Author's Note: Sorry, my internet is currently snail-speed, so yeah, updating is currently a pain in the butt. But anyway, here is chapter 8, for all your enjoyment.

Chapter Eight

"Mia's going to come and pick us up in about ten." Lil said as she stuck her head around my bedroom door at 7.30 the next morning.

"Is she ok?" I asked worriedly.

"She sounded fine to me." Lil said with a shrugged and withdrew her head from my room.

I took a deep breath to try and relax myself. I know it's silly to be worried over something as normal a jet lag, but I can't help it. When Mia gets sick, she gets sick bad, so can you really fault me for worrying about her?

After about five minutes of simply fussing around, getting all my stuff for school together, before I decided, despite the cold (which in truth, I don't mind. I'd rather be cold and rugged up than too hot and not really being able to do all that much about it, besides turning the air con up even high) that awaited me outside on the street.

Lil grumbled at the thought of going down when we still had at least five minutes to spare, she isn't a fan of the cold, but she came down with me anyway, probably so that she can get away from Mom and Dad's display of being overly affectionate with each. You would think, that with having two teenagers living in the house, they would stop being so overly affectionate with each, in the fear that we might get ideas, but they don't, even though both Lil and I wish they would, or at least confine the affection to the privacy of their bedroom.

When we got downstairs, Lil decided to stay inside the lobby, heading for out letter box to check if we had any new mail or rather she had any new mail, while I headed outside.

There was a strong wind blowing, cutting me almost straight to the bone with its chill but I simply pulled my coat and scarf more tightly around me and shoved my gloved hands deep into my coats pocket and waited for Mia's limo, which appeared a few moments later.

As I climbed into the limo, I immediately saw that she was looking better, a lot better than she had yesterday.

But I still asked, "Are you ok."

She smiled and nodded.

"I called you last night," I told her as Lil shoved me to move over so that she could get into the limo too. "But your mom said you had passed out…"

"I was really, really tired." She admitted looking a little sheepish. "I slept for fifteen hours straight." Which for her is quite impressive. Whenever she is over at ours and she has stayed the night, she almost always one of the first people to be up in the following morning.

I opened my mouth to say something only to be cut off by my darling sister.

"Whatever," Lil said, not at all concerned about Mia's health or wellbeing. "I heard from the producers of your movie." She informed us. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Lars rolling his eyes behind his huge latte, while I simply fought back a groan. Mia was the only one who showed even the slightest interest in what Lil was saying.

"Really? What did they say?" Mia asked curiously.

"They asked me to take a breakfast meeting with them." She said, sounding smug, though at the same time trying to hide just how smug she was and, of course, failing miserably at it. "Friday morning. So I won't be needing a ride."

"Wow." Mia said and she actually looked impressed, "A breakfast meeting? Really? Will they serve bagels?" it took a lot of effort on both mine and Lars part not to start cracking up laughing at that. Sometimes it really does seem to appear that Mia forgets that she is, in fact, a royal and that she will probably meet a whole heap of amazing people and visit all these amazing places. She just sounded so amazed and at awe with Lil's breakfast meeting, completely forgetting that like two weeks ago she met the Queen of England and the Prince of Wales.

I sat back and listen to the two of them talk about Lil's breakfast meeting, with Mia asking Lil what demands she'll be asking the producers of the film at the meeting, only Lil wouldn't tell her. Mia pulled a face at that and looked all worried again.

"Is it really that bad?" Mia asked me as Lil stalked ahead of us into school. "The movie of my life, I mean?"

I thought carefully before I answered.

"It's not bad, as such, they just get a lot of stuff wrong, that's all. Though, they did get a lot of stuff right and that's what's pissing Lil off so much." Mia tilted her head, looking confused.

"You remember the fight you and Lil had, way back, over your hair?" She pulled a face but nodded.

"Well, somehow I think they must have guessed that something along those lines happen between the two of you and so, they put a scene in similar to what really happen between you into the movie and Lil's pissed off about that. That and they got the name of her show wrong."

"What did they call it?"

"Shut up and Listen."

"That's not such a bad name, if you think about it."

