Title: Note To Self
Author: Maggie dmclapp@strato.net
Rating: PG
Summary: Old Season 1 Max and Liz
Date: 11/25/01
Disclaimer: I’m just doing Jason Katims’ job for him since his has been found to be incompetent.

Chapter 1

"You have to get a date for the dance," Maria complained. "How can I go knowing you're home watching the Discovery Channel, stuffing your face with Ben&Jerrys? It's not right."

Liz sighed. She and Maria went through this every time there was a dance at school. Maria always had a date; Liz never did. Maria was a big flirt; Liz was a total loss when it came to boys. She never knew what to say, how to bat her eyelashes, or what made the boys take a second look.

"Who are you going with this time?" she asked her friend. Maria never dated anyone very long; said it was boring, that she wanted to test all the fish in the sea before she ever hooked just one.

"Jed Gannon," Maria grinned, waiting for Liz to explode, which she did right on cue.

"MARIA !" He is a total horndog. He'll be trying to get in your pants all night long," Liz moaned.

Maria laughed. "He can try but Maria DeLuca puts out for no one. Like my mom always says, 'Why buy the cow if the milk is free?' she hooted at the ridiculousness of that statement and the fact that her mom had given away a lot of 'free milk' in her time. If Maria hadn't learned anything else, she knew how to keep her legs crossed. The only time she was ever tempted was the one date she had had with Michael Guerin but that just wasn't gonna happen. He was very weird.........cute but weird.

"We've gotta find someone for you, chica," she hugged Liz quickly. "You need to get out and about, learn a thing or two about the big world of Roswell, New Mexico. Hey, I know, let's look in the yellow pages." She grabbed up the West Roswell High yearbook and thumbed to the junior class. "Alllllrighty now. Someone fit to lick Liz Parker's shoes."

Liz shook her head at her funny friend. She knew Maria was trying to help but Liz wasn't interested. Not really. Boys had asked her out and she had gone a few times but the groping, the bragging had made her leery of trying again. There was no one she was interested in, no one except.........No ! That was totally out of the question. She closed her mind to that name.

"How about Jerry Yeomans?" Maria asked, shoving the book under Liz's nose. "He's available."

"Yeah, available cause he has like the worst breath and green teeth," Liz groaned. "You aren't making me feel any better here, Maria. Are you saying that's all I can attract? Green toothed creeps?"

"Lizzie, sweetie, no. Okay, let's keep looking. Hey, yummy....Chad Fremont. Yowzer ! A senior, blonde, muscley. What do you think about him?"

"MARIA !! He's gay. Didn't you hear? He came out and he's like going steady with Marcus Carter. Ewwwww, Maria. At least find me one that's playing on the right team," Liz shook her head.

"Uhh...I guess I missed that one," Maria frowned. "Oh, well, continuing on. There's Paul Franks.............nope, attached. Um, Eric Timmons.........ugh, no, bulemic, barfs after lunch every day. Hey, how about Jimmy Hunt? He's a real cutie, and I know he likes you."

"Jimmy and I went to the movies last spring. He tried to grope my lap and then said he was reaching for popcorn," Liz snarked.

"Well, it could a been an accident," Maria defended him.

"I didn't have any popcorn, Maria," Liz announced.

"Oh," her friend did not have a comeback for that one. "Guys are such pigs."

Liz had to agree, "Yep. p-i-gs," she laughed. "See why I'm happy at home with my remote?"

"You aren't and you know it," Maria said, frowning. "There must be someone that sort of qualifies to your standards..............hmm........." She flipped the page and saw a picture, a face that made her grin. "Ummm, Lizzie, how about.....?" She held the page up, forcing Liz to glance down. She saw Janey Elliott, Franco Esposito, Isabel Evans,,,,,,,,,and she knew what was coming next.

"Maria! We aren't even going there ! No ! I've been through this with you before. We aren't even gonna talk about it," she ordered, her face flushing crimson.

