"No way, Maria that is so in your imagination," Liz glanced over at Max, who was sitting at a booth with his best friend, Michael Guerin, at the far end of the restaurant. He looked up at her and then quickly away. "Max Evans? This?" Liz pointed to her face, though she couldn't help but be flattered. "Uh-uh, no..." She shook her head, even though she had clearly seen him staring at her. Again. He had this tendency to stare at her. All the time. It was something that her best friend had claimed to have noticed since the third grade. It was the kind of thing best friends didn't just let go either. Liz seemed to brush the issue aside however and picked up a waiting order. "And with those cheeks??" Maria laughed, holding Liz's face in her hands. "And even if it were, I mean I'm goint out with Kyle - and he's..." Liz sought to find the right way to describe the peculiar more than friends relationship she had with the sheriffs son. "...Steady..and loyal...and he appreciates me."

"Sounds like you're talking about a poodle," Maria said disgustedly as she picked up an awaiting order and walked out into the dining area. The two girls, donned in thematic Crashdown Cafe attire delivered their orders and stopped in the middle of the room in front of a table, looking around making sure the customers were content for now. Liz bit her lip and suddenly glanced over at Max. "Go for it, Liz - God what more could you want? Tall, dark, hadsome, mysterious..obsessed."

"Maria, I'm going out with Kyle," Liz repeated and again Maria rolled her eyes.

"He finished his Coke, go refill it, go-" Maria pushed her friend towards the table occupied by Max and Michael. Liz stumbled forward and, a bit flustered, ended up in front of Max's table. Max looked up at her, the way he always did and Liz smiled shyly. "Um, another Coke?" she questioned innocently.

"Sure," Max smiled slightly and Liz glanced down at the table with the emptied Tabasco bottles.

"More Tabasco?" she suggested.

"No," Michael suddenly snapped from across the table. A bit surprised at the harshness, Liz just nodded her head and stepped backwards. Max's smile quickly left as he looked over at Michael's face.

Maria awaited hopefully behind the counter.

"So?" she asked impatiently as Liz headed to the soda machine. "I'm getting him a Coke," Liz said simply and Maria looked as if she was awaiting more news.

"And???" "And...what - nothing. Maria -" Liz dismissed her over eager friend. But as Maria turned around to pick up another order Liz caught herself looking at Max. Suddenly both boys got up from the table, Michael first and then a bit unwillingly it seemed, Max. Micheal whispered something angrily into Max's ear and walked quickly out the door, dropping a few cents change onto the table for tip. Max glanced quietly at Liz, left a few dollars and followed after. Maria grabbed a small stack of menus and clapped Liz over the head with them from behind.

"You blew it!"

"Ow," Liz held her hand to her head, "what? Maria - I did not blow it, there's nothing to blow!"

"Okay, wouldn't repeat that sentence again," Maria laughed as Liz said the last sentence a bit too loud. "If it's about Kyle, I swear LIz - come on...are you telling me you feel absolutely nothing when you look at Max Evans? Don't think I don't see you staring at him. You stare at him as much as he stares at you." Liz blushed and walked over to clear the table that had been occupied by Max and Michael. "Kyle is...he's not for you, Liz - " Maria persisited and Liz just looked at her as she stopped wiping the table.

"You're this straight, like valedictorian type and Kyle's just - he went out with Darcy McTiernan last year - that is so like a step down from you."

"Maria - Kyle's nice..." Liz defended honestly.

Yeah he's nice..but he's not you Liz. Last year he dragged Darcy to all those baseball games? Do you remember Liz? And before that it was basketball and wrestling and football - Liz do you want that to be you? Do you want to be dragged to wrestling meets your entire high school career? Have you ever been to a wrestling meet?" Maria had a disturbed look on her face, obviously having been to one herself. "Kyle's nice, yeah he appreciates you - but I mean he's so...blah. Fun for a coupla fays, I could see - but..." Maria glanced down at the table, "God - what's with these guys and Tabasco?"

Michael Guerin sped down the empty highway in the rusting jeep that legally belonged to Max Evans. Max sat quietly in the passenger side and just took in everything Michael said to him.

"Too long I've put up with this, Max! Too long!" Michael said in typical Michael tone, seeming as if it were the most important matter on the earth. "You looking at her like that - and what was that with the Tabasco? She's getting suspicious, I knew it. You keep looking at her and it's making her suspicious." "Would you relax, Michael..." Max laughed as he stared out the window at the vast New Mexico desert and the wind whipped at his face, "he's not suspicious of anything. She has no reason to be. She's just my lab partner."

"Yeah. And that's all she'll ever be."

Liz glanced around the biology classroom, looking for her lab partner as she carried the microscope over to the lab table she shared with Max Evans. Max was normally punctual, sitting at the table with his book open when the bell rang. Today Liz sat at the table alone as the teacher explained the aim and purpose of the labroratory experiment they would be conducting for the next 45 minutes. Dismissing the issue, she took out her pencil and began to take notes.

"Ah Mr. Evans, so nice of you to join us," the biology teacher, Ms. Springman announced as Max quickly entered through the door and took his seat next to Liz. He began taking out his books and organizing himself when his head quickly shot up as he heard the teachers words. "The partner on the right will take a sample from their cheek, and - ... "Can I get a bathroom pass?" He immediately reacted, standing up from his chair. Liz looked at him a bit curiously - he had asked for a bathroom pass with such urgency and importance. Whatever. She dismissed. Ms. Springman handed him the wooden pass with a telling look. "High Maintenance today, aren't we?" Max just took the pass and exited as quickly as he'd come. You're completely overanalyzing, keep thinking like this and you'll prove Maria right. She scolded herself as she scraped some of her own cheek cell and continued with the lab.

There was something about being lab partners with someone. Like it was some sort of unspoken rule that you had to be awkward around one another, not knowing what to say and the things you do a strained attempt at conversation.

"Is the cell stain over by you?" Liz asked upon Max's return. They'd been working for the past fifteen minutes in silence. Max looked to his right.

"No, it's not over here," he shrugged, continuing with his work.

"Well..." Liz said quietly, "we need it...for the onion cells."

"I'll go get it," Max stepped up and walked across the classroom. Liz sighed loudly as she looked down at the nearly completed lab. Max did stare at her, but every time she attempted to talk to him, he seemed like he didn't want to. Like her talking to him was a nuisance. "There..." Max plopped two dark brown bottles onto the table, "I didn't know which one to bring - so I brought both."

"Yeah, she said it in the beginning of class..." Liz made a subtle reference to the fact that he was late. "It's the iodine stain," she picked up the smaller bottle and Max just nodded his head.

"Oh.." he mumbled looking back down to his paper and not into Liz's brown eyes.

"Oh no!" Liz quickly put down the iodine bottle and looked down at her hands. There was reddish-brown stain all over them. "This isn't going to come out," she moaned, though she ran her hands underneath the water anyway. Max looked over at her and her distraught face thinking how much more he liked it when it was smiling.

"Try using some soap," Max suggested handing the container of soap to her, while at the same time discreetly moving his hand over hers.