"That's what I told to her." I replied with a grin.

"But overall, it's not bad?" Mia said as I walked her to her locker. "Tina likes it and Mom said it is the funniest thing she has ever seen." Of course Helen Thermopolis would think that and Tina… well, I guess the movie about Mia's life was right up her alley.

"It's not terrible, but I think it would be best that when you do get around to watching it, to watch it with a sort disconnected attitude. Just watch it like you do every other movie, don't nick-pick it and get upset over it, like Lil has, just accept it as it is and you know, move on. People haven't given you a hard time about it, have they?"

She shook her head.

"Nothing more than usual. Lana's been shooting me dirty looks, but that's nothing new. The only person giving me a hard time about it, really, is Lilly. Everyone else doesn't seem to care." She looked so relieved at this and of course, I was too.

I admit I had been expecting the worse from the student body of AEHS but for once they surprised me with their lack of caring and I was delight at it, because of course, it meant Mia was left alone and could just be her without having to be of the defensive all the time because of their jaded, narrow-minded comments and insults.

"That's good. I'm glad." And I was, "I'll see you at Lunch." I promised giving her cheek a quick peck, which wasn't nearly enough, especially since I hadn't been able to kiss her this morning, but I couldn't kiss her here in the corridor, by her locker. I'm not Ritcher or she isn't Weinberger, thank God on both accounts, besides kissing her here would only embarrass us both. It's ok in front Lars (because he's always around and there's no way to get around that) and Lil (who has been surprisingly good about the whole thing, only a few grumbles here and there, but otherwise she keeps quiet about the fact that I make out (ok, so really it's only been twice that I have made out with Mia) her best friend.), but everyone else on the whole flipping planet? No way in hell!

I gave her another kiss on the cheek, just for good measures before heading for my own locker.

"Oh thank god!" I heard a loud and cheerful voice say, quite close to my side, "You weren't lying about being with the Princess."

"Shut up Felix." I grumbled at him, feeling embarrassed. "And could you say that any louder?"

"Come on. Like the whole school doesn't already now about your whole make out session at the Winter Dance."

"Yeah, but the rest of the world doesn't need to know." I shot back. Felix raised an eyebrow at me questioningly.

"They're going to find out eventually, you know. Either by one of these loud mouths or because they simply see you and her together and connect the dots, they're going to find out."

"Yeah, I know." I said, rubbing a hand against the back of my neck.

"You're worried they'll judge you when they do find out, right?" Felix observed and I pulled a face at him.

"You want my advice?"

"No," even though Felix had he's moments of giving some pretty sound advice, "but you're going to give it to me anyway, right?"

"Free of charge to, so be grateful."

"What's your advice Felix?" I asked before he started rambling.

"Just go with it. Be Zen. Whatever they say about you or her, don't let it get to you, because that will just make it worse. Just let it all roll off your back because, when it really comes down to it, it doesn't matter. What they say and think, it doesn't matter for shit. What does matter is what you think about her and what she thinks about you, everything else, non-important. So if they start talking about how inappropriate it is for her to be with you, or how unworthy you are for her, or whatever, just ignore it because it isn't what she thinks. When she starts to think like they do, yeah, then you might want to worry, but I doubt that she'll ever will. She thinks the world of you, so don't go messing that up because you're worried about what a couple of outsiders say about your relationship with her."

I just stared at him, more than slightly amazed at what he had just said.

He was right of course. It didn't matter what a people thought about mine and Mia's relationship, our relationship was ours and it what we thought about it that mattered, not their opinions of it.

"What about her Dad? Her Grandmother?" I added with a shudder.

"I really doubt you'll have any trouble from her Dad. He seems like a pretty cool guy from what I've seen of him on the TV and read on the internet. Her grandmother on the other hand, hell even the princess seems to have trouble with her grandmother, so I think you can pretty much ignore anything that she might throw at you."

"Thanks Felix." I said sincerely.

"Your still going to worry about this, aren't you?" He asked as we walked for our homerooms.

"From time to time." I admitted, "But I'll try to keep it from consuming me."

