**********************************
CHAPTER SEVEN:
Alex was sitting in his room, busily working at his computer, trying to figure out the right
way to put something into words. He remembered briefly how he had wished back in the
summer that school would start again, so he could be busy doing school work. Now, as
he sat doing school work for the third hour, he wondered why in the world he wished for
the work load to come back. He had always been an honors student, very good at
cracking the books and studying. But this school year was not even a month old, and he
was already swamped with work. He hadn't even had time to see Isabel in two days.
Upon returning to school, Alex had been told by his computer science teacher, Mr.
Weschler, that he thought Alex should enter into a competition where high school
students submitted written essays and presentations on where computer technology was
going in the 21rst Century. The competition would be held in Santa Fe, and a winner
would be selected to go to national competition in New York. The final winner would
get a ten thousand dollar college scholarship.
Alex jumped at the chance. This would give him an opportunity to show his worth, to
win at something big, and gain a little recognition for the computer geek for a change.
When he told Isabel, she was very supportive of his decision, and wanted to go to Santa
Fe with him to see him give his presentation, and (she was sure) see Alex win. The
competition was coming up next weekend, and he had to push to get the project ready, as
well as keep up with his other school work.
He heard a knock at the front door. "Argh," said Alex, leaving his work to go and get the
door, knowing he was the only one home to answer it.
Alex opened the door, and found a frantic Isabel outside. She walked in and threw her
arms around him.
"Thank God you're home," she said.
Alex kissed her on the cheek. "What's wrong?", he asked, closing the door and leading
Isabel to his room.
"Its Max and Liz," said Isabel. "They've been arrested."
"What?!" said Alex, with shock. "On what charge?"
"Armed robbery," said Isabel. "In Colorado."
"What…armed…" said Alex, completely flabbergasted. "That's nuts! They must have
the wrong people!"
"I don't know," said Isabel. "I haven't seen Max for days. I didn't even know he was in
Colorado. Dammit, he's been so distant, with only Liz allowed into what he's been up
to! Anyhow, I don't know what's going on, but my parents are already on their way to
Colorado. Michael and Maria are going, too. I need you to take me. Can you?"
"Um, Isabel," said Alex. "The technology competition in Santa Fe is NEXT
WEEKEND! I've got to get my presentation and paper finished!"
"Alex!" said Isabel. "I NEED you to go with me! I just…I don't know what's going
on!"
"Isabel, sweetie, I'm sure everything will be alright," said Alex, putting his hands on
Isabel's shoulders for comfort. "Your parents will take care of it, and Michael and Maria
will be there with you. But, honey, I can't. I wish I could, but this is too important!"
"More important than ME?" asked Isabel. "Alex, my brother and his girlfriend are in
JAIL! For armed robbery! They may go to prison! I need you there to support me!"
"Isabel, you know how important you are to me," said Alex. "And if there was going to
be no one there to support you, Max, and Liz, I would go in a minute! But, between your
parents, Michael, and Maria, I think you'll be okay! And if things get really bad, call
me!"
Isabel shook away Alex's hands. "How can you do this?! I can't believe you are not
going to be there for me!! How can you not be there for me?"
"BE THERE FOR YOU!" said Alex. "I broke a fucking mind warp to save you not two
months ago! How can you say I haven't been there for you?!"
"Oh, what, you are trying to play at the martyr to get me to forget about the fact that you
are abandoning me for some STUPID PAPER!" yelled Isabel.
"This 'stupid paper' is something YOU encouraged me to do!" said Alex. "This will give
me a chance to prove I can do something, that I can win at something! This is my
moment to shine! This is so important to me, Isabel! Why can't you see that?!"
"What about Liz?!" said Isabel. "She is like your sister, and you…"
"Liz would agree with me," said Alex. "She would be supportive of me in this! She has
plenty of help up there with her! I can't believe my own girlfriend can't understand how
important this is for me!"
