Mia POV:
I quickly, but carefully walked down the steps with Mr. G, making sure I didn't slip on any of the ice that layered the concrete. I would have gotten a ride with Lars, but he was with my Dad and Grandmere, back in Genovia, while they had Christmas celebrations. My Dad had decided that due to the fact that it was highly unlikely that I would be kidnapped and the fact that Mr. Gianini had volunteered me rides, that I didn't need a bodyguard over Winter Break. I would be home most of the time anyway. Thankfully Grandmere had also been kind enough, although I don't know if those are exactly the right words, to let me off Princess Lessons for the duration of Winter Break. So I was free. But I didn't feel free at the moment
I could feel the freezing air penetrate my skin, through the skimpy jacket I had on. I had forgotten that my larger jacket was in my locker.
Oh well, I wasn't in the mood to fetch it. Yeah my mom would be mad, but I was guessing that wouldn't be the focus of the next few days. It was almost Christmas and I was going to have to pretend like I was happy, at least for the sake of my mother.
We reached Mr. G's car, a small, nearly new, Honda Civic, which blended in with the scenery, as it was the color silver. Not many people in New York own a car, but Mr. Gianini does, and I really have no idea why. I mean usually people don't need cars in the city. But there you go.
I depressingly slid into the passenger seat, which I admit, seemed colder than it was outside. However, as soon as he started the engine, the heating kicked in, and I felt a lot better, apart from that heartbroken thing, which I was trying to put in the back of my mind.
The Moscovitz apartment is very close to the school, so it took us only about 3 minutes to reach his apartment complex. I sat in the car for about an extra 5 seconds trying to collect myself.
Suddenly I was broken of my reverie, "Are you sure you're okay Mia?" Mr. G asked in a concerned voice.
"Yeah I'm fine. Thanks Mr. G." And then without giving him the chance to tell me that I should call him Frank, I hopped out of the car, leaving my school stuff in the Civic.
"Hey Mr. G, do you think you could take home my school stuff? And thanks for the ride." I said in a most happy voice as I could muster.
"Sure Mia and you're welcome. If you need anything, just call."
"Thanks Mr. – Frank."
"No problem Mia." He said with a cheerful smile which I tried to return but failed pathetically.
As he slowly drove off, he stuck out his hand to wave goodbye. I waved back as enthusiastically as I could.
I turned back to the Moscovitz apartment building, which I knew I would not be entering. My eyes traveled up the stucco wall and reached the top of the fire escape which was attached to a balcony outside Michael's room. We often sat; I mean used to sit, out there together looking at what stars were visible, if any, or just feeling of the cool breezes against our warm skin. But that was all gone now.
I heard the soft strumming of a guitar coming from Michael's room. It sounded a lot like a song he had written during the beginning of our relationship.
Suddenly the strumming stopped and I could see a shadow forming on the balcony. Shit, he was coming out. I quickly ran and sheltered behind the nearest bush. I felt his eyes searching the area, as if he knew I was there. After a while I felt calmer and the strumming started once again. He was back in his room; emergency over.
I slowly crept out of my hiding spot, stiff from crouching, even if it was for such a short period of time. I dusted myself off, as cobwebs had caught on my clothing.
I slowly and quietly started walking down the street and as soon as I was out of the vicinity of the apartment I started running. I headed to the place I always knew I felt safe: the Central Park Zoo. I knew that they would be closing soon, but the comfort of that friendly polar bear was just too good to pass up.
Michael POV:
After sitting my bed for what seemed like hours, I finally decided that I needed to make some use of my time, even if it wasn't productive.
I carefully took my guitar out of its case. Although I also had an electric guitar, this was my acoustic one. It was a basic guitar and had been my first instrument. It had been the instrument that had inspired me to teach myself guitar, just as Mia had been the first to inspire me to write songs. I remember that day I had seen it in the shop window, the sunlight of the warm July day glinting off of its wood finish. That summer had been one of absolute boredom. I had finally realized my true love for Mia, although I suspect I had loved her long before, and had no way to express it, as I thought she thought of me as her best friend's older brother. The guitar soon became my outlet for frustration.
