Falling Away
Chapter Two: in our darkest hour
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"Michael Z! Is it true that you and Gwen Brody split?"
"Michael! Over here, Michael! Did Gwen really cheat on you with Julian Casablancas?"
"Michael! Michael!"
"No comment," Michael Z hissed into some reporter's microphone before heading into the club. The press really could be so damn irritating at times. Ever since his breakup with Gwen, he had been bombarded by even more paparazzi than usual. But, from what he had heard, Gwen was enjoying every moment of it.
He was about to do a sound check for his first show after his high-profile split. His heart might've been broken but he would stick it out. He was Michael Z, after all. "I can't believe the press," said his assistant, Kate Harlow. She was one of the many people that had gone out to Hollywood to become a star but had instead ended up as the assistant to the frontman of the hot, fresh new band, Mission for Recognition.
Kate was eager to serve Michael. Maybe a little too eager.
"Anyway, tomorrow, you have an interview with Blender at eleven and a photo shoot with…Rolling Stone at four," Kate said, writing down a few notes in her schedule book. Michael didn't respond as he made his way backstage to meet with the rest of the band.
MISSION FOR RECOGNITION—The Rockstars That'll Steal Your Hearts and Maybe Your Money Too
The crowd is bustling with animosity. Screaming girls and even guys surround the stage and speakers, waiting for Mission for Recognition to hit the stage. After five minutes of screaming and preteens shouting, "Michael! Oh My God! I want to marry you!" and "Max, let me have your babies!" the band finally walks on stage and starts playing their new hit single, "The Nonexistent Girl Finds Her Way Back." Which, by the way, doesn't fit the song at all but it works.
Well, they've certainly reached their mission for recognition. This hot band made their debut two months ago with their self-titled album. Michael Z's low, growly, and always sexy vocals will send shivers down your spine. The five-member rock band consists of Michael Z (who recently broke up with guitar goddess, Gwen Brody), twenty-three, lead vocals and guitar; Max Conor, twenty-two, lead guitar, background vocals; Shayne Osborn, twenty-three, bass and background vocals; David Richards, twenty-one, keyboards; and Kristen Taylor, twenty-one, drums. With their loud, catchy tunes, they may very well take over rock 'n' roll.
"These articles never get old, do they?" Shayne said, a smile on her face.
"No, never," Kristen agreed, reading the article about Mission for Recognition in Music Madness again.
"Take over rock 'n' roll? I thought we already had," Max said sarcastically.
"Look over here," David said, holding up an article about them in Rolling Stone. "Apparently, we're a combination of The Strokes, The Vines, The Beatles, Ramones, and Rooney…only better!"
"Oh! Michael Z is sooo dreamy!" Max exclaimed in a high-pitched voice.
"Ha, ha, you're so hilarious," Michael said, rolling his eyes at his bandmate. It was amazing how much good publicity they had been getting over the last two months. Ever since their debut album hit stores, their fan base had grown considerably larger. Back when Michael was in his high school band, Skinner Box, things had been so limited. He had been young and naïve, after all. He had actually once written some corny song called "Tall Drink of Water."
But now, Michael was the frontman for Mission for Recognition, not his stupid old band. He hadn't been in contact with any of his old bandmates for years now. And he felt it was better that way. Michael had founded Mission for Recognition with his friends from Columbia two years ago. He had, before they recorded their debut album, decided to call himself Michael Z, instead of Michael Moscovitz. Moscovitz was just…not a last name fit for a rock star, he found. Yes, 'Z' left an air of mystery.
"Okay, so we have that in-store signing tomorrow at ten?" David said. Shayne groaned.
"Yeah, so you had all better get some rest," said their manager, Warren Semple. He had managed bands such as The Strokes and even The Ramones. Warren was all business and always said, "everything I do is for the good of this band so get off of your lazy asses and start practicing." They liked him anyway.
Michael looked out of the hotel window (they had the penthouse on the top floor) over Manhattan. They were finally back and would stay there for a few weeks, Warren had said.
"Hey, Michael. Are you planning to daydream all night or go hit a club?" Kristen said, her slate gray eyes lit up.
"Call me when you get there and I'll come soon. Maybe," Michael said, his eyes never looking away from outside.
