You should all like Michael in this chapter. Things are definitely looking up for him in the nice guy department.
And make sure you read the A/N at the bottom, you might find it interesting...
Disclaimer: Meg Cabot owns all characters.
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Michael was still in the hallway with Josh, who was trying to convince him to go through with the plan.
"No, Josh," Michael said firmly.
"N... no?" Josh replied, surprised since 'no' was not a word he was used to.
"No. Mia is a really nice girl, and I refuse to play with her feelings like this. I won't stomp all over them. She doesn't deserve that. Ok? So give it up."
Josh stared at his best friend in disbelief. "Dude, do you understand what you're giving up here? You could get into an Ivy League College! Are you just going to throw that away? Think about it, Moscovitz."
"I have thought about it. And you know what I've decided, I want to get into College on my own, not because of who I'm dating. And I wouldn't want to hurt someone just to get into a good College. So drop it." Michael turned and left, leaving Josh staring after him.
* * *
By the time Mia reached Tina she was in tears. "What's wrong?" Tina cried, jumping up.
"Lilly was right! Michael is a jerk. I'm leaving!"
"Mia wait..." Tina objected, not understanding anything.
"No!" Mia cried as she ran to the front doors.
Michael walked back into the room just in time to see Mia running from it, clearly distraught.
"Mia!" Michael called out across the room.
Mia didn't hear him, she just kept going , Lars close at her heels.
Confused as to why his date was leaving, Michael ran after her. He reached the doors and stepped outside, crying her name.
Mia heard him this time, but she didn't stop. And she didn't turn around.
The photographers were there, they had already taken photos of the distraught princess running from the school, and they were now taking photos of Michael, standing up the top of the stairs calling her name.
"Are you the boyfriend?" one of them called out.
"What's wrong with Princess Amelia?"
"What can you tell us?"
Michael didn't answer their questions. He didn't even acknowledge that they were there. As soon as Mia and Lars reached the limo and hopped inside, he went back inside to find out what had happened.
A crowd had gathered inside the doors, drawn by the commotion caused.
"Oy, Moscovitz, what's happening?" Daniel asked him.
Michael just shrugged his shoulders and walked past, in search of Tina.
Tina was sitting down at the table, relaying what little she knew to Lilly, who was nodding her head in agreement.
"Tina, what..." Michael started.
"There you are, jerk. What exactly did you do to upset my best friend?" Lilly asked him accusingly.
Michael stared at her, more confused than ever. "Me? I didn't do anything. The last time I spoke to her or even saw her was on the dancefloor."
"So you didn't say anything to upset her?" Tina asked.
"No, why would you think that?"
"Because she went off to look for you at the refreshment stand, and then she came back a minute later crying and saying that Lilly had been right about you all the time. Are you sure you didn't say anything to her?" Tina asked.
"No, I didn't even see her, how could I have spoken to her..." Michael cut himself off, suddenly realising that while he hadn't been talking to Mia, he had been talking about her. And if she'd come over to the refreshment stand, she must have heard Josh.
"What?" Lilly asked, recognising his expression.
"Oh no..." Michael muttered, before turning around to find Josh.
"What is it?" both Lilly and Tina called in unison.
Michael found Josh in the corner of the room with Lana.
"Richter," Michael said loudly, loud enough for Josh to pull away from Lana anyway.
"What now, Moscovitz? You changed your mind?" he said bitterly.
"No. But Mia heard what you were saying, she heard it all, man."
"So? You weren't going to go through with it anyway. What's the big deal? Now you don't have to tell her yourself."
"That's not the point."
"So what is the point then? Now you can't get in her pants first? Now you-" Josh was cut off by a fist slamming into his chiselled jaw.
"What is your problem, dude? I did you a favour and now you punch me? Do you like her or something?" Josh was holding his jaw, which was going red.
Lana attended to his face like a proper girlfriend. Using all of the appropriate ooh's and aah's and of course, not forgetting the glares at her boyfriends attacker.
Michael stood back. He couldn't honestly say why he'd punched his best friend. He thought it had something to do with what Josh said about getting into Mia's pants, but he didn't know why it bothered him.
Because he certainly didn't like her like Josh suggested. That thought was just ludicrous.
* * *
Mia was sitting in the back of the limo, across from Lars. She was still crying.
"Princess," Lars said. "Can I ask what is wrong?"
"M... M... Michael," Mia sobbed.
"What about him? Did he do something?" Lars fingered his shoulder holster, just in case.
"He... he... he set me up!" she bawled. "Just so he could get his face on the front cover of the paper! I heard him and Josh making plans!"
