ASK AND IT WILL BE GIVEN TO YOU
"I want a new look," Isabel played with the straw in her lemonade. "Maybe a haircut or something."
Kyle bit into his french fry and shook his head. "Bad idea."
"It is?" she said.
"I like your hair long," Kyle said.
Isabel twirled a piece of her hair around a finger and sighed. "I just feel like I need a change."
"Isabel, I don't think you hear this enough, but," Kyle looked around the Crashdown before lowering his voice, "you're beautiful just the way you are."
She smiled. "Thanks, Kyle."
"Buddha says that one must speak the truth in order to receive the truth," he said smiling back at her.
*
Liz walked into the back room and gasped. "You guys need to quit it!"
Michael and Maria broke away from their embrace and looked down embarrassingly for getting caught making out again.
"It could my dad next time, okay?" Liz said as she grabbed more napkins. "I mean, can't you guys wait until your shifts are over?" She stormed out the room.
"What's her problem?" Michael said.
"Max Evans, of course," Maria said with a smirk.
"What is it now?" he said leaning against the wall.
"She thinks Max is still hung up on Tess," she said. "I told her that Tess was no longer a problem. She's gone, right? So Liz has nothing to worry about."
"Are you sure that's what Liz is worried about?" Michael asked.
*
"Wait, Brody," Max said before Brody could open the storage room. "I don't want you to go in there."
Brody looked at him confusingly. "Why not?"
"I was cleaning it out last night," Max said, "And I made a big mess and there are boxes everywhere."
"I need to get something out," Brody said.
"Let me get it." Max took out his set of keys. "I rearranged everything so I should know it is. What is it that you need?"
"There's a box of brochures I put in there," Brody said. "It should be labeled."
"Got it."
Brody turned to leave as Max opened the door. Max peeked in to see where Tess was, but there was no sign of her. "Tess?" he said softly. There was no answer. He went inside and looked around. He found her sleeping in a corner with a blanket around her. For a moment, he just watched her sleep. Suddenly, she stirred and opened her eyes.
"Hey," he said.
"I need to get out this room," Tess said as she sat up.
"You can't."
Tess ran a hand through her hair. "Why? Because you said so? I don't even know who you are to me."
"You have to trust me," Max said.
"Trust you?" Tess laughed bitterly. "You aren't even helping me. The only thing I know is that my name is Tess and I'm locked in a storage room."
"There's a lot more," Max said, "But I don't think you're ready to know everything yet."
"Everything? You mean my life?"
"It's complicated, Tess." He kneeled down next to her. "We have to figure out why you came back and how you loss your memory."
"Why did I leave?" Tess asked.
"I told you when you're ready, you'll know everything," Max said.
"You mean when you're ready." Tess's eyes filled with anger. "Why would you prevent me from leaving? From knowing who I am? Is it something I did?"
"Tess…"
"I demand you to tell me the truth," she said. "Was I such horrible person that you don't even want me to remember?"
"Tess…"
She ignored him and continued. "Did I do something? Am I some kind of wanted criminal? Tell me. Did I do something?"
"Yes!" Max shouted.
Tess became silent from his outburst.
"You want me to tell you?" he said. "I'll tell you what you did."
"I want a new look," Isabel played with the straw in her lemonade. "Maybe a haircut or something."
Kyle bit into his french fry and shook his head. "Bad idea."
"It is?" she said.
"I like your hair long," Kyle said.
Isabel twirled a piece of her hair around a finger and sighed. "I just feel like I need a change."
"Isabel, I don't think you hear this enough, but," Kyle looked around the Crashdown before lowering his voice, "you're beautiful just the way you are."
She smiled. "Thanks, Kyle."
"Buddha says that one must speak the truth in order to receive the truth," he said smiling back at her.
*
Liz walked into the back room and gasped. "You guys need to quit it!"
Michael and Maria broke away from their embrace and looked down embarrassingly for getting caught making out again.
"It could my dad next time, okay?" Liz said as she grabbed more napkins. "I mean, can't you guys wait until your shifts are over?" She stormed out the room.
"What's her problem?" Michael said.
"Max Evans, of course," Maria said with a smirk.
"What is it now?" he said leaning against the wall.
"She thinks Max is still hung up on Tess," she said. "I told her that Tess was no longer a problem. She's gone, right? So Liz has nothing to worry about."
"Are you sure that's what Liz is worried about?" Michael asked.
*
"Wait, Brody," Max said before Brody could open the storage room. "I don't want you to go in there."
Brody looked at him confusingly. "Why not?"
"I was cleaning it out last night," Max said, "And I made a big mess and there are boxes everywhere."
"I need to get something out," Brody said.
"Let me get it." Max took out his set of keys. "I rearranged everything so I should know it is. What is it that you need?"
"There's a box of brochures I put in there," Brody said. "It should be labeled."
"Got it."
Brody turned to leave as Max opened the door. Max peeked in to see where Tess was, but there was no sign of her. "Tess?" he said softly. There was no answer. He went inside and looked around. He found her sleeping in a corner with a blanket around her. For a moment, he just watched her sleep. Suddenly, she stirred and opened her eyes.
"Hey," he said.
"I need to get out this room," Tess said as she sat up.
"You can't."
Tess ran a hand through her hair. "Why? Because you said so? I don't even know who you are to me."
"You have to trust me," Max said.
"Trust you?" Tess laughed bitterly. "You aren't even helping me. The only thing I know is that my name is Tess and I'm locked in a storage room."
"There's a lot more," Max said, "But I don't think you're ready to know everything yet."
"Everything? You mean my life?"
"It's complicated, Tess." He kneeled down next to her. "We have to figure out why you came back and how you loss your memory."
"Why did I leave?" Tess asked.
"I told you when you're ready, you'll know everything," Max said.
"You mean when you're ready." Tess's eyes filled with anger. "Why would you prevent me from leaving? From knowing who I am? Is it something I did?"
"Tess…"
"I demand you to tell me the truth," she said. "Was I such horrible person that you don't even want me to remember?"
"Tess…"
She ignored him and continued. "Did I do something? Am I some kind of wanted criminal? Tell me. Did I do something?"
"Yes!" Max shouted.
Tess became silent from his outburst.
"You want me to tell you?" he said. "I'll tell you what you did."