Isabel was the ultimate It girl. The girl who got noticed and envied, lusted after, hated, or some combination thereof by pretty much everyone.

Alex was, well-

"Or how about geek child," Maria volunteered, snickering.

No, Alex wasn't exactly geeky. But he didn't stand out of the crowd the way Isabel did. You had to get to know him before you realized how totally cool he was. He had this great, wacked sense of humor, and when he believed in something, he absolutely would not back down. Plus he had amazing green eyes, rich reddish brown hair, and a lean, muscular body.

It wasn't hard for Liz to see why a girl would want to be with him. Lots of girls, actually. But Isabel? Liz shook her head. Hey, if it worked, it worked. And it seemed to be working.

"Come on, Liz, Max. Join the fun. Take your best shot," Alex told her. He slammed his fists into his chest. "I can take it."

"Uh, cyberweenie?" Liz offered.

"Does anyone want the rest of this sandwich?" Max asked.

"I'll take it," Alex and Michael said together.

Liz shot a sharp look at Max. He'd pretty much fainted last week, out of the blue. Since then she'd asked him a few times if he was feeling okay, and he kept insisting that he was. But she believed in going by the facts-the fact that he seemed lethargic a lot of the time, the fact that he wasn't eating much, the fact that his skin had a slightly grayish tone. And the facts made her doubt him.

She didn't want a repeat of the Maria situation. If there was something wrong with Max, she needed to know about it.

The bell rang. Isabel and Maria slowly headed to their English class. Michael and Alex took off in opposite directions. Leaving her alone with Max.

"Ready for another adventure in the wonderful world of science?" he asked her as he shoved himself to his feet.