"Michael, why are you staring at Mia's journal?" Lilly asked a few minutes later.
I looked up at my little sister. "Um...she left it," I replied, sounding like a moron.
She eyeballed it. "We have a moral dilemma here don't we?"
"Huh?"
"Geez, for a kid with a genius IQ, you sure are socially retarded."
I shrugged. I can't deny this. "I can't read it."
"Why not?" she asked. "'Fraid that there might be details about her steamy dates with Jesse?"
"Mia has steamy dates?" Boris asked, coming out of the literal closet.
"Boris, no one said to get out.," Lilly snapped.
"Lilly, he is your boyfriend, you could be nicer to him," I argued. I mean, I hate listening to his stupid violin, but he deserves some level of respect.
"Oh right. Boris, please return to the closet and leave us in peace, dear."
Boris smiled and went back to playing in the closet. Poor kid.
"Okay, so why can't we read it?" Lilly asked, sitting in the seat Mia once sat in.
"Because it's her private thoughts and we would be violating-"
"But shouldn't we know if Jesse is violating her?" Lilly asked.
"What are you talking about?"
"I mean, I'm sure we can see what she really thinks of Jesse if we read this."
She had a point there. "But what if she found out I read it? She'd hate me forever and never date me."
"But she is used to me doing things like this. I could read it," Lilly offered.
I know she has a demonic mind. She is my sister after all. I tapped my fingers against the worn in book. "And she couldn't be mad at me, right?"
Lilly shook her head. "She always forgives me."
"But I'd feel bad giving it to you."
"But it's not technically in your possession. It's on the desk, public domain. I could just take it."
I nodded. Good point. "Fine."
The bell rang so Lilly grabbed the notebook and tossed it in her messenger bag. "See ya later Moscovitz."
I paced in my room. Lilly had hidden in her room so she could read the diary. Am I an asshole? I mean, I could easily call Mia up and- no, she has to have tea with her grandmother. The phone interrupted my thoughts.
"Hello?" I asked.
"Where the hell is my girlfriend?"
"Hi Jess. She's probably at the Plaza with her grandmother like she always is."
"Oh. Right. What is the deal with that broad?"
"Broad?" I asked. "I really don't think Mia would like hearing you call her that."
"No, Grams."
"Oh, I dunno. Mia always has said that the lady was pretty weird. She's rich and hoity toity, that's all I really know. She used to take her on vacations in France and stuff. Mia has to speak French when she's around her grandmother."
"I hate the French. Mia isn't French, is she?"
"I dunno. We kind of talk about other things when we're together."
"Like what?"
"I dunno, stuff. Lilly...school, just stuff."
"That's pretty boring stuff."
"Yeah well I'm not her boyfriend so I don't have to be all that interesting."
"Right, you don't."
"Well, band practice tonight, right?"
"Yeah. Seven thirty. The Garage."
"See you then."
As I was throwing on my jacket to leave that night, Lilly came bounding out of her bedroom. "We definitely need to talk. Like, right now."
Lilly never say 'like' unless it is an emergency. And she never bounds. "Make it quick."
She grabbed my wrist and pulled me into her bedroom. I hate going into this room because she has her Backstreet Boy poster from when she was ten up on the walls.
"Okay, I have the journal right over there. I could let you read this and get the details on your own, but I don't think you could make yourself."
"What is it? She's an ax murderer or something?"
"No. She...well, she's not just Mia Thermopolis."
"What do you mean?" I asked. "Did her mom kidnap her from her real family and-"
"She's a princess who happens to be in love with a musician...the keyboardist for a little band called Jesse and the Rippers."
"A what?" I snapped, hearing the rest of the sentence but not understanding the princess part.
"A princess of a small principality between France and Spain. She's been going to Princess Lessons every day after school. And hello, she's in love with you!"
"She's a princess? No wonder she's been acting weird lately..."
"Um, hello for the third time, she's in love with you!"
