Snapshot · (Roswell Fanfiction) · √

19. The Ball is in Motion

The Apartment
Saturday evening
(2004) Michael is 20, Max is 19, Liz is 18

Liz tiredly threaded her fingers through her hair as she walked down the hallway towards the kitchen. Their voices increased in volume as she got closer.

"But that wouldn't matter, would it?" Maria said.

Michael grumbled, "I hate ties, woman!"

Liz bit back a laugh as she saw Maria's eyes darken and she mentally prepared herself for the explosion, but Maria saw Liz first which distracted her from her everyday bickering with her boyfriend.

"There she is!"

Liz's eyes narrowed suspiciously. What were they up to now?

"Hey Maria," she said cautiously and continued up to the kitchen counter. Pulling out a glass from the cabinet she turned on the tap and pushed the glass under the stream.

"What are you doing tonight?" Maria asked.

Liz put the cold glass against her lips and took a mouthful of the cold water, carefully observing Maria's excited face over the brim of the glass. She shrugged in silent response as she continued to gulp down the water.

"When was the last time you did something fun?" Maria asked with infectious enthusiasm that, unfortunately for Maria, Liz was immune to after all years spent in the girl's company.

"Well," Liz said calmly and turned on the tap to refill her glass. "I beat Michael at Underground yesterday. That was kinda fun."

Michael sighed in irritation, not particularly appreciating being reminded of his mortifying moments of defeat in X-box games.

Maria sighed exasperatedly. "Your brother doesn't count, Lizzie."

Liz's eyes widened with the sudden memory and she exclaimed, "Oh, but if you had seen his face yesterday. And the profanities... Dear Lord."

Maria gave Michael a look that by some miracle stopped him from responding and turned back to Liz with staged calmness. "Alright. Let's try this again. We're going bowling. Do you wanna come?"

Liz brightened. She loved bowling. She hadn't gone bowling in ages.

Maria smiled as she saw the light in Liz's eyes. "Is that a 'yes'?"

"I'll come," Liz said simply and put the glass on the counter. "Let me just grab my jacket."

Roswell's Bowling Alley

Liz reveled in the sounds of the bowling balls hitting the pins as she entered the bowling alley. It was such a relief to get out of the apartment. She had been holed up in there for too long.

Maria came up from behind and hooked arms with Liz. "Come on, Liz. Let's find some shoes."

If she had stayed around for another five seconds she would've seen Max walk through the main entrance, but as it was she missed the surprise on Michael's face as he saw his best friend approach and their casual greetings. She also missed the blonde girl that trailed closely behind Max and how Michael politely greeted her.

"It's a good thing that bowling is so much fun," Maria said as she and Liz exited the shoe area and walked towards the bowling lanes, "because there's no way I would otherwise put on other people's sweaty shoes." She shivered for emphasis. "Gross."

Liz was just about to announce her emphatic agreement when a high pitched laughter disrupted her train of thought. Her head slowly turned in the direction of the laughter while Maria walked into Liz as she her body came to an abrupt stop.