| "Follow Your Heart" |
| Part 1 by Esmoon10 |
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Disclaimer: I don't own anything *SNIFF!* Summary: Max and Liz go to the same party to get their minds off each other. It takes place after "Disturbing Behavior", but it has nothing about Laurie. Category: Max/Liz Rating: PG-13 |
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| Liz sighed as Maria pulled her into the bustling hall full of people. Maria had made her come to this stupid party so she would be able to get her mind off Max. Like that would ever happen. "I really don't want to do this, Maria!" she groaned, but Maria shook her head, "No way! You are at this party and there's no turning back. We are going to have a blast! Have fun, flirt with guys, forget about Max," Liz rolled her eyes, "That's not even possible for me! First of all, I am not going to flirt with guys I have to see at school the next day and second, I think about Max just about every second of the day, right now I'm thinking, 'Max better not be at this party'" her best friend laughed, "Well, Sean's gonna be at this party, I know that," she grumbled, clenching her teeth, "he's gonna ruin all my fun," "Why is that?" Liz asked her, tilting her head. "Oh, come on! You know I can't stand that juvenile delinquent!" Maria gave her a light smack on the head. "Well, he's okay…" she told Maria, craning her neck, "Do you think Max will be here? I hope he doesn't come because I would be really uncomfortable," she added, looking over her shoulder to make sure neither Sean nor Max had arrived. Maria put her index finger to her head and acted out shooting herself. "Look, you can sit here and wallow in your teen angst or you can get up and dance with me!" Liz looked around the room and her eyes fell on Max and Michael walking through the doorway. Oh, damn! "I think I'll wallow, thank you," she said miserably. Maria narrowed her eyes, grabbed Liz, and pulled her onto the dance floor just as "In Love With Two" came on. "Makaila is just sooo cool! I absolutely love this song! Come on, let's dance!" Maria shouted. Liz gave her friend a half-hearted smile as she danced to the music. Michael watched Max staring at Liz. He put a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder, "Sorry, Maxwell, I didn't know she was gonna be here," Max threw his hands up in despair, "Think about it! Sean's gonna be here, Maria is Sean's cousin, and Liz is Maria's best friend. Of course she's here!" "You don't have to get hysterical. It doesn't matter anyway; you aren't going to think about Liz tonight. Besides, I thought you were over her," Michael answered. "Uh, that would be negative," Max remarked, "But we are friends now, so, you're right, it shouldn't matter," Michael laughed, "Ah, but it does matter, doesn't it?" Max gave him an angry look, then turned his attentions back to watching Liz, "Oh, God, she looks good. Doesn't she look good, Michael?" he shrugged, "Don't know, don't care. Now, Maria looks good!" "Whatever," The song ended and Maria & Liz got off the dance floor, breathless. Liz headed towards the punch table, "I'm going to get some punch, okay?" she called over her shoulder. Maria nodded, "Sure," she went to the table and met up with Max. "Oh, hi, Max," she said shyly. "Hi, Liz," he replied. "So, did Michael convince you to come?" she asked him, trying to make conversation. "Uh, yeah, actually. Did Maria make you come?" he felt a little ill at ease. "Um…yeah, she said I needed to get my mind off of yo-my problems," she corrected herself, feeling stupid beyond relief. "What problems?" he asked with genuine concern. "Why should I tell you?" she asked him, smiling. Max put on a serious look, "Because I'm your friend, aren't I? Friends should confide in one another," Liz winced a little when he said 'friend', but regained her composure. For a moment she entertained the thought of telling him that all the hot guys in school were chasing after her, just to see how he would react. Then she decided she wouldn't, besides, he probably wouldn't even care. He opened her mouth to tell him some made-up story about her schoolwork, but someone tapped her on the shoulder. "Hey," it was Sean. "Hey," she greeted him, feeling Max's eyes on her back. He didn't like Sean; there was something suspicious about him. At that moment, "I Shall Believe" came on the radio. This is our song! Liz thought excitedly, crossing her fingers that Max would ask her to dance. She immediately chastised herself. Of course Max isn't going to ask you, you idiot! Before Max would have even had a chance to make a move, Sean blurted out, "Do you wanna dance?" Max stiffened, He is so