"You selfish bastard!" yelled Isabel. "I can't…"
"How DARE YOU!" yelled Alex back. "After all I've been through because I've known
you, because I LOVE you! You call ME selfish because I have a chance to do something
important with my life beyond the alien CRAP I put up with because I'm with you! You
self-righteous BITCH!"
Isabel slapped Alex in the face hard, and ran out of his room.
"Wait, Isabel!" said Alex.
"NO!" said Isabel. "I have to catch Michael and Maria before they leave! Thanks for
NOTHING!"
She stormed out of the house, and left Alex standing there in the front doorway. As she
took off down the street in her mother's car, Alex slammed the front door and went back
into his room. He sat down at his desk, and threw a bunch of papers on the floor. Alex
sat there fuming for a while, before finally clearing his head and going back to his work.
"I may have just lost Isabel over this," said Alex to himself. "I'd better make sure it was
worth it."
**
The next weekend, everyone was back in Roswell, with Max and Liz having been cleared
of the charges. However, all was not well. Liz's parents have forbidden her from having
any contact at all with Max, even in school. Max is banned from even entering the
Crashdown. Meanwhile, Max's father, who actually helped him get Liz out of jail, had
demanded to know the truth of why he tried to rob the convenience store. Max moved
out of the house when Mr. Evans made an end to the secrecy a condition for living under
his roof.
Isabel, though glad her brother was out of jail, was still miserable herself that weekend,
as she went to the grocery store. She hadn't seen Alex since their fight, on purpose.
Isabel was still furious with him for not going with her to Colorado, for not being there
when she needed him. A part of her, the reasonable part, was telling her that Alex loves
her, but that he needed to do the work for the competition. But the emotional part, the
angry part, was winning the battle in her at the moment. She hadn't even gone to Santa
Fe this weekend to see him give his presentation. Alex had tried to call her, to make up
with her, but she had refused his calls.
Once in the store, she pulled out her shopping list and started to look for the necessary
items. As she turned to walk down an aisle, she heard someone say her name.
"Isabel," said the man's voice.
Isabel turned to see Jessie Ramirez, the new lawyer at her Father's law firm, standing
there smiling at her. "Oh, hello, Mr. Ramirez."
"Please, call me Jessie," he said. "I mean, I'm not an old man or anything."
"No, he isn't," thought Isabel, who thought the tall, boyishly handsome Jessie was
actually really cute.
"Alright, Jessie," said Isabel. "How's it going?"
"Fine," said Jessie. "Look, since I ran into you here, I've been wondering…would you
be interested in….going out to dinner with me, say, one night this coming week? Feel
free to say no, of course, but…I just would like to get to know you better."
Isabel was fighting a war within herself. The rational part of her told her not to, that she
still loved Alex. But another part of her, the part that was angry with Alex, told her that
this guy she is really attracted to is asking her out. Why not play the field just a little and
go out with him? Finally, she made a decision.
"Okay," she said. "How about tonight?"
"Tonight!" said Jessie. "Wow! That would be…great, yeah, sure! Say, about seven
o'clock."
"Great," said Isabel. "Where should we meet?"
"How about that restaurant on fifth," said Jessie. "Antonio's."
"Sounds great," said Isabel. "I'll see you there."
"Great," said Jessie.
***
That evening, a beaming Alex Whitman stepped into the Crashdown diner, and was
greeted by Liz and Maria.
"Hey!" said Maria.
"Does that smile mean you won?!" asked Liz.
Alex's smile grew even wider. "You are looking at the guy who is going to represent the
state of New Mexico at the final competition in NEW YORK CITY!"
"AHH!" screamed Liz and Maria at the same time. Jumping up and down, and then
grabbing Alex in a big hug.
"I am SO proud of you!" said Liz.
"I knew you could do it!" said Maria.
"Thanks, girls," said Alex. "So, have any of you seen Isabel?"
The girl's expressions turned serious. "No, sorry, Alex," said Maria. "I can't believe she
didn't go with you."
