| Bahamas Trip - Part Six Michael pushed his hands through his hair and called it presentable. He normally wouldn�t have gotten this dressed for a date with Maria but tonight was special. �Hey Alex are you ready?� Michael called from the bathroom. �Almost,� Alex replied, buttoning the last button on his shirt. �Okay, now I�m ready. Let�s go pick up the girls.� ***Meanwhile*** �Liz where�s my hair clip?!� Maria yelled, panicking. �Right here. Where you left it five minutes ago,� Liz said, holding the clip up. �Thanks,� Maria said, grabbing the clip and putting her hair up. Just then, Isabel came out of the bathroom looking perfect as usual. �Lookin good your majesty.� �Very funny,� Isabel said. �Minions, always so jealous,� she said to Tess. Tess smiled and nodded her head in agreement. Tess then turned her head towards the knock at the door. �Must be Michael and Alex,� Maria said, her smile getting wider. �No kidding,� Tess said, opening the door. The guys looked terrific! Michael was wearing a light blue short sleeve shirt with khakis. Alex wore a brown shirt with khakis and a black leather jacket. Maria and Isabel looked at each other and smiled. Michael and Alex looked at them up and down. Maria wore a yellow shirt with a black mini skirt while Isabel wore a sleeveless purple shirt with black leather pants. Alex looked at Isabel and at Maria. For some reason, he just couldn�t get his eyes off Maria. He forced himself to look at Isabel, trying to figure out his attraction towards Maria. Michael was having the same problem with Isabel. Yeah, he knew that she was supposed to be his soulmate but it was just the way she looked tonight that made her look even more incredible than usual. �So, where are you two going?� Maria asked, happy that she could look at Alex without having to worry about Michael. �The movies. What about you?� Alex asked, happy that Maria was looking at him like he was at her. �Hey! Why don�t we double date?� Isabel asked, excitedly. �Double date?� Michael asked, not liking where this was going. He was having a hard enough time not looking at Isabel for five seconds without going on a double date. �Why not? We�re both going to the same place, so why not?� Maria said with a smile. Now she could look at Alex without Michael thinking she was attracted to another guy. *But you are!* a voice said in her head. �Sure,� Michael and Alex said with fake enthusiasm. �Great!� Maria and Isabel said, grabbing their significant other�s arm. ***15 Minutes Later*** Alex couldn�t believe Maria liked a guy like Michael. The guy didn�t even have enough money to pay for his own ticket, much less Maria�s! Yet Maria seemed to like it � even though he knew better. �You know you didn�t have to pay for my ticket,� Isabel said, holding his hand. �I know, but I was just being a gentleman,� Alex said, resisting the urge to look at Michael. �Thanks,� Isabel said, kissing him. Maria looked over at Isabel kissing Alex. She wished she were the one kissing Alex. *What are you thinking! Alex is your best friend! Michael�s your boyfriend!* a voice in her head said. Suddenly, she felt two hands pull her head upward. And then she felt two soft lips touch hers. It took her about two seconds to respond and she wrapped her arms around Michael�s neck, pulling him closer. Alex pulled away from Isabel to get some much needed air. He looked over to his left and he felt his resolve snap! The next thing he knew was that he was pulling Maria away from Michael and punching Michael in the jaw. �What the hell?� Michael yelled, reeling from the punch. �What makes you think that you can treat Maria like that?!� Alex said, getting in his face. �I warned you once, Michael Guerin, that you would never treat Maria like that or I would really kick your ass! And I thinks it�s time I did,� Alex said, tackling Michael. The girls watched helplessly as their boyfriends fought. Neither one could figure out what was going on. One minute, Alex was kissing Isabel and the next he was hitting Michael. Isabel and Maria looked as the security guards tore Michael and Alex apart. The fire was still burning in their eyes and it made the girls shudder. �What is going on here?� the theater manager asked. �He�s treating my best friend like crap,� Alex said. �No I�m not!� Michael said. �Simply because I didn�t pay for my ticket. . . .� �It would have been nice if you had,� Maria said, walking to stand beside Alex. �What?� Alex and Michael said together. Michael looked like he�d been shot while Alex on the other hand, looked like he was the proudest person in the room. �Every time we go out, I always end up paying for everything,� Maria said, looking at Michael in the eye. �Well, it�s not his fault he doesn�t get much money working at the Crashdown,� Isabel said, standing beside Michael. �Well he had enough money to buy a motorcycle, didn�t he?� Maria said, still standing beside Alex. Alex, Michael, the security guards, and the manager kept looking back and forth at the girls. �He had been saving a long time to get that,� Isabel said, walking towards Maria. �Well I think he would have been able to spare a few bucks to buy me at least some ice cream that we could share. Oh yeah, that would have cost a lot. All of two dollars,� Maria said, getting in Isabel�s face. �Well, if you are so dissatisfied with Michael, why�d you keep dating him?� Isabel asked the immortal question � the question Maria didn�t have an answer to. Maria just looked at Isabel. She had never thought about that. �Yeah, why did you keep dating me if you didn�t want me?