Let’s do this.” She handed him a large plate of home-made chocolate-chip cookies and a smaller one that held his sandwich. “Can you take this out into the living room with you, please?”

“Sure.”

“I’m just gonna make us some ice tea and then I’ll be right out.”

“Okay.” He kissed her quickly and left.

*****

When she entered the living room a couple of minutes later, she was balancing eight glasses of ice tea on a tray in front of her “Hey guys, I hope you all like- What’re you doing?!” She stopped and incredulously stared at Michael, who was sitting on the couch, happily munching on his sandwich, with the plate of cookies securely clutched to his lap. “Those were meant for everyone!”

“But you said your mom made them for me!” he protested.

“You are impossible!” She set the glasses down and glared at him, hands on her hips. “You can not mean to eat forty cookies while your friends are watching! I swear, sometimes you act like a child! Give them to me now!” With difficulty, she managed to wrench the plate out of his grasp. Then she took a handful of cookies and put them on his plate before placing the rest in the middle of the coffee table. “Help yourselves.”

Liz giggled tentatively from her perch on Max’s lap, who was wedged into the armchair with her. “You certainly know how to handle him, Maria.”

“I’m not some dog,” he grumbled, stuffing a cookie into his mouth. He was slouched back on one of the two small couches, saving a place for her beside him.

Maria gratefully sat down beside him and patted his leg.

“Are you sure? Your table manners would suggest otherwise,” Tess remarked. She had made herself comfortable on the ground beside Michael, with Kyle and a few pillows for coziness.

“These are really good,” Alex said politely, lifting one of the cookies. He and Isabel occupied the other sofa.

“Thanks. I’ll tell my mom you liked them.”

For a few minutes, they continued to make polite conversation. It was awkward, because no one dared to touch the subject that was the reason they were all assembled in the tiny Deluca living room.

After a quarter of an hour of this, and after the stiff exchange of pleasantries had reached its peak in Liz complimenting Maria on the color of the curtains, Tess slapped the floor with her bare hand to get everyone’s attention. “I have an idea! Let’s play a game!”

“A game?” Liz asked.

“Yeah, so Maria can learn things about us that she didn’t know before, and vice versa.” Tess sat up straighter, suddenly bursting with excitement. “Look, everyone writes a question on a slip of paper, and we throw all of them into a bowl. Then we draw a question and each of us has to answer it one by one. That way, she can get to know us better, and we might even learn things about the other we always wanted to know, but were afraid to ask.” She winked at Maria.

“That’s stupid,” Michael growled.

“Spoilsport,” she responded in a sing-song voice.

“Can we ask any question we want?” Kyle inquired.

“Of course. Well, not the totally creepy ones like ‘Who do you think about when you masturbate?’”

“I already know the answer to that one.” He grinned.

She rolled her eyes, but grinned. “You wish.”

“But it’s completely anonymous, right?” he asked again.

“Right. We don’t sign the questions or anything,” Tess answered.

Isabel shook her head. “Who made up these rules?”

Tess grinned mischievously. “Me, ‘cause it’s my game.”

“Why do I even ask?”

“Oh, come on, it’ll be fun!”

After they had agreed to try out Tess’ “game”, Maria went to hunt down some pieces of paper, pens, and a bowl from the kitchen. Everyone then scribbled down their questions, making a big show of preventing the others from seeing what they had written. Then they folded the slips up into tiny balls, and put the bowl with the questions on the coffee table.

“You can pick the first, Maria,” Tess offered generously.

“Okay. Uh . . .” Maria unfolded the first slip of paper and glanced at the question. That’s weird.

“What is it?” Tess clutched her hand before her mouth. “Oh god, is it the masturbation question?”

“No, no. It’s ‘What kind of food can you not stand?’” she read aloud.

“Huh.” Tess shrugged. “I was kinda hoping for something a little deeper, but okay. It’s peas for me.”

“Fish. Any kind of fish,” Kyle offered.

