And, to make things worse, I skipped the Atom staff meeting this morning before school. I know Dr. K would highly disapprove, because a brave woman, such as Eleanor Roosevelt, would have gone.
But I didn’t feel very Eleanor Roosevelt this morning. I just didn’t know if Lilly was going to assign someone to cover Michael’s donation of one of his CardioArm’s to the Columbia University Medical Center or not. It seems like she would. I mean, he’s an AEHS grad. An AEHS grad inventing something that’s saving children’s lives and then donating it to a major local university would constitute news….
I couldn’t run the risk that Lilly might assign me to be the person to cover the story in the last issue. Lilly isn’t actively doing stuff to antagonize me—we’re totally staying out of each other’s way.
But she might have done it anyway, just out of a perverse sense of irony.
And I do not want to see Michael. I mean, not as a high school reporter covering the story of his b
rilliant comeback. That would probably kill me.
Plus, what if he asks about my senior project?????
I know it’s highly unlikely he remembers. But it could happen.
Plus, my hair is doing that weird flippy thing in the back this morning. I totally ran out of phytodefrisant.
No, the next time I see Michael, I want my hair to look good, and I want to be a published author. Oh, please, God, make both these things happen!
And I know, okay, I already helped a small European country achieve democracy. And that is a major accomplishment. It’s ridiculous of me to want to be a published author by the age of eighteen (which gives me approximately three days, a totally unrealistic goal), as well.
But I worked so hard on that book! I poured almost two years of my life into that book! I mean, first there was all the research—I had to read, like, five hundred romance novels, so I’d know how to write one myself.
Then I had to read fifty billion books on medieval England, so I could get the setting and at least some of the dialogue and stuff right in mine.
Then I had to actually write it.
And I know one small historical romance novel isn’t going to change the world.
But it would be lovely if it made a few people as happy reading it as it made me when I was writing it.
Oh, God, why am I obsessing about this when I don’t even care? I’ve already got a wonderful boyfriend who tells me constantly that he loves me and takes me out all the time and who everyone in the entire universe says is perfect for me.
And, all right, he forgot to ask me to the prom. And then there’s that other thing.
But I don’t even want to go to the prom anyway, because the prom is for children, which I’m not, I’ll be eighteen in three days, at which point I’ll legally be an adult….
Okay. I need to get a grip.
Maybe Hans can go get me another chai latte. I don’t think my first one took this morning. Except Dad says I have to stop sending my limo driver out on personal errands. But what else am I supposed to do? Lars totally refuses to duck out and get me hot foamy drinks, even though I’ve explained to him it’s highly unlikely anyone is going to kidnap me between the time he leaves for Starbucks and the time he gets back.
No one has mentioned the CardioArm story yet, and I’ve seen Tina, Shameeka, Perin, and, of course, J.P.
Maybe it hasn’t broken anywhere but international business CNN.com.
Please, God, let it not break anywhere else.
Friday, April 28, third-floor stairwell
I just got a 911 text from Tina telling me to grab a bathroom pass and meet her here!
I can’t imagine what could have happened! It has to be serious because we’ve really been good about not skipping lately, considering the fact that we’ve all gotten into college and there’s basically no reason to attend classes anymore, except to admire what kind of shoes we’re buying to wear for commencement.
I really hope she and Boris haven’t had a fight. They’re so cute together. He does get on my nerves sometimes, but you can tell he just adores T. And he asked her to the prom in the cutest way, by presenting her with a prom ticket attached to a single half-blown red rose with a Tiffany’s box dangling from it.
Yes! It wasn’t even from Kay Jewelers, which has always been Tina’s favorite. Boris decided to upgrade. (Good for him. Her attachment to Kay’s was starting to get kind of sad.)
And inside the box was another box, a velvet ring box. (Tina said she nearly had a heart attack when she saw it.)