“Um, Liz?” Max started hesitantly. She may not want to talk to him about whatever was bothering her, but he couldn’t help himself from trying anyway.

She turned her head to look at him and his breath caught. For a brief moment he lost himself in the dark shimmering waves of her hair as it swung lightly from her face to rest on a shoulder. He remembered how it felt beneath his fingers, soft and supple, like fine silk. Max wondered if he’d ever have the chance to touch it again.

The sound of Liz’s voice brought him crashing back to reality. The reality he had chosen apart from Liz.

“What, Max?” Liz spoke absentmindedly, almost automatically. She hadn’t noticed his momentary sojourn into the past.

Max looked at her intently. He could see in her eyes that she was somewhere else. Somewhere far away from the lab and from him. But he took courage in the fact that she answered him and went on. “Liz, is there something wrong? You don’t seem yourself, and it concerns me.”

She sighed, and her attention returned to the task in front of her. “Max, no.” Her voice was stern. “Nothing is wrong with me. Now, can we just get back to our assignment?” He recognized the finality of her tone of voice: Leave me alone, I don’t want to talk to you. He closed his eyes briefly to try and mask the pain her cold words had inflicted. Then he started to work again.

A few moments later the classroom door opened and Kyle Valenti walked in. He approached Ms. Hardy and handed her a note. She read it and then called to Liz.

“Liz Parker, you are needed in the Principal’s office.” She handed the paper back to Kyle and went back to helping some other students with their work.

Max looked up when he heard Ms. Hardy call Liz’s name. His eyes froze when he saw Kyle there waiting at the front of the class for Liz. What was going on? For the past few weeks he and the others had seen Liz hanging around Kyle more and more often. None of them understood it, much less able to surmise the reasons behind her behavior. Max didn’t believe that Liz was petty enough to try to get back at him for halting their relationship by going back to Kyle. Nevertheless, everyone was getting more than a little concerned. Maria and Alex had already tried to talk to Liz about it, but she brushed their questions off saying it was school stuff. Still, Max didn’t doubt Liz. His faith in her to keep their secret was a firm as ever. Yet, something was setting alarms off in his head. He could feel that something was deeply troubling Liz, and he desperately wanted to find out what it was. All he could do now was watch incredulously as Liz was obviously more than a little anxious to gather her things and leave with Kyle. She walked out of the classroom without saying a word.

Liz knew there could only be one reason why she was being pulled out of class, especially since Kyle had been the one sent to get her. Something had happened. Something related to their work at the TeenLine. Once outside the classroom, she turned to Kyle, panic visible in her eyes. “What’s going on? Has something happened?”

Kyle looked at Liz sadly. He couldn’t tell her. He couldn’t bear to break this kind of news to her. “Come on. We’ve got to get to the Principal’s office. You’ll find out everything there.”

Liz protested. “KYLE, what is going on?!”

Kyle just looked at her, sympathy and compassion overflowing from his eyes. He took her hand and started to walk. “Let’s go.”

With each step closer to Principal Martin’s office, Liz’s stomach began to turn and her chest felt constricted. She had an overwhelming sense of dread. She feared whatever was going to happen, and dared not allow herself to consider her worst suspicions. Finally, they were in front of Principal Martin’s office, and as she walked through the door and saw the grim face waiting within she had the immediate impulse to flee.

“Hello, Liz. I’m sorry we had to pull you out of class, but there is something we need to talk to about.” As he spoke, Liz saw that Principal Martin was sitting at his desk visibly distressed. As Principal of West Roswell High, he enjoyed his job and cared deeply for his students, but it was situations like this which tore him up inside.

Liz looked to the side of the office to see who was the “we” Principal Martin referred to. She had seen a figure in the corner of her eye when she walked in, but she had only taken in Principal Martin. Now she turned to see Sheriff Valenti standing off to the side, holding his hat in front of him. The Sheriff stepped forward and spoke to her. He got straight to the point.

“Liz, you have been manning the phones for the TeenLine the past couple of weeks with Kyle and some other students, right?” Liz nodded. Was it really what she feared? She felt her face flush with emotion. The Sheriff continued. “And during that time, you had received some calls from one girl in particular who you were trying to help.”

“Yes.” Liz whispered. She had just talked to Laura two nights ago. She had been so despondent, had sound so defeated. Liz had repeatedly urged Laura to come in to see her, or at least approach someone else about what had been going on in her life, but Liz had hung up the phone doubtful that she would actually take any action. For the past two days she had been going over their conversations in her head, trying to think of how she could have been more convincing, more helpful to the girl on the other side of the phone. Liz’s eyes began to burn with tears of frustration and fear.

Principal Martin spoke again. “Liz, this morning, Mr. Frank found his daughter, Sarah, dead from an apparent suicide. An overdose of his prescription pain pills mixed with vodka.”

