Author: X_tremeroswellian
Email: X_tremeroswellian@yahoo.com
Disclaimer: These are not my characters, no matter how much I'd like them to be. Not my show, no affiliation with the WB or the creators, or the actors (darn it)...etc...Please don't sue. I have enough problems in my life without being sued. :)
Rating: R for language, adult situations and sexual content
Summary: Everyone has secrets, but no one would have guessed Liz's...
Author's Note: This is Part 5 of a very long story, and if you haven't read the first four parts, I would definitely do so before reading this, because otherwise you'll be very confused.
Matters of Trust (Part Five)
Max looked over at Liz's empty desk in first hour psychology and bit his lip. This is the third time in four days she's been late, he realized. He forced himself to pay attention to the guest speaker.
"One out of three girls will experience some form of sexual abuse before they reach the age of twenty," the woman was saying.
Max glanced over at Isabel, who was filing her nails. Then he glanced over at Maria, who was leaned back in her seat, arms folded across her cehst. He looked at Liz's empty desk again, and then over at Michael, who looked very uncomfortable. He caught Michael's gaze and gave him a questioning look.
Michael looked away.
"The effects of sexual abuse can be devastating. It can cause nightmares, depression, and even suicide attempts. It effects a person's sense of trust, and can cause extremely low self-esteem..."
The bell rang a short time later. Max was the first one out the door. He spotted Alex down the hallway and he took a deep breath and headed towards him. "Alex."
Alex looked over at him and tensed up. "Max."
"Look, Alex, we need to talk."
"Yeah, we do."
Max looked away. "Outside?"
"Okay."
Max followed him outside to the courtyard in front of the school.
"Liz backed up your story," Alex said, getting right to the point. He turned to face him. Max simply nodded.
"Let me put it this way. I'm still not convinced that you haven't brainwashed her. I don't trust you, Max. I don't trust you, your sister, or Michael."
Max tried not to let the words hurt him. After all, he understood where Alex was coming from. But the words still stung.
"So what I'm going to say is that you're going to have to prove it to me, Max."
Max swallowed hard and then nodded. "Fair enough." He set his books down on the bench as Alex watched. Max leaned down and picked up a small twig. He focused his mind and moved his hand over the wood. Alex watched in amazement as the twig changed into a pencil and then back into a twig. Max looked up at him.
Alex stared back. He wasn't completly shocked. He had been awake all night, sitting on the floor next to the bed where Liz had slept. He had thought about everything: what happened to Liz, how he could keep her safe from her uncle, and about the whole Max-Michael-Isabel thing. He had prepared himself for every possible scenario. But still. He hadn't been able to believe that the three of them could really be aliens. Now the proof was right in front of him. And now he needed time to think.
He turned away from Max and headed back to the school.
"Alex, where's Liz?" Max asked anxiously.
"She's at my house, sleeping."
Max caught up with him. "Is she okay?"
"For now," he said shortly.
Max stared at him. "Alex, what's going on?"
"Look, Max. What Liz tells me is confidential, okay? Just like she never would have told me your secret."
His words were clipped, and accusing. Max stared at the ground.
Alex stopped walking and turned to face him. "Max, what made you decide to let me in on your little secret anyway?"
"Partially because after what you did, you deserved the truth."
"And the other reason?" Alex pressed.
"It was for her."
Alex met Max's gaze. He saw the truth in Max's eyes and he accepted it. Alex nodded. "See you around, Max."
"Alex, is she okay? Really?" he asked worriedly.
Alex turned to look at him. "That's something you'll have to ask her."
Max watched him as he left. And suddenly, he recognized the heavy feeling he'd carried with him for the past several days. It was a deep, lonely sadness that he had grown accustomed to from third grade until Septemeber 19, 1999. Only this time, the feeling wasn't his own.
Isabel was mad. Two nights in a row without sleep didn't put her in a decent mood. And Liz hadn't shown up to first hour. She had spent the entire class time alternately watching Max, Michael and Maria shoot worried glances at Liz's empty desk.
Then, after class, she saw Max go up to Alex and hte two of them had left the school building. She wondered if Liz had told Alex whatever was going on with her. She hoped so. Otherwise she'd spent a night trying to get into his dream orb for no reason.
Michael sat down across from Maria at lunch that day. "Hey," he said.
She looked up with slight surprise, but then she smiled. "Hey."
Michael's breath caught in the back of his throat at the sight of her smile. He smiled back. "How's the taco salad?"
"Cold," she answered, shoving the tray away.
He glanced around and when he was satisfied that no one was watching he held his hand above the taco salad, and grinned with satisfaction as the cheese melted into the meat.
Maria stared at him in shock. "Thanks."
"No problem." He leaned back in his seat and watched her for a few minutes. "So, uh..."
Maria looked into his eyes. "Yeah?"
"I was just--you know, thinking. Have you ever--been horseback riding?"
She blinked. "Once. When I was eight. Why?"
"Well, maybe all of us could, you know, go sometime or something."
