A/N: Gah, it's been awhile since my last update, so a quick sorry for that. Into the thank yous: Thanks to Asthetic, Bookish, and KD Sparrow for the reviews. And to DamagedGlory for adding my story as an alert. I hope this nice long chapter satisfies everyone. Before Max confronts Michelle, I figured it'd be nice to give you guys some history between them. Just a couple of chapters on their college life so you're in check and understand everything. Review, review, review!


My Belle
Chapter Nine
Coffee Shop
"I think that possibly, maybe I'm falling for you.
Yes, there's a chance that I've fallen quite hard over you.
I've seen the paths that your eyes wander down,
I want to come too.

I never knew just what it was about this old coffee shop
I love so much.
All of the while I never knew,
I never knew just what it was about this old coffee shop
I love so much.
All of the while I never knew."
-Falling in Love at a Coffee Shop, Landon Pigg

Clarissa and Michelle sat at an outside table complete with wrought iron chairs that twisted to form floral designs, an open pink umbrella to shade them from the sun, and two coffee mugs filled to the brim with each one's favored caffeinated choice. Clarissa took her coffee black, usually because it helped her ease out of a hangover. Michelle knew she was perfectly sober now, but apparently the appeal of the black coffee had crossed over into her regular morning routine. Michelle herself didn't drink coffee; another characteristic about her the others liked to make fun of. They couldn't help but tease her about her wholesomeness and naïve demeanor. But Michelle was anything but. Okay, maybe she didn't like waking up in random Princeton guys' beds, but that didn't mean she didn't know what was going on out there. Living with Clarissa, Nancy, and Joyce, she was fully informed on their shenanigans and flings; she just didn't choose to join them.

"It's called respect for yourself and your bodies, ladies," she told them when they asked one time.

They had just giggled in response and rolled their eyes, gulping down their glasses of wine.

So instead of stirring coffee, like the rest of the customers lounging around them, Michelle was sipping on some hot chocolate.

"Why'd we have to meet here?" Clarissa whined, her eyes hidden behind a pair of large sunglasses that looked exactly like the ones Jackie Kennedy owned.

Michelle sighed. "Why not is the better question."

"Do you think he's going to rape you?" Clarissa asked, trying to see it from Michelle's point of view and failing completely. "Oh, Michelle, you're so young. I can understand that you haven't been with many men before and meeting one up close is a little terrifying, but not all of them are going to want to shove you against a wall and make sweet love to you. Even though that sounds a little hot…"

Michelle laughed into her drink. "I swear, you must've been a horny boy in your former life."

"I don't ever doubt that," Clarissa replied, smirking as well.

"And I'm not afraid of men," Michelle added, pointing her spoon at her friend. "I just want to make that perfectly clear."

"Whatever you say," Clarissa said dismissively.

They sat a little more in silence, taking in the autumn scenery around them. Princeton was particularly beautiful once the leaves began to change color and the sun's rays would dip earlier and earlier into the horizon. People bustling about, to and fro, doing whatever they had to do to get by and the college kids hanging around every bar, café, and restaurant, chatting and doing their assignments. It was all a pretty picture.

Clarissa stared at Michelle, who noticed immediately.

"What?"

"You're not wearing a hat today."

"Uh, thanks, Miss Obvious. That's kinda what we're here for."

"No…I mean, you look nice."

Michelle raised her eyes. "A compliment from Clarissa? Could it be?" She placed her palm against Clarissa's forehead. "Are you feeling alright?"

"I'm fine!" she yipped, smacking Michelle's hand away. "I'm not all evil you know."

"Apparently not," Michelle smiled.

"You should wear them less often," Clarissa continued. "Now we all know you aren't hiding a big bald spot or something."

"Such reassurance," Michelle quipped.

"Seriously," Clarissa went on. "You look like such a girl. Maybe someone will actually find you attractive now."

"Thanks, I guess," she replied, unsure on whether that was Clarissa's form of a compliment.

"Welcome," Clarissa wiped at the lipstick around her mouth.

