MICHAEL:

"You stupid bitch!" I screamed, tossing the flowers at my kneeling girlfriend. I was using the wussiest voice ever.

She stared at me; like a deer in headlights. "Michael, w-what are you doing here?" she screeched. She jumped up and her partner in crime; an ancient old man with long hair in a ponytail, turned and hid his member. He bared his pale wrinkly butt toward me and pulled up his pants.

"What the fuck do you think I was doing? The question is what the fuck you are doing! Mouth to mouth with his dick? You stupid fucking whore! What's with Old Man River?" Now is a good time to explain that I normally do no swear. I promise. But this added with the stress my father has given me has taken me to a breaking point.

She pulled Michael out of the room. "How dare you come in here like this? This is my workplace."

"Workplace? What the fuck are you talking about? You are in a private home! What are you a professional whore now?" he asked her.

"That is my….Michael, I'm with Kingston now," she said trying to sound mature in front of the old guy. Well, behind him since his back was towards us.

"Kingston?" I repeated, trying not to laugh. There is some humor in the arena of my girl cheating on me.

"Yes."

"What the fuck Serena. I've been with you through it all. Why would you-"

"Did you really think we were going to be together?" she demanded. "Look at us, Michael."

I stepped back and looked at her, and then myself. "What's wrong with us? I'm not an old man?"

"You aren't WASP!" she said, tossing her hands in the air. It was almost comical. I would have laughed if it wasn't me. She was half naked and flipping out on me.

"What?"

"You are Jewish, no college education….you aren't going anywhere! Kingston is a lawyer. He has a life."

I took her hand, "But sweetheart, the only place Kingston is going is the cemetery. Or maybe a hot date at the emergency room when his arteries finally harden and he goes down on the golf course."

She slapped me.

"Serena," I groaned, following her down the hall to the room I'd come into originally.

"Don't you dare ever, I mean ever, talk to me again, understand?"

"But Serena…I don't understand why….why you'd rather screw around with an old man when you could have had me…"

For some reason she slapped me again, which I ignored.

"Don't you remember our plans? I'd become a big star and we'd go live in Europe-"

"We were children," she snapped. "Leave."

MIA:

I made my way over Grandmere's. We got free food when it was for her. Or they thought it was. It was my way of saving money for 'stupid' things (like guitar strings and a really cool new guitar that I have my eye on). I found this out only a few weeks ago when I called during lessons when she stepped out for a jaunt with the prime minister, showing him where the princess was living. They saw who I was and immediately handed food over, free of charge.

So I always give that address (over on Madison, she bought a condo in some apartment building over there because the Plaza was too stir crazy for her liking) so they won't charge me. I'm so cheap. But hey, I only get twenty bucks a week allowance from my mom. And any money from my dad goes to Greenpeace. And I can't get a job. Not my fault. The life of a princess is very difficult.

I stole some of Grandmere's gourmet chocolates that she hid in her linen closet so that no one would know that a princess ate candy. It was not proper. Apparently, anything fun was not princesslike.

But Lilly loved these chocolates.

All the perfect ingredients for a good girls night.

Grandmere had the penthouse so I had to ride the elevator down and stop at every floor where people needed to get on. Or off. Whatever.

I tapped my foot. It annoyed me to wait. Princesses should never wait. That wasn't really a rule, but it's better than 'princesses do not complain' bullshit she's been giving me.

It stopped at the sixteenth floor. Why couldn't they just walk down? I know, sixteen floors. But considering there are sixty floors you must understand what I'm saying.

I was surprised to see Michael in his page boy cap. "Hey. Whatcha doing here?"

He stared at me. Surprised to see me there. "Oh. Hi," he mumbled.

"You okay?" I asked, struggling with the bag of food. I mean, I'm sure he's not in the best of moods since his father just came out of the closet.

"Yeah. Fine. Give me the food. Chinese?"

I nodded as I handed the big brown take out bag. I carried the candy in my back pack.

"What are you doing here anyways?" he asked, not looking at me.

"My grandmother lives here. Same question, back at ya."

"Had to visit someone I used to know."

I nodded. He didn't need to tell me if he didn't want to. "Going home?"

"Yeah. You?"

"Your place."

