Allison was almost dying from a happiness overload. Sure, she had cursed up all of holy hell – but he didn't mind! And to add on to her victory, he had never de-clinged her until he went for his guitar! What a guy… what a musician! So devoted to his instrument… it was so sweet! And cute! And so MICHAEL!!!
“Stay.”
She froze. There was no way she was going to ignore a message from the almighty Michael himself! Sure, there was that little blaze in the corner, spreading and threatening chaos – but Michael was here and her world was good. Then again, what if he got hurt??? In a crazed moment of fandom, Alli considered running through the crowd to drag Michael away to safety, but with a blink, she realized that she wasn't going anywhere. Rish was holding her back. Good o'le Rish, always calm in a moment of pure insanity. Or a pure moment of fandom. Then he came back, and her heart stopped – again. Sure, he had called Rishta an angel, but he didn't know her name. Alli was certain that if he hadn't known her name, he wouldv'e called her Goddess. *Sigh* This was HER sort of life.
So brave, so strong… Allison kept on repeating that little mantra as he proceeded to drag them away from harm and into the cool night. Her jacket was probably still at coat check, but she really didn't care right now – she had dear Michael keeping her warm. And so, she kept clinging.
Blinking slightly, Rishta watched as he told them to stay and then ran off to get his guitar. Wouldn't it have been more intelligent to just tell them to get OUT of there while he went to get his instrument? She had barely jumped when the fire started, so classically after her hello. It was just her luck – she expected it. After all, Murphy's Law had an interesting way with the former angel. Then Alli tried to go save her savior. Grabbing the back of her shirt in an almost comical way, she pulled her back and whispered in her ear: “do you want to die Alli? No fire walking.” Of course, she had meant it in the most loving way possible – they both always joked with each other. With a sort of frenzied grace, Michael came back, and proceeded to drag them out of there – much to Rishta's unhappiness. She never liked being dragged anywhere! She could take care of herself… except when she went into sleep deprivation mode, then Jem was the one who kept on slapping her back to reality. Good o'le Jem.
Coughing slightly, Rishta kept a tight grip on her water bottle, as Michael led them out into a side street. Since they had not gone out the main way, there were way less people here. Had the fire been that bad? Allison's face was smudged with black, and Rishta probably looked the same – if not worse. Backing away from Michael's grip, she looked in horror at the side of the building – flames like a serpents tongue licked it's way up into the starry heavens. By gods, how could something like this happen in such a short time…? With a silent roar, the fire kept on spreading up the building. You could still the screaming… hopefully everyone was getting out. A few more people came out the way she had, looking drunk and somewhat lost. Then quickly exited and disappeared, staggering.
Looking back to Michael, Rishta raised an eyebrow as Allison kept clinging – either out of pure panic or pure fandom. Honestly. Coughing more violently now, Rishta took a long drink of her water. Smoke always caused her to cough. Cig smoke and thick “fire” smoke specifically. She just prayed she didn't cough up a lung this time.
The girls were safe and sound, and so was his guitar. Michael silently hoped his mate's made it out okay, but seeing as how they've been in more than one scuffle like this, he was sure they were fine. 'Course it was never so bad as to send the whole building up in flames, but they'd make it past the riot. All three of them were covered in a fine film of black smoke. A look of concern crossed his face as his angel began coughing heavily. His angel. He wasn't sure when he became possessive of the girl he hadn't barely met. “We should stop by the hospital… make sure you're alright. We can take my car?” he offered.
Just look at that blaze… almost like the bonfires in August, but so much more deadly… The screams that once could be heard at last faded away. Either the people were gone, or had been burned to silence. Hopefully it hadn't been that bad. Rishta would've hated to see people's lives lost, just because they were having fun. Even though she may not have approved of all the people there, and their way of living… the fact remained, they were still people, who were just trying to have fun. Her thoughts were interrupted by Michael speaking, who was obviously concerned about her incessant coughing. That's the last thing we need! Me in the hospital with two surgically attached people! Coughing, Rishta took another long drink of water, waving Michael's help aside, almost desperately.
