A/N: Seeing as how loads of people asked for update soon I wrote this the
very next day after reading the reviews. It wasn't my fault accounts were
closed until 16th Feb! It's not completely candy just yet - sorry sezza!
"So, I'll se you guys in school tomorrow?" Alex asked.
"Yeah, okay," Michael said.
"Bye," Alex waved to them all.
Michael looked back at Maria who hadn't said anything to anyone since talking to Isabel. He hadn't known what to say to her either. He looked to Max who seemed to have been different since the break not noticing Tess even with her many attempts to attract his attention. Tess and her friends were standing around too. Maria pulled her bag over her shoulder and said, "I should probably go home too."
"I-I can take you," Michael said without thinking.
Maria smiled at him. "Thanks."
"Max, maybe you should walk me home too. It might not be safe to go home alone," Tess said.
Max just looked over her head - as if looking for someone - and said, "I thought the three of you were going home together."
"They live on another side," she informed him.
Max stopped and looked at her bewildered, "But ya'll are neighbors."
Maria chocked back a laugh as Tess humphed and stomped away with the two other girls. Max couldn't seem to work out why. "Well, we should get going," Maria told Michael.
"Yeah, okay," Michael said. They said bye to Max and walked out.
"So Max was acting really weird, huh?" Maria said.
"Yeah," Michael replied. "
They were silent for a bit before Maria asked, "Do you think Alex was okay?"
"Alex? I dunno - why?"
"It's nothing," Maria said. Michael didn't seem convinced. "It's just something, Isabel said."
"I-Isabel talked to you a-about A-Alex?" Michael asked stopping suddenly.
"Yeah. Oh hey, this is me," Maria said and stopped in front of a black gate. "Well, thanks for walking me home, Michael."
"U-uh, no problem," Michael said coming back to his senses trying to remember exactly what Tess' friends had told him earlier. Maria skipped towards him and kissed him on the cheek causing Michael to once more zone out before actually realise what was going on. "Bye," she said and skipped inside her house, leaving Michael standing there even more confused than he was earlier.
The next day at school...
"Kyle?" Max asked.
"Oh hey Max," he replied.
"Can I talk to you?"
"Sure," Kyle said, swapping books in his bag with the ones in his locker.
"Have you spoken to Liz today?"
"Nope, why?"
"It's just she seems to be ignoring me and I was just wondering..."
"Whether I could ask her what's up?" Kyle finished for him.
"Yeah," Max nodded.
"Don't have to. She's sort of mad at you," Kyle informed him.
"Huh? How do you know that?"
"I spoke to her on the phone last night. I heard about the movie."
"What about the movie?" Max demanded.
"Well, you know, it's what you did."
"What did I do!?"
Kyle sighed, "You were acting really weird when she was with Jerry."
"I wasn't acting weird! And why would it matter, it's not as if they're d- dating?" Max said suddenly. "Are they going out again?"
"Not yet," Kyle said.
"Not yet!? So, what - you mean they will be soon?" Max said.
"No - I don't know! It depends."
'Depends on what?"
"On Liz, for one thing," Kyle said as he shut his locker. "She might like someone else and just wanna be friends with Jerry."
"Who else? And how come I don't know?" Max asked exasperatedly. The bell rang and Kyle shook his head, "I can't tell you. You gotta figure it out for yourself." And then Kyle walked off.
"Whoa," Maria said after Liz had finished telling her what had happened the night before.
"I don't wanna talk about it anymore," Liz said. She took a sip of her orange juice and threw the carton in the bin. "Maria what do you think of Michael?"
"Michael? He's okay. He's kinda strange sometimes but he can be really nice too."
Liz nodded in agreement. Then Maria asked, "Do you think he's still into Isabel?"
"I don't know. He's hard to read."
"Extremely."
"But didn't you say Isabel might still like Alex?" Liz asked.
"Yup," Maria said. "She was all, 'stay away from him', you know? She thought I was flirting and got totally jealous - but then, she was there with some other guy. So if she doesn't like him then it's all 'She doesn't want him, but no one else can have him.'" After Maria was finished Liz started laughing. She stopped suddenly and tugged on Maria's sleeve. "Can we go?" The bell had rung and Maria looked around and saw Max was in the vicinity. She nodded.
The two got up and walked inside the school building and down the hall. "I'll see you after my class okay?" Liz said. Maria nodded and walked onwards on her own. She had a free lesson but didn't know what to do. She stopped outside an empty classroom but soon saw it wasn't empty. Maria walked inside and said hi to Michael. He looked startled when he realised somebody else was there but soon settled and said hi back. "Can I see?" Maria asked gesturing to the canvas he'd been drawing on.
"It's not really that good," he said but moved away to let her see anyway. She looked and said, "It is good."
"You're just saying that."
"No I'm serious," Maria protested. "Here look," she added and set her bag down on the floor and ran to open the cupboard. She pulled out a picture and said, "This is what I drew in my art lesson yesterday." Michael tried to hold back a laugh but couldn't manage it. There was only one way to describe it - pretty darn terrible. Maria frowned, "Well, hey, not all of us can be artistes, you know."
"Not to sound too critical, but what made you take art?" Michael asked.
"I had nothing else to take," she said. "I'm supposed to work on it during my free lessons but I don't know what the hell to do."
