Fifteen minutes had passed before there was a knock at Liz's bedroom door.
Maria barged in without waiting for someone to tell her to enter. She
immediately sat down on Liz's bed and wrapped her arms around her friend's
shoulder.
Liz sat stiffly in Maria's arms for a moment before caving and leaning in for the comfort that she offered, bursting into tears all over again. Her life was falling apart and there was nothing she could do to stop it or slow it down. She was going into a downward spiral into oblivion, and she didn't know if Maria was enough of an anchor to pull her back from the brink. "Forget that creep, Lizzie. If he could marry that girl, and I'm using the term lightly, then he doesn't deserve you. You've done everything for him, the past and the present, and if he can't see that, then. OOOH! He needs to be smacked into reality."
Leave it to Maria to defend her friends. No matter that Max was once her friend as well. She couldn't think about Max without wanting to punch his lights out. Couldn't he see how much he hurt Liz by asking Tess to marry him? He was such a creep! He deserved to be found out by the Skins and the FBI.. Maria mentally stopped herself. No matter what he or Tess did, no one deserved the treatment at the hands of those evil people.
"It isn't his fault. And that's what makes this worse. It's my entire fault. I got what I deserved!" A muffled wail came from the curve of Maria's neck, where Liz had buried her face to cry.
"It isn't your fault, so don't blame yourself. I blame it all on Tess. Throwing herself at him at every turn, talking about 'destiny this, destiny that'. She knew what she was doing, and she probably brain-washed him into believing her every word." Maria swore vehemently, her hands rubbing up and down Liz's back in a comforting gesture. She wished the petite blonde was there in the room. She longed to rip every strand of perfect hair out of her scalp, one strand at a time. She never liked the girl from the start, and now she totally detested her.
Liz mumbled something incoherent against Maria's skin, closing her eyes tightly at the mere mention of the word "destiny". She never told Maria of Future Max and what he told her. She also never told Maria about her supposed night with Kyle and what it did to Max. No one knew except for the three of them - Max, Kyle and Liz. And even they didn't know the whole story. Just what she told them or showed them. And because of that, she destroyed two lives, and gave hope to the third.
Kyle had started to believe that he and Liz were developing a bond. He had hopes that they would eventually hook up, but that was out of the question. There would be no one but Max for her, and he was promised to another.
Maria pulled away, looking deeply into her closest friend's weary, empty gaze. She tucked a strand of hair behind Liz's ear, her heart breaking at the sight of the suffering she was going through.
"Let's go for a walk."
Liz blinked at Maria, her muddled mind barely grasping the change of topic. "A walk? Why? Where?"
"Of course a walk.... We'll go to the school and walk the track. It isn't occupied this time of day, and it'll be quiet. Your parents."
Liz knew they were worried about her. She hadn't left her room since she heard the news from Alex. He hadn't wanted to hurt her feelings, but he thought that she should know. He was avoiding her now, feeling guilty for being the one to cause her so much pain. It really wasn't his fault, but she couldn't tell him that. Just as she couldn't tell her parents why she was locked up in her room. They wouldn't understand.
Finally Liz caved in and agreed to go to the school with Maria, needing a change of scenery. A week of looking at the same walls probably wasn't doing her much good, but it was something familiar. something safe that she had needed. Her own personal haven from the chaos in her life.
She slid from the bed and Maria's arms and went to her bathroom to freshen up. She looked into the mirror, wondering who the stranger was gazing back at her. Her thick, shiny hair hung in dull strands; her features gaunt and pale. She had dark smudges under her eyes from the lack of sleep, and the small amounts of food she could force down her tear-clogged throat.
She had turned into a zombie. Someone who survived day to day just by sheer will power. Nothing else had sustained her. She did things out of habit these days, for there was no more desire for anything except for the oblivion that she craved like a starving man would a last meal. She blinked herself out of her reverie and forced her gaze from the haunting image before her.
She emerged from the bathroom a few short minutes later, and slipped on a light jacket. Although the weather was at a comfortable temperature, a coldness had seeped into her bones, leaving her shivering and numb. After taking one last look around her haven, she and Maria exited her room and headed on foot to the school that was a short distance away from her house.
