CHAPTER 33
Maria sat at their usual table, eyeing her lunch with little more interest than she had the day before. Her mind busy, she only half paid attention to the desultory conversation going on around her, chiming in with the occasional murmur of agreement when there was a pause. After one such assent, a snicker from Alex brought her attention back to the group. "What?" she asked, somewhat defensively.
"You haven't been listening to a word we've said, have you?" asked Liz, trying to hold back a smile.
"Sure I have. You were talking about...about..."
"Maria," Alex said, his eyes dancing, "you just agreed to perform the next Whits gig dressed in your Crashdown uniform."
"I did not!" she cried, aghast.
"Oh, yes you did, and I've got witnesses," he returned, gesturing to Max and Liz. He shook his head in mock reproof. "Maria, Maria, Maria...you've got to learn to pay more attention when your friends are talking."
She gave him a suspicious glare. "You set me up," she accused.
"Guilty. But I'm still going to hold you to it."
"But--"
"Ah-ah-ah. Witnesses, remember?"
Maria looked pleadingly at the two witnesses. "C'mon, guys, help me out here." Liz just smiled warmly at her, while Max shook his head.
"Sorry, Maria, you agreed to it, and now you're kind of stuck."
She glared around at the three of them for a moment before bursting into self-deprecating laughter. "Yeah, I guess I am, aren't I?"
A voice spoke from behind her. "Aren't you what?"
"Isabel," Alex greeted the newcomer with a smile.
"And look who I brought with me," the tall blonde said. Maria didn't have to turn around to know Michael was standing there, probably looking pretty uneasy. Apprehension fought with excitement in the pit of her stomach. She wasn't sure which won.
"Have a seat," offered Alex. Maria noticed the look that passed between brother and sister as Isabel sat down next to Max. Michael took the only other available seat, on the end next to Alex. She watched with bated breath as the spike-headed alien raised his chin defiantly at his designated leader. As far as she knew, the two hadn't spoken since Wednesday night, when tempers flew out of control. Maria hoped her talk with Max yesterday would help him to diffuse the situation, and that they weren't in for Alien Smackdown, Round Two. She wondered with trepidation if there was a fire extinguisher nearby. Just in case.
Looking back at his second-in-command, Max spoke. "Hey, Michael."
The response was concise, but not unfriendly. "Maxwell."
Huh? That was it? Where was the shouting? The fireworks? The explosions? Maria could hardly believe it. Those two, they were...they were just...well, guys.
She suddenly realized that five people were watching her sit there and grind her teeth. "What?" she asked no one in particular.
"Maybe we should ask you that," said Isabel teasingly, "before you need an orthodontist. What's gotten you so wound up?"
"It's not me," Maria protested. "It's your brother--and your other brother--who are in the process of driving me absolutely insane!" She turned to the aliens in question. "Last I knew, you were, like, practically at each other's throats. When did you get to be so buddy-buddy? Would you make up your minds?" she yelped. "I mean, how the heck are we supposed to know what to expect?"
"Maria, I--" Max began.
"This is not the way arguments work. You are not supposed to just pretend it didn't happen! You're supposed to talk it over and hash things out, not ignore them. But oh no, not you two. God forbid you should do things the normal way. Have you even spoken to each other since Wednesday night?"
"No, but--" Max tried again.
"Well, why not?" she demanded. "You're supposed to be in charge, Max, so why haven't you done something about it yet? Or didn't they cover arguments in Leadership 101?" She noticed a flash of amusement cross Michael's face before he hid it under his usual stony demeanor. "And you," she said, rounding on him, "You decide you can't speak to the rest of us, so you hide out and don't answer the phone, and then instead of talking things out with the people who care about you, you decide to spend quality time with MY MOTHER?"
Four pairs of very interested eyes joined hers in staring at a suddenly ill at ease Michael. "She told you?" he muttered.
"Of course she told me."
"Oh."
"What's going on?" asked Alex curiously.
Michael pressed his lips together and refused to answer.
"Oh, nothing much. Spaceboy here decided to play knight errant and rescue the damsel in distress--that would be my mother--when the Jetta broke down last night," explained Maria spiritedly.
