Part 19

Liz’s heart fluttered nervously as she watched the hands on the clock slowly dance around it’s face. The day had been slow and uneventful so far; she hadn’t run into Tess even once all morning…and she liked it that way. But her next class was gym…and it was the only class she had with Tess that didn’t have Max, Isabel, or Michael in it. She hated admitting it, but she was scared. She knew it was the likely time for Tess to make her move on Liz, if she was going to do anything, and she didn’t know how to protect herself.

Max had been doing wonders, helping her out. He hadn’t left her side all day, except for her class periods. Having Max there for her made her feel safe, protected. She wasn’t afraid of anything when he was there.

But how could he protect her from Tess in gym? It just wasn’t possible.

The bell finally rang, signifying the end of the class period, and Liz smiled brightly when she walked out of her World History class to see Max waiting for across the hallway, leaning up leisurely against a locker.

"Hi." She greeted him softly, leaning up to capture his lips in a short, sweet kiss.

"Hey." He responded lovingly.

"So, how do you do it?" She asked him in amazement.

"How do I do what?" Max grinned back at her.

"How do you manage to be waiting for me at the end of each and every one of my classes right when the bell rings? Don’t you have classes of your own to be in?"

"I went to class!" Max protested.

"Then tell me, Max! What’s your secret?"

Max smiled innocently. "Secret, Liz? What secret? Didn’t you know? I’ve got this…uh…problem. Anyway, we don’t need to go into detail about it, but to make a long story short, I’ve got a signed doctor’s excuse that I need to be allowed to go to the bathroom whenever necessary. Especially five minutes before class ends! That always seems to be when my problem hits. Strange…"

Liz laughed and punched her boyfriend playfully.

"You’re awful, Max, do you know that?"

Max’s jubilant expression suddenly fell serious. "No…not awful…I’d just do absolutely anything to keep you safe."

"I know." Liz replied. "And I love you so much for it."

"I love you too, Liz." Max swore, sealing their vow of love with another gentle kiss. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into a tight, protective embrace, pressing another kiss on her forehead.

Liz felt a warm glow spread throughout her body as she marveled in the feeling of Max’s embrace. She didn’t know how she managed to get so lucky, finding a guy like Max, who not only loved her, but also would do absolutely anything for her without question. Liz knew though, without a doubt that she’d do the same for him, because he was her other half. When she was with him she felt complete. The rest of the world seemed to fade away and there was nothing except her and Max and their love. And when she was without him, the world seemed darker, drearier. She felt empty and lonely inside.

She had become a Max-addict. That was all there was to it. And Liz was one Max-addict who was never going to be looking for any therapy. She loved this addiction.

After what seemed like an eternity to any passerby’s, but was much too soon for Max and Liz, Max pulled away, ending their embrace. He took her hand, and led her down the hallway.

"Max," Liz suddenly realized. "I have gym next. It’s in the other direction."

"I know." Max replied.

"So where are we going?"

"Liz…gym is your only class alone with Tess. There won’t be anyone there to protect you from her, and after what happened yesterday I’m not going to risk anything happening to you! Especially not for a class that has absolutely no academic importance! So you’re not going to gym."

"So where am I going?" Liz asked, slightly irritated with Max’s overprotectiveness, although thrilled at the same time that he loved her that much.

"It’s a surprise! You’ll see when we get there!"

"Another surprise?" Liz asked. "Gosh, if you keep this up I might just have to keep you around!"

Max stopped in his tracks and whirled around to face Liz in surprise.

"What?" He asked, only to be met with a chorus of laughter from her.

"Kidding! Come on. Let’s go."

Max helped Liz into the passenger seat of the jeep, before bouncing around to the driver’s side, and heading out of the school towards the desert.

As they left the school, Max and Liz were so caught up in each other, that they didn’t notice several pairs of eyes watching their departure, or the SUV that followed a safe distance behind them.