Michelle cradled her round face in her hands, staring off into the distance in thought. At the time, confronting this guy seemed like the right idea, but now she didn't seem as sure. She could, of course, blame her anger which would totally have been a plausible excuse, but Michelle rarely wanted to make excuses for herself. Now that she had dragged Clarissa here, she had no choice but to follow through on her threat and only endure the consequences that were sure to follow. There were a million things she wanted to say to him, most not appropriate in public, the rest would permanently leave her in a state of shame. As much as she would've liked to tell "Max" off, she couldn't bring herself to it. She knew even now, sitting there waiting for him to appear. She liked to tell herself that she'd man up and let out all her aggravation on him for taking her beloved hat, but she just wasn't that type of person. She was known to be pure, quiet, and smart. Blowing off would raise eyebrows and disappoint the people she had strived to impress.

So she had absolutely no clue what to do.

I guess I'll take it on head on. I mean, how bad can he be?

On all certainties, Michelle knew that she was bound to hate him, so that was one less problem to worry about.

Clarissa scanned the area once more and all of a sudden her eyes lit up. "He's here!"

Michelle was about to ask where but she needn't have to look any further; Clarissa's loving gaze in his direction was indication enough. A tall, blonde guy their age was strolling casually in their direction, his wispy hair sticking out underneath Michelle's paperboy hat that was propped onto his head.

Michelle rolled her eyes in disgust.

Clarissa, on the other hand, was going completely insane. She raised her arm high in the air, waving as she squirmed in her seat. "Over here! Max! Hey!"

"Pathetic," Michelle grumbled, but Clarissa was too overcome with Max's presence that she ignored her snide comment.

Max spotted them immediately and hustled over. He took the extra seat between the two girls, one practically hyper ventilating and the other paying particular attention to her hot chocolate. "Hello, ladies."

"Hey, Max," Clarissa squealed.

Michelle stared at her from across the table. It was very unlike Clarissa to be all flustered around a guy, but from her account of him the other night and her whimsical expression while telling them about him, Michelle wasn't too surprised.

"So, you're Michelle," he said to her.

She frowned and said nothing, taking a sip from her drink.

"Okay," Max muttered slowly. He turned to Clarissa. "I think I left my shirt in your room."

Clarissa shot him a quizzical look. "What shirt?"

"You know, from that time I came over," He winked obnoxiously, making sure to be extra obvious.

Clarissa suddenly understood. "Oh, yeah, now I remember."

"You think you can get it for me?" he asked, scratching his head. Noting that Clarissa hadn't left her seat, he added, "Like, now?"

"N-Now?" she stammered. Picking off her stunner shades and propping them onto her head, she stared at Max incredulously. "But i-it's so far away. I'd have to walk. I don't have a car."

"I kinda need it for something," he told her. When he saw her disbelief he continued with, "Something important. Please?"

Her hazel eyes went to Michelle, who was mouthing silently "NO! NO! NO!" in desperation. Clarissa sighed heavily. "Fine," she answered and began to gather her things despite Michelle's warns to stay put. Michelle shook her head in disappointment.

As she began to walk away, Max called, "Thanks!"

"You've never been over to our dorm," Michelle pointed out quickly once Clarissa was out of earshot.

"Evidently, Clarissa doesn't know that," he told her, still staring after Clarissa's figure. Michelle suddenly felt a pang of guilt. How come she hadn't thought of telling her friend before she had click clacked off back to their dorm? "I wanted us to be alone."

"Why?" Michelle spat. "What can you say in front of me that you can't say in front of her?"

Max shrugged and turned to her. And that was the first time she saw his eyes. The sight of it was so shocking, so beautiful that it took her a few seconds to recover. It definitely wasn't what she had expected of scum. Scum wasn't supposed to have pretty blue eyes.

She squinted at him, her mouth a little open.

"What?" he asked uneasily, not used to girls staring weirdly at him. They were usually preoccupied with something else.

"Has anyone ever told you you have really blue eyes?" she asked.

He chuckled but didn't answer.

Michelle shook her head suddenly, trying to clear her mind. There was a reason she was sitting here in this café. "Can I have my hat back?" She said politely, mentally kicking herself for her benevolence. He didn't deserve that.

He fingered the tip of it in contemplation. "Not yet."

"Why the fuck not?" she hissed quietly making sure no one around her heard. She normally wasn't so crude with new people she had just met, but this guy had pissed her off enough. She didn't have time to sit around and play games with him.

"Whoa, calm down. Can we get to know each other a little more before we start cursing at each other?" he replied coolly "I only tolerate profanity from my closest friends and chicks that I've slept with. And seeing that you're neither—not yet, that is—let's keep this conversation civil."

