Passion (M+M, AU, Adult, FINISHED, 10/29/08, Pg. 177)

Author	Comment
candysteffi		#681	[-]
Posts: 33 (04/21/08 08:43:34) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	whoooohooo... will Maria and Max break up now... finally??? lol I know that´s not fair but I don´t want them to be together She smiled and stepped into her new room as well. Yes, it was nice. It was only lacking one thing. Michael himself. What a wise realization.... now she have to tell him Apparently he was convinced, because he just smiled and said, "Then get back in here. You're kinda warm." He reached up, grabbed her arm, and tried to pull her back down onto the bed with him; but she knew that if she got back in there, she'd never get back out. And she had to find Max. He was her . . . boyfriend. And Michael wasn't. "I can't," she said, reluctantly pulling her arm away from him. It took everything she had to walk back out into the living room and leave him in there alone, because she really wanted to stay. She wanted to stay. Awww.. that was my favourite part here ... very good idea... I love these small but intense details you are adding here and there It gives me the creeps Steffi
Luluzita		#682	[-]
Posts: 45 (04/21/08 13:21:59) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	hey april! nice uptade:D i'm loving this history really... loved m&m moments in bed, and the way they slept so comfortably:D :D:D
mmluver89		#683	[-]
Posts: 306 (04/21/08 16:20:47) Sweet Tooth Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	Does this mean it's the end for the Maria and Max? I just hope that with the sleeping episode Maria doesn't decide to start becoming the perfect girlfriend for Max, that would be weird. I have four words to say to Max: GROW SOME BALLS MAN! Your girlfriend is in bed with someone else and you don't do anything, that's pathetic. When is the abomination pair going to split, I can't wait to see that. Is the next part going to be about the modeling?
maji343		#684	[-]
Posts: 64 (04/21/08 21:15:04) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	Please tell me this means the end for Max and Maria. Its not fair to max. He loves her and he is so nice, but he just not her type. Poor Michael, his poster got ripped--the way he reacted to that was hilarious. Michael and Maria sharing a bed---yay. Ughh why couldn't she have stayed. I really think she should of--cmon its Michael....shirtless....in her bed(yeah I guess its her bed now lol). Well can't wait for more...plus more M+M bed sharing lol
April	Part 47	#685	[-]
Posts: 525 (04/22/08 08:58:50) Candy Junkie Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	Nicola: Oh, don't count your chickens before they hatch. Max hasn't woken up quite yet. It is going to take something absolutely HUGE to get through to blind-as-a-bat Max Evans. aquasixio: lol, well, I'm glad the update got you through another day of your life. Thanks for reading! Adara: A new reader? jumps for joy Thanks, I'm glad you like the fic. (The church scene seems to be a fave among many.) Welcome to CID, by the way! emadaps: i just hope Maria knows what she is doing with both Max and Michael. she's got to be careful. Oh, she knows exactly what's doing. Which is why she's so dangerous. She's exact, precise, calculating . . . Lume: Oh, you'll continue to see jealous Max and Liz. You'll even see hints of jealous Michael, although you have to read closely for that. He's very subtle with his feelings. Misty: Still striking, huh? meredith1010: Well, I'm glad this last part was more tolerable! Liz isn't going to walk in and see what Max did, but she is going to have to deal with her fair share of jealousy and disappointment. Mag: the fact that Max loves Maria will probably trigger Michael's love declaration to Liz Oh, rest assured, Michael NEVER tells Liz he loves her. Because he doesn't. Steffi: This fic is giving you the creeps, huh? lol, good! But beware of Max and Maria . . . just when you think it's over, it's not. Lulzita: I'm glad you continue to love this story! I'll do my best to keep you entertained! mmluver89: Max will "grow some balls" eventually. Eventually. He really is a wimp, I'll admit. And M+M are going to model in this part (you must be psychic!) although I didn't actually write the modeling scene. It's just mentioned. Sorry! But you will get some more descriptive modeling soon. maji343: lol, I'm glad you enjoyed Michael's reaction to his poster ripping. He's a big dork. And I know, poor Max. It really isn't fair to him. Part 47 And the hits just keep on coming, Maria thought bitterly as she made her way into Fiona's Model Management that day. She hated that place. Really, she did. Modeling wasn't as easy as it looked, and the overall atmosphere was just unbearable. She'd been all set on going home and sitting down for a marathon of General Hospital on SoapNet when she'd received a text message from Fiona pretty much demanding that she come in and do a photo shoot. Knowing my luck, Maria thought, it'll last all night. She was texting Max, telling him she'd be home later, when she accidently bumped into another model, one who was over six feet tall and doing the whole anorexia thing. "What where you're going, size five," she said nastily to Maria. "Eat a sandwich, bitch," Maria shot back, continuing on her way. She sent the text message to Max, then hurried to catch the elevator just as its doors were beginning to close. "Wait, wait, wait," she said, sticking her hand in between the doors, urging them apart. When she did, she found none other than her constant (and constantly annoying) companion Michael Guerin standing inside the elevator, heading up. "Oh, you've gotta be kidding me," she said, spinning around dramatically. He smiled and just said, "Hmm." Why? she thought. Why me? She stood there staring at him for a moment, then gave in and jumped on the elevator with him just as the doors were starting to close again. She pushed them open once again and got on, too lazy to take the stairs. "Wonders never cease," he remarked. "What?" "I just mean . . . we always end up together," he said as the doors finally closed and got to stay closed. "Have you realized that? We're always around each other." "Yeah, it's ugh," she said as the elevator slowly began to rise upwards. "Did you get called in for a photo shoot, too?" "Yep," he said, shrugging. "Whatever. It's probably one of those steamy ones. That's why they called us both." Oh god, she thought. Not one of those. The last one had had a profound effect on her. "Oh, don't act like you don't like it," he said, grinning. She said nothing. She definitely liked these photo shoots. In fact, she liked them a little too much. The last one had resulted in her going home and taking a long, cold shower. All of a sudden, the elevator jolted. Maria almost fell over to the side, but Michael caught her. The overhead light flickered but didn't go out, and the elevator stopped moving altogether. "What did you do?" Maria immediately asked. "Me? I didn't do anything." "You must have. We aren't moving." He pressed the call button on the elevator, but it didn't light up or anything. There was no indication that it was even working. "This sucks," he said. "We're stuck in here?" she said. "Oh, great. You know what this means?" "That we're eventually gonna run out of oxygen?" "Oh my god, these could be my last moments," she said dramatically. "I can't go out like this. I'm not even dressed cute." He gave her a disbelieving look. "Are you serious?" "Yes!" She laughed a little then, and admitted, "No. But I would prefer to be wearing cute shoes." "Which one of us do you think is gonna die first?" he asked. "You." "Then you'll have to smell my rotting corpse." "Probably smells better than your living one," she retorted. "Oh, Maria DeLuca," he said, smiling, "you are a funny girl." "Duh." She leaned back against the wall of the elevator and slid down to the floor. "This is gonna get really boring really fast," she said. "Not necessarily." He grinned and slid down against the opposite wall, sitting and facing her. "You know what people do when they get stuck in elevators." "Funny," she said, even though her heart beat a little faster at the thought. Hot, sweaty elevator