"Good man." Felix said cheerfully, slapping my back wholeheartedly, winding me ever so slightly.

"See you in English." I said with a wave as I ducked into my homeroom, ignoring the stares from Richter and his cronies.

"Did you hear that the Princess was pulled out of second period?" Paul asked me as he and Judith came and sat with Felix and me at the back of the Chem lab.

"WHAT?" I yelled, ignoring the startled looks sent in our direction. "Why?" I asked somewhat more calmly.

"Don't know." Paul admitted, "But apparently she left the school with this old woman dressed in this cape thing and carrying this hairless dog thing. Apparently she had no eyebrows either." I groaned, loudly and thumbed my head against the lab bench.

"What?" all three of them asked me bewildered by my reaction to this news.

"That old woman, I'm fairly certain, was her Grandmother." I explained, groaning again.

"Seriously?" Felix asked, amazed.

I nodded and the other two looked just as dumbstruck as Felix.

"Why, do you think, her grandmother came and took her out of second period?" Judith asked as we pulled out our books. "You don' think her Dad has had a relapse of his cancer, do you?"

"Jude," Paul said calmly, "you're freaking him out." He gave me a prod in the shoulder trying to get me to relax from my frozen stance.

"It's probably not that, though." Jude tried to amend quickly.

"Yeah, and I doubt that she's about to be shipped back to Genovia to live because of her Dad's "illness"." Felix added and the other two hit him.

"Maybe it just some urgent royal commitment or something?" Paul suggested. "Maybe some ambassador from some feign country has come to meet the Princess or something."

"Maybe." I said but I wasn't convinced. Something in gut told me something was up and that I wasn't going to like it overly much.

Mia was back at school by lunch, looking quiet and dejected. Maybe the rumour that had been circulating around the school about her Dad having a relapse of his cancer really was true and the reason behind her being dragged out of second period by her Grandmother. Though, for some reason, I kind of had my doubts about this.

I don't know, just in my head, it just didn't look logical to me, it didn't make sense. Why not send a bodyguard or someone like that down instead and wouldn't Lars have been informed that his former charge was ill and then he, instead of the Dowager Princess, would have made Mia leave second period? I don't know, the whole thing, now that I started thinking about it, was odd.

Anyway, as soon as I saw her (and Lars of course, though oddly he wasn't looking as nearly as worried as I thought the former bodyguard of the Crown Prince of Genovia should. Actually, he looked like he had spent the past few hours being bored out his brain. Odd… and fuelling my doubts that Mia's Dad has really had a relapse of his cancer even more) I rushed through the crowd to her side.

"Hey." I said as I came to her side. "Everything ok?"

She looked up at me in such a dejected way that I couldn't help what I did next and that was hug her, right in the middle of the corridor in front of all the stragglers heading for the Caff for lunch. I mean, even though I now have all these doubts about the rumours about her dad's cancer coming back being actually true, it was obvious as hell that Mia was upset about something.

"It'll be ok." I said when she had wrapped her arms around my waist. I think I heard her mutter something like she highly doubted that, but I wasn't sure.

"Is there anything I can help with?" I asked as we walked for the caff, "help you with your Algebra homework or something? I know it isn't much, but it's the least I can do…" I trailed off because she was hugging me again and after moment, when she was absolutely sure the cost was clear, kissing me too.

I kissed and hugged her back, mildly confused, but going with the flow of things anyway. Heck if this made her feel better about whatever had gotten her so upset then who was I to complain?

It was another fifteen minutes before we actually made it into the caff, but Mia seemed to have perked up some by this point, so I was too bother, even though I was rather hungry by this point.

I still had no idea what was going on, the real reason as to why she had been dragged out of second period by her grandmother, now that I was fairly certain (in my head at least) that her dad was, in fact, not really sick.

I simply had no idea what was happening, but I wasn't about to pry either. Mia, I knew, would tell me what was going on into her own time, so brooding about it wouldn't do me any good.

So with a slightly defeated sigh I accepted the fact that I wasn't going to be in the dark about whatever it was that was happening in Mia's life at the current moment in time.

