ME: Hmm, nice response so far. I like that! But seriously now, I wasn't
lying when I said Max isn't going to get off lightly.
VEGETA: Get on with it!
ME: Right, disclaimer!
HMM, THINK ABOUT IT NOW. IF I OWNED ROSWELL, DO YOU THINK I'D BE POSTING THIS ON FF.NET? HELL NO!
ME: Now, on with chapter seven!
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Thud. Thud. Thud. The ball bounced back and forth off of the wall. It was really late, but Adam wasn't tired. He just sat on his bed, facing the wall, throwing and catching the little, round, red ball. Creak. The door opened to the left of him. He knew instantly who it was.
"Go away, mom." He said quietly. "I don't wanna talk to you." Liz sighed and sat down on the bed next to him.
"I'm sorry, sweetie. I shouldn't have sprung that on you, but I thought you'd be happy."
"Why didn't you tell me he was here?" Thud. Thud. Thud. He still didn't look at her.
"It was meant to be a surprise."
"Yeah, it was great. Best surprise I ever had." The sarcasm was evident in his tone, though it didn't sound quite right in a seven year olds voice. And he still wouldn't look at his mother. She sighed again.
"Why are you so upset over this?" This time he did look at her. His dark eyes were wet with unshed tears and it was obvious that he had been crying not long before she had came in.
"Because I want to be." His face was suddenly animated by childish impudence. "And because I hate him." Liz acted surprised, but so wasn't. Of course he would act like this, he was brought up in one of Seattle's poorer areas with nothing left of his father but a photograph and his mother's bitter memories. What? Well, what was she supposed to tell him? That his dad was a big, great hero who went off to another planet because he genuinely wanted to help and nothing more? Oh, come on! It was a total control freak moment on Max's part. Well, that was what Liz thought at least. And she wasn't going to lie to her son.
"You don't mean that, Adam. You know you don't mean it."
"I do mean it!" He was still defiant. Liz groaned and put her head in her hands for a moment. This was getting nowhere. Finally, she came to a decision as of what she was going to do.
"Adam." She said softly. "I understand you're upset. I just thought that maybe you loved me enough to give it a try with your dad." This time it was Adam's time to groan.
"Aw, come on, Mom! Don't make me feel all guilty." He threw the ball against the wall again. Then said, "Fine. I'll talk to him, that's all. But don't think that I hate him any less 'cos I don't." Liz hugged him tightly.
"You're a good boy! Now, can you pack your own suitcase or do you want me to do it?" He looked at her, confused.
"Huh?"
"Well, when I was talking to your dad downstairs, I said we'd move back to Roswell with him."
"No! That's too far away! What am I gonna do about school and stuff?"
"You can go to school in Roswell, sweetie." She smiled at him before quickly adding, "And I promise, if it doesn't work we'll move straight back to Seattle." He frowned heavily at her.
"I don't wanna go!"
"Adam!" Her tone was sharper this time. "I know you don't want to go, but you don't always get what you want. And I know you'll really like it in Roswell, it's great."
"So great you ran away from it?" Liz stopped, he had her there.
"Well, that was different. I had to leave." She hugged him again. "Just try it, please?"
"Alright, I'll go to stupid Roswell. But I'm doing this for you, not 'him'." He pulled away.
"I know. It's okay."
"Good."
Back at the hotel:
"Bored, bored, bored, bored, bored!" Kyle droned unenthusiastically. "How long is Max gonna be?"
"I don't know." Michael murmured from where Kyle's bed, where he was sitting. Maria was sitting down on the floor at his feet and Isabel and Kyle were sitting on the cheap-looking chairs the hotel had 'generously' provided. Max had been gone for like, five hours and everyone else was getting really, really fed up with all the waiting. The Frasier marathon had finished about an hour ago, so it was more of a 'mini-marathon'. Now they were watching the weakest link.
"Man, that Anne Robinson is evil!" Kyle exclaimed suddenly. The others looked at him.
"Wow Kyle, you're so quick!" Maria said, but he could tell she wasn't serious. "Nothing gets past you, huh?"
"Nope."
"Is that your final answer?" Michael quipped. Maria whacked him with the pillow she sitting on.
"That's who wants to be a millionaire, spaceboy!"
"I know." He said defensively. "It wasn't a joke." Maria rolled her eyes.
"Sure it wasn't." There was silence for a while, then Kyle said,
"We watch too much TV, don't we?"
"Yeah, but what else is there to do?" Maria asked him.
"Good point." He turned back to the TV. For a while, there was nothing but the sound of Anne Robinson's evil voice. But about five minutes later, there was a knock on the door. It creaked open slowly and Max popped his head round. Everybody jumped up to meet him.
"Max!"
# # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # #
ME: MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! The cliffhanger strikes again! So you'd better review, or I'll keep you all waiting even longer! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
VEGETA: Get on with it!
ME: Right, disclaimer!
HMM, THINK ABOUT IT NOW. IF I OWNED ROSWELL, DO YOU THINK I'D BE POSTING THIS ON FF.NET? HELL NO!
ME: Now, on with chapter seven!
# # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # #
Thud. Thud. Thud. The ball bounced back and forth off of the wall. It was really late, but Adam wasn't tired. He just sat on his bed, facing the wall, throwing and catching the little, round, red ball. Creak. The door opened to the left of him. He knew instantly who it was.
"Go away, mom." He said quietly. "I don't wanna talk to you." Liz sighed and sat down on the bed next to him.
"I'm sorry, sweetie. I shouldn't have sprung that on you, but I thought you'd be happy."
"Why didn't you tell me he was here?" Thud. Thud. Thud. He still didn't look at her.
"It was meant to be a surprise."
"Yeah, it was great. Best surprise I ever had." The sarcasm was evident in his tone, though it didn't sound quite right in a seven year olds voice. And he still wouldn't look at his mother. She sighed again.
"Why are you so upset over this?" This time he did look at her. His dark eyes were wet with unshed tears and it was obvious that he had been crying not long before she had came in.
"Because I want to be." His face was suddenly animated by childish impudence. "And because I hate him." Liz acted surprised, but so wasn't. Of course he would act like this, he was brought up in one of Seattle's poorer areas with nothing left of his father but a photograph and his mother's bitter memories. What? Well, what was she supposed to tell him? That his dad was a big, great hero who went off to another planet because he genuinely wanted to help and nothing more? Oh, come on! It was a total control freak moment on Max's part. Well, that was what Liz thought at least. And she wasn't going to lie to her son.
"You don't mean that, Adam. You know you don't mean it."
"I do mean it!" He was still defiant. Liz groaned and put her head in her hands for a moment. This was getting nowhere. Finally, she came to a decision as of what she was going to do.
"Adam." She said softly. "I understand you're upset. I just thought that maybe you loved me enough to give it a try with your dad." This time it was Adam's time to groan.
"Aw, come on, Mom! Don't make me feel all guilty." He threw the ball against the wall again. Then said, "Fine. I'll talk to him, that's all. But don't think that I hate him any less 'cos I don't." Liz hugged him tightly.
"You're a good boy! Now, can you pack your own suitcase or do you want me to do it?" He looked at her, confused.
"Huh?"
"Well, when I was talking to your dad downstairs, I said we'd move back to Roswell with him."
"No! That's too far away! What am I gonna do about school and stuff?"
"You can go to school in Roswell, sweetie." She smiled at him before quickly adding, "And I promise, if it doesn't work we'll move straight back to Seattle." He frowned heavily at her.
"I don't wanna go!"
"Adam!" Her tone was sharper this time. "I know you don't want to go, but you don't always get what you want. And I know you'll really like it in Roswell, it's great."
"So great you ran away from it?" Liz stopped, he had her there.
"Well, that was different. I had to leave." She hugged him again. "Just try it, please?"
"Alright, I'll go to stupid Roswell. But I'm doing this for you, not 'him'." He pulled away.
"I know. It's okay."
"Good."
Back at the hotel:
"Bored, bored, bored, bored, bored!" Kyle droned unenthusiastically. "How long is Max gonna be?"
"I don't know." Michael murmured from where Kyle's bed, where he was sitting. Maria was sitting down on the floor at his feet and Isabel and Kyle were sitting on the cheap-looking chairs the hotel had 'generously' provided. Max had been gone for like, five hours and everyone else was getting really, really fed up with all the waiting. The Frasier marathon had finished about an hour ago, so it was more of a 'mini-marathon'. Now they were watching the weakest link.
"Man, that Anne Robinson is evil!" Kyle exclaimed suddenly. The others looked at him.
"Wow Kyle, you're so quick!" Maria said, but he could tell she wasn't serious. "Nothing gets past you, huh?"
"Nope."
"Is that your final answer?" Michael quipped. Maria whacked him with the pillow she sitting on.
"That's who wants to be a millionaire, spaceboy!"
"I know." He said defensively. "It wasn't a joke." Maria rolled her eyes.
"Sure it wasn't." There was silence for a while, then Kyle said,
"We watch too much TV, don't we?"
"Yeah, but what else is there to do?" Maria asked him.
"Good point." He turned back to the TV. For a while, there was nothing but the sound of Anne Robinson's evil voice. But about five minutes later, there was a knock on the door. It creaked open slowly and Max popped his head round. Everybody jumped up to meet him.
"Max!"
# # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # #
ME: MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! The cliffhanger strikes again! So you'd better review, or I'll keep you all waiting even longer! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!