He looked confused for a second until he realized I meant for Lilly.

"Um, I'm really sorry about your parents. If you ever…you know…"

He pounded on the lobby button so I shut up. No need to wake up a sleeping beast. "I learned a new song after you left."

"Oh?" he asked, not interested.

I didn't bother to continue this one sided conversation. Michael is better left alone when he's in a mood.

I wondered where he was really coming from. Michael didn't know anyone who was rich enough to live in the Towers. "Where you coming from? Band practice or something?" I asked as we hit the street.

He glared at me It was an innocent question that deserved an answer. But he didn't want everyone to know. "Yeah."

He was being so short with me. I guess I would be in a rotten mood too if my parents told me they were breaking up. Well, if they'd been together in the first place.

"What?" he asked.

"Nothing. I hate elevators. I'm happy that we don't have one at my place. They do at my grandmothers though." Duh. We were just there dumbass.

"She still at the Plaza?" he asked. Thank goodness he didn't notice my flub. Thank heavens he is a semi self absorbed musician who doesn't listen to me ramble on about my grandmother's home.

"No. She got a place actually in that building we were in before."

He stared at her hard. "Oh. Right. You said that. Cool." We went our own ways when we entered the apartment. I went to Lilly's and spread out the food. Food usually wasn't allowed in the rooms, but no one was home. She told me that her mother went to meet her aunts for dinner and a show.

We went to the den to look at the DVD's. "My dad thinks he is bringing the James Dean collection," Lilly said with a laugh. "He is so severely incorrect."

"Um, where is your dad now?"

She sighed and started to explain when the bathroom door opened.

And Michael came out without his shirt on. His hair soaking wet. I was salivating and Lilly could tell. "Big date tonight…you know, with your long term girlfriend?"

I caught the hint and stopped looking at Michael. "She's a bitch," he said simply, watching as I sorted through the large collection of DVDs. "What are you doing there Thermopolis?"

"Praying you'll put a shirt on. It's February. Wear clothes," Lilly snapped.

He loved driving her nuts. "That's so weird, Thermopolis. I ask you a question and you answer without moving your lips and in Lilly's voice. How do you do it?"

I smirked.

"Go put on clothes," Lilly snapped.

"Nah. What are you girls doing?"
"Watching movies," I replied. Duuh. Let's re-state the obvious a million times, right?

"Aren't you Mister Cool Guy with a band? Why aren't you out being the vibrant twenty year old we all know and hate?"

"Neat. Wait, Mia I got the Weezer DVD, wanna watch it with me?" he replied, ignoring his sister, as usual.

Lilly glared at him. I looked at Lilly. "Nah. But you can watch with us. Jurassic Park."

"The original?" he asked.

"Of course. The other ones suck ass."

He smiled. I'm sure all he needed to see some stupid assholes be eaten by dinosaurs.

Monday I decided to skip out on the limo and to walk to the Plaza. Lars hated it, but couldn't complain much. We'd walk past Trinity and I could chat with Napoleon before he went to work out.

"Hey baby," he said, jumping up from the front steps.

I wrapped my arms around my boyfriend. "Hey. I got lessons with Grandmere…"

"I have Winter ball tonight," he replied. "But I missed you this weekend."

She smiled. This proved how much he loved me, right? "Me too…I mean, I missed you. But this thing with Lilly…"

"I know baby. I understand. I'll come by tonight and we can watch the Knicks."

I smiled weakly. I had agreed to watch the Knicks if he agreed to watch a Disney movie for each game. Which he did without fail.

He kissed my cheek.

It was cold out, but I wanted to walk home from lessons. Grandmere told me to make sure she wore the Hermes scarf she got for Christmas. I had to look fashionable at all times. I cut down Daly Street and saw Michael walking away from a car wash.

"Hey stranger," I greeted.

He turned and looked at me. "Oh hey. Where you going?"

"Home."

"Where's the limo?" he asked, looking around. "Getting washed?"

"I'm walking." Dur. Mia, you are a moron. Just stop talking. Nod to him for the affirmative.

Michael saw that Lars was casually reading a bill board and was seemingly ignoring this exchange. "Want me to walk with you?"

My heart nearly stopped right then. "Sure."