Chapter Nine: Love Is Supposed to be This Bad

The Crackhead Chronicles

Chapter Nine: Love Is Supposed to be This Bad

A/N: Thanks for the reviews. Next chapter is the last.

Wednesday Night, 7 p.m.

I still can’t believe it.

Mia…my Mia…is a princess!

A PRINCESS!!

Well, I guess it is pretty unbelievable.

Oh, the phone’s ringing. No one’s home besides me so—

Later on Wednesday, 10:45 p.m.

Okay, so instead of spending a Wednesday night rambling in my journal (namely, you), I went out to Number One Noodle Son with the Computer Club. Nothing calms you more than cold sesame noodles and roast-pork-and-wonton soup after finding out that your crush is a princess.

I mean, it’s not necessarily a bad thing. No…of course not.

But, then again, Mia might move to Genovia and meet some prince and fall in love…

And forget about me. I mean, her friends in Manhattan…

But she wouldn’t, would she?

Would she?

Anyway, it was pretty fun, just hanging out and eating cold sesame noodles. I don’t often hang out on school nights (or, come to think of it, weekends either) but when I do (with the Computer Club, of course), I usually have fun. Something interesting always happens. And tonight, it was when Judith excused herself to go to the ladies’ room and she slipped on a sesame noodle that someone (no one would admit it but…okay, it was me) had dropped.

I guess I felt kind of bad but it was just so funny. Judith turned bright red but she then started laughing and the rest of the Computer Club joined in with the laughter. Except Kenny Showalter, this anime obsessed freshman in the Computer Club, who was writing something on his napkin. I’m not usually very nosy but I sort of leaned in, pretending to reach for the plate of sweet-and-sour chicken and I saw three letters, written over and over again:

MIA.

At first, I was wondering why Kenny was writing Missing in Action when it dawned upon me what else he might be writing. Mia. As in Mia Thermopolis. As in Amelia Mignonette Grimaldi Thermopolis Renaldo, Princess of Genovia (otherwise known as…Mia Thermopolis).

Anyway, the rest of the Computer Club was still laughing. We geeks are very easily amused.

But, hey…you can’t say that we’re antisocial. I mean, you can always rely on your fellow Computer Club members.

Wow, how stupid did I just sound?

Thursday, October 16, French

Well, I guess I should’ve known it would happen sooner or later.

Mia and Tina were eating lunch when who but Lana Weinberger should set her tray down by Mia. And then, Josh Richter (her boyfriend) and their entourages started piling into that one table. Everyone noticed that Lana Weinberger, snobby cheerleader bitch, had chosen to sat down by Mia Thermopolis, supreme geek queen (or, Princess, rather…ha ha).

I was watching them all talk rather intently (okay, so I was mostly looking at Mia) and Lana made this sort of astonished face at something Mia had said. She (Mia) had probably said something like how she couldn’t believe all of the saturated fats and animal by-products Josh and his cronies were consuming and that Lana and her little bimbo friends should get the hell out of there because they weren’t wanted, the little skanks.

Okay, maybe not. Because Mia is too nice to say that.

But she was probably thinking it.

I saw Lana look at her friends, then at Mia, and then burst out laughing. I was wondering what Lana found so funny.

Then, a few moments later, Weinberger’s jaw dropped at something Richter had said.

I wish I could’ve been there, even for a second, just to know what had been so funny and what surprised Lana so much. But, no, I just have to be a Computer Club geek. Then again, I’d rather be a geek than a snob. Even a popular snob at that. Who really cares about popularity?

After G & T, Lars, Mia’s bodyguard, sort of pulled me aside before I left the room (Mia was collecting her things) and we had a brief chat.

About Mia.

You know what the weird thing is? I’ve known Mia for about eight years, and I’ve liked her for three of those years, but her bodyguard finds out that I love Mia before she does.

"Michael, I couldn’t help but ask…," Lars said, almost hesitantly.

"Yeah?" I said, looking up at Lars (He’s really, really tall…and I’m 6’1").

"I have just noticed you staring…at Amelia quite a lot and…" My cheeks turned bright red at this. I didn’t even have to look into a mirror to know this; my cheeks were literally burning up. I sort of coughed nervously.

"Y-Yeah?" I said again, more nervously this time.

"Do you like the Princess, Michael? Amelia…er, Mia, I mean?" Lars said. I sort of mumbled something (even I don’t know what I said). Lars looked at me knowingly.

"Yes, I thought so," He said.

"Uh…you’re not going to tell her, are you?" I said, my cheeks still red.

"What? Oh, no. No, of course not. I’ll keep this little chat confidential," Lars said. And with a wink, he walked back to Mia. And I couldn’t help but think he had acted a bit un-bodyguard-like.

Which wasn’t so bad.

Friday, October 17, Homeroom

Lana Weinberger and Josh Richter, formerly AEHS’ hottest couple (I personally don’t see it), are no more.

As in, they broke up.

Paul, who’s always "up with the gossip," told me that Josh broke up with Lana last night after crew practice. They were having dinner together at the Hard Rock Café when he asked her for his class ring back.

Way to go, Josh. Ask for your man-jewelry back.

Friday Night

I hate my life.

Hate it, hate it, hate it.

And you know why? Josh Richter asked Mia to the Cultural Diversity Dance, which is tomorrow.

JOSH ASKED MIA TO THE CULTURAL DIVERSITY DANCE!!

If only I had had the courage to ask her before. But no…

You snooze, you lose. I’ve been hearing that throughout my entire life but I’ve never really understood it until now.

We were in G & T when Mia and Lilly started arguing.

I hadn’t heard the news yet so I didn’t bother listening in.

Until I heard Lilly exclaim, "Well, at least I know Boris isn’t on the rebound."

This caught my interest so I sort of stopped listening to Adam Green through my headphones.

Then Mia said, "Josh isn’t on the rebound. He was broken up with Lana sixteen whole hours before he asked me."

And then I felt like my heart was getting stomped on by Mia’s combat boots.

No, any possible hope that Mia might like (even love) me back was crushed as soon as she started defending Josh.

"Plus Boris doesn’t do drugs."

After a few minutes or two, I looked at Lars and said, "You’re going, too, right?" I meant the dance.

"Oh, yes," Lars said and we exchanged a look.

This didn’t make me feel any better though.