Though not for as long as I thought I would be. Not that I actually found out what was up, only that something was up and whatever it was it was happening Friday night… typical. Of course, it would be Friday night. At least on the bright side, her Dad hasn't had a relapse of his cancer. I am glad that that isn't true, even if the real reason for her disappearing act with her grandmother is because of something happening Friday night.

Anyway, how I found out the something was up and it was happening Friday night, was when I received an Instant Message from Mia that night.

FtLouie: Hey!

LinuxRulz: Hey back atcha! Where have you been?

Because I had been checking for most of the afternoon if she had come online or not and it was now close to nine o'clock at night.

FtLouie: Princess lessons.

You could easily read the disgust in her words.

LinuxRulz: Don't you know everything there is to know about being a princess yet?

Because seriously how much more can there be? From what I had seen, she had the whole princess thing down pat, well most of the time.

FtLouie: Apparently not. Grandmere's got me in for some fine tuning. Speaking of which, is there, like, a later showing of StarWars than seven o'clock.

I was groaning as soon almost immediately. She can't come, something's happen and she can't come.

LinuxRulz: Yeah, there's an eleven. – I typed back cautiously, then I threw caution to the wind and decided to simply bite the bullet. – Why?

FtLouie: Oh, nothing.

Little liar.

LinuxRulz: WHY?

Which probably came across as me being mad at her or something, but I simply really wanted to know. I really wanted to know that it had something not to do with a) her father being on his death bed or something, meaning she'll most likely have to move to Genovia permanently (Unlikely, I know, but it could happen), b) that either her grandmother and father have decided that I'm not suitable enough for her and aren't allowing her to go because of that or c) she simply doesn't want to go with me because she's found someone more suitable for her… station? Yeah, that one I found unlikely too (or rather praying to be unlikely) and then there was d) she has princess lessons that she has to attend and it was likely to run late.

Out all of them, I was hoping for d to be it, for obvious reasons.

FtLouie: I've been trying to think of some names for your band.

Stop beating around the bush and avoiding the topic… that's my job.

LinuxRulz: What does that have to do with whether or not there's later showing of Star Wars Friday night?

FtLouie: Well, nothing, I guess. Except what do you think of Michael and the Wookies?

That you been playing with Fat Louie's catnip mouse again, was what I typed back. Honestly, if I didn't love her as much as I do, I would give her such a head noggie for that one.

FtLouie: Ha ha. Ok, how about the Ewoks?

Ok, I admit I did lose my temper here, but mainly because she using an avoidance technique that I so often see Lil use on our parents and wasn't overly appreciating the fact that she was using it on me.

LinuxRulz: The EWOKS! Where did your grandma take you today when she hauled you out of second period? Electric shock therapy?

I was groaning the moment I sent that. It was harsh, way too harsh, since I know had the feeling that her whole avoidance thing had less to do with her not wanting to go and more to do with protecting me from whatever it was she actually had to do Friday night and possibly keep me from being mad at her and I go and say something like that!

I was about to type back an apology when Mia, rather meekly typed back that she was only trying to help, which of course simply made me feel ten times worse.

I sighed heavily.

If she didn't want to tell me yet what she was actually getting up to Friday night, then fine, I'd accept that and I'll let it go for the time being.

LinuxRulz: I know, sorry. – which I meant with my whole heart and I hope she understood that, - Only I don't think the guys would really enjoy being equated with furry little muppets from the planet Endor. I mean, I know one of them is Boris, but even he would draw the line at Ewoks, I hope…

FtLouie: BORIS PELKOWSKI IS IN YOUR BAND?

LinuxRulz: Yeah. Why?

FtLouie: Nothing.

Which, just there, proves that Kenny's fears and accusation from last year (his apparent reason for his whole public dumping of Mia) about Mia and Boris having a secret fling going on, is completely false. I mean, yeah, the two of them get along most of the time, but that's basically as far as it's ever going to go, getting along and that's really only because Lil's throws them together with her latest schemes, so they have no choice but to get along with each other.

LinuxRulz: Boris isn't so bad. – I typed back. – once you get to know him.

