“Mmmmm.... kissing Maria.... now there’s a thought....... Stop it Michael. Just stop it. Think of........ Mud. Yeah, mud. Brown, gooey mud, and how it squishes between her cute little toes.... Uggghhhh!!!”

“You’ve got it bad,” Michael heard his best friend and fellow alien, Max Evans, snicker from the open window.

“What are you doing here?”

“Came here for the mind-numbing conversation, what else?”

“Shut up”

“Michael....”

“No Max, I know exactly what you’re gonna say.”

“And that would be........???”

“You’ve gotta forget about her..., It wasn’t meant to be..., she’ll be in great danger..., Blah, Blah, Blah........”

“Michael...”

“No, Max.......you were right. I broke it off an hour ago.”

“Why in God’s name would you go and do a stupid thing like that!?”

“WHAT!!!” Michael screamed, quickly closing the short distance between the two aliens. “I believe YOU are the idiot that told me to do it in the first place!”

“Well......”

“Don’t even THINK of saying you changed your mind about this whole thing.”

“Okay, then, I won’t.”

“It’s just I don’t know how long we have left here, why not enjoy it while it lasts?” Max asked as he eased himself down on the small bed.

“Uggghhhh......” the groan barely managed to escape his lips before being stifled as Michael threw himself onto the mattress, burying his head in his arms.

“You can fix things with her, can't you?”

“I don’t think so Max, I mean she cried. Maria does not cry. EVER. She’s way too strong.”

“You’ll just have to convince her then.”

“Thanks so much...” Michael said sarcastically, a huge grimace slowly covering his face. “ and just how do you suppose I manage that.”

A puzzled expression spread over Max’s amused face. “ You’ll think of something,” he finally managed to say, “I know it.”

“Yeah..... whatever.”

“I gotta get home before my mom gets annoyed, we were out all last night.” Max said, slowly rising from the bed and making his way towards the window.

“Yeah..... see ya tomorrow.”

“You sure you’ll be okay?”

“Yeah........ I’ll be fine, I just need some sleep.”

“Okay then...” Max said before climbing out the window and quietly shutting it behind him.

With that, Michael stripped down to his boxers and climbed into bed, hoping an idea, any idea, would come to him in his dreams.

“He just broke it off....... just like that?” Liz Parker asked her best friend, Maria Deluca.

“Yes...........” Maria choked out between sobs. “He......... said he......... couldn’t...... get intense,” Maria finally finished her sentence. Her eyes were already red and swollen from crying from the past twelve hours.

It was now just after second period, and the two girls were sipping Pepsi outside by Maria’s locker.

As Maria slammed her locker shut, she noticed Max and Michael walking towards them.

“I CANNOT deal with this right now,” Maria cried, quickly brushing the tears from her eyes and stalking off towards the girls bathroom.

As the boys approached Liz, she turned the other way. Michael grabbed Liz’s arm, and she pivoted on one foot, a look of pure rage on her face.

“Don’t you DARE touch me ever again, you asshole!” Liz exclaimed.

“Liz....”

“No, Michael, just shut up, you hurt Maria, as far as I’m concerned you can rot in the deepest crevices in hell!” With that, Liz poured the remainder of her Pepsi over Michael’s head, quickly kissed Max, and headed towards the Girl’s room to comfort her sobbing friend.

“Well, that went nicely, if you ask me,” Michael said after she’d left, trying in vain to squeeze the soda out of his pants.

Max couldn’t hold back his laughter any longer. “I have NO idea what got into her,” he finally managed to choke out.

“Shut up!!!”

Isabel glided around the corner of one of the many busy hallways in Roswell High, only to be met with the sight of her older brother and his best friend, the latter with an ever-growing puddle of brown liquid forming around his feet.

“What happened to you?”

“Liz,” Michael acknowledged angrily.

“I knew I loved her,” Isabel mused.

“Me too,” Max added.

“SHUT UP!!!!!!”

“Sorry, don’t get your panties in a twist,” Isabel said, continuing to pester Michael. “Why would LIZ do that anyway?” she asked, her laughter slowly subsiding.

Michael explained the whole story, from the soap factory to the Pepsi incident.

“It’s simple,” Isabel stated mischievously.

“It is?” the boys asked in unison, quite surprised to Isabel’s statement.

