Not the almost-getting-blown-up part. That part I can deal with. I mean, at this point, almost getting blown up is NOTHING compared to the humiliations I go through on a practically daily basis.
But the J.P.-loving-me part? It’s too weird! What could make him think I’d ever feel that way about him? Because I don’t!
At least, I think I don’t. I mean, I like him a lot. He’s one of my best friends—especially now that Lilly has dropped me.
But he’s not Michael.
He’s not Michael.
He’s not Michael.
Oh, here comes the doctor…
Wednesday, September 22, the loft
I’m home….
I don’t even care that I don’t have a TV anymore. It’s just so nice to be in my own bed, where no nitrostarches can explode, and no boys can announce their love for me.
You know, you would think, after everything that happened today, they’d finally let me move to Genovia and be palace-schooled now. For my own physical and emotional safety.
But no. Mr. G just informed me Albert Einstein is going to be cleaned up and fully functional tomorrow—including the Chem lab, which has been thoroughly fumigated, and they’ve already replaced the glass that was blown out of the windows (stupid emergency glaziers), and that I’m going to be there, just like everybody else.
Well, except for Kenny, who’s suspended for knowingly creating a secondary explosive in the lab. When I protested that if they were suspending Kenny, they ought to suspend me and J.P. as well, since we’re his lab partners, Mr. G just looked at me and went, “Mia. I’ve been trying to get you caught up in all of your classes this week, remember? Believe me, I know you and J.P. have no clue what you’re doing in that class.”
Which, you know. Harsh. But true, I guess.
So it looks like Kenny’s going to get his fifteen minutes of fame now, as opposed to after he starts working for Michael’s robotic surgical arm company, as he once asked me if I thought he could. What happened today at school is ALL OVER the news and Internet. Reporters are calling Kenny “Beaker” after that mad scientist Muppet character (which is mean, since Kenny really does have quite a lot of upper arm definition these days, and his mouth isn’t a gaping flap—as much as it used to be, anyway), and keep showing a picture of him being led off the ambulance, with his hair in all these crazy puffs on the top of his head.
That, coupled with his singed lab coat and the whole no-eyebrow thing, lent him a not dissimilar appearance to a certain dowager princess—not Muppet—that I know.
The thing’s been aired so many times by now, I’m SURE Michael must have heard about it. Every single article describes J.P. as this huge hero for throwing his body over mine and protecting me from the flames.
And every single article calls him “Princess Mia’s new boyfriend.”
Yeah. Nice.
I was almost afraid to check my e-mail. But I needn’t have worried. Michael didn’t write.
Tina IMed the minute she saw I was online though.
ILUVROMANCE: Oh my God, Mia!!!! Have you seen the news????
FTLOUIE: Seen it? I thought I WAS the news.
ILUVROMANCE: I can’t believe this! Poor Kenny! They suspended him!
FTLOUIE: Well, he DID blow up the Chem lab.
ILUVROMANCE: I know! But he didn’t mean to. You know that. I really hope this won’t go down on his permanent record. It could totally affect his chances of getting into college!
FTLOUIE: I’m sure Kenny will be just fine, Tina. I mean, don’t forget, he DID manage to make a bomb from scratch. I wouldn’t be surprised if he gets hired straight out of high school by the NSA.
ILUVROMANCE: What’s the NSA?
FTLOUIE: It’s—never mind. Listen, did you hear what happened right BEFORE the nitrostarch deflagrated?
ILUVROMANCE: You mean the part where J.P. covered your body with his in order to protect you from the raging fire wall???? Yes!!! It’s so romantic!!!!