"But, Lizzie, he'd be perfect. Look at that face. Those eyes. Why, Ma.............," Liz cut her off, slamming her hands over her ears and singing a very bad rendition of The Star Spangled Banner at the top of her lungs. She cut her eyes to Maria and saw her friend hold her hands up in mock surrender. Closing her mouth, she lowered her hands. "No! Just No, Maria. He's off limits. He's....No! Maria. No! No! No!"

Maria watched her best friend overreact majorly to just the beginnings of a mention of Max Evans' name. BINGO !! Maria knew had a mission, if she chose to accept it....which she did :) It would be an impossible mission for anyone except Maria DeLuca, matchmaker extrodinaire. She had seen the way Liz snuck looks at Max; she had also seen Max cut his eyes at her pretty friend. There was definitely something there; something that Maria could work with. Eww, she might have to talk to weird Michael Guerin again but he was her link to Max Evans.

"Okay, chica, even though you two would make beautiful babies," she teased.

"I'm gonna see if Jed has a friend so we can double to the dance." She danced away to the phone, unheeding to Liz's arguments.

The yearbook slid onto the floor. As Liz bent to pick it up, the page fell open to the 'E's again. "Lord, I'm glad Maria didn't question why the book opens to this page so easily," Liz frowned. Her fingers brushed against the tiny picture between Evans, Isabel and Fellows, Mark. She had looked at that picture a million times, wishing for the one boy she wanted to want her too. Sighing, she closed the book and turned up her nose, shaking her head when Maria covered the receiver and whispered, Jose Gaona?"

M/L M/L M/L M/L M/L M/L M/L M/L M/L M/L M/L M/L M/L M/L M/L

"Well, you geek, are you going to the dance?" Michael poked Max in the ribs as he flopped down beside him on the bench at the basketball court. "We could double if you want."

Max turned to look at his best friend. Michael Guerin had always been his best friend, as long as he could remember. And, he had always tried to make him do things he wasn't comfortable doing...smoking a cigarette, which resulted in major barfing when they were 10, toilet papering mean old Mr. Grossman's house, for which Max got restricted forever, and so on and so on. Michael had been on his case for weeks about getting a date and going to the dances. Max had dated, and they always went bad. He tried so hard but the girls always wanted him to call back, come over, eat with him, sit next to him. He didn't want a girlfriend. He wanted to have a little fun but he didn't want to 'belong' to anyone.

"You know what always happens, Michael," he sighed.

"I can't help it if you're irresistible to women," Michael laughed. "It's the mystery thing, Max. They think you're being mysterious while all you're doing is trying to stay clear of them. It's a riot to watch."

"I'm glad you think it's so funny, Michael," Max groused. "I haven't seen anybody I really want to be with," he said, knowing that he was telling a huge whopper.

"Uh, Maxwell, you know how your ears kind of like turn red when you lie?"

Michael grinned, "Well, let's just say they're the color of a tomato about now, and I know exactly why. You are lying big time, buddy. We both know who you'd like to get in the back of that jeep; little miss science, Li..............."

"Don't start, Michael. Just don't start. Go away now ! I need to practice my layups......Get!" Max jumped up from the bench , bouncing the ball and spinning it on his finger. "No dance. No date. Forget it."

"That was interesting," Michael laughed, his mind already working on "Project Liz Parker" is now in action. The guy needs a little female companionship and I'm just the friend that can get it for him." He walked away, his chain jangling, thinking, "I might have to talk to that Maria girl again. God, she's a pain. But, she's the direct link to Liz Parker."

M/L M/L M/L M/L M/L M/L M/L M/L M/L M/L M/L M/L M/L M/L M/L

The next morning in the main hallway, Max saw Liz Parker. Ever since Michael had brought it up, he couldn't stop thinking about her. He had always had a soft spot for the tiny little girl with the huge eyes. All through grade school, he had watched her, always being kind, always doing her work. As they got up in junior high and then high school, he had spent many hours in the Crashdown, eating Satellite burgers and Saturn rings and watching her. She never knew. He always dropped his eyes before she saw him. He always wanted to smell her hair. God! That sounded so perverted. But it was always so shiny and he just knew it smelled like flowers. They were lab partners in Bio and she was always helpful and sweet but never personal. He knew she didn't think about him that way, so he kept it to himself and just watched her. In his eyes, she was beautiful.

