CHAPTER NINE

"Viscount Worthington?" King Altiyan adressed someone I didn't know, but I was in slight shock over my sudden realisation of possible feelings for Lord Marcus. I mean, he's cute and all, but he's four years older than me, we've only even seen/talked to each once. That's hardly enough to determine feelings for a person. Then again, Shane and I barely talked and I couldn't stop thinking about him. Even after he threw a drink on me and anounced me as the Slushee Queen.

The proceedings... Proceeded? After that, but I didn't really pay much attention, my attention was split between Lord Marcus and Shane. Lord Marcus would look at me sometimes and he smiled a couple of times, but I couldn't shake the glare that he kept throwing down at Shane and Ecklestein. And half an hour straight Shane had been staring at me with sad, appologetic, begging eyes that I just couldn't look away from. They made me want to kiss away his sadness and make sure nothing bad could ever happen to him again.

"On the charge of terrorism against the Crown how does the court find deffendant Earl Ecklestein?" Before I knew it all the questions had been asked; Ecklestein kept trying to spin that he was in love with me and had no control over his actions, but Shane just kept saying that he'd do it again. Every time he did I swear I felt a piece of me crumble. "All in favour of guilty?"

"Aye!" I surprised at the number of voices and I glanced up to see that Lord Marcus was one of them.

"All those in favour of not guilty?" The King questioned after a quick count of the votes.

"Nay!" Another count and the King frowned ever so slightly before his expression went back to impassive.

"Charges dismissed." The King allowed. "On the charge of treason how does the court find deffendant Earl Ecklestein? All those in favour of guilty?"

"Aye!" There were more in favour this time, but not enough to be half.

"All those in favour of not guilty?" King Altiyan continued with a sigh. "Charges dismissed." He allowed before moving onto the third charge for Ecklestein. Ecklestein got off of all his charges and I looked over at Shane. Ecklestein had pled everything from being in love with me, not knowing who I was, to teenaged hormonal imballance. Shane hadn't done anything to defend himself, I was worried. What if they weren't the same with Shane? What if they charged him? "On the charges of terrorism against the Crown how does the court find deffendant Shane Gray?" The King started and I panicked.

"WAIT!" I yelled, surprising even me.

"Is there something you wish to add?" The King asked, turning to me with a shocked expression. I blushed, everyone was looking at me, expecting me to say something.

"I-I-" I looked around, the King was currious, the general populace was shocked and currious, Lord Marcus was stoney and glaring at Shane, Shane was... Shane was glaring at me. Why was he glaring at me? "It was my fault." I blurted out when I ssaw Shane. "I-I called Shane repulsive and demeaning to women... It-it's my fault Shane did what he did, if I didn't call him that then he wouldn't have done it, it's my fault." I said desperately and Shane looked surprised for a second before he hardened again and kept glaring at me. "Does-doesn't it count for something if I don't want him to be charged?" I asked, turning to King Aliyan beggingly

"Mister Gray." The King leaned forward and looked at him critically. "Is this true?" He asked and Shane shot another glare at me.

"Yes, your Majesty." He answered reluctantly and I let out a breath of relief.

"Are you sure you don't want to press charges?" King Altiyan turned back to me and I nodded quickly.

"Possitive." I confirmed, "he shouldn't take all the blame, if I didn't say that then he wouldn't have been so upset with me."

"Very well." King Altiyan sighed and leaned back, moving his eyes from me to Shane and back again. "Mister Gray, given my granddaughters new testamony and insistance you are cleared of your charges as well." He allowed and I couldn't help but let out a breath of relief. "However, this court is only letting the both of you go without charges once. Regardless of what anyone-" the King shot me a sharp look and I blushed "-says or does the next time either of you are before this court you will be punished to the full extent of the law. Take this as your first and only warning." The King stood, and so did everyone else until he completely left the room and then everyone else started gathering their things and leaving.

"This way please, your Highness." Someone tugged on my arm and I sent Shane one last look before I let myself be lead away.

"When am I going back to school?" I questioned when I was back in the limo.

"You will have added security starting Monday." One of the guards said and I sighed. The three I already had were bad enough.

Princess Miley

Sunday, September 25

I'd managed to leave the now five-person security team as far away as possible and I was exactly where I was a week ago. I was sitting on the ground by that one tree with my guitar again. I sighed, I couldn't play it. I tried, but the music just wouldn't come.

"Please play." I jumped at the voice and looked around quickly before it hit me where it came from and I looked up. Shane Gray was sitting in the branches of the tree, hidden by the leaves.

"What the heck are you doin' up there?" I hissed, glancing over at the guard, one of them started to come closer, but I waved him off, climbing up into the tree myself so they wouldn't think I was nuts for talking to a tree.

"Waiting for you." Shane replied when I was settled and I glared at him. "You shouldn't have done that yesterday." He said and my glare turned into a confused frown. "They were gonna let me off anyway, you just made it harder."

"I just saved your ass." I snapped back. "You weren't even sorry, Ecklestein at least pretended to be sorry." I shook my head and Shane looked down.

"I like your music." He changed the topic, nodding at my guitar. "I was telling the truth last week." I blushed and I saw him grin out of the corner of my eye.

"Why are you being so confusing? You were nice and then you were mean and now you're angry because I saved you from juvie or prison?" I groaned in frustration and he sighed.

