Her eyes roamed the place and then homed in on Kyle Valenti. He was with a few of his football buddies, and his laugh made her catch her breath. He was so gorgeous! She thought.

“Hey Cassie, do you want to sit down here or go to my room to work?” Liz said interrupting Cassie’s staring.

The girl flung her head around, blushed and stammered. “Here’s. …Here’s fine Liz.” She swallowed. She hoped Liz hadn’t caught her staring at Kyle like that. How embarrassing! It was bad enough to have a crush on the school football captain, and especially for someone like her. What were her odds of getting Kyle Valenti to notice her? None. She thought. She didn’t even try.

“Okay, I’ll go get us some drinks first, what would you like?” Liz asked. Liz tried not to smile too brightly at having caught Cassie dreamily looking at Kyle. She didn’t want to embarrass the girl more, but she was thinking of ways to get them to talk to each other.

Liz got their drinks and came back to one of the booths that Cassie had sat at. It couldn’t have been farther from Kyle and his group unless it had been outside the café. Liz was amused at how hard Cassie worked at not being noticed by Kyle or many people.

They had been working for about an hour on their project when Kyle and his friend got up to leave.

Kyle had said hello to Liz earlier, so he was about to just pass by the table she was at, when his eyes connected with the girl sitting across from Liz.

The intense green eyes that he caught for a second before the girl bowed her head back down stopped him in his tracks.

Liz saw Kyle stop and head over to them. She was pleased. She was going to call him over if she had to.

“Hey Liz.” Kyle said, but looked at the girl across from Liz who now had her head down.

“Hey.” Liz smiled and looked over at Cassie to see what she thought of Kyle looking at her, then frowned when she saw Cassie looking everywhere but at Kyle.

“Ah Kyle, you remember Cassie, Cassie Owens don’t you?” Liz introduced them.

“Cassie?” Kyle frowned in thought.

“Cassandra Owens. Remember she was the school treasurer last year and worked on the school yearbook with a bunch of us?”

Kyle’s face took on a look of recognition at the reminder and he was surprised. Last year she had been a skinny little thing, shy like she was now, but really skinny and unnoticing in her manners and very unapproachable if he remembered correctly.

She still probably wouldn’t have been unnoticeable if it hadn’t been for that look he had caught from her. Her eyes…

“Hey Cassie, how are you?” Kyle wanted her to look up so he could see into her eyes again.

Cassie couldn’t ignore looking at him when he was talking to her and she finally raised her head and smiled softly at him.

Kyle felt a kick in his stomach when he met intense green eyes again, and had to take a deep breath. What the hell? He thought.

“Hey.” Was all Cassie said, but this time she didn’t look away. She couldn’t. Kyle’s own eyes were holding hers.

Liz was ecstatic to see the way the two were looking at each other. Maybe this was going to be easier than she thought.

“Ah, well I’d better go. See you later Liz, Cassie.”

Liz noticed the way Kyle said Cassie’s name softer and saw that Cassie had too, for she had a stunned look on her face after Kyle left.

“He’s a great guy.” Liz said.

“You…you dated him last summer, you…you guys are still friends. That’s nice.” Cassie actually smiled again.

“Kyle’s a great guy. It’s just that with Max and me, it was just…chemistry or something; we just knew we were meant. You know, you can tell when you look someone in the eyes.” Liz coaxed.

Cassie’s eyes flew up to Liz’s and then she blushed. She knew Liz had seen the way she had looked at Kyle. “I guess.” She shrugged.

Liz just nodded and let it go. Today had been a great start, and she hadn’t had to do anything yet! Yet being the key word.

**********************

Liz got to Maria’s just at 6:30, and found Maria and Isabel already laughing and ordering a pizza. Liz stopped to put the ice cream she had brought, in the freezer.

“Liz! The pizza will be here in 15 minutes.” Maria told her as Liz came into the living room.

Maria was sprawled out on a two-seater couch, and Isabel was curled up in a chair.

Liz flopped down on the larger couch, kicked off her sneakers and sprawled out on her stomach facing them.

“Okay Maria, any special reason you needed a girls’ night?” Liz teased with a smile.

“I asked her the same thing, and she avoided it.” Isabel said with amusement.

Both of them were watching Maria. Maria finally rolled her eyes and rolled over onto her own stomach on the couch.

“Okay…if you guys want to get right down to it.” She sighed. “Well, it’s Michael.”

Neither was surprised, so Maria went on. “I know we want to have a future together. I mean, he’s said as much. But, I’m not sure, I mean, we haven’t… done it yet. Michael hasn’t brought it up, but I know he’s concerned about what might happen with us. You know, about getting pregnant too.”

