Chapter 2
"Maria get over here" Liz yelled at her friend Maria, who had quickly walked past her locker.
"Can't a girl just go to her Calculus class in peace?" Maria asked, smiling as she turned around and gave Liz a big hug.
"Well considering that I did your slave labour so that you could snuggle up to Michael all night, I don't think so! So give us the details" Liz said laughing.
"Last night was the best night of my life Liz. I'm being serious, Michael is a new man!" Maria replied, again looking the happiest she has ever been.
"Well I'm really happy for you Maria. I guess my hard work was well worth it!" Liz said as she took out her Physics text book from her locker.
"Yeah it was Liz, but you know I've been thinking. We have to get you a new man and I think I have just the one" Maria said, giving Liz one of those looks which nobody ever wanted to get from Maria. It meant she was up to something big and often Maria's 'great ideas' were disastrous.
"No Maria I don't need a new man right now. If I don't keep my mind on my schoolwork I will never get into Harvard and you know how badly I want it" Liz sighed.
"But Liz I have to help you get over Max" Maria exclaimed, as she looked over her shoulder to make sure he was not close by.
" I am over Max" Liz said slightly annoyed.
"You say you are Liz, but I know you're not. I see the way you look at him when you serve him at the Crashdown or when you see him at school. Hello? I'm your best friend, I think I can see what's going on. You two are absolutely incredible, its like you are permanently attached together at the head! Both of you are still completely in love with each other, yet neither of you are willing to do anything about it. I suggest you either talk to him and sort it out, or better still, see someone else and move on" Maria said, as she placed a bobby pin in her curly long blonde hair.
"Its not as easy as it sounds Maria. I thought you would be able to understand that because its not as if you and Michael have had it easy either" Liz snapped as she slammed her locker shut.
"Please don't bring Michael into this Liz, he doesn't have anything to do with you and Max" Maria said annoyed. "Look, so maybe I'm being a little over the top. I didn't mean to upset you, but I just hate to see you like this Liz. You are falling apart, I can see it. As much as I love Max Evans, he hasn't exactly made life easy for you" Maria said.
" I know Maria, but I can't change what happened between us. I still love him" Liz said quietly.
" I know you do hun. Look, just try to forget him for a while, at least for one period!" Maria suggested, giving her friend a hug.
"I'm ok Maria really" Liz said, pulling away. " I just need some time to think this through. Maybe if I talked about this more with Max".
"Give it a go Liz. Its something that you and Max need to sought out because it is destroying both of you" Maria said. "Well I've gotta go to PE, we are playing Cricket today. Yay!" Maria said, as enthusiastically as she possibly could.
"Oh I love cricket!" Liz exclaimed.
"How on earth do you know anything about Cricket Liz? I don't really even know what the stupid sport is, but then again I don't exactly like sport!" Maria said jokingly.
"Its played a lot in Australia. I used to play it when I went over to see my family over there remember?" Liz asked as they walked down the hallway.
"Oh yeah I forgot about your family in Australia. Well let them know that I am always willing to come over and have a game with them in their backyard!" Maria sarcastically replied.
"Get out of here Maria! Go and do some exercise you lazy thing" Liz said, as she gently pushed Maria in the direction of their gymnasium.
According to Liz the day had not started off too well. She barely ever had arguments with her best friend. She knew that what Maria had been saying was true, she wasn't over Max at all. Over the past month, her feelings for him had only strengthened. As they grew apart, she only began to love him more.
For that moment however, Max was the least of her problems. Her next class, Physics with Mr Batterby in was certainly not going to be a good one. Liz walked into the lab and sat down in a seat towards the back of the room next to her Physics buddy Jodie.
"Hey Jodie" Liz whispered.
"Hey Liz! Mr Batterby is not in such a great mood. He crashed his 4WD this morning while he reversed out of his driveway" Jodie whispered in a slight giggle.
"Oh dear" Liz replied, smiling. "I guess I better keep my mouth shut then" she said, smiling to Jodie as she opened to her books which fell onto the large booklet of past examination papers which she had not completed.
"Now last lesson I set you some homework, which was to complete those past papers from last years Physics examinations. I will be collecting those so that they can be marked and returned to you as quickly as possible so that you can continue with your revision" Mr Batterby announced to their small class.
Oh dear Liz thought to herself. She was going to be in for it now. She had not completed Physics homework for at least a week and her mid-term result had been far below her usual results.
Mr Batterby walked around the room collecting al the papers and stopped once he had reached Liz's and Jodie's table.
