Maria used her powers to unlock the door, "Believe it."

"I just know that we're going to regret this," Liz said as she followed Maria into the dark apartment.

Maria started looking around, "Well, yeah, if we don't find any evidence."

"Of what?" Liz questioned.

"That he's seeing someone else! Hello!" Maria started feeling nervous that she might actually find something.

Liz began looking in between magazines, "This whole thing came up yesterday. How could he already have another girlfriend?"

"That's exactly my point Liz," Maria began searching through the trash. "He obviously already had this bimbo on the side and was just looking for an excuse to break up with me, ya know?"

Liz knew that Maria had a tendency to jump to conclusions, "No, I just think that you are overreacting."

Maria found a blank tablet on the counter and she takes a pencil and starts shading the top page. The name Juanita appeared along with an address. "You still think I'm overreacting."

"Oh," Liz cut her some slack.

Maria threw the pad on the counter, "Bastard!"

Liz felt sorry for her friend, because out of all their screwed up relationships Michael and Maria's endured. She put her hand on Maria's back, "Come on, let's get out of here."

Maria's cheeks burned with anger, "No, I have to see this for myself." She fiercely ripped the top page off the pad and crumpled it in her fist.

Liz followed Maria back to her Explorer and got in without saying a word. Maria was glad, because she was afraid Liz would try to talk her out of it. she followed the direction to Juanita's house and she let out a slight gasp when she saw Michael's motorbike parked in the driveway.

She opened the glove compartment and pulled out a pair of binoculars. "You keep binoculars in your glove compartment?" Liz was a bit surprised, as they settled behind some bushes.

"Nasedo taught us to be prepared at all times," Maria replied as she watched the activity in Juanita's house.

"I cannot believe that Michael is seeing another woman, I just, I won't," Liz's voice trailed off.

Maria declared, "Snap out of it sister! Juanita!" She points to her house, "Homewrecker!"

"I can't believe what is going on with you and Michael and me and Max," Liz started.

Maria was confused, "Liz, what are you talking about? You and Max are going to prom."

Liz let out a sigh, "I don't know, I just feel Max and I going in two different directions, like, its like we're not able to just separate?" Liz saw Maria's face drain with color, she followed her gaze and knew what was upsetting Maria. Michael had appeared in the window, but he wasn't alone. He had his arms around a woman who could only be Juanita. "Makes you realize how, like, easy things change. Because people meet other people. I could meet another guy. Or Max could meet another girl, and…"

"Or Michael could meet another woman," Maria tried to choke back the tears.

Liz felt terrible, "Maria, I'm sorry."

"Let's just go," Maria got up and headed back to the car.

Liz knew that Maria was way too calm, "Maria?"

"I'm okay, I'm okay," Maria tried to convince herself.

Liz didn't believe her, "Okay."

Maria couldn't hide it in any longer and she completely lost it. Liz could only watch helplessly as her friend cried and hit the steering wheel. "Why?! Why?! Why, why?! I just don't understand, I wish that I hadn't seen that, I wish that I hadn't figured it out, I wish…"

"Maria, we don't know for sure that anything happened," Liz tried to reassure her. "You know we could be reading into this whole thing."

Maria sniffled, "That's why you have to go and ask Max."

"No, Maria, I do not think that's such a good idea," Liz protested.

Maria pleaded in a somber tone, "Please!"

Liz already knew that she couldn't say no to Maria, especially not then, "Oh, the things I do for friends."

"Thanks Liz, you're the best," Maria told her as she sped away to Max's house.

"I'll be right back," Liz said as she got out of the car.

Maria said softly, "I'll be here." She sat there nervously as she watched Liz disappear around the side of the house. "Oh Michael, how could you do this to me?"

She rested her head against the steering wheel taking slow breaths. She thought this would help comfort her frazzled nerves, but nothing could erase the pain in her heart. "Maria!" Liz pounded on her window.

"God Liz you scared me," Maria rolled down the window. "What's wrong?"

Liz looked very upset, "Um, I'm just going to walk home."

"What happened Liz?" Maria asked.

Liz shook her head, "I don't want to talk about it, um…I'll call you tomorrow."

"Are you sure?" Maria didn't want to leave her alone.

Liz nodded, "Yeah, I just need to be by myself for awhile."

"I understand," Maria felt like being by herself as well.

* * * "Alex, don't worry about it," Maria said into the phone. "You are only dumping me on the day of the prom!"

Alex felt extremely bad, "I'm so sorry Maria, it's just that Isabel came by last night."

"Oh great, Isabel," Maria threw her arm up in frustration. "I could never compete with Isabel." Maria leaned against the wall and slowly slid to the floor. "Alex, you're supposed to be a prince among males."

"Hey, I still am," Alex defended. "It's just that she was being so sincere, and she was so happy."

"Well I'm happy for her because now she has a date and I don't," Maria was still upset over Michael and taking it out on Alex. "You know what?"

Alex was afraid to ask, "What?"

"Because you're Alex, I'm going to forgive you," Maria eased up. "You just better have a good time."

"Thanks, Maria, I'll save you a dance," Alex told her before letting her go.

Maria managed a small smile, "You better."

She felt a strange sense of emptiness when she hung up the phone, because she was about to spend one of the greatest nights of her life alone.

"Maria," Tess called as she entered Kyle's room already dressed. "You're not ready yet?"

"I just need to put my dress on," Maria got a better look at her sister in her light silky purple dress. "Wow, Tessie, you look beautiful."

Tess smiled, "Thanks, now hurry and get dressed."

"Yes, ma'am," Maria tried putting on a happy face to hide how miserable she felt.

