Chapter Eleven
Yup, I was right. The universe seriously does hate me.
It s does not want me to go out with Mia, not in a hundred years. And it is pulling out all the stops to stop me from getting to go out on one date with her. You want to know how?
Hmmm, I'll tell you; the universe has made her, drum roll please… a Princess…
No joke, I'm being completely serious here.
The girl who has been my sister's best friend since the first day of kindergarten, who I taught how to ride a bike and how to defend herself during dodge ball (being tall, your usually a prim target through the game). The girl I introduced to Buffy because she couldn't sleep and Lil wouldn't wake up, not matter how much Mia poked her. The only friend of my sister's who I have actually liked from basically the moment that I met her (ok, and granted that the first time she slept over at ours and was asked what she would like to watch, she immediately said Star Wars also didn't hurt my growing like for her.) and now it's being revealed that she's a Princess!
I basically grew up with this girl and I had no idea that she was a royal!
Neither did it appear did my parents as dad proved by almost choking this morning on his coffee as he open the Post.
"Morty, what on earth?" Mom started looking at Dad, as did Lil and I, in bewilderment. Still choking unable to speak he shoved the morning paper at us, where on the front page was a particularly pretty picture of Mia coming down the front steps of some fancy building (hotel?). She was smiling and dressed kind of… smartly?
That took a moment for me to click that it really was her, but then I heard Lil's in drawn breath and actually bothered to read what the article was about.
"Oh… my." Was all mom seemed to be able to say, while Lil and I read Princess Amelia, New Yorks Very Own Royal.
"Ok-ay," I started slowly, "I guess that explains a lot." Well, it did sort of. She was a princess… No wonder she's been flipping out for the last couple of weeks.
I looked at Lil to see if this had softened her anger towards Mia… nope, if fact, I think I made it ten times worse.
She was almost purple in the face from her rage. Ignoring her pending explosion, I flipped the page over to read the "full, exclusive" story on page two, rolling my eyes at the title of the article. Fairy Tale Comes True For One Lucky New York Kid by Ms. Carol Fernandez.
Oh yeah, Mia was going to love this.
To tell the truth, I was actually rather impressed by what I read in the article. I mean if any of its true, Mia's Dad is a pretty good ruler and Genovia is actually a pretty well off country, having to pay little to no taxes and having the highest Literacy rate in all of Europe.
"Lilly are you alright?" I was pulled from reading to see that Lil was still purple in the face and looked ready to throw a fit. Dad and I hastily started to shovel down our breakfast at break knot speed, but clearly not fast enough because she exploded before we were able to dash from the table.
"HOW COULD SHE NOT TELL ME!"
"Lilly," Mom said disapprovingly, "Lower your voice, there is no need to yell."
"SHE DIDN'T TELL ME! HOW COULD SHE NOT!"
"Well you haven't been the most supportive of friends of late." I pointed out, though really I don't know why I even bothered.
"THAT'S HER OWN FAULT! AND SHE SHOULD HAVE STILL TOLD ME ABOUT THIS!"
"When you're not talking to her, even when she did try to say hi to you?" I knew I was throwing myself, head first, to the sharks, but seriously, how could I not? When my selfish sister is only thinking about herself in this and not how Mia probably feels about all this.
"Lilly, I'm sure Mia was going to tell you, she probably just didn't know when the right time was. And Michael might be right about your fight making Mia less than willing to share." Mom was saying patiently, using the voice that she uses on her patients. Which might work just fine on them but on Lil, it just makes her angrier.
But she seemed to be able to control her anger, long enough so as not to explode again until we were safely out of our parents' earshot.
"HOW COULD SHE!"
"Are you going to be like this all day?" I asked already feeling tired. She just glared back at me.
"How are you not upset about this?" she demanded. I just looked at her.
"Why should I be upset?"
"Because she lied to us! All this time, she's been keeping this from us."
"Did it ever occur to you that she might just have found out about her being a Royal? Heck that might be why her Dad is here, to tell her that she is."I pointed out. Lil just glared back at me, causing me to sigh heavily.
