Part Fifteen
There were many things that were different this year. Liz had stopped working at the Crashdown. She was interning at the new Congresswoman's office. It was a toss up to who took this harder – Maria or Max. Max was so used to seeing her in the Crashdown, it was usually his reason for coming there and also the one place he could sit and watch her without any reprisals. For Maria it was more of a loss of part of their friendship. The two of them had been working together for so long they relied on the other's presence, but still her loss was overset by her happiness for her friend's new job.
Liz felt the loss as bad, but change happened, she reasoned and it was made easier by not having to see Max all the time, to not have to constantly fight the urge to run into his arms and beg him to take her back. They were friends now, her and Max – after finding Maria in the desert, but even though Tess had dropped the entire Destiny thing Liz had spent too much time away from Roswell trying to give him up to take him back now, not when he was better of without her to distract him.
For Max he still came to Crashdown everyday. It brought back memories. Michael was still there and so was Maria. Maria became his saviour. She held his hand, listened to him talk and kept his hope alive. He tried to return the favour but part of him recognised that she didn't need him as much as he needed her. She seemed strong somehow – she radiated strength. Whatever happened in the summer changed a part of her. It was easily visible, in the way she talked, the way she walked and the way she dressed. It didn't just make Michael's blood pressure rise – the longer hair and shorter skirts but it caused him, Kyle and Alex no end of worries especially when they saw the way guys stared at her. Maria herself didn't notice or if she did she didn't care.
Based on that, some of him wasn't totally surprised when he heard Isabel's explanation in the library but the rise of anger came so fast, that surprised him. Anger wasn't his thing. It was Michael's but Maria was his practically his sister. She was his best friend's girlfriend. She was his best friend. How dare they have such thoughts about her. This time it wasn't Isabel that led the way. It was Max. No one got to think about her like that without some payback.
Kyle headed out into the hallway. Before he could do anything he ran into Alex. His short explanation on his eavesdropped conversation resulted in two angry guys. Just then the bell rang and the hallway filled with students. It wasn't surprising that the six incensed friends met and concluded that the thoughts that Isabel picked up on her mind patrol were the same that Kyle overheard. No one there repeated any of what made them so furious. They merely talked around it, slightly calmer now. They were trying to decide what to do when Michael found them.
All of them immediately shut up. It didn't take a genius to figure out that telling Michael would not be an entirely good idea. If Michael was protective normally of his friends, the way he behaved about Maria was magnified 10 times. Unfortunately it didn't take a genius to figure out that they were hiding something. Subtle they were not, and Max and Kyle looked too enraged too fully hide it. Michael's expression didn't change after he heard. His eyes froze over though. One look into them and anyone with a brain would run in the other direction as fast as was humanly, or alienly possible.
All thoughts were forgotten when Michael looked up, his Maria radar alerting him of her nearness. They followed his gaze to the end of the hall where Maria was, heading towards them. It was Liz's gasp that let them know the rest. Walking behind Maria were three of the wrestling guys. The 7 friends watched horrified as the events unfolded.
One of the boys whistled.
"Hey pretty girl,"
"Drop dead, jerk." Maria didn't mince words.
One of the guys pinched her butt. And all hell broke loose.
It took Maria's friends 10 seconds to reach her.
It took Michael 4 seconds to get there.
It took Maria 2 seconds to twist his arm and slam him against the locker.
All noise in the hall stopped. Everyone stared.
"Touch me, again and I'll break your arm." Maria twisted it a little more to emphasise her point. He nodded in haste. She let him go and he slumped to the floor. He lay there looking up at her. She ignored him, picked up her fallen backpack and calmly walked to Michael.
His friends were not as co-operative. They stepped up right behind her. And then stopped. Michael stood there, his arms folded, his expression cold. Before Maria could do or say anything. Kyle, Max and Alex stepped up next to Michael their postures identical. The staring match between the two groups lasted a few minutes. It was conducted in absolute silence before the jocks turned around and left, ironically leaving their fallen friend lying on the floor.
