Princess in Training (The Princess Diaries 6)

Lilly nodded.

“But, Lilly…why didn’t you just run, then?”

That’s when something totally unexpected happened. Lilly’s eyes, behind the lenses of her glasses, totally filled up with tears. Next thing I knew, she was having a crying jag of her very own.

“Because there’s no way I could ever win,” she said, with a sob. “Don’t you remember how I got crushed in last year’s election? Nobody likes me. Not the way they like you, Mia. I mean, you may be a baby-licker and all, but people seem to be able to relate to you, even with the whole princess thing. NOBODY can relate to me…maybe because I’m a genius, and that’s intimidating to people, or something. I don’t know why, really. I mean, you would think people would want the smartest leader they could find, but instead, they seem perfectly content to elect total MORONS.”

I tried not to take Lilly’s calling me a moron to heart. After all, she was in the middle of a full-blown personal crisis.

“Lilly,” I said, astonishedly. “I didn’t know you thought of yourself that way. You know. As not popular.”

Lilly looked up from the detention slips she was weeping into.

“Wh-Why w-would I ever consider myself popular?” she stammered, sorrowfully. “Y-You’re the only real friend I’ve got.”

“That’s not true,” I said. “You have lots of friends. Shameeka and Ling Su and Tina—”

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; Lilly started to cry harder at the mention of Tina’s name. Too late, I remembered Boris, and his new hotness.

“Oh,” I said, patting Lilly on the shoulder. “Sorry. What I meant was…Well, whatever. People DO like you, Lilly. It’s just that sometimes…”

Lilly lifted her tear-stained face.

“Wh-What?” she asked.

“Well,” I said. “Sometimes you’re kind of mean to people. Like me. With the whole baby-licker thing.”

“But you ARE a baby-licker,” Lilly pointed out.

“Yes,” I said. “But, you know, you don’t need to SAY it all the time.”

Lilly rested her chin on her knees.

“I guess not,” she said with a sigh. “You’re right. I’m sorry.”

While I had her in a conciliatory mood, I added, “And I don’t like it when you call me POG or PIT, either.”

Lilly looked at me blankly.

“Then what am I supposed to call you?”

“How about just plain Mia?”

Lilly seemed to think about this.

“But…that’s so boring,” she said.

“But it’s my name,” I pointed out.

Lilly sighed again.

“Fine,” she said. “Whatever. You have no idea how good you have it, POG. I mean, Mia.”

“Good? ME? Please!” I practically burst out laughing. “My life is TERRIBLE right now. Did you SEE what Ms. Martinez gave me on my paper?”

Lilly wiped her eyes.