"Four days is nothing to me. I've been going over this one chapter for the entire day and still haven't got it. Come on Liz, enlighten me, please."

"First start with, opening your notebook," Liz said knowingly. "Take a pencil in your hand and listen to me, okay?"

Maria watched her friends try to solve some math problems. The test was indeed on Friday, but she didn't really care. She'd already got everything she thought she was going to need to remember. Maybe she'd study a little more when she got home later, but not here. She couldn't concentrate when there were other people around. For someone like her, it was a bit surprising - she was always doing at least three things at a time - but if something needed her full attention, like in this case studying, she couldn't have any distractions, and here they were. Oh yeah, this was like the headquarters of distraction.

Look at Max for starters. He was being as syrupy as ever, Maria almost wanted to gag. He was sitting across from Liz, who was sitting next to Alex. He kept his eyes glued on her and he had a stupid, dreamy grin spread all over his face and he sipped his cherry coke once in a while. That was plain sick. Why didn't the guy do something about it already? It wasn't like the love was one sided. She was Liz's best friend and of course they'd talked about this. She'd broken up with Kyle, and the only person she talked about these days was Max Evans. Liz, too, should do something about it. If they didn't find each other soon, Maria would just have to give them a little nudge, if anything, to save herself from having to listen to Liz's monologue phone calls to her in the middle of the night, explaining how Max Evans was her soul mate and all that crap. Sure Maria was happy that her friend had found someone she really likes, but why couldn't she do something about it?

As she glanced at her left, past Max and Isabel, the spiky haired boy at the end of the table turned his eyes away quickly. Had he been looking at her? She felt a blush creep up her face at the though. She looked at him again, but now he was paying way too much attention to the piece of Men In Blackberry pie smothered in Tabasco sauce, chipping it into small crumbs with his fork, pushing it around in the puddle of red liquid. What was it about him that made her wanna bolt and run off screaming as far away as possible? Right, right, the fact that he's an alien. Then what the hell was it about him that intrigued her so much? What was it about him that made her want to go and... What?! Had she been just about to think what she thought she was about to think? She stood up quickly, pushing the table with her a little, and dammit, they all turned to look at her. Even him.

"I just... need some more..." She tore her eyes off of Michael. "Pie." She picked up her plate and went to the counter, desperately shoving the hem of her uniform lower on her thighs. She knew they were exchanging looks back there. She would've exchanged looks with herself if it were possible.

She climbed on the barstool and breathed deeply in attempt to calm her racing heart. What the hell's wrong with me tonight? She lifted the lid of the cake tray and took a piece of the chocolate cake on her plate. Ever since the Czechoslovakians had entered her life, she'd been jumpier that usual, like a lot, and everyone noticed it. Every time when she was with them, she was just waiting them to grow pointy antennas or turn green or something, especially after that dream she'd had with the Icequeen.

"Gimme some of that." She jumped a little and looked up to see Michael, her hands gripping the edge of the counter to keep the chair from swinging around. He was holding his plate out to her, looking at her with one of his unreadable expression.

Maria thought for a minute, then got up and stood right before him, so close that her chest almost brushed his.

"Be a big boy, and take it," she said with her most sultry voice. There was a brief moment when they looked in each other's eyes before the sparks ignited. Michael's mouth crushed hers and she opened her lips willingly so he could slip his tongue past her lips and teeth into the warm cavern of her mouth. She grabbed his shirt and pulled him towards her forcefully and shoved her own tongue into his mouth, seeking his out. She drew back slightly at the first touch, but recovered soon and went in for her kill.

Oh God. He COULD kiss... It was so amazing, her taste buds were practically exploding! His tongue - his sweet, velvety, oh, so talented tongue - was massaging hers, touching every single part of it, every corner of the inside of her mouth, sucking the energy from her that she cold barely respond to him. But he had the perfect timing. He knew exactly when to let her go to allow her a brief breath of air and then pulling her back in, causing all of her other senses to abandon her.