Michael bent down and crouched next to the embarrassed wrestling student. He said something softly and the guy got up in a hurry and ran down the hall after his friends.
The show over, the noise level rose again everyone in the school relishing in the new topic that had just fallen into their laps. People rushed away to tell the story to those unlucky enough not to have seen it. Maria's friends stood there surrounding her slightly in shock over the incident, in shock over her display, in shock in general.
It was only when she continued walking heading to the parking lot, that they snapped out of it and followed her, rushing to catch up. They all stood at the jetta a few minutes later.
"Hey Maria, will you be my bodyguard?" Alex broke the silence. Everyone laughed.
"Why, you need one?" Maria teased in return.
"Will you teach me that move. Man I can thrash the competition with that at the next meet," Kyle said in admiration. Wow could his sister move.
Maria laughed again, "Sure, big brother."
"Me, too," Isabel said.
"Me, three," Liz and Tess stated in unison.
Michael didn't say anything. He just looked at her but it was a look filled with a mixture of shock, admiration, love and pride. Maria stared at him and interpreted the look almost correctly. She blushed and turned around to open the door to the jetta. She hadn't meant to throw that sleaze against the locker but it all happened so fast she just didn't think.
Maria had stopped to talk with Mrs Burrows after English. Alex had offered to wait for her but she sent him along without her. She had just walked out the classroom when a jolt of pure rage went through her. She knew it was Michael so she headed towards him following her instincts. She just caught sight of him at the end of the hall when the jerk started to hassle her. When he touched her, she didn't think she just reacted. Two months of training and hours of practise since left her with quick reflexes. It was an automatic response. She didn't really regret it but already they were asking questions.
A discussion was in order. But not now. She evaded the immediate questions and promised to tell them tonight. At Michael's place. She was not looking forward to this meeting. But she had avoided it long enough. Maria knew this time they would never let her avoid the altercation that had been building since they had found her in the desert.
There were many things that were different this year. Liz had stopped working at the Crashdown. She was interning at the new Congresswoman's office. It was a toss up to who took this harder – Maria or Max. Max was so used to seeing her in the Crashdown, it was usually his reason for coming there and also the one place he could sit and watch her without any reprisals. For Maria it was more of a loss of part of their friendship. The two of them had been working together for so long they relied on the other's presence, but still her loss was overset by her happiness for her friend's new job.
Liz felt the loss as bad, but change happened, she reasoned and it was made easier by not having to see Max all the time, to not have to constantly fight the urge to run into his arms and beg him to take her back. They were friends now, her and Max – after finding Maria in the desert, but even though Tess had dropped the entire Destiny thing Liz had spent too much time away from Roswell trying to give him up to take him back now, not when he was better of without her to distract him.
For Max he still came to Crashdown everyday. It brought back memories. Michael was still there and so was Maria. Maria became his saviour. She held his hand, listened to him talk and kept his hope alive. He tried to return the favour but part of him recognised that she didn't need him as much as he needed her. She seemed strong somehow – she radiated strength. Whatever happened in the summer changed a part of her. It was easily visible, in the way she talked, the way she walked and the way she dressed. It didn't just make Michael's blood pressure rise – the longer hair and shorter skirts but it caused him, Kyle and Alex no end of worries especially when they saw the way guys stared at her. Maria herself didn't notice or if she did she didn't care.
Based on that, some of him wasn't totally surprised when he heard Isabel's explanation in the library but the rise of anger came so fast, that surprised him. Anger wasn't his thing. It was Michael's but Maria was his practically his sister. She was his best friend's girlfriend. She was his best friend. How dare they have such thoughts about her. This time it wasn't Isabel that led the way. It was Max. No one got to think about her like that without some payback.
