---Chapter 14---
The next day at school, Maria rarely left Michael's side, except for different classes. Michael knew what she was doing and at first he was slightly amused. But when Victoria crossed their path for the third time that day and Maria shot her a glare again- Michael had enough.
"Maria, would you just stop?" -Michael.
"Stop . . .what? Standing by my boyfriend. Is that a crime?" -Maria.
"That's not what you're doing and you know it." -Michael.
"Alright. I'll be honest. I don't want you near that little---" -Maria.
"Maria. You know that's not fair! It's completely innocent. Aside from that .. are you going to tell me you don't hang with other guys?" -Michael.
"Well. I . . .You know I do." -Maria.
"-And," Michael continued. "Ypu've been too busy for me to even talk to you, lately. You're distant, and---"
"Excuse me for enjoying music and *excuse me* for focusing on my future career. Yeah there are other guys, but-" Maria continued, "I don't stay out with them until 2 o'clock in the morning."
"Okay. So the bottom line?" -Michael.
"The bottom line is - I want you to stay away from her." -Maria.
He didn't have time to reply, because the second bell rang, signaling the next class.
"See you." Michael called back, without looking, back at Maria. Michael walked into Lit. class and took an available seat next to Victoria near the front of the class. Victoria looked over at him.
"Wow. You're no longer sitting on the other side of the room, in the back. I'm impressed." -Victoria.
Michael looked up at her. "Don't be. I just felt like sitting up here today."
"O-kay." Victoria smiled.
"I saw the death rays Maria was shooting at me today. What's going on?" -Victoria.
"Yeah- uh, apparently she saw us drive off together yesterday and she was pissed." -Michael.
"You had a fight?" -Victoria.
"When I got in late last night, she was in my apartment waiting for me. Let's just say she *wasn't* happy." -Michael.
"I'm sorry, Michael. But we didn't do anything wrong." -Victoria.
"I know. But that's not what she thought. She doesn't want me near you." -Michael.
"Maybe we shouldn't then." -Victoria.
Class started and they couldn't talk further, but in the midst of Mrs. Danielson reading from 'A Doll's House', Michael passed Victoria a note.
She opened it and it read: "What's going on this week?"
She wrote back: "If you mean, if we're going to do something again or something- I don't think that's a good idea. Didn't you just say Maria didn't want you around me."
He wrote back: "So? It's harmless."
Victoria thought a moment. Her life was never harmless. She wrote back: "I don't want you to be unhappy."
He wrote again: "That's the thing. I won't be. Besides, don't make me call on 'the favor' "
Victoria looks over at him and he was watching her. After a moment, she nodded her assent and mouthed "okay".
After class, Michael waited behind- for the first time not dashing out of class. "Are you - -can you stay at school later?"
She looks at him. "Yes, I guess. Why? What did you have in mind?"
"There's a test tomorrow, we could - -" -Michael.
"Study?" She asked, looking at him.
He said, "Yeah, something like that." He waited for her to laugh or say he wasn't the type, but she didn't. She only nodded.
"Well, meet me in the library in half an hour." -Michael.
He then dashed out of the now empty classroom.
Victoria sat at a back table in the library about 15 minutes later. She saw when Michael came in.
"It didn't take as long as I thought." Michael said as he put his books down and sat down across from her.
"What didn't?" -Victoria.
"I went to find Maria and see if she had anything planned or anything. Of course not. She told me she was going over to some person's house where a little group of amateur singers and poets meet. She never has time to do anything anymore. I don't think we ever really did much anyway." -Michael said.
"Well, are you ready to hit the books?" Victoria smiled, changing the subject as Michael seemed agitated.
They actually studied for several hours, mostly serious. Michael was pretty good at understanding literature, although she wasn't really surprised for some reason. At about 4:20 pm they stopped.
"I have something else besides literature for you to ponder." -Victoria.
"What would that be?" Michael asked, leaning up.
"My father is throwing an annual Halloween ball this Saturday at the mansion. No one will be admitted unless they are in masquerade." -Victoria.
Michael looked at her. "Are you inviting me?"
"Do you want to come?" She asked.
"The masquerade part would leave me out even if I wanted to go." -Michael.
"You don't have a costume?" -Victoria.
Michael scoffed. "Nope."
"If you had one would you go?" -Victoria.
"Maybe.. .Who else is invited?" -Michael.
"A bunch of my father's associates, officials, and so on." -Victoria.
"Anyone from Roswell?" -Michael.
"Yes. The mayor, some officials too, I think.." -Victoria.
"No one from school?" -Michael.
"I don't know yet. I haven't discussed it with him, so I don't know the official list. Probably not though, unless I invite them." -Victoria.
"You can invite who you want?" -Michael.
"Yes." Victoria said, then, "Do you want my number?"
"Phone?" -Michael.
"Cell." Victoria said. She wrote her number on a piece of paper and handed it to him. She then called her driver on her cell, telling him to be at the school in 10 minutes because she was ready.
"I'm going to be pretty busy this week helping with the preparations and everything, but I'll see you in class." -Victoria.
"Too busy to talk?" -Michael.
"You want to talk?" -Victoria.
"I don't know. I may feel the need sometime." -Michael.
Victoria looked at him a moment. "You never have to ask. Just - - whenever you want or need to, I'll be around."
Michael took her offer and he listened to her and nodded seriously.
Victoria stood up. "I'll see you in class."
"Yeah. Bye." -Michael said.
He watched her walk out of the library. She passed Max as she was going out and he was coming in.
