Beta Note: I'm BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK... Aren't you all ever so glad to see me? I know you are. You should shower me with lots of flowers, chocolate, and ADVANCE CHAPTERS. cough sorry bout that. Don't know what came over me. Anyhoo, Meechellie is off on some kind secret mission. Something to do with national security...I didn't understand it all. Come to think of it, I'm not sure I should be telling you all this...Uh-oh...what are those black cars doing here? HEL-...
beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep
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Chapter Five…
Josh ran after his Lana, and Michael cursed under his breath. Some fairly colourful words for someone I've never heard swear before.
Out of the eleven of us who'd started off in the room, including Michael and Lars, there was now only four left.
"Well, are you going to go find everyone? Or are you just going to let them go?" Lilly barked at him.
"I'm thinking, Lilly!" he barked back. "Now, Lana and Josh have probably only gone into the locker rooms or something, but the others, they've probably left the school grounds by now, right?"
I shrugged. How am I supposed to know?
"Or maybe they're in the gym, making a mess…or maybe they're trying to hack into the offices. Come on, let's go!"
Before Michael could get a step in the direction of the door, Lilly retorted with, "Go? I'm not running around the school looking for a pack of misfits, Michael. I'm staying here."
"Ok," he replied. "That's actually a good idea. In case anyone comes back. Mia, you come with me."
I didn't even bother arguing. Not that I wanted to. I just followed Michael out the door while Lilly sat down and opened Lana's letter to Josh, a smug look on her face.
Out in the hallway, Michael jogged ahead of me, while I tried my hardest to keep up. Lars just took extra long strides and was able to keep up, but he stayed a little farther back than us, like I've always told him to. "Michael, slow down," I said after a minute. I'm winded, and have a stitch. How unfit am I?
"Come on, Mia." He turned around and put an arm around my waist to pull me along. "Who knows what these guys are capable of. They're in detention every week. Even I don't know why."
I certainly didn't object to the help he was giving me, it even made me slow down a little more so he'd tighten his grip on my waist and help me more. It reminded me of when we slow danced at the school dance last week. Oh, that was gooood.
"Hey," he said a minute later. "What are you in for, anyway?"
What are you in for? He said it like I'm prisoner 1678435 about to be locked up in cell 314.
"You didn't hear about mine and Lilly's stunt on the school roof?"
"Oh that. You got in trouble for that? I thought it was hilarious. It certainly got Lilly more attention for her causes than she usually gets. Five-foot signs sure are more eye catching than long winded, boring email rants. She should remember that."
"Yeah, but those long winded, boring email rants of hers never get us in trouble, do they?"
"Are you saying you're not having fun in detention, Mia?" he joked. "I'll admit, this is a hell of a lot more exciting than detention usually is, but even without the drama, spending the day with me isn't so bad is it?"
There he goes again. Is he insinuating something?
"No. You know I don't mind spending time with you, Michael. It's just I'd rather do it without getting it put on my permanent record, and without people like Lana and Josh around."
"Haha, yeah. They cause quite a stir, don't they? Don't listen to anything Lana says about you or to you. I think she's a little crazy today. And as for your permanent record, don't worry; I already cleaned it up for you. There's no record of any detentions or pranks you pulled with Lilly."
I smiled up at him. "Thanks, Michael. I can't believe you did that. But won't you get in trouble?"
"Nah. They'll never notice. And besides, they'll never suspect me of such a dirty crime! Lilly, maybe. But not this Moscovitz. I'm too clean." He winked.
By this time we'd reached the offices. Michael motioned for me to be silent and let go of my waist.
Then, like a spy in an action movie, he moved silently but quickly towards the windows. If he hadn't already told me his middle name was James, I'd have bet money it was Stealth…Not that that's a name or anything…
I crept up behind him, trying my best to be stealthy, but I don't think I can carry it off as well as he does. Michael was perched on his tiptoes when I reached him, peering through the window.
"Can you see anything?" I whispered.
He wasn't expecting me to be there, he lost his footing and grip on the windowsill, falling sideways into me. We both crashed to the floor, him on top of me.
I'm not going to lie and say Michael wasn't heavy. He was. But I would have given anything in the world for him not to move just then. Anything.
"Are you ok?" he asked, and to my delight not moving a muscle.
"Yeah," I whispered, looking up into his gorgeous brown eyes. They were looking back into my boring grey ones. "Are…are they in there?"
"No, I couldn't see anyone. And it doesn't look as if it's been messed up or anything. Are you sure you're not hurt?"
"I'm fine…" I told him, suddenly finding his weight almost too much for my thin frame. So much for never wanting him to move. "…But you're kind of heavy."
"Sorry." He shifted his weight off me but didn't get up. His hands were propping himself up on either side of my head. He was still looking intently at me. "Is that better?"
"That's perfect," I whispered, not trusting myself to speak any louder, lest I wake up from this dream.
He smiled. Then leaned down and kissed me on the lips.
I am not even kidding!
When he finally broke his lips from mine, I opened my eyes and stared up at him. He was red, and I'm sure I wasn't that pale either. "What was that for?" I asked.
He shrugged. "I guess I kinda like you."
"Really?" My ears have fooled be before. And so has my mind. I don't want to make any mistakes on something as colossal as this!
"Yeah." He lifted one hand to brush some hair from my face. "What about you?"
"What about me?"
"Do you…"
That's as far as he got. Suddenly the door to the offices, which we had thought were empty, opened. Mrs. Hall came out.
"Ahem. What is going on here?"
Michael jumped off me quicker than you can say, "Big mistake," or "Never again, Thermopolis."
"Uh, we were just looking for some kids from detention. They kind of ran off."
"They kind of ran off?" she echoed. "Well, I don't think you are going to find them in Miss Thermopolis's mouth. No matter how much you search."
How embarrassing. If only the floor beneath me would just open up and swallow me whole. Lars found it funny though. I'd forgotten he was there, but now I remembered since he's sniggering.
"No, ma'am," Michael replied, a little more formally than he normally would talk to her.
"Right, then I guess we should find these runaways. Are you coming, Mia?"
Still highly embarrassed, I slowly stood up and followed them down the hallway. Michael shot a bemused look back at me and smiled.
How can he not be slowly dying of embarrassment right now? Still, maybe he just doesn't care about things like that. And I shouldn't either. Not when I've just been kissed by him like that. Embarrassment schmarrassment.
