Author's Notes: Please don't hate me for this, readers, but I think this is one of the worst chapters I've ever written. I'm sorry for the long wait between chapters, but I wasn't quite sure where I wanted to go with this. I think I've got an idea now, though, and the next chapter should be better than this one. I'll be continuing this throughout the trip to Genovia, up until Mia and Michael finally do actually get together with Kenny completely out of the way.
Anyways, I hope you guys like this horribly atrociously written chapter at least somewhat. I promise the next chapter will be better than this one. Keep up the awesome reviews, I love to read your feedback. Ideas and constructive criticism are welcomed.
The title of this chapter is inspired by the song "Best Friend" by the band Everybody Else, which is an awesome song. I also quoted a line of the song in the story, so I figured I should give it credit.
Michael's mouth was hanging open in disbelief.
Mia seemed unable to speak. "Michael," she started, pausing to breathe in and out deeply, "Don't you realize what's just happened?" When Michael responded with a blank stare, Mia continued. "I just cheated on Kenny. My boyfriend. With…you," she murmured. "I mean, I've just done the very thing you dumped Judith for doing to you. Technically, in theory, you should hate me for this."
Michael's face was pained as he responded slowly. "But Mia, this is different than what Judith did to me."
Awkwardly and forcedly, Mia laughed. "How is it any different? It's not like you actually like me or anything…"
A silence fell between them.
If that was how she wanted to feel about him, then that was just fine. If Mia wanted to believe that Michael didn't actually like her, that he had just kissed her as a mistake, he'd allow her to do so. If she wanted to pretend that they were just friends, friends who had kissed twice by accident, he wouldn't try to make her see how much he actually, deeply felt for her. And how he'd known there was something different about her ever since the moment they'd met. "I have to go," he said abruptly, his voice cold. Michael could still salvage some dignity out of this entire night. All he had to do was just leave, before he made anything worse.
He turned away from her and walked over to her front door, slipping his feet inside his shoes, his eyes trained on the ground in front of him. Right as he was about to turn the doorknob, he felt Mia's hand on his shoulder gently and her presence beside him. Michael sighed. Her touch was electric. He could feel the warmth from her hand on his shoulder radiating throughout his entire body.
"Don't leave me," she said, pleading. "Please don't leave, Michael."
"Why shouldn't I?" He wasn't prepared to give in to her that easily, but at the same time, he knew he couldn't resist her pleas.
"We need to talk about this," she answered, her hair falling in her face. She dropped her hand to her side.
Michael fought the urge he had to grab her hand, which was now fiddling with the pockets of her pants. "I thought we already did." Michael thought Mia had made it completely clear that she thought that the kisses were just mistakes, just bad judgement on Michael's behalf.
"I don't quite understand something, Michael," she said, a questioning look present in her warm eyes.
He ran his hand through his hair. "What's that?"
She was silent for a moment. "Why did you kiss me?"
How did he know she was going to ask him that? Michael racked his brain for an answer, an answer other than the truthful answer. The truthful answer would just scare her. Because the truth was, Michael liked Mia. He had known that there was something special about her, something special between the two of them, since the day they'd met in the hallway at school.
There was no way, no possible way she liked him back. No, she only thought of him as a friend. Mia only saw him as Michael, Lilly's geeky older brother, the guy who knew how to work with computers but not socialize with people his own age. She'd never see him as a possibility. She'd never see him as… as a boyfriend. "I don't know," Michael lied. He knew exactly why he'd kissed her. He had been unable to resist his urges any longer. "It was just a mistake. I didn't mean to."
"Twice?" Mia asked skeptically, taking Michael completely by surprise. She wasn't usually that assertive about anything.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Michael answered airily.
She laughed nervously. "You kissed me twice. Were both of those times by accident?"
Mia was certainly being assertive that night. Michael hung his head. "Neither of them were by accident," he admitted slowly, fearful of her reaction.
She stood there in silence, thinking. "You meant to kiss me."
"Yeah."
The silence was unbearable. Michael sighed, and opened the door to her apartment, ready to leave.
"Michael."
The tone of her voice, soft and gentle yet firm at the same time, made him stop dead in his tracks, though he didn't respond.
"I meant to kiss you back."