“Broccoli.” Maria shuddered.

Michael was next. He contemplated for a moment, then shrugged and slowly said, “I don’t really- I kinda like everything, as long as I can still see what it is when it’s on my plate.”

“It’s chocolate for me,” Liz piped up.

Maria stared at her, unbelieving. “Chocolate?!” How can anyone not like chocolate?

“Yeah, she’s weird like that,” Tess remarked and snickered.

“I’m allergic!”

“If you say so. I think you’re only afraid to ruin that svelte body of yours.”

“She really is allergic,” Max butted in, grinning and leaning forward as though he was about to reveal a big secret. “You should’ve seen her when she accidentally swallowed one of those chocolate-filled plums my mom made once. Her face swelled up and her skin changed color until she was round and orange like a basketball. It was scary.”

Liz slapped his shoulder indignantly. “Max Evans, you were not supposed to tell anyone!”

“Oh, come on, honey, it wasn’t so bad.”

“Not so bad? I looked like a big, fat orange and you just compared me to a basketball!”

“But a very cute basketball,” he amended.

“And you, Max? What is it you can’t stand?” Maria interrupted before their bantering could get out of hand.

“Oh, I can’t eat anything that has cinnamon in it. It makes me gag.”

Isabel answered next. “Nougat.” Then she inquiringly looked at Alex beside her.

“Bananas,” he said. “According to my mom it was all I ever would eat as a small kid, and now I can’t stand them anymore.”

“Okay, what’s next?” Max asked.

Michael reached for the bowl and grabbed a piece of paper, reading, “‘What shoe size do you wear?’ Seriously? What kind of question is that? What has the shoe size got to do with anything?”

“Seriously, Michael, were you raised in a barn?” Tess shook her head at him in amusement. “Don’t you know that the size of your feet is an indicator for your size in other . . . areas?”

“What?” He, as well as the other three boys, looked at her in dawning horror.

“Well, I could’ve also asked for the size of the thumbs, but that would’ve been kinda awkward, wouldn’t it?”

“And this isn’t?” Max mumbled.

“Just to clear that up.” Michael narrowed his eyes. “You want to know the size of my . . . package?!”

“Not particularly, no. But I thought Maria would be interested. Unless she-” Tess stopped herself all of a sudden and turned to look at Maria, wide-eyed. “Oh! Unless you already know, of course.”

“No!” Maria quickly forestalled, feeling a flush creep up her face. “No, no! Um, maybe we should just go with another question.” She quickly pulled one from the bowl.

“I just wanted to help,” Tess grumbled.

Maria ignored her and read, “Okay, um, ‘What is your deepest, darkest secret?’ Err, I think we’re maybe not quite ready for that yet.” She quickly balled up the slip and picked another one. When she read it, her eyebrows raised to almost meet her hairline. This could get interesting. “‘Are you still a virgin?’ I think Kyle should start since he was the one who asked the question.” She turned to him, one eyebrow raised interrogatively.

“Wha- How did you know?”

“That’s easy. This is clearly a guy’s handwriting.” She tapped against the paper. “It can’t be Alex’, because his was the one with the food.” At their surprised looks, she elaborated, “I know he plans on cooking for all of you on his birthday, so he naturally wants to know what not to cook. Liz once mentioned that Max writes like a girl,” she saw Max glaring at his girlfriend, completely affronted, “and I know what his handwriting looks like,” she nudged Michael in the ribs, “so that only leaves you.”

“Wow, Sherlock Holmes, everyone,” Alex grinned and applauded. “You just made one little mistake. I plan to cook for you, as in ‘all of you’, and that includes you, too, Maria.”

Oh, right. She smiled, delighted. “Thank you, Alex.”

Kyle now leaned back with a smug smile. “So, I guess it’s my turn to start answering now-”

“Oh, don’t be so full of yourself.” Isabel cut him off, smirking. “We all know you’re not a virgin anymore. Even Maria knows.” She nodded in the other girl’s direction.