"Sounds like fun," she said in agreement.
"Great."
Isabel joined them. "What's going on?" she asked.
"Not much," Michael said, surprised at the sudden disappointment he felt about no longer being alone with Maria. "Where's Max? And Liz?"
"Max will be here in a few minutes," Isabel said, looking around. "I haven't seen Liz. I guess she's sick."
"Either that or her parents made her stay home for family time," Maria said, taking a sip of her soda.
"Family time?" Isabel repeated.
"Yeah, her uncle's staying with her and her parents for the next couple weeks. I guess he, like, wanted to spend time with her or something."
Michael nearly choked on his soda and Maria and Isabel both stared.
"Are you okay?" Maria asked, leaning forward in concern.
"Yeah, yeah."
Just then, Max walked up and sat down with them.
"So, what's up? I saw you talking with Alex earlier," Isabel said.
Max shifted uncomfortably. "Something's going on with Liz. I think Alex knows."
Maria looked at Max in shock. "Why would she talk to Alex and not me?"
Michael stared down at the table as he felt Isabel's stare fixed on him.
Max gave Maria a sympathetic look.
"Why don't you talk to her, Max?" Maria suggested. "Maybe she'll talk to you."
Max sighed. "I already tried to talk to her. I'm the last person she wants to talk to about whatever it is."
Maria stood up. "Well, then, I'm going to go talk to Alex. I'll see you guys later." She picked up her tray and walked off.
"I have to go," Michael said, standing up quickly.
"Where?" Isabel asked.
"To think," he answered, stuffing his hands in his pockets and walking away.
"What's with him?" Max asked.
"Guess he's got a lot on his mind," Isabel answered, staring after him.
Maria walked up to Alex, who was sitting at a table outside by himself, simultaneously eating an apple and reading a magazine. She sat down across from him.
"DeLuca," he greeted her, barely looking up.
"Where's Liz?"
He didn't answer.
"Alex, if something's going on with Liz, I need to know."
"Why?"
"Because I'm her friend."
"Oh, so that makes a difference now."
She stared at him. "Alex, look. What's going on with me and Liz doesn't concern you."
He finally looked up at her. "Yeah, and maybe what's going on with Liz doesn't concern you." He stood up. "If you want to talk to me again, Maria, fine. But it can't be about secrets." He walked away and Maria stared after him.
Liz adjusted her dark sunglasses and stared into her locker, trying to remember if she had any tests she had to study for for tomorrow.
"Liz," a voice said behind her.
She turned around. "Kyle," she said in surprise.
"Hey," he said, leaning against the locker next to hers. "You, uh, you missed history today. Is everything okay?"
"Yeah, yeah, I just--wasn't, you know, feeling well, so I stayed home and caught up on sleep," she said, glad she was wearing the glasses so he couldn't see her red-rimmed eyes.
He nodded and studied her. "Liz, are you sure there isn't something else? Because it seems like something's wrong."
Liz hesitated. "No, I'm okay."
"If you're in some kind of trouble, I want to help, Liz. I still care," he said quietly. "I never stopped caring."
She bit her lip, wishing she could tell him she felt the same way about him that he did about her. But I can't. Because my heart belongs to someone else, she thought. "I know, Kyle," she said softly. "And I care about you, too, just not that way."
He sighed. "I know. I hope Max Evans realizes how lucky he is." He smiled at her. "We can still be friends, right?"
She smiled back. "Right. You can never have too many friends."
"And if you need anything--" he began.
"I know where to find you," she finished.
He gazed at her. "I mean that."
"I know."
Kyle started to walk away.
"Kyle?"
He turned to look at her again. "Yeah?"
"Thank you."
He nodded and left.
Liz watched him go, once again overtaken by the loneliness.
Michael leaned against the brick wall by Liz's bedroom window and stared up at the sky. It was a bit chilly, but nothing he couldn't handle. He listened to the silence from Liz's room. She was at her desk, studying as usual. She had no idea he was out there.
He wasn't even sure what made him decide to spend the night on her roof. Maybe it was because of how Max felt about her, and Max was an extension of him and he had to protect what was important to Max.
Or maybe somewhere, deep down, he had realized that Liz Parker wasn't so bad. He didn't want her to get hurt at any rate. And if he was the only one who knew her secret, it was his responsibility to protect her. At least that's what his conscience told him.
Just then, Michael heard a noise from the fire escape and he sat up in alert. Was it her uncle, coming up the back way to her room?
Alex Whitman climbed onto the roof and stared at him. "What are you doing here?" he asked in surprise.
Michael stood up. "Uh--"
There was a long pause.
"You're here because you know about Liz," Alex said finally.
Michael nodded.
"Why would she tell you?" Alex asked suspiciously.
He didn't respond.
"Ah, the silent treatment. Big surprise," Alex said, rolling his eyes. "Well, save it for someone who cares. I know who you are, Michael, so cut the crap."
Michael stared at him. "Excuse me?"