“Nono, it's okay, I'm fine.” Standing up, Rishta took a deep breath, trying to clear her lungs. The building was still going up in smoke, but she had more or less cleansed her lungs of that evil substance. Thank god smoke rises. Meanwhile Allie was STILL clinging to Michael. How nice. Ah well, she must be blinded by the lovely world that is fandom… too bad Rishta wasn't the clingy type. “Really… I'm ok.. No hospital.”
A slice of Heaven. After getting out of that horrendous fire, Allison was willing to leave sanity and just lap in the pure bliss that was clinging to Michael's arm. Sure, she had seen about every show he had done – but never this close! The Italian princess was seriously drunk on happiness. She was touching HIM, breathing in HIS cologne, and there was no one else!!! Wait, sure, there was Rishta, hacking up a lung, but Alli knew she would be ok. After all, she had the exact same reaction at Lyn's party last year – when some guy decided to smoke while flirting with her. Well, that was a disaster. She started coughing, and the dude didn't get it, so he had to try to help her – while smoking. This caused a fit from hell. It was only when Alli had pulled him away, and given Rish water (and space) did she live again. Stupid guy was thrown out of the party. Honestly… smoking in a no smoking apartment complex! The gall of the guy was beyond comprehension.
So, in conclusion, if this was anything like the party – Rish would be fine. And see! There she was, waving Michael's help aside (Alli would have never done that – in fact, she would've demanded CPR!) and polishing off that water like a dehydrated camel. Yeps, good o'le Rish – never injured for long… too bad she didn't want to go in his *sigh* car though… maybe I should try that tactic sometime… but not now, now would make it seem too fake… and I certainly don't want Mike thinking that I'm fake… look at him, so concerned over Rishta, even though he barely knows her… *sighsigh* What makes him so perfect? Helping people he just met… *sigh* Clinging for her life, she sighed out loud – very happy.
“If you're sure you are alright…” Michael still wasn't so sure himself, but he couldn't very well drag the girl off. He'd likely be brought up on kidnapping charges. Not the best way to impress a girl. Her friend on the other hand seemed as if she'd follow him the edge of a cliff with the way she was cutting off the circulation in his arm.
“I'm sure.” Rishta had finally stopped coughing and could make a coherent sentence without choking, so she was certainly sure. She'd rather be stuck in an alleyway with him and Allie, then in a hospital – trying to explain that those two weren't Siamese twins, and she certainly did not have asthma. Meanwhile, she had to pity Michael. The poor sap looked so lost with Alli gripping onto his arm, like a cat with a mouse. Even though he tried to escape, there was no way she was going to let go – unless he smacked her with his guitar or something. Then that would be abuse… and that probably wouldn't change her opinion on him. The girl was totally obsessed.
Michael tried to discreetly pry her grip from his arm. He motioned his head down the edge of the alley in insistence that they move away from the club. “If no hospital at least allow me to take you both somewhere nice. No sense in a beautiful evening being ruined for beautiful ladies…” he grinned broadly, knowing it was a sorry excuse for an invite, but he didn't care. It gave him an excuse to get to know a little more about his ebony angel.
Allison Elda's heart stopped. Thank the powers that it restarted about a minute later. Going out… with Michael… just us… squeeeeeee! Wait.. Rishta too… well, she can be gotten rid of. I'm sure she'll understand – she's always been good about things like these.. MICHAEL… “That's such a great idea Michael! I'm sure we'd love to go! Right, Rish?” Meanwhile, she had a huge smile on her face, and had still not moved from Michael's godly side.
Rishta's heart stopped – but not in a good way. Oh no… No.. you know I hate to do this… oh… just for you Allie… “Uh, sure Allie…. So… where to?”
“Great! I know the perfect place…” With protest, or lack of protest, Michael didn't allow another word to be spoken. Not that the Alli girl, that was perma-attached to his arm, seemed to want to disagree with him at all. He avoided ushering them in to his car, the night was nice (aside from the weird explosions and hysterics going on), and his chosen destination wasn't very far off. The walk was quick, though having a girl attached to him made it a little more difficult than usual, they arrived at a small secluded cafe. The place was little known by the vast majority, and the inside settings were intimate. Michael like to come to this place when he wanted peace and quite, or when trying out new songs. There were tables skitter about across the room, and a small stage where poets and other musicians would get up on stage for their 15 minutes in the spotlight. It was a quaint little artsy place… Michael led the girls to a table in the corner of the room. It was out of the way of the crowd, but still allowed a good view of the stage, as well as a good distance from the counter to order coffee or tea.