He followed her gaze, astonished and maybe a little disappointed. “You do?”

Maria shrugged apologetically, and obligatorily reported, “Your first time was two years ago, three minutes in the eraser room. Who’s Vicky?”

His eyes grew round as saucers. “Wha-?” Clearly he hadn’t been expecting her to know any details.

“It’s all over the walls in the girls’ bathroom, stud.” Isabel explained. “I’m afraid it wasn’t very satisfying for Vicky, though.”

He shook his head slowly from side to side, momentarily stunned into speechlessness. When he had recovered, he turned to his girlfriend with an accusatory frown. “I can’t believe this. Why did you never tell me?”

Liz laughed at him. “Did you never wonder why the girls stopped going out with you after that? They were probably afraid to suffer the same fate as poor Vicky.”

“Poor Vicky?” he echoed, offended. “Tess went out with me,” he pointed out.

She shrugged with an evil smile. “Yeah, well, I was new.”

“I remember everyone calling him the ‘lightning bolt that can’t hold his load’ behind his back,” Max mused, chuckling at the memory.

Blushing, Kyle complained, “That’s so lame!”

“But appropriate.”

Tess finally put an end to the teasing. “Oh, stop it, everyone. He’s much improved, now.” She grinned. “I guess that answers the question for me, too, huh? Me? Not a virgin anymore.” She fixed Maria with an unwavering blue stare, and asked, “Are you?”

“What?” Maria asked, totally flustered for a moment, and blushing. Again. “Oh! Yes, total virgin.” She puffed out her breath and glanced at Michael out of the corner of her eye.

He grinned a boyish grin and leaned in to pull her against his side and whisper in her ear, “Me, too.”

She turned her head in surprise and looked at him. Somehow, she hadn’t been expecting that. A faint rosy hue darkened his cheeks, but he bravely kept her gaze. Slowly, slowly, the corner of his mouth turned up, and she felt an answering smile break out on her own face, growing until it matched the face-splitting smile of his. They were probably grinning at each other like idiots by now, but Maria didn’t care. She looked into his eyes and knew, It doesn’t matter if we have to figure out how things work first, as long as we figure it out together.

The sound of someone clearing their throat pulled her back into reality. The six of them were smirking knowingly at them, wiggling their eyebrows suggestively.

She pushed a strand of hair out of her face, embarrassed. Michael’s arms were still around her. She snuggled back into his embrace and, in an attempt to divert their attention, asked, “What about you two?” She turned to Max and Liz.

“Well . . .” Liz hedged, fidgeting a little on Max’ lap.

“Oh, please,” Isabel exclaimed. “As if he would even touch her before their wedding day. It took him a year to ask her out, for god’s sake!”

“Actually . . .” Max said. He and Liz had turned the exact same shade of beet red.

“What?” She regarded him unbelievingly.

“We’re kinda not virgins anymore,” he continued uneasily.

Isabel completely ignored the euphoric shouts of both Michael and Kyle. “Since when?”

“Last year.” He smiled at Liz. “It was time for us.”

“Unbelievable. And you never told me?”

“It’s not exactly something you talk about with your sister!”

Quickly, Maria intervened, turning to Isabel and Alex. “What about the two of you? Have you done the deed yet?”

“The two of . . .” Alex repeated slowly. Then it dawned on him. “You mean, as in together?”

“Well, yes, I thought you were-”

It was their turn now to blush furiously. “We’re not a couple,” Isabel clarified, covertly glancing at Alex.

Clapping a hand before her mouth, Maria exclaimed, “Oh. Sorry!” Way to put your foot in your mouth, Maria. “I just assumed . . . Sorry.”

Alex was the first to compose himself. “Yeah, well, to answer the question, I’m still as virginal as they come.” He grinned ironically.

“Me, too,” Isabel added in a hushed voice.

