CHAPTER 9 (Heatwaves and Soap factories)
"Stupid Liz, to lazy to clean the Crashdown herself" Michael muttered as he swept. Liz had gone upstairs to study and left Michael to clean alone. Michael was the cook there and closed that night.
He looked up when he sensed someone outside.
Outside
Maria looked into the Crashdown and saw Michael sweeping. She didn't know what she was doing here. She had told Michael that they couldn't be anything and yet she couldn't stay away from him. She saw him look at her and she thought about turning away but then he moved to open the door.
Inside
Michael wondered what she was doing here. She said they couldn't be together; maybe she had changed her mind. He walked over and unlocked the door. The next move was hers.
Outside
Maria glanced at the unlocked door. She knew the next move was hers but did she want to make it? She looked into Michael's eyes and knew she did. It was wrong but she had to. Maria opened the door and walked inside. No words were said as she placed her hands on his chest and he crushed their mouths together in a passionate kiss.
As the kiss became more intense Michael lifted Maria and placed her legs around his waist. Maria knocked over a container on the counter in her haste to balance herself. Michael pulled away from her lips and attacked her neck as he pushed her down into a near by booth where they continued to make out not noticing that Liz had been watching from the backroom window when she came down to get milk.
The next day
"Max"
Max looked up from his book and saw Liz approaching him. "Yeah"
"Have you noticed anything wrong with Maria lately?" she asked
Max laughed and shook his head. "What usually isn't wrong with Maria?"
Liz rolled her eyes. "Max I'm serious, I think something's going on between her and Michael, I saw them last night in the Crashdown"
In the Art room
"Hey Michael" Liz greeted.
Michael turned with a scowl on his face. What a way to ruin a good morning. He just spent 20 minutes in the eraser room with Maria and was feeling pretty good. "What do you want?"
Liz raised her hands in defence. "No need to get snippy. I just want to know what's going on between you and Maria?"
In an empty classroom
"Nothing we're just sucking face" Maria shrugged.
Max scrunched his face in disgust. Definitely not something he wanted to hear from his sister. "I thought you said you didn't want to be with him"
Maria sighed. "We're not together Max, I mean he knows that"
"Are you sure?" Max asked. Maria nodded. "But what about the pact, I thought we wouldn't act on any urges, we'd discuss it first"
Maria rolled her eyes. "Max, your not exactly the first person I think of when I'm having urges. I just thought go for it you know?"
Max nodded. "Just don't let it go to far."
"Max, it's just eraser room fun, nothing more" Maria said. But whom was she trying to assure?
Art room
Michael shook his head. "Go away Liz, it's none of your business what's between Maria and I"
Liz sighed. "You do know it can't be anything right?"
Michael laughed. "Just because Max can't be with you, doesn't mean Maria can't be with me"
Liz growled. Well if she can't have Max, Michael sure as hell isn't going to get Maria. "Do you guys even talk?"
Michael glared at her. "Sure we do" he lied.
"So why haven't you gone public?" Liz smirked.
Michael turned back to his painting. "Again none of your business just go away"
Liz smiled. Mission accomplished.
Outside by the trees
"So do you like, you know, go through everything a normal human woman would?" Isabel asked hesitantly. She saw Maria sitting by a tree painting her nails and joined her. She had some things she was still curious about.
Maria smiled. It seemed Isabel wasn't afraid anymore. "You mean like periods?"
Isabel nodded shyly. "Yeah I get them, you have no idea how happy I was when I did. I mean most women hate them but when I got them, I felt normal you know?"
"What about relationships? I mean you're pretty popular with the guys but you never really go on dates or anything. It's not like it would be hard for you to get one?" Isabel said
Maria sighed. "Have you ever been afraid to let anybody see you? I mean really see you?" Isabel nodded. "Times that by a thousand and you have what I feel. I can't let anyone in, it changes everything if I do"
"What about Michael?" Isabel inquired.
Maria shook her head. "I can't be with anyone, I have to be alone" Isabel nodded and let the subject drop. Maria looked at Isabel's shoes and touched the blue on them. "Hold out your hand"
Isabel did so and watched as her nail polish turned the same blue as her shoes. Maria smiled. "At least we can do cool stuff like that"
Isabel smiled. "Yeah, so ah what's Alex really like?"
Maria laughed internally. She knew that was bound to come up. "He's a good guy. The best friend a girl could have."
In the eraser room
"Oh god Maria"
"Mmmm, Michael" Maria moaned as he kissed a trail down her neck and back up to her lips. After her conversation with Isabel, Maria went by the Art rooms and saw Michael painting and all those feelings came back. She waited in the eraser room until he walked past and pulled him in.
Michael smiled she bit his ear lobe, but then remembered what Liz asked. He stopped Maria and pulled back. "Why did you pull me in here?"
Maria smiled seductively. "Why do you think?" She kissed him again but he pulled back.
