Part 9 - Section B

Max

Several minutes later, Michael and I are standing in front of Tess's door, which is open. I look at Michael. "Are you ready?"

"As I'll ever be," he replies with a shrug. I can't tell if he's curious, or excited, or just dreading this as much as I am. His expression, as per usual, is mostly blank. It's his defense mechanism in situations he doesn't understand.

I'm not sure why I'm not looking forward to talking to Tess. I mean, it's not like I have anything against her. I like her. Liz implied that she would be able to give me all the answers I want about Liz's strange behavior. And, yet, I'm nervous. Somehow I have a feeling that whatever goes down with Tess today is going to change everything. I guess I'm more like Isabel than I've ever realized. I don't want things to change. I have always been more curious about our heritage than my sister, although never to the degree of Michael. But, now, even though things presently suck between me and Liz, I know for sure that I don't want my life to be different. The fact that Liz liked me, even for a little while…It changed how I feel about myself.

I like who I am. I don't want to find out that who I am is not who I'm supposed to be. For some reason, I have a feeling that if I ever do find out why we were sent to Earth, who I am supposed to be is going to trump who I think I am now. But I don't want it to. Does that make any sense?

But, whatever. I have no choice anyway. Liz has made it clear that it is Tess I need to talk to, and so to Tess I shall talk. Because I'm not giving up on Liz without a fight. I refuse. Not when I've had a taste of what it might be like to be with her.

Anyway, there's no turning back now, because Tess has heard our voices and she's appeared at the door. She has her coat over her arm, and is obviously on her way out. She seems surprised to see me, but does visibly brighten, which makes me even more nervous. "Hi, Max!"

She glances at Michael and I quickly introduce him.

"Hey," he says, then lapses back into silence. He is starting at her intently, and I see her shift uncomfortably.

"What's up?" Tess asks, turning her attention back to me, to avoid Michael's penetrating gaze. I would nudge him to get him to quit it, but that would draw even more attention to what he is doing. He is, quite possibly, the worst detective ever.

"Um…" Great. Now that I'm here, I realize I have no idea how to broach the subject. What do I say? "Liz told me that you could tell me why she's avoiding me." No, a little too abrupt. Plus, kind of rude, since I've barely seen Tess since I've been back. "I just wanted to drop in and say hi, and introduce you to Michael, before you go home for the holiday."

"Oh, I'm not going anywhere," Tess replies. She rolls her eyes. "My brother's here visiting." She lifts her jacket. "I'm taking him sight-seeing."

Michael and I exchange a glance at this. Because, if she is one of us, what does that make her brother? One of us too? Or is this a clue that Michael, Isabel, and I are all crazy, and Tess is completely normal?

"You sound thrilled," Michael says. He's being sarcastic, of course, because she actually sounds the complete opposite of thrilled.

"He's just kind of a grump," Tess admits. She is glancing past us. "He's in the common room. C'mon, I'll introduce you."

Michael and I look at each other again. He shrugs, shaking his head. I'm not sure if he's telling me that he doesn't think she's an alien, or if he's telling me she is, or if he's telling me nothing at all, so I scowl at him.

When Tess looks back and asks, "Are you coming?" we have no choice but to follow her down the hall, because I haven't had a chance to ask her anything about Liz yet.

Tess's brother is at the pool table in the common room, shooting a game with, of all people, Kyle Valenti. Michael snorts beside me. I don't blame him. Could life get any weirder? Seriously.

"Eddie?" The blond guy looks up from his shot, takes in Tess, then me and Michael, and frowns slightly.

"Are you ready?" he asks. He then leans over and takes his shot, which clears the table.

"Jeez," Kyle mutters, shaking his head. "Good shot, man." He looks at me and Michael, and nods, although he clearly isn't thrilled to see us again.

"Thanks," Eddie replies, placing his cue on the table. "Tessie, this is Kyle."

