After Prom

1

She was rocking out with Maria on the dance floor, sans shoes, her hair flying every which way, and she didn't care that it was being ruined because she was having too much fun trying to make Maria forget about Michael. However, in the back of her mind she was certain that there was another explanation for what he was doing. She knew Michael too well and she knew, in her heart, that he would never cheat on someone, even if they weren't really together.

Suddenly, as the two of them were dancing, Maria had turned…and then she froze.

Liz stopped as well, and then followed her friend's stare. And she felt her own heart skip a beat. It was Michael. And even though he was technically Maria's…good god, he looked good. He towered over all of the other boys and in Liz's eyes, he was no mere boy…he was a man. Pure male, through and through.

He stood straight, not a single hunch to his shoulders, his hair combed back, and the suit he wore was solid black, as well as the shirt, which was buttoned to the collar, sans tie, and to Liz it just made him stand out even more in the mass of students. He held himself like royalty, and it suited him. It seemed as though he'd been born to act this way, born to step into a room and have everyone take notice of him. Born to lead…even more so than Max, the one who'd been called to be king.

She could almost see the invisible burden that seemed settled on his broad shoulders, which were easily bearing the weight, and something inside of her stirred.

He didn't deserve someone like Maria. Her friend kept on treating him like a doormat, and he simply took it. The few times he'd tried to make a clean break from her, she'd managed to drag him back in, acting as though she'd never really meant it. She played on his insecurities mercilessly and it bothered Liz to no end.

But Maria wanted this night more than anything, so Liz pushed her towards Michael and said, "Okay, go."

Maria protested.

"No, no…me and you, we're a couple now."

Liz shoved down the angry retort that wanted to surface and pushed her again.

"Go…!"

As she watched her friend approach him, she couldn't help but listen in, and was silently thrilled to know that she was right, that Michael hadn't been cheating on her, but trying to be better for her, to make her night special for her.

Liz then headed to the hallway, her shoes still in her hand, her thoughts still on Michael Guerin.

After a while she went back into the gym and sat down in one of the chairs, watching the couples dance by, a twinge of jealousy in her eyes as they went past.

And then she saw Michael and Maria…and she felt the twinge turn into a painful jab in her chest. She knew that she shouldn't be feeling this way, but as she watched Maria try to show her partner how to properly dance, she couldn't help but think that she would have been glad to simply be with him, and not have forced him to be something he wasn't. Yes, it was wonderful that he'd gone to all the trouble for her, but at the same time, he shouldn't have felt that he needed to be perfect for her.

Maria held such high expectations of so many people in her life, especially Michael, and Liz felt that it was unfair.

She left after seeing Isabel and Alex kissing, and went back out into the hallway…and saw Max and Tess kissing. Even though it killed her, she knew that it was for the best. She went to the bowling alley and enjoyed some time with Sean, and then started to head home…but found her feet taking her to Michael's apartment, instead.

She didn't know what she was doing here.

She stood outside for the longest time, and then finally lifted her hand and knocked on the door, not even sure if he was even home. It was Prom night, after all, and by all logic he should have still been out with Maria, partying the night away…

He opened it immediately.

"Parker?" He looked thoroughly confused. "What are you doing here? Is, uh, is something wrong?"

She just shook her head.

"No. Nothing's wrong. Can I…I was just…uhm, can I come in?"

He nodded and held the door open for her, and as she walked by him she caught his scent. His cologne from earlier that evening still lingered on his skin, but she could also smell him. God, it smelled amazing. She rubbed her arms and sidled past him into his apartment and sat down on his couch.

He closed the door and then turned to her, and that was when she noticed that he was still wearing what he'd worn to the prom, except his jacket was missing, his sleeves were rolled up, and the top few buttons of his shirt were undone. Her mouth and throat were suddenly dry, and she quickly swallowed, trying to return herself back to normal, and trying to ignore the feeling that was rising in her chest for her best friend's sort-of boyfriend.

She finally managed to say, "I saw Max kissing Tess."

He didn't say anything for a long moment and then said, "Yeah…I think we all saw that coming. Even you, Parker…"

He gave her an intense look and she ducked her eyes, embarrassed, not actually meaning to say what she had just said, but knowing that it was the reason why she had come to him. She needed someone who could see things for what they really were.

She then whispered, "Yeah. I guess…I guess I did."

There was a long silence, during which Michael left the room and then came back with a cracked 'Aliens Are Among Us' mug filled with orange juice. She took it gratefully and drew her legs up on the couch, trying to ignore the fact that her dress hiked up on her legs.

Michael had noticed it as well, but he quickly averted his eyes, and instead focused on his own mug.

She looked over at him.

"So…you and Maria…?"

He shook his head.

"No, not really. You know Maria. On again, off again, but never really on, if you know what I mean…"

Liz nodded.

"Yeah, I know what you mean." She paused a moment, and then, without even thinking about the can of worms she was opening, she said, "You know, she doesn't deserve you, Michael. She really doesn't."

He snorted and replied with, "Yeah, I know. The whole 'she can do so much better than you' speech. I've heard it before, Parker, just not from you."

She looked at him in shock, amazed that that was what he thought, and then clarified.

"No, Michael…that's not what I mean." He gave her a second look over the rim of the mug, and she continued. "What I mean is that you're too good for her. She doesn't…she doesn't treat you the way you deserve to be treated. She treats you like a doormat, Michael…"

Her voice petered out and she suddenly realized what she had said and dropped her eyes, biting her lip.

She didn't see the look that crossed Michael's face.

It dissipated quickly, and then he cleared his throat, catching her attention and said, "How is it any better than the way Max always treated you?"

At his words, her head snapped up and their eyes caught each other. Burnished gold and chocolate brown held tightly together, and she felt her heart in her throat and her stomach roiled. She didn't know what to say or how to react.

Liz couldn't admit it out loud, but he was completely right.

They continued to stare at each other, both of them silently daring the other to look away first, neither one of them backing down from the accusation that lay in both of their eyes.

They looked away at the same time.

Part 1/?