*3*

I would like to know who Tess wants to kill.

Tess wants to know why she's covered in blood.

I don't blame her.

I have to tell her something. I examine her face carefully. There are still cuts and scrapes. He didn't heal her all the way, which could account for the blood perhaps.

The boy is a thinker.

"You got hit by a car." I wipe some of the blood off her arms with a warm washcloth.

"Did you see who it was?"

I shake my head. "They just drove off, it was dark."

I help her wash her hair. We have to wash it twice to get all the red stains out. Seeing Tess all bloody like this, you just know your seeing something your not supposed to. Tess is usually the picture of perfection, not a hair out of place. I feel like I'm violating her.

Anyway...

So Max Evans is an alien.

Notice my complete lack of surprise.

Told you.

I'm not telling Tess. Like I said, Roswell doesn't need to know. I could care less what happens to this place when I leave, but not while I'm here.

Not while I'm here.

I take a shirt out of my dresser for Tess to wear and she takes off her own. I notice a couple things.

1.) Her ridiculously elaborate purple bra. I swear the girl has 50 bras, one to match each of her outfits. I have about five, all white, I bought them in bulk at Target, I bet that would make Max Evans cringe.

2.) A silver handprint, right above her navel. Maybe that's how they mark their territory. Instead of pissing they leave telltale silver handprints.

She rubs at her stomach. "...the fuck is this?"

We need to cover all of our bases here. I'm trying to hide two things at once. I don't want people to know who the aliens are and I don't want Tess to get in trouble for not killing anyone. "Where is the gun?"

She clutches at her back in panic. "Shit."

We find it in the shadows. It had been knocked halfway up the alley. I ask her where she got it and she tells me she stole it from Kyle's dad.

Wonderful.

While we're down there we put some water over the bloodstains on the street.

And finally, we put all her bloody clothes in a plastic bag. She holds up the bag to me, "So what do we do with this?"

I nod. "I think we should burn them."

I don't really know where that came from. I want to know exactly when I became a character off of 'Goodfellas'.

She understands though. Blood means panic, and if people know she's been hit by a car there going to want to know what she was doing outside of the Crashdown. Flailing a gun around and threatening peoples lives? Probably not acceptable.

There is one freeway that goes through Roswell. It used to bring in a lot of tourists but now it's mostly empty. We drive to where the freeway overpasses a desolate road. We bring a can of gasoline and a book of matches, and we sit by the brightly burning fire as the flames lick the sky.

She says thanks to me when I drop her off at home.

I think me and Tess just bonded.

I just hope she doesn't go off and kill anyone.

In about an hour, my mom will come into my room and wake me up, but before that there is something I want to do. I go through the front door of the Crashdown and look at the jacket just sitting there in the booth.

I wonder what alien's jackets smell like. I'm still not going to touch it. That would be even more of a violation than seeing Tess all bloody. How can I touch the jacket of someone that doesn't even attempt to know my name?

I wonder what Max thinks about when he thinks about Tess. I wonder if behind that stoic demeanor is just a flurry of dirty thoughts.

I've only been alone with Tess a few times. When you're alone with her, she's not really that bad. But Max doesn't know this. Maybe he's just a horny teenager; maybe he just wants her body like everyone else in school.

I set my knee on the booth and lean over. It's a black jacket, polyester. I'm glad it's not leather. Maria told me how they make leather and now leather makes me want to hurl. I sniff at it. It smells good.

It smells like a boy.

It's official, Max Evans smells like a boy. I'm glad I wasted my time on this.

I'm going to bed now. I can still sleep for about forty-five minutes.

You might want to fast forward to Monday, nothing happens over the weekend.

STOP.

FF.

PLAY...

--------------------

Tess and Me meet in front of school like we agreed upon. We just want to check in with each other, make sure nobody found anything out. She tells me the handprint is gone.

When were done talking, Tess looks towards the school door expectantly, "Shall we?"

"You go ahead."

I don't want to walk into school with Tess. If I walk into school with Tess then people will start talking to me and pretending like they care about what I have to say.

I'm not up for that.

Tess nods in understanding. She probably doesn't want to have to explain to people why she walked into school with her coworker.

Fine with me.

After she's gone I walk through the double doors and lean against my locker, waiting for Maria.

Max Evans walks by, he deserves a fucking Oscar the way he's playing off like nothing happened.

Jesus Christ, I need to go to the bathroom.

I'm in the stall and I hear some girls come in and start to chat. I'll bet their freshmen 'cause they have these high pitched voices you don't grow out of until the middle of junior year.

"Oh my god," One of the girls says, "Did you see Max Evans today?"

Oh lord, here it comes.

"Oh my god he is like, soooooo hot, did you see that shirt he's wearing?"

For the love of god, somebody please put me out of my misery.

I open the stall and the girls' jaws drop to the floor. All they know is that I'm a senior, and therefore, there is a possibility that I know Max Evans.

One of the girls is smoking, and her cigarette falls to the ground, "We didn't know you were..."

"I hear he's gay." I say.

"What? No way."

I fake smile. "Totally."

