UNDERCURRENTS
A 'ROSWELL HIGH' FAN FICTION
by Allegra
RATING: 15
DISCLAIMER: This is nothing more than fan fiction & is not intended to infringe on the copyrights of the Fox Network, Jason Katims, Sky One, BBC or anyone else holding rights over 'Roswell High'. I am definitely not making profit off this story, so please don't sue me. I just want to put my favourite characters in horrible situations because I know the genuine writers won't oblige!!
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Whilst writing this I was watching the end of the first series, reading Melinda Metz's books and also reading the first few episode transcripts (which I haven't seen). Therefore, there may be some strange discrepancies in the text where I have assumed information taken from both the books and the series. However, these are not major plot factors & shouldn't make a difference to those who haven't read the books. Any other big discrepancies are entirely down to poor writing & for which I apologize & will happily amend if someone tells me.
I would LOVE some feedback!!!
Please e-mail me at audrey@cherrytwist.fsnet.co.uk
**********************
It was a dark, starless night over Roswell, New Mexico; a night in which horrors are simply waiting to happen, invited out of the shadows by the cloak of darkness which had suddenly descended over the town. It is not surprising, then, to discover that, at about midnight, a black car with no number plate rolled up to the outskirts of town and dropped a middle aged man beside the road before turning round and headed back into the desert scrub in a cloud of dust.
The man ran one tanned hand through his dark, dishevelled hair and brushed the dusty sand from his clothes, staring suspiciously at the lights of Roswell. Reaching the main road, he tried to look as inconspicuous as possible as he entered the town, walking quickly but casually down the streets, assessing the layout of the place. Finally, he gave a sigh and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper from his pockets and examined it closely. He moved to the edge of the pavement when a young couple passed him, averting his gaze to avoid any kind of detection. The fewer people who saw his face the better, but these two were too caught up with each other to notice anyone else in the world. Elvis could have tapped them on the shoulder and they would have carried on canoodling! The man opted for the second road on his right and soon he came to the local town hall. Congratulating himself on reaching the building unnoticed, he was grateful to see that his superiors had planned the job with great care. There were people milling around the hall, clearly joining in some social function or other; many had glasses of wine in their hands while others were helping themselves to the large buffet spread out on tables around the room. The man slipped through the double doors of the building, smiling politely at the doorman, who, fortunately, had decided that there wasn't much need for security at a function such as this one and let him pass with a simple wave of his hand. The man headed for a side door on the far side of the room and was relieved to find the staircase which he had been instructed to climb to reach the bell tower. Taking two steps at a time, he reached the highest point of the town and scaled the final, rickety ladder which led directly onto the roof. He pulled a small, smooth metal device from his inside pocket and set about securing to the underside of the bell's housing. When he was certain that it was properly fixed, he quickly made his way back down the ladder and, straightening his tie as casually as if he had been a legitimate guest of the party, sauntered back down the staircase to the buffet.
He was sorely tempted to join the rest of the citizens in whatever it was they were celebrating, especially when the dip looked so good. However, he had performed his duty better than anyone could have hoped for and although the James Bond pride had not yet worn off he knew that mingling would only jeopardise the project. There was nothing to be gained by drawing attention to himself. Instead, he took the back exit and within minutes was back out on the open road where he pulled out his mobile phone, "It's Klein. It's done, right above the bell tower like you asked.....Okay, I'm on my way there now." Shoving the phone in his pocket, the man set off for an outcrop of rocks on the horizon.