Rishta silently followed as he, more or less, herded them into a small cafe – quaint with its silence. However, she had to raise an eyebrow when he led them into the corner, and sat at a table. There was a stage set up, and at the moment, a solo guitarist was playing, singing softly. His voice seemed to have an echoing ring, haunting the air. The mystery of his voice easily covered his slight off-key-ness and he did, as all musicians did, have a few fan girls sighing wistfully at his feet. Right now, Rishta was growing increasingly sickened by fan girls. Maybe it was because of Alli's constant attachment to Michael's arm – not even getting off when they sat down. She had drawn her chair close to him, stroking his arm. Blinking for a few minutes, Rishta took a seat across from both of them. She wouldn't embarrass Allie by dragging her off of him. I should have just gone home and let Allie cling to him all she likes… I feel like the third wheel… No, it's more like an investigation… like I'm being inspected or something…
Allison Elda was off in La La Land while they walked into one of the cutest places in the world! The little place was so adorable, with it's candles and guitar solos – even though the man wasn't half as good as Michael… Alli was beginning to hope that this night would never end. What more could one ask for? Music, Michael, tea, flowers, Michael, hanging out with Rishta, Michael and well… Michael. His shirt felt so soft against her arm, and he smelled great! Why couldn't he go to college? Specifically – go to her classes! Surely he wouldn't mind learning about art and business! And he would probably love to be a model for some of her designer clothes – from her lovely set: BeDaZzLeD! These designs, of course, came from her mind – but were drawn by Rishta, since she herself had no artistic ability besides writing.
Looking around, and feeling very awkward, Rishta decided to make the best of the situation and start a conversation. “Uh, so… how long have you been playing guitar?” Yeps, I sound like a TOTAL ignorant idiot… Alli prolly knows..
Then Rishta asked one of the most stupidest questions on the planet (at least, in Allie’s opinion). Oh Rish… you have much to learn young Padawan… he has been playing since a child! *sighs* But… I'll let him answer… so I can hear his perfect voice… *sigh* He must have fallen from heaven…
He was blushing by now. It didn't matter how he shifted or moved or pried off her hands, the wee little girl had managed to wind arms back around his. Each and every time. He had no idea how a girl so small so could such an iron grip! “Since I was a kid… I think I amused my parents playing with the toy guitar so much, they bought me a real one.” he smiled softly, feeling almost embarrassed.
Poor Michael. He really looked like he wanted to get away from Allison, but there was no way he could get away. The Woman with the Iron Grip. Aka, Allie. She looked like she was in heaven, and didn't want to get out – no matter what. And… she was STROKING him! Poor, POOR Michael. He was now her new adopted kitty. Allison always had a thing for cats. “That was nice of them.” Rishta's voice, however, was drowned by Allie's happy-go-lucky chirping.
“That's just so cute!” Allison chirped, with an adorable grin on her face. Tossing her perfect curls over her shoulder, she kept staring at him. He's so perfect… so perfect… Aieeee! Look at that smile! He's embarassed! He's so kawaii!!!
Talking about himself never was his favorite subject. He tended to dodge any personal questions, and stuck to answering things about his music, his band… or the weather. And as classic Michael, he switched the focus. “I assume you both live here in London. Ah…” he skipped asking them if they listened to his music. Both because the Alli girl seemed to be a big fan, and he didn't want to seem like a conceited bastard. “.. are you in college?” He desperately wanted a cigarette, but figured the girl coughed so much in the fire, she didn't need any more smoke. Instead, he tapped his fingers on the table.
“Well, I come from Rome, but I'm studying here in London with Rishta! We're both in college, even though I'm finishing next year and she still has 2 years to go – I think.” Happily grinning, she continued to stroke Michael's arm – enjoying the moment.
Good Lord woman… could you get any more obsessed? I can't wait until it's time for us to go home – what then will you do? Take him home!? …. yeah, she would do that. Rishta thought. Poor Michael looked terribly flustered. Obviously Allison was going to answer. Rishta nodded quietly, before giving in her two cents: “I was born here.” Gods, this was a disaster.