sex with Michael Guerin. "We're not gonna do that," she said, mostly to remind herself. "I know." She sighed heavily. This was not what she needed, being confined in such close quarters with a guy who drove her absolutely crazy . . . in a good way. She was supposed to be thinking about Max, about how to fix things between them, about how to explain sleeping in bed next to Michael. But she wasn't thinking about any of those things. "Bad day?" Michael asked her. "How did you know?" He shrugged. "I just do." You know I had a bad day, she thought, but you don't know how I feel about you? Michael Guerin, you are so dense. Good. She didn't want him to know how she felt about him. It was embarrassing. "I kinda . . . don't know what's going on with me and Max," she confessed reluctantly. "What do you mean?" "I just think he's mad at me . . . about something." She didn't want him to know that he was involved, so she deliberately didn't mention it. "About what?" "Just stuff. I really don't wanna talk about it, okay?" "Well, we don't have anything better to do. We're stranded, babe." "It's . . . complicated, okay?" "Complicated," he echoed thoughtfully. "It always is, isn't it? You know what I've come to realize from eight years of knowing you, Maria? It's that you're a really complicated person. I used to think you were really simple. Oh, hell, no. You're . . . all over the place." She wrinkled her forehead and said, "Thanks?" unsure if that was a compliment or not. He scooted closer toward her and said, "So what the hell happened? Did you piss him off?" "What? No. I don't know. Yeah. I don't know." "Well, I'm sure it'll pass," he said. "Like time. Or gas. Stuff passes." She gave him a look. "Are you really comparing my relationship to passing gas?" "Yeah," he said. "Oh, speaking of . . ." He tilted over to one side, putting one hand on his butt as though he were about to rip one. She immediately brought her hand to her nose and exclaimed in repulsion, "Oh my god, Michael, I swear if you fart in this elevator . . ." "Relax," he said, chuckling. He sat back down again and said, "No need to quicken our deaths." "Well, at least you admit they're stinky," she said, laughing as she said it. How unbelievable was it that she was sitting there having a conversation about farting? It didn't really matter what she and Michael were talking about. It just mattered that they were talking. They always did. "You're such a guy," she said. "And you're such a girl. Which brings me back to my whole 'you know what people do in elevators' scenario . . ." She rolled her eyes. "Please." "Begging, Maria? Is that really necessary?" He moved even closer. "Stop," she said, placing her hand on his chest, trying to keep him a safe distance away from her. As much as she loved being close to him, she could barely handle it. Maybe sex jokes were nothing more than jokes to him, but to her . . . it was just different. He looked into her eyes and smiled at her, one of those smiles that just made her heart melt. "Yeah," he said in agreement. "Old Maxwell probably wouldn't be too happy if we hooked up in here." He scooted backwards again to sit against the wall across from her. "He loves ya." "What?" she said immediately. What was that word he had used? "He . . . loves you," Michael repeated, slower this time. "Hasn't he told you that?" "No, we've only been dating, like, three weeks," she reminded him. "Why? Have you already told Liz that?" She was going to be pissed if he had. "No." "Yeah, so . . ." "Well . . . Max might have said something to me," he admitted. "That he loves me?" Michael sighed. "Just don't tell him I told you, okay? I probably just ruined it." Maria was too shocked to say anything. She'd known Max had strong feelings for her. Really strong feelings. But love . . . that was just something she knew nothing about. No one had ever been in love with her before. That she knew of. "You know, for what it's worth, I think you and Max make a good couple," he went on, not looking down at his hands when he spoke. "It's weird. At first I couldn't picture it. But now I can. You guys balance each other out, like a fuckin' see-saw or whatever. Two people who are a lot alike . . ." Like us? she thought. ". . . it couldn't work." It couldn't? "Maybe that's why Liz and I make a good couple, too," he pondered. "We balance." She raised an eyebrow at that remark. "You think you and Liz make a good couple?" "Yeah, we've only had one fight." "But it takes more than not fighting to be a good couple." "Oh, yeah? What's it take?" Passion, she thought longingly. Loads and loads of passion. Now it was her turn to look away. I think you and I would make a better couple than you and Liz, Michael. She wished there was some way to say the words out loud and not feel terrified about them. "Michael . . ." she started. "I think it's cool," he cut in, "that you and Max are in love." She opened her mouth to say something, but the elevator jolted again and began to move before she could. It moved upward, and a few seconds later. "Hey, we get to live," Michael commented, getting to his feet just as the doors slid open. He held out his hand to help her up. She placed her hand in his, and he pulled her to her feet. "That wasn't too bad," he decided, heading on in to the photo shoot arena. She walked out of the elevator practically in a trance, trying to wrap her mind around the newfound concept of Max's feelings. He loved her. He really loved her. But she did not love him. ~~~~~~~ Just think about your homework, Max told himself, even though it was a struggle. Don't think about Maria. You've got homework to do. Homework. Maria . . . He looked up when she came to stand in the doorway and immediately forgot what his homework was even about. She looked absolutely beautiful. She was wearing just a long t-shirt and, knowing her, probably nothing underneath. "Hey," she said softly. "Hey," he echoed, forcing himself to return his gaze to the paper in front of him. She slowly stepped into the room, and his senses immediately became hyperactive. She smelled so good. She looked so good. He could barely stand it. She sat down on the bed beside him, close to him, and asked, "Whatcha doin'?" "A paper," he replied. "About what?" "It's an analysis of, uh . . . The Great Gatsby." "What's a gatsby?" "Jay Gatsby. He's the main character of the book," Max explained. "Oh," she said. "So, what's the book about?" "Oh, you know," he said, "social classes and the differences between those social classes. Wrapped up in one of those complex romances, of course." She didn't say anything. "You see, there's this girl named Daisy, and even though she acts really superficial, she has this deep, undeniable need to be loved. She's married to somebody, but she's in love with someone else. This guy named Gatsby. He's pretty much famous, he's so well-known, and even though he's arrogant and vulgar, she loves him. And he loves her, too. But it doesn't end well." She tucked her hair behind her ear and concluded, "It sounds really boring." "It's not," he said. "You should read it sometime." "Yeah, I haven't read a novel for years." she reminded him. "So . . . who wrote the book?" He sighed and said, "Maria. What're you doing?" "I'm talking to you. Remember, that's what you want. You want me to talk to you." "Yeah, but not about The Great Gatsby." "About what then?" "About you and Michael." She sighed and looked away. "There is no me and Michael." "Yes, there is." "But not like that." "Then how do you explain the way you woke up this morning?" "Oh my god, Max, I didn't even know he came in there in the night. I swear," she said. "I mean, I would've kicked him out, if I had known." "You would've?" "Yes." She just . . . didn't sound very convincing. "I don't know, Maria." "Max." She leaned in closer and said. "You have to trust me, okay?" "I do," he said. "I trust you, Maria. And I trust Michael. It's just . . . I don't know, sometimes I feel like . . . you're closer to him than you are to me, or something." She glanced down for a moment, then looked right into his eyes. "Why do you say that?" "Because you guys have this whole thing. You always have. It's like . . . the two of you against the world." "Yeah, but