� Michael asked, his hurt obvious. �I. . .I. . .I don�t know,� Maria said, backing down. Michael hung his head and fought the tears back. Maria was the first person that he thought loved him. And right here, in the Bahamas, in front of God and everybody, she just told him she didn�t. �I think you all need to just go home and get some rest,� the manager said. The guards let Michael and Alex go. Alex goes over to hold Maria, who is still dumbfounded by the question. Isabel goes over and hugs Michael, who, in return, holds her tightly � not wanting to let go. �I think he�s right. I think we all need to go back to the hotel,� Isabel said, still holding onto Michael. The other silently agree and walk out hand in hand. When they reach the car, the battery is fried. Isabel calls Max, who agrees to go get them. ***Meanwhile*** Liz and Tess were secretly happy that Max got called to go get Michael, Alex, Isabel, and Maria. It would finally give them a chance to talk about Future Max and the Granolith. Once the door shut, Tess was the first one to speak. �So how did future Max get here anyway?� �He said that it had something to do with the Granolith being a sort of time machine,� Liz said. �But how?!� Tess asked, frustrated. �I don�t know. But you�ve got to know something about the Granolith! Did Nasedo ever mention it?� Liz asked. �He mentioned that there was a way to get home but he said that we needed to have this crystal thing and if we did, the Granolith would do the work on its own,� Tess explained. �I would if it would work for both past and future time travel?� Liz thought out loud. �I had never even seen the Granolith before we did,� Tess continued. �Nasedo said that we would all have to discover it on our own and that we would have to figure out how to work it on our own because he. . .he said that he. . . .wouldn�t be here forever,� Tess said, beginning to cry. Liz goes over to Tess and let�s her cry on her shoulder. Even if Tess wasn�t into bonding, she still needed someone to confide in. Tess wiped the last tear away five minutes later. �Sorry bout that,� Tess said, waving her hand over Liz�s shoulder, drying her shirt. �It�s okay,� Liz said, as the door opened. Her eyes grew at what she saw. Max, Michael, Isabel, Alex, and Maria walked in the door. That wasn�t what made her eyes wide � it was the fact that Alex and Maria and Michael and Isabel were holding hands. Liz looks at Tess, who�s looking at Liz. �Umm. . .what�s going on Max?� Tess said, not moving from her spot. �They got into a fight,� Max said, sitting in a chair. �What happened?� Liz asked. �Long story,� Isabel answered. �I just can�t believe that you got into a public fight. Congratulations Michael,� Max said, preparing to give Michael a long lecture. �Max, shut up. Michael�s been through a lot tonight,� Isabel said, squeezing his hand. �No Isabel, I�m not going to shut up. . . � Max started. �Max,� Tess said, getting up. �Come on, let�s go out for a little while. So you can clear your head.� Max looked at Michael and Isabel and Tess. �Alright. I�ll drive,� Max said, getting the keys off the table. Once Max and Tess left, Liz turned to Maria and said, �Tell me everything.� ***Meanwhile*** �What flavor do you want?� the man asked. �I want strawberry,� Tess said. �I�ll take vanilla,� Max said. The man gave Max and Tess their ice cream and after Max paid the man, they went and sat down, watching the sunset. �What�s wrong Max?� Tess asked, licking her ice cream. �I just can�t figure out why Michael and Isabel and Maria and Alex all of a sudden want to be together,� Max explained. �I don�t understand it either but, I hate to say this, but Max, you�re the same way,� Tess admitted. �What�s that supposed to mean?� Max asked, looking hurt and angry. �It means that you can�t figure out whether or not you want me or Liz. Max, I have feelings for you and Kyle. And may be true for everyone. Maria may still have feelings for Michael but her feelings for Alex might be stronger,� Tess explained, grabbing her head. �I do have feelings for you and Liz but I don�t know who I love more,� Max said. �Are you okay?� �I don�t know. I just suddenly got a horrible headache.� �Maybe you ate your ice cream too fast,� Max said, rubbing her cheek with his hand. �Yeah right,� Tess said, holding up her ice cream. �Okay, maybe not. Come on, let�s get you back to the hotel,� Max said, taking her back to the car. ***Later*** �So what you�re trying to tell us is that a future version of Max came to see you?� Isabel said, confused. �For the third time, yes!� Liz said, frustrated. �Max, hey!� Maria said, seeing the door open. �Everyone, get in the car,� Max said, seriously. �What�s going on Max?� Michael asked, getting up. �Something�s wrong,� he said simply. Everyone piled into the car and again asked Max what was going on. �I got this terrible headache when I was at the ice cream shop and as soon as we got away from the shop, it stopped,� Tess said. �So, why are we here?� Alex asked. �We want to see if this headache means anything,� Max said, stopping in the ice cream shop�s parking lot. Suddenly, Tess grabbed her head. �Max, its back.� �Okay, let�s go,� Max said, driving past the ice cream shop. �Max, it�s getting worse!� Tess cried, Max just drove faster. �Max!� she screamed as she fainted. �Max, stop!� Liz cried as Max slammed on brakes. �Tess!� Max cried, shaking her, trying to get her to wake up. �Everybody shut up!� Michael said. Max continued to shake Tess as Michael got out of the car. He looked around until he saw where the noise came from. He saw a crystal-looking obelisk and listened closely. Yep, the noise was coming from the obelisk. He picked it up and got back in the car. As soon as the door closed, Tess jumped up. �What happened?� Tess asked, holding her head. �I felt like I was asleep.� �Let�s get back to the hotel. We need to talk,� Liz said. ***Meanwhile*** A man on the other part of the world is staring a screen, smiling. TBC. . . . |