"Well shouldn't we like talk or something?" Michael asked as she kissed his neck. Maria attached herself to his lips again.
"Hi, how are you?" she mumbled as she kissed him.
"Fine and you?" he replied while giving her a hickey. Maria didn't reply but continued paying attention to his bottom lip. "So did you hear about the party at the soap factory?" Maria nodded. Michael pulled her in for a searing kiss. "Are you going to go?"
Maria started kissing a trail down his chest where his buttons were undone. "I don't know," she breathed.
Michael brought her back up. "You don't know?"
Maria nodded. "Friday's like light years from now" she said as she attacked his neck once more. Michael closed his eyes. He had to know where this was going. He had to ask.
In the library
"Max why is it ok for Michael and Maria but not us?" Liz whined.
"It's not ok for Maria to be with Michael, they can't be together and she knows that, just like we can't." Max tried to explain.
"It just hurt when I saw them Max." Liz said quietly.
Max rubbed her arms gently. "I know, but we can't. To much is at stake."
Empty classroom
Max looked at Maria worryingly. She had pulled him into an empty classroom to talk and she was pacing the room. She stopped and turned to him. "It's gotten complicated" was all she said.
Max nodded. "Michael?"
"Yeah, all of a sudden the eraser rooms not enough, he wants to go public but I can't. He should know this." Maria said still pacing.
"Maria you have to end it" Max said gently.
Maria nodded. "I know, but why does it feel so good when I'm with him?" she said softly. Max just stayed quiet because he knew there was more to it. "It's just, I want to be with him but I feel like, that being who I am is going to get him hurt"
Max just hugged her. He understood. That's how he felt about Liz. "I just want you to be happy Maria, just do whatever you think is right."
*~*~*~*
Later that night Max and Maria walked into the abandoned soap factory. "This looks cool" Max said. Maria nodded then spotted Michael.
"Oh god Max lets go this way" Max was about to ask why but saw Michael then understood.
"What happened to talking to him?" he asked with a smile.
Maria glared at him. "Shut up Max" Max laughed and spotted Liz. Maria glanced to where he was looking and nudged him. "Just go Max"
"I thought you didn't want me to be around Liz?" he said.
Maria shrugged. "You'll only have that look on your face for the rest of the night if you don't so go"
Max smiled. "Thanks Ria."
Maria turned and bumped into Alex. "Alex hey"
"Hey, so this is kind of cool huh?" he said looking around. "I saw Michael earlier, wanted to know where you were"
Maria looked to the ground. "What did you tell him?"
Alex smiled. "I figured you were ignoring him so I said I didn't know if you were even coming."
Maria smiled. "Thanks" as they continued walking around Isabel came up to them.
"Hey Maria, Alex" Maria smiled.
"Hey, look I'm just going to go over there, I'll be back" Alex glared at her as she left. He didn't want to be alone with Isabel; those feelings he wasn't supposed to feel kept coming back.
"So ah how are you doing?" Isabel asked.
Alex smiled. "I'm good, you?"
Isabel smiled. Maybe now was a good time to ask him out. It was the 21st century anyway, girls ask guys out all the time. "I'm ok, I was just wondering if you wanted to go out some time?"
Alex frowned. Of course he did but he couldn't. He had a pact to keep. "Sorry Iz, but you know we can't be anymore than just friends" Isabel smiled sadly. Alex looked at her heart broken face and couldn't take it. "But I'd like to go out with you as friends"
Isabel looked up hopefully. Friends is good, friends first, couple later. Yeah she could do that. "Yeah, that would be great."
Alex smiled. "Cool, well I have to go find Max and talk to him so I'll see you later." Isabel cheered when he left and went to go find Maria. She had to ask what colour Alex likes the most so she'd know what to wear.
Outside
Michael had found Maria and pulled her outside. "Why have you been ignoring me?"
"I haven't been ignoring you" she lied.
"Then why haven't we talked?" he asked
Maria sighed. "Look Michael, we can't get intense"
Michael was confused. "Who's getting intense? I just want some answers."
"You're getting intense," she yelled.
Michael scoffed. "You got pretty intense at the Crashdown the other night"
Maria shook her head. "Maybe we shouldn't have started this."
"What?" Michael said quietly.
Maria sighed. "We can't be together, I thought we could but I was wrong. I shouldn't have kissed you in the Crashdown I should have just walked away."
"Maria don't say that, I want to be with you" Michael told her.
"I'm sorry Michael, but I'm alone, a stone wall and that's the way it's got to be." She walked past him and back inside leaving Michael to mull over what happened.
Inside Maria bumped into Isabel. "Maria what colour does Alex like?"
Maria furrowed her brows. "What? Hey do you smell smoke?"
Isabel nodded and noticed people running for the entrance, just as they were about to leave, a guy ran past and put a bottle of alcohol in each of there hands.