Max . . . you're my boyfriend," she reminded him. "I'm with you." "I love you," he blurted, surprising even himself when he said the words. He'd thought them many times, even said them to Maria when she was asleep. But he'd never ever said them knowing she could hear them. And now she had. She didn't seem anywhere near as surprised as he was. "I know," she said. "How did you know? Was I that obvious?" "Well . . . a little," she replied. "Plus . . . Michael told me. Feel free to beat him up if you want to." "I can't believe he told you," Max said. "I can, actually. You guys talk about everything." "Max," she said, moving in even closer. "Let's not think about Michael for the rest of the night." She took his paper and his book and set them on the floor. "Or The Great Gatsby." She leaned in, then, and kissed him and, as usual, he was completely lost. Any feelings of doubt or suspicion he'd had disappeared upon the first brush of her lips against his, and when he felt her fingers grab the bottom of his shirt and pull it over his head, the image of her and Michael asleep that morning completely vanished from his mind. She's my girlfriend, he thought as she pushed him down onto the bed and lay atop him, kissing him. I love her. Maybe she loves me, too. ~~~~~~~ Maria lay next to Max that night, her head pressed against his chest. She'd had sex with him late into the night in an effort to make him forget about Michael and about the sight he had walked in on that morning. Needless to say, he forgot easily. She could hear his heart beating. It was sort of fast, excited. Something told her it always beat fast around her. She brought her hand up to rest against her chest and felt her own heart beating. It was a lot slower. A lot. It did beat fast, though, sometimes. Like when she'd just finished a dance, or when she was watching a scary movie. Or when she was with Michael. She rolled over onto her other side, facing away from Max, and wrapped her arms around herself. She felt her heart quickening just at the mere thought of Michael. That was all it took. TBC . . . -April Banner By: singerchic4
misty1987		#686	[-]
Posts: 164 (04/22/08 09:54:53) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	mumbles Effing tease with the elevator scene... 100 Icons LJ Post Better than Me --- White Flag --- Here By Me
nicola tudor		#687	[-]
Posts: 132 (04/22/08 10:01:39) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	Hi April Great update as usual maria sounds like a woman who needs a man in her life , i hope she realises she needs to finish max before he gets in too deep thank god this part had no liz and michael typical guy
candysteffi		#688	[-]
Posts: 35 (04/22/08 10:10:07) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	OMG!!! Amazing You gave me the creeps again! This whole part was so full of Maria´s feelings about Michael... The elevator scene was sooo cool... I laughed out loud when they talked about farting Passion, she thought longingly. Loads and loads of passion. Now it was her turn to look away. I think you and I would make a better couple than you and Liz, Michael. She wished there was some way to say the words out loud and not feel terrified about them. "Michael . . ." she started. "I think it's cool," he cut in, "that you and Max are in love." Was she going to say Michael how she feels? OMG! She's my girlfriend, he thought as she pushed him down onto the bed and lay atop him, kissing him. I love her. Maybe she loves me, too. Or maybe not.... lol (oh, I´m sooo cruel ) She rolled over onto her other side, facing away from Max, and wrapped her arms around herself. She felt her heart quickening just at the mere thought of Michael. That was all it took. Goosebumps here!!!! Steffi
Lume P		#689	[-]
Posts: 7 (04/22/08 10:25:43) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	Hey April! This story is getting more and more entertaining! I loved this Max line: "Because you guys have this whole thing. You always have. It's like . . . the two of you against the world." Max, open your eyes honey! The scene in the elevator was great, too. Thanks! Lume.
emadaps		#690	[-]
Posts: 18 (04/22/08 11:54:15) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	Maria Maria Maria, when you gonna learn chica? tell the poor boy you don't love him, put him out of his misery. Michael's got to learn how to read girls well Maria anyway, cos he seems to be able to read the other girls(that they want to have sex with him) . max was getting smart (well other than book smart), realizing things but got dumb again when Maria kissed him. guess he really does love her. She's my girlfriend, he thought as she pushed him down onto the bed and lay atop him, kissing him. I love her. Maybe she loves me, too. sorry dude but she doesn't love you, she loves someone else .
mmluver89		#691	[-]
Posts: 308 (04/22/08 12:13:41) Sweet Tooth Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	I'm really disappointed by the elevator scene because I thought for sure something was going to happen. You know what will make me really happy, if you focused more on the threesome pair because the other two pairs are vomit inducing. Max is an imbecile for not seeing what right in front of his face and don't get me started on Liz because she defines every synonym for stupid.
Luluzita		#692	[-]
Posts: 46 (04/22/08 12:23:12) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	step away from max mariaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa:D:D:D
maji343		#693	[-]
Posts: 69 (04/22/08 19:58:02) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	Yes the elevator scene was a tease. Does Max realize that Maria doesn't love him soon?
CandyAdara		#694	[-]
Posts: 2 (04/23/08 05:06:17) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	michael definitely WANTED to hook up with maria in that elevator! and thats what matters! i still think he's really really sexy! maria is so bad but so smart too becuz she knows that she can use sex to get max to stop being worried. she shouldnt lie to him but she lies to everyone i feel bad for max...........i feel bad for liz kind of too i feel bad for maria but she's so tricky! great update Adara
Luluzita		#695	[-]
Posts: 48 (04/23/08 12:02:41) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	my god!i just wish that maria would have the balls to talk to michael about her fellings
Dee67		#696	[-]
Posts: 720 (04/23/08 15:59:08) Sugar High Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	Now that I have again caught up - What's funny to me is that what M&M feel for each other is so blatantly obvious. All their friends can see it. Liz and Max can see it. I can't assume to know what Liz is thinking, but I'd be willing to bet that she is afraid that if Michael breaks up with her, she won't be popular anymore. She may as well milk it while she can. Maria should tell Max right away that he feels more for her than she does for him because the longer that she waits, the harder it will be. He's going to be devastated no matter what. As for M&M, I will continue giggle while they try to tip toe around what's really going on. Right now, Michael is the one who 'can't see it'. It's going to be major when he acknowledges it and I can't wait. Maria has acknowledged what she feels (to herself) but what is holding her back from telling Michael? Who will break first? D Fehromones all over me…
laumika.roswellfanficma...		#697	[-]
Posts: 5 (04/24/08 07:51:23) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	Loved the "Look where you're going size five" ha ha ha ha... heard some comments like that in back stages. And liked how slowly Michael is beginning to notice his feelings towards her, with little things, cause you're a damn teaser, but it's really refreshing see how he does. And Max... well, he has his own bubble and is comfortable there... but you're making us even feel sorry for him, more when you say he would need something huge to realize about the truth, and we're scared cause we only can think in two ways: 1, him catching them getting on it (More for your first video in youtube) and secondly a brain transplant. And we really don't know which one of them we like better!! But as always, laughs with the M&M moments.