"Lead singers and their moods," Kristen said, her voice dripping with sarcasm, before shutting the door.
And before he knew it, he was all alone.
After a few more moments, Michael picked up the latest issue of the Post up off the floor. He skipped that article about him and Gwen and flipped to the Metro section. That's when the day's headline jumped off of the page and into his eyes.
"Princess Mia returns to Manhattan," Michael murmured softly to himself, reading the article. "Princess Amelia of Genovia plans to return to her birthplace today. When asked why she wished to return, she joked that she wanted to 'save the whales.'" Knowing Mia, she probably wasn't joking.
Mia. How could Mia be back in New York? They had broken up back when Michael was a freshman in college. After he had broken up with her, he had instantly regretted it and almost called her back. But he didn't. Michael didn't know why he didn't. He should've.
No, no. It was better that they had broken up. Wasn't it?
Michael took his cell phone out of his pocket and dialed Kristen.
"Hey, I'll meet you guys at Penguin."
---
"It's so great to be back…back home," Mia said softly, putting on her coat. "I was planning to go to this new club that just opened. It's called Penguin or something like that. Want to come?" Adam ran a hand through his hair. Mia felt her heart flutter as his bright green eyes met her own gray ones.
"Sure, sounds fun," Adam said, his hair flopping onto his right eye. Mia became exceedingly more nervous.
"Okay, I'll ask Lars to call the limo," Mia said. She was about to pick up the phone when Adam put his hand on her wrist. Mia's eyes widened slightly. He said, "Why don't we walk? And on the way to the club, you can point out the…I don't know, important parts of the city?" She felt her cheeks grow pink.
"Uh, okay," Mia said, putting the phone back down. Adam let his hand linger on her wrist a few longer before pulling away though, Mia noticed, he did it rather reluctantly. She felt chills rush up her spine.
"Let me go get my jacket," Adam said. He left for a moment before returning, her favorite black jacket of his on. He was just absolutely perfect. And Adam was a vegetarian too! Nothing could get much better than that.
They both left the loft. The chilly winter air hit them both like a tidal wave.
"It's so cold out here," Mia said, wishing that she had chosen to wear another, bigger jacket.
"Yeah, is it always this cold here?" Mia nodded her head.
"Oh! There's the park where I always used to go to," Mia said excitedly, scanning the familiar playground and trees. "And there's the fountain where Lilly and I always used to tape her show from."
"Lilly?" Adam said, sounding confused.
"Oh, you know that…girl that was at the loft yesterday?" Mia said. Adam nodded. "Yeah, well, that was Lilly."
"And you say she was your best friend?" Adam said, rubbing his hands together.
"Yes, the operative word being was," Mia said. "But it just changed when we were freshmen. She sort of dumped her boyfriend, Boris, because she was a 'slave to her own lust' and started dating this guy from Nepal, Jangbu. There was this big boycott and I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to go to the prom with Mi—" Mia stopped before she could go any farther.
"Who?" Adam said, blinking his gorgeous green eyes.
"Oh," Mia said, turning red. "No one."
"It doesn't sound like no one, Mia."
"Just my boyfriend. Or, rather, ex-boyfriend now."
"And what was this boyfriend's name?" Adam inquired curiously.
"Um. Michael," Mia said softly, not wanting to talk about Michael. He was in the past and now, well, now he wasn't her boyfriend anymore.
"Why'd you guys break up?" Adam said, not catching the hint that she didn't want to talk about it. But Mia didn't want to come off as cold to Adam. No, she liked him.
"He…He didn't love me anymore," Mia said even more softly, her eyes averted.
Now he got the hint.
---
"Dude, what took you so long to get here?"
"Well, dude, I was writing a song called, 'Where the fuck is my leather jacket?'"
"I can see you found it," Max said, taking a sip of his Cristal.
"Obviously," Michael said angrily. He walked over to the bar.
"What will you have?" The bartender, a woman with long blonde hair that looked to be in her mid-twenties, asked.
"Jack Daniel's," Michael growled. The bartender, Sheena, filled up a glass and handed it to Michael.
"Hey, aren't you…" Michael walked away before she could finish her sentence.