Jesus! This was a disaster! He was learning plenty… about the wrong one! Granted she was a beautiful girl, and more than eager to answer any question, but it was her friend that stirred his stomach when she gave her friend that frustrated look, she probably didn't even realize she did. Despite enjoying the company of his angel, the need to escape was even greater. “I will order us something to drink!” he quickly said, jumping from his seat. As an after thought he grabbed his guitar too. It probably looked as if he was going to run out the door until he stopped at the counter. He ordered something for himself, the thumbed over his shoulder requesting someone at their table. That finished, he slinked his way up to the stage, guitar in hand.
Maybe I should just leave and leave him to deal with Alli… it'd be much less embarrassing without me here… then again, it'd be 1000x as dangerous… Rishta mused silently to herself.
“Oh no…” Allison started pining then, and sank into despair as he forced her away from him. Rishta could practically read her mind. 'Oh no, my Michael is gone.. what will I do? No more cologne and soft skin…' She hated fandom. Rishta almost sighed in relief as he grabbed his guitar and appeared to run out of there. It wasn't that she didn't like him… it was just that she couldn't stand that close air. She was almost grateful for Allie's intruding presence. That Void in her mind was stirring again, and thank god there was someone here who understood her mood fluxes. It was hitting her harder then ever, and she had the urge to ask him to tell her his life story… yeah, that would've gone well.
“He's going…?”
“I don't know about that…”
Then Mike went to the counter and asked someone to come to their table. Wait.. he wasn't leaving? It certainly seemed that way when he went to the stage and starting singing. Her heart seemed to freeze right then, while melting into a sugary mess. He has such an amazing voice… Rishta seemed to forget everything else, even Allison – and could only keep her eyes trained on the man singing on stage. Wow…
“Ahem… good evening…” he said in to the mic, calling the attention of everyone in the room. “I'm going to sing…” he sweat dropped, “as if that wasn't terribly obvious.” He decided that liking a girl and wanting to impress her was going to drain him of every intelligent thought. Michael focused his mind on the song he wanted to sing.
Walk away if you want to.
It's OK, if you need to.
Well, you can run, but you can never hide
from the shadow that's creepin' up beside you.
And, there's a magic runnin' through your soul,
But you can't have it all.
Whatever you do, I'll be two steps behind you
Wherever you go, And I'll be there to remind you
that it only takes a minute of your precious time
to turn around and I'll be two steps behind.
I could almost relate… Rishta watched quietly as she listened.
Meanwhile, while RISHTA was off in La La Land, Allison had taken some initiative and had ordered them both mocha latte's. She had heard him enough to not go that insane… plus, she was amused by Rishta's reaction. Even though his voice was a common occurrence, as soon as she finished ordering – she went off into her stupor, watching Mike along with Rish. Though Rishta was beyond help.
Yeah, yeah.
Take the time to think about it.
Just walk the line, you know you just can't fight it
And take a look around, you'll see what you can't find,
Like the fire that's burnin' up inside me.
If Michael had any idea the girls were head over heels over his song and near passing out in their chairs, he didn't show it. His eyes were closed, his pesky blonde hair falling into his face as he leaned over his guitar. Strumming the strings with ease, he sang. An image of his angel popped in to his head, causing a faint smile to play across his face.
And, there's a magic runnin' through your soul,
But you can't have it all.
Whatever you do, I'll be two steps behind you
Wherever you go, And I'll be there to remind you
that it only takes a minute of your precious time
to turn around and I'll be two steps behind.
“Fire burning..” Allison smiled as a sinful idea popped into her head. The one thing she wanted, some alone time with Michael, was about to become a reality! Thank the heavens that Christina was always paranoid about their safety. Because of her fear of being kidnapped, Michael's heart was about to be captured! And there was no way he could escape it, especially since he was to absorbed in his singing. Pulling a small vial out of her pocket, Alli smiled as the waitress put Michael's black coffee on the table, where he had been sitting. Black coffee..? Wow, I can tell he's a serious guy… at least, with what he drinks.. hm… well, here we go… Taking off the cap of the small glass bottle, she sniffed it to make sure it was the right one. Yeps. The poor sap was going to have a hangover the size of Texas. Dropping the entire contents into the coffee, she innocently went back to her daydreams with Michael. They would all become a reality tonight. Well, at least, they would be beginning.
