"I'm not breaking any rules, Isabel! We're just going to the dance together." Max protested.

"Wait a sec...you're WHAT?????"

"We're going to Freshman Formal together."

"Max, that is NOT okay."

"It'll be fine Is. What's so bad about it? You're going to the dance! And you date all the time! What's so different about this?" "This is not the same thing, Max. I'm not looking for a relationship."

"Neither am I!"

"Whatever, Max! You're an awful liar! I've seen the way you look at her. I know what you're thinking. Next you're going to tell me that you've never once thought about telling her. "

"I'm not telling her anything, Isabel."

"That's right, Max. You're not. And I for one intend to keep it that way."

Will you just leave it alone, Isabel? I can take care of myself."

"Can you?" Isabel questioned quietly.

"I'm not listening to this anymore. I'm out of here!" Max announced angrily as he stalked away from his twin sister.

------

"So?" Maria questioned Liz eagerly.

"So now I am completely and utterly confused." Liz sighed.

"What happened?"

"Isabel showed up and Max got all weird, like he was doing something wrong by being with me. And then he ran off with Isabel."

"Doing something wrong? What in the world could be bad about being with you?"

"I don't know, Maria. But it was weird. Isabel showed up, and Max's personality completely changed. It's weird. I wonder why?"

"I don't know, Liz, but here's a thought. Maybe you should just talk to him about it. I mean, yeah, the guy keeps himself pretty much in the background all the time, but there must be a reason that you're the person who is finally starting to bring him out of his shell. I'll bet you if you talk to him, he'll answer your questions."

"Maybe you're right."

------

Max walked for hours after leaving Isabel, trying to clear his thoughts. What in the world was he supposed to do? For the first time in his entire life he had the opportunity to have the one thing that he wanted the most in the world. He wanted Liz, desperately.

Every moment that he was with her, the world seemed a little bit brighter, less bleak, and Max knew why. He was happy. Max wasn't happy very often. His world seemed to revolve around the fact that he didn't belong here, that he was different. It felt as though he was constantly waiting to be taken away, to a better place. Except when he was with Liz.

When he was with Liz, he praised the stars for bringing him here, for letting him break out of his pod when he did, even for making him who he was. Everything seemed right when he was with Liz. And that was why he wanted to move forward with her, to take her to the dance, even to have a relationship with her. She was amazing, the center of his whole world, and he was happy that way.

But responsibility kept getting in the way of that. Max was the responsible one. He was the person who kept Isabel and Michael in order. He was the one who kept them safe by making them follow the rules. And the reason in Max's mind told him that moving forward with Liz was dangerous. It was opening him and his family up to being discovered, and he couldn't allow that.

Dammit! Max cursed himself. Why me? Why am I the one who can't have anything I want. Michael was content being an outsider. He brought that upon himself in the same way that Isabel worked to be the popular girl in school. They both had their defense mechanisms to keep them safe. But Max, he had nothing. Nothing to make him happy, nothing to keep him safe. It was all on his own shoulders.

Well, he deserved a little happiness for once in his life. Max decided at that moment, that for once he was going to take care of himself instead of everyone else. He had this opportunity with Liz, and this time, he wasn't going to back down. He was going to do what he wanted, and screw Isabel and Michael and everyone else who tried to hold him back.

This was Max's chance to have a little happiness, and he was going to do it!

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

Liz collapsed on her bed with a sigh. Ugh, it had been an exhausting day at work today. And she was plagued with the extra burden of what was going on with Max, so by the time her shift ended, she was both physically and mentally completely worn out. All she wanted to do now was sleep....

"RIIIING!" Liz was interrupted by the ringing of the telephone in her room. She sighed softly to herself before picking it up.

"Hello?"

"Hi, is Liz there please."

"This is Liz."

"Hey Liz, it's Isabel."

"Isabel?"

"Evans, you know, Max's sister?"

"Oh, right. Hi Isabel. Sorry, I just got off work, so I'm a little out of it."

"Don't worry about it. Listen, Max told me about your date, and I just think that's so cool! Max doesn't really date, well, at all, and I'm just so excited that he's actually getting out for once."

"Cool."

"So anyways, I was thinking, since Max is my twin and all, maybe we should get to know each other or something."

Liz paused a moment. Where did this come from? "Um, sure. That would be cool."

"I don't have my dress for the dance yet. How about you?"

"Well, not yet. He just..." Isabel cut her off.

"So do you want to go shopping tomorrow after school, help each other pick out dresses?"

"Um...sure."

"Okay, it's a date. I'll see you tomorrow Liz!"

"Bye Isabel."