Max waited a few exceptionally slowly of school, trying to look for those little signs Pete had talked about. Unfortunately if Roxanne did like him, she was doing an exceptional job hiding it. Finally Friday came around and Max determined for better or worse he had to ask her out.

The lunch bell rang and everyone bagan to move toward the cafeteria. On the way Max found Roxanne and was about to stop her to ask her out when he was stopped by a knot of fear in the pit of his stomach. Max slunk over to his table and, utterly defeated, began to eat his lunch.

Max sulked through about three quarters of lunch period poking at his lunch from time to time when suddenly he remembered that tiny glass bottle in his left pocket. He wasn't sure how many doses there were in the bottle but he knew that using one now wouldn't be a waste. With that decision made he pulled it out onto his lap and began quietly measuring one cap full.

"What's that?"PJ whispered as Max started to pour the fluid into his chocolate milk.

"It's nunya" growled Max.

"Why d'ya have to be like that?You know you can tell me. Now don't make me ask any louder." whisper whined PJ.

"Well if you must know." Max whispered while tucking the bottle back into his pocket. Max took a quick look back and fourth before whispering even quieter. "It's a concoction Pete calls liquid confidence."

"Wow really!?" Pete exclaimed before quickly covering his mouth. He then whispered "I've gotta try soma that for myself.".

"Just take a sip Peej. I've gotta have this if I'm gonna ask Roxanne out."

"Alright, I understand. Now hand it over." PJ said as he grabbed the cup. He took a small sip and barely swallowed it before asking. "Are you sure this isn't cold medicine from Hell?"

"Of course I'm sure, buuuuut, just incase it does taste as bad as you." Max said before covering his nose and putting the cup to his lips."bottoms up."

The second that unholy mixture of chocolate milk and alcohol touched his tongue he knew it was going to be a rough ride. In spite of the taste he managed to swallow three quarters of the cups contents before giving up on finishing this vile drink. Max waited a couple minutes and was about to denounce that vile liquid as snake oil when he felt a small buzz and a surge of confidence was over him. Right there and then he knew he was the man and ain't nobody was gonna convince him otherwise.

Max stood up from the table and strutted straight to Roxanne's table before leaning on it and confidently saying "Hey Roxanne, wanna go to see a movie tomorrow?"

"I hope you didn't really think it'd be THAT easy to get me alone." She replied partially chiding partially amused but mostly astonished before moving to a far softer tone. "That being said, if you wanted to go to a movie, a couple of my friends and I were going to see It Could Happen To You at seven tonight. If you wanted to join us maybe we could talk a bit afterwards."

"Yeah I guess that could work." Max said before biting his tongue and walking back to his table in a desperate effort to hold back a newfound or perhaps just newly enhanced impulse to belligerently insist on his first request.