The great thing about Christina was her paranoia. She was always insisting that if they looked at a guy the wrong way, they would be kidnapped and raped. So, she insisted that everyone carry protection. And not only pepper spray… but an entire vial of concentrated vodka. A few drops was enough to make a man a bit tipsy, but the whole vial…? And coffee wasn't the best thing to dilute it in. A hyper drunken man. Hopefully he had a slight alcohol tolerance level.
And Rishta hadn't noticed a thing. You'll certainly be two steps behind me…
With the last verse of the song, Michael halted his playing. The few people in the room clapped and murmured their appreciations. It was a nice contrast between the screaming and loudness of playing at one of the clubs. Michael stood up an bowed, giving a goofy smile and blowing a kiss to the audience. Here he could be a little less of the mysterious rock star, and a little more of his normal self. Leaving the stage and pulling off his guitar, he return to the ladies. He immediately set down his guitar and went for his coffee, taking a long drink. It was late to have it, but he felt divine inspiration setting in. He hopped to learn more about the angel, and write new lyrics as soon as he managed to get home. He brushed his hair out of his eyes as he set down the now half empty coffee cup. Michael gave a ridiculous grin as he settle in his seat. “Maybe one of you has a poem or a song…?”
When Michael's song ended, and he blew a kiss to the crowd, Rishta snapped out of her daze, turning a pale rose for the barest of seconds. Turning her eyes back to her mocha latte, she blinked once. For a minute there seemed to be a guilty feeling in the air. It could be her going crazy, or that “I did it” look on Alli's face. She could never hide the truth. Then again, it was dark – maybe it was just her eyes. Rishta's attention diverted from her friend to Michael as soon as he sat down and took a long drink from his coffee. He must have an iron gullet… it looked so hot just a few minutes ago… well, at least he chose coffee instead of something stronger… Slightly embarrassed smile on her face, Rishta then blushed again as she heard his question.
“I don't think so, Mr. Traugott.” Rishta said, trying to tone down the color in her cheeks. She felt worse when she realized that she had been casually calling him Michael all night. That was not what her parents had taught her – she would only be calling him Michael if he told her to. Even though by now, she felt they had indeed gotten closer – even if it was just a side effect of his song. “Maybe Allie would like to….”
“Most certainly not!”
Rishta blinked at the sudden change in the girl. She had certainly done something, she looked as nervous as a long tailed cat in a room of rocking chairs. Blinking, she did notice Michael seemed happy, but that could have been from his song. As she looked from one to the other in nerves, she sighed. Something had gone wrong. “Um, forgive me for the question Mr. Traugott. Are you feeling alright?” Meanwhile, Allison looked as though she had just been caught.
Allison looked on, feeling that pit in her stomach grow bigger and bigger, until she realized she was in no mood to drink her mocha latte. And considering she was caffeine addicted, that was saying something. Blinking, she realized that he had downed the cup faster then Christina became paranoid. Wasn't this stuff exceedingly potent when taken so quickly…? She sincerely hoped not. Then again, he was showing signs of being drunk more clearly than crystal. This was not good. Praying for a miracle, Allison looked at them both, guilt scribbled on her face in bright red crayon. No, he isn't all right.. he's punch drunk and I'm to blame! Ah well, too late now… poor Michael… just remember, this is for the better… I can't believe she called him Mr. Traugott… Jeez… so old fashioned… I mean… ugh. Mentally sighing, she watched carefully, hoping that Rishta would get scared and simply leave. Unfortunately, the chance that Rishta would actually do that was slim. She never left any of her friends if she suspected something. Damn goody two-shoes.
“Yeah.. just fine.” Michael laughed, returning to his coffee cup and downing the last of it. Actually he felt great! Before he was kind of nervous, now he felt tons more relaxed. His music always did have a calming affect on him. “Y'know… Mr. Traugott sounds like my dad… Just call my Michael. Or Mike if you like…” Ha ha! That rhymed! For some reason that seemed to amused him and his grin grew even wider. “Are you sure you don't want to sing…?” He asked leaning closer across the table towards Rishta. He seemed oblivious to Allison next time him. His hair was falling in to his eyes again, but for some reason her couldn't move his arms well enough to stop leaning on them.
