"Hey," Liz said as I walked into the Crashdown. "How was your first day of work?"
"Very uneventful. Only the sheriff stopped by," I answered taking a seat at the counter Liz was cleaning. She continued rubbing an invisible spot and chattered on.
"Yeah, your mother and him are cute together."
"Yeah, I guess. She keeps trying to set me up with any boy my age she knows," I sighed. Liz laughed then looked past me. I turned in my seat to see what had caught her attention, it was Max. His sister, Isabel, was with him, and that spiky haired kid, um…well my memory wasn't that good.
Isabel was beautiful, tall and blonde, her eyes were fixed on me, she looked angry. The boy, well he hadn't changed much since third grade. He had the same hair, the same dark, brooding eyes. He too looked angry at my presence. I began to feel uncomfortable. I looked at Liz, but lo and behold, she was talking to Max.
Isabel and the boy sat down at the counter and talked to each other in low voices, every once in a while glancing in my direction. I got up to leave but Liz noticed and grabbed my arm.
"Stay," she said.
"No I really should be getting home." I could tell she wasn't buying my excuse.
"Why don't we go in the back?" she suggested, directing it at the others at the counter. Isabel rose and grabbed the boy's hand. It was really beginning to annoy me that I didn't know the kid's name. They walked towards the back and I followed, feeling like a lost puppy. I hated being the odd man out, I liked to be in control.
I needed to be in control. It wasn't a want, it was a need. If I wasn't in control of my feelings, of my surroundings, of my world, I was better off dead. That's why I hated New York. No one was in control but the city, and my father.
They sat on a the couch, Isabel on Michael's lap. It was obvious they were together. I felt a twinge of jealousy, alhtough I don't know where it cam from. Max came into the room after me and the room was filled with an awkward silence.
Liz breezed in a few minutes later. "Maria, I don't think you've properly met Isabel and Michael," she said Michael that was his name. Interesting, that was the same name as my neighbor. But seventeen was too young to be living on your own, or was it?
"Hey," Isabel said, her voice icy. I guess she didn't like new people. Michael just glared at me. I glared back and he smirked.
"Hey," I replied. Isabel had obviously missed the little gestures Michael was directing at me. That was obviously the only conversation that was going to happen.
"So Maria how's life in Roswell so far?" Max asked.
"Good I guess." I hadn't come for a party, just to talk to Liz. Now I had these rude people staring at me, hating me for no reason. I'd have to ask Liz if they did this to everyone.
"Well we just came to get a coke, right?" he said addressing the couple on the couch. Why did everyone around here seem to be lovesick? It was annoying. "And now that we've had it, we're going to go."
I ignored the fact that they hadn't really had a coke and let him drag Isabel and Michael out the door. I watched Michael as he left, definitely was the neighbor, same height, same bone structure, same strong jaw-line and muscular build. Well, well, well.
"So how is life?" Liz asked when they had gone.
"Shouldn't you be working?" I wondered.
"No, I'm on break." I don't think she really was on break but I guess she could make it whenever she wanted since her parents owned the store. "Where've you been? You haven't been around in a few days."
"Wow, you noticed. With Max I thought you didn't know anyone else was alive." She just gave me a look and I laughed. She was fun to tease. "What's up with Max's sister, and that Michael kid?"
"Oh, they like to keep to themselves."
"So, I guess they haven't changed much since I left. Always off by themselves. The weird kids in town. It's weird too, cause Isabel's so pretty, and Michael's not lacking for looks. Seems like they would be really popular." It didn't match up.
"Well they had a hard childhood. Max and Is were adpoted and Michael had a foster father."
"Had?"
"Long story. They've had some tough times." Something in Liz's eyes told me there was a lot more to the story.
"So how come you're mixed up with them?" Again the eyes flashed and she looked like she was struggling.
"Uh…uh..Max…um…saved my life," she stuttered.
"What do you mean 'saved your life'? Like knight in shining armor, kissed you and carried you away to some exotic place far from Roswell? Last time I checked your address was the room above the Crashdown."
"I mean…well..I was.." I could tell she was really scared to tell me about what had happened to her so I just let her work through it. I knew Liz would tell me if she thought she could. I trusted her, she was the one person I had always trusted, even when she wasn't there.
"I was…shot." Nothing could have prepared me for that.
"Shot…like gun, bullet, blood, shot?" I was rambling, but couldn't help it. 'Take a deep breath,' I coached myself. 'In, out, control.' Again it was the control thing.
"Yes," she said.
"So what did Max do? Get and ambulance, do mouth to mouth?" I laughed at my feeble attempt to a joke. I was willing to say anything to lighten the mood.
"He healed me, Max…healed…me," she said and tears began to fall down her cheeks. I couldn't do anything but stare, frozen in my place. "I was going to die, and he saved me."
"How?" I breathed.
"I can't tell you. He made me promise not to tell anyone." I could see the pain in her expression, here it in her voice. She didn't really want to hide this from me. Maybe that's why they looked so angry at me. They thought I knew something, or they knew Liz would tell me whatever it was.
"Ok," I said understanding, but there was disappointment in my voice.
"Max is an alien, Isabel and Michael too," she said, her voice high in pitch but barely audible, like the whine of a faraway train.
