Author's Note: I do not condone the use of drugs. Of any kind. That's my PSA
RIP Margaret Brady
I came back and saw her sitting in the kitchen with her mom talking. She was wearing a pink silk slip dress and had her hair in a messy bun on the top of her head. "Where are you taking my daughter?" Miss Thermopolis asked.
"I'll have her back by midnight," I said, kissing Miss Thermopolis's cheek. She loved me and would never refuse an invitation by me to Mia.
"Okay, make it one," she replied, blushing.
Mia looked at her mother like she was crazy.
"Behave yourselves," her mom called out.
Mia rolled her eyes as we left her building. "Where are you taking me?"
"You'll see," I said, hailing a cab.
I told the cabbie where to drop us off, and I could tell she was mentally trying to figure out what was at that location.
"Per Se?" She asked in amazement. "It's impossible to get reservations in here. There is like, a year long waiting list."
I'd made reservations there a long time ago for Serena's birthday, which that day was. I hadn't remembered until I saw a message on the board at the apartment. They'd called to confirm it. I hadn't bothered to call them back. But now that Mia was here it was perfect. She had replaced Serena in basically every aspect of my life anyways.
"I have my ways."
To most other patrons we probably looked like a couple in love. But they didn't know that we were laughing about old Fat Louie stories. And jokes about the other patrons. I was so in love with this…this girl, but she was still too vulnerable.
But she did let me put my arm around her as I walked her home. I told her about my Lingustics professor and did an imitation of him for her. She laughed until we reached the door of her apartment. "Um, thanks," she said softly. "I had a lot of fun."
She was staring up at me expectantly. I smiled, "Me too. You deserve it."
She rolled her eyes and blushed a little bit, "I don't really think-"
"Mia," I said, raising her chin up with my index and middle fingers. "You do."
We both started leaning in for a kiss when footsteps on the stairs sped up.
"Everyone in this building is asleep by now," she whispered. "Do you think someone followed-"
"Mia!"
She looked at me uncomfortably then ran down the hall to her boyfriend. "Huck!"
"Um, what's…."
"How'd you know I was here?" she asked, backing away from his embrace, staring at the floor.
"I met up with Charlie and the girls and they were like 'Why aren't you over Mia's?'"
Mia still looked puzzled.
"And I said because you weren't home. But then they showed it on the news about you you'd come home. Why are you home? Why are you so dressed up?" he asked, looking accusingly at me.
"Oh, I uh…"
MIA:
"I saw her and we were talking," Michael started. "I'd been in this suit because I was going on an interview, you see. And since neither of us had anything better to do, we decided to have uh… Mia got dressed up and we went to Mr. Chang's for Chinese food."
I stared at him. How the hell can he lie like this so easily? Why were we lying? Why should I feel bad about a friendly dinner? Okay, maybe because it's at the most romantic and popular restaurant in Manhattan.
Huck looked at me. I know he's always been suspicious of Michael. He never has liked my friendship with him, and that's why I've actually cooled it with him before I left for Genovia. I spent all the time between the prom and my departure with Huck. I ignored phone calls from Michael. Only saw him at band practice.
"So you don't want dinner?" he asked softly.
I shook my head, and then looked guiltily at Michael. We had almost kissed. Had he meant to do that?
"Oh."
"But uh, did you want to come in maybe? Maybe watch a movie?"
He nodded and looked at Michael. "I think we do deserve some alone time after all. Before I go to school."
Michael took the hint. "Good luck down in…where was it? Florida?" Michael asked, opening the door to the staircase.
"Yeah, Florida."
For some reason, Michael looked pleased with that response. "Well, have fun. Don't get yourself into too much trouble."
"He's kind of…weird, don't you think?" Huck asked as we settled on my bed to watch Phantom Town (which is so bad that it's funny).
"Who?" I asked, opening the door even more (he's not allowed in my room with it closed, a Frank Gianni imposed rule, for some reason I've never pointed out the usefulness of my fire escape to him).
"Michael Moscovitz."
I shrugged. "He's nice."
"He looked really happy that I was going down to Florida," he said grumpily.
"Well, you are going down to Florida," I replied, sitting next to him. "And it's much warmer than it is here. He's just jealous."