Even in a drunken state he wants to be nice to Rish… how sweet… he's so utterly perfect: even when drunk… However, something inside Alli panged for a moment. Sure, this may seem wrong – but it really was for the benefit of them all! Otherwise, Mike would be left alone and Allie certainly didn't want to have that! Yeah… it was for their benefit.
“Okay Michael… and I'm sure..” Rishta quietly murmured then shot Allie the glare from hell. There was no doubt about it now. When the more 'shy' face of Michael was replaced by this current 'mischievious' look, Rishta was certain he was not alright. It was a naughty look, and one that made her very, VERY uncomfortable. What in the name of mother England had Allie done??? He's acting like a drunk man… but all he did was have coffee… maybe it was Irish coffee or something… no song makes any man that happy…
“You have a really pretty voice… I bet you sound like an angel when you sing.” Michael mused out loud. She looked like an angel, it was logical to think she would sing like one too. By now his head was swimming, but he still couldn't seem to perceive anything wrong. He merely watched Rishta with his wide, ridiculous smile and waited for her reply.
Okay. Now Allie was certain he was drunk. After all, if he wasn't, there was NO WAY he would have called her an angel! He had never complimented her like that, he had not had the time when he was sober… so, he HAD to be drunk. However, she could not stop a small pang of jealousy. Even though she was certain Michael was the one, she was beginning to have doubts. No… he has to love me… after all, he… he sang for me. She just had to keep believing that.
Rishta stiffened at that. However, she couldn't stop the pale pink color her cheeks became. A curse on her body! Why did it let her turn that color so easily!? Well, sure, she didn't turn that color just for any compliment, but still… Allie was the obsessed one, not her! And right now, Allie looked like she wanted to kill. Although Rishta couldn't help but notice a slightly victorious look in her eyes. What has she done…? “I… don't sing that well, Mr. Tra- Michael. Certainly not as well as you.”
Allison stiffened and tried not to feel jealous. Who was Rishta fooling?? Sure, she wasn't some expert singer, but she certainly had a lovely singing voice. Why the hell did she have to be so modest??? Couldn't she just say “Yes Mike, I sing so well! We should sing together sometime!” It was sooo obvious that she was developing a crush on HER Michael. Well, they would have to see about that!
Giving Allie a glare, Rishta looked down at Allie's untouched coffee. What was… a vial. Obviously Alli had forgotten to put that thing away. She had DRUGGED MICHAEL. Talk about obsessed… and the whole thing too! A pox on Christina's paranoia. Now, she was dealing with a drunken Michael and a guilty Allison. And she would have to fix it up.
Telling Allie to shut up with a mere glance, she turned her attention to Michael, smiling softly. Naturally the responsibility would fall on her… if she wasn't so kind, she would have left Allie to her doom! Let HER fix up this entire mess! But noo…. she was too nice…. well… not really… he was just… well, she didn't know. “Um, how about we go to my place in a little while…? I would be honored to have such a big star in my home…” Allie… you are so in trouble…
What a whore!!! Filling up with rage, the short pixie shot death glares at Rishta. There were two possibilities why Rishta could be doing this. One, she knew Alli had done something and was cleaning up after her, or two: she was trying to hook up with a drunk star! How low!!! Then again, she was trying to do the same thing. Hey, it was different! After all, Michael already loved her. She was just… helping him realize that. And if seduction was the only way well… so be it. Allison was a girl who knew what she wanted, when she wanted it. And even though she didn't want to lose her virginity, if it was the only way to stake a claim on that hottie – well… sacrifices would have to be made.
Michael had somehow maneuvered his chin in to the palm of his hands without toppling over, and was grinning broadly at Rishta as she spoke. It was heaven to hear her speak his name. Like a gentle breeze. An angels song. It seemed he was suddenly obsessed with angels. If he could paint he'd paint a thousand pictures of her. If he could write music, he could.. Hey! He could write music! He'd write her a song! Michael's expression suddenly became dead serious (as dead serious as someone completely smashed could look), as he frowned at her!
