Chapter Twenty-Two

Max stood in front of the teacher tapping his pencil impatiently against his leg as he tried to listen to what he was saying, but he was only catching bits and pieces as his eyes kept wondering to the class door.  He couldn't seem to think straight.  All day she'd consumed his thoughts.  He'd sat all through lunch with Michael and Maria waiting restlessly for her to show up, but she hadn't.   He was beginning to think that she'd stayed home today until Maria mentioned that she'd ran into her at her locker this morning.  The sound of her laughter echoing around him brought him out of his private thoughts quickly.  A smile on his face he turned to the open door.

He watched her as she stood in the door her back turned away from the class talking to someone he couldn't see. 

"Yea…well that sounds like fun, but I don't know."  He heard her say laughing.  "But I will differently think about it."

"Max, do you have any questions?"  The teacher asked.  "Max?"  He repeated when Max didn't answer.

He forcefully tore his eyes for Liz.  "No sir." He made himself answer.

"Okay you can go back to your seat."

Max made his way back to his desk slowly looking at Liz still standing at the door.  As he came leveled with the door he was finally able to see who she was talking to.  He stopped med step and had to physically catch himself before he fell.  His heart racing he stood behind his desk his eyes shooting daggers towards Tommy as he watched her reach out a hand and touch his arm as she laughed at something he'd said.

"I've got to go."  He heard her say taking a few steps back wards.

"See yea."

"Differently."  She said before turning and making her way to her seat next to him. 

He felt his surprise quickly replaced with his anger.  Glaring at the vacated door where Tommy had been standing just moments before his hands balled into fist he had to physically stop himself from running after him and slamming his fist into him to remove the smile from his face.

"Hey."  He made himself say when she sat down next to him as he tried to control his anger and ignore the other emotion rushing through him.   He felt so weird seeing her standing there talking with Tommy.  Almost like a sick case of dejavu.  With him sitting in this same seat watching her flirt and smile at Kyle.  'Jealousy, was that the unknown emotion he can feel rushing inside him?' He wondered.

"Hey."  She replied but she didn't turn to look at him as she busied herself with setting up for class.

"What are you thinking about Liz?"  Max made himself ask as he tried to push the unwanted emotions inside away.

"Were you spying on me?"  She demanded turning to face him her voice low so that only he could hear her.

"I didn't exactly have to do much spying when you were standing in front of the whole class flirting with that jerk."  He murmured his voice angry.

"I wasn't flirting with him, Max."  She said frowning at him.

"Yea…well from where the rest of the class was sitting you were flirting with that…that…"

"Max."  She reached out her hand to touch him, but he pulled away.

He watched as something flashed in her eyes.  Guilt…pain…He didn't know which because it was gone as quickly as it was there.  "This isn't the time or place for this."  He made himself say even though he wanted to brag her out of class and confront her.  But he closed his eyes, taking deep breaths trying to still the emotions inside him.  "But this isn't over, Liz.  This isn't over."

Two seconds before the bell rung Liz was on her feet racing from the classroom.  Max stood up determined to confront her when the teacher called his name.  Pulling his eyes from her retreating back he face his teacher. 

"I would like to speak with you."  His tone leaving Max no choice, but to stay behind and hear what he had to say.

He stood in front of his desk staring at him, his body held stiffly as he waited for what ever he had to say.   Everything in him wanting to say be damn with this and race after Liz, but he made himself stand there.

"Are you okay son?" 

"I don't know what you mean."  Max said turning again towards the door.

"You seem preoccupy all through class.  I just wanted to make sure that everything's okay."

"Everything's fine.  Can I go now?"  He asked already turning toward the door.

"If your sure."

"I'm sure."

"Then you're dismissed."  He said as he watched Max race from the room. 

"Max, take a deep breath and calm down…will you."  Isabel demanded pacing in front of Max as he laid on his bed.

"How am I suppose to calm down when there's something wrong with her?"  He demanded.

"Okay…okay.  You went to the Crashdown and she wasn't there.   That doesn't mean anything, Max.  Maybe she was at the library." She said as she turned when she'd walked the length of his room to retrace her steps.

"You haven't seen her lately, Isabel.  There's something wrong with her."

"How do you know?"  She demanded stopping as she looked at him.  "Has she done anything out of the ordinary?"

"Yea, you can say that."  He said as he ran his hand over his face.

Staring at him her brows drawn into a frown she demanded.  "Okay…how bad is it?"

"If your asking me to tell you what she did then I'm sorry, but it's personally." He said crossing his arms and his legs.

"How the hell am I suppose to help if I don't know what's going on?"  She demanded staring at him angrily.   

"I caught her flirting with another guy."  He anger echoing through his voice.  "That's all you need to know."

"What?"  Isabel demanded, her shock evident in her tone.  "Are you sure…I mean…I can't see her doing something like that."

"Well I wasn't exactly thrilled when I saw her do it."  He took a deep breath to calm the anger rushing through him.  "And she did it in front of the whole class."

"You're kidding me, right?"

"God….Isabel, when is this going to end?" He mumble running his hand over his face.

"I've watched you read so many books on this…so you tell me, Max.  What's going on with her?"

"I don't know."  He cried jumping from the bed his heart racing.  "I…don't know."

"Think…Max think." She demanded.  "Somewhere in those books holds the key."

"I can't think straight…my mind is so muddle I can't…think"  He closed he's eyes trying to concentrate.    

Grabbing him she shook him capturing his eyes with hers.  "You have to if we're going to help her before something bad happens to her, Max.  Think…it's in there."  She said touching his head.  "Forget about your anger and pain and think." Isabel demanded.

He closed his eyes again shaking his head.  "Transference."  The word seemed to have a life of it's own as if left his body.  "Transference."  He repeated opening his eyes and staring into Isabel's eyes.  "She…she believe that bastard."  He barked.  "She's acting out what he's excuse her of being her whole life.  Oh God… Isabel."  He cried his tear's running down his face.  "How can she think that …how can she thing that?"  He demanded as she pulled him into her arms. 

"I don't know…Max…but now…now we know how to help her."  She tried to reassure him as he held her tightly to him crying.

Everything in her wanted to turn back time to that night in the desert.  She wanted to kill that bastard for what he'd done.  But as she held her brother she knew if she wanted to make a change in want was going on she would have to go back before she even knew Liz.  Back to when she was a little girl herself.  So she held on to him tightly as his body shook from his sobs,  her own tears running down her face.  They would make this right.  They would make her see the person they all loved.  They would make her understand once and for all the amazing person the world saw in her.

TBC