Chapter 3

Stranded!

Michael's computer journal-

Lilly, Mia, and Tina, followed by both bodyguards, just wondered off into the trees to find, get this, Men's and Women's bathrooms! Leave it to Lilly to have to have bathrooms on a deserted island. I mean, seriously. But, if it makes her happy, than she can do it, cause I definitely don't want her mad. Lilly mad is a very bad thing! She can give a whole new meaning to the phrase "making your life a living hell." I wonder when the plane will get here tomorrow. Hey! I just thought of something. Maybe somehow Mia and I could wind up sleeping next to each other, and it will get cold here at night, and we will wind up having to cuddle, or something. Uggh. Get a grip, Moscavitz. Even if by some strange chance, we do wind up sleeping next to each other, that is never going to happen. You will just lie there all night, thinking about her, and not getting any of the sleep that you need.

-SAVE. EXIT PROGRAM-

Mia's diary:

We just finished eating dinner, I had three bananas and part of a coconut. It is cooling off quite a bit as the sun goes down. It is a really gorgeous sunset. With all the colors, changing every few minutes. It is so beautiful. You never get to see the sunset in New York. There are all the buildings, not to mention all the smog that is making a hole in the ozone layer. Michael is down by the beach, and I am sitting up here watching him. I wonder what he is thinking. I wonder how he would react if I went down there and started talking to him. Probably not well. He is probably thinking about the oh, so wonderful Judith Greshned, genius extraordinaire. God, I hate her. Why does Michael like her, even though he insists he doesn't? I mean, sure she can clone fruit flies and all, but who really cares? Uggh. Whatever. I wonder where Lilly and Tina went. They were just here a minute ago. Lars, Michael, and I seem to be the only ones here. Just as I was working up my courage to go talk to Michael, Lilly appeared out of no where.

Mia's POV:

"Hey, Mia. Is it true that you like my brother?"

"What?"

She sat down beside me.

"You heard me."

"N-no. Of course not." I said, praying to God that she wouldn't notice my nostrils. No such luck. She had been watching them like a hawk.

"Aha! Yes, you do."

"Lilly, shut up." I hissed. Michael was way too close for comfort.

"Why? He isn't close enough to hear us. How long have you liked him? And before you answer that, no, I do not think this is okay. I am talking to you to help you get him out of your system."

I laughed shortly. "Not likely." Sighing, I added, "Years."

Lilly's eyes widened. There was shock written all over her pug face.

"Years? So this isn't like a spur of the moment thing. You really like my brother? Gross. Mia I thought you had better taste than that. Well, not with Josh Ritcher, of course."

I cringed at the memory of his name, and our disastrous date.

"Really, Lilly, how can you compare your brother to Josh. Where Josh is a jerk, Michael is the sweetest guy on earth."

Okay, wrong audience.

Lilly made a face.

"Okay, if you are going to make statements like that I am going to puke."

I blushed. "Sorry, Lil."

"Okay. Really, Tina was so excited, I thought that you had just figured out that you liked him."

"No, I... Wait, Tina told you?"

"Yes. How else was I supposed to know? You kept it very well hidden. Although now that I think about it, there were several times..."

I got up, not listening to what Lilly was saying anymore.

"Where is Tina?"

"Huh?" Lilly asked, still in the middle of talking to herself.

"Tina."

"Oh. Umm, I don't know. She said something about taking a walk down the beach."

Sure enough. I scanned on quite a but further down than Michael, and there were two people walking, one several feet behind the other.

I jogged down to them.

"Tina!" I called. She turned around, looking sorry.

As soon as I got to her, she started apologizing.

"I am SOO sorry, Mia. Really. It just slipped out. I mean, one minute we were talking about sunsets, and the next thing I knew, I was just blurting out something about you and Michael and a sunset, or something. She asked me what I meant by that, and I said nothing. But Lilly isn't exactly dumb, so she figured out what I meant. I really am sorry, you know."

I sighed. She really was. Besides. This was kind of my fault anyway, besides the obvious. I had told Tina, knowing she couldn't keep it a secret.

"Its okay, Tina. I guess. But now that you have it out of your system, could you PLEASE not tell anyone else. I really don't want to go around broadcasting it. And if it gets back to Michael..."

"Okay, Mia. But I really do think he likes you."

"Who likes you, Thermopolis?"

Blushing furiously, I spun around. Michael stood there, looking more gorgeous than ever as a silhouette in the sunset.

"Umm..." Guess who that was!

"No one that concerns you." Tina said, making up for my lack of words.

Michael was looking at me strangely.

"I am getting the weirdest vibe I am not to be included in this conversation. Goodbye, then ladies."

He continued walking from the way he came.

Tina hissed in my ear.

"Go after him. I know he likes you. He looked really jealous."

"Yeah, right! You have read one too many romance novels. He would tell me if he liked me. We have known each other for forever."

Tina just gave me a look. "Yeah. And why does that apply to Michael any more than you? He is just as afraid of rejection as you are." Seeing my still doubtful expression she whispered at me with surprising force,

"Listen to me, Mia. You go after him now or I am going to go right over there and tell him." Her tone left me in no doubt that she meant it.

"But..." I really couldn't think of a single excuse not to.

She gave me a little shove, and an encouraging smile. As I walked hesitantly toward Michael, I had a feeling I was going to need a lot more than that.