"God, Liz, could you glow anymore?" asked her best friend, just exiting the main restaurant into the break room.

"I wasn't aware that I was glowing." she answered quickly with a grin.

"Oh please! Your cheeks are probably tired from smiling by now. It was exciting, yes, but it's not like you haven't kissed Max before."

"True. But let me ask you this. If Michael walked in here right now and professed his undying love for YOU and then proceeded to kiss you breathless, wouldn't you be smiling?"

Maria chuckled like she had a secret. "Maybe. Maybe not."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing. It just means that maybe Michael is no longer of any consequence to me."

"Oh is that right? Has some other lucky young man grabbed our heroine's attention?"

"Maybe." Maria grinned and started to walk back into the main dining room.

Liz flew down the rest of the stairs and grabbed Maria by the shoulders. "You can't just walk away! I need details! Who is this mystery man?"

Maria burst out laughing. "Okay, so he's just some cute customer who happened to let it slip that he'll be in town for a while. Is it a crime to notice someone besides Michael Guerin?"

Liz shook her head. "No, absolutely not. It's just, well, he'd have to be pretty special to catch your attention. You have a hard time tearing your mind away from Michael thoughts long enough to deliver plates of food to people, never mind actually notice another male."

Maria giggled and playfully smacked Liz on the arm. "Oh shutup, dreamgirl!" Liz laughed at the reference to her dream date set up by the radio station.

"So what does he look like?"

"Well, he's still here. Wanna see him?"

Liz gave the blond a look that clearly read 'duh!' and Maria dragged her over to the round window in the swinging door that led back to the restaurant. "Okay, he's the redhead in the corner." She pointed inconspicuously to show Liz where he was. The brunette peeked her eyes up through the glass and caught an eyeful of Oz sipping his shake.

Her eyes widened slightly. "Oooh, Maria, he is cute. And he looks like he's a little older than us, too."

"And he's so sweet- he remembered my name and even introduced himself. His name is Oz."

"Oz? Cool nickname. But what's with you and guys with erratic hair?"

"Again, I say, shut up!" Both erupted in a fit of giggles.

~~~~~

Oz was just finishing up his shake and fries out at his table. He picked up the bill from where Maria had left it and checked the damage. $6.25. Not too bad. He still had a little money left to get a bit of a snack later or maybe some gas. Good thing he always kept his reserve $50 for times when he had to pay to stay somewhere. Now, the task before him was to find a job that paid under the table.

Reaching into his pocket he put $8 even on the table. Not the best tip, especially since Maria was nice, but he was on a budget. He looked around the diner for her to say goodbye, but she was nowhere to be found. Ah well, it's a small town, he thought. And I know where she works.

He was headed out the door when an orange flyer taped to it caught his eye. It read: "Wanted: Fill-in Lead Guitarist. To play upcoming gigs for "The Whits" for the next 3 weeks. Must have own guitar. Must be able to learn quickly. To schedule a tryout, call Alex. 555-7835."

Hmmmm, he thought. It was a possibility. He had brought his guitar with him- couldn't go long without playing it. Addiction is tough. And he was definitely available to practice and stuff. As for being a quick learner, well, he wasn't Einstein, but he was pretty quick. Yeah, he figured it was worth a shot. Even if they didn't pay too much, it'd give him some much-needed practice, and it'd give him something fun to do at night. Cool. He pulled the flyer off the door and headed off to find a pay phone.

~~~~~

"So where is he staying?" Liz continued her interrogation of Maria in the back room.

"Well, he mentioned something about having a van and needing a place to park it legally, so I told him about the Trailer Park."

"The one where Michael lives?"

"Is there another one in Roswell that I am unaware of?"

"But, what if they like, run into each other, or something?"

"Who cares?" Maria shrugged her shoulders.

"Okay, apparently not you." Liz decided to test Maria's newfound Michael aversion. "Okay, if you're so over Michael, then why don't you just go ask this Oz guy out?"

Maria stiffened, her brave front crumbling. "Oh, well, I, he probably just wants to eat, and..."

Liz chuckled. "Chicken."

Maria spun on her heel to face the other girl. "Did you just call me a Chicken?"

"I did, yes."

"Okay, fine. I'll go ask him out right now, miss 'thinks she knows it all'!" Maria spun back around and headed through the swinging door followed closely by Liz. She stopped short when she realized he was gone. "Oh, no, he left. Oh well."

The blond turned to walk back into the other room to finish her break, but was quickly caught by Liz. "Not so fast. You said he'd be around for a while. Next time you see him, you have to ask him out."

"What? Liz, I don't even know the guy..." She rolled her eyes at the superior look on Liz's face. "You know what? I'm going to do it. Next time I see him. How do you like that?"

The other girl smiled. "I like it just fine." Liz held out her hand, and Maria took it and shook it. "It's a deal."