"Rude, much?" Sheena exclaimed. Michael merely flipped her off and walked over to David and Shayne.
"Oh, what do you know?" Shayne said as a song that began with heavy drumming played. It was Mission for Recognition's first single, "Reoccurring Kind." Michael cringed as he listened to his voice blaring through the speakers throughout the club.
"Oh, my God! Can I have your autograph?" Michael turned around and saw a short brunette with a pen and paper in hand. Michael looked her straight in the eye.
"Sure," Michael said, smiling slightly. "What's your name?"
"Mia," The girl said eagerly. He quickly signed 'Michael Z' onto the piece of paper.
"Here…Mia," Michael said, giving the girl the autograph. Mia squealed and ran off to brag to her friends.
The music suddenly stopped and someone's voice came over the speakers.
"It has come to our attention that the band, Mission for Recognition, is here!"
"Shit," Michael said under his breath.
"And we at Penguin know how you all love Mission for Recognition! Let's try to convince them to play a song for us!"
"Fuck, let's make a run for it," Shayne whispered to Michael, a half-smile on her face. Michael thought better about it.
"No, if a show's what they want, let's give them a show," Michael said, smirking. He downed the rest of his drink and headed for the stage.
"Mis-sion for Recog-nition!" The crowd chanted. When Michael reached the stage, the crowd became even louder, which Michael hadn't thought possible. The rest of the band trailed after him.
"OH MY GOD! THAT'S MICHAEL Z!" Michael heard some girl scream. The instruments had already been set up for another band, Michael guessed, but it would do just fine.
"Hey," Michael growled into the microphone. "We are Mission for Recognition. You guys might've heard of us." The crowd started screaming incessantly. "I guess we'll be playing—" Michael turned to face his bandmates with a broad grin and turned back to the audience—"our latest single, 'The Nonexistent Girl Finds Her Way Back.'"
"One, two, three, four!" Kristen yelled over the crowd's shouting.
Time to go back to the way we finished
Whisper of your wondering ways
No lies should surround us
Painful regret makes us stronger
Longing memories keep me close
Mia entered Penguin, Adam by her side. They walked into the crowd when Adam suddenly exclaimed, "Mia! It's Mission for Recognition!"
"What? Who?" Mia said, confused.
"I can't believe it! They weren't scheduled to play here!" Mia realized that Adam was talking about the band.
"Well, I've never heard of them until now," Mia said honestly, trying to actually see the band. They were standing in the middle of the crowd, a plethora of girls jumping up and down and squealing in front of them.
And you should know whyWe're all getting hurt
But you don't care
No, you don't care
Make me what you want me to be
The perfect clothes, hair, and body
Aren't you tired of living in deception?
Are you tired of me?
Are you tired of me?
Well, the nonexistent girl
She never knew exactly
The way she felt inside
Because she thought
She had so many things to hide
Mia watched as the lead singer's head dropped. The crowd went absolutely crazy, screaming for more.
"Mis-sion for Recog-nition! Mis-sion for Recog-nition!" Mia found it nauseating.
"That'll be all for tonight," Michael said quietly into the microphone, leaving the crowd in awe as he stepped off the stage. The rest of the band looked slightly confused but followed after him. Michael made his way through the crowd, a few girls attempting to hug them. Michael had never been one to be downright rude so he hugged a few of them back. He was walking through the middle of the crowd when he walked right into Mia.
They fell to the ground, Michael on top of Mia.
"Oh, sorry," Michael said, his breath trickling down Mia's neck. Mia looked Michael straight in the eye, not realizing that it was him…Michael Moscovitz…
"No, no. I shouldn't have…um…can you get off of me? You're kind of crushing my leg…"
"What? Oh! Oh, yeah, sorry again," Michael said. He rose from Mia and when he stood, offered her his hand. She took it and he helped her up.
"Well, 'bye then," Mia said, looking down at her feet.
"Yeah. 'Bye." And then he left, Shayne and Max snickering as they followed.
"Mia!" Adam said loudly, causing Mia to jump. "You just bumped into Michael Z! Isn't that insane?"
"Y-Yeah," Mia said. "Insane."
Was that who I think it was?