"In all fairness, princess," Lars said. "Then why did he tell us to come in the back way?"
Mia looked at him strangely, obviously contemplating this thought for the first time. "I don't... I don't know... But I heard Josh saw that he'd called all the press back and that Michael should walk outside and kiss me in front of them!"
Lars frowned, confused and annoyed for Mia.
"Well," he said."If front page exposure was what he wanted, you certainly gave him that by running out like you did. You caused quite a commotion."
"Oh, God!" Mia cried. "Lars, can you just try to make me feel better? Not worse!"
Lars grimly smiled and moved to sit his giant frame next to her small one. He then tentatively put his arm around her, not sure of exactly how comforting people worked.
The certainly hadn't taught that in Bodyguard school.
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Now, like I promised a few chapters ago, here are some teaser lines from the sequel to Creep. But, these are not in chronological order, so make what you want of them.
---
"No," he sniffed. "It won't be. Everything is stuffed up. Everything!"
He started getting hysterical again so I pulled him closer and began again with the gently shh-ing sounds.
---
After hesitating only for a second, I leaned over and kissed her the way a doting boyfriend should. No, the way a doting fiance should.
---
My life is over and my boyfriend says 'These things happen'? This isn't like the time I went skiing when I was seven and lost my doll down the toboggan run. Ok, those things happen. Not this.
THIS cannot be swept under the rug or made better by the purchase of a new doll. THIS problem will not just go away.
---
"One more thing," she continued, rubbing her stomach, as if for luck.
---
I sat on his bed and watched as he packed a bag. Every couple of minutes he'd turn around and look at me as if it was the last time he was ever going to see me.
Once he'd closed the zippers to his bag, I stood up. "School starts on Monday," I told him, surprised that I'd actually remembered something like that at a time like this. "Are you going to be back by then?"
"I don't know," he said honestly. "I'll call you though."
I nodded and he stepped towards me. After a piercing stare that I swear saw into the very depths of my soul, he kissed me softly and gingerly. It felt like the last time he would ever kiss me. I never want it to end.
But then he turned and left me alone in his dorm room.
----------------
Make what you want of those teaser lines, it's not much, but the story won't be up for a while, so you'll have to make do until then.
I can tell you though, that my next story to put up is going to be a crossover with the Mediator books. And it's coming along swimmingly, so I'll be updating this more frequently I think.
And make sure you read the A/N at the bottom, you might find it interesting...
Disclaimer: Meg Cabot owns all characters.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Michael was still in the hallway with Josh, who was trying to convince him to go through with the plan.
"No, Josh," Michael said firmly.
"N... no?" Josh replied, surprised since 'no' was not a word he was used to.
"No. Mia is a really nice girl, and I refuse to play with her feelings like this. I won't stomp all over them. She doesn't deserve that. Ok? So give it up."
Josh stared at his best friend in disbelief. "Dude, do you understand what you're giving up here? You could get into an Ivy League College! Are you just going to throw that away? Think about it, Moscovitz."
"I have thought about it. And you know what I've decided, I want to get into College on my own, not because of who I'm dating. And I wouldn't want to hurt someone just to get into a good College. So drop it." Michael turned and left, leaving Josh staring after him.
* * *
By the time Mia reached Tina she was in tears. "What's wrong?" Tina cried, jumping up.
"Lilly was right! Michael is a jerk. I'm leaving!"
"Mia wait..." Tina objected, not understanding anything.
"No!" Mia cried as she ran to the front doors.
Michael walked back into the room just in time to see Mia running from it, clearly distraught.
"Mia!" Michael called out across the room.
Mia didn't hear him, she just kept going , Lars close at her heels.
Confused as to why his date was leaving, Michael ran after her. He reached the doors and stepped outside, crying her name.
Mia heard him this time, but she didn't stop. And she didn't turn around.
The photographers were there, they had already taken photos of the distraught princess running from the school, and they were now taking photos of Michael, standing up the top of the stairs calling her name.
"Are you the boyfriend?" one of them called out.
"What's wrong with Princess Amelia?"
"What can you tell us?"
Michael didn't answer their questions. He didn't even acknowledge that they were there. As soon as Mia and Lars reached the limo and hopped inside, he went back inside to find out what had happened.
A crowd had gathered inside the doors, drawn by the commotion caused.
"Oy, Moscovitz, what's happening?" Daniel asked him.
Michael just shrugged his shoulders and walked past, in search of Tina.
Tina was sitting down at the table, relaying what little she knew to Lilly, who was nodding her head in agreement.
"Tina, what..." Michael started.
