Liz had no idea how right she was. Maria sat down on her family’s couch and rolled her eyes as she said sadly to Liz, "Why does life have to be so complicated?" Liz sat down beside Maria and replied, "That’s life, Maria. What’s beating your brain at four in the afternoon?" Maria tried to chuckle but it sounded more like a moan as she said to Liz, "Have you ever been so totally in love with someone that you like obsess about him like having dreams and fantasies with him in them or like thinking about him every waking moment?" Liz blushed slightly and nodded as she stated matter-of-factly, "Have you been blind to my mishaps and miscommunications with Max that much, Maria? Gosh, I’ve had my fantasies with him- in my fantasies. I mean, I know what you’re talking about. Go on." Maria took a deep breath and said, "Well, if I don’t stop I think my head will explode." Liz got up and motioned for Maria to sit as she declared, "This calls for ice cream! Any favorites?"

A few minutes later, they were nibbling on a carton of Mint oreo ice cream- it was the only kind that Liz had in her parent’s apartment. Liz swallowed a spoonful and said almost excitedly, "So, you’ve been obsessing about Michael?" Maria nodded while eating her spoonful of ice cream. Liz asked her, "Is that bad?" Maria almost spit out her ice cream before she answered, "Liz, of course it matters! He and I aren’t even getting alon g that well and I’m having dreams and I can’t stop thinking about him, lately. I mean, I so much as stretch and I think of him, Liz. I can’t deal with this. I want to get close to him, but I can’t fathom-" she paused and Liz finished, "getting that involved?" Maria nodded and ate another spoonful of ice cream. Liz continued, "Maria, your seventeen. You’ve always had Michael on your mind since before he even kissed you. What’s so bad that you’re freaking out about him being on your mind?" Maria looked at Liz and said, "Well, before he wasn’t the only thing on my mind 24/7." Liz nodded and replied while scooping some ice cream onto her spoon, "I mean, it’s fun to ... I used to do that, but Maria- we don’t even know if they will be around that far in the future. We barely even know if they’ll be around tomorrow." Maria nodded and looked straight into Liz’s brown eyes as she said worriedly, "See why I’m like scared to death about this? I mean, what if Michael is having these feelings? He’s been avoiding Isabel, but he hasn’t exactly been around me that much either." Liz swallowed and said, "Maria, just because he’s alien doesn’t mean he’s supposed to be more mature than us. Max thinks he’s having some kind of problem between himself and you and Isabel." Maria sniffled and said, "He’s had feelings for her like he’s had for me, Liz. I mean, isn’t it obvious? He told me that we can’t get that intense." "yeah," Liz urged. Maria continued, "That’s like Max telling you he needs to take a step back. Saying he’s afraid to hurt you. Then Max got all mushy with Tess. What if Michael is supposed to get that with Isabel just because he’s like programmed to?" Liz wasn’t sure where this was going, but she was interested as she asked, "What do you mean, programmed?" Maria explained, "Well, maybe he was meant to fall in love with Isabel and maybe his future is with her. Maybe Max’s future is with Tess. Maybe it’s better for all of them you know to have it that way..." she trailed off, beginning to cry.