Just in that moment, the sound of the front door opening could be heard, just before Amy’s voice reached them from the hall. “Maria, are you having visitors? There’re two cars in front of- Oh!” She stopped in the doorway, surprised by seeing her living room so crowded. “Hi, kids!” she beamed.

“Hi mom,” Maria greeted, and introduced the others. “This is Tess and Kyle, Liz and Max, Isabel and Alex. Oh, and you know Michael already.”

“Nice to finally meet all of you,” Amy said, smiling, and added, “And nice to see you again, Michael.”

The teens greeted her in return, four of them still faintly red-faced from the previous conversation.

“Do you want to stay for dinner?” Amy, ever the gracious host, invited them. “We could order something in.”

*****

After they had munched down huge amounts of Chinese food like there was no more to be had, the teens lay scattered around the living room, pigged out and content. Amy was bustling around in the kitchen, doing the dishes and putting away leftovers. The girls had offered to help, but Amy had just waved them off with a smile.

Now, Alex raised his head from the couch pillow on which he had been drowsing blissfully. “I almost forgot!” He turned to face Michael and Maria who were lying on the tiny couch together, with Michael’s large frame folded around Maria. “What do you say about going camping on spring break? The others already agreed. More or less.” He added with a teasing smile in Isabel’s direction.

She responded in a very mature and dignified fashion, by sticking out her tongue.

“Camping?” Maria repeated, frowning. “Outside?”

Michael chuckled. “Of course, outside. Where else would you go camping, hm?” He raised an eyebrow in Alex’s direction. “Frazier Woods?”

Alex nodded. “It’s gonna be pretty isolated out there at this time of the year, but they just invested in new sanitary installations, fire pits and picnic tables before the season really gets going. And the camping fee’s not that high, either.”

Michael shrugged. “Why not? Could be fun.”

“Yes, but,” Maria was still frowning, “outside?”

The others laughed.

“I’m sure Michael will willingly throw his body in between you and aggressive ants and murderous mosquitoes,” Max chuckled.

Michael smirked. “I’m sure I can manage that.” In a lowered voice, he added, speaking into her ear, “I have a double sized sleeping bag.”

She felt her face heating up once again. “Why would you have one of those?” she asked suspiciously. Just because he’s a virgin doesn’t mean he hasn’t got some experience.

He shrugged. “I just like to have my space.” At her disbelieving look, he added, “There’s never been anyone in it other than me.”

“So, are you in?” Alex asked.

Michael looked at her questioningly, and though she wasn’t exactly keen on getting all outdoorsy on her spring break, she knew that he really wanted to go. So what? What could possibly happen in the isolated woods far away from civilization, surrounded by wild animals. . . Okay, Deluca, stop that thought now! “Sounds fun,” she agreed weakly.

Michael snorted in silent mirth at her less than enthusiastic response. “I’ll protect you,” he promised.

*****

It was Sunday afternoon, and Maria lay on her bed doing Math homework. It was not her idea of a perfect weekend, but Michael had called earlier and canceled their date at the last minute. He had been curt and quiet on the phone, more so than usual, and it worried her greatly. Her thoughts about Michael had her mind once again drifting away from the book before her. She had been working on this particular problem for over an hour now, but kept getting distracted. What’s up with him? Something must be seriously wrong at home. She sighed heavily. I wish he would tell me.

The insistent ringing of the phone in the living room made her snap out of her thoughts.

“MARIA!” Amy yelled from the kitchen. “Can you get the phone? I’m elbow-deep in cookie dough!”

With a loud, exaggerated groan Maria rolled off of the bed and lazily trudged into the living room. For once, she was not in the mood for lengthy phone conversations, so she hoped that whoever called wanted her mother and not her.

“Hello?” she answered the phone.

“Hello, this is Juliet Ford. May I speak to Amy Deluca, please?” The voice of the woman sounded very friendly.