April	Part 48	#698	[-]
Posts: 531 (04/24/08 09:39:44) Candy Junkie Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	Misty: Oh, I know I'm a tease! Nicola: Girl, what is with those smilies in the bed in your last feedback? They're cracking me up! lol, thanks for reading! Steffi: I'm glad I could give you "the creeps" again! lol Lume: I'm glad you enjoyed the elevator scene. And yes, Max just needs to OPEN HIS EYES! He's constantly shutting them. emadaps: max was getting smart (well other than book smart), realizing things but got dumb again when Maria kissed him Yep yep. Max may be a nice guy, but he's still A GUY. And Maria knows how to make guys forget about everything else. mmluver89: Liz defines every synonym for stupid? lol, probably at this point. She might wise-up eventually. Luluzita: lol, Maria needs the "balls" to talk to Michael about her feelings. Thanks for reading! maji343: Does Max realize that Maria doesn't love him soon? Um . . . no, unfortunately. Max has a lot of almost-realizations that never turn into full realizations. Adara: You feel bad for Liz? You might be the only one. And you're right, Maria is very tricky. Dee: Who will break first? You'll just have to wait and see! But I will say that they don't break up simultaneously. One couple does break up before the other. Laura and my Favorite Fashion Class: 1, him catching them getting on it (More for your first video in youtube) and secondly a brain transplant. Well, good guesses, but it's not either of those things that gets Max to stop being so blind. Alright, well, since I'm going out of town and will be without the Internet for another weekend, I won't be able to update again until Sunday. But since that's going to happen, I'm going to give you a longer part today! 19 pages, I think. And can you guys believe that you're already on page 435? Thanks for sticking with it! This is kind of a more playful part. Oh, and Pam Troy rears her ugly head! lol, I hate using her in fics, but I can't resist! Part 48 What the hell is she doing? Michael wondered sleepily when he felt Liz moving around a great deal the next morning. How could she even move a muscle? He was still practically paralyzed from all the sex last night. He stirred for a minute, then forced his eyes open. He glanced to the right at his alarm clock. It wasn't even 8:00 yet. Way too early for a guy like him. He turned his head to the left then to look at Liz. She was moving her feet back and forth along with her shoulders. It almost looked as though she were . . . dancing? "Liz, you okay?" he asked her. Maybe she was having a seizure . . . "What?" She rolled over and whacked his stomach with her arm. "Christ!" he swore. "Oh, I'm sorry," she apologized, waking up when she did that. "I'm sorry. Did I hit you?" "Yeah, just a little," he said, holding his hand to his stomach. "Sorry," she said again, resting her hand alongside his. He placed his hand atop hers and asked, "Were you havin' a bad dream or something?" "The worst," she said. "I was dreaming about the dance that I have to do tomorrow at the soccer game." "I knew you were dancing." "I was what?" "You were dancing in your sleep," he informed her. She blushed. "Oh my god, how embarrassing." "Hey, it's better than snoring or something." "Speaking of," she said, "I'm thinking about getting you one of those plugs." "What? I don't snore." "You do a little." Holy hell, he thought. You learn something new every day. "Alright, well, I snore, you dance. We should have some peaceful nights in store." She laughed. "Yeah. But it's better than sleeping alone." "It is," he agreed. "Like the night before last. I had the hardest time sleeping alone. How about you?" He thought back to that night. Well, he hadn't slept with Liz, but he definitely hadn't slept alone, either. Miss DeLuca had been quite the cozy companion. "Oh, okay, so you slept like a baby," she concluded when he didn't answer. He just chuckled a little and decided to change the subject. "Hey, uh . . . don't worry about the dance tomorrow. You're gonna kick ass. Everyone's gonna be cheering for you." "Are you gonna be there?" "Hell yeah, I'm gonna be there. Your big debut. Where else am I gonna be?" "Aw . . ." she smiled, leaning in to give him a kiss. ~~~~~~~ Maria and Liz went to Tess's and Isabel's dorm room that day. Tess had racks of clothing that she had made set up and on sale for a special price. She said she was trying to get rid of some stuff because the room was starting to get crowded. Liz didn't even browse through the clothing. She just stood there raving about Michael while Maria did all the browsing. "He's so sweet." "Sweet?" Maria echoed. "Michael Guerin is not sweet." Liz shrugged. "He is to me." "Sweet," Maria echoed again, thinking about some of the things he said to her sometimes and the way it made her feel. "You look like a Barbie." "You're, like, the hottest girl I've ever seen." "You are my best friend, Maria." "I think you'd make a cute bumblebee." Some of the words that came out of his mouth were sort of . . . random, but they all resonated with her. "I guess he is a little sweet," she admitted, quickly adding, "in an annoying way." Liz just smiled. "You guys finding anything?" Tess asked as she approached them. "Finding too much." Maria sadly touched all of the shirts she couldn't afford to buy. "I had to give all my photo shoot money to Kyle to finish paying off the car." "What's wrong with the car?" Tess asked. "Had to get a new engine. Don't you remember when it broke down that night?" "Oh, no," Tess said. "I was very drunk." "Yeah, I get that." Maria held up an especially cute pink off the shoulder top that looked like something from Charlotte Russe and said, "Listen, could I get, like, a good friend discount for this?" Tess smiled. "Just take it, you bitch." "Thank you," Maria said, hugging the gorgeous shirt to her chest. It helped having a friend who was destined to be a designer. "Tess, do you realize how amazing this is?" Isabel asked out of nowhere. She sat at her desk, counting money. "You're basically running a multi-million dollar fashion business right here in our dorm room." "Multi-million?" Tess echoed skeptically. "Well, eventually." Isabel smiled and proudly proclaimed, "A thousand dollars right here. That's definitely a start." "A thousand dollars?" Maria couldn't believe it. "I'm so envious." "Me, too," Liz said. "I get to be your secretary," Isabel decided. "Ooh, and we need a sign for the door. You know, one that says 'Tess's Boutique.' Or 'Boutique de la Tess.'" Tess made a face. "De la Tess?" "Yeah, it's catchy, isn't it?" "Isabel, maybe you should go into business," Maria suggested, knowing her friend still hadn't declared a major yet. "You seem really . . . enthused." "Well, I am. Tess is gonna be rich and I'm gonna be her secretary." "And Liz and Maria are gonna be my top-customers," Tess added. "Well, as long as I keep getting the good friend discount," Maria said. Tess laughed and made her way over to the door. "Alright, I think Boutique de la Tess is closing for the day." "That's our hint to leave," Maria told Liz. "Oh, no, you guys can't leave," Tess said, shutting the door. "Store's just closing. We are having some quality girl-talk time." "Ooh, fun," Isabel said, clapping her hands together excitedly. "Money and girl-talk. Could this day get any better?" "I just couldn't help noticing that none of the guys are around," Tess said, sitting down on her