"Nice to meet you, Kyle," Tess says. She nods towards me and Michael. "This is Max. You know the one I told you about?" This surprises me. She's told her brother about me? "And his friend, Michael." She tries to introduce us to Kyle, but we explain that we, in fact, already know each other. Nor can we seem to escape each other today. Considering this is such a huge dorm, not to mention city, one would think that it might be a bit easier to do so.

"Hey," Eddie says, sounding a bit surly. Tess was apparently right. This guy does seem to be a little cranky. Because, after his cursory "hey," he proceeds to ignore us. "Kyle's coming with us."

I look at Kyle in surprise. "Where's Liz?"

Kyle shrugs, sighing. "She called me on my cell. She's been held up somewhere. She told me to go out and look around and she'll meet me back here in a few hours."

Okay, this is not good. Actually, it causes a knot to form in my stomach. I'm really worried about Liz now. This is totally out of character for her, to dump Kyle like this. I mean, he's come to New York to visit her. She's expecting him to show himself around?

Kyle doesn't seem that upset about it though. He is presently staring at Tess, his mouth hanging open slightly. He seems a little hypnotized by her, in fact. Not that I blame him. She is, after all, very pretty. I mean, compared to Liz, no, but, compared to most other girls, definitely.

"That's okay," Tess says, smiling at Kyle. "You can come with us. We're going to Times Square and some of the other big sights."

I frown. Clearly this is not the time to talk to Tess. She is obviously distracted by her brother's presence, and by the idea of playing tour guide. Great. I know that I can't wait until tomorrow to have a conversation with her. I just can't. I've been miserable and in the dark for over three weeks. I can't take it anymore. It has to be today.

I grab her by the arm as she turns to leave. "Tess?"

"Yeah?" she says, glancing down at where my hand is holding her loosely. I drop her arm quickly. When she looks up, she is blushing slightly. It is becoming ever clearer that Liz was more than right when she told me ages ago that Tess likes me. I can't deny it any longer. Which only makes things more complicated. And which is only going to make the conversation about Liz that much more awkward.

"What are you and Eddie doing for dinner tonight?" I ask, shoving my hands in my pockets.

"Nothing," she replies.

"Do you want to come to Isabel's? She's cooking a turkey."

She smiles brightly. "We'd love to. Columbia, right?"

"Yeah." I give her Isabel's address, and she jots it down on a scrap of paper she pulls out of her purse.

"Cool." She seems really pleased. It makes me feel…weird. There is no other word to describe it. I'm not pleased, exactly, but, on the other hand, I'm happy that she's so happy. I like Tess. I've missed her over the past few weeks.

"Hey, aren't Liz and me going there too?" Kyle demands, from near the door.

I shrug. "I think so," I tell him. Tess's expression dims slightly when she hears this. "Alex is hosting too."

"Maybe I'll just run up and leave a note on her door telling her I'll meet her there." Kyle looks at Tess. "It makes sense. That way we'll have more time."

"Sure," Tess says. "We can stop upstairs first."

With that, the three of them leave, but not before Tess says a soft, "Bye, Max," that sends an even clearer message than her blush of a few minutes ago.

I am in so much trouble.

After they're gone, I collapse into one of the overstuffed chairs near the T.V. Michael throws himself down on a couch across from me.

"So?" I ask, fixing him with a penetrating stare. What I want, more than anything, is for him to tell me that he thinks Tess is totally normal, and that Isabel and I are both imagining things - that she's just a regular girl, with, for some reason, a crush on me, and it's nothing more than that.

His expression, however, is not reassuring. Finally, he says, "To be honest, I'm not sure."

"You're not sure that she's one of us, or the opposite?"

"Either. There's definitely something weird about her. I know what Izzy means." He frowns. "But it feels different than what I feel around you guys." He shakes his head. "I'm just not sure, Maxwell. Maybe if I talk to her longer or something…"

"Well, I guess you're going to get your chance," I say, sighing. "Because she's coming to dinner."

And, apparently, so is Liz. And Kyle. And Tess's weird brother. This is just shaping up to be a winner of a day, all around.