Alex and Max ran around a corner followed by Michael, Kyle and Liz. "Where's Maria?" Alex yelled.
Max looked around the corner and saw the Sheriff shine his torch on Maria then on Isabel.
"Well, well ladies what do we have here?" Jim said as he took the bottles. "You two will have to come with me"
Maria looked behind her as Jim pulled them outside and saw Max. She mouthed that she was going to be ok but Max along with Alex were worried. The Sheriff of course had carted Maria off to jail many times before but now it was different, he suspected them.
In the cell
"Oh god this is bad." Isabel mumbled.
Maria rolled her eyes. "Don't worry about it, you'll be out when your parents get here" Maria said. "I'll be out when Alex's mom gets here"
Isabel looked at Maria. "You've been in here a lot huh?"
Maria nodded. "A few times yeah. Why?"
Isabel glanced at the floor. "I don't know, why though? I mean, you used to be different I guess"
Maria smirked. "Stalking me?"
Isabel laughed. "No, everyone noticed it, you used to be so social but then you stopped, I mean yeah you're still popular but you talk to less people and get arrested a lot. What happened?"
Maria shook her head. "I'm not popular"
Isabel smiled. "Yes you are, you just chose to ignore it, like the question I asked."
Maria laughed. Smart girl. "When mom and dad died I guess I changed. I got more interested in finding home than anything else."
"Why? Why is finding home so important to you?" Isabel asked. Maria half expected her to ask about her parents but everyone knew how they died. Diane and Philip Evans were pretty well known in the town. Their father was a lawyer so her earned a lot of money. All of which Maria and Max inherited when they died.
"You wouldn't understand" Maria mumbled.
"Try me"
Maria looked up. "I guess, I just want to find out if there's anyone out there waiting for us to come home. Max and I have another family out there somewhere and there all we have now, so I'd like to find them. Before, we had a family so it wasn't so important, but now, now we don't."
"You have us," Isabel said softly.
Maria smiled. "But you all have families, even Alex does. I just want to know I belong somewhere."
Isabel was about to speak but Jim walked in. "Ok girls I talked to your mother Isabel and Mrs Whitman Maria, and they agree that you two need to spend some time in here to think about what you've done,"
"We didn't do anything," Isabel yelled.
"Two minors in possession of alcohol is an offence. I'll talk to you both later," he said as he walked off.
Isabel huffed as she sat down. Maria just stayed silent. $10 says the Sheriff didn't talk to Mrs Whitman. No matter what she would have been down there to get her out. She hated cops. Ever since their parents died, Amy Whitman had been like a mother to them, her and their mother were best friends. Whenever Maria got into trouble she was always there, no questions asked.
"So, what exactly have you been in here for anyway?" Isabel asked. Everyone knew Maria was thrown in jail a lot but no one ever knew why.
Maria shrugged. "Breaking and entering, drinking, destroying property and so on."
"What?" Isabel said shocked.
Maria sighed. "I broke into a few places I thought had information about us, like the convention centre but got caught, I still can't believe Max works there, and after my parents funeral I guess I got a little out of control. I went into my dads cellar and took a bottle of wine and drunk the whole thing, but it turns out that with us aliens it only takes one sip to get drunk, so imagine what a whole bottle did"
Isabel was in shock.
Maria continued. "So after I drank it I was really angry that my parents had left me so I went over to an old warehouse and started breaking things, you know to try and get rid of some of my anger, but it turns out it was private property and the owner called the Sheriff who arrested me for drinking and destroying property. He only put me in over night though, I guess he felt sorry for me because of my parents."
Isabel nodded. "They were good people"
Maria smiled sadly. "The best."
"Ok girls wake up" Jim said as he walked into the cell. "I want some questions answered now. Isabel, I want to know what your involvement is with Maria, Max and Alex. Why do you hang out together and what do you know about Ms Topolsky?"
Isabel looked at Maria who seemed worried. Isabel smiled and turned back Jim. "Look Sheriff, I'm just a kid, I'm 17, a sophomore at high school, I made some new friends, is that a crime?"
Jim shook his head. "At the soap factory—"
Isabel cut him off, "You made a mistake. I wish that I had broken the law but I didn't, we didn't. The reason you arrested us had nothing to do with the party did it? Look, I demand that you let us go right now or I'll get a lawyer and sue for abusive treatment of a minor. I may be a kid but I know my rights."
Jim looked at Isabel in shock then at Maria who was smirking. He had no choice.
Once outside Isabel jumped up and down happily. "God I can't believe I just did that, I mean I've never done that"
Maria laughed. "I can't believe you did either. But thankyou, for not giving us in"
Isabel smiled. "Hey were friends aren't we? I don't turn in friends"
Maria smiled again. "God friends with you, who would have thought?" They both laughed as they continued home.
"So what is Alex's favourite colour?"