**********
Liz Parker was lying on her bed, trying her hardest to concentrate on algebra, but every time she had managed to write a few words, all numbers were forced out of her brain and taken over by the tantalising image of a young man. He was quite tall with dark hair and eyes like bottomless pools which reflected his very soul, his lips were...almost within her grasp. Running her pencil absently over her lips, Liz's eyes lit up at the prospect of seeing Max again. It had only been a few hours since they had left each other but she was already feeling pangs of emptiness for him. Clearly she was not the only one. A clatter against her window forced her out of her reverie and she tentatively pulled back the curtains, peering into the blackness outside. "Hello?" Her brown eyes were wide with fright; she had learned never to trust any noise she heard as merely innocent. One never knew what was lurking beyond the light. "Hello?" Craning her neck cautiously out of the open window, she jumped with shock when a face came into view right in front of her. Every muscle in her suddenly relaxed when Liz realised who it was, "Max!" She took his arm and helped him in to her room, feeling his firm muscles beneath the thin T- shirt. That was the all the protection she needed, to feel his strong arms around her, the immense love which she felt when she was with him. "What are you doing here? My parents would kill you if they knew." Max moved towards her, running his hands lightly up and down her bare arms; his touch alone was electric to her and she felt her heart pound in her chest. "I couldn't help myself. I was just thinking about you...us. I wanted to come." Liz smiled shyly. There was something about the way he said things that always made her feel about five years younger, every word and touch almost made her blush. He pulled her to him and tilted her chin up towards his face, his eyes trailing over her seamless honey skin and settling on her lips. She responded to him as they moved together in a passionate kiss. His hands moved over her back and down to her waist, encircling Liz as she held him close to her. At that moment there was nothing in the world which could mean more to them than each other, nothing could tear them apart. Moving towards the bed, Liz pulled Max down beside her, crushing her homework beneath their bodies. His lips were warm and soft on hers and she had never wanted him so much. Suddenly, they were interrupted by a noise in the hallway and Liz looked urgently at Max, then whispered, "Quick, hide in here." Pulling Liz up from the bed, Max motioned questioningly to the closet and she nodded fiercely. Her mother's voice echoed from the hall, "Liz? Are you still up?" Liz brushed errant strands of hair from her face and cleared her throat before opening the door, "I'm just doing some algebra, Mom." Her mother looked suspiciously past her into the bedroom, "Well, don't stay up too long, honey, you've got school tomorrow. It's past midnight." Liz nodded vehemently,
"Okay, Mom. I'm just finishing up." Her mother forced a smile to her lips and headed back to her own room. Liz waited until she heard the door close before shutting her own and tiptoeing to the closet. She put her finger to her lips, "Shhh! Mom's suspicious. We have to be really quiet." Max glanced nervously towards the door, and then turned back to Liz. He looked into her brown eyes and held her face lightly in his hands, then leaned down and kissed her. He pulled reluctantly away, whispering, "I should go." Liz wanted to protest but she knew that Max was right; they should break it off before something happened and things got out of control. She squeezed him to her for a moment then pulled back to look at him, "Are we still on for the movies tomorrow night?" Max frowned slightly, "Movies?" Liz's eyes sparkled with mischievous glee,
"Well, we are now. So?" Max smiled and planted one final kiss on her forehead before heading towards the window, "I guess we are." He climbed over the ledge and swung across into the trellis running up the side of the house. "I'll see you tomorrow then." Liz nodded, savouring the final moments of watching her boyfriend leaving her house just like Romeo leaving his Juliet.
**********
Michael couldn't sleep, as was so often the case since he had started 'dating' Maria De Luca. Their relationship was the most confusing thing he could ever imagine and he constantly found himself doing the wrong thing just when he thought he had finally got everything figured out. Tonight, however, had been a good night; they had spent the study time after school together doing anything but studying. Michael was only just beginning to realise that Maria wasn't just on his mind when she had done something profoundly annoying, she was simply always on his mind. As he thought about what that might mean, he began to tell himself that perhaps that was simply due to the fact that Maria always insisted that he allow her to go with him. This invariably meant that she created trouble and thus infiltrated everything he thought about, so it couldn't just be an infatuation with the girl.
When he had had trouble sleeping once before, Max had mentioned that drinking milk was supposed to induce relaxation and sleep so Michael opened the fridge and relished the cool air on his bare chest as he downed the rest of the carton and headed back to his room. He threw himself unceremoniously onto the bed and flung his arm over his face in an attempt to block out the moonlight which was glaring through the curtains like a searchlight.