"Fine, be like that. See if I care." I said, putting my hands behind my head and started walking for the subway, which was same as usual, the pushing and shoving to get to the right train, and to get a seat on said train. But today there was something different, almost an air of excitement, which I soon saw the cause for.
Of course everyone was talking about her, wondering out loud how they had managed to keep it all hush hush. On particularly loud and rude old sod said that it was probably all kept quiet due to the fact that she was a bastard*.
I accidently purposefully trod on his foot as I struggled to find a seat.
I watch Lil sit as far away from me as she possibly could in the carriage, trying to ignore the general speculation around me. I could tell that today was going to be a long, long day.
School was even worse.
It was basically exploding with excitement, though most of the people who were babbling about didn't have a clue who Mia actually was.
I wondered if Mia would actually turn up today. I personally wouldn't blame her if she didn't. I personally wouldn't blame her if she didn't come back to school ever again!
But she did.
I saw her on my way to English.
And Josh Richter was talking to her which of course made my heart sink, but on the bright side at least she looked perturbed by him talking to her. I didn't stick around much though especially when he turned away and I saw that she was hyperventilating. Please, let that be from complete disgust and that you absolutely hate him and you're taking deep breaths because you've realised that you've somehow survived the horror of talking to him… somehow I highly doubt that that is the case though… fuck!
I slouched into English fighting back a groan as I realised that the excitement in here was almost as loud as out in the corridor.
I went to my seat, noting with some amusement that at least one person hadn't seemed to have completely lost it because of this sudden and unexpected news that a royal was going to our school. Felix was at the back of the class, feet on top of his desk, his arms behind his head, fast asleep.
God, even Mrs Weinstein has got the royal bug! She's gushing just as bad as the rest of them.
I rolled my eyes as I pulled out my books and pen, but once they were out I guess I sort of forgot how to use them. I sort of just stared at them, trying to remember, but thoughts like 'oh god, she's a flipping princess!' kept invading my head.
"So," a voice near by me asked, "Did you know?"
It took me a moment to realise that it was Josh who had spoken and another moment to realise that it was me that he was speaking too.
"Know what?" I seriously don't know why I answered him. I seriously don't. I heard him snort. Damn, why did he have to sit in front of me for? Was it to badger me? Great… just great.
"About the fact that your little sister's freakishly tall best friend was a freaking Princess?" My head snapped up, scowling at him, growling, "Stop calling her that!"
"What? She is freakishly tall." Completely beside the point and absolutely no reason to call her 'freakishly' anything. But I didn't say anything, just dropped my head back down, my eyes inspecting the suddenly interesting crude remarks that had been scratched in my desk over the years that it has been within the schools service.
"So did you know?" I looked back up at him, rolling my eyes.
"What do I need to do to get you to leave me alone? And her too?" I added as an afterthought, remembering him trying to chat her up in the corridor earlier.
"Did you know?" he repeated, sounding exasperated at me!
"No, I didn't." I replied, somewhat testily. I don't take well to being interrogated this early in the morning, so shot me. "Now, will you leave it?"
"No." Of course not, I thought with a groan as I smacked my head against my desk.
"I wonder why she kept it quiet. I mean, I wouldn't have been able to, if it were me." Oh wonderful, Judith's here. Why has she been hanging around so much of late?
… Wait, don't answer that. I don't want to know. Seriously, I don't.
I didn't lift my head off the desk, so instead Felix answered for me. I wasn't even aware he was listening.
"Maybe she was forced to sign a contract that if she told anyone about her being a Princess before a certain time, she would lose her throne and all her money and stuff." Which actually made a lot of sense now that I thought about it. I'd have to remember to throw that one a Lil this afternoon if she was still fuming over Mia's secretiveness. But even though I was agreeing with him in my head, another thought came to me and it just seemed more likely than that one.
"Or she just didn't want to tell." I don't know why, but for some reason, I just had a gut feeling that this was more likely the case.
"Why wouldn't she?" Judith asked looking more than a little bewildered at the idea of keeping your status as a royal a secret. Actually everyone who was listening in to conversation seemed to think the idea was ludicrous. Well, all except Felix who had appeared to have gone back to sleep again.