He molded his palm against her body, running them down - in the most suggestive of ways of what was to come - finally slipping inside her uniform from between two buttons. His mouth was aggressive and it tasted of Tabasco. It was almost enough to burn her mouth, but I tasted somehow good. A great extra to a kiss that was as fiery as it could get. Suddenly his grip on her hips tightened, and she didn't feel the ground under her feet anymore, he was lifting her up on the counter!

Maria tried to balance herself on the hard surface, the sharp edge hurting the back of her thighs as Michael pushed between her legs. Not knowing what to think or do as she felt something rigid against her inner thigh, she shoved her pie plate off the table accidentally and faintly heard it crack to pieces as it hit the floor.

Didn't the others see what was going on?

His hand was now fully inside the front of her jade uniform and he popped one small press-stud open with just one hand, and moved up to undo the others, stroking the skin of her stomach as he went. When he kissed her again, gentler this time, she started to hear the sound of his breathing against her, echoing with her own frantic gasps, and slow heart beat, even the air around them seemed to throb, tickling her skin all around with each wave.

The contact of his hand on her bare skin was explosive. Every bit of her that he touched seemed to have caught on fire and she couldn't get enough. Wrapping her legs around his waist, pulling him firmly against her, as much to keep herself steady as to keep him close, and she had a second to think what her lips would look like after this - bruised.

He lowered her back to the counter and played with the hook of her bra behind her back, before unclasping it, but left it on place to brush her breasts, to torment her with its light touch on her straining nipples. Maria felt him smile approvingly against her shoulder when he noticed the lack of straps. Moving his hand up her stomach, he was just about to rip the lacey thing off, but his sudden, almost angry voice jarred her out of her bliss.

"Hey!" he barked, waiving a hand in front of her face. "What the hell's up with you?" Maria snapped to reality at his voice. He was still standing there, still holding his plate out to her, not with her up on the counter. That was a... a daydream? No, daydreams were not like that. A fantasy. A dirty fantasy that would've been so much dirtier if it had just continued. Oh god, she was officially going crazy!

"What?" she asked, her voice fluttering. Was it hot in here?

"Jeez," Michael said under his breath and reached past her to cut a slice of the chocolate cake. The heat was just oozing off him. She watched mesmerized at the slight move of his arm muscles as he cut the cake. He smelled so incredib... Shut UP! She yelled to herself and jumped off the stool nearly tripping over his foot and ran to the kitchen.

Maria opened the huge industrial refrigerator door and leaned onto the cold shelves, opening her uniform a little. She could still feel his touch when he had done the same. She breathed deeply for a minute, holding her breath in for each time, finally managing to slow down her rampant heart. She took a fresh soda from the fridge, running it luxuriously over her cheeks before composing herself to see his face again. She shut the fridge, exited the kitchen, went to fetch her plate - which was not smashed on the floor - and joined the others in their booth.

"You okay, Maria?" Liz asked as she sat back to her seat next to Max.

"Yeah, I'm okay. Why?"

"You just practically ran into the kitchen, and now you're all red. What did you two talk about?" Liz motioned to Michael with her fork, then to Maria.

"Nothing!" Maria squeaked, earning herself a few looks. "Nothing," she tried again with a calmer voice. "I just got thirsty. I'll pay these from my next paycheck, okay?" she nodded towards her food and drink.

"Sure," Liz said and then went back to the math.

The rest of the night went on without commotion. She still couldn't figure out how she'd seen that... that whatever it was, so clearly, felt everything, every touch and the heat of his body and his breath. It was so real.

What if he'd done something with his powers?

Liz however, had told her what their powers were. Isabel was the one who read minds, or controlled minds, or whatever, Max was the healer and Michael just blew things up. As far as she knew only Isabel was able to get into peoples' heads, but even that was when her victim was asleep. But who could possibly know what that Guerin guy withheld in his head. Even if he could get into peoples' minds, why would he make her see something like that? He didn't even like her, and she did definitely not like him. Sure, maybe he was a little interesting, but no way she would ever... Had they once talked? Had they once looked at each other with civilized manner? Both of them were hopeless to try. Whenever she did, he would do his best to ignore her, or glare at her. She would meet him dead on, never giving up until he did. He was the ultimate punk there was. Delinquent even.

