Immediately upon parking, Max pulled his keys from the ignition, and jumped right out, grabbing his backpack from the back seat and turning towards the front of the school.

"Where are you off to in such a rush?" Isabel asked curiously as she rushed to keep up with him.

"I just want to check in with Liz before class. She was busy doing the family thing all weekend, and Maria wanted to take her to school this morning. I just want to see how she's doing."

"Okay, well I'm coming with you."

Max whirled around to face his sister. "Iz..." He started in an irritated tone.

"Max...she's my friend too, in case you forgot, and I haven't exactly been friendly to her since I found out that she knew about us. I was wrong and I owe her an apology."

Max sighed and nodded. "Okay, come on."

They made their way together up through the front of the school, crowded with the different cliques of students standing around, talking loudly with one another.

"Isabel!" A shrill voice called out over the buzz of talking, as they passed the perfume stenched circle of the school's popular ice queens, the crowd that Isabel normally ruled over.

Max looked over at his sister curiously to see what she was going to do....this was usually where they parted for the day. Isabel's reaction today though completely surprised her brother.

Holding her head up high, Isabel remained glued to Max's side, walking right past the the clump of girls, completely ignoring them.

"Who are you and what did you do with my sister?" Max laughed in amazement.

Isabel looked over at her brother, a very serious expression on her face. "Those girls are not my friends, Max. They don't care about me and I don't care about them. Those so called 'friendships' are all for show. But you, Michael, Liz, Alex, Maria...you're the people I really care about. You're who I want to put first from now on."

Max slid an arm around his sister, pulling her into a warm, friendly embrace, one that both pleased and surprised her. It was a gesture that Isabel knew meant that Max accepted her as a part of his new life with Liz, and it warmed Isabel's heart.

"Isabel, hi!"

Both Max and Isabel turned to face the new voice that appeared beside tgem, and Isabel's face fell into a soft, almost shy smile at the sight of Alex's lean form falling into step beside her.

"Hey Alex." Isabel greeted him, "I'll talk to Liz later, okay Max?"

Max grinned, amused by her sudden change of heart. "Talk to you later, Iz."

"Bye Max."

Isabel turned to face Alex, a huge grin plastered across his face. His smile was so bright that it was contageous, and Isabel could help smiling back at him.

"So..." Isabel started slowly.

"So." Alex responded. "I just had to come over here and ask you if you really meant everything that you said on the phone the other night? I mean...about wanting to spend more time together and stuff?"

"Yeah Alex...I really meant it."

Isabel paused for a moment, uncertain about how to continue. She was used to guys throwing themselves at her, not vice versa. Isabel Evans did NOT ask guys out.

But that was the old Isabel Evans, the ice princess who didn't care about anyone or anythign except herself. But Isabel was tired of being that person. She was sick of not caring. She had seen the way opening himself up and caring about someone had completely changed Max's life, and made him a better person. Isabel wanted what Max had. Isabel wanted to be happy.

"So...I was thinking maybe we could start Friday night...with a date." Isabel finally suggested, just throwing the idea out into the open.

"A date? On Friday? That would be amazing...unbelievable even!"

Isabel laughed. "Okay, pick me up at six?"

"Okay...but Isabel?"

"Yeah Alex?" Isabel met his eyes curiously, wondering what was coming.

"Maybe I'm pushing too much here, and if I am you can just say no, it's all good. But Friday's so long from now. Are you busy after school today? We could, you know, just go hang out at the Crashdown? Talk and stuff..."

"Sounds like fun Alex." Isabel responded instantly, smiling brightly. "Meet me after school right here?"

"Okay."

"Bye Alex...I'll see you at lunch."

"Bye...Isabel."

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

"Max, I want to talk to you!" Michael insisted, coming up beside Max, and trying to pull him to the side of the hallway. Max just kept walking, forcing Michael to try and keep up with him.

"Can it wait?" Max asked, irritation seeping into his tone. "I really need to talk to Liz."

"Liz." Michael responded flatly. "Is Liz all you ever think about anymore?"

Max finally stopped walking, sighed, and turned to face his incredibly difficult best friend.

"I love her, Michael. Why can't you just understand that."

"I understand that. I just don't understand why you continue to risk all of us for her. Did you have to tell her, Max?"

"Michael...she'd be dead if I didn't tell her."

Michael sighed and ran a hand through his hair in frustration, unwilling to counter attack that comment for fear of sounding like he wanted Liz dead, which was far from the truth.

"I heard about Liz's grandma...is that why you weren't around last week?"

"I was at the hospital with her."

"You didn't try to save her, did you?"

"I couldn't." Max replied flatly.

"You couldn't...that implies that you wanted to, Max. That is not okay."

"It doesn't matter whether or not I wanted to, Michael. I didn't."

"Max, you're getting careless. You claim that you trust Liz, but how do you know for sure how she feels about all of this? Have you ever asked her outright how she feels about you being different?"

"It doesn't matter if I've asked her or not, Michael. We can trust Liz. That's all that matters."

"Well, it matters to me, Max. I don't believe that."

"Michael, will you just let it go? She's my girlfriend! I'm in love with her! Liz isn't going anywhere, and you need to get used to that."

Shaking his head angrily, Max stalked away from Michael, ending the argument as quickly as it began, and continuing his search for Liz.

-----

"Liz..babe, hello?"

"What?" Liz asked, realizing that she hadn't been paying attention. "Sorry, Maria. What did you say?"

"Liz...are you okay?" Maria asked, concern showing openly on her face.

"Yeah Maria, I'm fine. Why are you asking?"

"Because, Liz, I'm worried about you. You're supposed to be my best friend in the whole world, but I never seem to see you anymore...and when I do manage to get some time with you, you're always distracted, you know, off in your own little world."

"I know...I'm sorry, Maria. I was just..."

"Thinking about Max. I know."

"I'm so in love, Maria. I don't mean to do it, but I just loose myself in him."

"Girl, you loose yourself in him even when he's not there!"

"Maria...Max and I are connected in a way that I don't think you could even begin to understanddd. He's always there with me, Maria, in my heart and in my thoughts."

"Oh my God, Liz. That's so adorably cheesy!"

"I know...I mean, I even laugh at myself sometimes, but..." Liz was about to explain Max's presence inside her mind, when it occured to her that she couldn't. She was getting careless. To tell anyone, even Maria, would be to put Max's life in danger, and that wasn't an option.

"But what? Liz?"

"Nevermind."

"Nevermind?"

"Just...forget I said anything. What about you, Maria? Whatever happened with Michael? It seemed for a while like you were getting close to something...what happened?"

"Oh, I don't even know. We hung out a lot over the summer, and we had a good time at the Crash Festival and stuff, but after that it was like he pulled away or something. Who knows what's going on with him? I'm beginning to think he was never really interested."

"Or maybe he's just scared." Liz wondered aloud.

"Scared? What do you mean?"

"Well, he's got all of these defenses thrown up. Maybe he is interested, but he's so used to being alone that he's afraid of what would happen if he lets you in."

"Maybe..but I don't know, Liz. I'm just not going to get my hopes up."

Liz nodded in understanding. Michael was a difficult person...so completely different than Max, but still the same in so many ways.

Thinking of Max made Liz's attention return to that little place in the back of her head where Max had taken up residence inside of her. She had been concerned because a few minutes earlier she could feel his anger and irritation boil up to the surfacee, but his emotions were settling down now. And...

Liz smiled softly and let three words slip from her lips that absolutely blew Maria away.

"Max is coming." She sighed happily.

"What?" Maria gasped, as at the same moment, Max came around the corner behind Liz's back, and approached them.