**********
Daylight came quickly over Roswell, chasing away the relative comfort which the cool night afforded in the summer months and its arrival was greeted with varying levels of happiness by the group. Liz couldn't wait to see Max and go on their date, Michael was looking forward to seeing Maria in an oddly distant kind of way while she was not quite so enthusiastic. She enjoyed the intimate sessions they had together, the fall out from it was quite another matter. Michael tended to close up a little and became more difficult to be around that usual, embarrassment perhaps. Isabel and Max never seemed to be too bothered who they saw or what kind of reception they would get; they simply took everything in their stride. This morning was no exception and Max was drawn to Liz like a magnet as soon as he entered the corridor and saw her liquid brown eyes staring back at him over the top of her locker door. Running his hands through her silky, dark hair, he ran a cursive eye around the hallway ensuring that there were no teachers lurking and then leaned down to kiss her. They were broken up within minutes by Maria's arrival, cursing her locker when it wouldn't open which forced Max and Liz apart to look at her quizzically. "Maria? Something wrong?" Liz asked,
"Nothing a new locker wouldn't fix." Max gave his girlfriend a meaningful look which only made Maria a little more annoyed, "You know, it wouldn't hurt to learn that not everyone can have incentives like yourselves to come merrily to school every morning." Max raised his eyebrows and Liz squeezed his hand tightly, trying her hardest not to smile at Maria's bad luck. She wished there were something she could do to make Michael a more amenable person, but some things were just not meant to be. Maria just had to take him as he came, attitude problems and all, although Liz had to admit sometimes even she was bowled over by how insensitive the guy could be, especially with Max for a friend. Ah, Max. Before she could help herself, she caught herself leaning up against him, her head on his arm and their arms were intertwining behind their backs like ivy. Doomed not to be together until at least first break, just as the bell rang, Michael arrived, slouching towards them in black trousers and a dark blue T-shirt. Pushing past Max, he pulled roughly at his locker door, shooting daggers at the couple, "Get a room next time, it's too early." His voice betrayed the venom he was feeling for them. Liz pulled abruptly away from her boyfriend and tugged a little at Maria's arm to encourage her to class. Max moved closer to Michael, "What's the matter, Michael?" Michael gave him a withering look and turned back to the worryingly small pile of books he was choosing from. "Just give everyone a break, that's all. Porn is a late night activity, okay, not for school." Max pulled back slightly, it was customary for his friend to be a little terse about his relationship with Liz. Michael seemed to think that their girlfriends were only there when he chose and could be disposed of when more important things came up, hence the reason his issues with Maria were so confused. However, it was not quite so usual for him to be downright mean about it. "Is there something bothering you?" Michael slammed his locker shut and leaned one arm against it for a moment, labouring his words as if he were speaking to a kindergarten child, "I am simply asking for a little less cheese first thing in the morning. Comprende?" Pulling away, he marched down the corridor, leaving Max to digest his so-called friend's words, to try and figure out what they truly meant. Max glanced distractedly at Liz and Maria, who remarked, "God, someone got out of the wrong side of the pod this morning." She linked her arm through Liz's and headed off in the direction of history class.
**********
Maria had ignored Michael since the outburst that morning, knowing full well that it was better to leave him alone in times like these, that she would only make matters worse. By lunch time, she had plucked up enough courage to seek him out and chip away at the rock he had so carefully built around himself. He was leaning up against a tree in one of the school quads, and Maria tentatively approached him, before settling herself opposite him on the grass. "Michael?" Behind his sunglasses, Maria couldn't tell if he was looking at her or not, or even if he was awake, but his body visibly tensed a little and he pulled himself up a little straighter against the bark. He seemed unusually flustered by her arrival, "Maria. What do you want?" Maria opened her mouth in vague disbelief,
"Do I have to have a reason to come see you? Michael, if we are going to be together, you are going to have to understand the concept of spending time together...properly. Not just in the back of a car or..." Michael did not move and Maria wished she could take off his glasses and see what he was thinking, but she stopped herself mid-sentence. This was not why she sought him out, "Never mind. What I want is to find out what's bugging you." Michael sighed,
"Nothing." Maria could sense the hurt behind his words and knew she had to persevere,
"If its nothing, why are you sitting out here all by yourself?"
