~A/N~ I forgot to say at the beginning of the other chapter that this story
is before graduation, after Alex's death, and Tess is already gone. So,
just to clear some things up. Thank you for the reviews so far! They mean
so much and help me to write better and FASTER! Please review if you like
or even don't like the story- it helps. THANKS!
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*The Next Day*
"Liz, where is Maria? We're busy and she decides to go off on one of her twenty minute breaks as usual," Liz's father sighed as he wiped down the counter. "Go and find her please? Then come right back."
Liz nodded and headed to the back of the restaurant and through the swinging doors, glad for the silence. She looked toward the employee bathroom and saw the light shining through the crack below the door. She jogged over and knocked softly.
"Maria? Maria are you in there?" She asked and waited for a response. When she heard none she pushed the door open and peeked inside. She sighed as she saw Maria huddled in the corner of the bathroom leaning up against the wall, tears streaming down her face.
Liz walked over and crouched in front of her looking at her worriedly. "Maria, are you alright?" She asked knowing the answer already- knowing Maria was feeling exactly what she was feeling at that moment.
Maria took in a shuddering breath and shook her head slowly. "I miss him," she stated quietly as more tears brimmed her eyes and she buried her face in her hands.
"He'll be back Maria. They'll all be back some day- you know that. Don't lose your hope in Michael. He wouldn't stay away from you for forever- he couldn't."
Maria shook her head, "I know. I know he'll be back but when Liz? When will Michael be back? When will Max? Don't you wonder? I never thought they would leave. After Michael came out of the Granolith that day for me I thought he would never leave me. Now he did and I don't know when he'll ever be back- I don't think I can do it anymore."
"You'll do it Maria. You'll do it, I'll do it, Kyle will do it- we'll all do it. We'll make it and then one day they'll be back and you'll say 'hey, that wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be.' Then Michael will be here and everything will be great."
"I want it now Liz. All I want is Michael."
*That Night*
Liz looked at her reflection in the mirror. She'd been sitting there for hours- never tearing her gaze from the face that stared back at her. She hadn't truly seen herself for so long- every fiber of her existence had been lost in Max and only now did she see that it was almost who she had become. It hadn't been just Liz it had always been LizandMax. Now she felt herself having to tear herself away and she was lost- she didn't know who she was anymore.
She tore her eyes away when she heard a noise out on the patio outside her room and for a moment a streak of hope ran through her- Max. Max had always come on the patio to see her- Max.
She felt her hope fade as the person leaned down and the face came into view.
"Hey Liz," he said and she smiled weakly at him.
"Oh, Sean. How are you?" She asked half-heartedly as Sean slid in through the window.
" 'Oh, Sean'? What kind of a greeting is that?" He asked chuckling slightly as he flopped back on her bed. "But to answer your question I am just lovely. Amy mentioned redecorating the Living Room and asked me if I would help so I escaped and came here. That's alright isn't it?" He asked glancing over at her.
"Yeah sure that's great," she said trying to sound normal and hide the disappointment deep within her heart.
"It's that Max Evans again isn't it?" He asked catching her off-guard by reading exactly what her mind was thinking. "It's always Max."
"I don't' know what you're talking about Sean. It isn't-"
"Don't pull that crap with me Liz, I can read you like a book. I noticed he doesn't come around the Crashdown anymore- where did he go anyway?"
Liz shrugged her shoulders, "who knows?" She said and knew she wasn't lying- she had no idea where Max was now. Somewhere up in another galaxy- somewhere where he probably wasn't even thinking of her.
"I never got that guy- why he did what he did to you. That day at the Crashdown- the day of the black out. That has something to do with this doesn't it? What happened with Brody?"
Liz closed her eyes and nodded, "I don't want to talk about it Sean."
"I could never understand how Max could hurt you the way he did. I always knew that guy wasn't good enough for you," He said and Liz opened her eyes caught aback by what he had said.
Sean heaved himself up and headed toward her window glancing back at her shocked expression. "I'm leaving but I'll see you later alright?" He asked as he climbed through the window.