The guitar itself was made of a light wood with a simple inlaid patter along the edges of the openings in its body. As I traced the patterns, my fingers naturally moved on the strings as I strummed thoughtfully. Almost automatically the random strumming formed into a melody I had come up with when I had first found out that Mia had loved me in return. Simply called Love, the song lacked any words at all, because all of its meaning was expressed through the notes and rhythm.
It was one of those songs that always lifted yours spirits, but today, it only reminded me of Mia. Abruptly, I stopped strumming; once again willing myself not to think about her. It seemed like a hopeless cause.
Her presence was lurking in the back of my mind and every time I tried to concentrate on getting rid of it, it seemed as if I cracked the fragile shell that held all of my memories of her. It was horrible and enlightening at the same time. Trying to escape from her haunting eyes, I stepped onto the balcony outside of my room. The cool air combined with the dampness remaining from the previous downpour fiercely brushed against my cheeks. Natural light still remained in the street below, illuminating the foliage surrounding the entrance to our apartment complex.
It seemed like the perfect afternoon, except for the one minor problem. There was no Mia. The looming darkness seemed so threatening without her presence to brighten the evening.
But a soft rustle slipped me out of my daydreams as I glanced back again to the bushes surrounding the entrance. The leaves rustled slightly. It was probably just my imagination or more likely the wind. But in my heart I knew it was something more.
I ignored it; too impatient to inquire about the disturbance. I would just make a fool of myself. And I had done enough of that today.
After drinking my fill of the crisp, fresh evening air, I once again stepped inside, back to the warmth of my room and the comforting feeling of my guitar.
Mia POV:
I sat alone in the chilly Central Park Zoo across from the polar bear enclosure. I watched the polar bear as he lazily swam around playing with his dull rubber ball, as if it was his most precious belonging.
The first thing I had done when I had entered the zoo was to turn of my phone, as I knew it was possible that Lily had fished the story out of Michael and would be trying to contact me. Either she was on my side or his, but because she had only heard his version of the incident, I was suspecting that all I would be hearing from her if I answered her call would be shouts.
I knew that no-one would be able to find me now. No-one except Michael knew about my refuge at the zoo, and I knew that he was in his room, strumming his guitar. I was too depressed to write in my journal and instead resorted to staring blankly at the polar bear and his seemingly dull rubber ball.
The zoo was practically empty, as most kids were out or at home, enjoying their first evening of freedom from school. But I was glad that it was mostly empty, because right now being alone was exactly what I needed.
I sat there, as the slow tears rolled down my cheeks. I remember the day that Michael had discovered my safe haven at the zoo. Lily and I had just had a fight. She had suggested that I was being a terrible friend because I had been spending more time with Michael; now that I was he was my boyfriend. Of course she was being hypocritical because she had done the exact same thing when I had had no boyfriend and she had had Boris.
I had run straight from school that day, not pausing to think that I had promised Michael I would meet him outside on the school steps.
He had told me later that he in fact had seen me race from the school, and had followed me all the way to the Central Park.
I remember I had been sitting on this very bench, tears threatening to fall. As I put my hands over my eyes I had suddenly felt a warm and comforting arm rest around my shoulder. I had known at once who it was.
I slowly looked up into the brown peat bog eyes of Michael, feeling so much better in only a couple of seconds.
"How did you know I was here?" I asked in a voice that sounded like it hadn't been used in a while.
"It doesn't matter Mia." He said in a matter of fact voice. "Are you okay?" He asked in a concerned voice. He must have seen my fight with Lily.
"Now I am." I said with a soft smile. "Now that you're here."
He smiled back at me and gave me a short but tender kiss. I smiled wider. I loved him so much.
"Why did you come here? He asked softly.