"You think that is unusual?" He noted wryly. Maria licked her lips and moved closer to him, noticing the almost imperceptible way in which he shrank from her. "Michael, is there something, you know, alien related that you are hiding?" Michael bristled at the prospect that his friends should think he was always hiding things from them. "What would be the point of that, Maria? No, I am not." She was determined not to get angry but to try a less confrontative approach. "Okay, never mind. You don't have to tell me." She rested her hand on his leg, hoping that a little intimacy might bring out some information. Opening her sandwiches, Maria flicked distastefully at the bread, examining the contents as if it were a science project. "God, what is this?" While she was absorbed in her lunch, Michael was watching her closely from the protective haven of his tinted sunglasses. He was weighing up the pros and cons of telling his girlfriend anything, how she would take his being weak for once in his life. "Maria, I...think that I..." Maria was suddenly alert, all attention focused on Michael, but everything fell apart when they both heard, "Maria! Michael!" Liz was waving at them from the other side of the quad, dragging Max away from one of his friends towards the tree. Michael's eyes darted from Liz to Maria for a moment and he shifted uncomfortably away from the tree. Max and Liz arrived and sat down beside Maria, "You guys want to come to the movies tonight?" Maria knew that Michael was in no mood, so she spared him the effort of making what would probably be a very ungracious excuse, "No, thanks. I've got some stuff to do, homework and things." Liz nodded,
"Okay." Max and Liz were busy chatting like there was no tomorrow while Maria watched her boyfriend closely, wishing that they hadn't been interrupted. What had he wanted to tell her? It sounded important, but then, Michael always had problems opening up even to tell her that he cared for her...which most people didn't think twice about. She tried to sound casual when Liz directed anything at her, but Maria's mind was far from interested.
Michael was kicking himself inside for thinking of telling Maria anything. He felt sick, probably from lack of sleep, but all he had succeeded in doing now was making her suspicious and that always led to talking to Liz who would invariably go to Max. Before he knew it, they would be all over him like a rash, forcing confessions out of him and watching him as if he were dying of a terminal illness. His angry thoughts were interrupted by a sharp pain which ran from temple to temple like someone had stabbed a hot knife through his brain and twisted it. His hand shot to his head, but he tried to steady himself, running it through his hair instead to cover up the searing pain which burst from every part of his head. It was just like the pain he had experienced that morning before school, but, as now, he refused to acknowledge that there could be anything wrong. It was probably just some migraine from the stress they had all been under recently. The pain stabbed again, radiating across his brain like acid on flesh, burning and sending an involuntary shiver down his spine. Suddenly, Michael stood up, "I've got to go." He thought to himself, Nice one, Michael, now they are all suspicious as all eyes focused on him. He began to make some feeble excuse when the next wave hit him and he grabbed the tree trunk to steady himself until the white light around him began to fade. By the time it cleared, Maria was standing next to him, holding his arm, her eyes filled with terror. "Michael?" Max and Liz were getting up, too, and Michael pulled away from his girlfriend abruptly. "I'm fine." Focusing on the other side of the quad and determined to make it over there before he collapsed, he mumbled, "I just got up too quickly." When Maria still did not release his arm, he shook her off and stumbled away from them. "I'm fine." Maria desperately wanted to go after him, but Max drew her back. "Leave him." Maria turned to him, fear in her eyes, "Max? What's going on?" Max looked after Michael, who had just disappeared into the toilets. "I don't know." Liz offered her friend a comforting look, but her efforts were lost on Maria.