bed. "For once. We need to take advantage of this time." "Sounds fun," Maria said, sitting down on the bed as well. Isabel joined them, and Liz squeezed in. "So," Liz said, "what does one talk about when engaging in girl-talk?" Tess laughed. "Well, one talks about guys." "More precisely, sex with guys," Isabel informed her. "And since we all have guys and have sex with them, this should be a fairly inclusive conversation." Tess smiled. "Cool," Liz said. "You know, a few weeks ago, I wouldn't have been able to talk about this." Isabel and Tess shared a look. "She's all grown up," Tess said proudly. "And deflowered," Isabel added. Maria rolled her eyes. Part of her was envious that Liz had had her first time with Michael. Maria couldn't even remember what her first-time guy had looked like. "Okay," Tess started them off. "So last night, Kyle literally drove me insane with desire." "Oh, I could tell," Isabel said. "The look on your face . . . I thought you were gonna lose it." "I did," Tess said. "Three freakin' times in a row. Do you have any idea what that's like?" "Oh my god!" Isabel gasped. "Three?" "Yeah. I could barely walk this morning." "What'd he do?" Maria asked, her interest piqued by an unfathomable three consecutive orgasms. She'd had two, but none of the guys she'd been with had the stamina to give her three. "He went down on me, right," Tess said, "but he just, like, did this thing with his tongue that was above and beyond the regular." "Thing?" Isabel asked. "What thing?" "Oh, you know. That thing," was all Tess said. Isabel looked confused. Again, she asked, "What thing?" "That thing." Liz turned to Maria and quietly said, "I'm not following." "Yeah, me neither," Maria said. "Kyle tongue-talk is lost on me." "That thiiiiiing," Tess said even more emphatically, swirling her hands wildly in the air, though it did little to facilitate understanding. "Okay, well, obviously if you don't know what it is, he's never done it to you. Trust me, you'd remember it. So just tell him to do it to you, 'cause it's pretty much the most amazing feeling I've ever felt in my life." "Noted," Isabel said with a nod. "I'm not trying to brag or anything," Tess said. "Uh, how 'bout you, Maria? Does Max do any things for you?" "Oh, keep the detail to a minimal, please," Isabel begged. "He is my brother, you know." "I'm just wondering if it's true," Tess said, "you know, that it's always the quiet ones. Is it?" "Um, I don't really know," Maria admitted. "Max is the only 'quiet one' I've ever been with, so . . ." "He doesn't seem too quiet to me," Tess said. "I hear things when I'm down in that basement." "Yeah, he makes this weird grunting noise," Maria acknowledged. "Venturing into TMI territory," Isabel warned, cringing. "Sorry," Maria apologized. It was so easy to forget that Max and Isabel were related because they were nothing alike. Except that they were both a little . . . blind to what was going on around them sometimes . . . "So the sex is good?" Tess asked. "Yeah, it's good." She seemed to be expecting a little more elaboration, because she gave Maria an urging look. "Detail to a minimum," Maria reminded her. "Thank you," Isabel said. "Alright, let's hear about the really juicy stuff. Liz. What on earth is sex with Michael Guerin like? And feel free to get detail-y with this one, because that man has been my secret fuck fantasy for the past two years." "Oh my god, me, too!" Tess exclaimed. Isabel smiled. "Yeah!" Liz laughed a little. "Well, what do you wanna know?" "Just, like, everything," Isabel replied in a rush. "Yeah, everything," Tess agreed. "Remember, you're talking to two girls who have never had sex with him. And one who probably hasn't." She subtly pointed at Maria. "I have not had sex with Michael," Maria replied emphatically. Isabel grunted. "She says the night before the sex tape surfaces." "There's no sex tape!" Tess played along. "He is an aspiring director." "No sex tape!" Isabel and Tess just laughed. "Uh, well . . ." Liz cut in unsurely. "Granted, I have nothing to compare to, but I can't imagine anybody doing the things Michael does the way he does them." "So, in other words, yea Michael?" Tess summed it up. "Way yea," Liz said. "Oh my god. I think that's the most valley-girl I've ever sounded in my life." "Good job," Tess exclaimed, clapping her hands together excitedly. "Okay, so what's your favorite sexual position?" Liz blushed and said, "I don't know." "Well, which one's have you tried?" Isabel asked. "Um . . ." Liz hesitated a moment, then started spilling. "Well, the one where he's on top." "Missionary, yeah," Tess said nodding. "What else?" "Then the one where I'm on top." "Always a pleaser," Isabel said, grinning. "And we did it once facing each other." "Lying down?" Tess asked. "Yeah." "Love it." "And . . ." Liz trailed off then and said, "That's all." Tess and Isabel exchanged knowing looks, and Isabel said, "Oh, that's not all, Liz Parker. What else have you guys done?" "I don't even know what you call it," Liz said. "Well, just describe it," Tess urged. "Don't describe it," Maria mumbled. Michael Guerin had quickly become her secret fuck fantasy, too, and the conversation was making her insanely jealous. "What is it, 69?" Tess guessed. "'Cause that's a classic." "77?" Isabel ventured. "It's, like, the new cool thing." "Um . . ." Liz seemed confused as to what those numbers represented. Finally, Maria couldn't take it anymore. She rolled her eyes and blurted out, "Doggie style." Isabel and Tess gasped and looked at Liz in amazement. "Bad. Girl!" they both said in unison. "No, I'm not bad," Liz insisted. "No, you are, and it's good," Tess said. "Very good," Isabel agreed. "Maria, how did you know? Were you watching?" "Sick, no. I just know Michael," she explained. "He's obsessed with doggie style. It's like this whole primal, animal, guy thing." "Guys are animals," Isabel agreed. "Kyle's definitely, like, a tiger. Wouldn't you say, Tess?" "Oh, yeah. Meow." Tess laughed. "And then there's guys like Alex, who are, like . . ." "Like a puppy dog or something," Isabel filled in. "Or a kitty." "A kitty," Tess agreed. "Alex is a kitty. What about Max?" "Um . . ." Maria shrugged. "I don't know. Like a playful deer. You know, la, la, la, and then sometimes he gets, you know, caught in the headlights." "And what about Michael?" Isabel asked Liz, grinning. Liz thought about it for a moment, then smiled and said, "A horse." Tess, Maria, and Isabel all exchanged confused looks. Liz laughed and explained her reasoning. "Because he's got a big . . . you know." "Oh, there we go," Tess said. "Yeah, I like that," Isabel agreed. "Very creative." "That's hot," Tess agreed. "Very." Liz blushed. Maria sighed heavily, wishing they would stop talking about their boyfriends. It was hard to act unaffected. "Don't you love girl-talk?" Tess said. "Yes," Isabel replied. "Yeah, I do, too," Liz said. "Yeah," Maria replied lastly, because usually she did. If she hadn't been so jealous, she would have liked this girl-talk, too. ~~~~~~~ Michael opened up another letter just to get another disappointment. Still no other film internship. He was at 1-4 now. Hope was dwindling, but he still had a few options left. Max and Kyle, though they were sitting in the living room with him, seemed oblivious to the fact that he was upset about anything. Max was the one to break the silence that had engulfed them for quite some time when he pondered, "So what do you think