Liz saw Max Evans as she closed her locker. Maria had made her face her crush on him again. He was so out of her league. She could remember the first time she ever saw him. He got off that bus, those huge eyes, those skinny little arms. She had wanted to run to him, hold his hand. But, she hadn't. Over the years, those skinny little arms filled out and Max Evans was now the most muscular guy in the school. All the girls wanted him, but he was a loner. No one knew why. Liz sometimes felt that it was shyness, but how could someone who looked like that be shy? She still wanted to hold his hand. They were lab partners in Bio. He was always right there, helping her, praising her work, making her feel good, but never anything personal. She knew he didn't think about her that way, so she kept it all inside and watched him. In her eyes, he was perfect.

"Hey," he said softly, startling her out of her daydream.

"Hey, Max," she answered.

He groped for conversation. She blushed, knowing he thought she was a dork.

"You going to................," he started.

"There's a game on...............," she blurted.

They laughed nervously. "God, I'm an idiot," both minds grimaced.

"There's a game on Friday," she started again.

"I know. I'm on the basketball team," he smiled.

'Oh, God. I'm such an idiot,' Liz chided herself.

"You going?" he asked, hoping she was so he could show her that he could play pretty well. Hoping she wasn't cause if he saw her, he probably fall over his own feet.

"Probably not," she answered. "I have to work."

"Oh," he replied, hating that she couldn't have fun on Friday nights, working instead. "Well, it isn't an important one anyway."

"Hey Evans!" Jackson Range called from across the hall. "You up for Friday?

Biggest game of the season. We gotta win this one, bro ! You are The Man ! You ready?"

Max looked back at Liz and saw that she had registered his lie. Her eyes looked confused and he thought he saw a touch of sadness before her bright smile pushed it all away.

"Time for Lit. See you in Bio, Max," she said quietly. He watched her walk away, her gorgeous hair swinging freely, her books clutched tightly in her arms. He felt terrible ! She thinks I lied to her. God.....just strike me dead.

Liz felt stupid. Of course it was the biggest game of the season. She knew that! 'How dumb he must think I am,' she moaned miserably. 'I can't do anything right where he's concerned.'

By 9:30, both of them were feeling terrible. Walking softly into Bio, Liz saw Maria and Alex waving at her from their table. "How's it goin, Kiddo?' Alex grinned as he ruffled her hair. "Your face looks sadder than my broken guitar. "What's up?"

"Nothing," she sighed. "I just made a fool out of myself in front of...........in front of someone." She walked over to her stool and climbed up. Her feet never touched the floor. She was a midget. No wonder he never looked at her. She was a dwarf !

Max stopped in the Bio Lab doorway, as he always did. He wanted to make sure she was there. He always told himself that if she wasn't, he'd just turn around and leave. It had become a taisman. There she was, her adorable little feet kicking against that high stool. He felt Maria DeLuca looking at him, turned and smiled. She grinned back, wrinkling her nose. He wished he knew as much about Liz as Maria must, or Alex Whitman either, her two best friends. Walking over to the table, he set his books down and eased onto the stool, his long legs poking out underneath. She was so tiny; he felt like a giant, all gawky and well, big.

"Hey," he whispered.

"Hey, Max," she said in that melted buttery way that made him clench his teeth and made his stomach rumble. God, he was losing it.

"I didn't mean to li...................," he started.

"You must have thought I was a.....................," she choked out.

'Here we go again,' they both mumbled.

Just as Max opened his mouth to ask her to try to come to the game, the teacher walked in and class was underway. He lost his nerve and she never got the invitation. Another day in the lives of two very shy, very beautiful children.

Max played ball after school, running till he almost dropped from exhaustion.

Liz worked the extra shift, working 4 extra tables, working to keep from thinking. Tomorrow was Tuesday. The biggest game of the season was Friday.

Max was The Man. Liz knew there was no chance, no chance Max Evans would ever look at her. None whatsoever !