~A/N~ Thank you for the reviews so far! I had this chapter all ready so I
decided just to put it on to add a little mystery. I know a lot of you will
have questions after this chapter- most involving Max. Don't worry, all
your questions will be answered. Adios and REVIEW PLEASE?
Disclaimer: The fiction is mine, the Roswell character aren't.
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*The Next Day- around one o' clock*
Maria heard the honk of the horn and called to her aunt and uncle as she sped out the door and closed it behind her. She saw the car and recognized Liz's bubbly face in the front seat. Thankful for a distraction, Maria too smiled brightly as she climbed into the front seat of the car.
"Hey girl! How are you today?" Liz asked as she looked over her shoulder and backed into the street heading for town.
"I'm doing good. How about you?" Maria asked glancing over at her.
"I'm doing great! We're headed to the Crashdown- the place you ate last night- again to meet some people. Then we'll see what we can find to keep ourselves busy."
Maria smiled and watched out the window as they neared downtown. The ride was silent and neither talked until they pulled up in the back lot of the Crashdown.
"My parents own the restaurant if you were wondering. We live in the apartment up above," Liz explained as she turned off the car, grabbing her keys the two got out.
They entered the restaurant and were greeted by a fairly full restaurant for a Thursday afternoon. Maria's eyes scanned the crowd and were instantly drawn to a group of people in the booth nearest to the back. There were three of them, two guys and a girl, and they looked friendly enough laughing at something the boy in the corner had said.
"There they are, come on!" Liz exclaimed and led Maria over to the booth. The three sets of eyes drew up and all settled on her. Instantly Maria grew self-conscious at their questioning stares but Liz broke the tension.
"Move over you guys, do you not have room or something?" She kidded and instantly they sprang into action allowing the two to slide into the tight booth. Liz sat next to one of the boys and Maria next to the one girl in the booth.
"So Liz, a little rude for not introducing us to your friend don't you think?" The boy next to her asked swinging his arm over her shoulder as his lips connected with hers. Instantly Maria recognized that they were a little more than friends and a slight smile played on her lips at the way the boy looked at Liz, completely entranced.
Liz laughed and glanced over at Maria, "you guys I want you to meet Maria. She's Maggie and Tony's niece from Chicago. She came down to Roswell for the summer just to hang out."
"Well we always love outsiders to bring a little excitement here to Roswell," the boy that didn't have his arm around Liz said smiling. "I'm Alex by the way. The one, as you'll find out, is the coolest in this group."
Maria giggled and shook his hand that he had held out to her.
"Yeah right Alex! In your dreams," the blond next to Maria said slapping him lightly. She looked over at Maria, "I'm Isabel. Alex only WISHES he was as cool as me." She said smiling smugly at Alex and Maria laughed.
"Sheesh you two, do you EVER shut up about who is cooler? It is getting old," Liz's boyfriend said and laughed glancing over at Maria. He was good looking and Maria could definitely tell what Liz saw in him. He reached out his hand toward her, "I'm Kyle, Liz's boyfriend."
Maria smiled and shook his hand glancing once more at the group she was sitting with. They all seemed nice in their own specific way. Her mind flashed to her friends back in Chicago and she felt her heart darken at the way things had changed over the years. What had once been a joyous and carefree relationship between them all had turned to dust as the years of despair had slowly taken their toll on each one of her three closest friends.
"Where's Michael anyway? Didn't we tell him to be here at one?" Liz's voice brought Maria out of her trance and she wondered for a moment who Liz was talking about.
She heard the front door's bell ding and watched as Kyle's eyes darted to someone behind her. "Well, speak of the devil."
Slowly Maria turned her head and was met by the inquiring gaze of a boy walking into the restaurant. His eyes held hers for a brief moment before he reached for a chair at the empty table next to them and swung it over toward their booth, placing it backward and straddling it casually.
"Hey Guerin, there's this thing we normal people call being ON TIME. You should try it some time," Kyle said, his sarcastic smile sliding off his face at the glare Michael shot him.
"Bite me Valenti," he muttered glancing over at Maria. "So who are you?" he asked grabbing a fry from the neglected plate in the middle of the table.