"She's still pissed at me," said Alex.
"Hey, Max has tried talking to her, so have I," said Liz. "We tried to tell her how we
weren't upset you couldn't come to Colorado, but Isabel was still pissed."
"I can't believe her," said Maria. "But, look, just give her some time to cool down, then
talk with her."
"I guess that will give me time to get ready for New York," said Alex. "I want to spruce
up my presentation even more. Who knows, I may even place!"
"Bull!" said Maria. "You will WIN that puppy, Alex! I know you can!"
"So when is it again?" asked Liz.
"September Eighth through the Tenth," said Alex. "I will leave that Friday before, then
come back the following Tuesday. I'll miss a couple of days of school, but Mr. Weschler
said he'll talk to my teachers about getting my make up work ahead of time. I can do it
on the plane! My parents and Mr. Weschler are both going with me."
"I wish we could," said Maria. "I've always wanted to go to New York, and I would love
to see you win!"
"Hey, we'll be thinking about you at least," said Liz. "And don't worry about Isabel.
Maria's right. She still loves you, and I'm sure she'll come around once she's cooled
down and you two have a chance to talk. In the meantime, I'd bet you are hungry.
Dinner, tonight, is on the house!"
"Awesome," said Alex, sitting down at the counter, while Liz and Maria went back to
work. The young man was happy with how things were going with the competition, but
this was tempered by his thoughts of Isabel and how much he missed her. He just hoped
she would come around, and that he wouldn't loose her.
End of Chapter Seven. Chapter Eight coming soon.
Well, some of you have been wondering if Jessie was going to come into the picture.
Well, there he is. But, do not give up hope. Alex and Isabel still have a chance, and the
course of events are going to help give them a chance to find one another again. Major
stuff happening in the next chapter, so don't miss it. Meanwhile, please keep those
reviews coming with more great feedback on the story.
(P.S. I know the significance of Alex's teacher's name to the show. It's a little inside
joke. Let me know if you have picked up on it)
CHAPTER SEVEN:
Alex was sitting in his room, busily working at his computer, trying to figure out the right
way to put something into words. He remembered briefly how he had wished back in the
summer that school would start again, so he could be busy doing school work. Now, as
he sat doing school work for the third hour, he wondered why in the world he wished for
the work load to come back. He had always been an honors student, very good at
cracking the books and studying. But this school year was not even a month old, and he
was already swamped with work. He hadn't even had time to see Isabel in two days.
Upon returning to school, Alex had been told by his computer science teacher, Mr.
Weschler, that he thought Alex should enter into a competition where high school
students submitted written essays and presentations on where computer technology was
going in the 21rst Century. The competition would be held in Santa Fe, and a winner
would be selected to go to national competition in New York. The final winner would
get a ten thousand dollar college scholarship.
Alex jumped at the chance. This would give him an opportunity to show his worth, to
win at something big, and gain a little recognition for the computer geek for a change.
When he told Isabel, she was very supportive of his decision, and wanted to go to Santa
Fe with him to see him give his presentation, and (she was sure) see Alex win. The
competition was coming up next weekend, and he had to push to get the project ready, as
well as keep up with his other school work.
He heard a knock at the front door. "Argh," said Alex, leaving his work to go and get the
door, knowing he was the only one home to answer it.
Alex opened the door, and found a frantic Isabel outside. She walked in and threw her
arms around him.
"Thank God you're home," she said.
Alex kissed her on the cheek. "What's wrong?", he asked, closing the door and leading
Isabel to his room.
"Its Max and Liz," said Isabel. "They've been arrested."
"What?!" said Alex, with shock. "On what charge?"
"Armed robbery," said Isabel. "In Colorado."
"What…armed…" said Alex, completely flabbergasted. "That's nuts! They must have
the wrong people!"
