Which had to be one of the most repulsive combinations Liz could imagine. But I'm not an alien, she reminded herself. Michael definitely didn't have human taste buds. If he did, he'd be hurling all over the bleachers right now.

"You're lucky you're cute, or you'd end up in the repulsive hall of fame in a heartbeat," Maria exclaimed as Michael shoveled another load of cheese food into his mouth.

"You really think I'm cute?" Michael asked. He batted his eyelashes at Maria, then he opened his mouth wide, showing the orange gunk coating his tongue.

"I'd definitely ask you out," Alex commented, holding the bag out to Maria.

Maria wrinkled her nose. "I don't eat neon orange food. It just isn't right."

Michael grinned at Alex, who grinned at Maria. And then they pounced on her. Maria tried to squirm away, but Michael grabbed one of her arms and Alex grabbed the other. They both tried to stuff junk food into her mouth. Maria managed to squeal while keeping her teeth tightly locked together, which Liz found pretty impressive.

"Help us out here," Alex called to Max.

Max reached over and tickled the stretch of bare stomach that had become exposed when Maria's sweater rode up. She started to giggle, and Alex and Michael took the opportunity to cram her mouth full.

"We should pay attention," Liz said. It came out a little sharper than she meant it to. "The game's about to start."

They had a few more minutes before kickoff. But Liz wanted Max's hands off Maria-right now. She knew she had nothing to be jealous of. Max and Maria were just buddies. But it still hurt to see Max touching her best friend when he never even touched Liz anymore.

They had only kissed three times before Max announced his just friends law. But Liz could still remember exactly how it felt when his lips touched hers. She couldn't stand the thought of going through the rest of her life without another kiss from Max. Without feeling his fingers in her hair or his body-