“Abso-lootly not. It's dang'rus to take home strange men, love. Ev' just me…” he held up one finger and waved it unsteadily. “You're too pretty not to kiss… an' we haven' even had our first date yet…” Michael forgot why he was holding up his finger and looked at it quizzically. He was also starting to slur his words in an awfully bad way. Michael turned in his seat suddenly noticing Allison for the 'first' time. He pointed the finger at her and gave a suspicious look. “Y'look diff'ren… dijoo change your hair?” he leaned backwards to get a wider view, but tumbled backwards out of his seat in to a rumpled heap on the floor!
If Michael wasn't Michael, Allie would have beaten him by now. Was he testing her devotion? Was this some sort of cruel torture? Was cheating off of ONE test so bad that the big guy in the sky had to punish her with this!??! Too pretty not to kiss..!?!?!?! Wait, maybe he was talking to her. Guess not. Feeling hurt, she merely blinked when Michael fell off the chair and hit the floor. Hesitantly, she turned her head up to meet Rishta's glare. Why did I try to be so smart…?
Blinking, Rishta found herself sitting very stiffly again. Did he think she was suggesting something? Who did he think she was??? Date? Kiss? Pretty??? If she didn't know he was drunk, Rishta would have simply left the two immoral people there. Honestly. Was sex and alcohol the only thing these two had in mind..? They were going to end up straight in hell if they continued speaking about such things casually! Shaking her head quickly, Rishta leaned over and saw Michael crumpled on the floor. Oh. My. Stars. Quickly getting up, she knelt down next to him and prodded him several times. Yeps, out like a lamp. Or like he had been smacked with one. No, wait, he was stirring. Guess he had just slipped… Looking up at Allie, she gave a harsh glare. “Do you want to HELP?” Meanwhile, she was dealing with a jealous friend, drunk rock star, and a bunch of people who wondered what the hell she had done with the poor guy.
“Uh, yeah, sure…” Kneeling down next to Michael, Allison gave Rishta a somewhat cold look, becoming increasingly resentful of the woman next to her. Why did Rishta always get to have all the attention? Sure, when they went out, guys normally went for the both of them, but the ONE guy Allison loved above all… the one guy she would rather have then all the jewels in India – that one guy seemed totally intent on knowing Rishta. That dark hair, kind face… what made HER so special..? No, wait. Michael was just drunk. There was no reason to start resenting her best friend just because his sense of judgment was impaired. No, she wouldn't do that. Nothing was worth losing Rishta over. Not even Michael. Besides, she would get him tonight. All they had to do was make it out of there and head over to one of their houses. And knowing Rishta, they'd be gone before ya knew it. Good o'le Rish, always good for something. And he was so cute!!! Smiling at the fluffy softness that was Michael's hair, Allison's eyes twinkled. She could never stay mad at him. And, no matter what, tonight he would be hers.
“Wow… they add-ed a movin' floor..” Michael mumbled as both the girls helped him off the floor. His head was swimming in a sea of… something! He felt like he drank a barrel of that crazy stuff Katt was always sipping. Either that he was drunk off love. That thought sent him in to a fit of chuckles, no doubt causing a couple of strange stares from his companions. Michael reached down for his guitar, nearly toppling over again in the process, and refused to let either girl offer their help. He slung the strap over his shoulder, stepping back a few paces in the adjustment for balance. Shoving his hands in his pockets it took him several moments to drag out his car keys, then dangle them in the air with a triumphant grin. “Time to go! I drive there… where we goin' a'gin?”
Wow. When he's drunk – there is nothing spared… not even some form of sanity. Blinking slightly at the deranged form that was Michael, Rishta helped him up (along with Allison's help) and looked him over. The poor guy was seriously drunk – and would probably have a migraine the size of Texas by tomorrow morning. Then he started laughing. Obviously he was amused by something he had thought to himself, because there was nothing Rishta could see that would make the situation even slightly amusing! And people had started to stare. Talk about keeping low key and cool. Pressure was so starting to seep in, and the urge to leave was growing stronger. Alli… you are so going to pay… Blinking slightly, Rishta realized that he had picked up his guitar and car keys, and was smiling triumphantly. Oh nononono mister… Looking thoroughly alarmed, Rishta snatched the car keys from Mike, while Allie grabbed him, more or less dragging him out of there. Alli was good for one thing, she knew what she wanted. And right now, it was pretty obvious she wanted to survive the trip home in order to have her fun. “I'll drive. They won't let you in otherwise.