Look at his clothes for starters. When had those extremely tight, dark jeans been washed last? And what about that shirt? Wasn't it time someone ripped it off him and threw it into the laundry basket? Either he had just that one black shirt or he had his closet full of them. Was his hair greasy or was that gel? He could positively use a long, hot shower with... Maria sighed loudly, shaking her head a little to make the thoughts go away. She couldn't think now.

After she'd finished her pie and soda, she took some part into the math discussion before they all started to finish it for the day. Alex offered to give Maria a ride home, but she had refused. She'd rather walk. It wasn't a long way home and she could really use a walk. As she went to say good-bye to Alex by his car, she watched from the corner of her eye how Max motioned for Michael to get in the Jeep, but he shook his head and said something. Alex pulled of the driveway and drove off, so did Max and Isabel. This was just great. Michael was standing, not moving, and to top it, he was looking at her again, and damn, she would have to walk past him to get home. Slowly she started towards him, meeting his eyes briefly, but she directed them back on the street.

"Bye," she said, still not looking at him, and walked. He wasn't saying anything. Maybe would just let her walk home.

"Um... Maria?"

He knew her name?

She turned around to face him and saw him walking closer. "Yeah?" she asked faux casually.

"I just... Are you okay?" She raised an eyebrow at him, not bothering to voice her question. "I mean... You seemed a little weird there earlier." Was that caring in his voice that she heard? No, it couldn't be. She was just imagining things, again, and yes, she would have to stop. Michael Guerin, the infamous Mr. Loner didn't even like her.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just got thirsty back there. I mean, I get thirsty all the time and..."

She choked off as Michael walked even closer, he could feel the vibes coming off him. Like a vibrator... STOP IT! she screamed at herself mentally. She would have to get away soon, before her brain - or hormones, she wasn't sure which anymore - would get out of control.

"Are you going to walk home?" Michael asked as tugged his hands in his pockets.

Maria did the same. "Guess so," she shrugged.

"You know you shouldn't walk alone at night. You never know what kind of a weirdo you might run into," he said with just a thatch of mischief in his voice and took one more step closer.

She shook as she bit back a hysterical bark of laughter at his remark and recoiled just a little as he stepped towards her. "Yeeeah, well," The closeness was starting to bother her. "I don't live far. It'll only take ten minutes."

"Oh," he replied. "Let's go then."

"What?" she asked dumbfounded.

"I'll walk with you for a few blocks. I'm heading in the same direction," he said coolly. Either he wasn't affected by the situation, or he had amazing acting skills. It could have been either one.

They walked in silence for a few minutes. Maria couldn't miss how safe she felt as she had him walking by her side, but she figured it must be his size. That was almost intimidating, even though he wasn't a total stranger anymore. He was huge! Over a foot taller than her, and his shoulders... and those hands...

"So... Did you get all that math stuff?" she asked in fake interest to the subject, just to keep her mind from wandering to the no no zone.

"No," was his response.

"You haven't studied at all, is that what you're saying?"

"Yeah."

"What do you mean 'yeah'"?

"'Yeah' as in no I haven't studied."

Maria sighed. "How do you expect to pass the test if you don't study?" Smart-ass, she added to herself.

"Don't expect anything. You can't be disappointed that way."

"Attitude, man," she snickered quietly.

"Yeah, well. I'm not really into school and all that."

"Yeah, I've noticed," Maria said and stole a glance at him. "Well, I'm gonna turn here," she said motioning to the adjacent street. "Thanks for walking with me."

"No problem. You'll make it from here?" he asked.

"Of course I'll make it. What do you think I am? Some helpless, ditzy blonde who can't take care of herself?" she said with a smile that was as shy as it was friendly.

"Yeah," he said quietly, Maria had trouble hearing it, but she did and blushed lightly. "Bye."

"Bye," Maria replied before she turned and walked down the street. She could hear his footsteps only a few moments later.

Michael turned to go after she disappeared in the shadows. Had she guessed her visions hadn't been just in her imagination? God, her mouth tasted amazing.

He would have to get to taste it for real soon, but not before practicing a little more...