"Yeah, sure whatever. She's with Jesse, why would she be in love with me?"
"I dunno....I mean, she hardly writes about you anymore, but up until she started dating him you were the lead player in her little memoirs."
"She liked me?"
"But you were the dumbass who never told her how you felt!"
"But it's too late..." I said thinking out loud. She's fallen hard for him. Now that they've been together about a month he's going to flip the switch. He's going to try to take her virginity.
"For what? Michael, it's a high school relationship. I highly doubt it'll be life lasting."
I finished putting on my jacket and ran out the door, "That's not what I meant!"
I arrived at the Garage to only see Cal, Roberto, and Chuck sitting on a couch. "Jesse isn't with you?"
"No, why would he be?"
"He told us he'd be showing up with you," Cal replied.
"I bet he's with that Mia chick," Chuck cut in. "I mean, ever since she showed up he's been blowing us off to be with her."
"Well, it's a new relationship, those things happen. We just have to wait it out."
"Yeah until he bangs her and then dumps her sorry ass-"
"What?" I snapped.
"Michael, you know what he's like. He isn't all about the commitment to women. Everyone knows that."
"He better not with her-"
"Hey guys!" Jesse exclaimed, coming into the garage with Mia on his arm. "I hope you don't mind but I brough an audience with us," he said walking over to some amps.
She motioned for me to come over to her so I pretended I needed something by where she was standing. "What's up Thermopolis?"
"I need to talk to you after practice. Will you walk me home?"
I looked over my shoulder at Jesse, "You don't want your boyfriend to do that?"
"But I need to talk to you. He isn't exactly sensitive ya know?"
I shrugged. No shit.
"Fine. I'll walk you home after."
It sucked majorly. The rehearsal that is. The songs blow huge ginormous monkey balls. Jesse couldn't write a broken heart if his life depended on it. He never had his heart broken before. He was the heart breaker in relationships.
No, it really sucked because she sat on the couch and stared at the man standing in front of me. At the guy who hasn't washed his hair in about three months. I suspect a mother bird has nested in there.
As I looked at her looking at him I realized that maybe she already has slept with him, or at least has been intimate with the guy. He wouldn't wait this long I'll tell ya. My life really blows
"Sweet bottom, wait five minutes and I'll walk you home," Jesse offered, wrapping up a cord.
"No thanks babe. Michael can walk me. It's on his way," she replied.
No it's not. It's completely opposite of where I am going. "Yeah. Not a big deal," I agreed.
Jesse smiled and nodded. "Call me later sweet bottom, okay?" he asked.
I looked at my watch and realized there was no way in hell her mom would let her call him. Mia needed to do her homework. She had a math quiz the next morning fifth period. "Ready Mia?"I asked.
We walked really slowly in the direction of her loft. "So, what did you want to talk to me about?" I asked nervously. I can't let her know I know anything more than I did this afternoon.
"Michael, he wants to do stuff that I'm not sure I am ready for. And he's telling me I spend too much time with my family," she said, almost in tears.
"He's pressuring you?" I asked carefully. I didn't want to jump to conclusions.
"Well, he says that he loves me and wants to make the act of love as one-"
I've heard this before. "Mia, don't do something you aren't ready for. You'll know when it's right. And he's a jerk for telling you how to spend your time. It's your life and your time. You decide how you'll spend it."
She smiled. "You know, we should hurry. I have a lot of homework to do."
I took her hand and turned her around. "No you don't."
"Yes I do. I have a math-"
"No. We are skipping tomorrow. My parents leave before we do anyways so they'll never know. We will stay up and watch your favorite movies. Dirty Dancing and Beauty and the Beast."
"Both have dance numbers," she agreed.
"And those are the best type of movies," I replied, quoting her.
"Okay. It's a deal. But what are we going to tell Lilly?' she said a few minutes later.
"We won't."
AUthor's Note: Sorry about the wait but I'm still working on finishing this story all over again. Please keep readin'