Liz could no longer contain her tears or the sob that escaped her lips. Her free hand, trembling with emotion, moved to cover her mouth. She had tried so hard to recognize the voice on the other side of the phone, but it had always eluded her. Now, the recognition hit her like a brick. She had known Sarah. They had been in English class together last year. She was a key player in the Girl’s Varsity Soccer Team. They had passed each other numerous times in the hallways. She was a pretty, petite girl. She always had a smile on her face. Yet, no one had known the turmoil hidden within the girl behind that smile. No one had known but Liz, and she had failed to help this poor girl.

Kyle, his hand still holding on to Liz’s, squeezed tightly and led her to a chair. He knelt and put his arm around her, trying to lend whatever comfort he could while he watched the strong girl he had always cared about break down. A thought came unbidden to his mind: How long had it been since she had let him touch her, much less put his arms around her? It had been so long ago, even before their breakup. However, Liz seemed oblivious to him, and she moved to wrap her arms around herself as if the room had suddenly become very cold. Kyle shrugged off his jacket and put it around her shoulders.

He had known about Liz’s frequent caller. After all of the seemingly trivial calls over whether someone should break up with their boyfriend or girlfriend, Liz had immediately recognized the difference in the quiet voice who called in desperate need of help. She had confided in him about it since he also helped answer phones at the TeenLine. TeenLine policy forbid any talk regarding the calls they received outside of the center in order to prevent any casual gossip at the school inadvertently reaching the caller’s ears. The TeenLine would have no credibility with the students if it couldn’t maintain their trust.

Quietly, Liz asked, “Why isn’t Mrs. Brown here?”

“Mrs. Brown called in sick today, Liz.” Mr. Martin answered. “She doesn’t know what has happened yet.”

Liz nodded. Her brain was spinning. She was still trying to absorb the enormity of it all.

Sheriff Valenti spoke again. “Liz, Kyle had mentioned your caller to me before. She was having troubles at home, wasn’t she?”

“Yes. Her mom had left her dad because of his drinking problem. She didn’t understand why her mother didn’t take her with her. She felt so abandoned, so lost. And then, when her father had his friends over and they all got drunk...” Liz, her head down with her dark hair hiding her tears, paused to take a breath and wipe her face with her hand. “One of her father’s friends was making unwanted advances on her. Actually, I think it went farther than that, but she never said so. She had tried to tell her father, but he didn’t believe her. I guess it was a longtime family friend. Someone they trusted. In fact, Laura..." Liz paused, shutting her eyes briefly and then corrected herself, "I mean, Sarah referred to him as her uncle. Recently, she mentioned that he had even started showing up at her house when her father was away at work.” Liz looked up suddenly, looking intently at the Sheriff. “How did you know my caller was Sarah?”

Sheriff Valenti brought one of his hands from behind his hat. In it was plain white envelope. It had been partially hidden behind his hat. “She left two letters behind. One of them was addressed to you.” He reached across the space between them and handed the envelope to her. With shaking hands, Liz pulled the paper out from the envelope. It had already been opened, but she assumed it was standard procedure when the Sheriff was faced with this kind of situation. She looked at the delicate handwriting and read:

“Dear Liz,

Thank you for all of your help these past few weeks. And I do mean that. You did help me. You were my only friend, the only one who knew of my problems. Your voice was so strong, so determined to help me face my fears, to face Uncle John.

I’m sorry I wasn’t able to be strong like you. I just can’t face the shame and guilt of this any longer. And I don’t think it will matter that much. Who will miss a small insignificant person like me? So, I don’t want you to feel bad about this, okay? It isn’t your fault. It isn’t anybody’s fault. It just doesn’t matter any more.

Take care, Sarah”

—————

Alex was completely oblivious to Mr. Schiller’s lecture on the Louisiana Purchase. If there was a pop quiz tomorrow he’d fail. But he didn’t care. Early on in the semester, he made an amazing discovery. Especially since it made history infinitely more endurable. While to the casual observer his seat primarily faced a window looking out onto the student parking lot, Alex knew that if turned in his seat just slightly, he had the perfect vantage point of the field. The exact piece of field that the cheerleaders used for practice during the very same hour he was stuck listening to Mr. Schiller drone on about U.S. History. He had never so staunchly believed in the power of prayer until now.

He watched transfixed as the cheerleading squad practiced their routine again and again. There was only one cheerleader that he was interested in watching. She was a goddess. In Alex’s eyes, Isabel Evans was Aphrodite herself. Even in sweats, she took his breath away. His eyes followed her every movement. He watched as she moved away from the group of girls to take a drink from her water bottle. And as she tilted her head back to take a drink, he admired the graceful line of her throat and how the sun hit her hair and turned it into shimmering strands of gold.