"Elizabeth your work please" he said firmly.
"I'm sorry Mr Batterby, but I have not completed it" Liz said, as apologetically as she could.
"Hmm" he said. "Class, I would like you to begin reading chapter 8 in the textbook. We will begin the experiment once I return. Come outside with me please Liz" he said, the smile disappearing from his face.
Liz slowly got up from her seat and looked at Jodie, who gave her a quick thumbs up for encouragement. She walked out of the classroom and stood in the deserted hallway until she heard Mr Batterby firmly close the door.
"Elizabeth, you are one of my best students. You have always excelled in this subject, but recently I have not been too happy with your work and I am a little concerned. What's going on Elizabeth?" he asked kindly.
" I don't know Mr Batterby" Liz said slowly. " I'm just having a hard time at the moment. I know you were very disappointed at my mid-term result and I hate myself for letting you down so much" Liz said sadly.
"Elizabeth its not me I am worried about, its you. It doesn't bother me if you think Physics is the worst subject in the entire world and do poorly in the subject. However in the end, you have to remember that the only person you will be disappointing will be yourself" Mr Batterby firmly replied.
"Those grades won't look very good on my application to Harvard will they Mr Batterby?" Liz worriedly asked.
"No they won't Elizabeth, that is why I wanted to speak to you now whilst you have the time to pick yourself up. In the meantime thought I think it might be an idea to go and take a visit with the school's new Careers Advisor/Counselor, Mr Jenkins. I will give you a note with permission to go and see him right now" Mr Batterby said as he pulled out a pen and a small piece of paper.
"That won't be necessary Mr Batterby, I'm sure I can sought this out myself, really" Liz replied tears beginning to swell up into her eyes. This was not the time to tell some stranger about her problems, especially since she didn't even understand them herself.
" I insist Miss Parker, now off you go" he said as he passed her the note.
Without looking up Liz took the note from Mr Batterby's hands and walked slowly towards Mr Jenkins' office. Liz didn't know what to do anymore. Her life was just falling apart. She had problems with school, Max and even had a fight with Maria. Afraid that someone would see her red and teary face she walked quickly with her head down towards the main school entrance, before she was almost knocked to the ground when she crashed into somebody.
TO BE CONTINUED
"Maria get over here" Liz yelled at her friend Maria, who had quickly walked past her locker.
"Can't a girl just go to her Calculus class in peace?" Maria asked, smiling as she turned around and gave Liz a big hug.
"Well considering that I did your slave labour so that you could snuggle up to Michael all night, I don't think so! So give us the details" Liz said laughing.
"Last night was the best night of my life Liz. I'm being serious, Michael is a new man!" Maria replied, again looking the happiest she has ever been.
"Well I'm really happy for you Maria. I guess my hard work was well worth it!" Liz said as she took out her Physics text book from her locker.
"Yeah it was Liz, but you know I've been thinking. We have to get you a new man and I think I have just the one" Maria said, giving Liz one of those looks which nobody ever wanted to get from Maria. It meant she was up to something big and often Maria's 'great ideas' were disastrous.
"No Maria I don't need a new man right now. If I don't keep my mind on my schoolwork I will never get into Harvard and you know how badly I want it" Liz sighed.
"But Liz I have to help you get over Max" Maria exclaimed, as she looked over her shoulder to make sure he was not close by.
" I am over Max" Liz said slightly annoyed.
"You say you are Liz, but I know you're not. I see the way you look at him when you serve him at the Crashdown or when you see him at school. Hello? I'm your best friend, I think I can see what's going on. You two are absolutely incredible, its like you are permanently attached together at the head! Both of you are still completely in love with each other, yet neither of you are willing to do anything about it. I suggest you either talk to him and sort it out, or better still, see someone else and move on" Maria said, as she placed a bobby pin in her curly long blonde hair.
"Its not as easy as it sounds Maria. I thought you would be able to understand that because its not as if you and Michael have had it easy either" Liz snapped as she slammed her locker shut.
"Please don't bring Michael into this Liz, he doesn't have anything to do with you and Max" Maria said annoyed. "Look, so maybe I'm being a little over the top. I didn't mean to upset you, but I just hate to see you like this Liz. You are falling apart, I can see it. As much as I love Max Evans, he hasn't exactly made life easy for you" Maria said.
" I know Maria, but I can't change what happened between us. I still love him" Liz said quietly.
" I know you do hun. Look, just try to forget him for a while, at least for one period!" Maria suggested, giving her friend a hug.