I sighed heavily, not really wanting to explain my view but I knew that if I didn't I wouldn't be left alone for the rest of the day.
"Because Mia doesn't like standing out, she likes to do her own thing but still remaining out of the spotlight. She likes being normal." I didn't mean to but as I was saying all this, I noticed my voice growing heavier and I think I might have even sounded a bit defeated. I guess I must have because I saw an almost triumphant flare to Josh's ridiculously blue eyes. I fought back to the desire to glare at him and growl at Judith to stop looking at me like that.
"But she isn't normal. Never was." Oh great, Matt Williams, has now joined the party. Someone please just shot me! This must be what going mad feels like. "She was always a freak. I didn't think that they were allowed to crowned freaks anymore." I don't know why, but something inside of me almost snapped as he said this.
I guess I was getting tired of hearing people, random, complete strangers insulting a girl that they didn't even know, who they would never know because they were too closed-minded and ignorant and so caught up in what they thought was "right", that they were never going to look past how they first perceive her, they are never going to bother to look any further than her tall, lanky form and awkward hair… and ok, her lack of chest. They're never going to see her.
And now because she is suddenly a Princess they all act as if they know her and have a right to judge her or consider themselves acquainted with her. And it makes me sick! It makes me want to punch something. They don't know her and they never will! So why the hell couldn't they just leave her the fuck alone!
"I'm sure she is a nice girl once you get to know her." Wait what? My head shot up from death glaring my desk to stare up at Josh again with a look of disbelief written all over my face. What did he just say?
"Huh?" I think several people all said as one.
"I'm sure she's a nice, normal girl really, she just hasn't had her chance show everyone who she really is yet." What – the – fuck? And thank god, for Felix!
"Yeah, the girl who shoved a Nutty Royale into your girlfriend's chest on Monday." Felix sniggered, once more wide awake and grinning widely at Josh. "I really have to find a way to shake her hand for that. Hey Michael," he gave my shoulder a light wack as he asked; "do you think you can arrange a royal meeting between my humble self and her Royal Highness." I actually couldn't help but smirk at that. I mean, yeah Felix can be a right pain in the ass at times, especially when he's high (especially when he comes to class high!), but a lot of the time he is a good friend and fun to be around. And he keeps me from making a complete ass of myself whenever I want to beat Josh bloody Richter into a Cream of Wheat. Like right then, what with his next comment.
"She might be too busy to deal with you commoners." My smirk immediately fell and I was once more glaring for all my worth back at him and saying something really, really stupid that even before I said it I could already hear Felix groaning.
"And she'll definitely be too busy to deal with a Jackass like you." I shot back at him.
The room went really quiet then, I hadn't realise just how many people had been listening in on our conversation, but a quick look around the room told me that it was now the whole class, including Mrs Weinstein, who I think for the first time that I've been in her class, actually looked worried. Like she thought a fight was going to break out or something. Actually it appeared the whole class was thinking something along those lines; half of the looking at us eagerly, like Matt and Bryan, while the other half, like Judith and Felix, looked wary and some were even edging away from us as if to give us more room to punch it out. Great, just great.
I looked back at Josh who was smirking, but you could tell he was pissed by what I had said. There was definitely murder in his eyes as he said calmly back to me "We'll see." Like he had already won or something.
Won her… No way, no way in hell. Over my dead body was he ever going to win her!
A guy like him does not deserve her! And her being a Princess does not change that.
I will not let him win her, even if it means stuffing up my own chances of being with her, will do everything in my power to keep him the hell away from her!
No power in the verse can stop me.
Author's Note: Thanks for reading, hope you all enjoyed this chapter and please review.
Oh, and by the way, I've finished this fic, like I've finished writing it and everything. Is there anyone here interested in, if I do find the time to write them, reading book 2 & 3 in Micheal's POV. I hoping to do a sort of CracKing Trilogy. I've sort of start writing book 2, so yeah. Anyway, let me know.
Disclaimer: All Firefly referrences in this chapter belong to Joss Whedon.
*Bastard: the derogatory term for an illegitimate child, a child born to parents who aren't married