“Well, didn’t anyone ask Jordan about how to avoid that?” Liz looked at her two friends.

Isabel shook her head and looked uncomfortable. “I didn’t think to. I mean, Alex and I aren’t at that point yet. I figured you had asked Liz, or you Maria and you would tell me when I needed to know.”

Maria shook her head and sighed. “I thought maybe Jordan had told the three of you when he was explaining about your physical differences and stuff. Or that at least Jordan had sat Max down and told him what to do to prevent it from happening next time.”

Liz laughed. “Well no one told me if Jordan told Max. I assumed that one of you two would know since it’s already too late for me.” She teased.

Maria rolled her eyes. “Oh boy, we’re really prepared. Maybe Jordan told the guys?” she wondered.

“You haven’t talked to Michael about this yet?” Isabel sounded surprised.

“Not really, you know how sometimes Michael can be really closed up about things. Well, he hasn’t pushed that side of us since we came back from seeing Jordan, so I didn’t know what that meant. And he’s been a little quiet lately, so I didn’t ask him yet. I was hoping to find out from you guys. Thinking maybe Michael didn’t want to talk about it right now. That’s just it, I don’t know what Michael is thinking.”

“You two seem like your okay together.” Liz replied.

“Yeah, I mean, we are, it’s just that lately, he won’t open up as much. And I haven’t pushed him. I think he’s got to work whatever it is out in his own time. But I tell you if he keeps this up much longer I will ask.”

“Good!” Liz nodded and then got up to get the pizza when the doorbell rang.

When they all had their pizza and drinks, Liz turned to Isabel. “What about you and Alex?” she asked.

Isabel smiled and tucked a long blond strand of hair behind her ear as she bit into her slice of pizza.

“Well, he’s really a slow mover. I’m not complaining though, cause all the other guys I dated were too aggressive. It’s been such a refreshing change with Alex, but even I’m getting to the point where I’d like to go a little faster!” Isabel rolled her eyes and smiled.

Liz and Maria laughed.

“Yeah, well that’s Alex.” Maria nodded.

“You’re going to have to take the initiative Isabel. Alex will wait until you give him the go.” Liz added, reaching for a second piece of pizza and putting on the Tabasco sauce that Isabel had brought.

“I just wanted to make sure that I should do that, that he wouldn’t mind.” Isabel answered, then looked over at Liz.

“And how are you and my brother doing? He doesn’t sleep at home anymore.” Isabel said with a teasing grin.

Liz grinned and nodded. “Yeah. Well, we’re doing great. I mean, Max is just upset that we can’t be together together yet. He feels he has to take care of me and the baby now, you know?” Isabel smiled. “Yep, that’s Max. I hope he knows that you guys can’t be together yet. Our parents and yours would freak!”

Maria laughed. “Can you imagine. ‘Oh mom, by the way, I know I’m just turning 17, but I wanted to let you know that I’m getting a place with Liz Parker, cause she’s pregnant with my baby.’”

Liz laughed and threw a straw at Maria. “Brat! Like Michael doesn’t spend a lot of time at your place at night?”

Maria just smiled. “Yeah, okay, so Michael stays the nights with me most of the time too. But can you imagine if my mom ever caught us? Or your mom Liz… can you imagine if she ever caught you and Max?”

Liz shook her head and reached for a third piece of pizza. “Don’t even think it Maria! I don’t know what would happen if my mom and dad forbid me to see Max.”

Isabel and Maria exchanged amused glances at Liz’s appetite. “Well I know Max wouldn’t go for it.” Isabel grinned. “Mom and dad would have to tie him to his bed to keep him away from you.”

“So what should we do about the protection issue?” Maria sighed as she finished her second piece of pizza and groaned in fullness.

Isabel frowned in thought. “Well, I guess we could plan a trip this weekend to visit Jordan. There’s a lot more questions we all have now anyways. And I know Max wants to ask about your symptoms Liz.”

“So we’ll plan it for this weekend.” Liz nodded.

“Yeah, I think we better.” Isabel grinned as Liz reached for her fourth piece of pizza.

They all looked at Liz’s slice of pizza and laughed. “Oh hey guys, I also want to have a get together one night this week and invite my lab partner Cassie Owens over.”

“Is she new here?” Isabel asked.

“No isn’t she the one who is class treasurer for the second year.” Maria asked.

“Yeah, that’s her. She’s really sweet, and I think she is crazy about Kyle, and today he seemed interested too, but you know guys. And Cassie is so shy!”

“Yeah, she’s really unnoticeable isn’t she? I mean she kinda just blends in with everyone. It’s like she’s plain on purpose.” Maria added.