"I'm ok Maria really" Liz said, pulling away. " I just need some time to think this through. Maybe if I talked about this more with Max".
"Give it a go Liz. Its something that you and Max need to sought out because it is destroying both of you" Maria said. "Well I've gotta go to PE, we are playing Cricket today. Yay!" Maria said, as enthusiastically as she possibly could.
"Oh I love cricket!" Liz exclaimed.
"How on earth do you know anything about Cricket Liz? I don't really even know what the stupid sport is, but then again I don't exactly like sport!" Maria said jokingly.
"Its played a lot in Australia. I used to play it when I went over to see my family over there remember?" Liz asked as they walked down the hallway.
"Oh yeah I forgot about your family in Australia. Well let them know that I am always willing to come over and have a game with them in their backyard!" Maria sarcastically replied.
"Get out of here Maria! Go and do some exercise you lazy thing" Liz said, as she gently pushed Maria in the direction of their gymnasium.
According to Liz the day had not started off too well. She barely ever had arguments with her best friend. She knew that what Maria had been saying was true, she wasn't over Max at all. Over the past month, her feelings for him had only strengthened. As they grew apart, she only began to love him more.
For that moment however, Max was the least of her problems. Her next class, Physics with Mr Batterby in was certainly not going to be a good one. Liz walked into the lab and sat down in a seat towards the back of the room next to her Physics buddy Jodie.
"Hey Jodie" Liz whispered.
"Hey Liz! Mr Batterby is not in such a great mood. He crashed his 4WD this morning while he reversed out of his driveway" Jodie whispered in a slight giggle.
"Oh dear" Liz replied, smiling. "I guess I better keep my mouth shut then" she said, smiling to Jodie as she opened to her books which fell onto the large booklet of past examination papers which she had not completed.
"Now last lesson I set you some homework, which was to complete those past papers from last years Physics examinations. I will be collecting those so that they can be marked and returned to you as quickly as possible so that you can continue with your revision" Mr Batterby announced to their small class.
Oh dear Liz thought to herself. She was going to be in for it now. She had not completed Physics homework for at least a week and her mid-term result had been far below her usual results.
Mr Batterby walked around the room collecting al the papers and stopped once he had reached Liz's and Jodie's table.
"Elizabeth your work please" he said firmly.
"I'm sorry Mr Batterby, but I have not completed it" Liz said, as apologetically as she could.
"Hmm" he said. "Class, I would like you to begin reading chapter 8 in the textbook. We will begin the experiment once I return. Come outside with me please Liz" he said, the smile disappearing from his face.
Liz slowly got up from her seat and looked at Jodie, who gave her a quick thumbs up for encouragement. She walked out of the classroom and stood in the deserted hallway until she heard Mr Batterby firmly close the door.
"Elizabeth, you are one of my best students. You have always excelled in this subject, but recently I have not been too happy with your work and I am a little concerned. What's going on Elizabeth?" he asked kindly.
" I don't know Mr Batterby" Liz said slowly. " I'm just having a hard time at the moment. I know you were very disappointed at my mid-term result and I hate myself for letting you down so much" Liz said sadly.
"Elizabeth its not me I am worried about, its you. It doesn't bother me if you think Physics is the worst subject in the entire world and do poorly in the subject. However in the end, you have to remember that the only person you will be disappointing will be yourself" Mr Batterby firmly replied.
"Those grades won't look very good on my application to Harvard will they Mr Batterby?" Liz worriedly asked.
"No they won't Elizabeth, that is why I wanted to speak to you now whilst you have the time to pick yourself up. In the meantime thought I think it might be an idea to go and take a visit with the school's new Careers Advisor/Counselor, Mr Jenkins. I will give you a note with permission to go and see him right now" Mr Batterby said as he pulled out a pen and a small piece of paper.
"That won't be necessary Mr Batterby, I'm sure I can sought this out myself, really" Liz replied tears beginning to swell up into her eyes. This was not the time to tell some stranger about her problems, especially since she didn't even understand them herself.
" I insist Miss Parker, now off you go" he said as he passed her the note.
Without looking up Liz took the note from Mr Batterby's hands and walked slowly towards Mr Jenkins' office. Liz didn't know what to do anymore. Her life was just falling apart. She had problems with school, Max and even had a fight with Maria. Afraid that someone would see her red and teary face she walked quickly with her head down towards the main school entrance, before she was almost knocked to the ground when she crashed into somebody.
TO BE CONTINUED