"I don't know," said Isabel. "I haven't seen Max for days. I didn't even know he was in
Colorado. Dammit, he's been so distant, with only Liz allowed into what he's been up
to! Anyhow, I don't know what's going on, but my parents are already on their way to
Colorado. Michael and Maria are going, too. I need you to take me. Can you?"
"Um, Isabel," said Alex. "The technology competition in Santa Fe is NEXT
WEEKEND! I've got to get my presentation and paper finished!"
"Alex!" said Isabel. "I NEED you to go with me! I just…I don't know what's going
on!"
"Isabel, sweetie, I'm sure everything will be alright," said Alex, putting his hands on
Isabel's shoulders for comfort. "Your parents will take care of it, and Michael and Maria
will be there with you. But, honey, I can't. I wish I could, but this is too important!"
"More important than ME?" asked Isabel. "Alex, my brother and his girlfriend are in
JAIL! For armed robbery! They may go to prison! I need you there to support me!"
"Isabel, you know how important you are to me," said Alex. "And if there was going to
be no one there to support you, Max, and Liz, I would go in a minute! But, between your
parents, Michael, and Maria, I think you'll be okay! And if things get really bad, call
me!"
Isabel shook away Alex's hands. "How can you do this?! I can't believe you are not
going to be there for me!! How can you not be there for me?"
"BE THERE FOR YOU!" said Alex. "I broke a fucking mind warp to save you not two
months ago! How can you say I haven't been there for you?!"
"Oh, what, you are trying to play at the martyr to get me to forget about the fact that you
are abandoning me for some STUPID PAPER!" yelled Isabel.
"This 'stupid paper' is something YOU encouraged me to do!" said Alex. "This will give
me a chance to prove I can do something, that I can win at something! This is my
moment to shine! This is so important to me, Isabel! Why can't you see that?!"
"What about Liz?!" said Isabel. "She is like your sister, and you…"
"Liz would agree with me," said Alex. "She would be supportive of me in this! She has
plenty of help up there with her! I can't believe my own girlfriend can't understand how
important this is for me!"
"You selfish bastard!" yelled Isabel. "I can't…"
"How DARE YOU!" yelled Alex back. "After all I've been through because I've known
you, because I LOVE you! You call ME selfish because I have a chance to do something
important with my life beyond the alien CRAP I put up with because I'm with you! You
self-righteous BITCH!"
Isabel slapped Alex in the face hard, and ran out of his room.
"Wait, Isabel!" said Alex.
"NO!" said Isabel. "I have to catch Michael and Maria before they leave! Thanks for
NOTHING!"
She stormed out of the house, and left Alex standing there in the front doorway. As she
took off down the street in her mother's car, Alex slammed the front door and went back
into his room. He sat down at his desk, and threw a bunch of papers on the floor. Alex
sat there fuming for a while, before finally clearing his head and going back to his work.
"I may have just lost Isabel over this," said Alex to himself. "I'd better make sure it was
worth it."
**
The next weekend, everyone was back in Roswell, with Max and Liz having been cleared
of the charges. However, all was not well. Liz's parents have forbidden her from having
any contact at all with Max, even in school. Max is banned from even entering the
Crashdown. Meanwhile, Max's father, who actually helped him get Liz out of jail, had
demanded to know the truth of why he tried to rob the convenience store. Max moved
out of the house when Mr. Evans made an end to the secrecy a condition for living under
his roof.
Isabel, though glad her brother was out of jail, was still miserable herself that weekend,
as she went to the grocery store. She hadn't seen Alex since their fight, on purpose.
Isabel was still furious with him for not going with her to Colorado, for not being there
when she needed him. A part of her, the reasonable part, was telling her that Alex loves
her, but that he needed to do the work for the competition. But the emotional part, the
angry part, was winning the battle in her at the moment. She hadn't even gone to Santa
Fe this weekend to see him give his presentation. Alex had tried to call her, to make up
with her, but she had refused his calls.
Once in the store, she pulled out her shopping list and started to look for the necessary
items. As she turned to walk down an aisle, she heard someone say her name.