Liz sat stiffly in Maria's arms for a moment before caving and leaning in for the comfort that she offered, bursting into tears all over again. Her life was falling apart and there was nothing she could do to stop it or slow it down. She was going into a downward spiral into oblivion, and she didn't know if Maria was enough of an anchor to pull her back from the brink. "Forget that creep, Lizzie. If he could marry that girl, and I'm using the term lightly, then he doesn't deserve you. You've done everything for him, the past and the present, and if he can't see that, then. OOOH! He needs to be smacked into reality."
Leave it to Maria to defend her friends. No matter that Max was once her friend as well. She couldn't think about Max without wanting to punch his lights out. Couldn't he see how much he hurt Liz by asking Tess to marry him? He was such a creep! He deserved to be found out by the Skins and the FBI.. Maria mentally stopped herself. No matter what he or Tess did, no one deserved the treatment at the hands of those evil people.
"It isn't his fault. And that's what makes this worse. It's my entire fault. I got what I deserved!" A muffled wail came from the curve of Maria's neck, where Liz had buried her face to cry.
"It isn't your fault, so don't blame yourself. I blame it all on Tess. Throwing herself at him at every turn, talking about 'destiny this, destiny that'. She knew what she was doing, and she probably brain-washed him into believing her every word." Maria swore vehemently, her hands rubbing up and down Liz's back in a comforting gesture. She wished the petite blonde was there in the room. She longed to rip every strand of perfect hair out of her scalp, one strand at a time. She never liked the girl from the start, and now she totally detested her.
Liz mumbled something incoherent against Maria's skin, closing her eyes tightly at the mere mention of the word "destiny". She never told Maria of Future Max and what he told her. She also never told Maria about her supposed night with Kyle and what it did to Max. No one knew except for the three of them - Max, Kyle and Liz. And even they didn't know the whole story. Just what she told them or showed them. And because of that, she destroyed two lives, and gave hope to the third.
Kyle had started to believe that he and Liz were developing a bond. He had hopes that they would eventually hook up, but that was out of the question. There would be no one but Max for her, and he was promised to another.
Maria pulled away, looking deeply into her closest friend's weary, empty gaze. She tucked a strand of hair behind Liz's ear, her heart breaking at the sight of the suffering she was going through.
"Let's go for a walk."
Liz blinked at Maria, her muddled mind barely grasping the change of topic. "A walk? Why? Where?"
"Of course a walk.... We'll go to the school and walk the track. It isn't occupied this time of day, and it'll be quiet. Your parents."
Liz knew they were worried about her. She hadn't left her room since she heard the news from Alex. He hadn't wanted to hurt her feelings, but he thought that she should know. He was avoiding her now, feeling guilty for being the one to cause her so much pain. It really wasn't his fault, but she couldn't tell him that. Just as she couldn't tell her parents why she was locked up in her room. They wouldn't understand.
Finally Liz caved in and agreed to go to the school with Maria, needing a change of scenery. A week of looking at the same walls probably wasn't doing her much good, but it was something familiar. something safe that she had needed. Her own personal haven from the chaos in her life.
She slid from the bed and Maria's arms and went to her bathroom to freshen up. She looked into the mirror, wondering who the stranger was gazing back at her. Her thick, shiny hair hung in dull strands; her features gaunt and pale. She had dark smudges under her eyes from the lack of sleep, and the small amounts of food she could force down her tear-clogged throat.
She had turned into a zombie. Someone who survived day to day just by sheer will power. Nothing else had sustained her. She did things out of habit these days, for there was no more desire for anything except for the oblivion that she craved like a starving man would a last meal. She blinked herself out of her reverie and forced her gaze from the haunting image before her.
She emerged from the bathroom a few short minutes later, and slipped on a light jacket. Although the weather was at a comfortable temperature, a coldness had seeped into her bones, leaving her shivering and numb. After taking one last look around her haven, she and Maria exited her room and headed on foot to the school that was a short distance away from her house.