Alex shook his head slightly to focus his attention back to the classroom where he was sitting. He had to get control over himself before he started to drool all over his desk. Besides, he should at least try to get something out of today’s history lecture. He already knew he was going to have trouble passing this class. He should have at least enough restraint to keep from flunking. Yet, maybe he could let himself take just one more glance at the object of his affection.

He turned his eyes back to the field and noticed a change in Isabel’s demeanor immediately. Something was wrong. Her mouth was open in complete disbelief. Alex watched as her shock faded into a visible scowl. He traced her gaze and realized she was glaring at something in the student parking lot. He shifted in his seat to get a better view and was shocked himself.

There was his best friend, Liz Parker, in the student parking lot with Kyle Valenti. Kyle’s arm was around Liz, holding her close. Alex blinked hard and looked again. It was no mistake. Even though they were walking away from where he was, Alex had no trouble recognizing the two of them. He had seen them together several times before when they were a couple. But they weren’t dating any more, and Kyle had been extremely bitter about the breakup. Recently, that seemed to change though. Alex had seen them talking together in the hall last week, but when he asked Liz about it, she had told him it was just stuff about school. Yet, here the two of them were, walking together to Kyle’s red Camaro. He looked closer. Was Liz wearing Kyle’s letterman jacket? It was only when Kyle opened the passenger door of the car and Liz turned to get in that Alex was finally given a clear view of her face. She was crying. Liz looked absolutely devastated, her face red and puffy. Immediately, Alex was extremely worried. The problem was, he didn’t know whether to be more concerned over the fact that Liz was crying, or that she was getting in to Kyle Valenti’s car and leaving campus with him. Then, another realization hit him. Isabel was watching them too. In his surprise he had completely forgotten about her.

“This is not good.” With a start, Alex realized he had unintentionally spoken out loud.

“Excuse me, Mr. Whitman?” Mr. Schiller asked. “Did you care to add some personal insight to the lecture today?”

“No, Mr. Schiller. Sorry.” Alex slumped down in his seat. What the hell was going on? He had to find Maria as soon as possible. Maybe she would know what was going on. If she didn’t, they could all be in big trouble. He remembered the look he had seen on Isabel’s face. Alex had to act fast. Or else he feared the precarious trust he and his best friends had established with the ‘Czechoslovakians’ could be permanently lost.

—————

That afternoon, Alex walked beside Maria as they approached Liz Parker’s front door. He had told Maria what he and Isabel had seen, and they were both concerned. Neither of them had any idea what was going on with Liz. The fact that Kyle Valenti did know hurt their feelings more than a little. However, he and Maria both realized there was more at stake than just their feelings.

Alex’s step faltered as he considered what they were planning to do. Were they really about to knock on Liz’s door in order to confront her? That didn’t seem right to him—their coming to confront Liz. He had seen how upset she was. He had seen her tear-stained cheeks. What he wanted to do was offer his friend some comfort with whatever was bothering her. But then he remembered how he had seen Kyle comforting Liz, and how it was the fact that it was Kyle that made this situation so difficult now.

All of them, including himself, knew about Isabel’s intense fear of Sheriff Valenti. They also knew that her fear of the Sheriff spawned a latent distrust and general loathing of his son, Kyle. So, when Alex realized that Isabel had also seen Liz leave with Kyle—well, neither he or Maria could predict what she would think or do.

Alex, his face grim, made himself focus again on why he and Maria had come: They had to find out what was wrong with Liz, and they had to head off a potentially explosive situation from developing with Max, Isabel and Michael. He turned toward the friend standing next to him and saw her give a firm nod, her expression serious. He reached his arm out and knocked.

—————

As soon as she had finished dreamwalking, Isabel went to her brother’s room.

“Max.”

Max was sitting at his desk studying. He barely took his eyes from his book as he answered his sister. “What, Iz?”

“Max”, Isabel repeated, this time with more urgency in her voice. It got her brother’s attention. He turned and looked at her, and he saw her eyes. He saw a mixture of emotions swimming there: grief, worry and concern. “Max, call Michael and have him come over. We need to talk.”

“What’s going on, Iz?” There was an edge to Max’s voice. He stood up from his desk and walked up to her, his eyes filled with alarm.

“Just get him over here. I’ll tell you then.”

—————

Maria and Alex followed Mrs. Parker into the living room and they all sat down. The two teens on the couch, Mrs. Parker in a large chair. None of them attempted to exchange the familiar pleasantries. It seemed understood that it wasn’t the time or place for them. The words would have just fallen flat, their meaning empty and lifeless.

“You’re concerned about Liz, aren’t you?” Mrs. Parker started. She saw the serious nods of her daughter’s best friends and continued, her face sad. “Well, so am I. This has hit her rather hard. I’ve tried to tell her that she did what she could, but it doesn’t matter what I say right now. She’s too lost in her own guilt to hear me.”