Kyle headed out into the hallway. Before he could do anything he ran into Alex. His short explanation on his eavesdropped conversation resulted in two angry guys. Just then the bell rang and the hallway filled with students. It wasn't surprising that the six incensed friends met and concluded that the thoughts that Isabel picked up on her mind patrol were the same that Kyle overheard. No one there repeated any of what made them so furious. They merely talked around it, slightly calmer now. They were trying to decide what to do when Michael found them.
All of them immediately shut up. It didn't take a genius to figure out that telling Michael would not be an entirely good idea. If Michael was protective normally of his friends, the way he behaved about Maria was magnified 10 times. Unfortunately it didn't take a genius to figure out that they were hiding something. Subtle they were not, and Max and Kyle looked too enraged too fully hide it. Michael's expression didn't change after he heard. His eyes froze over though. One look into them and anyone with a brain would run in the other direction as fast as was humanly, or alienly possible.
All thoughts were forgotten when Michael looked up, his Maria radar alerting him of her nearness. They followed his gaze to the end of the hall where Maria was, heading towards them. It was Liz's gasp that let them know the rest. Walking behind Maria were three of the wrestling guys. The 7 friends watched horrified as the events unfolded.
One of the boys whistled.
"Hey pretty girl,"
"Drop dead, jerk." Maria didn't mince words.
One of the guys pinched her butt. And all hell broke loose.
It took Maria's friends 10 seconds to reach her.
It took Michael 4 seconds to get there.
It took Maria 2 seconds to twist his arm and slam him against the locker.
All noise in the hall stopped. Everyone stared.
"Touch me, again and I'll break your arm." Maria twisted it a little more to emphasise her point. He nodded in haste. She let him go and he slumped to the floor. He lay there looking up at her. She ignored him, picked up her fallen backpack and calmly walked to Michael.
His friends were not as co-operative. They stepped up right behind her. And then stopped. Michael stood there, his arms folded, his expression cold. Before Maria could do or say anything. Kyle, Max and Alex stepped up next to Michael their postures identical. The staring match between the two groups lasted a few minutes. It was conducted in absolute silence before the jocks turned around and left, ironically leaving their fallen friend lying on the floor.
Michael bent down and crouched next to the embarrassed wrestling student. He said something softly and the guy got up in a hurry and ran down the hall after his friends.
The show over, the noise level rose again everyone in the school relishing in the new topic that had just fallen into their laps. People rushed away to tell the story to those unlucky enough not to have seen it. Maria's friends stood there surrounding her slightly in shock over the incident, in shock over her display, in shock in general.
It was only when she continued walking heading to the parking lot, that they snapped out of it and followed her, rushing to catch up. They all stood at the jetta a few minutes later.
"Hey Maria, will you be my bodyguard?" Alex broke the silence. Everyone laughed.
"Why, you need one?" Maria teased in return.
"Will you teach me that move. Man I can thrash the competition with that at the next meet," Kyle said in admiration. Wow could his sister move.
Maria laughed again, "Sure, big brother."
"Me, too," Isabel said.
"Me, three," Liz and Tess stated in unison.
Michael didn't say anything. He just looked at her but it was a look filled with a mixture of shock, admiration, love and pride. Maria stared at him and interpreted the look almost correctly. She blushed and turned around to open the door to the jetta. She hadn't meant to throw that sleaze against the locker but it all happened so fast she just didn't think.
Maria had stopped to talk with Mrs Burrows after English. Alex had offered to wait for her but she sent him along without her. She had just walked out the classroom when a jolt of pure rage went through her. She knew it was Michael so she headed towards him following her instincts. She just caught sight of him at the end of the hall when the jerk started to hassle her. When he touched her, she didn't think she just reacted. Two months of training and hours of practise since left her with quick reflexes. It was an automatic response. She didn't really regret it but already they were asking questions.
A discussion was in order. But not now. She evaded the immediate questions and promised to tell them tonight. At Michael's place. She was not looking forward to this meeting. But she had avoided it long enough. Maria knew this time they would never let her avoid the altercation that had been building since they had found her in the desert.