"There you are, jerk. What exactly did you do to upset my best friend?" Lilly asked him accusingly.
Michael stared at her, more confused than ever. "Me? I didn't do anything. The last time I spoke to her or even saw her was on the dancefloor."
"So you didn't say anything to upset her?" Tina asked.
"No, why would you think that?"
"Because she went off to look for you at the refreshment stand, and then she came back a minute later crying and saying that Lilly had been right about you all the time. Are you sure you didn't say anything to her?" Tina asked.
"No, I didn't even see her, how could I have spoken to her..." Michael cut himself off, suddenly realising that while he hadn't been talking to Mia, he had been talking about her. And if she'd come over to the refreshment stand, she must have heard Josh.
"What?" Lilly asked, recognising his expression.
"Oh no..." Michael muttered, before turning around to find Josh.
"What is it?" both Lilly and Tina called in unison.
Michael found Josh in the corner of the room with Lana.
"Richter," Michael said loudly, loud enough for Josh to pull away from Lana anyway.
"What now, Moscovitz? You changed your mind?" he said bitterly.
"No. But Mia heard what you were saying, she heard it all, man."
"So? You weren't going to go through with it anyway. What's the big deal? Now you don't have to tell her yourself."
"That's not the point."
"So what is the point then? Now you can't get in her pants first? Now you-" Josh was cut off by a fist slamming into his chiselled jaw.
"What is your problem, dude? I did you a favour and now you punch me? Do you like her or something?" Josh was holding his jaw, which was going red.
Lana attended to his face like a proper girlfriend. Using all of the appropriate ooh's and aah's and of course, not forgetting the glares at her boyfriends attacker.
Michael stood back. He couldn't honestly say why he'd punched his best friend. He thought it had something to do with what Josh said about getting into Mia's pants, but he didn't know why it bothered him.
Because he certainly didn't like her like Josh suggested. That thought was just ludicrous.
* * *
Mia was sitting in the back of the limo, across from Lars. She was still crying.
"Princess," Lars said. "Can I ask what is wrong?"
"M... M... Michael," Mia sobbed.
"What about him? Did he do something?" Lars fingered his shoulder holster, just in case.
"He... he... he set me up!" she bawled. "Just so he could get his face on the front cover of the paper! I heard him and Josh making plans!"
"In all fairness, princess," Lars said. "Then why did he tell us to come in the back way?"
Mia looked at him strangely, obviously contemplating this thought for the first time. "I don't... I don't know... But I heard Josh saw that he'd called all the press back and that Michael should walk outside and kiss me in front of them!"
Lars frowned, confused and annoyed for Mia.
"Well," he said."If front page exposure was what he wanted, you certainly gave him that by running out like you did. You caused quite a commotion."
"Oh, God!" Mia cried. "Lars, can you just try to make me feel better? Not worse!"
Lars grimly smiled and moved to sit his giant frame next to her small one. He then tentatively put his arm around her, not sure of exactly how comforting people worked.
The certainly hadn't taught that in Bodyguard school.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Now, like I promised a few chapters ago, here are some teaser lines from the sequel to Creep. But, these are not in chronological order, so make what you want of them.
---
"No," he sniffed. "It won't be. Everything is stuffed up. Everything!"
He started getting hysterical again so I pulled him closer and began again with the gently shh-ing sounds.
---
After hesitating only for a second, I leaned over and kissed her the way a doting boyfriend should. No, the way a doting fiance should.
---
My life is over and my boyfriend says 'These things happen'? This isn't like the time I went skiing when I was seven and lost my doll down the toboggan run. Ok, those things happen. Not this.
THIS cannot be swept under the rug or made better by the purchase of a new doll. THIS problem will not just go away.
---
"One more thing," she continued, rubbing her stomach, as if for luck.
---
I sat on his bed and watched as he packed a bag. Every couple of minutes he'd turn around and look at me as if it was the last time he was ever going to see me.
Once he'd closed the zippers to his bag, I stood up. "School starts on Monday," I told him, surprised that I'd actually remembered something like that at a time like this. "Are you going to be back by then?"
"I don't know," he said honestly. "I'll call you though."
I nodded and he stepped towards me. After a piercing stare that I swear saw into the very depths of my soul, he kissed me softly and gingerly. It felt like the last time he would ever kiss me. I never want it to end.
But then he turned and left me alone in his dorm room.
----------------
Make what you want of those teaser lines, it's not much, but the story won't be up for a while, so you'll have to make do until then.
I can tell you though, that my next story to put up is going to be a crossover with the Mediator books. And it's coming along swimmingly, so I'll be updating this more frequently I think.