"Oh I always come here when I need to be alone. I came here when I found out I was a princess as well. I just find it always so calming to watch the polar bear swim. It always makes me feel better. Animals always make me feel better."
"I've never actually been to this zoo before you know." He said, "But now that I'm here I find it very calming. It's a weird feeling."
"Yeah it's surprising what the presence of animals can do to people. But I think it's also because it's something that is always here. Something that is always permanent, even if everything around it continues to change. This same polar bear has been here since I was little." I said, realizing that I had just figured out the reason why I came here.
Michael remained silent, but his arm tightened around my shoulders. Suddenly he stuck his arm underneath my knees, lifting me into the air. I let out a squeak of surprise.
He had simply smiled at me, and tenderly eased his mouth over mine.
It had been one of the happiest moments of my life.
A single tear rolled down my already tear stained face.
Inevitably, the zoo had to close, and I would have to find a new refuge. So I was not surprised when one of the caretakers walked up to me.
"Ma'am, I'm sorry to disturb but the zoo closes in 10 minutes. You might want to get ready to leave." I looked up into the face of a young man, who obviously worked with the animals, judging by the state of his clothing.
"Thanks, I was just getting ready to go." I said.
"Hey aren't you the princess? You know the one that goes to Albert Einstein?" He asked in an inquisitive voice.
"Yeah, I am. Well I should probably get going. I wouldn't want to be stuck in here all night!" I said in a sadly unenthusiastic voice.
"You know I really admire you. I heard how you support Greenpeace. I have always wanted to go on one of their trips to Iceland. It's nice to finally meet you."
(AN: I don't know if Greenpeace does trips to Iceland or anything like that, but in my story they do. ;) )
I was fairly surprised by this sudden "fan" I had encountered. I had never had a "fan" before. I blushed faintly. "Yeah well, I have always wanted to save the whales! I hope you get to go there one day, as I never will. It's something I've always wanted to do as well."
"Why won't you be able to go? I'm sure as a princess, that kind of work would be very good for your image. Although I'm not saying you wouldn't volunteer for it." He added hastily.
"Yeah, well unfortunately my dad disapproves of the whole flying of to Iceland thing to save the seals and whales. He says it's a crazy idea and that I have more important responsibilities to my country." I said in a sad voice.
"Well, that sucks. You can tell him from me that I'm sure all of your fans would be delighted if you went to Iceland to help the seals and whales!" He said in a sympathetic voice.
"I didn't even realize I had fans!" I said jokingly.
"Well of course you do! I know plenty of people who admire you." He said seriously and then on a more joking note, "You could be the next Princess Di!"
"Well, I don't' think anyone will ever be the same as her. But she was wonderful, and I hope I can make as much influence in the world as she did."
"Yeah well there is nothing wrong with dreams you know. Never give up hope!" He said conclusively. "It was nice to meet you!" And with that he waved and started walking down the hall, rolling his cart of food for the animals in front of him.
"You too!" I shouted after him, feeling a bit better. He looked back, smiled encouragingly and waved goodbye.
I headed for the exit of the zoo. But seconds after I started walking I remembered something. I didn't know the man's name. I swiftly turned around soon enough to glimpse him about to turn. "WHAT'S YOUR NAME?" I shouted down the hallway.
He stopped abruptly and turned around. Cupping his hands around his mouth he shouted, "JONATHAN!"
"SEE YOU ROUND!" I shouted back. Even though he was so far away I could still see him smiling. I had a feeling that I had just made a new friend.
I headed back down the hallway, to the exit. As I passed through the exit of the zoo I smiled at the man who guarded the gate. He smiled back.
Tightly holding my journal in hand, I started to walk home. It was almost dark now, and the street lamps provided most of the light. However, tonight there was a particularly full moon staring down on the city, and its light cast shadows on the surrounding houses and apartment complexes.
Despite my jeans, long sleeved top and jacket, I still felt the cold nipping at me. Dark, gloomy clouds hovered around the moon and I prayed that I would make it home before more rain started to fall.
