Melinda Metz - The Outsider

Maria wished she could stand there forever, listening to the music. No, not listening to it. Feeling it. It washed through her in waves, sweeping away all the garbage. The thoughts about the test she had tomorrow, the anger at her parents over the divorce, and most of all her fear of Isabel.

She was as afraid as I was, Maria thought suddenly. The thought just appeared in her mind, and she knew it was true. An image flashed into her head of Isabel curled up in the corner of the cave, terrified that Valenti was coming after her. Maria felt a wave of sympathy. It was all an act. All Isabel's threats were just to hide how scared she was. She was never going to hurt me.

Maria caught a hint of cedar in the air. No, not just cedar, cedar and ylang-ylang. And cinnamon. And almonds. And eucalyptus. And roses.

It's like the music is making the perfume, she thought. Then she realized the truth. It's all coming from us.

Michael swayed on his feet. The music and the smells were making him sort of dizzy. He needed to go outside. He needed to be alone for a minute. It was too intense in here.

Max's plan had worked. Michael was convinced that no one here was dangerous. So couldn't this thing end? He didn't know about the rest of them, but he didn't like standing here with his guts spilling out. That's what it felt like. He stared over at Max, trying to signal him that it was time to break the connection.

As he watched, Max's aura began to glow and shimmer. It was like a liquid emerald. It wasn't clouded by any emotions. It was just a jolt of one hundred percent pure Max.

Michael felt his anxiety start to fade as he lost himself in the color. He caught a glimpse of something shining to his left. He turned and saw that Maria's aura had started to glow, too, the blue of a mountain lake.

He gazed around the circle, taking in the deep purple of Isabel's aura, the warm amber of Liz's, Alex's sunny orange, and his own brick red. We really look like a rainbow…, he thought. And he laughed. He felt the others laughing with him.

It's like a total multimedia event, Alex thought. He tried to come up with a word for the mix of colors, music, and scents, but nothing felt right. What he was feeling went beyond language.

Alex had never felt so connected to other people, so accepted. He didn't have any friends who had known him since practically birth, friends the way Liz and Maria were friends. He'd switched schools so many times that he hardly had any friends at all. And his brothers were all older and so different. He always felt kind of like a freak around them.

Maybe this is what it's like to have lived in one town your whole life.

He'd always wanted to have a home in a place where everyone knew him.

Max slowly loosened his grip on Alex's and Isabel's hands, allowing the connection to fade.

"Whoa," Alex muttered. "All I can say is whoa."

"Yeah," Maria agreed. "Whoa."

"I think I finally know how my dad feels at a Grateful Dead concert," Liz told them.

"If we could make that in a pill form, we could become drug lords and make a billion," Michael added.

"Thanks, Max," Isabel said softly.

"So I guess now we know we can trust everyone here." The connection left Max feeling calm and hyperalert at the same time. He felt ready to take on Valenti. "Anyone have any ideas about how to handle the sheriff?"

"Actually," Michael answered, "yeah."

"Everyone knows what they're supposed to do, right?" Max asked. In less than an hour, if everything went the way they planned, Valenti would be off their case forever.

"I rehearsed in the shower," Maria told him.

"We've been over it a thousand times already, Dad," Isabel answered. "Can we please just go back into the dance? They're about to announce the homecoming queen, and I want to be there to act all surprised and happy."

"We know our stuff," Alex agreed. "Let's go. We wouldn't want Isabel to miss the big moment, right, Michael?"

"Right. That would be horrible," Michael said.

Max caught the scent of jasmine as Liz moved past him. He followed her across the parking lot and into the gym. He tried not to stare at her, but she looked so gorgeous in that dress. All long legs, and smooth shoulders, and shiny dark hair. The green material of the dress was making him crazy. At first glance it looked really sheer, almost see-through. But it wasn't really see-through because there was some kind of lining under it.

Being around Liz was like torture. It was so much worse now that he'd kissed her. It was bad enough when he used to look at her and imagine what it would be like to feel her in his arms. But now that he knew, it was driving him crazy. He wished he knew what she thought about those moments in the parking lot. He felt as if every sensation were tattooed on his brain. But she could have forgotten all about it. Maybe all she remembered was that it had been a good way to get rid of Kyle.

"I have to say, I'm so impressed by the decorations," Alex said. "It was a bold move to use yellow and brown crepe paper and big autumn leaves for the homecoming dance."

Michael snorted.

"Does anyone see Stacey Scheinin?" Isabel asked. She craned her neck, trying to see over the people in front of them.

"She's right over there, crammed between two football players," Maria answered.

Isabel moved next to her. "Oh yeah. Now I see her. Good. I want a view of her face when they make the announcement that I'm this year's homecoming queen."

"Okay, the moment you've all been waiting for," Ms. Shaffer called from the stage at the front of the gym. The microphone whined, and she winced. "This year's homecoming queen and king are… Liz Ortecho and Max Evans."

Isabel stopped in midsqueal. "What?" she cried.

"Go on up there," Maria exclaimed. She gave Max a push.

"Let's go." Liz sounded as surprised as Max felt. She took his hand and led the way up to the stage. Ms. Shaffer was reading the names of their court, but Max couldn't focus. How had this happened? He could understand why Liz won. Liz was the most beautiful girl in school, plus she was totally popular, definitely one of the elite-it only made sense that she got a ton of votes. But who would have voted for him?

He climbed up the steps and headed over to Ms. Shaffer. Everyone in the gym was clapping and whistling. He could hear Michael and Alex hooting louder than anyone. They had to be loving this. Its not like any guy really wanted to be homecoming king.

Ms. Shaffer handed Liz a bouquet of roses and placed a dime-store rhinestone tiara on her head. Max leaned down so she could put the crown on him. Liz kissed his cheek, and he could tell she was trying not to giggle by the way her lips were vibrating.

Some love song started to play, and a spotlight hit Liz and Max, blinding him. "We're supposed to dance," Liz whispered.

Max jumped off the stage and held his hands up to Liz. She let him swing her down to his side. He felt kind of awkward. He would have loved to slow dance with Liz by themselves or even in the middle of a big crowd. But everyone had cleared a circle in the center of the gym floor so they could start off the dance alone.

Liz reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck, and her body brushed against his. Max felt as if his blood had turned carbonated, popping and fizzing in his veins. He placed his hands on her waist. He didn't try to pull her closer. We're friends, he told himself.

"I felt sort of frozen up there," he said. He thought it would help him do the friend thing if he talked. "You know, like a polar bear at the zoo. All those people watching me."

Liz chuckled. "Why?"

"Because I've always been the quiet guy," Max answered. "If a total unknown can become homecoming king, it has to be a joke, right?"