the girls talk about when we're not around?" "Oh, you know," Michael said. "Makin' out with each other, having pillow fights in their underwear." "Hmm," Max said. "I think that's just what you're thinking of." "Well, yeah," Michael admitted with a shrug. He crumpled the rejection letter up in his hand and tossed it at the trash can. It bounced off the rim and onto the floor, but there was no damn way he was going to go pick it up. "What do you think, Valenti?" he asked. "You should know. You've got two girlfriends." Kyle's eyes didn't even leave the television screen. "Mostly they just talk about me." "Good job, man," Michael said. "Really. I applaud you." He clapped his hands four times. "Yeah, I know. I rock," Kyle said. "No, if I know my girls the way I think I do, they're just talkin' about sex. Horny little devils." "Yeah," Michael said. "I bet my girl is, too." "Liz?" Max said. "Wow, you've really corrupted her." It dawned on Michael, then, that he hadn't been thinking about Liz when he'd said that. He'd been thinking about . . . someone else. "Actually, I was talkin' about Maria," he confessed in the interest of full-disclosure. Max immediately bristled. "Maria's my girlfriend." "I know," Michael said, confused as to why he would even say something like that in the first place. Sure, Maria had sort of been his girl . . . before Max and Liz. She sort of still was. "Hey, I bet Liz is talking right along with 'em," he said in an effort to ease the tension that had just arisen. "She's got a dirty side, you know. Got her down on all fours the other night." "Nice," Kyle said, laying out his hand for a high-five. Michael slapped it. "King of the night." Kyle laughed at him. Michael laughed at himself. But Max didn't laugh at all. ~~~~~~~ It was nice outside the next day, much to Michael's relief. He would have hated to sit out at a boring old soccer game freezing his ass off. If Liz and the new dance team hadn't been making their debut performance, he wouldn't have even been there. "I can't believe I'm at a soccer game," he mumbled as he waited in line at the concession stand towards the end of the first half. "It's so lame." "Shut up," Maria said. "You're just jealous 'cause you're not athletic." "Hey, I'm the gold medal winner in the sport of sex." She rolled her eyes. "Oh my god." "It's true." "Just remember, you're here to be a supportive boyfriend. Liz is trying to act all calm, but she's completely freaking out, and so is the rest of the team." "I'm sure they'll do fine," he said. "I mean, it's not that hard, right?" She grunted. "Not that hard? You try doing a switch-leap." "What the hell's that?" "Something that's hard to do, dumb-ass." He chuckled as the people in front of them got their food and headed off. "Okay." He stepped up to the front of the line and leaned over the counter. "Yeah, I'll have a cheeseburger, hot dog, two popcorns, one Snickers, two M+Ms, not Peanut, and . . . you guys got any beer back there?" "Just pop. Sorry," the guy behind the concession stand said. "Okay, then . . . a Mountain Dew, I guess." "Coming right up." Maria stared up at him in amazement and remarked, "You're gonna eat all that?" "Yeah." He grinned. "I work up an appetite." "Sick," she mumbled in response. "Get me a hot dog." "Uh, no." "Get me a hot dog, Michael." "No." "What?" "Have Max get you a hot dog," he said. "No pun intended, of course." "Oh, of course." She rolled her eyes. A minute later, the guy who had taken his order came back up to the counter with his junk food piled high. "Alright, there you go," he said, handing it over. "Anything else?" Maria jumped in front of him and said, "Yeah, what's the most expensive thing you guys have?" "That would be our super supreme nachos," he replied. "Four dollars." "Sounds great," she said. "He'll take that, too." "Coming right up." Maria turned and smiled up at Michael, obviously pleased with herself. He just shook his head. Four bucks was a little ridiculous for nachos that probably wouldn't be super or supreme, but he could never say no to her. "Don't mess with the best," she said confidently. He raised an eyebrow and flicked a kernel of popcorn at her in retaliation. It went straight down her shirt. "Hey!" "Sorry," he said. "Let me get that out for you." He pretended he was going to reach down her shirt, but she smacked his hand away. "Perv," she said, reaching down herself and fishing it out. She held it up in front of her eyes for a moment, then threw it back at him. He caught it in his mouth. "You're sick," she said, blushing a little. He shrugged. "I'm a guy." "That you are." Her nachos were ready a few seconds later. The concession guy brought them up to the counter and once again asked, "Anything else?" "Nope, that's all," Michael said, quickly handing his money over before Maria could think of anything else she wanted. "Thanks, man." He stuffed his candy in his pockets and carried the rest of his food precariously back towards their seats. "Mm, these are good," Maria commented as she started in on her nachos. "I'll bet," Michael said. He managed to get all of his food in one arm and reached over with his free hand to grab an especially cheesy nacho off the plate. He popped it into his mouth and nodded in agreement. It was good. "Did I say you could have one?" she said. "Nope." He reached over and swiped another one. She tried to swat his hand away, but he was too fast for her. He took an even cheesier chip and, instead of eating this one, swiped it against her cheek, getting cheese on her face. "Michael!" "Yeah!" he said, laughing. "That's how we do things in the O.C.!" She gave him a confused look as she wiped the cheese off of her cheek. "We're not in the O.C." "Well, we might as well be. We got enough drama." "That's true," she acknowledged, still wiping the cheese away. "Is it off?" "Yeah," he said as he started down the steps toward the front row bleacher. "Is it really?" He chuckled. "No." "Get it off, Michael." Still balancing all of his food in one arm, he turned back around, reached up, and wiped the rest of the cheese away with his thumb. Crazy, he thought. She's beautiful even when she has food on her face. She smiled a little, then said, "You're an ass," and pushed him backwards just slightly. One of his bags of popcorn went flying onto the ground. "Oh, nice, Maria," he said. "You're buying me a new one." "I'm so not." "Yes, you are." They continued bickering about whether there would be a replacement popcorn until they got back to their seats where Max, Kyle, Isabel, and Tess were waiting for them. "What took you guys so long?" Kyle asked. "We thought you killed each other." "Maria got in a fight with the nachos," Michael explained, sitting down next to Kyle. "Michael subconsciously admitted to watching The O.C.," Maria informed them, squeezing in between Michael and Max. Kyle gave him a horrified expression. "'Cause the girls . . . on the show . . . are hot," he said, quickly trying to recover some of his manliness. "Who's hot?" He turned around when he heard his girlfriend's voice and found Liz standing behind him. She was wearing black pants and a hot pink, sparkly midriff. The outfit was tight, and it looked good. "Just you, Parker," Michael said, reaching his hand up to rest a hand on the back of her leg. Isabel stopped massaging Kyle's shoulders long enough to complement Liz's ensemble. "Liz, love the outfit. It's so slutty." "Um, thanks," Liz said unsurely. "I picked them