Remembering that I had turned off my cell phone, I pulled it out of the pocket of my jacket and turned it back on. I suspected that Lily had given up on trying to call me and realized that I didn't want to be bothered. So I was surprised when I felt the cell phone buzz against my skin.
I pulled it out and flicked it open, putting it by my ear. "Hello?" I said tentatively.
"Oh My God Mia!!! Are you okay?? I've been trying to call you for hours, but I kept getting this message saying that your phone was off!" Thank the lord, it was only Tina.
"Yeah, I'm sorry I just needed some quiet time." I said with a sigh. I lazily kicked a ball of newspaper as I walked along the street back to my house.
"Oh my God I heard about the whole thing with Michael! Are you seriously okay? 'Cause Lily called me in this complete rage and told me what she had forced Michael to tell her but I didn't believe it for a second. You would so not do something like that to Michael! Right?"
"Yeah Tina, you see George, you know that guy from my bio class, well I was asking him if he had seen Michael because I was waiting for him, and then suddenly he pushed me up against the locker and started kissing me. And then Michael came in and well…" I tried to hold back the tears that threatened to fall on my cheeks once more.
"Oh Mia! That is so horrible! You need someone to comfort you! Where have you BEEN all of this time? I could have talked to you, comforted you!"
"I'm sorry Tina, its just that you see after Michael ran off, I pushed George away and then slapped him and then I walked out hoping Michael was still there and I ran into Mr. G. He, of course, still thought I was meeting up with Michael, and offered to give me a ride to Michael's house. I couldn't exactly refuse and then well after he dropped me off I just wanted to be alone and went somewhere close to sit alone." I continued to kick the ball of newspaper, trying to distract myself from thinking more about Michael than I had to.
"You SLAPPED George?? WOAH! But I understand, about the whole being alone. I would have felt the same way. Do you want me to come over to your house? Wahim can drive me and then we can talk."
"You know what Tina, can I call you tomorrow? I just want to be alone tonight." I said in a sad voice.
"Yeah sure Mia, but a promise me you'll call me! Because if you don't I'll call you!"
"Yeah, I'll talk to you then. Bye Tina."
"Bye!"
I snapped the phone shut just as a gust of wind swept away my newspaper ball. I looked up, realizing that I had walked quite far when I was talking with Tina and was almost at my house. I walked the last couple of yards and slowly walked up the steps to our door.
I fit my key into the lock and walked in. I could hear my mom in the kitchen; probably trying to prepare dinner. God help us.
I could hear Mr. G watching football, so I tried to stealthily creep up the stairs to my room. I was almost there when I heard my mother's voice shouting, "Mia! Is that you?"
"Yeah Mom, it's me. I'm just going to my room for a bit. Call me when dinner's ready!" I tried to sound cheerful, as I normally would have on the day Winter Break had begun.
"I thought you were staying over at Lily's house tonight! Has there been a change of plans?" She shouted back.
Oh crap. I had forgotten that I had planned to meet with Michael and then sleepover at their house. Shit. I quickly thought up an excuse. "Oh umm well Lily's parents said that I couldn't stay because they had to take Lily and Michael to some …. thing!"
She was so not going to buy this excuse.
But she did! "Okay honey! I'll make extra lasagna!"
I opened my door, threw my stuff down and slumped on my bed. I had completely forgotten about Michael for a total of 10 minutes. Maybe I would be able to survive.
Oh how wrong I was.
Michael POV:
I gently rested the guitar back in its case, setting it aside for another time. The purpose of playing it had been to forget about Mia, but all it had done was make me think about her more.
I ended up simply sitting on the bed, staring at the ceiling. Just as I was reliving the moment Mia had told me that she loved me, a soft knock on the door woke me from my trance.
I slowly and mournfully walked over to the door; opening it only a little. I came face to face with my mother. She had a worried look on her face. I was forced to open the door wider.
"Are you okay Michael? I haven't seen you all evening. And wasn't Mia supposed to be coming over?" She asked in a concerned voice.
