Author: Dana (Leigh)
E-mail: [email protected]
Disclaimer: Not mine. Max is a bit tied up right now and will be returned later.
Rating: R for language and a rather minor kissing scene
Spoilers: Future episode spoilers (Tess storyline)
Author's notes: Okay, I just HAD to write this when I heard
about the whole Tess storyline this morning...that she was a
government agent, and that Max would date her to see what was
going on, and that Liz would get really snappish with everyone
(for the life of me, I can't find that spoiler
again...). So this bothered me all day, and I came home and sat
at my computer for three hours straight, and now hopefully this
has been pounded out of my system.
Some Other Beginning's End (Part 1)
Liz's eyes almost burned holes in the back of the girl's head
when she saw her sitting next to Max. She was petite, with long
blonde hair and blue eyes, and had such a sickeningly sweet
personality that Liz just longed to walk up to her and backhand
her through a plate glass window.
Maria jumped when Liz slammed her way into the back room. She
watched with wide eyes as Liz opened her locker so hard it
collided with the locker next to it, undressed and put on her
waitress uniform with jerky movements, and banged her locker shut
so hard Maria was sure they'd have to pry it open with a crowbar.
"Will you at least tell me what's wrong before you start
banging *me* around like that?" In spite of the fact that
Liz was her best friend, Maria found herself backing up a step
when Liz rounded on her.
"What's wrong? I don't know, what could *possibly* be wrong?
It couldn't have anything to do with the fact that *they* came
straight here from school! It isn't enough that I have to see
them all damn day, hugging and holding hands and her putting her
gross lips all over him, but *now* they have to come here and
dump a little more salt in the wound!" Liz flopped onto the
couch and stared at a coffee mug hard enough to shatter the poor
thing.
Maria sighed and surreptitiously took a whiff of cypress oil.
"Umm...'they'?"
Liz glared at her. "Max, Michael, Isabel, and *her*!"
The last word was practically a growl.
"Her? Oh, Tess!"
Liz's only response was to make a gagging noise and look away.
Maria sighed softly and walked over to sit by her friend.
"Liz, you've been like this for almost a month, ever since
Max started dating her. I mean, you have every right to totally
despise the jerk, but people are starting to worry about you...me
included."
"You mean, you worry when you're not busy devouring Michael
in the eraser room," Liz bit out.
Maria gasped, waved her bottle of cypress oil under her nose, and
started to leave the room.
"Maria, wait!"
She turned back to see Liz looking at her dejectedly with tears
in her eyes. "I'm sorry...I don't know what's wrong with
me...I'm just so *mad* at everybody!" Liz sniffled.
Maria went back and sat beside her again, recognizing the second
part of Liz's recent emotional cycle. First she would get
furiously angry at everyone, then she would feel horrible about
it and apologize. After that, she would have a period of relative
normalcy, which would promptly end
the first time she saw Max or Tess, then she would be infuriated
all over again.
"I just don't get you lately, Liz. I mean, you weren't
anywhere *near* this upset when Max broke up with you in the
first place," Maria said gently. "Why is this so
different?"
"Because it just *is*." Liz looked up and saw that
Maria was giving her that I'm-not-accepting-that-as-an-answer
look. "Maria, I really appreciate your concern, but I don't
want to talk about this right now...or probably ever."
"Okay, but you can't keep doing this to yourself. We've got
over a year of high school left, and you're going to have to deal
with Max during it."
"No, I'm not."
She'd spoken so quietly that Maria wasn't sure of what she'd
said. "Excuse me? Say again?"
Liz raised her head and looked directly at her. "You're
right, I can't do this for another year. It isn't fair to me, and
it isn't fair to Max. I want him to be happy, Maria, I really
do...it's just...does he have to be so deliriously happy in front
of me?"
Maria gave her a sympathetic smile. "So what are you going
to do?"
"I'm leaving."
"Leaving Roswell?" Maria stared at her, totally
stunned. Of all the things she thought Liz was going to say...
"What, for a few weeks? A month?"
"Permanently."
Both girls had tears escaping from their eyes, but neither paid
any attention.
"What? You...you can't leave! Liz!"
"I have to...I don't want to, but I can't stay here...and I
have to go somewhere where I'll never see Max or anyone that
reminds me of him." Liz was openly sobbing now.
"Even me?"
"No! No, I don't mean you, or Alex...I just...I can't even
be in my parents' restaurant without thinking about him! Or
outside on the balcony...even when I try to sleep, I remember his
expression when he realized he was in my bedroom when we were
looking for my journal. And you have no idea what hell it is to
sit beside him in biology and watch him practically fall out of
his chair to avoid touching me. He inches farther and farther
away as class progresses, and God forbid I reach for something
that's on his side of the lab bench...he flinches like he expects
me to hit him!"
"But do you have to *leave*?", Maria sobbed
halfheartedly. She already knew that Liz's departure was
inevitable, that every moment Liz stayed in Roswell was torture
for her.
"Yes...but I'll stay in touch, I promise. I'll e-mail you
every day and call you every weekend, I swear! Maybe you and your
mom can take a trip out, once in a while?"
"Where? Liz, where are you going to go?"
Liz sniffled. "I've been accepted on an early admissions
program to the University of Florida...they've got a fantastic
microbiology program...so I'm graduating high school early and
going there."
"Liz...that...that's a great opportunity for you, but...are
you sure that's what you want? To go that far away? Do you even
*know* how far away that is?"
"I'll be one thousand, five hundred, thirty seven point one
miles from Max Evans...right now, that's all I can think
of."
Maria valiantly fought back tears as she asked "When are
you leaving?"
"Tomorrow morning."
"Tomorrow?!!? When were you going to tell me?"
"I didn't know how to...I didn't want to hurt you!"
"Well, you did!"
"I'm sorry!"
The two girls ended up hugging each other and sobbing their
hearts out. They stayed like that until an annoyed teenager
interfered.
Michael poked his head through the swinging door. "What is
this, National Waitresses-Don't-Work-Day? Are we..." He cut
off his words when Maria and Liz whipped around to look at him
and he saw their tear-streaked faces.
"What's wrong? What happened?" He dashed across the
room and knelt in front of Maria, his eyes darting back and forth
between her and Liz. "Are you two all right?"
"No!"
"We're fine!" Liz overrode Maria's voice and gave her a
glance that clearly told her to keep quiet for the time being.
"We were just being a little maudlin, that's all. Sorry to
keep you waiting."
"Bull. The two of you are *not* fine. Now what's going
on?"
Liz leapt to her feet and glared at him with her hands firmly on
her hips. "Michael, whatever is right or wrong in my life is
none of your fucking business, got it?" She
flounced out into the Crashdown before he had a chance to reply.
Michael stared after her in disbelief. "Did she just say
what I thought she said?"
Maria was equally flabbergasted. "I think she did."
"I always thought the world would end if little Liz Parker
ever said...*that*!" He smiled slightly when Maria giggled.
"That's better...now what made you so upset?"
"You've got to promise not to tell Max..."
"Okay."
"Liz is leaving..."