Chapter Seven

And with that enigmatic statement, Isabel stomped out of his room the way she had come. Max stared after her, wondering why she seemed so incensed. While he had expected her anger- they'd hardly ever been without each other in their entire life spans- she seemed beyond her usual furor. 

He didn't remember her looking this angry since the first time she found out he healed Liz. 

Liz. Her name stuck in his head, and he wondered whether she'd missed him in his absence. Suddenly, the goofy grin slid off his face and his happy mood of the last few days seemed to subside. He hadn't wanted to go to Vegas at first- gambling, sex, and alcohol didn't exactly appeal to him- but he'd needed something to dull the pain.

And it worked, all to well, maybe. Vegas was all glitter and glow, superficial to the point of numbing, so much so that Max's conscience was no longer itching him about under-age gambling by the end of their stay. Or girl problems, for that matter.

Now, thinking of the girl whose hands still held within them his heart, Max felt as though he was rediscovering the heartbreak of the last few months. Lately it was better, because he and Liz were at least friends, but that wasn't what he truly wanted. If he were honest to himself, Max would admit he still watched her every second they shared the same space for some indication-anything- that would tell him she wanted something more from him 
than a simple friendship. Even now, after Liz made it clear there would be no romantic relations between the two of them, Max knew he would jump back into one with her in a heartbeat, regardless of the whole Kyle incident. 

He knew it wasn't that simple, though. Maybe Max could forgive Liz for whatever she did, but that didn't mean she wanted to have anything to do with him. It was why Kyle was in the equation in the first place. Liz didn't want him. 

Max forced his eyes to focus on the blurry words in his book, but to no avail. Blaming it on being too tired to read anymore instead of the thin film of water under his lids, Max crawled between his sheets. So focused was he on his own pain and problems that his mind ceased to wonder what Isabel was so angry about, and he drifted off into a troubled sleep. 

~~~~~ ~~~~~~~

"Liz, Michael and Max are back!" Maria informed Tess. "The big jerk decided to take all the Dupree money and spend it, can you believe that? He blew it on going to Vegas and gambling, for god's sakes. I can't believe that's where he and Max went, I mean, he totally should have at least told me. No one spends money better than I do, if that was his purpose in going..." 

Tess wasn't listening as Maria conducted her usual incessant chatter. Instead, once she heard that Max was back, the wheels in her head began turning. Tess figured there was no better time than the present to go after what she wanted, and decided the first time she saw Max at school, she'd put her plan in action. Tucking a stray piece of brown hair behind her ear, Tess smiled. Today was going to be a great day. 

It didn't take long to find Max. He was standing by his locker, practically crawling inside it in his attempt to avoid some girl who was talking to him. As she approached him, Tess could hear the girl going on about how she'd heard "you and Tess Harding got together and that's why you were gone for a few days and she looked like crap- 'cause you broke up with her?"

Tess smirked as Max turned red and stuttered something to deny the rumor. "I was doing a friend a favor," he explained lamely. Now was the perfect time for Tess to step in and save him. 

"Max," she said softly. "Hey."

He turned surprised eyes on her. "Liz! Hi." There was an awkward pause, and he glanced at the gossipy girl still standing close to him. "How- how are you?"

"I'm good. Can we talk a second, though? I need to ask you something about- you know, the water impurities out in Frazier Woods." She smiled at Max, who took the cue gratefully.

"Yeah, of course. Bye, um, Karen."

"It's Kara," she called, but Tess and Max were already walking away.

"Thanks," he said quietly, giving her a sexy half smile. "You saved me."

"Max, I really do need to talk to you. Do you think we could go now?"

Frowning a little because he felt he'd already missed enough classes during his excursion to Vegas, Max tried to think. It was hard with the way Liz was looking at him; he could usually read her pretty well, but right then he couldn't tell what she wanted to discuss at all. "Um, I guess," he conceded, curiosity getting the best of him. "I've only got Latin this period. You aren't missing any of your classes?"

"Nah," Tess replied, thinking to herself that she really didn't care anyway. 

They made their way to the Eraser room, because it was the only place, Max thought, where prying student eyes didn't exist. The students, unlike the administration, had a healthy respect for their fellow classmates' romantic endeavors. 

"So, Liz," Max said quietly, closing the door behind him. As he turned to face her, he realized Liz's face was extremely close to his own. "What-" he began to say, but all attempts at speech ceased as she gently pressed her lips against his. Though shocked, he still responded immediately, leaning into her so the kiss lingered a few seconds more. "Liz- what's going on?" he asked, thoroughly confused. 

"I missed you, Max," she replied. "I know it might be hard to believe after all these months, but when you were gone for these few days, I realized what my life is like without you. I never stopped thinking about you, Max, I swear. Now I know what it's like to not have you in my life, to not have you as the most important person in my life, and I hate it." 

"What are you saying, Liz?" Max whispered hoarsely, not letting himself believe. He'd been denied his greatest wish too long to trust in this dream without proof. 

She smiled. "I want to be with you, Max. I want to hold your hand in the hallway, kiss you when the fancy strikes, go on dates with you to Buckley Point..." She moved close to him again, her breath puffing out to warm his neck, and he could hardly think. His body already accepted Liz's proposal and wanted to move beyond the talking into the physical realm, but his heart was tentative and took his mind with it.

"Why now?" he asked, staring at her with tormented eyes. "I know you said it was because I left, but is that all? I love you," Max whispered, "You know that, but what about Kyle? What about not wanting to be with me? I want to be with you so badly, but I don't think I could survive losing you again, Liz." 

"You'll never lose me again, Max," she murmured, her lips closing over his again. "We both finally realize that we're meant to be together, forever." 

Tess didn't tell him she loved him, too afraid how the words would roll off her lips for the first time. Max didn't notice, because he was too busy anticipating the flashes into each other's soul that never came. When they pulled back for air, their eyes met; Tess was searching for any indication that Max suspected something was wrong, while Max simply wanted to stare into the warmth that Liz always projected at him. 

Neither found what they were searching for. 

~~~~~ ~~~~~~~

Later, exiting the eraser room, Max bumped into an unsuspecting Tess Harding. At first he didn't realize it was her, simply because he hadn't become accustomed to noticing her on his own; instead, she made it obvious whenever they were in the same vicinity. Now, though, she seemed as surprised to see him as he did her. 

"Sorry," he apologized, then winced at the feel of Liz's hand in his. Though he was not in the least sorry for getting back together with Liz, he didn't want to have to hear her give him another speech about destiny and the inevitable. It would have been better to break it to her softly, rather than literally shoving it on to her. A little late, he greeted her with not 
much more than a mumble. "Hey."

"Hi," she replied shortly, eyes downcast. When he sneaked a look at Liz she was staring at the blond coldly, a look on her face he was sure he'd never seen before. Frankly, it perturbed him.

Did this have anything to do with what Isabel insinuated happened in his absence, Max wondered. Before he could say anything more to Tess, though, she hurried off with a last odd look thrown at him. He'd seen nothing indicative of anger or resentment in her frame. 

If anything, Max saw resignation and sadness. "What was that about?" he questioned. "Did something happen while I was in Vegas?" At his words, Liz seemed to lean against him heavily.

"Oh, Max," she murmured. "You'll never believe what Tess did, to Alex and to all of us..."