"Yeah well it turns out that Mia's Grandmother needed her to come over to talk about some princess stuff. I've just been in my room working on some computer club programs." I lied quickly. Thankfully I hadn't told my mom that Mia's grandmother had gone back to Genovia for the holidays.
"Oh. Well how unfortunate. Anyway, dinner's almost ready so why don't you come into the kitchen?" She asked, seemingly convinced that I was just down because I hadn't been able to meet with Mia.
"Yeah sure mom; I'll be there in a couple of minutes." I said. Well at least I didn't have to pretend like I was happy. My mom would assume that I would be a little down in the mouth for the rest of the night for the only reason that I hadn't seen Mia.
"Okay honey!" She said and turned to walk back to the kitchen. I could see her pausing at Lily's room to tell her about dinner. Hopefully Lily would leave me alone. I was assuming she hadn't been able to talk to Mia, because if she had, she would have tried to talk to me and convince me to talk to Mia and hear her side of the story. I desperately wanted to believe that what I had seen in the hallway had been a mistake and accident, but I knew I had to face the reality: Mia didn't love me anymore.
I stepped back into my room, softly closing the door behind me. I started to walk back over to my bed, but paused as I passed the mirror. I looked terrible. My hair was all straggly, and my eyes looked red. I have never been a vain person, but I knew my parents would suspect something if I went to dinner like this. Obviously I had been in shadow when I had talked to my mom or she had chosen to ignore it; most likely the latter.
I quickly brushed my hair by pulling my fingers through it. I then took some cold water from the bottle that I had gotten for lunch that was still in my backpack. I put some on a tissue and rubbed it around my eyes. I hoped that the cool water would decrease the redness that surrounded them.
I looked at myself again, and judged my appearance. I looked a bit better, probably just normal enough that my parents wouldn't suspect. Although I knew that Mia would have known that something was up. Damn! I keep thinking about her.
Stop Moscovitz. You just have to remember that she doesn't love you and never will.
Now that my friends, is a depressing thought.
Wait I almost forgot; I don't have any friends.
Okay so that's a partial lie, but I am wallowing in my self-pity. Give me a break.
The rest of my family awaited me as I entered are small but cozy kitchen. The actual kitchen was white, but my mom had added colorful additions such as red blinds and multicolored napkins, that usually brightened it up. But today everything seemed dull.
I sat down in my usual seat, across from my dad. This was a rare occasion; eating as a family. Usually my parents had to go to some type of psychologist convention, and Lily and I were left to order pizza, or make macaroni.
But today it seemed, my mother had decided to pull together a dinner for all of us. She actually wasn't a bad cook when it came down to it, it's just I wasn't in the mood to be questioned by my parents. Hopefully they would leave me well alone; if of course they knew what was good for them.
I helped myself to a chunk of lasagna, as the dish circled the table. I made a conscious effort to avoid eye contact with Lily; I definitely didn't want to talk to her. I reached over for the salad, putting a bit on my plate. I couldn't be bothered to add dressing.
The table was silent, except for the sounds of us eating. Between the tension between Lily and I and my mother's choice to avoid me, there was no conversation.
But suddenly my dad asked a question directed at me, "So son; how is Mia these days? I know she's been dealing very well with her role as Princess."
My whole body tensed at the question. Lily had a similar reaction. My father never asked about Mia. And if he ever did, he asked Lily. They were of course best friends. And it happened to be the one subject I didn't want to talk about.
The lasagna went cold in my mouth as I sensed tears welling in my throat. It was horrible. Just the mention of her made my heart crack into tiny little pieces. I didn't know how I was going to escape from these memories.
Thankfully my mother changed the subject quickly, sensing the tension around the topic of Mia. Maybe she had guessed that there was something going on between us.
"Well dear, did you hear about that new theory of emotion that Dr. Fitzberg (AN: I am merely using this name in the story, and if there is someone of the name, no relation was meant.) is testing on his patients?" My father seemed confused, but he was too interested in the topic of his work to bother asking why my mother had switched subjects.
