“I’ve really gotta stop working school nights,” Maria said wearily. “I haven’t even started my history paper and I’ve missed six straight math assignments. I’m still gonna be a junior when you’re in college.”

Liz looked into the distance dreamily. “Maria, have you ever thought about college, about the rest of our lives? I mean, you could meet all these great people, but you’d never really fit in, you know? Because we’ll always have this secret, this integral part of our lives that no one would ever believe.”

Maria looked at Liz with wry amusement. “See, this is why your journal will be read by future generations and treasured as a great, defining work. Your entries are deep and philosophical. Mine are more like this, ‘Got up, went to school, went to work, Michael Guerin is a jerk.’”

“I’m serious, Maria. It makes me wonder if we’re going to be tied to them for the rest of our lives just because we all know. Spending the rest of our lives saving the world from destruction.”

Maria wrinkled her nose. “Michael and I bantering for time and all eternity. Gee, that sounds fun. And of course, you and Max would continue your desperately tragic on-again/off-again relationship. Liz, I don’t know if I like the sound of all this.”

Liz looked down silently.

“Uh, by the way, Liz, I do have something to talk to you about. See, today at school, Tess made some catty comment to me about you and Kyle. Can you believe it? You and Kyle, like you were back together or something.” Maria laughed a little too loud and looked over at Liz for her reaction. Liz bit her lip. “She’s wrong, isn’t she? I mean, she’d have to be wrong because there’s no way you’d get back together with Kyle now. That wouldn’t make any sense since your feelings for Max are written all over your face every time you look at him. And even if it were true, through some horrific twist of fate, it still couldn’t be true because you would have told me if something had happened between you and Kyle.”

Liz avoided Maria’s eyes.

“You would’ve told me, right?” Maria said slowly.

“I wanted to, Maria, but-“

“I can’t believe this! You lost your virginity, to Kyle Valenti of all people, and you didn’t even bother to mention it to me? Did it not qualify as an important event in your life? Am I not your best friend anymore?”

Liz grabbed ahold of Maria’s arm. “No, that’s not it at all. I wanted to tell you, but it’s really complicated. I didn’t think you’d find out.”

Maria softened and took Liz’s hand. “It can’t be anymore complicated than whatever’s going on between me and Michael.”

Liz took a deep breath. “You’re not going to believe me.”

“I’ll believe you.”

“This may sound really stupid, but…Max came to see me. Max from the future. He told me—he told me that I had to make him fall out of love with me.”

“You’re right, I don’t believe you.”

Liz groaned. “Maria, please, just let me talk, okay?”

Maria nodded skeptically. “Go ahead. Shoot.”

“He said that if we were together in the future, that everything would go wrong. He said that- that Michael and Isabel, that they were both dead. And Tess was gone, and it was all falling apart. We were all going to die. He said I was the only one who could fix it.”

Maria listened closely, suddenly sober. “He said Michael was dead?”

“So I talked to Kyle and- and Max saw us together and—“

“And I can fill in the blanks.”

They sat without speaking for a few moments.

“How did this future Max find you?” Maria asked. “How did he get here?”

“The granilith. He said it could be used for time travel. They changed it somehow so it was possible.”

“Hmm. So technically, it would be possible for you to go back in time and tell last year’s Maria to not even bother with that idiotic assignment I had to do with Michael. That was where it all started, you know. That was when he kidnapped me and forced me to fall in love with him, or at least in lust, you could change everything, Liz. You could take Michael Guerin out of my life!”

“First off, I don’t even know how the granilith works,” Liz said. “Second, I don’t think you really want me to take Michael out of your life. For all the moaning you do, I think you secretly enjoy it.” Liz smiled.

“That is completely untrue,” Maria said, turning her head so Liz couldn’t see her smile.

“Third, you can’t tell anyone about this, Maria. It is imperative that Max never find out what happened. We just have to let things take their course now. Swear to me you won’t tell anyone.”

“I swear,” Maria said, locking pinkies with Liz.

*************

Liz opened her locker and pulled out her science book. As she placed it in her backpack, she was startled as her locker slammed shut. Michael stood above her, a concerned look on his face. Maria was behind him looking apologetic.

“Eraser room,” he said. “Now.”

He hurried away, Maria still on his heels. Liz stood puzzled for a few seconds, then followed. It was stuffy and cramped in the eraser room and she realized with a dull pang that the last time she’d been here was probably with Max. Back when they could barely keep their hands off one another. She was pulled from her reverie by Michael’s stern voice.

“Why didn’t you tell us about the granilith?” he said.

Liz glared at Maria. “I told you not to tell!”

“I didn’t mean to,” Maria pleaded. “I was talking to myself and he overheard me. He drilled me, he made me tell him. He used terrible alien mind-reading techniques.”

Michael ignored her. “Look, Liz, if you knew the granilith could be used for time travel, it would’ve been nice if you’d mentioned it.”

“I didn’t think it mattered. Besides, it wasn’t made for that. Max said they had to change it somehow, alter it to make it work.”

“Let me get this straight,” Michael said. “Max came to see you, from the future.” Liz nodded. “And he told you some junk about your relationship, but what else did he say?”

“He said—“ Liz stopped and started to wring her hands.

“I need to know, Liz.”

“He said that Tess had left. Because of me. Because Max and I were together. After she left, the four of you weren’t a whole unit and things started to fall apart. And—and you and Isabel died.”

“So how do we know that still won’t happen?” Michael asked.

“Max disappeared. He vanished. That world doesn’t exist anymore.”

“Maybe not that exact world, but what if the new future is almost exactly like the old one?” Michael said. “What if you and Max and your stupid teen angst didn’t change the inevitable end?”

“That’s not going to happen, Michael,” Maria said, running her hand along his arm and trying to comfort him. He shrugged her off.

“You don’t know that,” he said. He stormed out of the room, leaving the two dumbstruck girls behind him.

Liz looked guiltily at Maria. “I have to go to science lab, I’m late,” she said, hurrying off.

Maria left with her, running down the empty hall after Michael. “Michael, wait!”

He paused at the door, turned to look at her with that look of impatience that he seemed to give her so often. “What?”

“You’re not gonna do what I think you’re gonna do, are you? Because that may not be a very good idea. I mean, what if you can’t get back? What if something goes wrong and you’re transformed all mutated, your hand coming out of your leg or something? We’re not talking about Star Trek here, Michael, this is serious. We don’t know how it works.”