not your type, Liz, he thought to himself. Liz felt a small smile start to play on her lips. Sean was okay and it was obvious that Max wasn't going to ask her anytime soon, so, why not? She turned to where Maria was and flashed her a mischievous grin. Maria returned her smile with a discreet thumbs up. You go girl! She thought, Even if it is Sean. Liz smiled at Sean and extended her hand, "Of course," Max watched in horror as Sean led Liz to the dance floor. His eyes hardened, "Two can play at that game!" he whispered angrily as he went to go find Tess. Liz tried to pay attention to dancing with Sean, but her eyes kept wandering to Max and Tess dancing. I don't know why I torture myself. She thought, laughing at herself. Max couldn't concentrate on Tess, either. His focus was completely Liz and Sean. Was it his imagination, or did she seem a little too happy with him? Sean smirked, noticing the exchange of glances between Max and Liz. "Why don't you just tell him how you feel?" he whispered to her. "Is it really that obvious?" she asked, glad the light was dim so he wouldn't see her turning tomato red. "Yeah, both ways," he assured her. "Well, I mean, I do…but we can't be together-you just wouldn't understand," she tried explaining. "Why wouldn't I understand? Why can't you be together?" he asked, curiosity overcoming him. "You just…wouldn't," she sighed. "Okay, I may be a delinquent, but I know if you love someone, and they love you back, there's no reason why you can't be together," "Thanks, but…" she started, but he stopped her, "No buts, tell him how you feel," she smiled, "Okay, I will, after the dance," Tess was glad Max had asked her to dance. Maybe he was finally coming to his senses. It was really annoying that he kept turning his head, though. She had a feeling he was looking at Liz. Her eyes followed the direction in which his were traveling. Yep. It sure was. Tess narrowed her eyes at Max. Maybe he wasn't coming to his senses. "Max! You're supposed to be dancing with me, remember?" she whispered, irritated. His head snapped around, "Oh, sorry, I was just looking at…something," he apologized lamely. Or someone, she rolled her eyes. When the song was over, Tess and Max went to a far corner of the room. Liz followed them, lagging a little so they wouldn't notice her. I am going to tell him. I can do it. Just tell him how you feel and get over with it. But how would Max react? Would he believe her? Maybe she was just wasting her time. He seemed interested in Tess now. She shook off her fears and took a deep breath. As she started to walk towards them, she suddenly stopped. Tess was very close to Max. Maybe I should just wait for Tess to finish talking to him. She hid behind one of the pillars. Max wished Tess would go away. She was grating on his nerves. He had seen Liz after her dance and had wanted to talk to her, but now he didn't know where she was. It was stupid because he had a strong wanting to talk to her, yet he didn't know what he wanted to say. He tried to pay attention to Tess, but his mind kept wandering. He pondered over another question he would ask himself every so often, did Liz really sleep with Kyle? Liz had said yes and he promised never to ask again, but something made him think it wasn't true. Maybe it was just that fleeting hope that they could somehow still be together. Tess was still jabbering on about whatever she was jabbering about. Max sighed audibly. "Is something wrong, Max?" she questioned him with a raised eyebrow. "Oh, no, not at all! Please continue," he jolted out of his thoughts. "Anyway, as I was saying, I think we should…" Max pretended to be interested in what she was saying, but he really hadn't registered a word. "So, Max, are you sure?" What the hell is she talking about? "Uh, yeah, I'm positive," he answered absent-mindedly. Suddenly he was hyper-aware of Tess leaning into him. She softly kissed him. Oh, God he thought frantically. His mind told him to relax and enjoy it, but it wasn't in him. Liz's eyes widened at the horrific sight. She immediately felt completely sick to her stomach. Max and Tess. Kissing. Disgusting. No, no, no, no, no! Her mind cried out. She quickly stepped out from her hiding place, turned around and ran out. Max thought he had seen Liz standing behind the pillar, but it must have been his imagination. Tess had a blissful expression on her face. She was a good kisser. He had to find Liz. "I'll be right back," Tess's smile turned into a confused frown. But Max didn't care right now. He could stay, but he wasn't going to. Liz ran out the front door, right into Maria. "Maria!" she gasped, "What are you doing here?!" her friend took