Chapter IV: People Aren't Who You Think They Are
"Liz you can't just avoid me. I mean seriously, I realize you need time but I need my best friend back. It's been weeks. Alex is just a drag to be with. Plus, he's a guy and all he keeps talking about is either Isabel or how much he's looking forward to going to Sweden."
"Fine Maria. I'll do something with you at the Crashdown after school."
It had been weeks and although she still needed time, Liz realized that she didn't want to lose her friends over this. She needed them.
"Thank You! Thank You! Thank You! And I'll make sure that Max is nowhere in sight. It'll be just you, me and Alex watching a video in the backroom and feasting overly unhealthy food. Just pure human, no Czechoslovakians, fun."
"Yeah, fun... I'd just like to point out that Max can go anywhere he wants."
Maria quickly changed the subject.
"Who have you been hanging out with anyway?"
Maria knew that she was avoiding Max and most of the time everyone was with him, making sure he hadn't gone over the edge and actually attempted to commit suicide or something, which was highly unlikely (but no one knew him anymore), but she had always wondered what Liz had been doing in the past weeks. There's only so much time until you get tired of studying in the library or whatever else she was doing.
"Oh, just this sophomore. I'm kind of helping him with his Biology."
Maria pondered on this for a moment. Maybe there were other ulterior motives that Liz was hanging out with this guy.
"And his name would be..."
"Nicholas."
"Right. So we'll see you later okay..."
"I'll be kinda late, I've got a tutoring thing with Nicholas in the lab."
"Yea sure. See ya later."
"Maria, she's a half hour late."
Alex was a bit worried. He knew Liz and she was always punctual. Something could be wrong, but that seemed unlikely.
"She's tutoring some sophomore in Biology. She told me she was going to be kind of late. You don't have to call the cops."
"Maria, I just have a feeling something bad's gonna happen to her."
"Alex, something bad already happened to her."
Alex just looked at her in a serious way in reply.
"Okay, fine. If she isn't here in an hour or so, we'll call her on her cell phone."
"Maybe she just told you that to get you off of her case."
Maria and Alex turned around and saw Kyle in the doorway. He walked towards the couch where they were sitting.
"Maria, he has a point."
"She'll be here. Okay?"
"Okay, so you get it now… right?"
Liz had just finished explaining the lesson to Nicholas.
"Yea, of course, but just to be sure, can we go over it one more time?"
"Nicholas, I told you when we started that I had somewhere to go afterwards and I'm already late. We can do this again tomorrow."
Nicholas nodded in reply.
"I'll see tomorrow."
At this, Liz put her things in her backpack and zipped it up.
"Uh, Liz... thanks... for the tutoring sessions."
As Nicholas spoke he walked closer to her.
"I don't get why you have such a hard time. You seem to be getting it really well."
"I dunno, it seems more understandable when you explain it."
"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow then."
Liz picked up her backpack and headed for the door.
"Liz, wait."
The moment Liz turned around, Nicholas had kissed her. She was stunned, but after a few moments, she let her guard down and relaxed. When Nicholas pulled away, Liz was unconscious.
"You can come out of the closet now."
A young man about the age of twenty came out of the supply closet and quickly picked Liz up and carried her.
"I bet she didn't see that coming." Nicholas thought to himself, smiling slightly.
"She's not coming Maria."
Maria nodded. Kyle was right. This wasn't some alien attack. Liz just wasn't ready yet. She shouldn't have pushed.
"Maria, she'll probably call us up and apologize, either that or she'll do it at school."
"You're right Alex."
"Come on, let's go do something else."
Alex had seen the look of disappointment on Maria's face. There was nothing any of them could do about Liz. She seemed to grow more distant everyday. It hurt to know that. It hurt Maria. It hurt Max. It hurt himself. But somewhere in his head, he knew that she had the right to, that maybe she had had the last straw. Maybe this time, there wasn't anything left to do but just let her go.
"Liz you can't just avoid me. I mean seriously, I realize you need time but I need my best friend back. It's been weeks. Alex is just a drag to be with. Plus, he's a guy and all he keeps talking about is either Isabel or how much he's looking forward to going to Sweden."
"Fine Maria. I'll do something with you at the Crashdown after school."
It had been weeks and although she still needed time, Liz realized that she didn't want to lose her friends over this. She needed them.
"Thank You! Thank You! Thank You! And I'll make sure that Max is nowhere in sight. It'll be just you, me and Alex watching a video in the backroom and feasting overly unhealthy food. Just pure human, no Czechoslovakians, fun."
"Yeah, fun... I'd just like to point out that Max can go anywhere he wants."
Maria quickly changed the subject.
"Who have you been hanging out with anyway?"
Maria knew that she was avoiding Max and most of the time everyone was with him, making sure he hadn't gone over the edge and actually attempted to commit suicide or something, which was highly unlikely (but no one knew him anymore), but she had always wondered what Liz had been doing in the past weeks. There's only so much time until you get tired of studying in the library or whatever else she was doing.
"Oh, just this sophomore. I'm kind of helping him with his Biology."
Maria pondered on this for a moment. Maybe there were other ulterior motives that Liz was hanging out with this guy.
"And his name would be..."
"Nicholas."
"Right. So we'll see you later okay..."
"I'll be kinda late, I've got a tutoring thing with Nicholas in the lab."
"Yea sure. See ya later."
"Maria, she's a half hour late."
Alex was a bit worried. He knew Liz and she was always punctual. Something could be wrong, but that seemed unlikely.
"She's tutoring some sophomore in Biology. She told me she was going to be kind of late. You don't have to call the cops."
"Maria, I just have a feeling something bad's gonna happen to her."
"Alex, something bad already happened to her."
Alex just looked at her in a serious way in reply.
"Okay, fine. If she isn't here in an hour or so, we'll call her on her cell phone."
"Maybe she just told you that to get you off of her case."
Maria and Alex turned around and saw Kyle in the doorway. He walked towards the couch where they were sitting.
"Maria, he has a point."
"She'll be here. Okay?"
"Okay, so you get it now… right?"
Liz had just finished explaining the lesson to Nicholas.
"Yea, of course, but just to be sure, can we go over it one more time?"
"Nicholas, I told you when we started that I had somewhere to go afterwards and I'm already late. We can do this again tomorrow."
Nicholas nodded in reply.
"I'll see tomorrow."
At this, Liz put her things in her backpack and zipped it up.
"Uh, Liz... thanks... for the tutoring sessions."
As Nicholas spoke he walked closer to her.
"I don't get why you have such a hard time. You seem to be getting it really well."
"I dunno, it seems more understandable when you explain it."
"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow then."
Liz picked up her backpack and headed for the door.
"Liz, wait."
The moment Liz turned around, Nicholas had kissed her. She was stunned, but after a few moments, she let her guard down and relaxed. When Nicholas pulled away, Liz was unconscious.
"You can come out of the closet now."
A young man about the age of twenty came out of the supply closet and quickly picked Liz up and carried her.
"I bet she didn't see that coming." Nicholas thought to himself, smiling slightly.
"She's not coming Maria."
Maria nodded. Kyle was right. This wasn't some alien attack. Liz just wasn't ready yet. She shouldn't have pushed.
"Maria, she'll probably call us up and apologize, either that or she'll do it at school."
"You're right Alex."
"Come on, let's go do something else."
Alex had seen the look of disappointment on Maria's face. There was nothing any of them could do about Liz. She seemed to grow more distant everyday. It hurt to know that. It hurt Maria. It hurt Max. It hurt himself. But somewhere in his head, he knew that she had the right to, that maybe she had had the last straw. Maybe this time, there wasn't anything left to do but just let her go.