“Lizzie, where is my cedar oil, I NEED my cedar oil, WHO HID MY CEDAR OIL?!?!?” Maria cried frantically.

“Maria, BREATHE! Your cedar oil is in your locker, and the rush will be over soon. We can handle this, we’ve done it before,” Liz said, calmly and rationally. She looked at her hysterical friend, who had just barely ripped off her locker door and was now inhaling her cedar oil. “The rush will probably be over in half an hour.”

*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

An hour later, Maria and Liz were laying in a booth, completely exhausted.

“The rush will probably be over in half an hour,” Maria mimicked in a perfect Liz voice.

“So what, it’s over. That’s all that matters.” Liz said. The bell above the door jingles.

“Liz, can you get that? I can’t get up,” Maria asked.

“Yeah, sure,” Liz halfheartedly got up. “But you have to get the next two—OH MY GOD, MARIA GIMME THE DAMN CEDAR OIL!!!”

“What the—oh. I’ll get that,” Maria responded as she looked at her normally composed friend promptly breathing in the cedar oil. She eyed Max, Michael, Isabel, and Tess as she got up to take their order.

“What would you like to drink?” Maria stated impersonally. Michael was looking everywhere but at her, Tess seemed like she didn’t want to be there, Isabel was looking around for Alex, and Max looked like he could burn holes into Liz if he stared any harder.

Isabel spoke up first. “Hey Maria, did you highlight your hair? It looks great. I’ll have a coke, and, um, Max doesn’t look like he’s gonna answer, so, he’ll have a cherry coke.”

Maria always likes Isabel. That is, after she realized that she wasn’t a monster. “Yeah, I did, thanks. Michael, Tess?” Maria responded cheerfully. She loves it when people notice her hair.

“We’ll have sprites,” Tess said, a bit rudely. She was pissed off. Max, Michael, and Isabel aren’t supposed to feel this way for the humans, they are supposed to feel that way about us! Why can’t they just give in to their destinies?

Michael finally made eye contact with Maria. “We need to talk.”

“My shift ends in an hour. We’ll talk then.” She turned and walked away.

*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

Liz looked over at Max, and fell deep into his eyes. “No,” she thought aloud. She tore her eyes away, and walked to the counter. *He didn’t even say anything, and I freaked out. What am I gonna do when we talk?* She closed her eyes. She felt strong arms wrap around her. David. Liz sighed and turned around to embrace him. Then she remembered that Max was watching her. “Omigod,” she said and pulled away. David looked hurt, and she felt bad. “Can you go in the backroom? I’ll come in a sec.” He obediently left. She looked in Max’s direction.

Everyone at the table was looking at her. Michael and Isabel looked surprised, Tess looked smug, and Maria, who had their drinks, just froze. It looked like if someone had shot Max, he would be in less pain than at that moment. Michael was the first to recover.

“Who the hell was that?” He nearly shouted at Maria. All three of them had planned to get Maria, Liz, and Alex back, and they assumed that they would want the same. Now they weren’t so sure.

“Don’t shout at me! Did you think that we’d all just wait or you guys to get back, so that we could continue the pining?!? It just doesn’t work that way. Liz and David Regieg have been dating for a month, and David has made her really happy. Alex and I aren’t that lucky, we’re still single, but that doesn’t mean we’re running back to you. Liz has been the happiest I’ve seen her all summer when she’s with David, and you’re not going to screw it up! By the way, that talk is cancelled!” Maria let all the anger out, and directed it at the aliens. She turned and left. “Karen, get their food! My shift is over!” she barked at the waitress who just walking in, startling the poor girl. Then she stalked into the backroom.

Max sat still through the whole speech. He heard the whole thing, but was stuck on one fact. She moved on. The words repeated over and over in his mind. Max felt like he was gonna die. Pain washed over him, and he felt like he was drowning in it. How was he going to live without her? He needed her. And he thought that she needed him, too. This hurt more than Liz walking away from him did, because he knew he lost her for good.

“Max, I’m sorry,” Isabel said.

He didn’t hear her. He got up and walked away.

*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

David saw—and heard—everything. He put his back to the door and smiled. His mission was working well. He purposely put his arms around Liz like that when he saw his four enemies, and he completely broke the leader’s heart. Not only did he break up the leader and his love, but he succeeded in breaking up two others as well—Maria and Michael, and Isabel and Alex. The last pair, Tess and Kyle, didn’t even know they loved each other yet, since they haven’t talked much. And they never will, David thought with an evil look in his eyes.

*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

Liz walked into the backroom right after Maria’s speech. She didn’t want Max to find out like that. He looked like she slapped him. She felt terrible. “I am so stupid!” she said to herself.

“No, you’re not. Why would you say that?” She jumped when she heard David’s voice.

She just turned around and he enveloped her in his arms. Liz looked up into his concerned eyes. She couldn’t lie to him, so she told him the truth. “Remember when we first met, and I was really sad about breaking up with someone?” He nodded, and she continued. “He was out there. He didn’t know I moved on, and I didn’t want him to find out like that.”