out," Maria piped up. "You should see one of the outfits they're getting for football season. Cute denim skirt, cowgirl hat, boots . . . the works." "Cowgirl, huh?" Michael said, picturing it. "You might have to wear that for me at home, too." She laughed a little and said, "Maybe I will." "Maybe I'll kill myself," Maria muttered. Michael turned and gave her a look. "What's your problem? You got your nachos. Aren't you happy?" "Why are you such a jerk, Michael?" He leaned in closer so that no one else could hear and joked, "'Cause it makes you hot." She gasped in outrage and shoved all the rest of his food out of his hands. His popcorn scattered over the ground, and his cheeseburger and hot dog were gone before he could even enjoy them. "What the hell, Maria?" All he had left was his pop and candy. "What'd you do that for?" "I don't know," she answered through clenched teeth. "Maybe it makes you hot." Well . . . it did. "Um, Maria?" Liz said quietly. Both Michael and Maria looked up, and Michael found himself greeted with the sight of the entire dance team now. Not just one girl, but eight girls, eight hot, in-shape girls wearing the same pink midriff. This was better than The O.C. Way better. "What do we do?" Liz asked. "Oh, um . . ." Maria glanced at the clock. "Alright, they're gonna go into halftime in two minutes, so just go stand down by the field. Don't jump around and talk to each other. Just everybody stand there in the parade rest position and wait until it's time to dance." "What about the music?" Liz asked, obviously worried. "I took it care of it. It's all ready to go up in the sound booth. The announcer's gonna play it, you guys are gonna kick ass, and everything's gonna be great." "Right," Liz said, wringing her hands together nervously. "So . . . what do we do?" "Go stand down there," Maria instructed again. "Right," Liz repeated. "Alright, girls, let's go . . . stand down there." Michael watched as Liz nervously led the rest of the team down the steps to stand on the track. They all stood in the same position, but, unlike Maria had instructed, they were talking to each other. "Not the quite the captain you were, is she?" he said to Maria. "Not yet," Maria said. Not yet? Michael thought. He had a hard time believing that anybody could ever fill Maria's shoes on that dance team. She had really invested herself in it for four years, and she was so good at it. "Do you wish you were out there with them?" Max asked her. "Yeah," was all she said. She didn't elaborate any further, probably because she didn't want to. She ate her nachos until halftime started, and Michael helped her. Once the soccer team cleared the field and headed into the locker rooms, though, she stood up and set her plate down behind her. "A valiant effort so far by the University of Santa Fe," the announcer said, "but unfortunately, they haven't been able to hold off Albuquerque. But now, for your viewing the pleasure, the real show begins at halftime! Give it up for the Sun Rays dance team!" The crowd erupted in cheers, and Maria was the loudest of all. "Alright, dance team! Woo!" she shouted at the top of her lungs. Michael stood up along with everyone else, and glanced at Liz. She and the rest of the team was just standing there, looking confused and afraid. "Run out, dance team!" Maria shouted, gesturing them toward the field. "Run out! Run out!" Liz hesitantly took to the field. She didn't run so much as prance nervously, and the rest of the girls followed suit. "Alright, Liz!" Michael shouted, hoping to encourage her. "Hot sex tonight!" "Don't distract her," Maria hissed. "Go, Liz!" Isabel and Tess shouted in unison. "Break it down, ladies!" Maria called. The crowd quieted down as the team took their starting positions. Maria gripped the railing tightly saying, "Oh, I wish I was wearing that outfit." Michael glanced over at her, imagining how hot she would look in it. "Yeah, me, too," he said. The music started in suddenly, and the team all began to dance. It was an energetic routine right from the start, fast hip-hop to an old-school rap song. Although it looked good from what Michael could tell, synchronized and the like, it lacked some of the passion and emphasis that Maria had always added to it. "Woo!" Maria cheered. "Shake it, ladies!" Even though he was supposed to be watching Liz, he found himself watching Maria instead. She was practically doing the dance right along with them. It was obvious how she longed to be out there with them. Watch your girlfriend, Michael told himself. She's doing good. And she was. Her movements weren't quite as strong as Maria's were, her showmanship not so vibrant, but she was kicking ass considering the fact that she had never danced in front of a crowd before. Good job, Liz, he thought, though he found himself still wanting to watch Maria. The crowd was really starting to get into the dance by the time Liz moved to the front and center of the formation. She was smiling more now, and it was obvious that she was feeling much more comfortable. "You got it, guys!" Maria shouted, cupping her hands around her mouth to make herself even louder. "Woo!" But suddenly, something happened. At first Michael thought it was part of the dance, but he quickly realized it wasn't. Liz just stopped dancing, and the rest of the team, having been following her lead, stopped as well. The crowd gasped in astonishment. "What?" Maria spat. "No, keep going!" A few of the girls tried to get back into it, but the team as a whole was lost. They all stood there, looking at each other in a state of total panic. No one seemed to be able to remember what came next. "This!" Maria screeched, doing the moves full-out in the stands now. "Ah!" Holy shit, Michael thought. This was definitely not the dance team that had won state three years in a row. Liz raked her hands through her hair, looking as though she were about to cry. Everyone in the audience started talking amongst themselves, saying things like, "They suck," or "I can't believe it." "Oh my god," Maria said, sounding as panicked as the team was. When one of the girls brought out the robot as a joke and an attempt to keep going, Maria almost lost it. "Uh!" she screamed. She slid under the railing without a second thought and ran out onto the field. The audience fell quiet again and just sat there, waiting to see what would happen next. Michael smiled and watched her run out towards them. He knew what was going to happen. He knew Maria, and he knew she would be damned if she let her dance team flounder. She jumped in front of them and got right into the dance. Just like that. No problem. She had the attitude and the energy in spades. The moment she was there, the rest of the girls caught back on to the movements as well. Even Liz, though she was halfway in tears, got the rhythm back; but Michael got the feeling that, if Maria left, they'd be just as lost and confused. "Yeah, Maria!" Isabel and Tess shouted as she showed all the other girls what a real dancer was. Michael couldn't take his eyes off of her. She was unbelievable. The way her body moved . . . was unbelievable. In a way, it was unnatural. Most people's bodies didn't roll up and down the way hers did, they didn't pop forward and back. Most people couldn't shake their hips so fast. Most people could never even attempt to master a dance the way she did. The rest of the team certainly couldn't. She made them all look like amateurs. It wasn't