A 'ROSWELL HIGH' FAN FICTION
by Allegra
RATING: 15
DISCLAIMER: This is nothing more than fan fiction & is not intended to infringe on the copyrights of the Fox Network, Jason Katims, Sky One, BBC or anyone else holding rights over 'Roswell High'. I am definitely not making profit off this story, so please don't sue me. I just want to put my favourite characters in horrible situations because I know the genuine writers won't oblige!!
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Whilst writing this I was watching the end of the first series, reading Melinda Metz's books and also reading the first few episode transcripts (which I haven't seen). Therefore, there may be some strange discrepancies in the text where I have assumed information taken from both the books and the series. However, these are not major plot factors & shouldn't make a difference to those who haven't read the books. Any other big discrepancies are entirely down to poor writing & for which I apologize & will happily amend if someone tells me.
I would LOVE some feedback!!!
Please e-mail me at audrey@cherrytwist.fsnet.co.uk
**********************
It was a dark, starless night over Roswell, New Mexico; a night in which horrors are simply waiting to happen, invited out of the shadows by the cloak of darkness which had suddenly descended over the town. It is not surprising, then, to discover that, at about midnight, a black car with no number plate rolled up to the outskirts of town and dropped a middle aged man beside the road before turning round and headed back into the desert scrub in a cloud of dust.
The man ran one tanned hand through his dark, dishevelled hair and brushed the dusty sand from his clothes, staring suspiciously at the lights of Roswell. Reaching the main road, he tried to look as inconspicuous as possible as he entered the town, walking quickly but casually down the streets, assessing the layout of the place. Finally, he gave a sigh and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper from his pockets and examined it closely. He moved to the edge of the pavement when a young couple passed him, averting his gaze to avoid any kind of detection. The fewer people who saw his face the better, but these two were too caught up with each other to notice anyone else in the world. Elvis could have tapped them on the shoulder and they would have carried on canoodling! The man opted for the second road on his right and soon he came to the local town hall. Congratulating himself on reaching the building unnoticed, he was grateful to see that his superiors had planned the job with great care. There were people milling around the hall, clearly joining in some social function or other; many had glasses of wine in their hands while others were helping themselves to the large buffet spread out on tables around the room. The man slipped through the double doors of the building, smiling politely at the doorman, who, fortunately, had decided that there wasn't much need for security at a function such as this one and let him pass with a simple wave of his hand. The man headed for a side door on the far side of the room and was relieved to find the staircase which he had been instructed to climb to reach the bell tower. Taking two steps at a time, he reached the highest point of the town and scaled the final, rickety ladder which led directly onto the roof. He pulled a small, smooth metal device from his inside pocket and set about securing to the underside of the bell's housing. When he was certain that it was properly fixed, he quickly made his way back down the ladder and, straightening his tie as casually as if he had been a legitimate guest of the party, sauntered back down the staircase to the buffet.
He was sorely tempted to join the rest of the citizens in whatever it was they were celebrating, especially when the dip looked so good. However, he had performed his duty better than anyone could have hoped for and although the James Bond pride had not yet worn off he knew that mingling would only jeopardise the project. There was nothing to be gained by drawing attention to himself. Instead, he took the back exit and within minutes was back out on the open road where he pulled out his mobile phone, "It's Klein. It's done, right above the bell tower like you asked.....Okay, I'm on my way there now." Shoving the phone in his pocket, the man set off for an outcrop of rocks on the horizon.