From then on, I was lost in my food. I didn't want to hear about Mr. Fitzberg's theory of emotion. But at the same time, I was thankful to my mother for saving me in an awkward moment.
Thankfully, dinner finished without any more awkward questions. But the tension remained.
I was the first one to get up. I wiped what was left of my dinner into the trash bin, and then placed my plate and utensils on the counter as I slowly opened the dishwasher. Fortunately it was empty; ready to load up again. I hated it when it had not been unloaded of the clean plates and then I had to unload it. We had this rule in our house that the first to find the dishwasher unloaded had to do it themselves. I calmly placed my plate in the machine and hastily exited the kitchen.
I let out a sigh as I left the kitchen as some of the tension left. I headed straight back to room. But at that moment I thought to myself, why am I moping like this? Mia doesn't love me, so why should I mourn over the loss of her? I should try to go on. And then I thought you know what? I can do this. I can survive without her.
I couldn't have been more wrong.
Mia POV:
Christmas loomed above my head like a rain cloud that threatened to pour. It was usually my favorite holiday, but this year it felt like a forced happiness. My present for Michael sat dejectedly by the framed picture of us on our first date. I didn't have the courage to throw any pictures away of us. I wanted to give my present to him, even if I wasn't his girlfriend or for that matter, his friend now. His heart was broken, or I believed it was, and it was all due to me. I felt horrible.
But at the same time, he had broken my heart to. By not even giving me the chance to explain, he had left me heartbroken as well. I wanted to hate him, but I knew that it was my fault that he hated me. It's very hard to hate someone when it's your fault and you're still in love with them.
But that was all going to have to change. If this was going to be in any way a joyful Christmas, I would have to try to forget about Michael, at least for the time being.
So I wrote out a 'Christmas Resolution' as I liked to call it:
I, Amelia Thermopolis, swear to not think about a certain Michael Moscovitz or how much I love him for the duration of Winter Break, because I broke his heart on accident and as a result, he does not love me anymore.
I shakily signed it as a tear rolled down my cheek. This was going to be a hard Christmas.
I called Tina to put my mind off Michael and start my resolution. We chatted for a few minutes, and thankfully she didn't mention Michael. She must have got the feeling that it was a topic I did not want to discuss.
We decided that we would meet at her house to spend some time together. I got the feeling that Lily did not want to speak with me so I asked Tina not to invite her. She never really answered me, but I assumed that she would respect my wishes. I was going through a rough spot.
I decided that since Lily's house was on the way to Tina's, that I would drop off Michael's present. Even if he hated me, I still wanted him to have the present; I had spent a lot of time on it and at the time I had thought he would have like it. I hadn't bought a present for Lily yet, but I probably would at some point, even if she hated me now.
Because I had to drop of Michael's present on the way, I couldn't exactly ask Mr. G. or my mom to drive me. If they saw that I just dropped off the present instead of going in to deliver it and see what Michael thought of it, they would get suspicious.
So I resorted to walking. I waited until my Mom had left the house to go out with Mr. G., and then I left her a note:
Hey Mom,
Tina picked me up so I can spend some time with her. We're at her house. Call there if you need me.
Love,
Mia
It was simple but to the point and I knew she wouldn't suspect anything now. I raced upstairs and picked up a few things, including the wrapped box that contained Michael's present. I went out the front door with the present tucked under my arm, making sure to lock it behind me. I took a key with me in case I arrived home and my mom still hadn't returned.
And with that I set off down the street. Tina's house really wasn't very far, and thankfully Lily's house was on the way; that way I wouldn't have to take a detour. Of course my dad would be mad if he knew that I was walking alone by myself in the streets of New York, but hell, I had been doing it since I was like 5. And anyway I made sure that I remained fairly invisible. Seriously, what could happen to me?
