"So?" said Kyle. "Why are you spying on my cousins?"

"Kyle, what are you talking about?" asked Tess, deciding to feign innocence.

"I thought I heard you and those two people," he said, pointing to Maria and Michael, "talking about spying on Liz and Alex."

"No, we weren't. And I'd appreciate it if you'd just mind your own business. What kind of person are you, to just come up to me and accuse me of spying on people?!"

"Oh…I'm so sorry. I must have not heard correctly…"

"So you also admit that you were eavesdropping?"

"No. I just…well, you kind of yelled at some points…I'm sorry. Really." Kyle walked back to the counter to work.

'Whew. That was close,' thought Tess. 'If I had blown the aliens' cover, they would have killed me.'

She turned around and saw that Max, Alex, Liz, and Isabel were leaving, with Maria and Michael following them. Tess decided to just head home. The whole who's an alien, who isn't, who should we spy on thing was giving her a headache.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The next day Max grabbed some books off his desk and headed for his jeep to drive to the Crashdown. He knew Liz was working all day, so he wanted to be there. He wasn't sure yet how he was going to win her over, but in the meantime he needed to just be near her. To see her, to smell her strawberry scent. 'Wow,' he though, a grin plastered across his face. 'I've got it bad.'

He hopped in his jeep and headed down the street. He pulled up in front of the Crashdown and grabbed his books off the seat next to him. He was going to sit at a booth and study-or pretend to.

He walked in and didn't see Liz. He told himself not to worry and headed for a booth. He spread his books out on the table and opened a notebook. He was doodling aimlessly when he heard Mr. Parker yelling.

"Liz! Are you awake yet? You work today, remember?" Max saw Liz come running out of the back room with her dad following her.

"I'm so sorry, daddy. I was out late last night with Alex and some…friends. I was tired so I overslept…"

Mr. Parker kissed Liz on her forehead. "Just don't let it happen again," he said. "Isabel called me just a minute ago. It seems she's not feeling well today, so you're the only waitress here today."

Liz looked in disbelief at her dad. "You can't be serious!"

"I am. And you have a customer," he said, pointing to Max.

Max quickly looked away as Liz turned to look at him. He pretended to be reading from a textbook, but he was really watching her from the corner of his eye.

"What can I get you?" she asked in voice that Max couldn't read.

"Uh, a Coke would be good," said Max. Liz turned around and Max said, "Wait."

She turned back to Max. "Yes?" she said impatiently.

"I just…well, can we at least try to be friends?"

Liz contemplated it for a few seconds and said, "Yeah. Ok. Friends."

"Great," said Max, smiling. 'And maybe when you see that you can trust me, Liz, we can be more than friends,' he thought as she got his drink.

She came back and placed the Coke in front of him. "Here," she said. "And since we're friends, it's on the house."

"Thanks." They looked at each other in silence.

"Well, I should go wait on other people. I'm the only waitress here today."

"Ok." Max watched her walk across the café, enjoying the way she smiled and the way the sun from the windows reflected off her hair.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

A few hours and four Cokes later, Max was still sitting in his booth at the Crashdown. He just couldn't leave-Liz looked so cute running around to wait on all the customers.

As Max was watching her he got an idea. She needed help waiting on the hungry customers, right? Yes. And he wasn't doing anything important…

The next time she passed his table he said, "Hey, Liz, need any help?"

"Help?"

"Yeah. You know, waiting on tables."

"You're willing to help me wait on tables?"

"Sure," he said, standing up.

Liz burst out laughing and Max gave her a puzzled look. "What?" he asked.

"I was just picturing you in one of the uniforms us waitresses are required to wear."

Max smiled. "I don't think you'd have a dress in my size."

Liz smiled mischievously and headed for the back room, motioning for Max to follow her. She led him to the employees' lockers and dug around in one. She pulled some stuff out and held it up.

"We do have an alien-head apron and a pair of antennas that will fit you perfectly!"

Max took them and put them on. 'All in good humor,' he said to himself. But he knew that the real reason he'd agreed to it was because he wanted to prove to Liz he'd do anything she asked of him-even if it took away his last shred of dignity. Liz gave him an order pad and a pen.

"Just write down what the customer says," she told him, pushing him into the main room.

Max started to wait on customers when he heard someone whistle in his direction. He turned around and was embarrassed to see Michael and Maria standing near the door laughing at him.

"Nice antennas," said Michael as he led Maria to a booth. "Now please tell us you didn't get a job here."

"I didn't. I'm just helping Liz."

Maria and Michael scowled at the sound of Liz's name. "Man, what do you even see in her?" asked Michael. "She's just so plain…mousy hair, scrawny, she's definitely not stacked up…"

Max whispered angrily to Michael. "Shut up! She'll hear you! And I don't think she's plain, she's beautiful."

"Whatever," said Maria, casting mean looks in Liz's direction. "Get us some burgers and fries."