her fault. She was just so good. The crowd erupted in cheers when some major hip-swirling came into play. Michael grinned. It was definitely his favorite part, too. "Oh, yeah," he said. Those movements were followed by some shimmies and, Maria's signature move, the butt-popping. She was so good. So good. I wish I had my video camera, Michael thought as she and the rest of the team leaped and literally spun around in the air. He would have loved to film her. They landed on the ground, in sync, as the music ended. Everyone applauded, seemingly having forgotten about the giant pause in the middle of the routine. "Woo!" Tess screamed. "Good job, girls!" "Sexy ladies!" Isabel called. "Ow-ow!" Michael clapped along with everyone else and said, "Yeah, Maria!" "Dude," Kyle said, leaning over, "shouldn't you be cheering for your girlfriend?" Yeah, Michael thought, watching as the team rallied off the field. I should. "Good job, Liz." Liz was still crying when they came up to the bleachers. The rest of the girls just looked embarrassed, although there were two who seemed to be trying to laugh it off. Maria, needless to say, looked mortified. "Just act like that was part of the dance," he overheard her telling the girls. "Act like I was supposed to go out there. Behind the concession stand. Team meeting, now." "Wait, just a minute," Liz said. "Michael!" She went running towards him and threw herself into his arms. "Oh my god, I was so bad." "You weren't bad, Liz," he told her, and that was the truth. She could have done a lot worse. "I forgot half the dance." "It's okay. It was your first time." He grinned. "Remember how it gets better after the first time?" She smiled a little, but she still looked really upset. "Come here. You did great," he said, pulling her into another hug. He looked over her shoulder as he embraced her and met Maria's eyes. He smiled at her a little, just to let her know he'd been watching her the whole time. She seemed to understand the nonverbal message, because she smiled back at him. ~~~~~~~ Maria couldn't contain her anger once she got the team rounded up behind the concession stand. If it wasn't for the announcer doing the stupid halftime raffle drawing, the people in the bleachers would have heard her. "What the hell happened?" she demanded, marching back and forth in front of the girls. "There's been a few dance team mishaps over the years, but nothing like that." She waited for a response but got none. "Somebody tell me what happened!" Sniffing back tears, Liz spoke up softly. "It was my fault. I just blanked out." "Okay," Maria said, unwilling to let one person take all the blame for a team disaster. "So Liz stops dancing. Does that mean the rest of you have to? No, you're supposed to keep going. Seriously, how could you all forget?" "Maybe it's not our fault," one girl said. Her name was Pam, and she was quickly becoming Maria's least favorite team member. "Of course it's your fault! Who else can you blame?" Maria shrieked. Pam narrowed her eyes and said, "You." Maria was taken aback. "Me?" she said. "How the hell can you blame me? I was the one who got out there and got you guys back on track! If it wasn't for me, you all would've done the robot for the last eight eight-counts! I saved you guys!" "You also choreographed the dance," Pam reminded her, "and even though it was okay choreography . . ." "Okay?" It took all of Maria's willpower not to reach out and bitch-slap the girl. "My choreography was genius." "It was too hard," Pam came right out and said. "Well, the old dance team managed to do it." "We're not the old dance team," Pam reminded her. "In fact, you're not even our captain. Liz is. I think she should choreography the dances." "Me?" Liz said in shock. "Oh, no, you really don't want that." "No, I really do," Pam said. "Maria's choreography caters to her own strengths, not to anybody else's." Maria frowned. "It does not." Pam threw her hands in the air, looking exasperated. "How many girls here can do the jumps that you can? Not one." "Then you should learn," Maria suggested. "Emergency practice tomorrow. If you're not there, you're off the team." She turned and started to stomp away, but Pam said something that stopped her. "You can't kick anybody off the team. You're not even on the team." She stopped in her tracks and thought about it. Unfortunately, Pam was right. A decision like that, since the team had no active coach, would be left up to the athletic board. She spun back around, fuming. "What are you, Pam, a freshman? You think you know everything? You think you're so hot?" "Hotter than you." "What did you say?" "Okay, okay," Liz interjected, rising to her feet. "This isn't solving anything. I think what we need to do is take a step back and figure out what we did wrong." Maria quieted down and watched Liz for a minute. For the first time since she had made the dance team, she seemed like a captain. "I don't think we can blame Maria," she said. "Her choreography was really great. We just didn't execute. So from now on, we need to do whatever it takes to make sure this never happens again. If that means extra practice, then it's extra practice. I don't . . . I don't wanna be the team responsible for ending this dance team's state championship streak, do you?" A couple of the girls shook their heads. Even Pam had quieted down into submission. "Good," Liz said. "So practice tomorrow, same time as usual. You really need to be there. 'Cause we're gonna work hard. We're gonna be a good team. I promise." A couple of the girls actually smiled, and Maria was amazed. Liz Parker did have some leadership qualities. Seemingly good ones, too. "Alright, well, that's it then," Liz said. She turned to Maria and asked, "That is it, isn't it?" "Yeah," Maria said. "Alright. Go enjoy the rest of the game." The rest of the girls got to their feet and headed back in to the bleacher area. Pam brought up the rear, smiling at Liz and glaring at Maria as she went. Maria ignored her and addressed her friend. "Good job, Liz," she said. Liz grunted. "Yeah, right. It was all my fault today." "No, Liz, don't take the blame for all of them," Maria said. "They've all been on high school dance teams before. They should be better than you. But honestly, I think you were the best one out there today." "Really?" Maria nodded. "Yeah." Liz smiled. "Well," she said, "until you got out there." "Until then," Maria agreed. "Come on. Michael's probably eating the rest of my nachos." TBC . . . -April Banner By: singerchic4
misty1987		#699	[-]
Posts: 166 (04/24/08 10:59:17) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	Except that they were both a little . . . blind to what was going on around them sometimes . . . Wow, somehow you combined both the understatement of the year with the whole theme of this friggin' novel. lol 100 Icons LJ Post Better than Me --- White Flag --- Here By Me
nicola tudor		#700	[-]
Posts: 134 (04/24/08 13:05:57) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	hi april great update loved the part with max and kyle when michael said maria was his girl also michael thinking of maria and cheering her on and when is max and liz going to realise the passion between maria and michael (for april lol ) Last Edited By: nicola tudor 04/25/08 13:06:11. Edited 1 times.

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Passion (M+M, AU, Adult, FINISHED, 10/29/08, Pg. 177)

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