“Um, Mrs. Parker?” Maria was the first to speak, her voice subdued. She had to know what was going on. Obviously, Mrs. Parker already thought they did. “What exactly is going on with Liz?”

“You don’t know?” Mrs. Parker was amazed. Her hand instinctively moved to massage her aching head. Why didn’t Liz tell Maria and Alex? They were her best friends after all. Suddenly, the answer came to her and the worried creases on her forehead cleared. She remembered that Liz had told her about the TeenLine Policy. “Of course she wouldn’t have told you. I understand now.”

Alex’s patience was dangerously close to snapping. What did everyone seem to know but them? “Would you please mind telling us, Mrs. Parker?”

Mrs. Parker looked at the teen and saw the anxiety in his features. She smiled at the young man she had watched grow up with her daughter and thought of how handsome he was growing up to be.

“Yes, Alex.” Liz’s mother sighed. “If it’s any consolation, I just found out most of this from Mr. Martin today. He called the house to let me know he was sending Liz home early and to tell me what was going on. Anyway,” Mrs. Parker made a fluttering gesture with her hand as if to shoo away all the extraneous thoughts in her mind. “Liz has been volunteering with the TeenLine these past few weeks.”

“Right, she changed her entire schedule around for it.” Maria interjected. She couldn’t help herself. The tension of not knowing was gnawing at her, and the vial of cedar oil she had been smelling the past few hours was not helping at all.

Alex glared at Maria for interrupting Mrs. Parker’s explanation.

“Yes.” Mrs. Parker resumed. “And during the past couple of weeks while she was answering the phones there, she developed a relationship with a caller. A girl. A girl with some serious problems. Apparently, Liz had been trying unsuccessfully to get the girl to meet with her and get some help.”

“What was wrong with her?” Maria questioned, and was immediately answered with another glare from Alex.

Alex snapped at Maria, “Can you please just let her talk?” He turned his attention back to Liz’s mother. “Sorry, Mrs. Parker.”

Mrs. Parker could understand the teens’ frustration. If the Principal hadn’t called her, she doubted she would have been able to get the full story from Liz. Her daughter had walked in the house crying and had gone straight into her room, closing the door behind her. “The girl was being molested by a friend of her family. At least that is what Liz told Mr. Martin and the Sheriff today in his office.”

This time Alex had to ask, “The sheriff? Why was he there?”

“I presume because they are looking into investigating the father. Probably for child endangerment or something of that nature. The point is, the girl Liz was helping was found dead this morning. She had committed suicide.”

“Oh my God.” Maria gasped. She had never even imagined something as serious as this. Poor Liz. Her heart filled with emotion over what her friend must be going through.

Alex was looking down at his hand, his fingers entwined with one another. Something still wasn’t making sense to him. “But what about Kyle? Why did he bring her home instead of one of us?”

Leaning across the space between them, Mrs. Parker put one of each of her hands on the hands of the teens sitting in front of her. “I’m sure she would have asked one of you, but Kyle was already there. From what Mr. Martin said, Kyle also volunteers at the Center and he was trying to help Liz with this girl. And so, I assume, they brought Kyle in at the same time as Liz to tell them the news together.”

“Can I see her?” Maria was grief stricken for her friend. She had thought...she had thought so many different things about her friend. None of them were even close to the truth. And none of them said much of her faith in her friend either.

“I’m sorry, Maria, but you can’t. She finally fell asleep about an hour ago. She was completely exhausted from all that happened today.” Tears started to form in Mrs. Parker’s eyes. Her poor baby. If something had ever happened to Liz like that girl, heaven knows what she’d do.

Alex saw the emotion well up in Mrs. Parker’s eyes, and he stood up from the couch. “I’m sure this day has been trying on you too, Mrs. Parker. We shouldn’t stay any longer. We just wanted to make sure Liz was okay. She had been acting a little out of sorts lately and we didn’t understand why. Thanks for filling us in.” He reached down and put his hand on Maria’s shoulder. Maria looked up, his touch bringing her out of her own thoughts, and understood that it was time to go.

“Uh, yeah. Thanks, Mrs. Parker.” Maria added as she stood up from the couch. “Can I call Liz later?”

“You can try, honey,” Mrs. Parker said, rising from her seat. “But I doubt she’ll take it, even if she does wake up. But I do appreciate the both of you coming over to check on Liz. You both really are her best friends. You know that, don’t you?”

Maria and Alex silently nodded, their thoughts racing ahead elsewhere while their feet automatically propelled them forward. As Mrs. Parker silently saw them out, Alex already knew what they had to do next to accomplish the second part of their goal. Once they had gotten seated in Maria’s red Jetta, Alex turned to his friend. “You know where we have to go now.”

Maria nodded. She started the engine, released the parking break and they were off.