"It's complicated, Princess." Shane moved over so he was proctically hovering over me in the tree. The way he said it was so soft and sweet and almost like a spoken caress. "Just, please, know that no matter what I do..." He sighed and shook his head, moving back to where he was before. "I like this tree." He murmured before he seemd to slink down and out of the tree in the opposite side that the guards were. That's when I decided that I liked this tree as well. I watched Shane walk away and when he was completely out of sight I climbed back down the tree and walked over to the guards.

"Back to the cell, officers." I joked dryly.

The next day school was back to... Definately not normal. I skipped breakfast - against the grumbles of the security team - and went straight to my English class. My boredom had gotten the better of me during my three-day stint in isolation and I not only read Hamlet, but finished my entire paper and I dropped it on the teachers desk on my way to my desk. I frowned in confusion when my desk was moved to the front of the classroom. I looked around until I saw Shanes desk as far as possible from my own. At least we were still in the same class.

The new arrangement was the same in every class. I tried to talk to Shane in English and then Science, by History I gave up. Why was he so confusing? Why couldn't he just be a nice normal boy?... Because he wouldn't be Shane if he wasn't so confusing. It was part of my attraction to him.

"I'm going outside, I'll be back before lights out." I muttered, as soon as I dumped my bag in my room when classes were over. I knew they were going to follow me, but I could at least try. The guards followed me all the way, but they seemed to get it and stopped in the same place as they did yesterday when I got near to the tree. I climbed up into the branches and was slightly saddened that Shane wasn't even here. I watched through the leaves, waiting for Shane, hoping.

I was almost going to give up and leave when he appeared seemingly out of nowhere and climbed up to sit opposite me.

"Hi." Shane said, scratching the back of his head.

"Hi." I mimicked and he cracked a small smile. "Why'd you ignore me?" I asked softly and he sighed.

"It's part of the complicated, Princess." He shook his head and I frowned. "But, if I said I cared about you, would you believe me?"

"I don't know." I looked down, we were sitting awkwardly in the tree so that our legs had to beentwined slightly for both of us to be here. "You're confusing." I picked away an invisible piece of lint on my uniform. "A lot has happened, a lot is going to happen, I don't know if I can deal with this as well."

"Oh." I glanced up and Shane was looking away, his head turned and his eyes focussed down through the leaves. "Okay." He started to move.

"Wait." I grabbed his wrist before he could actually leave me. "I don't know why you're so... Addictive." I blushed, I'd just embarassed myself for a boy who had humiliated me in front of the whole school. I actually liked the boy who had humiliated me. "I can't stop thinking about you."

"I never should have talked to you." Shane muttered and I couldn't explain the sudden sting of hurt that stabbed through me at his words. "I'm sorry, Princess, I wish I could make it better for you." I was still holding Shanes wrist and his skin was warm under my touch. H emoved his wrist out of my grip when he realized it as well, but he didn't move completely away. He held my hand instead, running his thumb over my knuckles lightly.

"You could tell me the truth." I murmured hopefully and he sighed and shook his head.

"That wouldn't make it better." He laughed bitterly. "Hawthorne kept checking you out in court." He changed the subject completely and I blushed again. "He's a-" Shane choked on his words and his face contorted in pain.

"Are you okay?" I whispered, reaching forward and brushing my finger over his fading bruise. Shane leaned into my touch for a second and I saw a smile flash across his feature for a second before he pulled away.

"Hawthorne, he's one of those noble guys, right?" Shane didn't wait for me to answer. "You shouldn't be around me, it's not good for you're image, that Hawthorne dude would be better." I frowned and Shane averted his eyes when I tried to look into them.

"I don't care about my image; the only people that do are stuck-up snobs." I denied.

"You're a Princess, you're going to be Queen." Shane murmured, finally turning his eyes back to mine. "You need a good image." I swollowed nervously, for some reason this sounded like a break-up speach. We weren't even dating, we weren't even friends really. We couldn't exactly break up if weren't even friends let alone boyfriend/girlfriend. But, that didn't explain why it still hurt. "Hawthorne would be good for your image, I-..." Shane was suddenly hovering over me again for the second time in two days, I could feel his breath ghosting over my face: Soft, warm, minty... It made me light headed. "Princess." It was a soft caress of a word that made me blush before he pressed his lips to my forehead. "I won't come back here." And then he was gone. Again.

Hmm... Hmm... Hmm...

FASTLIFE IS OUT! JOE JONAS' SOLO ALBUM IS OUT!
Well, actually, it doesn't come out here four another three days, but I watched/listened to every song as Joe released them on his youtube, just 'cause I have absolutely no self control. I think my favourite is Make You Mine, it just makes me so hot to hear Joe talking(singing) like that.
Have you guys listened to it? What do you think of it? What's your favourite song? What should I get my Mom for her birthday?... Okay, that last one is optional :P

Liberty-Walk - Have I ever thought a HP/HM story? Yes, yes I have... I've actually had a rough draft of a HM/Wizard of Waverly Place/JONAS/HP crossover on my computer for, like, a year now. But, I've really just jumped from Miley Black to Avus Cyrus to this, and I'm still not happy with it yet... Maybe I'll fix it up and start posting when I'm done with this one? What do you think?

Review? Can I get 5 for this chapter? Pretty please with a hot Joe Jonas on top?... Mmm... Joe Jonas on top ;)

XOXO
Peace, Love, Fastlife