"Michael. How chivalrous of you," drawled Isabel, unsuccessfully holding in a smile. He ignored her, but wasn't able to ignore Maria, who was thoroughly enjoying her tale.
"So there she is, stranded with a load of plastic and metal alien junk--excuse me, make that 'merchandise'--on the complete other side of town, when who should come along but Mr. 'Can't Get Involved'. Despite his unfriendly disposition, he not only proceeds to escort her all the way home, carrying said box of alien paraphernalia, but also..." she paused dramatically. The others leaned in, anticipating, and Maria's voice rang out importantly. "He also held an entire conversation with her."
Alex let out a low whistle as the others choked back laughter.
"What?" said Michael crossly. "It's not a big deal. You wouldn't be harping on it if it'd been Max."
"True," said Maria. "But it wasn't, it was you. And you were very sweet to help her."
"I am not sweet."
"Oh yes, you are," she teased. "Enough so that I don't even think my mother hates you any more."
"I am not sweet!" he ground out.
"Then you'd better stop behaving that way, sugar pie," she bantered, adding leadingly, "Too bad, though."
He didn't bite. Alex, and his insatiable curiosity, did. "Why?"
"Because the knight errant didn't claim his reward." Sliding off of the bench, she moved to Michael's side. "And since there's no way you're getting this from my mother, you'll have to settle for me." Placing her hand on his shoulder, she leaned down and pressed a soft kiss on his cheek. "Thank you, Michael," she said sincerely. He blinked.
"Well, well. Where do I get in line?" came a teasing voice from behind them.
"Oh, hi, Mark. Sorry, only very special people qualify," Maria said airily.
"I see. Well, Guerin, you're a lucky guy."
"Funny, that's what I keep telling him," laughed Maria, her eyes sparkling. "I'm not sure he quite believes me, though."
"Well, if he gives you any trouble on that account, little lady, you just come see me. I'll give him a good talking-to," Mark said in his best John Wayne imitation. He turned to look at Michael and resumed his normal voice. "So, Guerin, I've authorized myself to come see how the plants are coming along."
"They'll be ready when they're ready," said Michael abruptly. Standing, he looked over at Max. "Maria's right about one thing. We should talk, Maxwell." Giving a pointed look in Mark's direction, he added, "Later." Startled but glad, Max had just enough time to nod once before Michael stalked away from the table in the direction of the school building.
Mark watched him go. "Well, I guess you can't rush artistic genius," he said with a smile. "Tell him my offer still stands if he needs some help."
"Tell him yourself," Maria said with a sigh. "Somehow I don't think he's going to listen to me." Liz eyed Maria with sympathy as she sank back down on the bench next to Alex.
Ignoring her sudden descent into the blues, Mark smiled cheerily at her. "See you at rehearsal then, Maria."
"Yeah, sure," she responded absently.
Putting a hand on her shoulder, Mark leaned over and whispered in her ear. "And I wouldn't worry too much about Guerin," he said. "If he doesn't want to listen to that golden voice, it's his loss."
Liz watched him walk away, speculating madly as to his motives. As soon as he was out of earshot, she turned to her morose friend and demanded, "What was that all about?"
"What?"
"Mark. Was he actually flirting with you?
"What? Mark? Of course not," Maria denied.
"It sure looked like it to me," said Isabel. "And I suspect it looked like it to my 'other' brother, too."
"That's ridiculous. Mark's just friendly, that's all," objected Maria. "You're imagining things."
"Oh really?" said Isabel. "Hands up, those who thought he was being just a little too friendly." Three hands immediately shot up to join hers in the air.
"You're all delusional," Maria said stubbornly. Pushing her uneaten lunch back in her bag, she rose to leave.
"You're not going to eat?" questioned Liz.
"Not hungry." Maria plucked at the strap of her bookbag. "I'm going to the library to work on my term paper. Might as well get something worthwhile done."
"I'll walk that way with you," Isabel offered. "I've got some research to do, too." As the two headed back across the quad, she studied the shorter girl. "Don't worry too much. Michael will get over it."
"I'm not so sure he will," Maria answered in a gloomy voice.
"It was just one little bit of flirtation--" began Isabel.
"For the last time, Mark was not flirting with me, and I certainly wasn't flirting with him!" Maria cried in exasperation. "And that's not why Michael's upset with me, anyway."