She swiftly, unexpectedly, grabbed his hand with hers and pulled him towards her, placing her other hand on his arm and pressing her lips lightly to his cheek. Mia pulled away, her cheeks flushed a bright red colour and her eyes bright with something Michael had never seen in them before. He smiled shyly at her, and kissed her lips softly, pulling her in even closer and wrapping his arms around her slender frame.
They mutually pulled away after a few moments, each breathing in long, shaky breaths.
Michael couldn't think of anything sweet or eloquent enough to say. What was there to say? He'd basically just told her of his feelings for her. Through his actions, he supposed. He thought he'd been clear enough about how he felt for her.
"So..." Mia said, as if she was trying to get some words out. She looked up at Michael, frowning slightly. "What does this mean?"
He almost laughed at her naivety, although he was taken aback by the question. Mia wasn't usually one to be so direct about such matters. "It means that I like you," he murmured. Taking a deep breath in, he continued, taking a major leap of faith. "I've felt the chemistry between us ever since that day I nearly killed you when I knocked you over in the hallway."
The corners of Mia's mouth turned up slightly into a small smile.
"I guess the timing's just really bad," Michael continued. "With you dating Kenny and all."
Mia swallowed hard. She wanted to tell Michael that she'd break up with Kenny. She'd break up with Kenny to be Michael's girlfriend. He hadn't asked her to, but clearly, that was what he had been hoping that she would say in response. But somehow, Mia couldn't. Mia had always been the type of girl who always took the easy way out. If Mia suddenly broke up with Kenny, there would be questions from Lilly. Questions that Mia didn't have the nerves to face. What if Lilly decided she hated Mia for dating her brother? Mia didn't want to lose her closest American friend just because she wanted to date someone. There would be stares in the hallway, whispers about how that hot Moscovitz boy didn't belong with that geeky looking gigantic princess. There would be changes.
"Yeah," Mia answered, weakly, ignoring the voice inside her which protested, begging her to tell Michael that she'd break up with Kenny for him. "I guess the timing's just wrong."
Michael breathed in deeply and exhaled slowly, lowering his head to the floor and staring at his shoes. "I won't tell Kenny about this," he said quietly. "Just remember, Mia, that if you ever decide things with Kenny are over...If you ever decide that it's over with Kenny, I..." Michael was having trouble finishing his sentence. "I'll be around," he said softly, turning to the door and walking out it, taking one last look at Mia as he shut the door quietly behind him.
Mia collapsed against the door, fresh, warm tears spilling out of her eyes and down her cheeks.
Really, Mia's thoughts were on Michael and everything that had happened that weekend. The almost-kiss on Friday night, Valentine's Day. The two, three, four kisses at Mia's apartment on Saturday night. The discovery that Michael actually liked her. Liked her in a more-than-friends, not-platonic sort of manner. The way Mia had always longed to be liked.
Sure, Kenny liked her like that. But he wasn't Michael. He was tall, alright, but he wasn't dark or handsome like Michael. He didn't have that special sparkle in his eyes, he didn't have the distinctive smell like Michael did that Mia adored so much, he didn't have that special something that Michael had that just made Mia want to fall into his arms and never let go. Kenny was a nice guy. He just wasn't Michael.
"Mia?" Kenny's voice interrupted Mia's thoughts. "Mia, where are you going?"
She blinked twice, and she found herself walking right past the open door to Mrs. Hill's classroom, where she was going to class. Kenny was stopped beside the door and looking at her with a funny expression on his face. "What's up with you today, Mia?" He asked, confusedly. "It's like your head's in the clouds. You just walked right past your classroom."
Mia shook her head. "Yeah, I've just got something on my mind," she said vaguely, ignoring Kenny's sudden interest in her private thoughts. "I don't want to talk about it," she continued, half-lying. She did want to talk about it, but not with Kenny. She wanted to talk to Michael. But anyways, what was there to say to even him? She'd already rejected him on Saturday night in favor of her supergeeky boyfriend. There was no way he was going to want to talk to her at all anymore.
Her boyfriend grabbed her hand and pulled her in close to him. She could feel his warm breath on her cheeks, which wasn't a pleasant feeling due to the fact that he had been eating a hamburger loaded with toppings at lunchtime. She tilted her head back discretely, hoping Kenny wouldn't notice. And of course, the ever-clueless boyfriend didn't. He leaned in and pressed his lips to hers.