It’s mom’s boss. “Uh, sure. One moment, please, she’s in the kitchen.” She covered the speaker with her palm and called, “Mom! It’s Juliet Ford!”

Before she had even finished shouting, Amy appeared in the hallway, drying her hands on a kitchen towel. She took the phone from Maria, and before answering, asked her, “Honey, can you go finish the cookies for me? I have to take this.” Then she lifted the phone to her ear and greeted, “Juliet, hi!”

Maria sullenly shuffled into the kitchen and began working on the cookies. Peanut-caramel, this time. From the adjoining room, she listened to her mother’s one-sided conversation.

“No, no, it’s no problem at all!” Amy said, her voice muffled through the wall. “Yes, I know. The convention. No, I’m afraid I can’t make it,” she said regretfully.

Maria put the cookie sheet into the oven and washed her hands, trying her best to be quiet and cocked her ears. This is becoming quite the habit, Maria, she thought condescendingly to herself, but continued to eavesdrop nonetheless.

“Yes, I’m sorry, too.” Amy now continued. “I know it’s a great opportunity, but it simply isn’t possible right now for me to go on a business trip for several days. I’m so sorry, Juliet.” To Maria’s ears, her mother’s voice sounded honestly sad.

Maria thoughtfully leaned against the counter and waited for her mom to end the call. When Amy finally entered the kitchen again, she fixed her with a questioning green look.

“Oh, good, you finished the cookies. Thank you,” Amy said.

“What was all this talk about a convention?” Maria asked, getting straight to the point.

Amy braced her hands on her hip, indignant. “Young lady, were you listening in on my phone conversation?”

Maria just shrugged. “Thin walls.”

Her mother threw her hands into the air in exasperation. “Fine! It’s a buyer’s convention in Tucson, Arizona, starting next Saturday. Juliet wants me to come, but I told her that I couldn’t. So she’s going alone. End of story,” she snapped.

“Why?” Maria asked.

“Why? Why what?”

“Why are you not going?” she clarified. “As you said, it’s a great opportunity to learn more about the business and establish new contacts.”

“Maria. . .” Amy sighed. “You don’t have to put up a brave face about this. I know that you’re not comfortable being alone at nights, especially in this new house. If I went on this trip I’d be gone for a whole week, at spring break on top of that. I wouldn’t do that to you.”

“Mom.” Maria swallowed hard, blinking away the sudden moisture in her eyes. “You really don’t have to do that. I hate that you’re putting your life on hold for me. And besides,” she continued, seeing that her mother was about to speak, “I won’t be alone.” At Amy’s puzzled frown, she declared, “I’m going camping!”

“You are going camping?” Amy mockingly searched the room with her eyes. “Where are the hidden cameras?”

“Funny,” Maria remarked dryly. “No, really, there’s this campground in Frazier Woods with all this comfy equipment like showers, toilets and stuff. The boys have been there before, and they said it’s really nice.” She nodded emphatically, as much to convince Amy as to convince herself.

“Where are you going to sleep? You don’t have a tent.”

“That’s no problem, no problem at all,” she quickly answered. “Michael’s got a tent, and a sleeping bag, and I’m just going to. . .” she trailed off at her mother’s stern expression. “Or not?”

Amy stared at her for a moment, unwavering. Then she rolled her eyes and flapped her arms against her sides. “I suppose I can’t stop you from sleeping in his sleeping bag, but for God’s sake, Maria, be safe!”

“Of course I am! What do you take me for?” she answered, slightly miffed.

“It doesn’t take much to be pregnant at seventeen, Maria.”

“Just because you did it doesn’t mean I have to follow in your footsteps.”

“I do very much hope not.” Amy retorted. “Do you still have the condoms I gave you?”

“Mom!” Maria blushed furiously. “Michael and I, we’re not that far, yet!”

“Thank God for small wonders,” Amy remarked dryly, but smiled in spite of that.

Maria smiled slightly in return. “So, can I go camping?”