"Yeah, but not about Florida," he mumbled. "You guy are just…you know…friends, right?"
I felt my nostrils preparing to flare. "Of course," I replied, focusing on making them NOT flare. "He's like a brother to me."
"You know I love you, right?" Huck whispered.
I really am going to bad girl hell.
"Uh, yeah."
"You love me too, right?"
"Yeah," I replied.
He stared at me for a full minute. "And you want to make this work, right?" he asked.
"W-What do you mean?" I asked, pulling my hand (which he'd been stroking this entire time) away from him.
"Make us work. Through the distance-"
"I….I dunno. It's just…well, going to be hard," I admitted. Holy Hell. I was not planning on this tonight. I had planned on moping about Fat Louie. But Michael made me happy again. And now this? Why couldn't he just let a relationship go naturally? Michael and I let our relationship do the whole natural thang.
"But it's worth it, right?" he asked.
"Well, yeah. But what's the point?" I asked.
"We're in love…"
"But we won't ever see one another and you won't be able to call me…with your being in college and bills and stuff. I think….plus, I will have the band to deal with. I don't think it'd be fair. You wouldn't get the whole college experience if you were with me, you know?"
He fell silent. That bright smile faded. "But you love me?"
"Yes," I said, almost exasperated. "That's why I think we'd be miserable. We'd always want to see one another, but couldn't."
He looked at me skeptically. "And this has nothing to do with Michael?"
I rolled my eyes. For once this was nothing about Michael. I really did love Huck. I really wanted him to have the whole college experience. Seriously, had nothing to do with Michael. Honest to Jason it didn't.
"Sorry. I know you wouldn't…I mean, he's not your type. Obviously. He and I are so different."
Um, yeah, he's a sex God. And you can hardly manage to undo my bra.
"We can still be friends, right?" he asked.
MICHAEL
Good old Huck left a few weeks later, like she said he would. Went to school in Florida. They broke it off, but agreed to remain friends.
"There's a party over in Brooklyn, wanna go?" I asked her, one night in mid-September. We hadn't really discussed the Fat Louie night. Well, didn't discuss it at all actually. We had kind of silently agreed to let it go.
I mean…well, she had her senior year to start off and I was re-starting college. I was a first semester junior now (I caught up with credits over the summer). Right on track actually.
"Yeah, sure," she said, putting her guitar in a case. "It'll be fun hanging out together again."
I couldn't tell if there was a hint in there of re-kindling our affair. I mean, we were both single now. Why wouldn't we… "Okay."
We met up with my friends at Kevin's new apartment in Brooklyn. Mia was looking ravishing as always. Skirt, tank top, high boots. I hope to God she was hinting at another shot.
"Hey guys," Kevin greeted. "Welcome. Drinks are in the kitchen. Some other stuff is floating around," he said with a wink.
I looked at Mia who looked kind of nervous. "I won't leave you," I promised, holding her hand and pulling her into the kitchen. "Drink?"
She nodded, "Yeah, definitely. Thanks."
We drank a little before we started flirting with one another again. Kissing one another. No one we really knew that would care was there. Lilly was planning their Senior Skit (it's a really stupid tradition, all the seniors have to perform. Mia had wanted the band to come and have that be her performance but Lilly would not allow it). We went to the living room so we could continue our kissing on the couch.
"Smoke?" Kevin's friend Chris asked.
I looked at the joint, then Mia. She looked at me. "Why not?" she whispered.
I stared at her in surprise, "Mia-"
"Michael, we have to learn to loosen up," she whispered into my ear.
I took it and he lit it then walked away. I took a drag then handed it to Mia. Neither of us had ever tried this before so we were pretty loose afterwards.
We didn't do anything though. Both were a little fucked up to be honest. We got some pizza though. And saw Lilly on our way up to the apartment. "Where were you?" she demanded.
"Over Kevin's," Mia replied with a giggle. "It was fun."
"Why are you always getting screwed up with Michael?"
"I didn't get screwed," she argued.
"I didn't say you did. Right, you didn't, right? You still have your virginity fully in tact, right?"
"No. And yes."
"Let's all just go to bed, okay?"
