Never Underestimate Destiny

Part 25

(Thursday, November 16)

In the West Roswell High quad, Isabel sat at their usual lunch table, picking at her fries. She'd arrived to find Max and Liz already there and took a seat across from them. She knew they'd been spending a lot of time together lately since Liz had discovered her powers, but she hadn't really thought that much about it.

Her mind had been occupied more and more with thoughts of Alex and what could have happened between them. But suddenly seeing Max and Liz together made her wonder if there wasn't something happening between them.

They'd stayed apart since that day at the pod chamber last summer when they'd heard the message from the orb. Isabel knew Max was trying to get Liz back, and maybe it had finally worked.

It's not like they were doing anything obvious like when they used to hold hands everywhere and touch and kiss all the time. In fact as she observed them, she noted that they weren't touching at all, but there was something. They were a little too close to each other, their eyes met for too long, they shared small smiles as they sat in silence.

Max and Liz were the only people she knew who could express their feelings so perfectly for each other without saying a word.

As she continued to watch them, she was more convinced with each passing moment that they were back together, but why were they hiding it?

Alex slid into the seat next to her and placed a napkin with sugar cookie covered with pink frosting next to her lunch. "They just put these out," he said with a smile. "I know they're your favorite."

She smiled back at him. "Thank you," she said genuinely.

Alex was always so thoughtful and he always took care of her. She wasn't sure what she'd been thinking when she pushed him away and dated Grant. It had just happened so quickly between them, even though she was sure Alex would say it had gone at a snail's pace, and it scared her. For the first time she'd felt something that might be real, and she'd run the other way, falling back into her old patterns.

Looking at Alex her heart started to warm with feelings of belonging and acceptance. He knew who and what she was and still wanted to be with her, and he was a great guy. How lucky could she get, and why wasn't she rushing into his arms?

She wanted to say something, do something.

Opening her mouth she leaned in, speaking his name softly. "Alex . . ."

He turned toward her and their eyes met. She felt all of this anticipation and she could see that he wasn't sharing it. He simply waited for her to continue. Maybe it was too soon, or maybe she'd ruined her chance with him. She hesitated.

Dropping his gaze she grabbed for another subject to cover the silence. "Do you think," she said quietly, "Max and Liz are back together?"

Together they looked at the couple across the table. Max and Liz were bent over a notebook, talking about equations.

"I don't know," Alex said, "It's obvious they are good friends, but I was starting to wonder about all the time she was spending with Zan."

"Zan?" Isabel said surprised.

"Yeah," he continued, "she practices with him a lot alone, and he's at the Crashdown all the time. Sound familiar?"

She nodded. "It certainly does." Suddenly she was worried for Max. What would happen to her brother if Liz moved on with Zan?

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

Tess zoned out as her history teacher started his lecture. It was her last class of the day, and she didn't think she'd heard a word any of her teachers said.