And really, he isn't. A tad weird at times, but heck, who am I to talk when I've spent the last six or something years hanging out with Felix, the king of weird, that is, when he feels like and isn't stone off his nut.

But anyway, I don't actually mind Boris. He's a good kid, smart and when you get him playing something other than Bartok, he's one hellova musician.

FtLouie: I know. He just doesn't seem like the band type. – which is actually true, it took a lot of convincing over the break to get him to finally agree to join the band, - All that Bartok.

Yeah, but we made him promise yesterday not to play it during any of our band rehearsals. G&T fine, because I'm the only one who's in it with him, so the only one who will suffer from Bartok, our rehearsals no.

LinuxRulz: He plays a mean bluegrass, you know. Not that we'll be playing any bluegrass in the band.

Over Felix's dead body.

With a small sigh, I went for biting the bullet again, though this time a bit more gently than before.

LinuxRulz: So will your grandmother let you off on time?

FtLouie: What?

I couldn't help but grin at her confusion, a state I seem to have a talent for putting her in. Not sure yet, if that's a good or bad thing.

LinuxRulz: On Friday. You've got princess lessons, right? That's why you were asking about later showings of the movie, wasn't it? You're worried your grandmother isn't going to let you out in time?

I waited about a minute before she responded.

FtLouie: No, it will be OK. I think I can get off early.

I sighed heavily. I wasn't so sure that she would, not easily anyway. But I knew she would try to and that meant something.

I burned her off a CD of Pearl Jam's greatest hits, even though, at the moment, I know the chances of her actually listening to it is actually very low, but I'm pretty sure with time, it'll grow on her, along with similar type of music. Ok, I admit, my reasons for doing this aren't altogether pure, it isn't just me simply trying to broaden her musical interest, it's also me trying to get her to like music that the band will most likely be playing.

I placed the CD into an empty case. I had typed up each name of the songs on the CD and I slide that into front of the case.

I stretched my arms stiffly above my head before sliding the CD into my school bag to give to Mia tomorrow morning. Or rather, this morning, it was after twelve.

I sighed; think how much fun it was going to be to get up at quarter to 7.

I flopped back on to my bed, trying to think of how I could save mine and Mia's first date, because I doubt, despite what she says, that she'll be able to go to the seven o'clock showing and going to the eleven, isn't an option, all the weirdo's go to that one and there is no way I'm putting Mia into that situation.

So, the real question is now is, where the heck is our Star Wars DVD?

Author's Note: This chapter, beside involving Mia and Michael's instant message conversation there at the end, was mainly created so as to stop myself from getting bored with the writing this fic. Fourth book, kinda boring when writing from Mike's POV. Oh, there's the good part at the end of the book that you've all been waiting for, but to actually get there means lots of writing of lots of random scenes (Again with the stone-head giving our fairly clueless hero some much need advise. And has anyone else notice how often I make Paul the seer of whenever Mia is sent to Gupta's office? I've been reading back over these fics and have noticed he's almost always the one who tells Michael that Mia has been sent to Gupta's office. I think I've only had Felix tell him once. Paul must live there or something or he's getting into trouble with things off to the side that we never see... Maybe I should make him one of those students who work the attendunce office or something in the next book, just to explain why he's around there so often.) to kill the boredom of getting there.
Sometimes I think I really should just do what others have done and just write the scenes that Michael is in, instead of creating all these scenes involving Felix, Paul and Jude and whoever else pops into my brain.
Anyway, if you think the waffling in this chapter was bad, the next couple of chapters are worse, in particular ten and eleven, they're just waffling central. Basically two whole chapters of just my own stuff, though with some rather good Felix, Paul, Jude and Lil scenes in them.
Also I've basically finished writing the prologue of book five, The Fifth Note of SkinnerBx.

P.S I do not own Pearl Jam. I do not own even one single album of theirs, brought or pirated (Michael! We're ashamed of you! Burning a CD, even for your love, how can you live with the shame? Though, I have to admit, I don't think the pirating laws were so restrict back in 2004. Anyway we still love you, anyway.)