"let me see the bruise Maria" Tom gently lifted the Ice pack off her face "it's not too bad… should be gone by next week" He examined the cut on her lip which also wasn't too bad.

"I'm so sorry for letting him stay here Mr. redwood" cecelia said staring at the marble floor of the kitchen

"it's okay. I'll just have to make a phone call to your mom and tell her about everything. Including the candy store incident" Tom frowned as he applied some brown spray on top of Maria's bruise, she cringed as he did so. "sorry Falaba"

"That's not my nick name" Maria smiled "that's elphaba's"

"I know… I just can't think of anything else"

Cecelia was shocked "what about Mimi? or… Mar… or Momo"

"and how does that go with my name? Momo?"

"I dunno"

Tom laughed as he put the first aid kit away "what about Mac?"

cecelia just scrunched her face up and was about to say something when maria interrupted her "that's fine"

"I don't get it!" cecelia said blankly

"My full name is Maria Aurora Christina Redwood… with out the R it's Mac"

"but that sounds like a computer"

Maria just shrugged and went to get a hot chocolate. When she left the room Cecelia and Tom began to discuss what to do about Jack.

"Ruthless monster! slapin my friend like that! ho ho is he never gonna get a girlfriend again when I talk to all my friends!" Cecelia muttered taking out her phone and doing a broad cast message to all hundred of her contacts "I'm never letting him stand in a ten mile radios of maria!"

Jack wasn't even thinking straight when he slapped Maria, he wasn't even thinking straight when he walked home that night. Just be glad that his mother spotted him before he got to his room to call the Gershwin. Clarice was in the kitchen cooking her own dinner "JACK NERVAN DESTRORO! GET OVER HERE RIGHT NOW!"

"WHY DO I HAVE TO LISTEN TO YOU?! I'M A GROWN MAN!" Jack protested

"SHUT YOUR TRAP! COME IN HERE RIGHT NOW!" By the look on his face when he walked over Clarice could tell what had happened, it's happened seven times already with Maria "Jack. It's not a walk in the park to love someone, why would you slap her again? how could you be so low?"

He pushed past her "She's not the girl I used to know not any more and she might break up with me"

Clarice pitied him this time " what do you expect? when you slap a girl it hurts more to them than when a girl slaps you… sometimes" Jack laughed a little remembering the time that Cecelia slapped him, left a mark for a month. "Jack. you need to stop slapping her, she's special-"

"She's green"

"so what?! she's still a girl Jack! start treating her like one and maybe Just maybe she might for give you" Clarice walked out of the room "and please stop acting like such a jerk and actually go, say sorry and see what happens" Jack for once actually thought before he acted and decided he would talk to maria, which I don't think went very well.

Jack managed to spot Maria and Lindsay in the store buying party supplies for Bonnie's congratulations party

"Maria! Maria!" Jack started to advance towards Maria

Maria ignored him and went to the end of the lane "Lindsay, I can't talk to him right now… could you scare him off?"

"sure" Lindsay stood in Jack's way staring him in the eye when he moved to the side she moved to the side, mirroring him. "she doesn't want to talk to you"

"I know but I want to talk-"

"Lindsay! what's Bonnie's favorite color again?" Maria asked holding two jars of face paint " I know we definitely have to buy green"

"Try pink and yellow" Jack called to her trying to make conversation which didn't work… at all.

Lindsay walked back over to Maria "and don't even try to come Jack… it's at Bonnie's house"

some girls in the other lane chuckled at Jack as he walked over even after they warned him.

"Maria I-"

"Jack don't even try to reason with me…" The light that used to be in her eyes were replaced with darkness and her face was covered in hurt "We ain't even friends no longer"

Jack just stood there with his mouth hanging open until Derek, of course Derek came with them he'd never miss a party, came round the corner with a cake list "hey girls what's your opinion on- oh Maria is this the guy who nearly ripped the skin off your arm?"

Jack straighten and closed his mouth, handing out his hand "Jack"

"Derek" greeted Derek cautiously, well this guy did slap Maria the girl of his dreams, "so what brings you to the super market?"

"I was going to apologize to maria"

Derek eyed him suspiciously and wrapped his arm around Maria

Jack glared at him "what are you doing?"

"we're dating now"

"Maria… is it true?"

Maria just nodded and resumed shopping with Derek while Lindsay mouthed "I warned you!"

"Jack I told you, don't slap her, and what do you do? you slap her!"

Jack just ignored his mother and kept staring at the wall and threw a picture of him and Maria at the cement making it shatter and rip

"look. she's moved on, why don't you?"

Jack didn't respond clarice rolled her eyes and stalked out of the room to phone Maria's father

Maria, Lindsay and Derek were too deep in party planning that they didn't even notice Bonnie, Peach and Bunii walking in to the room, Bunii saw the plans and covered Bonnie's eyes, Peach grabbed the papers and shoved them away, Maria hid the cake ideas in her bag, Lindsay covered the decorations under her couch and Derek tossed the face paint and other activities into an open draw, shoving it closed. "wha? what's going on?"

"nothing" Bunii said letting her hands drop beside her legs. "But I could've sworn-"

"it's nothing… now why don't you go find Raé and Nia, go see what's going on with them…" Lindsay suggested " maybe go play some X box or brainstorm on who Maria's origin's are, I've got a pretty good idea myself"

Maria rolled her eyes "Yeah my dad?"

"not quite" Derek replied mysteriously, Bonnie squealed and dragged the other to girls out of the room. Maria groaned taking out the paper again, Lindsay just shrugged and pulled out the decorations again while Derek got the activities out. They all planned for about an hour until Maria couldn't help but asking a certain question that's been bugging her since Derek said "Not quite"

"Derek. Lindsay"

"Mm?" Derek mumbled still thinking about what to do at eight O'clock

Lindsay was chewing on her pencil "yeah?"

"who do you think my origins are?"

They looked at each other for a minute and Derek leaned towards her from his seat in the sandy yellow chair "well… isn't it kinda obvious?"

"No" Maria expressed that like a question, twirling her raven hair on her finger

"maybe… some powerful sorceress or witch and some wizard?" Lindsay replied tilting her head

Maria thought about it but shook it off, shrugging and retiring back to her plans "Maria you've been working on this too hard… you need some down time… Lindsay how about you too go have a slumber party with pillow fights with the girls and every thing I'll clean up the work"

Maria smiled as she stood up, pecked him on the check and left the room with Lindsay.

Peach, Nia, Bonnie, Bunii and Raê were sitting in their pajamas on floor covered in pink mattresses with little green designs on them, each individual to match each girl.

Nia was jumping about on her mattress "so I think Maria's-"

"sh sh sh sh! he they come!" Raé said throwing a pillow at Nia as Maria and Lindsay walked in , with their own PJs on, and sat down next to them informing them that they came to have a slumber party.

"well… in that case" Bunii started slowly before hurtling a pillow at Lindsay "show me what ya got!"

AN: wow there's a lot of dialogue in this chapter... sorry about that.