"Geez Michael. Work on your manners why don't you? And stop attacking Kyle." Liz said somewhat disgusted. Maria caught a gleam in Liz's eye at that moment and she could see something wasn't right between those two. Something deep had wedged its way between their relationship and somehow Maria knew they hadn't been good friends for a long while. "This is Maria. She's Maggie and Don DeLuca's niece who's visiting for the summer."
Michael looked her over nodding slightly as a "hello" before glancing back at the whole group. "So what are we doing today anyway?"
"I was thinking we'd show Maria around Roswell. You know, the fun points in town and all. Convince her that we aren't totally lame here in Roswell," Liz said with a noticeable lift in the tone of her voice as she smiled over at Maria.
"Sounds good to me," Alex commented, "so how about we get out of here?"
Everyone nodded at Alex's suggestion and they all slid out of the booth. Kyle and Liz were in the lead with Isabel and Maria behind them and Alex and Michael in back. Maria glanced over at Isabel who had her eyes locked on Liz and Kyle- a wistful look in her eye.
"They're cute. Liz and Kyle that is," Maria commented and Isabel glanced over at her strangely. Maria saw something in her eye that, for a moment, made her wish she had kept her mouth shut but Isabel quickly replaced that look and plastered a smile on her face.
"They really are." She said. "Meant for each other I guess," she added a hint of bitterness seeping out through her words.
*That evening*
Maria entered her room; a smile from that day's events still etched on her face. They had all been so nice and invited her into their world like they had known her for years. They were all so fun and full of life that it just made her remember more how much different from them she was.
As happy as they were Maria still caught the look in their eye when one of them said something. A look of warning and a look of mystery. There was something about them that still puzzled her. They had a secret; she could see it most in Isabel and Michael.
Isabel had her own special quality of sadness to her especially. Every once in awhile Maria would catch her staring at Liz and Kyle with a look of remembrance in her eyes and Maria knew something just wasn't right.
Despite the mystery behind the five Maria still found herself laughing more than she had in months. She tried to pull herself away. She knew it was wrong to get attached to more people. They were just more people that she knew she would hurt in the end. There was no way for them to ever to be her friends forever. She could never have forever- not when she was going to die.
Disclaimer: The fiction is mine, the Roswell character aren't.
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*The Next Day- around one o' clock*
Maria heard the honk of the horn and called to her aunt and uncle as she sped out the door and closed it behind her. She saw the car and recognized Liz's bubbly face in the front seat. Thankful for a distraction, Maria too smiled brightly as she climbed into the front seat of the car.
"Hey girl! How are you today?" Liz asked as she looked over her shoulder and backed into the street heading for town.
"I'm doing good. How about you?" Maria asked glancing over at her.
"I'm doing great! We're headed to the Crashdown- the place you ate last night- again to meet some people. Then we'll see what we can find to keep ourselves busy."
Maria smiled and watched out the window as they neared downtown. The ride was silent and neither talked until they pulled up in the back lot of the Crashdown.
"My parents own the restaurant if you were wondering. We live in the apartment up above," Liz explained as she turned off the car, grabbing her keys the two got out.
They entered the restaurant and were greeted by a fairly full restaurant for a Thursday afternoon. Maria's eyes scanned the crowd and were instantly drawn to a group of people in the booth nearest to the back. There were three of them, two guys and a girl, and they looked friendly enough laughing at something the boy in the corner had said.
"There they are, come on!" Liz exclaimed and led Maria over to the booth. The three sets of eyes drew up and all settled on her. Instantly Maria grew self-conscious at their questioning stares but Liz broke the tension.
"Move over you guys, do you not have room or something?" She kidded and instantly they sprang into action allowing the two to slide into the tight booth. Liz sat next to one of the boys and Maria next to the one girl in the booth.
"So Liz, a little rude for not introducing us to your friend don't you think?" The boy next to her asked swinging his arm over her shoulder as his lips connected with hers. Instantly Maria recognized that they were a little more than friends and a slight smile played on her lips at the way the boy looked at Liz, completely entranced.
