Stop listening to music when I should be studying.
Break up with Kenny.
Friday, December 12, Principal Gupta’s office
Well, I guess it’s official now:
I, Mia Thermopolis, am a juvenile delinquent.
Seriously. That fire alarm I pulled was only the beginning, it appears.
I really don’t know what’s come over me lately. It’s like the closer I get to actually going to Genovia and performing my first official duties as its princess, the less like a princess I act.
I wonder if I’ll be expelled.
If I am, it is totally unfair. Lana started it. I was sitting there in Algebra, listening to Mr. G go on about the Cartesian plane, when suddenly Lana turns around in her seat and slaps a copy of USA Today down in front of me. There is a headline screaming:
* * *
TODAY’S POLL
Most Popular Young Royal
* * *
Fifty-seven percent of readers say that Prince William of England is their favorite young royal, with Will’s little brother Harry coming in at 28 percent. America’s own royal, Princess Mia Renaldo of Genovia, comes in third, with 13 percent of the votes, and Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson’s daughters, Beatrice and Eugenie, round out the votes with 1 percent each.
The reasons given for Princess Mia’s third-place finish? “Not outgoing” is the most common answer. Ironically, Princess Mia is perceived as being as shy as Princess Diana—the mother of William and Harry—when she first stepped into the harsh glare of the media spotlight.
Princess Mia, who only recently learned she was heir to the throne of Genovia, a small principality located on the Cote d’Azur, is expected to make her first official trip to that country next week. A representative for the princess describes her as looking forward to her visit with “eager anticipation.” The princess will continue her education in America, and will reside in Genovia only during the summer months.
I read the stupid article and then passed the paper back to Lana.
“So?” I whispered to her.
“So,” Lana whispered. “I wonder how popular you’d be—especially with the people of Genovia—if they found out their future ruler goes around pulling fire alarms when there isn’t any fire.”
She was only guessing, of course. She couldn’t have seen me. Unless . . .
Unless maybe Justin Baxendale did figure it out! You know, seeing me in the hallway like that, just before the alarm went off—and he mentioned it to Lana. . . .
No. Not possible. I am so far out of the sphere of Justin Baxendale’s consciousness as to be nonexistent to him. He didn’t tell Lana anything. Lana, like Mr. G, obviously thinks it’s a little coincidental that on that fateful Wednesday, the fire alarm went off about two minutes after I’d disappeared from class with the pass to the bathroom.
But even so. Even though she could only have been guessing, it seemed to me like she knew, like she was going to make sure I never heard the end of it.
I really don’t know what came over me. I don’t know if it was
A. The stress of finals
B. My impending trip to Genovia
C. This thing with Kenny
D. The fact that I’m in love with this guy who is going out with a human fruit fly
E. The fact that my mother is going to give birth to my Algebra teacher’s baby
F. The fact that Lana has been persecuting me practically my whole life and pretty much getting away with it, or