” 'way we go!” Michael pointed forward as he staggered, kind of heavily leaning on Allison. He'd likely tumble over head first if he didn't have her to balance on. It was very lucky the car wasn't too far away from the small cafe, the pair would have hit the ground before long. The car wasn't flashy as one would expect for a rock star, infact it was fairly mainstream. Pretty new, simple black, four doors… plenty of room for him to stuff his guitar in the back, and maybe a couple girls too. He was more concerned with having enough room for his head and legs. Michael opened the car door with some effort. The doors weren't locked, which showed he was either careless, or didn't seem to mind if his car ended up stolen.
Michael stuffed himself in the car, head first, and the girls had a hell of a time trying to get him in a sitting right. Putting on his seat belt was also a bit of a challenge with him falling over or squirming out of his seat.
So true… stupid security system… it's friggin scary! And that fence… Allison proceeded to half-carry, half-drag a drunken Michael to the car. It was so cool! Deep black, roomy… she was sure it could go really fast too! Imagine… her in his car… all the girls at school would be so jealous!!! All because she spiked his drink. Oh yeah, she was good. Opening the backseat of the car, Allison let Michael in, and then had a hell of a time trying to get him to sit correctly. Half of the time was spent apologizing since he had moved suddenly, and Allison got her hands… Well, she got her hands in a position not appropriate for the moment. Then came the seatbelt. Well, that was fun. He kept on falling over and she kept on falling on him. She could almost feel Rishta's annoyance as she unlocked her door and slid into the drivers seat. Michael sat right behind her. Climbing in, she sat in the middle, so if Mike fell, it'd be on her shoulder. Not to mention it'd be an excuse to cuddle against him. So she did. Leaning against him, she smiled as Rishta gave a 'humph' of annoyance, and pulled out of there.
Sighing, Rishta paid for their drinks while Allison proceeded to carry Michael away. Poor man was as drunk as anything. Well, at least she now knew the effect that vodka would have on people… that stuff was terribly strong. Heh. She wouldn't be surprised if that stuff was ILLEGAL. Ah well, Christina would justify it by saying that it was only to be used in defense. So what would Allie say? Of course: defense from being boyfriend-less forever. And she'd probably be able to get away with it too. Raising an eyebrow as she got to Mike's car, she watched with a partially annoyed expression as Allie went through hell and back just so Mike could get into the car correctly. Opening the door, she slid in and clicked on her seatbelt. Glancing in the review mirror, she saw Allison immediately taking advantage of her position, cuddling against Mike.
You would do anything to have him… insane girl. The man's going to wake up tomorrow and wonder what the hell you did to him, and probably hate you – but all you can do is take advantage of the moment… carpe diem Allie… seize the day… Pressing her foot on the accelerator, Rishta, with grace to suit a dolphin, shot out of the parking space, and slipped into the night. All while ignoring the love fest behind her.
Michael was pressed back against his seat as the car zoomed out from the parking space, and he had the distinct feeling they must of left his stomach behind. His head felt like it was spinning in circles and his insides were turning flips upside down. He tried to move but the Allison girl had a firm hold on his arm. It wasn't so bad. She was incredibly pretty, somewhat like a pixie. But the wee pixie was only a dull shimmer compared to the brilliance of his angel. He could hardly see his vision was blurring so badly, and it was hard to get a good glimpse of her face in the rear-view window with the car zig zagging as it was. Michael squinted hard at her expression. Was she angry? She was slinging them around in the back seat like a couple of rag dolls despite the tightly strapped seat belts. Or maybe it was just his throbbing head over exaggerating even the slightest of movements.
It seemed like hours to him before they finally reached their destination. His giddy mood was replaced with an ill sick feeling deep in his guts. Even after the car had stopped Michael still felt like he was zooming around in some sort of twisted roller coaster ride. He fumbled to unclick the seat belt, then quickly pushed Allison out of the way as he opened the car door and hurled out the remaining contents in his stomach! Had he not been worried about choking up his stomach itself, he would've felt stupid as hell looking the fool in front of his lady angel.