| �I can�t believe this, mom!� Dianne Evans sighed and covered the mouthpiece of the telephone. �Would you excuse me, Maxwell? I�m on the phone with the caterer. This is not polite,� she scolded her son. �I thought you knew better.� Max stalked out of the living room and went into the kitchen. He opened the refrigerator door and took a box of orange juice. In spite, he drank straight from the box and wiped his mouth on his shirt. It gave him a thrill, to do something he had been told over and over never to do. It was certainly a gross habit, he admitted. Probably something Guerin and Valenti would do. As a sign of protest, he gulped the juice right out of the carton again. �Max Evans!� He turned to the door and glanced guiltily at his mother. And then he remembered that he was on protest. He smirked and wiped his mouth on his sleeve again. His mother gasped. �What do you think you�re doing, Max?� �I�m showing you that I have my own mind, mom. Why can�t my own girlfriend come to my birthday party?� he demanded. �I told you, Max. I don�t like the girl. Look at the effect she has in you! You�ve never rebelled before. Now you�re acting like some street kid. I thought we raised you better.� �This is unfair, mom. And don�t blame this,� he pointed at the stain on his sleeve, �on Maria. I�ve been wanting to do that for a long time.� �That�s insane,� Dianne snapped. �For God�s sake, mom, I�m a teenager!� �You do not answer back to your mother, young man.� Max shook his head. �I�ve done everything you wanted. I�ve been the best that I know how to be. I�ve done it for eighteen years! All the colleges I applied to are your choices. And you didn�t hear me once complain. Let me choose my own girlfriend!� Dianne�s eyes narrowed at her son. �For heaven�s sake, Maxwell! I�m not telling you to break up with her. See her as many times as you want. You�re probably getting what you want from her although I hope to God you�re smart enough not to be trapped by an accidental baby.� Max glared at his mother. �I�m just making it clear that I don�t approve of this Maria girl. And I don�t want her in my house. I can�t understand you, Max. There are so many other girls out there. Liz Parker for instance. That�s a nice girl.� �I don�t want Liz, mom.� �She�s better than your choice.� �Marry her then!� Max spit out and walked out. ~~ Isabel drove home after they all closed down Crashdown. It was easy to clean up that night. Aside from the three of them, they found two more pairs of helping hands. Michael and Kyle arrived to assist. Maria was pleasantly surprised to see the two. �Hey Kyle. Michael gave me the notes that you made for me. That was really nice of you.� �Don�t worry about it. I couldn�t let you fall behind.� His eyes, pretty but not as pretty as Max�s, strayed from Maria to Tess Harding. A while ago Michael slipped him her number. He had been looking forward to tonight when he could call her. When he found out that she was working for the Crashdown now, he didn�t think twice about accompanying Michael. Maria smiled warmly at Kyle Valenti. She admitted that she used to think of him as a humongous jerk. That was why she was so surprised that he bothered to do her a favor. �What are you doing here? I�d love to serve you but our cook�s left.� �We�re here to help you close up,� Michael offered. �Michael�� Maria began. �I work here now,� he informed her. �Mr. Parker hired me to take on the shifts when Jose�s not gonna be here. He�s taking some night classes at the local college.� �Really? That�s good for him!� Isabel�s brow arched. �That makes your shift the same as Maria�s. Isn�t that a little suspicious?� �Not really,� Kyle answered. �Seeing as they�re both high school students in the same school, their schedules for work are bound to be the same.� �What a smart argument!� Kyle blushed under Tess� grin. She extended her hand. �Tess Harding. Just transferred.� Kyle shook her proffered hand. �I know.� Tess chuckled. �Your name would be?� �Valenti,� he answered swiftly. �You want me to call you Valenti? Or do you want me to know your first name too?� �He�s Kyle,� Maria informed her with a knowing look. �Oh that Kyle Valenti!� Tess nodded. �Huh? Wha�What did you tell her?� he asked Isabel and Maria. He would not have his chances with this girl ruined because Roswell High�s best babes had already done him in. �Oh don�t worry, Kyle.� Tess moved closer to him. She hooked her arm in his and led him to the other side of the caf�. She picked up a rag and handed it to him. �Help me clean up and I�ll help you heal the heart Liz Parker broke.� Kyle blindly followed her with a contented look on his face. Grinning, Maria turned to Michael. �You�re not on the clock yet though. You don�t need to help.� �I�d rather help,� Michael said. Maria shrugged. �Your choice.� �So what made you decide to get a job, Michael?� �Aside from my obvious need for money you mean, Ms. Evans?� Isabel narrowed her eyes at him. �I�m taking charge of my life,� he said lightly. �And this is one of the ways.� �So that�s why I saw you in school today looking like a choir boy.� �I wouldn�t go that far,� Maria said. It was funny Isabel would say that. Maria swore he thought Michael was dressed a bit like Max. �Michael was very handsome today. Although I have to admit, you looked a bit stiff.� She smiled at Michael. �I really prefer you in your own style.� That was pretty much what Michael meant when he talked to Maria about her new wardrobe. Of course Maria phrased her words better and she was able to do it without offending him. He decided to take a page from her book. It was never too late. �Just like I prefer you in yours.� �Thanks for that, Michael.� �Anytime, Maria.� Isabel looked at the two with concern. She could swear there was tenderness in Michael Guerin�s face. And Maria looked like she was just so comfortable and so her while she was with Michael. What about her brother? �Hey you know we should really start cleaning up,� she interrupted brightly. The two guiltily looked at her, as though they had forgotten she was standing there. And then they went their separate ways, with Maria stacking at the counter and Michael lifting the chairs onto the tables. Isabel frowned at the memory as she climbed up the stairs to her bedroom. She debated whether or not to tell Max about her suspicions. Was it necessary, or should she leave it be? If she left it, would it affect the relationship? Isabel knew Maria wasn�t pretending anything with her brother. She really loved him. And Max loved her too. It was like they balanced each other out. Maria had never been anyone who can make her feel secure with the present and the future, of her position in his life. And Max found in Maria the free spiritedness and liberty that he so desperately craved. She stopped by Max�s room on the way to hers. She didn�t know what to tell him really, but she had to see him. She knocked on the door. �I�m not ready to talk to you yet, mom,� the voice inside said. �It�s me, Max.� The door swung open to reveal a haggard-looking Max. �Hey Izzy. Sorry.� �No prob. What�s wrong?� �Fight with mom.� Isabel never heard that before. She�d used that line. Max never had to. �What about?� �She doesn�t want me to invite Maria to my own birthday party. She doesn�t approve.� �What?!� �What am I going to tell her, Isabel?� �Tell her you�re not going to stand for it! This is insane.� �No,� Max said wearily. �Not mom. What am I going to tell Maria? How am I going to keep her from coming?� Isabel closed her eyes. Max needed guts. Her brother was desperately lacking of it. Unfortunately, it�s something that can�t be bought. �I�m not going to say anything to anyone,� Isabel said coldly. �This is your problem so you solve it. But since you�re my brother I�m going to be loyal. I�ll let you speak to Maria.� She couldn�t believe her brother was this much of a loser. She turned her back on him and proceeded to the door. Once there, she turned around once to say, �I�m really disappointed in you, Max.� TBC |
| Part 7 |
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