**********
Liz Parker was lying on her bed, trying her hardest to concentrate on algebra, but every time she had managed to write a few words, all numbers were forced out of her brain and taken over by the tantalising image of a young man. He was quite tall with dark hair and eyes like bottomless pools which reflected his very soul, his lips were...almost within her grasp. Running her pencil absently over her lips, Liz's eyes lit up at the prospect of seeing Max again. It had only been a few hours since they had left each other but she was already feeling pangs of emptiness for him. Clearly she was not the only one. A clatter against her window forced her out of her reverie and she tentatively pulled back the curtains, peering into the blackness outside. "Hello?" Her brown eyes were wide with fright; she had learned never to trust any noise she heard as merely innocent. One never knew what was lurking beyond the light. "Hello?" Craning her neck cautiously out of the open window, she jumped with shock when a face came into view right in front of her. Every muscle in her suddenly relaxed when Liz realised who it was, "Max!" She took his arm and helped him in to her room, feeling his firm muscles beneath the thin T- shirt. That was the all the protection she needed, to feel his strong arms around her, the immense love which she felt when she was with him. "What are you doing here? My parents would kill you if they knew." Max moved towards her, running his hands lightly up and down her bare arms; his touch alone was electric to her and she felt her heart pound in her chest. "I couldn't help myself. I was just thinking about you...us. I wanted to come." Liz smiled shyly. There was something about the way he said things that always made her feel about five years younger, every word and touch almost made her blush. He pulled her to him and tilted her chin up towards his face, his eyes trailing over her seamless honey skin and settling on her lips. She responded to him as they moved together in a passionate kiss. His hands moved over her back and down to her waist, encircling Liz as she held him close to her. At that moment there was nothing in the world which could mean more to them than each other, nothing could tear them apart. Moving towards the bed, Liz pulled Max down beside her, crushing her homework beneath their bodies. His lips were warm and soft on hers and she had never wanted him so much. Suddenly, they were interrupted by a noise in the hallway and Liz looked urgently at Max, then whispered, "Quick, hide in here." Pulling Liz up from the bed, Max motioned questioningly to the closet and she nodded fiercely. Her mother's voice echoed from the hall, "Liz? Are you still up?" Liz brushed errant strands of hair from her face and cleared her throat before opening the door, "I'm just doing some algebra, Mom." Her mother looked suspiciously past her into the bedroom, "Well, don't stay up too long, honey, you've got school tomorrow. It's past midnight." Liz nodded vehemently,
"Okay, Mom. I'm just finishing up." Her mother forced a smile to her lips and headed back to her own room. Liz waited until she heard the door close before shutting her own and tiptoeing to the closet. She put her finger to her lips, "Shhh! Mom's suspicious. We have to be really quiet." Max glanced nervously towards the door, and then turned back to Liz. He looked into her brown eyes and held her face lightly in his hands, then leaned down and kissed her. He pulled reluctantly away, whispering, "I should go." Liz wanted to protest but she knew that Max was right; they should break it off before something happened and things got out of control. She squeezed him to her for a moment then pulled back to look at him, "Are we still on for the movies tomorrow night?" Max frowned slightly, "Movies?" Liz's eyes sparkled with mischievous glee,
"Well, we are now. So?" Max smiled and planted one final kiss on her forehead before heading towards the window, "I guess we are." He climbed over the ledge and swung across into the trellis running up the side of the house. "I'll see you tomorrow then." Liz nodded, savouring the final moments of watching her boyfriend leaving her house just like Romeo leaving his Juliet.
**********
Michael couldn't sleep, as was so often the case since he had started 'dating' Maria De Luca. Their relationship was the most confusing thing he could ever imagine and he constantly found himself doing the wrong thing just when he thought he had finally got everything figured out. Tonight, however, had been a good night; they had spent the study time after school together doing anything but studying. Michael was only just beginning to realise that Maria wasn't just on his mind when she had done something profoundly annoying, she was simply always on his mind. As he thought about what that might mean, he began to tell himself that perhaps that was simply due to the fact that Maria always insisted that he allow her to go with him. This invariably meant that she created trouble and thus infiltrated everything he thought about, so it couldn't just be an infatuation with the girl.
When he had had trouble sleeping once before, Max had mentioned that drinking milk was supposed to induce relaxation and sleep so Michael opened the fridge and relished the cool air on his bare chest as he downed the rest of the carton and headed back to his room. He threw himself unceremoniously onto the bed and flung his arm over his face in an attempt to block out the moonlight which was glaring through the curtains like a searchlight.
