Author's Note: I'm sorry. It's been two whole weeks since I've updated but I started school again...you have no idea how stressful it is going to be. I hope I still have some readers out there.
By the way, to anyone interested the Red Sox are in a tight race for first place in the AL east. We need the rally caps out ladies and gents. And on another note, I went to Phantom Planet last weekend which was AMAZING. And to top it all off I am going to see Weezer, Foo Fighters and Hot Hot Heat in a mere month. Yeah, you heard me. Now show me the love
Dedicated to Filiklepto for skipping class and bringing her laptop in to read my stories. You rock.
And to Lucie who still has not updated her story in well over a month.
Mia:
"More tea, your highness?" the stewardess asked as I stared at my new 'ice'. I quickly hid my left hand.
"Um, no thanks. Coke Lite would be great though," I replied.
It was still weird being called your highness. I'm used to being ignored. Being anonymous in New York City. Being treated like a little sister by the band (well, not by Michael, but you know what I mean). I would much rather be known as a musician than a princess. Plus, being a princess opened me up for all sorts of stupid media nick names. 'Rock Star Princess', 'The Queen and her Men'. And therefore Michael got shit for it too.
"Princess! Princess! Over here, are the reports about your brother true? Did he pay off a technician to say he was your father's son?"
I looked at Lars, who was pulling me through the crowd. He was still working for the family now that his mother passed on. Now he mainly does stuff around the palace and when my grandmother made public appearances; which were now few and far between.
"Where'd you get that ring? Did you get engaged?" someone yelled out to me. I'm happy that amid all this drama my hand was getting attention.
I finally stopped to think when I got into my town car. I hadn't realized until moments later that Louie was sitting in there too. "Hey," I said softly. "What's going on? What are they talking about?"
"I don't know. I never paid anyone off. I don't have the money to," he said. It was clear he'd been crying. "I was a poor college kid. At Princeton off a football scholarship."
I put my arm around him. "We'll figure this all out. Don't worry."
"Katie is going nuts," he stammered. "She wants to shoot the guy."
"Well, I do too," I replied with a laugh. "Lou, you are my brother," I said holding his hand. "No matter what."
MICHAEL:
It was very odd being on the bus without Mia. They were all sitting up front drinking and I was in the back playing solitaire. Feeling very…. solitary. Mia still hadn't called to tell me what the deal was.
"Michael, come on. We need you," Kevin said pulling me from the back.
"For what?"
I walked up front and saw that they were all measuring their schlongs. "What the fuck are you doing?" I said laughing. God. It's great to be sober.
"Well, we're all from different ethnicities. Thought it'd be nice to see who has the biggest."
"I'm bigger," I guaranteed, backing away.
"Come on then. Show us."
"This sounds way too cultish," I replied.
"Michael. Don't be a douche. Measure up."
I didn't want to be a douche so I did. "Beat you by a full inch," I said tossing the measuring tape back at them.
"That thing is too big to satisfy a woman properly," Chaz shot at me. "It'd terrify an average woman."
I smirked, "I don't have to satisfy an average woman."
"Oh God, here comes another song from him," Manny teased.
"I proposed," I blurted out. "I'm allowed to be happy."
They all put their business back in their pants and congratulated me. I'm sure Mia will be pleased to know that all their members were hanging out when I told them. "I thought you were going to wait though, til September or something. When she was all stressed out about the tour?" Kevin asked.
I noticed Orlando wasn't saying anything.
"Well, she doesn't know when she'll be back so…"
"Did she totally freak out?" Chaz asked. "What did she think of the ring?"
"She liked it. A lot. Couldn't really say too much."
"It was a nice ring," Manny replied slowly. "I couldn't say much when you showed me."
"You were hoping it was for you," Kevin joked. "That's awesome man. Is that why you were so late? Up celebrating?"
I laughed, "No. I did it about two minutes before I had to be here. Then we went to tell her mother."
"Gotcha.
Orlando, have some class. Congratulate the man."
He gave me a dirty look and said something Spanish. I'm sure it's not good fortune's my fellow.
She called late that night. "Hey baby," I said softly, hiding from the others. "How's things?"
"I just got to the palace. It's nuts here. Some guy is trying to say that Louie paid him off to falsify documents saying he was my brother. Can you believe it?"
I sighed. "I'm sorry to hear it babe. Want me to come over?"
"No, you don't have to. I have to stay here a few weeks I think. But I'll be back at the end of the month, okay?"
"I'll meet you in New York," I offered. "We have a break at the end of the month. We can go back to our place." It was our place. Totally our place.
"Okay. I have to catch some breakfast with the prime minister or something. I'm going to look like a zombie."
"But a very cute zombie."
"I have not slept in two days, if you remember. Saturday night someone kept me up all night trying to tell me about his new favorite book."
"The karma sutra is a classic," I argued. "I didn't hear you complaining then."
"Yes I did!" she giggled, "Remember…Oh, hi Dad. Yes, I'll be right there."
I'm guessing that wasn't for me.
"Remember what?" I teased.
"Breakfast. How was the show?" she asked quickly.
"Sucked without you. Call me soon?"
"Maybe tonight…or this afternoon according to you."
The next few weeks were weird. Quiet. I wrote a lot. Looked online at some houses I thought Mia might like. Yes. I wanted to buy a house with her. Somewhere only she and I would really know about.
We played at colleges, and I was hit on by younger girls. God. This would have been my dream a few years ago. I would never have used the "Sorry girls, I'm taken" line. No. I would tell them that I had no girlfriend.
But they just said, "She doesn't have to know". And on that note I would send them to Kevin.
I talked to Mia nearly every night for only a minute or two. She was always doing something with her brother. She had a few interviews with the press and defended him as any sister (well, not mine) would.
It was in all the papers. People kept approaching me and asking about my thoughts. Mia said I could say whatever I wanted but I didn't. It wasn't my place to. But I did read about it.
I hated that our conversations were always so damn short. She was always off doing something for her family and telling me she'd be home in no time. Yeah, when Daddy says she can come back.
The reports were saying that Louie was having trouble paying for school because his football scholarship didn't come through. He'd hurt his knee and was done with sports. So he'd lost his scholarship. The guy who worked in the lab was really his dad.
He knew that Lou's mom had an affair with the prince. He let it slip to Louie one day as a teenager and then Lou decided to use this to support himself through college. He convinced his birth father to falsify the tests in order to prove he was Phillippe's son.
Somehow, it made sense to me. He never really fit in with the family. I mean, I've been to parties before and he kind of just hung in the background. Never got involved. But I couldn't tell Mia that. She'd kill me.
So to keep my mind off of her I hung out with the guys and the other bands that were on the tour. "Want some?" Josh Caritas of Rushmore asked me.
I looked in his hand. "What is that?"
He laughed, "Don't be such a pussy. Everyone is doing it."
I stared at the green pills in his hand. "No. I'm straight, thanks."