Her mother grinned. “So, can I go to the convention?”

*****

At lunch break the next day, the conversation inevitably turned towards the upcoming camping trip. The gang was assembled at their usual table, chattering animatedly, when Alex pulled out a sheet of paper, smoothing it flat on the table top, thus catching everyone’s attention.

“Listen up, people,” he said. “I’ve made a list of supplies we need to buy for the trip. The campgrounds are two hours away from the closest town, so we’d better be prepared, since we can’t just hop into the car and go buy another can of ravioli if we need one.” He chuckled when Isabel made a sound of disgust at the mention of canned food.

Michael had been quiet and withdrawn all morning, lost in his own thoughts, but now he spoke up. “Uh, yeah, about that,” he said, looking uneasy. “I can’t come on the trip.”

“What?” Maria asked, surprised. “Why not?” Since she had picked him up for school, she had tried to be as gentle and friendly as possible in an effort not to pressure him, but this sudden revelation had her totally flabbergasted.

He looked at her briefly, but then avoided any eye contact. “My mom doesn’t want me to come,” he mumbled.

“What?” Incredulous, she threw a look at the others, seeking support, but they just looked back at her, abashed, but quiet. No one else protested. “That’s ridiculous! You’re almost eighteen, your mom can’t forbid you to go on a holiday trip with your friends!”

He just shrugged in irritation, lips pressed tight together. “I gotta go to the library,” he mumbled then, and left without looking back.

Oh, no, you don’t, buddy! Maria quickly grabbed her backpack to follow him, but a hand on her arm made her stop.

Letting go of her sleeve again, Kyle pleaded, “Leave him alone, Maria, okay? You can’t force him to talk if he’s not ready to.” He shared a worried glance with his friends. “We’ve tried.”

Maria nodded reluctantly and let herself slowly sink back onto the bench. She watched the others in confusion. Now that Michael had left, the mood around the table was thoroughly depressed, with everyone wearing identical dejected expressions.

What are you not telling me?

*****

The sky was overcast and grey when Maria pulled the Jetta up in front of Michael’s house on Friday afternoon. The dull weather only added to her already gloomy mood, and when she killed the engine, she could hear the wind rustling in the leaves of the surrounding trees. The neighborhood was quiet and abandoned. Not many people lived in this part of town. Though she had never been invited in, she had seen the tiny bungalow’s façade quite a few times over the last weeks when she had taken turns with Kyle in picking Michael up. That, however, was no longer necessary since Michael had finally gotten rid of his cast two days ago. Now he was happily puttering around in the car shop with Kyle, pleased to be able to use both hands freely again.

And that, in the end, was exactly the reason why Maria had decided that now was the ideal time to pay a visit to Mrs. Guerin and try to convince her to let Michael go on the trip after all. It was still difficult for her to believe how a mother could have something against such innocent fun as a camping holiday with friends. It’s not as if we’re planning on doing drugs or alcohol and having sex. Well. . . maybe some of us, she thought, remembering the non-virginal status of Kyle, Tess, Max and Liz while getting out of the car.

Michael had remained quiet about the issue of the camping trip throughout the week, and she hadn’t pressed further, already firmly intending on talking some sense into his mother. But now, standing in front of the shabby house with its paint peeling off from neglect, she hesitated. There were two small windows on either side of the door, their shades drawn, resembling closed eyes, and the ancient wooden front door looked somehow crooked, eerily adding to the illusion of a face contorted in pain.

Maria shivered in a sudden draft and approached the forbidding door. She raised her hand to knock, but just as she was about to do so, a loud crash could be heard from within, like the shattering of a large porcelain vase. Maria froze in mid-motion. “Hello?” she called timidly. “Mrs. Guerin? It’s Maria Deluca.”

She waited for several minutes, hoping for a response, but to no avail. The house had fallen silent once again. Finally, taking a deep breath, she gathered all her courage and turned the knob. The door was unlocked.


~TBC