Many of the characters within this story, and the universe they inhabit, are the intellectual property of Jason Katims Productions.

Roswell: Re-Imagined

Written by Horatio Jaxx

Chapter 34: Back to School

The following Monday morning, talk about the Rave was bouncing off the walls of Roswell High School. Most of the school's student body was eager to hear news about the event. The notorious history of the event had many students competing to learn and spread all salacious details about the event. Most were disappointed to hear that nothing worthy of Roswell Rave folklore occurred. The raid by the Sheriff Department was predictable. Nearly all Raves ended in that manner, and the many catch and release stories were expected. The Sheriff Department had a history of not filing charges in this situation. Only a few people knew that Max and Liz were among the detainees, and nearly all of them did not care.

For Max and Liz, the unease they were experiencing stemming from Saturday night's event had nothing to do with the arrest or what was occurring around them. They had not seen one-another since that night, and they had no idea what to expect from the other. Liz feared that Max would return to his cordial demeanor and act as if Saturday never happened. Max feared that Liz might feel overly encouraged by what happened Saturday and jump into his arms at first sight of him. And both had no idea how to react if their fears came to pass.

It was just before the start of the second period classes when Max and Liz saw one-another. Neither was surprised by that. They each were aware of the other's pattern of movements at school. This first passing in the hall was a routine crossing that they eagerly anticipated and carefully preserved. Liz dawdled at her locker longer than needed to give Max time to reach his. She knew he would be traversing a greater distance than she to get there. When she finally left for her next class, Liz went down the hall, rounded the corner into the connecting hall and saw Max right where she expected him to be.

Max was retrieving a book from his locker for his next class when Liz came around the corner. His attention was only partially affixed on what he was doing. The other part was repeatedly glancing over his left shoulder half hoping and half expecting Liz to pass by him. After half a dozen looks, she was suddenly there coming towards him. While removing the book with one hand, Max closed the locker with the other. His eyes remained fixed on Liz's person, and she held her gaze on him. After hesitating for a moment to note her presence, Max stepped into the middle of the hall and closed the distance between them. They came to a stop, in the center of the corridor, a foot apart from one-another. Liz gave Max a smile. He returned it.

"You okay …?" Max questioned softly behind his stare of adoration.

"Yeah," Liz bashfully responded while holding her smile.

"I mean with your parents?" Max quickly corrected.

"Oh, I'm always okay with my parents," Liz retorted with a large smile. "But you're not doing too well," she finished with nearly a grin.

"I can imagine," Max agreed with a timid smile.

Max and Liz took a few seconds to exchange bashful smiles and nervous expressions before speaking again.

"How are things with your parents?" Liz asked gently.

"Oh, I'm grounded again," Max reported with a laugh, "one month."

"Me too," Liz quickly confirmed with a laugh.

Again, Max and Liz said nothing as they grinned and smiled at one-another for several seconds.

"So, what do your parents think of me?" Liz queried softly.

"They think you're the devil," Max announced with a deadpan delivery.

Liz and Max laughed unreservedly for several seconds. At the end of that response, they paused and stared into each other's eyes with gentle smiles. They kept their distance for a few seconds and never touched, and then Liz shyly spoke up again.

"I have to get to my class."

The hall was nearly empty by then. Last second arrivals were racing through the halls trying to beat the clock. Liz stepped off to the right and started to walk by Max when she suddenly felt his hand gently grasp hers. Liz needed no further encouragement. She spun back towards him and threw her free arm about Max's waste, pressing her book into his back. Max did the same as they jumped into each other's embrace and locked into a kiss for several seconds. When they finally separated, the hall was empty, and they were alone.

"I'll see you at lunch," Max declared with a large smile.

"Okay," Liz agreed with a smile.

They parted, reluctantly. Liz backed a few feet down the hall and then gave a gently wave. Max mirrored the action. And then they both turned and hurried away.

When Liz arrived at the cafeteria for lunch, she saw that Maria had gotten there ahead of her and was seated at the table with Michael. She had become accustomed to seeing that. Since she and Michael went public, Maria no longer rendezvoused with her before going to the cafeteria. What did alarm her was the fact that Max was not at the table. Her worry lasted only long enough for her eyes to find him waiting by the food service line.

"Hi," Liz greeted bashfully after walking up to Max.

He greeted her in kind with an awkward smile. The conventions of being a couple were new to them. Liz giggled at their stilted attempts to negotiate the serving line together. Still, they navigated through the process with nervous small talk about the food and some occasional laughter at their clumsy jokes about same.

The cafeteria was at less than a quarter of its maximum occupancy. Roughly thirty students exploited the spacious dining area. The usual collection of faces was there, eating, talking and laughing. There was only two among them that paid any real notice to Liz and Max. Isabel followed their progress down the food line with furtive looks. Kyle noted them as well with nearly as great of interest. At the end of the line, Liz and Max gathered up their trays and took them to the rectangular table where Maria and Michael were sitting. The round table, that was Liz's and Maria's usual location, was abandoned weeks ago for the greater isolation provided by Max's and Michael's favorite dining locale. Liz and Max slid into seats beside one-another and opposite Maria and Michael.