“Of course, haven’t you ever seen 10 Things I Hate About You?”

“Ummmmm.............. No. That’s a chick flick isn’t it? If there’s no guns, there’s no Michael."

“Pretty much,” Michael agreed.

“ Sacrifice yourself on the alter of dignity and even the score,” Isabel quoted.

“What???? Never mind, I don’t want to know. I’ll see you guys later.” With that, Michael ran off campus and towards town.

“It’s only fourth period,” Isabel said.

“Yeah, well......you know Michael.”

“Yeah, I guess I do.”

After a trip to the video store, Michael sat himself in front of the 27” TV screen in Hank’s living room.

10 Things I Hate About You did have some good ideas, but was he actually willing o go that far to get Maria back?

The answer was blatantly obvious.

The next day at Roswell High was amazingly calm for Maria. With no encounters with Michael, she figured she’d either been doing a really good job of avoiding him, or he’d been doing the same.

Maria, Liz, and Isabel were slowly making their way to the already crowded school quad. A small crowd had begun to form in the most secluded corner in the area. Maria figured it was the one stand containing edible food.

The three girls took a seat at one of the less occupied tables. Maria had long ago tuned out the conversation, not wanting to hear about Liz and Max’s difficult love life, or Isabel’s future conquests.

“Maria...... Maria???” Liz softly pleaded, hoping her friend wasn’t lost in thought about Michael.

“MARIA WAKE UP!!!!”

Maria finally heard Isabel’s annoyed cry.

“God, are you that in love with Michael that you’re already starting to ignore your own friends,” She continued, getting rather flustered.

“Isabel, come on, at least give Maria a little sympathy. You CAN manage a sorry, can’t you??? I mean, If that isn’t too much to ask of the Ice Queen?” Liz finished the remark sarcastically.

“Oh, Liz, just shut up!” Isabel said with mock seriousness. Turning to Maria, “So, what’s up with you and Michael anyway, any recent trips to the eraser room?” Isabel hated being this cruel to her, but she wasn’t supposed to know about Michael’s recent decision.

Liz gave Isabel a not-so-silent warning by punching her, hard, in the thigh.

“Ow, what did I say,” Isabel cried as she began rhythmically massaging her thigh. “That hurt.”

“Isabel.....” Liz began, only to be cut off by Maria’s sobs.

“He....he.......he broke up with me!” Maria spit out the last few words as if they were poison.

“I’m so sorry Maria,” Isabel said with sympathy, placing her hand over Maria’s on the table, “I didn’t know.”

“ Whatever,” Maria said, trying not to be rude as she whiped way her tears. “I need some food....you guys want anything?”

“Nope.”

“No, thanks.”

“Okay, I’ll be right back,” Maria told them as she spun around.

The crowd at the new food stand began to disperse, and Maria noticed it wasn’t a food stand after all, but several stereo systems hooked together. “That’s such a waste of cool stuff,” Maria said, figuring the jocks had come up with another stupid way to cause mayhem on the campus.

As she turned around to find a vending machine, the first few notes of a familiar song began to play, and an even more familiar voice began to sing.

“You’re just to good to be true, can’t take my eyes off of you....” Maria turned around to find Michael standing on one of the crowded tables, microphone in hand.

“You feel like heaven to touch, I wanna hold you so much......” Michael jumped from one table to another, quickly gathering an approving audience.

“At long last love has arrived, and I thank god I’m alive, you’re just too good to be true, can’t take my eyes off of you.” With that everyone was on their feet, clapping and singing along.

Tears began to well up in Maria’s eyes as Michael continued the song, still leaping from table to table, gradually coming closer to her.

“I love you baby, and If it’s quite alright, I’ll need you baby, to warm the lonely nights....” With those few notes, Michael reached the table closest to Maria, whose tears had become impossible to hold in. He stepped down onto the grass and crossed the steps between them.

Maria glanced around and noticed Isabel, Max, Liz, and Alex, all grinning furiously. The rest of the student body was waiting in anticipation for what was to come.

“And let me Love you, baby, Let me love you....” With than, Michael’s microphone dropped to his side. He pulled her closer to his body and whispered into her ear.

“I’m so sorry Maria. I never wanted to say any of those things. I love you so much.”

"I love you too,” she replied meekly.