The crisp morning air refreshed my spirits but then I was reminded of my Christmas Resolution. I mustn't think about Michael. But I felt optimistic; things felt like they would work out. This wouldn't be that hard.
Finally after 15 minutes of walking, I finally reached Lily and Michael's apartment complex. The building loomed overhead, and seemed extremely tall at that particular moment in time. I knew that their apartment was only on the fourth floor which was relatively low, so it helped calmed my nerves a bit; I would simply go up to their apartment door, drop the present, ring the bell, and run off. It really couldn't be that hard.
I could see Michael's balcony above, and was reminded of last week's "accident" as I had come to refer to it. I could see now that there was a light on in his room, so I quietly entered the lobby below. In the building, you could walk up to anyone's front door and ring the bell, but there was a security guard who was stationed in a chair by the entrance. (AN: I don't know if this is ever the case in apartment complexes because I have only lived in one when I was little and can't remember, but for this story it is. Forgive me if I am wrong.)
Thankfully, the man was familiar with both Lars and I. He knew that I was friends with Lily, as I entered frequently by her side. He gave me a small smile and nod of the head. I smiled back.
I decided to use the stairs instead of the elevator. I had never really liked elevators after an incident in the first grade when we were on a trip at the museum and while we were in the elevator, one of the devious children in our class had pulled the emergency stop button. The elevator had ground to a halt and the lights had shut off. I had been shocked out of my senses. One of the teachers had calmly settled the children and pushed the button back in by looking around with a small flashlight keychain that she had attached to her keys, and all had returned to normal. But those few moments that I had spent in the darkness, at a complete standstill in a confined space had petrified me. From that moment on I have tried to calmly avoid elevators at all costs. But now I'm rambling.
(AN: I don't know if that is how you actually stop an elevator, but that is how they do it in My Best Friend's Wedding (a movie)so correct me if it's wrong. I really have no idea; maybe one of you has some experience in these kinds of things. Anyway, back to the story!)
Anyway, as explained, I avoided the elevator, opting instead for the stairs. It was only a couple of floors up, four to be exact, so I didn't see any problem with a little exercise. It would burn off the calories from that ice cream I had eaten last night in my fit of depression over the "accident".
I turned off at the four floor exit on the stairs, and started walking down the hallway to apartment number 107, the Moscovitz apartment. My shoes clacked on the hard floor in the hallway, and my heart raced. Normally, coming to their apartment was as normal as eating vegetarian lasagna. Now it felt like as normal for me as eating a hamburger.
Michael POV:
I can't say I was surprised that my mother forced me to take a walk. I had shut myself in my room for at least two days (I hadn't really been keeping track) with only my guitar as my companion, and only came out for meals. Even then, I knew, I had come out looking like a zombie. I think Lily, even with all of her sibling hatred, was worried for me. And I knew she carried that sympathy, judging by my encounter with her that horrible afternoon.
Anyway, I knew if I was to keep my parents off my back, I would have to take a walk. And it couldn't be that bad. From what emotions Lily had been radiating, she had still been unable to make contact with Mia, which meant that she, also, had confined herself to her house. Although possibly for different reasons than myself, I thought bitterly.
Bitterness was a new emotion for me, and it was one that had reared its ugly head all due to my conflict with Mia. She was responsible for my pain and suffering, and anger towards her seemed to build up inside me.
I grabbed my warmest coat, even though it was clear that it was fairly sunny outside. I guess I wasn't really thinking about it. I unlocked the door, grabbed my key off of the hook that had my name written scraggly in my 7 year old handwriting above it and opened the door.
I was extremely surprised when I came face to face with one nervous Mia Thermopolis.
AN: Hey Everyone! Long time, no see! First let me explain the lack of updates. I have been away for 2 weeks for the holidays, and was unable to post my chapter. However, as a constilation, I have combined what would have probably been a couple of chapters into one for your enjoyment! Please review! If you don't, and I hate to say this, there will probably not be an update for a while, as your reviews are my only source of motivation. So I hope you enjoyed this chapter and please tell me what you think!