* * * Michael was working the grill at the Crashdown when Maria arrived with Kyle and Tess. The moment Michael saw her in her prom dress he couldn't help but remember something she had said to him months before. She told him that she read a lot of Greek mythology when she was growing up, and that she always wished that she could be a goddess like the one she used to read about. From what Michael could see she already was one, and as they got ready for the prom he realized he was going to miss it.

"Is he looking?" Maria asked as she helped Liz fix her hair.

Liz peeked over at Michael who was busy at work, "No, just concentrate."

"What an idiot, I swear, I hope he's lonely tonight," Maria said bitterly.

Liz tried to get Maria's mind off Michael, "So what do you think of my dress? It's not too old-fashioned, is it?"

"No, I think, it looks hot, Liz," Maria told her honestly sensing that Liz was nervous.

"No, um, okay, I'm gonna take a…" Liz's voice trailed off as she walked away.

"Hey," Kyle said as he approached the counter.

Maria muttered, "Hey."

"Can I get two cokes?" Kyle asked the waitress behind the counter. He sat down on the stool next to Maria who seemed to be sulking. "I caught them making out on the couch," Kyle referred to his father and his girlfriend Amy DeLuca.

Maria cracked a smile, "Dude, I caught them making out in the pantry closet in the kitchen. It's just so embarrassing."

"I know, but there's nothing we can do about it. It's just raging hormones," Kyle explained. "And they are our chaperones."

"Yeah, it's ugh…" Maria said. "Hey so are you and Tess, uh…you know?"

Kyle shook his head, "Oh no, actually it's like, she's uh, she's hot and uh, but I feel really resistant for some reason, I can't quite put my finger on."

"Well, maybe you're just gay," Maria teased.

"No, no," Kyle shook his head again.

Maria let out a laugh and playfully poked him in ribs, "You can tell me."

"Oh come on kids, we have to take pictures," Amy announced as she tried to gather them all up. "Come on, let's go guys. Oh, Liz you look beautiful. Maria, you look absolutely perfect. Where is uh, Isabel, Alex, Tess, come on. Lets take pictures. Who am I missing, uh Michael. Come out here, mm hmm. Come on, lets go now." The whole group started to assemble as Amy continued to direct, "Uh, Jim, come on, who am I going to stand with? Is that everyone? Oh, oh, this is going to be great, um, Sean…can you take the picture for me?"

Amy was instructing her nephew Sean about how to use the camera when Maria felt a soft hand on her arm. She would recognize Michael's touch anywhere, so she grinned happily as Sean took the picture. When he was done Maria turned to Michael still wearing the smile.

"Time to go kids!" Amy declared as everyone began following her out the door.

"Come on Maria, we don't want to be late," Liz took Maria by the arm and pulled her away from Michael. Before he could tell her how beautiful she looked, Maria was gone.

* * * Maria entered the prom with her arm linked with Max's right arm while Liz was linked to his left, and the first thing that Maria couldn't help but notice was that everyone was paired off. She couldn't help but feel half empty without Michael, and being with her friends wasn't really helping. At the Crashdown she had a moment of weakness when she smiled at Michael, because for that moment she let herself forget about Michael betrayal.

"Maria, do you want some punch?" Max offered.

Maria replied, "Uh, yeah, sure." Max got up from the table leaving Liz and Maria alone. "Ok, awkward much. You guys need to loosen up."

"I just feel weird," Liz told her.

"Well if he asks you to dance, you go dance," Maria ordered her. "This is your prom for crying out loud."

Max came back with a glass of punch for Maria. "So…" Max said to Liz.

"Yeah," Liz uttered.

Max asked her, "You wanna dance?"

Maria mouthed to her, "Say yes, say yes."

"Sure," Liz answered as Maria gave her a thumbs up sign. She watched as they awkwardly began to dance, and Maria became aware that she was the only one sitting down. She gave a weak to Alex as he danced happily with Isabel, and she saw Tess and Kyle on the dance floor as well. Maria always enjoyed dancing, but it was really hard to dance without a partner. She almost had the urge to just run out of there and never look back, but then she felt someone tugging her up.

"I don't care what you say, this is your prom too," Liz was dragging Maria to the dance floor just as a Destiny's Child sang came on. "Besides, we're independent women we don't need guys to have fun."

"You said it my sista!" Maria exclaimed as the music possessed her.

Maria danced with Alex and Isabel by mostly with Liz, but in the middle of dancing with Liz she could have sworn she had a hallucination. But she wasn't, Michael really was there dressed in a really nice suit.

"Go," Liz said.

Maria shook her head, "No, no, me and you, we're a couple now."

Liz told her firmly, "Go!"

Maria felt bad for leaving Liz alone, but she had to confront Michael. "What are you doing here?" she asked him.

"Came here to dance," Michael stated simply. "Well, you should of brought Juanita," Maria spat out.

Michael gave her a confused look, "How do you know about her?"

"I followed you to your pod," she said with her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Juanita's my dance teacher," Michael confessed.

Now Maria looked confused, "Your dance teacher."

"Yeah, I can't dance," Michael finally told her the truth. "And I knew this was a big deal for you so I was taking dancing lessons."

Maria felt completely stupid, "Oh my God."

"Wait, did you think Juanita was some chick I was boffing?" Michael questioned.

"Oh my God," Maria wished that the floor would open up and swallow her whole.

Michael challenged, "How the hell did you find out about it in the first place?"

"Oh my God, I am like the stupidest person alive," Maria felt her cheeks burning up.

"Okay," Michael knew that he hadn't been the world's greatest boyfriend lately. "Juanita declared me unteachable, but if you want to risk personal injury."

"Are you asking me to dance?" Maria asked sweetly.

"Yeah," he replied.