"Well, I see the jailbirds have arrived," Michael jokingly acknowledged.

Maria snickered in response to Michael's joke.

"We were detained and released," Liz corrected with a broad smile.

"So, I hear you're grounded too, Liz?" Michael questioned knowingly.

"Yeah," Liz confirmed with a smile.

"Bummer," Michael retorted. "You guys just can't keep out of trouble."

Max quickly took ownership of the reply to that remark.

"I think I should point out that each time that we've gotten grounded, the trouble that caused it originated on the other side of this table."

Liz and Maria openly laughed at this. Michael gave a smug smile and then continued to eat.

"That's right, Maria," Liz grinned a second later.

"You wanted to go to that Rave," Maria gleefully complained.

"I was just supporting you," Liz countered behind a contained grin.

"I don't know why you're blaming us," Michael insisted with an astonished look. "You two just have the worst luck."

They all laughed out loud at that, much to the notice of many in the cafeteria. Any confusion that the student body of Roswell High had about the relationship status of Liz and Max was dispelled over the course of that hour. Max, Liz, Michael and Maria continued to enjoy their lunch break together and went back to their classes with smiles. Several times they saw each other briefly in between classes, and they met up as couples at the end of the school day.

Michael and Maria made plans to meet at her car at the end of their school day. They had already done so when Liz arrived in the parking lot and went to wait in front of Max's jeep seven cars down. She had been there for little more than a minute when Isabel arrived for her ride home.

"Hi," Liz softly greeted as she approached.

Isabel rolled her eyes at her, walked by and climbed into the passenger seat of the jeep. Liz did not know how to react to that. She knew that Isabel did not like her. Their past meetings were equally cold and unfriendly. She saw no reason to address the issue before. Her relationship with Max at those times was nearly nonexistent. Subsequently, she saw no reason to initiate what would likely be an abrasive conversation. However, it was her relationship with Max now that had her wanting to try and befriend Isabel Evans.

"Did I do something to make you angry with me?" Liz softly questioned after turning to face the interior of the jeep. "Because if I did, I'm sorry," she finished with an apologetic shake of her head.

Isabel gave Liz a glance out the corner of her eyes and then pointedly ignored her by looking away. After nervously waiting for a response for several seconds, Liz spoke again.

"You know, I'm not trying to take him away from you."

"You can't take him away from me," Isabel rifled back with a glaring look. "This is just romantic play for you and that other girl," she continued in a low strident tone. "But for me, Max, and Michael, this is our lives you're toying with." She paused to give weight to her words. "This will always be about us," Isabel continued at almost a whisper. "You're just interference."

Liz was astonished by the vitriol in Isabel's response. She said nothing for several seconds as she looked at her with a near shocked expression. At the end of that moment, she said the first thing that popped into her head in a voice that was near to weeping.

"I'm not playing with Max … I'm not."

Isabel ignored that declaration by looking away with an expression of disdain. Max approached at exactly that moment and came up to Liz from behind.

"You alright?" Max questioned as he clasped his hands onto Liz's shoulders.

Liz quickly turned around to take notice of him.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she answered with a feigned smile.

Max gave Isabel a knowing look and then led Liz away from the jeep. He could see that she was in distress about something, and he suspected that Isabel was the source of same.

"I'll call you tonight," Max promised with a hopeful look.

"Okay," Liz agreed with a nod of her head and a somber look.

They looked into each other's eyes for several seconds after that and then Max stepped in closer to give Liz a kiss. The moment he did, she threw her arms about his neck and kissed him with all the passion she could muster. Seconds later, she backed away with a look of embarrassment on her face.

"Max, you do know that I'm not playing with you or anything … don't you?" Liz asked with a worried stare.

"Yeah, I know," Max softly answered. "Everything is going to be okay, Liz."

Liz accepted Max's assurance with a smile and then a wave as she set off for Maria's car. She and Michael crossed and bid each other farewell as they did.

"What did you say to Liz?" Max questioned Isabel a second after he climbed into the jeep.

"I told her she was trouble. I told her she was dangerous to us," Isabel answered gruffly. "What do think I told her, Max?"

Michael climbed into the jeep just as Isabel was giving her response.

"What's wrong?" Michael asked with a confused inflection.

"You're what's wrong," Isabel quickly countered. "The both of you. You're acting like none of this matter. You're letting these girls get too close to you, and it's dangerous."

"I think you're overreacting," Michael countered smugly. "No one other than Maria and Liz know about us."

Max gave both statements a brief thought. And then he started the jeep and setoff for home.