Liz laughed and glanced over at Maria, "you guys I want you to meet Maria. She's Maggie and Tony's niece from Chicago. She came down to Roswell for the summer just to hang out."
"Well we always love outsiders to bring a little excitement here to Roswell," the boy that didn't have his arm around Liz said smiling. "I'm Alex by the way. The one, as you'll find out, is the coolest in this group."
Maria giggled and shook his hand that he had held out to her.
"Yeah right Alex! In your dreams," the blond next to Maria said slapping him lightly. She looked over at Maria, "I'm Isabel. Alex only WISHES he was as cool as me." She said smiling smugly at Alex and Maria laughed.
"Sheesh you two, do you EVER shut up about who is cooler? It is getting old," Liz's boyfriend said and laughed glancing over at Maria. He was good looking and Maria could definitely tell what Liz saw in him. He reached out his hand toward her, "I'm Kyle, Liz's boyfriend."
Maria smiled and shook his hand glancing once more at the group she was sitting with. They all seemed nice in their own specific way. Her mind flashed to her friends back in Chicago and she felt her heart darken at the way things had changed over the years. What had once been a joyous and carefree relationship between them all had turned to dust as the years of despair had slowly taken their toll on each one of her three closest friends.
"Where's Michael anyway? Didn't we tell him to be here at one?" Liz's voice brought Maria out of her trance and she wondered for a moment who Liz was talking about.
She heard the front door's bell ding and watched as Kyle's eyes darted to someone behind her. "Well, speak of the devil."
Slowly Maria turned her head and was met by the inquiring gaze of a boy walking into the restaurant. His eyes held hers for a brief moment before he reached for a chair at the empty table next to them and swung it over toward their booth, placing it backward and straddling it casually.
"Hey Guerin, there's this thing we normal people call being ON TIME. You should try it some time," Kyle said, his sarcastic smile sliding off his face at the glare Michael shot him.
"Bite me Valenti," he muttered glancing over at Maria. "So who are you?" he asked grabbing a fry from the neglected plate in the middle of the table.
"Geez Michael. Work on your manners why don't you? And stop attacking Kyle." Liz said somewhat disgusted. Maria caught a gleam in Liz's eye at that moment and she could see something wasn't right between those two. Something deep had wedged its way between their relationship and somehow Maria knew they hadn't been good friends for a long while. "This is Maria. She's Maggie and Don DeLuca's niece who's visiting for the summer."
Michael looked her over nodding slightly as a "hello" before glancing back at the whole group. "So what are we doing today anyway?"
"I was thinking we'd show Maria around Roswell. You know, the fun points in town and all. Convince her that we aren't totally lame here in Roswell," Liz said with a noticeable lift in the tone of her voice as she smiled over at Maria.
"Sounds good to me," Alex commented, "so how about we get out of here?"
Everyone nodded at Alex's suggestion and they all slid out of the booth. Kyle and Liz were in the lead with Isabel and Maria behind them and Alex and Michael in back. Maria glanced over at Isabel who had her eyes locked on Liz and Kyle- a wistful look in her eye.
"They're cute. Liz and Kyle that is," Maria commented and Isabel glanced over at her strangely. Maria saw something in her eye that, for a moment, made her wish she had kept her mouth shut but Isabel quickly replaced that look and plastered a smile on her face.
"They really are." She said. "Meant for each other I guess," she added a hint of bitterness seeping out through her words.
*That evening*
Maria entered her room; a smile from that day's events still etched on her face. They had all been so nice and invited her into their world like they had known her for years. They were all so fun and full of life that it just made her remember more how much different from them she was.
As happy as they were Maria still caught the look in their eye when one of them said something. A look of warning and a look of mystery. There was something about them that still puzzled her. They had a secret; she could see it most in Isabel and Michael.
Isabel had her own special quality of sadness to her especially. Every once in awhile Maria would catch her staring at Liz and Kyle with a look of remembrance in her eyes and Maria knew something just wasn't right.
Despite the mystery behind the five Maria still found herself laughing more than she had in months. She tried to pull herself away. She knew it was wrong to get attached to more people. They were just more people that she knew she would hurt in the end. There was no way for them to ever to be her friends forever. She could never have forever- not when she was going to die.