**********
Daylight came quickly over Roswell, chasing away the relative comfort which the cool night afforded in the summer months and its arrival was greeted with varying levels of happiness by the group. Liz couldn't wait to see Max and go on their date, Michael was looking forward to seeing Maria in an oddly distant kind of way while she was not quite so enthusiastic. She enjoyed the intimate sessions they had together, the fall out from it was quite another matter. Michael tended to close up a little and became more difficult to be around that usual, embarrassment perhaps. Isabel and Max never seemed to be too bothered who they saw or what kind of reception they would get; they simply took everything in their stride. This morning was no exception and Max was drawn to Liz like a magnet as soon as he entered the corridor and saw her liquid brown eyes staring back at him over the top of her locker door. Running his hands through her silky, dark hair, he ran a cursive eye around the hallway ensuring that there were no teachers lurking and then leaned down to kiss her. They were broken up within minutes by Maria's arrival, cursing her locker when it wouldn't open which forced Max and Liz apart to look at her quizzically. "Maria? Something wrong?" Liz asked,
"Nothing a new locker wouldn't fix." Max gave his girlfriend a meaningful look which only made Maria a little more annoyed, "You know, it wouldn't hurt to learn that not everyone can have incentives like yourselves to come merrily to school every morning." Max raised his eyebrows and Liz squeezed his hand tightly, trying her hardest not to smile at Maria's bad luck. She wished there were something she could do to make Michael a more amenable person, but some things were just not meant to be. Maria just had to take him as he came, attitude problems and all, although Liz had to admit sometimes even she was bowled over by how insensitive the guy could be, especially with Max for a friend. Ah, Max. Before she could help herself, she caught herself leaning up against him, her head on his arm and their arms were intertwining behind their backs like ivy. Doomed not to be together until at least first break, just as the bell rang, Michael arrived, slouching towards them in black trousers and a dark blue T-shirt. Pushing past Max, he pulled roughly at his locker door, shooting daggers at the couple, "Get a room next time, it's too early." His voice betrayed the venom he was feeling for them. Liz pulled abruptly away from her boyfriend and tugged a little at Maria's arm to encourage her to class. Max moved closer to Michael, "What's the matter, Michael?" Michael gave him a withering look and turned back to the worryingly small pile of books he was choosing from. "Just give everyone a break, that's all. Porn is a late night activity, okay, not for school." Max pulled back slightly, it was customary for his friend to be a little terse about his relationship with Liz. Michael seemed to think that their girlfriends were only there when he chose and could be disposed of when more important things came up, hence the reason his issues with Maria were so confused. However, it was not quite so usual for him to be downright mean about it. "Is there something bothering you?" Michael slammed his locker shut and leaned one arm against it for a moment, labouring his words as if he were speaking to a kindergarten child, "I am simply asking for a little less cheese first thing in the morning. Comprende?" Pulling away, he marched down the corridor, leaving Max to digest his so-called friend's words, to try and figure out what they truly meant. Max glanced distractedly at Liz and Maria, who remarked, "God, someone got out of the wrong side of the pod this morning." She linked her arm through Liz's and headed off in the direction of history class.
**********
Maria had ignored Michael since the outburst that morning, knowing full well that it was better to leave him alone in times like these, that she would only make matters worse. By lunch time, she had plucked up enough courage to seek him out and chip away at the rock he had so carefully built around himself. He was leaning up against a tree in one of the school quads, and Maria tentatively approached him, before settling herself opposite him on the grass. "Michael?" Behind his sunglasses, Maria couldn't tell if he was looking at her or not, or even if he was awake, but his body visibly tensed a little and he pulled himself up a little straighter against the bark. He seemed unusually flustered by her arrival, "Maria. What do you want?" Maria opened her mouth in vague disbelief,
"Do I have to have a reason to come see you? Michael, if we are going to be together, you are going to have to understand the concept of spending time together...properly. Not just in the back of a car or..." Michael did not move and Maria wished she could take off his glasses and see what he was thinking, but she stopped herself mid-sentence. This was not why she sought him out, "Never mind. What I want is to find out what's bugging you." Michael sighed,
"Nothing." Maria could sense the hurt behind his words and knew she had to persevere,
"If its nothing, why are you sitting out here all by yourself?"