"You have a free now right?" Michael asked and she nodded. "Well, okay, you could always improve it by doing this," he said taking a brush from his set and applying it to the paper.
"So, I'll se you guys in school tomorrow?" Alex asked.
"Yeah, okay," Michael said.
"Bye," Alex waved to them all.
Michael looked back at Maria who hadn't said anything to anyone since talking to Isabel. He hadn't known what to say to her either. He looked to Max who seemed to have been different since the break not noticing Tess even with her many attempts to attract his attention. Tess and her friends were standing around too. Maria pulled her bag over her shoulder and said, "I should probably go home too."
"I-I can take you," Michael said without thinking.
Maria smiled at him. "Thanks."
"Max, maybe you should walk me home too. It might not be safe to go home alone," Tess said.
Max just looked over her head - as if looking for someone - and said, "I thought the three of you were going home together."
"They live on another side," she informed him.
Max stopped and looked at her bewildered, "But ya'll are neighbors."
Maria chocked back a laugh as Tess humphed and stomped away with the two other girls. Max couldn't seem to work out why. "Well, we should get going," Maria told Michael.
"Yeah, okay," Michael said. They said bye to Max and walked out.
"So Max was acting really weird, huh?" Maria said.
"Yeah," Michael replied. "
They were silent for a bit before Maria asked, "Do you think Alex was okay?"
"Alex? I dunno - why?"
"It's nothing," Maria said. Michael didn't seem convinced. "It's just something, Isabel said."
"I-Isabel talked to you a-about A-Alex?" Michael asked stopping suddenly.
"Yeah. Oh hey, this is me," Maria said and stopped in front of a black gate. "Well, thanks for walking me home, Michael."
"U-uh, no problem," Michael said coming back to his senses trying to remember exactly what Tess' friends had told him earlier. Maria skipped towards him and kissed him on the cheek causing Michael to once more zone out before actually realise what was going on. "Bye," she said and skipped inside her house, leaving Michael standing there even more confused than he was earlier.
The next day at school...
"Kyle?" Max asked.
"Oh hey Max," he replied.
"Can I talk to you?"
"Sure," Kyle said, swapping books in his bag with the ones in his locker.
"Have you spoken to Liz today?"
"Nope, why?"
"It's just she seems to be ignoring me and I was just wondering..."
"Whether I could ask her what's up?" Kyle finished for him.
"Yeah," Max nodded.
"Don't have to. She's sort of mad at you," Kyle informed him.
"Huh? How do you know that?"
"I spoke to her on the phone last night. I heard about the movie."
"What about the movie?" Max demanded.
"Well, you know, it's what you did."
"What did I do!?"
Kyle sighed, "You were acting really weird when she was with Jerry."
"I wasn't acting weird! And why would it matter, it's not as if they're d- dating?" Max said suddenly. "Are they going out again?"
"Not yet," Kyle said.
"Not yet!? So, what - you mean they will be soon?" Max said.
"No - I don't know! It depends."
'Depends on what?"
"On Liz, for one thing," Kyle said as he shut his locker. "She might like someone else and just wanna be friends with Jerry."
"Who else? And how come I don't know?" Max asked exasperatedly. The bell rang and Kyle shook his head, "I can't tell you. You gotta figure it out for yourself." And then Kyle walked off.
"Whoa," Maria said after Liz had finished telling her what had happened the night before.
"I don't wanna talk about it anymore," Liz said. She took a sip of her orange juice and threw the carton in the bin. "Maria what do you think of Michael?"
"Michael? He's okay. He's kinda strange sometimes but he can be really nice too."
Liz nodded in agreement. Then Maria asked, "Do you think he's still into Isabel?"
"I don't know. He's hard to read."
"Extremely."
"But didn't you say Isabel might still like Alex?" Liz asked.
"Yup," Maria said. "She was all, 'stay away from him', you know? She thought I was flirting and got totally jealous - but then, she was there with some other guy. So if she doesn't like him then it's all 'She doesn't want him, but no one else can have him.'" After Maria was finished Liz started laughing. She stopped suddenly and tugged on Maria's sleeve. "Can we go?" The bell had rung and Maria looked around and saw Max was in the vicinity. She nodded.
The two got up and walked inside the school building and down the hall. "I'll see you after my class okay?" Liz said. Maria nodded and walked onwards on her own. She had a free lesson but didn't know what to do. She stopped outside an empty classroom but soon saw it wasn't empty. Maria walked inside and said hi to Michael. He looked startled when he realised somebody else was there but soon settled and said hi back. "Can I see?" Maria asked gesturing to the canvas he'd been drawing on.
"It's not really that good," he said but moved away to let her see anyway. She looked and said, "It is good."
"You're just saying that."
"No I'm serious," Maria protested. "Here look," she added and set her bag down on the floor and ran to open the cupboard. She pulled out a picture and said, "This is what I drew in my art lesson yesterday." Michael tried to hold back a laugh but couldn't manage it. There was only one way to describe it - pretty darn terrible. Maria frowned, "Well, hey, not all of us can be artistes, you know."
"Not to sound too critical, but what made you take art?" Michael asked.
"I had nothing else to take," she said. "I'm supposed to work on it during my free lessons but I don't know what the hell to do."
"You have a free now right?" Michael asked and she nodded. "Well, okay, you could always improve it by doing this," he said taking a brush from his set and applying it to the paper.