Mia had no way of escaping it. As Kenny was violating her lips, she heard someone cough and she realized that they were kissing right in front of the doorway to the classroom, blocking entrance to anyone else. She pulled away quickly from Kenny, stepping back, and saw Michael standing there, his hand placed on his hip, annoyance clearly present on his face, contrasting with the sadness and hurt present in his deep brown eyes.
"Seriously, get a room," Michael said, disgustedly vocalizing his annoyance with Kenny's enamorment with public displays of affection, shooting a pointed look at Mia as he walked angrily right in between the two of them and into the classroom.
Kenny's eyes followed Michael's back as he sat down in the classroom, his back facing the couple. He turned to Mia and raised an eyebrow. "I wonder what's on his case today," he muttered. "Michael's not usually like that."
Mia shook her head. "I don't know," she stuttered. She had never been good at lying, but she didn't want Kenny to start questioning things and asking Michael what was going on. She knew Michael had sworn to her that he wouldn't tell Kenny about what had happened between the two of them, but she wasn't sure if she could trust him with that promise anymore. His attitude moments ago had made it clear that Mia wouldn't know what to expect when she was around Michael anymore. As well as the fact that she didn't know whether or not he'd told anyone that he and Judith were no longer an item.
Kenny shrugged, and squeezed Mia's hand quickly, turning to go to his own classroom.
Mia had asked him about the trip to Genovia at lunchtime, and to her displeasure, Kenny had said that he'd love to come and that his parents would surely allow him to. Selfishly, Mia had been hoping that he'd say that he couldn't go so she'd get to spend time with Michael. If Michael was even planning on going anymore.
Mia breathed a sigh of relief at Kenny's departure and walked into the classroom. Lilly wasn't there today, and neither was Boris, so Mia assumed that they were just out together and wouldn't be planning on attending class. It was just G & T; it didn't make a difference anyways. Mia walked over to her usual chair, stopping a few feet away as she realized that she sat by Michael, and Michael's greeting of her just minutes ago had not been friendly.
Hoping for confidence and strength, Mia pulled out her normal chair and sat down beside Michael. He didn't look up at her or acknowledge her presence like he usually did, he merely kept writing in his notebook, his hair falling into his eyes. If she was his girlfriend, if she had have given him the answer he'd wanted that Saturday night, she'd be able to reach over and push that piece of hair out of his eyes, and kiss him softly on the cheek as a greeting. Mia sighed, placing her bookbag on the vacant chair beside her where Lilly usually sat.
"Michael," she said, quietly, so quietly that no one in the classroom except him could hear her.
He stopped writing at her statement of his name, but didn't look up at her or say anything.
She took his pause as a response, and continued. "I'm sorry."
Mia heard him sigh, and then, after a long silence, he turned his head towards her and his eyes met hers. It seemed as if he was deeply concentrating on something to say, but didn't know how to say it. Sighing again, Michael finally spoke. "What do expect me to say?" He said coldly, his voice a whisper.
Shaking her head, Mia replied. "I don't know."
He broke eye contact with her again and his eyes retreated back to his paper. "I admitted I liked you on Saturday night. Which took a lot for me to do, regardless of what you might think. I was afraid you'd reject me, afraid you'd tell me you didn't feel the same." Michael took a deep breath. "I wasn't prepared for you to completely, totally, flat-out reject me and then subject me to seeing you make out with your boyfriend in the middle of the hallway. God, Mia. I thought that you of all people at least had some decency."
Mia could feel her eyes well up with moist tears that threatened to fall down her cheeks, accompanied by that sharp twinge of feeling she got in the top of her nose whenever she was about to cry. "I didn't want to reject you," she whispered whole-heartedly. "I like you a lot, Michael. And not just as a platonic friend."
He rubbed his forehead, messing up his hair slightly. "Just not as much as you like Kenny," he said dejectedly.
