Maria walked into work. She saw Liz sitting on the stairs leading to her house. "Hey." She said. Liz nodded wordlessly. "They're outside. Just so you know. Agnes is serving them." Maria walked over to her friend. "So we hide out here?"

"I just couldn't bear to see Max with............her."

Maria nodded spymphedicly. "I understand." Images of Isabel and Michael together flashed in her head, she bit her lips to keep from crying.

"So that's four orders of saturn rings, extra tobasco?" Agnes said.

"Yeah." Max said. The woman walked away. Maria and Liz emerged from the back room. They stood behind the counter together. Max looked longingly at Liz. Tess looked at Max, she was pissed. Michael ordered himself to keep his eyes off Maria. It was over between them.

The front door swung open as Alex walked in. Isabel glanced at him and then looked back at the table. Alex walked over to Maria and Liz. "Hey." He said gloomily.

"Hey." They said in the same tone.

"I need a orange soda on the rocks." Alex grumbled. He looked over at Isabel and Michael, Michael put and arm around her. Maria also saw this.

"You and me both." She sighed.

Isabel looked at Michael. Puzzlement crossed her face. She wanted to push his arm away and run to Alex. Michael knew this, he just did this to make it bitterly clear to Maria that it was over. Although he regretted it deeply.

Liz looked over at Maria. "Hey, why don't you go home, if my dad asks I'll tell him you've got menstural cramps or something."

Alex cleared his throat. "I really didn't need to hear that." Both girls laughed.

Michael watched Maria laugh. His heart crumbled. She shouldn't be laughing. She should be bawling her eyes out!

"Michael? You ok?" Max asked.

Michael looked at him. He nodded.

"Well, anyway, I honestly think we should stop coming here." Tess said.

"But, we've always eaten here." Isabel protested.

"Well, things change." She retorted.

Michael looked over at Maria as she left the crashdown. "I agree with Tess." He said.

Maria barged into her room in tears. She couldn't stand seeing Michael and Isabel together. She grabbed vial after vial of sniffing oils trying to calm down. Nothing worked. She trew the last oil across the room, it was ecualyptus. A smell that reminded her of Michael all the time. The vial spilled to the carpet, soon her room wrecked of ecualyptus. She screamed in frustraion. "Fucking czechoslovakian bastard!" she screamed to no one in perticular. She had to get away. She had to get away from all the pain.

Liz was talking to Alex when the phone rang. She picked it up. "Hello, Crashdown."

"Liz." Came a tear filled voice.

"Maria? What's wrong?"

"I know what I'm doing is compleatly dumb, and..." She babbled.

"MARIA!" She yelled. Customers looked at her, inculding the four. "What's going on?"

"I'm just doing this because everything just hurts so bad and-"

"Doing what? Maria tell me."

"I'm leaving."

"Leaving? What do you mean?"

"I'm.........." Her voiced lowwerd to a choked whisper. "Running away."

"Wha.....No......You can't be serious."

Max looked worriedly at Liz. Her entire body was shaking.

"I have to Liz, you don't understand."

"Yes I do. I know exactly how you feel, Maria, please."

She heard Maria breakdown crying. "I'm sorry. I'll call you."

"Maria!" She was only greeted by the click of Maria hanging up. She dropped the reciever.

Alex got up and ran over to her. "Liz? Liz?" Liz was frozen. She didn't move.

Max got out of his seat and ran over to her.

"Liz?" Tess' angrered flared. Isabel followed her brother, Michael follwed her.

Liz looked at Michael and Isabel. "YOU!" She screamed. "This is all your fault!"

"What?" Isabel asked.

"You goddamn assholes! Get out of my sight!" She tried to lunge at Isabel,

Max grabbed her. she struggled. "Let go of me!"

"Liz, what happened?" Michael asked.

"JUST SHUT THE HELL UP!"

"Liz." Alex said. Liz brokedown crying.

"She's leaving."

"What?" Max asked.