My jaw dropped, "An alien?" I practically yelled. "Have you lost your mind?"
"Very uneventful. Only the sheriff stopped by," I answered taking a seat at the counter Liz was cleaning. She continued rubbing an invisible spot and chattered on.
"Yeah, your mother and him are cute together."
"Yeah, I guess. She keeps trying to set me up with any boy my age she knows," I sighed. Liz laughed then looked past me. I turned in my seat to see what had caught her attention, it was Max. His sister, Isabel, was with him, and that spiky haired kid, um…well my memory wasn't that good.
Isabel was beautiful, tall and blonde, her eyes were fixed on me, she looked angry. The boy, well he hadn't changed much since third grade. He had the same hair, the same dark, brooding eyes. He too looked angry at my presence. I began to feel uncomfortable. I looked at Liz, but lo and behold, she was talking to Max.
Isabel and the boy sat down at the counter and talked to each other in low voices, every once in a while glancing in my direction. I got up to leave but Liz noticed and grabbed my arm.
"Stay," she said.
"No I really should be getting home." I could tell she wasn't buying my excuse.
"Why don't we go in the back?" she suggested, directing it at the others at the counter. Isabel rose and grabbed the boy's hand. It was really beginning to annoy me that I didn't know the kid's name. They walked towards the back and I followed, feeling like a lost puppy. I hated being the odd man out, I liked to be in control.
I needed to be in control. It wasn't a want, it was a need. If I wasn't in control of my feelings, of my surroundings, of my world, I was better off dead. That's why I hated New York. No one was in control but the city, and my father.
They sat on a the couch, Isabel on Michael's lap. It was obvious they were together. I felt a twinge of jealousy, alhtough I don't know where it cam from. Max came into the room after me and the room was filled with an awkward silence.
Liz breezed in a few minutes later. "Maria, I don't think you've properly met Isabel and Michael," she said Michael that was his name. Interesting, that was the same name as my neighbor. But seventeen was too young to be living on your own, or was it?
"Hey," Isabel said, her voice icy. I guess she didn't like new people. Michael just glared at me. I glared back and he smirked.
"Hey," I replied. Isabel had obviously missed the little gestures Michael was directing at me. That was obviously the only conversation that was going to happen.
"So Maria how's life in Roswell so far?" Max asked.
"Good I guess." I hadn't come for a party, just to talk to Liz. Now I had these rude people staring at me, hating me for no reason. I'd have to ask Liz if they did this to everyone.
"Well we just came to get a coke, right?" he said addressing the couple on the couch. Why did everyone around here seem to be lovesick? It was annoying. "And now that we've had it, we're going to go."
I ignored the fact that they hadn't really had a coke and let him drag Isabel and Michael out the door. I watched Michael as he left, definitely was the neighbor, same height, same bone structure, same strong jaw-line and muscular build. Well, well, well.
"So how is life?" Liz asked when they had gone.
"Shouldn't you be working?" I wondered.
"No, I'm on break." I don't think she really was on break but I guess she could make it whenever she wanted since her parents owned the store. "Where've you been? You haven't been around in a few days."
"Wow, you noticed. With Max I thought you didn't know anyone else was alive." She just gave me a look and I laughed. She was fun to tease. "What's up with Max's sister, and that Michael kid?"
"Oh, they like to keep to themselves."
"So, I guess they haven't changed much since I left. Always off by themselves. The weird kids in town. It's weird too, cause Isabel's so pretty, and Michael's not lacking for looks. Seems like they would be really popular." It didn't match up.
"Well they had a hard childhood. Max and Is were adpoted and Michael had a foster father."
"Had?"
"Long story. They've had some tough times." Something in Liz's eyes told me there was a lot more to the story.
"So how come you're mixed up with them?" Again the eyes flashed and she looked like she was struggling.
"Uh…uh..Max…um…saved my life," she stuttered.
"What do you mean 'saved your life'? Like knight in shining armor, kissed you and carried you away to some exotic place far from Roswell? Last time I checked your address was the room above the Crashdown."
"I mean…well..I was.." I could tell she was really scared to tell me about what had happened to her so I just let her work through it. I knew Liz would tell me if she thought she could. I trusted her, she was the one person I had always trusted, even when she wasn't there.
"I was…shot." Nothing could have prepared me for that.
"Shot…like gun, bullet, blood, shot?" I was rambling, but couldn't help it. 'Take a deep breath,' I coached myself. 'In, out, control.' Again it was the control thing.
"Yes," she said.
"So what did Max do? Get and ambulance, do mouth to mouth?" I laughed at my feeble attempt to a joke. I was willing to say anything to lighten the mood.
"He healed me, Max…healed…me," she said and tears began to fall down her cheeks. I couldn't do anything but stare, frozen in my place. "I was going to die, and he saved me."
"How?" I breathed.
"I can't tell you. He made me promise not to tell anyone." I could see the pain in her expression, here it in her voice. She didn't really want to hide this from me. Maybe that's why they looked so angry at me. They thought I knew something, or they knew Liz would tell me whatever it was.
"Ok," I said understanding, but there was disappointment in my voice.
"Max is an alien, Isabel and Michael too," she said, her voice high in pitch but barely audible, like the whine of a faraway train.
My jaw dropped, "An alien?" I practically yelled. "Have you lost your mind?"