I watched the people in the small airport wishing I could be anywhere but there. I didn't want to be back in Roswell, a place I hadn't been for nine years, since I was seven years old. My father had taken me to NYC when he left my mother. But now my father was dead, gone, and I had to face the strange, yet familiar place on my own.
I looked for my mother, she was supposed to be picking me up. I wasn't sure how my mother would react to me. We hadn't really talked during my absence. There had been a few phone cards, a card or two. But my father had tried his best to sever all ties he had with Roswell, forcing me to do the same. Being young I had agreed, and as I grew older, I just forgot.
"Maria," someone called. "Maria, over here." I turned to see a tall brunette standing on a bench. Next to her on the ground, was a tall male. I walked towards them and the girl jumped down.
"Lizzie," I said, looking at the girl closely. She had been My best friend when we were little, but had lost touch with her when I left. "Lizzie, how are you?"
"Good, good," she said. I motioned to the guy. "This is Max."
The boy looked vaguely familiar. I squinted at him. "Evans?" I asked. I remembered him. He had moved in a year before I left. A quite boy, always shy, kept to himself. He had a sister and some messy little spikehead boy he had clung to.
I looked at Liz questioning her. "I'll tell you about it later," she mouthed as Max moved to take My bags.
"Where's my mom?"
"At a convention, she still works with all that alien stuff," Liz answered. "You're supposed to meet her at like four o'clock. I figured maybe you and I could go by the Crashdown for some lunch, then I'll take you back to her place."
"Sounds good," I said. I followed Liz out of the building. I didn't understand how we could be friends so quickly after all these years. But it seemed easy. I hadn't had many friends in New York, and never one like Liz. I had missed her.
~~~~~~~~
"What's the story with the Evans boy?" I asked when Liz and me were finally alone. We sat in the back room of the Crashdown, which looked exactly the same. I remembered when me and Liz had run through the same room, pigtails flying, chasing each other, laughing. That was so long ago.
"Oh, him," Liz sighed.
"Yes him. How could you forget? He's attached to you, like an extra limb."
"Yeah, well, we've been through a lot," Liz said. I felt like I ahd missed out on so much. I had, nine years was a long time not to talk to someone. Liz must have sensed my feelings, "But we have time. First, though, you have to tell me about New York. It's probably ten times more exciting than Roswell, NM."
"Um….well, I guess so," I hesitated.
"Come on," Liz smiled.
"It was great. But I'm glad to be back. The city was too big for me." A minute ago I was complaining about being in the damn town. But now, now it was different. I liked it here, you didn't get so lost. There weren't secrets, no dangers.
"Sure," Liz rolled her eyes. "Whatever."
"Really," I insisted.
"You're hiding something." Leave it to Liz to catch on. Why did she have to be so sensitive? I didn't know what I should do. She would never understand the hell the last nine years had been. No, I would just keep it to myself, like I had always done. Besides, Liz was practically a stranger to me. well that wasn't true, but it was an easy excuse.
"So you still have to tell me all about Max, and I have to meet my mom soon. " I looked at my watch. "We have an hour. I'll tell you about boring old me later. Max Evans; tall, dark, handsome, dish girl." I felt bad about being nosy, but I wanted to keep the conversation off of myself as much as I could. Liz looked more than happy to talk anyway.
I looked for my mother, she was supposed to be picking me up. I wasn't sure how my mother would react to me. We hadn't really talked during my absence. There had been a few phone cards, a card or two. But my father had tried his best to sever all ties he had with Roswell, forcing me to do the same. Being young I had agreed, and as I grew older, I just forgot.
"Maria," someone called. "Maria, over here." I turned to see a tall brunette standing on a bench. Next to her on the ground, was a tall male. I walked towards them and the girl jumped down.
"Lizzie," I said, looking at the girl closely. She had been My best friend when we were little, but had lost touch with her when I left. "Lizzie, how are you?"
"Good, good," she said. I motioned to the guy. "This is Max."
The boy looked vaguely familiar. I squinted at him. "Evans?" I asked. I remembered him. He had moved in a year before I left. A quite boy, always shy, kept to himself. He had a sister and some messy little spikehead boy he had clung to.
I looked at Liz questioning her. "I'll tell you about it later," she mouthed as Max moved to take My bags.
"Where's my mom?"
"At a convention, she still works with all that alien stuff," Liz answered. "You're supposed to meet her at like four o'clock. I figured maybe you and I could go by the Crashdown for some lunch, then I'll take you back to her place."
"Sounds good," I said. I followed Liz out of the building. I didn't understand how we could be friends so quickly after all these years. But it seemed easy. I hadn't had many friends in New York, and never one like Liz. I had missed her.
~~~~~~~~
"What's the story with the Evans boy?" I asked when Liz and me were finally alone. We sat in the back room of the Crashdown, which looked exactly the same. I remembered when me and Liz had run through the same room, pigtails flying, chasing each other, laughing. That was so long ago.
"Oh, him," Liz sighed.
"Yes him. How could you forget? He's attached to you, like an extra limb."
"Yeah, well, we've been through a lot," Liz said. I felt like I ahd missed out on so much. I had, nine years was a long time not to talk to someone. Liz must have sensed my feelings, "But we have time. First, though, you have to tell me about New York. It's probably ten times more exciting than Roswell, NM."
"Um….well, I guess so," I hesitated.
"Come on," Liz smiled.
"It was great. But I'm glad to be back. The city was too big for me." A minute ago I was complaining about being in the damn town. But now, now it was different. I liked it here, you didn't get so lost. There weren't secrets, no dangers.
"Sure," Liz rolled her eyes. "Whatever."
"Really," I insisted.
"You're hiding something." Leave it to Liz to catch on. Why did she have to be so sensitive? I didn't know what I should do. She would never understand the hell the last nine years had been. No, I would just keep it to myself, like I had always done. Besides, Liz was practically a stranger to me. well that wasn't true, but it was an easy excuse.
"So you still have to tell me all about Max, and I have to meet my mom soon. " I looked at my watch. "We have an hour. I'll tell you about boring old me later. Max Evans; tall, dark, handsome, dish girl." I felt bad about being nosy, but I wanted to keep the conversation off of myself as much as I could. Liz looked more than happy to talk anyway.