"I said I know who you are."
Michael stood up and looked in the window, feeling anger growing within him.
"Liz didn't tell me. Max did."
"What?"
"Max told me the truth about you, him and Isabel yesterday."
Their eyes locked and Michael knew he was telling the truth.
"Don't worry. I'm not going to say anything," Alex told him.
Michael nodded. "You came to see Liz?"
"Actually, I had the same idea as you," he admitted.
"Oh."
"So, if you don't mind some company..."
"No, it's fine."
Alex sat down on Liz's chair and Michael took his place by the wall again. "So, uh--how long have you know Liz and Maria?" Michael asked.
"Five years. I moved here in fourth grade, but they didn't know me until fifth."
"So, did you ever--date either of them?"
Alex almost laughed. "Parker or DeLuca? No way. Why would I?"
Michael lifted an eyebrow.
"Yeah, they're both gorgeous, Michael, and I would lay down my life for either one of them, but Liz and Maria aren't exactly my type."
For some reason, Michael felt relieved. "So, you're pretty good friends with them, then?"
"So you like Maria," Alex said, resisting the urge to grin.
Michael looked guilty. "How'd you know?"
"Well, because it's pretty obvious that Max is--well, that he really likes Liz. And you're Max's best friend, so...I guess it was just an assumption."
Michael nodded. "She's complicated, you know? It's like, one minute we're ready to kill one another and she's really getting on my nerves, and the next minute we're talking about our lack of parental figures and I feel like she really understands me."
"Yeah, Maria can be pretty annoying," Alex agreed in disgust.
Michael watched him. "You two fighting?"
"She just has double standards, you know? She won't talk to me for weeks, she doesn't trust me, and then she comes up to me today and demands to know what's going on with Liz. Then she acted upset when I wouldn't tell her."
Michael felt guilty. "Look, that's our fault, Alex. We swore her to secrecy. I think--well, I think we scared her into secrecy, actually. She was really freaked about the whole thing."
"Yeah, well, I understand why you did it."
"You do," Michael said doubtfully.
"Yeah, if the situation had been reversed, and it had been my life on the line, I would've done the same thing."
"Well, just don't be too hard on her. She wanted to tell you."
"Yeah?"
Michael nodded. "Liz, too."
"I guess I thought they just didn't want me as a friend anymore." Alex glanced at him. "But thanks for telling me the truth. So, uh...how well do you know Isabel?"
Michael grinned broadly. "Ah, ulterior motives. Pretty well, actually. She seems tough, but she's really a good person."
"Yeah, I sensed that," Alex said, nodding.
"And it doesn't bother you that she's different?"
"Isn't everyone?" Alex retorted. "Doesn't it bother you that Maria is different?"
Michael blinked in surprise. "But she isn't."
"Yes, she is. She's just as different from you as Isabel is from me," Alex pointed out. "Does that change how you feel about her? Didn't you ever think that maybe you're not the one who's different? That it's her? And what does it matter anyway? Since when does different equal bad or scary? Different makes things interesting. Keeps you on your toes."
Michael looked at him thoughtfully. "Guess I never looked at it like that."
"Yeah, well, keep in mind you're not the only one on this roof who's different, Michael." Alex gazed up at the sky. "You okay here for the night? I'm kinda tired. Didn't sleep much last night."
"Yeah, I'm all right. See ya."
"Night, Michael." Alex walked over to the fire escape. Michael watched as he left. He was surprised that he actually felt a little better.
Alex walked into the park and found Liz sitting on a swing. "Liz, are you okay?" he asked, sitting down on the swing next to her.
"I don't think I can handle this, Alex. I can't stand him!"
"Why don't you let me tell someone? Liz, I don't know how to help you. I can try to make sure he doesn't hurt you while he's here, but what about next time? Or the time after that? Liz, I don't know much about child abuse, or how to help someone who's been through it."
"I can't tell anyone, Alex. No one will believe me. Not my parents, especially. They love Uncle Charlie. He'd just deny everything."
Suddenly Alex was standing in Liz's bedroom. She was screaming as her uncle unfastened his belt buckle, as he held her with one hand, pinning her to the bed.
Alex grabbed him off her and spat in his face. "You sick bastard! Stay away from her!" he screamed, slamming him against the wall. Alex slammed his fist into his face repeatedly until his face and Alex's hands were covered in blood.
Isabel sat up with a start, her heart racing. "Oh, my God," she said aloud. She was trembling as she dialed the telephone.
"Hello?" Maria's sleepy voice answered on the seventh ring.
"It's me," Isabel said quietly, forcing herself to remain calm. "I just went into Alex's dream."
Maria sat up in bed, suddenly wide awake. "And?"
"And you need to meet me at 7:30 tomorrow morning before psych class."
"Got it," Maria quickly agreed. "See you in the morning."
Maria hung up the phone and stared into the darkness. That's when she felt it. Something was about to change. "What is it?" she whispered. Only silence answered her.
Go to Part 6