"We'll figure this out, Maximillian," Michael says seriously. "I promise."

I meet his eyes, and, for the first time, in a long while - quite possibly since we started high school and my crush on Liz got completely out of control actually - I feel an understanding develop between me and my best friend. For the first time in a long time, he isn't pissed off at me for wanting to be more human, or for wanting to be with Liz. He actually seems to get it.

Remind me to call Maria and thank her later. That girl is a miracle worker.

"Thanks, Michael. I'm glad you're here."

"Hey, man. I'm always here."

And, really, he always has been.

"I know."

We have stopped looking at each other, because this is getting a bit mushy, and, after all, we are still guys. We're aliens, sure, but we're also guys.

"Wanna go shoot some pool?" he asks gruffly, standing up abruptly.

"Sure."

And, that, for the moment, is that.

Michael and I pretty much just hang out at MU until it's time to leave for Columbia, because Michael isn't really the sight-seeing type (although I'm sure Izzy will haul him around the city tomorrow). Alex is pacing in front of Izzy's dorm as we walk up, and it is clear that he is waiting for us, because he stops it as soon as he catches sight of me.

"Liz brought Sean," he says abruptly, not even bothering to say hello.

I stare at him blankly, not sure that I am presently understanding English. "What?"

"I'm not kidding," Alex replies grimly. "I think she's gone insane."

There is a long pause as I digest this. "Did she say anything?" I finally ask, when I realize that both Alex and Michael are staring at me waiting for a reaction.

"No," Alex tells me. "She just showed up with him like it was perfectly normal. I tried to corner her, but she's not willing to be cornered."

I have absolutely nothing to say. I mean, what is there to say? Liz has brought Sean to Thanksgiving dinner at my sister's. I hate Sean. She knows this. I have never flat-out said this to anyone, but please. Liz knows. She could not have possibly done anything more blatantly designed to demonstrate that, as far as she is concerned, whatever it was that was developing between us is no longer developing.

Okay, this is now officially the worst Thanksgiving ever.

As we emerge from the elevator on Isabel's floor, we are met by our hostess, who is waiting for it, a bowl of potatoes in her hands. "Just going downstairs to heat these up in the microwave there," my sister says breathlessly, pushing past us. "The one up here is busted."

"Need help?" Alex asks.

"No," Isabel calls. "Go be a host. Everyone's in the common room."

Alex makes a bee-line down the hall, Michael and I trailing behind.

"It's like they're an old married couple," Michael mutters, sounding a little amazed.

"He's good for her," I reply under my breath, glad to be distracted from the impending horror that will be the sight of Sean Covington at my sister's Thanksgiving dinner. "She needs someone steady like him."

"Yeah, but it's weird," Michael says. He pauses, then adds thoughtfully, "Not in a bad way though."

I don't have time to say anything else, because we've entered the common room, and I am confronted by Liz and her various boyfriends. Tess is there too, and her brother, but I don't really notice. It seems almost pointless to try to talk to Tess now. I mean, Liz has made her intentions clear. She is done with me. Why bother embarrassing myself by trying to have a sure to be awkward conversation with Tess? Particularly as I still have no idea why she might be the one who could give me any insight into Liz.

Maybe Alex is right. Maybe Liz Parker is insane. Maybe it's time for me just to accept it and move on.

There is a moment of uncomfortable silence as we all stand around staring at each other. Finally, Alex, remembering that he is supposed to be the host, starts to make introductions, although I think by his point we all know each other. He then leaves to get drinks.

I sit stiffly in a chair, forcing myself not to look directly at anyone. This is the last place on the planet I want to be at the moment. The two people I least want to accidentally exchange any sort of glance with are Liz and Sean. Her, because I'm scared to see the finality of what she has told me by bringing Sean here written on her face, and him because I know he'll be smirking.

God, I freaking hate him. I can feel rage beginning to run through my veins. Why is this happening? Why has Liz turned away from me? What did I do? And why did she run to him again, of all people? Why is he here? What is she trying to do to me?