a step back, "Sorry, I didn't know it was a crime. I was just trying to get some fresh air. All the guys are smothering me…Oh, my God! You look like a mess! What happened? Are you okay?" she asked worriedly. "I…I don't feel well all of a sudden…" Liz clutched her stomach. "Does this have anything to do with Max and Tess?" Maria's voice rose with suspicion. Liz felt like breaking down and telling her everything, but she needed to keep it together. She had to get out of there. I'll tell Maria everything later. "Yes-no! Maria…it's not…it's…" Liz tried to think of something to say. "It is, isn't it? Oh, Liz…" "Listen," Liz interrupted, trying as hard as she could to hold back any more tears, "Look, can I have the keys? I need to get out of here. I'm sorry, I know I shouldn't leave you here, but you can get a ride with Sean, right? I mean, if you can't that's okay. I can walk back," she got it out as fast as she could. "Sure, don't worry. I'll just get a ride with Sean. You just go and just…just relax, okay?" Maria's hands balled into fists, "I'm going to hurt Max," she grumbled. Liz shook her head and left without another word. "Do you know where Liz is?" Max asked Michael. "No, man. I haven't seen her…since her dance with Sean," he cracked. Max didn't even answer him. He was getting desperate. Maria would know where she was. Instead, he bumped into Sean. "Oh, sorry Sean," Max acknowledged. "Hey, dude! Didja talk to Liz yet?" he smiled. "Uh…no. She wanted to talk to me? I mean, I'm looking for her right now," Max stuttered. Sean looked confused, "You mean you didn't see her?" "No, she disappeared from my sight after the dance," Max said. "Well, she followed you and that Tess girl," Sean shrugged. Max paled, "Oh…" "So, sorry, I don't know where she could be now," Max nodded shakily, "Thanks, anyway, Sean," he nodded, "No problem. Good luck in finding her," Maria talked and laughed and flirted with all the guys that came up to her. She had danced to at least 10 songs and was getting really tired. Michael had been eyeing her all night, but hadn't even asked her to dance yet. It was really frustrating. Where is that Max? She wondered. What could have gotten Liz so upset? It had something to do with Tess, she was sure of it. The little bitch. Right after she thought that she felt a pang of guilt, Tess had been pretty cool lately. She shouldn't say that about her. But still…if she had made a move on Max knowing Liz was watching…well, she could think of something to do to her. A really hot guy asked her to danced, but she waved him away. It felt good to have the power to do that. She saw Max looking for someone on the other side of the hall. Finally! "Max!" she called. "Hey, Maria. Have you seen Liz?" he asked her. So he did notice she was missing. And he was worried. A good sign. "Yes!" she answered furiously, "she ran out of here about 20 minutes ago looking really upset! She said she didn't feel well," "Oh," Max looked disappointed. Also good. "Do you know why she didn't feel well?" he inquired. "Well, let's see…hmm…did you happen to be sucking face with Tess at all during the party?" she gave him an I'm-going-to-kill-you look. He felt like someone had just slapped him across the face, "How did you…" then he straightened, "It wouldn't matter, we're not together. We haven't been for awhile, in case you haven't noticed," Max started to walk back to the room where Tess was waiting. Maria felt a sudden sense of urgency. I've got to do something! "Hey! Where are you going?" "I'm going back to…Tess," he answered. She looked at him, "Is that what you really want to do?" he turned around, "I…I don't know…" her look softened, "Look, Max. Follow your heart. It'll tell you what to do," he furrowed his brows, but nodded, and walked out the front door. Liz found herself in the desert after a long drive. She walked into a dark cave where she decided she could be alone to cry in peace. No one would have to see her suffering here. If only she had told Max the truth from the beginning. Then she wouldn't have lost him for good. She had always thought he would somehow just come back to her. That he would somehow know, and it would all be okay. He would just come up and kiss her and tell her he knew. Then they would find a way to solve the problem and they would live happily ever after, like that Madame Viviane had said. It happened in her dreams. But not in real life. In her imagination right now, Max was out looking for her, and he would find her, tell her he loved her and not Tess, and then kiss her like there was no tomorrow. Somehow, the thought made her cry more. Probably because it would never happen. |
| Index | Part 1a |