"Are you sure about that?"
"Yes, I'm sure. The reason he's upset is that for once he let me in a little bit, and now he's all paranoid about it. Every time I make any progress with him, he shuts down again."
"You're important to him, and that makes him uncomfortable," commented Isabel.
"Yeah, well, so do chick flicks, wet sneakers and chocolate cake with no Tabasco sauce."
"Oh, come on, Maria. You're not nearly as bland as Tabasco-free chocolate," Isabel said, poker-faced.
"Gee, Isabel, that's helpful." Maria was silent for a minute, then added, "And that's only on top of all the other things he's going through. Believe me, being uncomfortable with me is the least of Michael's worries."
Max was heading across the parking lot when he noticed a familiar figure sitting on the hood of the Jeep. It was Michael, and he looked like he'd been there a while. He was leaning forward, knees bent, with his arms draped across his knees. Something about his posture reminded Max of a much younger Michael, both hesitant and belligerent at the same time.
Michael looked up at his approach. His expression was, as usual, shuttered, and his eyes gave off no hint of his mood. Sliding off the hood, he spoke first. "Max."
"How long have you been sitting out here?" asked Max in a friendly tone.
"Didn't feel like going to last period."
"You don't usually hide out in plain sight," Max commented. "You're lucky you didn't get caught." Michael shrugged, then looked off into the distance past Max, who relaxed. For the first time in a long, long time, he felt he actually knew what was going on in his tall friend's head. Maybe not the particulars, but the gist of it anyway. Michael had something to say, and was searching for words. "What can I do for you, Michael?" asked Max, very openly. Maybe his friend was finally ready to talk. He could hope, anyway.
The answer wasn't at all what he expected. "Did Maria talk to you about the Jetta?" Michael asked abruptly.
"No, what about it?"
Michael was silent for a moment, then spoke, not meeting Max's eyes. "I thought maybe you could look at it. Fix it. Like you did on the trip back from Marathon."
Caught by surprise, Max didn't answer. Michael shifted uncomfortably and went on, "I don't know what's wrong with it, but I don't think Mrs. DeLuca has the money to get it fixed. So I thought maybe you could look at it."
Max knew what he had just heard, but still could hardly believe it. Michael Guerin, paranoiac extraordinaire, had just asked him to use his powers. In public. And for a human, no less. The tense set of his friend's jaw reminded Max that he'd better answer, and fast. "Sure, I'll take a look." He caught the almost imperceptible relaxation of Michael's shoulders, and smiled inwardly. Maybe now was a good time to try and mend some fences with his prickly friend. "Why don't you come, too?" he suggested. "You can show me where the Jetta is--and keep an eye out to make sure no one sees me using my powers."
Michael nodded.
"Well, if we're both out there, we'd better make sure Isabel's got Maria covered," Max thought aloud.
"She was going to sit in the back and watch Maria's rehearsal," said Michael.
"Good. We should probably let her know where we'll be, and she can tell Maria and Alex. Do you want--"
The answer came rushing out before Max had time to finish the question. "No."
"Okay," responded Max. "I'll go talk to her. I'll be back in a few minutes."
When he returned, mission accomplished, Michael was nowhere to be seen. Tossing his books in the back of the Jeep in mild exasperation, Max settled in for what might turn out to be a long wait. He couldn't even go take a look at the Jetta by himself; Michael hadn't told him where it was.
It wasn't very long before his friend reappeared and swung himself into the passenger seat. Max gave him a questioning look, but Michael kept his mouth shut, other than to give a few terse directions to the Jetta's location. Deciding not to press him, Max silently followed Michael's directions across town to the broken-down automobile.
As they pulled up behind it, Michael's face grew grim. The car looked even more decrepit than it had the night before, thanks to the now slashed tires, which had it listing drunkenly to one side.
Climbing out of the Jeep, Max surveyed the wounded Jetta. "I thought you said it broke down," he commented mildly.
"It did. This is new," Michael stated, audibly angry.
"Well, keep an eye out," Max instructed, leaning down to begin the repairs to the worn tires. With a grunt, Michael began to observe their surroundings, looking for anyone--or anything--suspicious.
