He had tried everything he could think of to fight his....attraction...connection... whatever, to Tess. He thought of Liz, of his love for her and that feeling inside whenever she touched him. When that didnąt work, he had moved on to mud, dog food, dead puppies, toilets, garbage, athleteąs foot, mold, mildew, and finally, Valenti.

But the minute he saw Tess, he was back in 'spazzland'.

What was it about her?

He cautiously studied her as she sat diagonally ahead of him in U.S. Government class. Liz wasnąt in this class, so he didnąt have to worry about being 'caught,' but it still didn't feel right checking out an attractive girl.

And Tess was attractive, no doubt. She was medium height, with blonde hair and light blue eyes. But she was about as opposite from Liz, his ideal woman, as you could get. Sure, she filled out her clothes in places Liz...

Well, not that it mattered to him. Right? Surely that wasn't the reason.

But, be honest, what else could it be? He had never even talked to her, so it couldnąt be her sparkling personality that attracted him.

Attracted him.

Okay, he lectured himself. You're attracted to her. Big deal. You can be in love and still be attracted to someone else, right?

Right.

But when Tess looked back at him suddenly, the blue eyes drew him in...in a way heąd never experienced before. Her face was like an echo in his memory, almost like a deja vu.

As her eyes widened, he realized that she felt it, too, the connection between them.

He finally pulled his eyes away and took a deep breath. Nothing like this had ever happened to him before with a girl.

Of course, the only thing he had to compare it to was Liz.

Who was beautiful. Wonderful. Brave. Worth dying for.

He shook his head. If that was true, then what the hell was happening to him?

******

In the bathroom after her one class without Tess, Liz splashed cold water on her face.

This couldnąt be happening.

It was like a nightmare.

Tess was in five of Liząs classes. She was everywhere, especially whenever Liz tried to talk to Max.

And Max wasnąt acting like himself at all. Anytime Tess was near, he stumbled over words, blushed and eventually excused himself quickly to leave.

Liz studied him like she would a specimen under a microscope. She noted the symptoms and tried to unemotionally diagnose the problem. But the answer hurt every time.

He was more than just attracted.

It was impossible, her mind screamed at her, but somehow, Max Evans was falling in love with someone else.

******

Maria opened her locker with a sigh. She hadn't seen Michael since her blow-up at lunch. To tell the truth, she didn't want to.

She told herself over and over again to just accept the fact that his life was complicated. That there were things she would have trouble dealing with occasionally.

But, losing him...after she had opened herself up to him so much...

That, she knew sheąd never be able to deal with.

As she pulled out her science book, a small tray came with it. It was wooden, with small round grooves cut out in rows. The note taped to it read, "How's this for being a guy?" -Michael.

Maria smiled.

A tray for her aromatherapy oils.

She wondered briefly if this were handmade, then decided it didn't matter.

Genie powers aside, it still meant the same thing.