---end of chapter 14---
The next day at school, Maria rarely left Michael's side, except for different classes. Michael knew what she was doing and at first he was slightly amused. But when Victoria crossed their path for the third time that day and Maria shot her a glare again- Michael had enough.
"Maria, would you just stop?" -Michael.
"Stop . . .what? Standing by my boyfriend. Is that a crime?" -Maria.
"That's not what you're doing and you know it." -Michael.
"Alright. I'll be honest. I don't want you near that little---" -Maria.
"Maria. You know that's not fair! It's completely innocent. Aside from that .. are you going to tell me you don't hang with other guys?" -Michael.
"Well. I . . .You know I do." -Maria.
"-And," Michael continued. "Ypu've been too busy for me to even talk to you, lately. You're distant, and---"
"Excuse me for enjoying music and *excuse me* for focusing on my future career. Yeah there are other guys, but-" Maria continued, "I don't stay out with them until 2 o'clock in the morning."
"Okay. So the bottom line?" -Michael.
"The bottom line is - I want you to stay away from her." -Maria.
He didn't have time to reply, because the second bell rang, signaling the next class.
"See you." Michael called back, without looking, back at Maria. Michael walked into Lit. class and took an available seat next to Victoria near the front of the class. Victoria looked over at him.
"Wow. You're no longer sitting on the other side of the room, in the back. I'm impressed." -Victoria.
Michael looked up at her. "Don't be. I just felt like sitting up here today."
"O-kay." Victoria smiled.
"I saw the death rays Maria was shooting at me today. What's going on?" -Victoria.
"Yeah- uh, apparently she saw us drive off together yesterday and she was pissed." -Michael.
"You had a fight?" -Victoria.
"When I got in late last night, she was in my apartment waiting for me. Let's just say she *wasn't* happy." -Michael.
"I'm sorry, Michael. But we didn't do anything wrong." -Victoria.
"I know. But that's not what she thought. She doesn't want me near you." -Michael.
"Maybe we shouldn't then." -Victoria.
Class started and they couldn't talk further, but in the midst of Mrs. Danielson reading from 'A Doll's House', Michael passed Victoria a note.
She opened it and it read: "What's going on this week?"
She wrote back: "If you mean, if we're going to do something again or something- I don't think that's a good idea. Didn't you just say Maria didn't want you around me."
He wrote back: "So? It's harmless."
Victoria thought a moment. Her life was never harmless. She wrote back: "I don't want you to be unhappy."
He wrote again: "That's the thing. I won't be. Besides, don't make me call on 'the favor' "
Victoria looks over at him and he was watching her. After a moment, she nodded her assent and mouthed "okay".
After class, Michael waited behind- for the first time not dashing out of class. "Are you - -can you stay at school later?"
She looks at him. "Yes, I guess. Why? What did you have in mind?"
"There's a test tomorrow, we could - -" -Michael.
"Study?" She asked, looking at him.
He said, "Yeah, something like that." He waited for her to laugh or say he wasn't the type, but she didn't. She only nodded.
"Well, meet me in the library in half an hour." -Michael.
He then dashed out of the now empty classroom.
Victoria sat at a back table in the library about 15 minutes later. She saw when Michael came in.
"It didn't take as long as I thought." Michael said as he put his books down and sat down across from her.
"What didn't?" -Victoria.
"I went to find Maria and see if she had anything planned or anything. Of course not. She told me she was going over to some person's house where a little group of amateur singers and poets meet. She never has time to do anything anymore. I don't think we ever really did much anyway." -Michael said.
"Well, are you ready to hit the books?" Victoria smiled, changing the subject as Michael seemed agitated.
They actually studied for several hours, mostly serious. Michael was pretty good at understanding literature, although she wasn't really surprised for some reason. At about 4:20 pm they stopped.
"I have something else besides literature for you to ponder." -Victoria.
"What would that be?" Michael asked, leaning up.
"My father is throwing an annual Halloween ball this Saturday at the mansion. No one will be admitted unless they are in masquerade." -Victoria.
Michael looked at her. "Are you inviting me?"
"Do you want to come?" She asked.
"The masquerade part would leave me out even if I wanted to go." -Michael.
"You don't have a costume?" -Victoria.
Michael scoffed. "Nope."
"If you had one would you go?" -Victoria.
"Maybe.. .Who else is invited?" -Michael.
"A bunch of my father's associates, officials, and so on." -Victoria.
"Anyone from Roswell?" -Michael.
"Yes. The mayor, some officials too, I think.." -Victoria.
"No one from school?" -Michael.
"I don't know yet. I haven't discussed it with him, so I don't know the official list. Probably not though, unless I invite them." -Victoria.
"You can invite who you want?" -Michael.
"Yes." Victoria said, then, "Do you want my number?"
"Phone?" -Michael.
"Cell." Victoria said. She wrote her number on a piece of paper and handed it to him. She then called her driver on her cell, telling him to be at the school in 10 minutes because she was ready.
"I'm going to be pretty busy this week helping with the preparations and everything, but I'll see you in class." -Victoria.
"Too busy to talk?" -Michael.
"You want to talk?" -Victoria.
"I don't know. I may feel the need sometime." -Michael.
Victoria looked at him a moment. "You never have to ask. Just - - whenever you want or need to, I'll be around."
Michael took her offer and he listened to her and nodded seriously.
Victoria stood up. "I'll see you in class."
"Yeah. Bye." -Michael said.
He watched her walk out of the library. She passed Max as she was going out and he was coming in.
---end of chapter 14---