"You think that is unusual?" He noted wryly. Maria licked her lips and moved closer to him, noticing the almost imperceptible way in which he shrank from her. "Michael, is there something, you know, alien related that you are hiding?" Michael bristled at the prospect that his friends should think he was always hiding things from them. "What would be the point of that, Maria? No, I am not." She was determined not to get angry but to try a less confrontative approach. "Okay, never mind. You don't have to tell me." She rested her hand on his leg, hoping that a little intimacy might bring out some information. Opening her sandwiches, Maria flicked distastefully at the bread, examining the contents as if it were a science project. "God, what is this?" While she was absorbed in her lunch, Michael was watching her closely from the protective haven of his tinted sunglasses. He was weighing up the pros and cons of telling his girlfriend anything, how she would take his being weak for once in his life. "Maria, I...think that I..." Maria was suddenly alert, all attention focused on Michael, but everything fell apart when they both heard, "Maria! Michael!" Liz was waving at them from the other side of the quad, dragging Max away from one of his friends towards the tree. Michael's eyes darted from Liz to Maria for a moment and he shifted uncomfortably away from the tree. Max and Liz arrived and sat down beside Maria, "You guys want to come to the movies tonight?" Maria knew that Michael was in no mood, so she spared him the effort of making what would probably be a very ungracious excuse, "No, thanks. I've got some stuff to do, homework and things." Liz nodded,
"Okay." Max and Liz were busy chatting like there was no tomorrow while Maria watched her boyfriend closely, wishing that they hadn't been interrupted. What had he wanted to tell her? It sounded important, but then, Michael always had problems opening up even to tell her that he cared for her...which most people didn't think twice about. She tried to sound casual when Liz directed anything at her, but Maria's mind was far from interested.
Michael was kicking himself inside for thinking of telling Maria anything. He felt sick, probably from lack of sleep, but all he had succeeded in doing now was making her suspicious and that always led to talking to Liz who would invariably go to Max. Before he knew it, they would be all over him like a rash, forcing confessions out of him and watching him as if he were dying of a terminal illness. His angry thoughts were interrupted by a sharp pain which ran from temple to temple like someone had stabbed a hot knife through his brain and twisted it. His hand shot to his head, but he tried to steady himself, running it through his hair instead to cover up the searing pain which burst from every part of his head. It was just like the pain he had experienced that morning before school, but, as now, he refused to acknowledge that there could be anything wrong. It was probably just some migraine from the stress they had all been under recently. The pain stabbed again, radiating across his brain like acid on flesh, burning and sending an involuntary shiver down his spine. Suddenly, Michael stood up, "I've got to go." He thought to himself, Nice one, Michael, now they are all suspicious as all eyes focused on him. He began to make some feeble excuse when the next wave hit him and he grabbed the tree trunk to steady himself until the white light around him began to fade. By the time it cleared, Maria was standing next to him, holding his arm, her eyes filled with terror. "Michael?" Max and Liz were getting up, too, and Michael pulled away from his girlfriend abruptly. "I'm fine." Focusing on the other side of the quad and determined to make it over there before he collapsed, he mumbled, "I just got up too quickly." When Maria still did not release his arm, he shook her off and stumbled away from them. "I'm fine." Maria desperately wanted to go after him, but Max drew her back. "Leave him." Maria turned to him, fear in her eyes, "Max? What's going on?" Max looked after Michael, who had just disappeared into the toilets. "I don't know." Liz offered her friend a comforting look, but her efforts were lost on Maria.