"Alright. See ya Sean," She said watching as he took the ladder down to the street and left. Although he wasn't there anymore his words still raced through her brain, slithering through the crevices of her memory and bringing her back to the days not long ago that she had almost loved Sean- almost.
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*The Next Day*
"Liz, where is Maria? We're busy and she decides to go off on one of her twenty minute breaks as usual," Liz's father sighed as he wiped down the counter. "Go and find her please? Then come right back."
Liz nodded and headed to the back of the restaurant and through the swinging doors, glad for the silence. She looked toward the employee bathroom and saw the light shining through the crack below the door. She jogged over and knocked softly.
"Maria? Maria are you in there?" She asked and waited for a response. When she heard none she pushed the door open and peeked inside. She sighed as she saw Maria huddled in the corner of the bathroom leaning up against the wall, tears streaming down her face.
Liz walked over and crouched in front of her looking at her worriedly. "Maria, are you alright?" She asked knowing the answer already- knowing Maria was feeling exactly what she was feeling at that moment.
Maria took in a shuddering breath and shook her head slowly. "I miss him," she stated quietly as more tears brimmed her eyes and she buried her face in her hands.
"He'll be back Maria. They'll all be back some day- you know that. Don't lose your hope in Michael. He wouldn't stay away from you for forever- he couldn't."
Maria shook her head, "I know. I know he'll be back but when Liz? When will Michael be back? When will Max? Don't you wonder? I never thought they would leave. After Michael came out of the Granolith that day for me I thought he would never leave me. Now he did and I don't know when he'll ever be back- I don't think I can do it anymore."
"You'll do it Maria. You'll do it, I'll do it, Kyle will do it- we'll all do it. We'll make it and then one day they'll be back and you'll say 'hey, that wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be.' Then Michael will be here and everything will be great."
"I want it now Liz. All I want is Michael."
*That Night*
Liz looked at her reflection in the mirror. She'd been sitting there for hours- never tearing her gaze from the face that stared back at her. She hadn't truly seen herself for so long- every fiber of her existence had been lost in Max and only now did she see that it was almost who she had become. It hadn't been just Liz it had always been LizandMax. Now she felt herself having to tear herself away and she was lost- she didn't know who she was anymore.
She tore her eyes away when she heard a noise out on the patio outside her room and for a moment a streak of hope ran through her- Max. Max had always come on the patio to see her- Max.
She felt her hope fade as the person leaned down and the face came into view.
"Hey Liz," he said and she smiled weakly at him.
"Oh, Sean. How are you?" She asked half-heartedly as Sean slid in through the window.
" 'Oh, Sean'? What kind of a greeting is that?" He asked chuckling slightly as he flopped back on her bed. "But to answer your question I am just lovely. Amy mentioned redecorating the Living Room and asked me if I would help so I escaped and came here. That's alright isn't it?" He asked glancing over at her.
"Yeah sure that's great," she said trying to sound normal and hide the disappointment deep within her heart.
"It's that Max Evans again isn't it?" He asked catching her off-guard by reading exactly what her mind was thinking. "It's always Max."
"I don't' know what you're talking about Sean. It isn't-"
"Don't pull that crap with me Liz, I can read you like a book. I noticed he doesn't come around the Crashdown anymore- where did he go anyway?"
Liz shrugged her shoulders, "who knows?" She said and knew she wasn't lying- she had no idea where Max was now. Somewhere up in another galaxy- somewhere where he probably wasn't even thinking of her.
"I never got that guy- why he did what he did to you. That day at the Crashdown- the day of the black out. That has something to do with this doesn't it? What happened with Brody?"
Liz closed her eyes and nodded, "I don't want to talk about it Sean."
"I could never understand how Max could hurt you the way he did. I always knew that guy wasn't good enough for you," He said and Liz opened her eyes caught aback by what he had said.
Sean heaved himself up and headed toward her window glancing back at her shocked expression. "I'm leaving but I'll see you later alright?" He asked as he climbed through the window.
"Alright. See ya Sean," She said watching as he took the ladder down to the street and left. Although he wasn't there anymore his words still raced through her brain, slithering through the crevices of her memory and bringing her back to the days not long ago that she had almost loved Sean- almost.