"Civil?" Michelle repeated in exasperation, her impatience surprising even herself. "You call joy riding in your convertible and stealing belongings from innocent girls like me civil?"

"In all fairness," he said, raising his index finger to make his point. "I was drunk."

"Are you now?"

He stopped and thought about it. "Just a little."

Michelle smirked.

"There ya go!" he exclaimed, pointing at her tiny smile. "I knew it was going to come out eventually. I was half expecting fangs to grow, but now I know you're somewhat human."

Michelle giggled in spite of herself.

"So, you good friends with Clarissa?"

Michelle nodded.

"You as crazy as her?" Max asked clearly curious as to the manners of this new girl. She definitely seemed interesting.

Michelle snorted. "No, not at all."

"Really?" he said in amazement, naturally assuming that all Clarissa's girl friends were just as wild as she. "Being friends with someone like her—"

"—we're friends under circumstance," she interrupted to clear things up, not bothering to explain how she and Clarissa were on two completely different ends of the spectrum. "She introduced herself to me on the first day."

"Oh, that explains things…" Max nodded.

"Are you two really together?" she asked not working hard to hide her inquisitiveness. After what she had seen so far, she was a little skeptical.

It was Max's turn to snort. "No."

"Oh." That was all that she needed to say.

"Why, is that what she thinks?" he asked smirking in delight.

She nodded.

He rolled his eyes. "It was like one time…okay more than that…like three times, but that's it. I don't do serious relationships."

"Nope," Michelle shook her head. "You don't seem the type."

"Then we wouldn't work out then?" he asked hopefully.

She laughed. "No, I don't think so."

He shrugged. "Won't stop me from trying."

"Atleast you're honest," she smiled. "There's nothing like winning a girl's heart over by stealing one of her things."

"Touché," he said, grinning. It wasn't everyday that he met a girl who he seriously had a conversation with, and this was definitely a nice change from yelled shouts in late night clubs that usually led to them getting in bed. This Michelle didn't seem like she was interested at all, which was, on one hand, slightly disappointing, but on the other, it peaked his attention.

They remained quiet for a few moments, Michelle taking occasional sips from her slowly emptying mug and Max scratching at his stubble and glancing around at the random passersby.

"You aren't what I expected," Max said abruptly not liking the feeling of silence.

"Neither are you," Michelle replied amiably. Honestly, this meeting had gone completely off course from how she had expected it. Oddly enough, she didn't mind as much as she should've.

"I think like you," he confessed, nodding.

"I can't say the same about you," She simpered. "You still haven't said anything about my hat and Princeton boys have bad reputations."

"What exactly have you heard?" he asked, truly curious.

"They usually take us Evelyn girls to one night flings at the abandoned building around the campus."

Max frowned as he thought about this. Well, he couldn't deny it. He had done it on several occasions.

"That's a generalization you shouldn't make," he told her as maturely as a young man could.

"You haven't exactly done anything to change my mind," She pointed out.

He nodded in accordance. He leaned in and lowered his voice forcing her to bend forward toward him. "Maybe if you give me a chance, I'll change your mind." She gave him a perplexed look then noticed his eyes had fallen to her chest and she gasped. Instinctively, she slapped him across the face. Then, a second later, she realized what she had done and gasped again, this time even louder. Her legs straightened and they brought her to a standing position.

"Not the first time to happen, surprisingly," Max cracked.

Instead of apologizing she whispered, "You are such a perv."

"Yeah, I've gotten that before, too," he said, joining her stand.

She collected her things in a hurry, wanting to take a nice long walk as soon as possible.

"How bout your hat?" he finally asked in an effort to make her stay a little longer.

She shot him an amazed look. "Keep it." She tried to hide her smirk in the throws of her hair, but Max managed to catch a peek at it.

"Are you sure?" he asked, making sure he hadn't misheard. "You seemed pretty serious about this thing over the phone."

"Yeah, just take it," she confirmed, still bustling about. "I wouldn't want it back anyway. Never know what you're carrying."

"Another jab!" he whimpered, clutching his heart.

She shouldered her bag and turned to him fleetingly. "I'm going to go now."

He grinded his teeth together uneasily. "Will I see you again?"

"Not likely," she said, squinting at him over the sun. "But you never know. Princeton isn't a big place; we're bound to see each other again."

"I'm looking forward to that day," he said tipping her hat.

Michelle gulped, and then took off, not exactly sure on what think about what had just happened.