Why am I doing this? Cause it's fun. You see, Max Evans, he's not a normal looking high school boy. He looks like he just stepped out of a Calvin Klien advertisement. With his huge arms and perfect stomach. And it makes me sick that a whole class of girls would spread their legs in a heartbeat if they thought they had a chance. I can't really blame them though. I was probably like that too. But really now, it's time to get over it. Time to grow up.

And me? Well, Max is just not my type. I don't want a model. I want a real guy. Maybe someone good looking, like Alex without the built in brotherly instinct.

Oh....and one more thing. If I ever fall in love, it's not going to be in this town. I'm willing to bet money on that.

Anyway, this isn't about me.

At lunchtime I meet Alex and Maria in the gym. We stay in the gym at lunch because it's hot outside and the gym is air-conditioned. I use Alex's lap as a pillow.

The crumbs from his bag of chips are getting in my hair.

"Johnny Football Hero," Alex says, "Ten 'o clock."

Oh yay. Johnny Football Hero.

Johnny Football Hero (aka Kyle) is what happens when you put 2 parts jock, 1 part Buddha in a blender and serve it over ice. Johnny Football Hero got a little freaked out after the cave was discovered and became a lovely member of the world of organized religion. Johnny Football Hero is not my friend, he is my acquaintance. Johnny Football Hero is Tess's boyfriend.

And Johnny Football Hero is headed this way.

"Liz, can I talk to you for a second?"

Sure you can, Johnny Football Hero.

He pulls me to the corner of the room, "I think Tess should stay with you."

"What are you talking about?"

"She's been acting weird lately, I think she's having problems at home."

Gee, you think?

"So...she can stay with Courtney."

Kyle frowns, "I hate Courtney."

"Why are you asking me?"

"I don't know who else to ask!"

We turn our heads as the door of the gym opens and Max and his posse walk in. You can practically feel Kyle shudder. He just hates that another man is obsessed with Queen Tess. He's insanely jealous.

For absolutely no reason. They both adore each other so much it's enough to make a girl lose her lunch.

I would like to get out of here now.

"You like him, don't you." Kyle says.

EXCUSE ME?

"Okay, That would be a big fat no."

"You guys should go out."

"You should mind your own fucking business." And I used to be such a nice girl.

"Jesus," Kyle shakes his head, "Why are you like that?"

"I'm leaving now."

"You have problems."

HAH. Understatement of the year, Johnny Football Hero. Have you looked at your girlfriend lately?

I nod my head, "I have problems, that's really insightful, are we done?"

"Yea," he sighs and looks around the gym, "Were done."

I don't know what had gotten into me today. I'm not usually queen bitch. Maybe it's because I just covered up an attempted murder and an alien conspiracy.

Really puts things into perspective.

Did I mention how tired I am?

Fast forward time.

------------------------------------

Biology, last period. And wouldn't you know, absolutely everyone is in this class. Everyone: Me, Maria, Alex, Max, Michael, Isabel, Tess, Courtney, Johnny Football Hero.

Ms. Black blabs in the front of class about assigning lab partners.

Neato.

"Maria DeLuca and Isabel Evans."

Ohh boy...poor Maria.

"Alex Whitman and Michael Guerin."

Yea Ms. Black, that's gonna turn out good.

"Courtney Deluca and Kyle Valenti."

Oh lord. I bet she's gonna put Max and Tess together. I don't know if that's amusing or really bad.

"Tess Harding and Rose Walker."

Who the fuck is Rose Walker?

I look around the room and try to send Ms. Black brain waves. There are not a lot of students left. Pam Troy will have to do.

Put me with Pam Ms. Black. You know you want to put me with Pam.

"Max Evans and Liz Parker."

Huh?

lkdjfalksdj

Wait just a damn second.

The class lets out a collective groan and moves to their new places. I don't move.

Max reluctantly picks up his bags and sits next to me.

I'm not happy about this either, Max Evans.

"Your Tess's friend."

I groan. Yea, I'm Tess's friend. That's how I define myself, that's how I introduce myself. I go around saying, HI, I'm Liz, I'm Tess's friend.

I wonder if he has some sort of Tess radar. If that's how he sees people. He probably differentiates people as "Tess" and "Not Tess."

"You're Isabel's brother." Take that.

I stare at the books in front of me.

"Max." He says.

" Liz." I say.

He nods nonchalantly at Tess, "What happened to her?"

HA.

HAHA.

I keep my face perfectly still. "She was in the stock room and a box full of glasses fell on her."

He furrows his brow, "She told you that?"

Way to let your guard down, Max.

"She didn't need to tell me, I saw it with my own eyes."

Don't ask me why I'm saying this. Either I majorly want to fuck with his head, or I want to let him know his secret is safe.

"Okay," he says, like he doesn't believe a word I'm saying, "So is she okay?"

"Why don't you ask her?"

And that is the end of our lovely conversation. As Ms. Black babbles on I find myself wondering about Max and Tess more and more. I think I actually like to see Max cringe whenever Johnny Football Hero and Tess hold hands and pass notes. It's sort of...disgusting and amusing at the same time. I wonder if he thinks about her like...all the time. I wonder if he's thinking about sex right now.

God, when did I become such a sick person.

One thing is for sure...this is going to be an interesting assignment.

Part 4