"Isabel," said the man's voice.
Isabel turned to see Jessie Ramirez, the new lawyer at her Father's law firm, standing
there smiling at her. "Oh, hello, Mr. Ramirez."
"Please, call me Jessie," he said. "I mean, I'm not an old man or anything."
"No, he isn't," thought Isabel, who thought the tall, boyishly handsome Jessie was
actually really cute.
"Alright, Jessie," said Isabel. "How's it going?"
"Fine," said Jessie. "Look, since I ran into you here, I've been wondering…would you
be interested in….going out to dinner with me, say, one night this coming week? Feel
free to say no, of course, but…I just would like to get to know you better."
Isabel was fighting a war within herself. The rational part of her told her not to, that she
still loved Alex. But another part of her, the part that was angry with Alex, told her that
this guy she is really attracted to is asking her out. Why not play the field just a little and
go out with him? Finally, she made a decision.
"Okay," she said. "How about tonight?"
"Tonight!" said Jessie. "Wow! That would be…great, yeah, sure! Say, about seven
o'clock."
"Great," said Isabel. "Where should we meet?"
"How about that restaurant on fifth," said Jessie. "Antonio's."
"Sounds great," said Isabel. "I'll see you there."
"Great," said Jessie.
***
That evening, a beaming Alex Whitman stepped into the Crashdown diner, and was
greeted by Liz and Maria.
"Hey!" said Maria.
"Does that smile mean you won?!" asked Liz.
Alex's smile grew even wider. "You are looking at the guy who is going to represent the
state of New Mexico at the final competition in NEW YORK CITY!"
"AHH!" screamed Liz and Maria at the same time. Jumping up and down, and then
grabbing Alex in a big hug.
"I am SO proud of you!" said Liz.
"I knew you could do it!" said Maria.
"Thanks, girls," said Alex. "So, have any of you seen Isabel?"
The girl's expressions turned serious. "No, sorry, Alex," said Maria. "I can't believe she
didn't go with you."
"She's still pissed at me," said Alex.
"Hey, Max has tried talking to her, so have I," said Liz. "We tried to tell her how we
weren't upset you couldn't come to Colorado, but Isabel was still pissed."
"I can't believe her," said Maria. "But, look, just give her some time to cool down, then
talk with her."
"I guess that will give me time to get ready for New York," said Alex. "I want to spruce
up my presentation even more. Who knows, I may even place!"
"Bull!" said Maria. "You will WIN that puppy, Alex! I know you can!"
"So when is it again?" asked Liz.
"September Eighth through the Tenth," said Alex. "I will leave that Friday before, then
come back the following Tuesday. I'll miss a couple of days of school, but Mr. Weschler
said he'll talk to my teachers about getting my make up work ahead of time. I can do it
on the plane! My parents and Mr. Weschler are both going with me."
"I wish we could," said Maria. "I've always wanted to go to New York, and I would love
to see you win!"
"Hey, we'll be thinking about you at least," said Liz. "And don't worry about Isabel.
Maria's right. She still loves you, and I'm sure she'll come around once she's cooled
down and you two have a chance to talk. In the meantime, I'd bet you are hungry.
Dinner, tonight, is on the house!"
"Awesome," said Alex, sitting down at the counter, while Liz and Maria went back to
work. The young man was happy with how things were going with the competition, but
this was tempered by his thoughts of Isabel and how much he missed her. He just hoped
she would come around, and that he wouldn't loose her.
End of Chapter Seven. Chapter Eight coming soon.
Well, some of you have been wondering if Jessie was going to come into the picture.
Well, there he is. But, do not give up hope. Alex and Isabel still have a chance, and the
course of events are going to help give them a chance to find one another again. Major
stuff happening in the next chapter, so don't miss it. Meanwhile, please keep those
reviews coming with more great feedback on the story.
(P.S. I know the significance of Alex's teacher's name to the show. It's a little inside
joke. Let me know if you have picked up on it)