Chapter Three:

Taken a deep breath Liz gave herself up to the music.  As she wiped down the

table she swayed to the melody, lost in the words of the song.  'How can I live

with out you, I want to know…'  She sang along as she thought of Max a sad smile

on her lips.  'How can I breath without you if you ever go…'  So engulf in the atmosphere it created around her she didn't here him enter, didn't see the disapproving glare on his face.

He watched her his anger seething inside him.  'How could Jeff allow her to prance

around in that short get up?'  He wondered pulling his brows into a frown.  'Once a screw up always a screw up.' He reminded himself.   His disappointment in his brother ignited so suddenly that he felt his rage rush through him.  'How many times have I had to clean up his messes… sat by our mothers side as she waited for him to walk through their front door?  How many times did he lay in his bed at night and listen to their mother crying because he hadn't even bother to come home at all?'  shaking his head he stared at the girl in front of him.  His eyes roamed over her.  From the sensual way she was moving her body to her hair flying in the air in answer to her movements. 

Spinning around a smile on her face, hand held high in the air she came to an abrupt stop when she noticed him standing there watching her.  She grasp as the words to the song lodged in her throat almost choking her.  Slowly she brought her hand down to her side her heart racing.  "I… my dad will be down any minute to check things."  She heard her self say as she dropped her eyes to the ground in front of her.  "He always checks things at closing to make sure everything's okay."  She was babbling she knew it, but she couldn't help it, he made her nervous.

"Yes, I know."  He said walking slowly from the door to the counter his eyes piercing hers when she looked up at him.  Reaching over he turned the small portable radio Liz had on the counter off.  "I told him I would do it for him tonight."  At the confused look on her face, he smiled.  "What are brothers for, if not to give a helping hand when needed… even if say brother doesn't know he needs help."  His doubt message didn't go unnoticed to her.

Liz took a deep breath, willing her racing heart to slow it's rapid  speed.  'I'm not a child…I'm not a child…'  She kept reminding herself.  Wiping down the last table as fast as she could she made her way to the front door pulling on it to make sure it was locked then squaring her shoulders she headed towards him to the door leading to her room, her sanctuary.

As she passed him he reached out and grabbed her arm forcefully pulling her around to face him.  "Do you have any idea what you look like in that get up… with all that trash on your face?"  He demanded squeezing down hard on her arm.

"Ahhh…"  She moaned at the pain.  "What do you think your doing?"  She asked trying to pull her arm away.

"Who the hell do you think your talking to?"  He demanded his anger racing inside him.  "You better learn your place little girl because I'm more then will to teach it to you."  He said pushing her violently away from him.  "Go to bed Elizabeth…go to bed and remove that stuff off your face and take that sluttish garment off before I forget your not my child and I rip it from you myself."

She didn't need to be told twice.  She fled as fast as she could her heart racing through her.  She didn't stop until she was leaning on her closed door locked safely in her room.  Taking a deep breath she held her hands to her chest willing the uneasiness to subside inside her.  'Your not a child…your not a child…' She repeated in her head, but when she was around him, that was exactly what she was.  She was five years old again staring into the angry eyes towering above her in disapproval.  She didn't try to fight the tears that ran down her face.  She stood there leaning on her door her eyes closed, her body heaving from the sobs she was trying to smother.

She stood in front of her mirror staring at her self.  She didn't even remember making the few steps to it.  Tilting her head her eyes moved over her, her hair loss brushing her shoulders, the Crashdown uniform she was wearing, the slight touch of pink on her lips.

Lifting her hand she brushed it across her mouth, her tears running down her face.  'What have I done to make you hate me?'  She wanted to scream at him.  Turning swiftly from the image before her she closed her eyes pressing the heel of her palms into her eyes as she fall to her knees her sobs echoing inside her.  'I'm not a child any longer…'  She whispered.  'I'm not a child any longer…I won't let you do this to me.'

TBC