I am about to lose it. I can feel it. It is like I am outside of my own body watching everyone around me engage in stilted small talk. Tess is telling some story about how Kyle got lost in the subway, and everyone is laughing, and all I want to do is scream at the top of my lungs.

I get up, and leave the room. As simple as that. If I don't, I just know that I am going to start yelling. It is not a pleasant feeling, because I never lose my temper. Okay, fine, Isabel and Michael have pissed me off sometimes, but it has never felt like this.

I head straight for the men's room. I pass Isabel on the way. She apparently notices the tight control I am exerting over my emotions, because she tries to stop me. "Max, what's wr…"

I walk right past her, and slam into the men's room, breathing hard. I brace my hands on one of the sinks, and find myself staring at my reflection. I realize that I look scary. My cheeks are all red, and my eyes are a little wild.

Okay, maybe Liz isn't the insane one. If a crazy person needed to be picked out of a line-up, I fit the bill quite nicely.

This is what she is doing to me. I am not an emotional person. I am usually a calm, collected person. I am the person who reins in the emotional ones. Haven't I had years of practice with Isabel and Michael?

I turn on the taps, throw water at my face. Stop thinking about her, I order myself. She clearly isn't thinking about you.

A soft knock sounds on the bathroom door. I turn my head abruptly, ready to glare at the person who is planning to come through the door. Because it is starting to open, and, moments later, Tess's blonde head appears.

For some reason I don't scowl at her. Instead I turn back to the sink, and scrub more water across my face.

It doesn't help. The anger is still coursing through my veins.

"Max? Are you okay?" Tess asks quietly. I feel her small hand on my shoulder.

"No," I mutter, not turning to look at her.

"I'm sorry," she says.

"Why are you apologizing?" I ask, standing up abruptly. "You didn't do anything."

There is a long pause. I finally look at her, and she is biting her lip. I can almost see her trying to figure out what to say to make me feel better. She looks pretty, and open, and far more than that, she looks like she actually wants to be here with me.

A vision of Liz hopping out of the cab earlier today runs through my mind. The person I want to be with clearly doesn't want the same thing. All she has done is run away from me, and she won't even tell me why. But Tess does want me. I mean, she could not have made that more clear if she tried. And now I can actually see it, because I'm looking for it. Before I was too blinded by my obsession with Liz, but, now that I am so furious at her, it's as plain as day.

I stand there, staring at Tess, finding myself getting lost in her blue, blue eyes. It is hypnotizing, the expression in them - the longing, the desire. Everything I want to see in Liz's dark eyes is staring back at me out of the face of the wrong girl.

I know she is still the wrong girl. I just don't feel for Tess what I do for Liz, even though I'm presently furious at her. It's sad, but true.

And, yet, Tess is moving towards me and I am not moving away. Again, it's like I'm outside of myself. I feel like I'm in some kind of weird dream. I open my mouth slightly, willing myself to tell her to stop, but I can't do it.

"Max," Tess whispers. She reaches up, placing her hands on my cheeks, pulling my face down towards her. And, suddenly, before I know it, we are kissing.

It is my first kiss, ever, and it is with the wrong girl. And, yet, I still don't stop it. I let it continue, and I feel my heart freeze over. Because it feels better than the guilt that is trying to course through me. Because while I might not be betraying Liz, because she apparently doesn't care, I am betraying myself by allowing this kiss to happen.

What ends it, of course, is the worst possible thing that could happen.

The door to the bathroom swings open. Tess and I jump apart and I find myself staring at Liz, who is staring back, her mouth hanging open.

Liz blinks, glances at the sign on the door, then says quickly, "Sorry! I thought this was the ladies…" She doesn't finish though. Instead she lets the door swing shut again.

I do not move. I am completely frozen. Instead, I just close my eyes, letting out a long sigh.

Because, just like that, it is actually, truly, completely over with Liz, and I know that there is no turning back.