"Michael, that's not it," Mia pleaded with him. "I like you. I like you more than I like Kenny, okay?" She said, her voice rising in volume. "I can't break up with Kenny because I'm scared, Michael. I'm scared that Lilly will hate me because I'm in lo... because I like you. I'm scared Lilly will kill me if we date. I'm scared that people will think I'm not good enough for you. I'm scared that people will laugh at me. I'm scared that people will ask me what an awesome, gorgeous, wonderful, smart, funny, great guy like you is doing with a total freak like me." She took a deep breath, exhaling so quickly that she was beginning to feel lightheaded. "I'm just scared, okay, Michael?"
She looked over at him. He was staring at her, his eyes wide with fascination. His eyes were transfixed on hers. Michael looked completely stunned by her admission of her feelings.
But then, it was Mia's turn to be surprised. As she sat there, breathing heavily from her longwinded speech and staring at Michael with a frightened look of terror on her face, she felt Michael's hand reach for hers under the table. He nodded at her bag, then, and began to stand up, collecting his things with his other hand that wasn't holding Mia's.
Picking up her school bag, Mia followed Michael and stood up, slinging her bag across her back, not letting go of Michael's hand. Michael remained quiet, and wordlessly began to walk out of the classroom, pulling Mia behind him gently. She followed him all the way to the front doors to the school, and he dropped her hand to push the door open for her, and then followed her through, shutting it quietly behind him and grasping her hand with his again, as if she was going to fly away if he ever let go.
Michael kept walking, his hand still firmly grasping Mia's, and they turned onto the sidewalk that led away from the school and down to the park a mile or so away.
"Michael?" Mia asked, hesitantly. "What are we doing?"
Michael looked over at Mia and grinned. "We're skipping class, Thermopolis."
"We can't just skip class!" Mia exclaimed. "We're going to get caught. And then we'll get in trouble. What will the tabloids think when they get pictures of me during school hours and I'm clearly not in school, with a boy that the tabloids clearly don't think is my boyfriend?"
"I can see it now," Michael joked. "Headlines all over the nation will be reading GENOVIAN SCANDAL: PRINCESS MIA SKIPS SCHOOL WITH A BOY WHO'S NOT HER BOYFRIEND." Michael's tone turned serious, and his face lost its' childlike smile. "Just a boy who wants to be her boyfriend..." he trailed off quietly, his voice distant, eyes looking away from Mia. Mia could feel his hand tighten around hers. She liked the sensation.
Before Mia knew it, they had reached the park, and Michael guided them towards the swings. Mia sat down on one, smiling, rubbing her black regulation school uniform shoes in the damp sand. Michael sat down at the swing beside her and turned to face her, the serious expression still present on his face. "I want to talk about this," he said, slowly. "I want to talk about us."
Mia watched as her feet dug small holes into the sand underneath her. "Okay," she answered, in a small voice.
He bit his lip. "I know you're scared, Mia." Michael paused, as if he was carefully selecting his words. "But I want you to know that you shouldn't have any reason to be. I'm here for you, Mia. I want to help you in any possible way that I can. And if that means talking to Lilly about us dating, I'll do it. Or I'll help you do it. I'll support you. As for people talking about us, let them talk. I don't care what they have to say, and you shouldn't either. They're just people. Let them say what they want to say. I like you and that's all that matters," Michael finished.
"What about Kenny?" Mia asked, sadly. "I can't just break his heart, Michael. No matter how much I like you, I don't want to put the poor guy through a lot of pain. It's selfish."
Michael sighed, and then turned towards her. "Hey," he said, lifting a hand to her chin, pulling her head up gently to his level. "Don't cry, rainy eyes. Look at me," he commanded, and Mia obeyed. He brushed a tear off of her cheek, and then leaned forward and kissed her gently on the lips.
"I want us to be together," Mia said as Michael pulled away.
It was killing Michael on the inside to say these things, but he forced it out regardless, knowing that it was what Mia needed to hear. "If you need time to break it off with Kenny, I'm okay with that. As long as I know that when you're through with him, we can try to make things work out with us. If I know we're going to be together in the end, I think I can make it through without viciously attacking or killing Kenny."
Mia smiled up at him. "Thanks, Michael. I'm glad I have you to help me through this," she said, sincerely. "I've actually been wanting to break up with Kenny for awhile now, but now I actually have some motivation to..."
"Me," Michael replied, smiling deviously.
"Yeah, you," Mia answered, smiling back at him and leaning in to kiss him.