Gathering her script and pencil and pushing them into her bookbag, Maria let out a tired sigh. It had been another productive but tiring rehearsal. They'd ended up running the 'Somewhere That's Green' scene between her and the doo-wop girls a number of times at the end of the rehearsal; for once, Mark and Dennis got to leave early while Ms. Bedinger concentrated on the female cast members.
All during rehearsal, Maria had been aware of Isabel sitting quietly at the back of the auditorium. This time Maria hadn't felt annoyed by having a baby-sitter; somehow the alien's presence was almost as comforting as Alex's.
Bookbag in hand, she waved to the bass player, then walked up the aisle to the back of the auditorium where Isabel was waiting. As Maria neared, the alien rose gracefully to her feet.
"Hi, Isabel," said Maria, "So you're on duty, huh? What?" she added with a grin, "Did you draw the short straw or something?"
Isabel smiled back at her. "Well, it wasn't exactly like that. Max and Michael went to take a look at the Jetta."
Maria raised her eyebrows. "My mom said something about asking Max if he could fix it--somehow she's gotten the idea that he's an auto mechanic genius or something--but I forgot to mention it to him. I guess Michael asked him about it."
Isabel shook her head ruefully. "More likely Max thought it up on his own."
Smiling, Maria said, "Well, either way, it's nice of him. I hope he's able to fix it, or I may have to borrow Alex's bicycle to get around."
Isabel laughed. "Since his bike is a one-seater and my brothers took the Jeep, I guess we're stuck with our feet. Let's hit the road."
"What?" Maria teased. "You mean Czechoslovakians can't fly?" Isabel pretended to glare at her, and Maria continued, "I just need to stop by my locker and get my books first. I've got a lot of homework this weekend."
Isabel nodded and followed Maria into the hallway. "So where are we headed, anyway? Your house, or do you have to work tonight?"
"Nope," Maria answered blissfully. "I've got the whole evening off. I do have to cover a double shift tomorrow, though, so I hope you're geared up for something fattening. You may as well eat while you watch."
"I think I'll let Max cover the mealtimes," Isabel planned. By this time, they had reached the locker, and Maria chuckled as she dialed the combination. She choked off, mid-laugh, as she swung the locker door open. A sick feeling rose in her stomach. There, on top of her math text, was a folded-up piece of paper. Her stalker had struck again.
Isabel followed Maria's suddenly tense gaze to the paper, then turned to look at her friend, who stood, frozen. Finally the alien began, "Do you want me to--"
"No," Maria responded, cutting her off. "I just needed a minute, that's all." With unsteady hands, she reached for the paper and unfolded it, wondering what the threat would be this time. At least it might give them a clue as to the author. If it didn't scare her out of her wits first.
With the paper flat in her hands, she forced herself to look down and read it. A moment later, her face relaxed and she began to breathe again. This wasn't another threat. This was something else altogether. Something very, very good.
"It's not another note," she told Isabel. "I mean, it is, but it's from Michael. It's not a threat."
Isabel let out a deep breath. "Wow. For a moment there, I thought..." Her voice trailed off.
"I know," said the shorter girl. She let out a disbelieving snort. "What is up with Michael, anyway? I mean, I can't believe that he would leave a note in my locker, considering everything that's happened. Didn't he know I'd think it was another threat? Does he want me to have a heart attack or something?"
Isabel rolled her eyes in a way that was peculiarly her own. "Sometimes I think that Michael doesn't think." She waited for a moment; when Maria didn't respond, just reading the note again, Isabel added, "So are you going to read me your little love letter?"
Maria snorted. "It's not a love letter. Can you even imagine Michael writing one?"
"Well, what did he say then?" the taller girl pressed.
A warm smile lit Maria's face. "It's not what he said, it's what he wants to say. I mean, his note says he wants to talk." She gave a little skip of anticipation. "He wants me to meet him in the park at 9:00."
Isabel raised on eyebrow in speculation. "He does?"
"That's what the note says," beamed Maria. Excitement began to well up within her, making her as suddenly jittery as if she'd just chugged an entire pot of coffee. "Let's stop in at the Crashdown, okay? I want to tell Liz."
With an amused look on her face, Isabel watched as Maria's feet danced their way happily down the hall.
TBC...