AN: WARNING! This chapter follows the couple excerpts of the next book posted on Meg's website. Don't read if you don't want to be spoiled! Next, this is my first Princess Diaries fanfic, so no flamers. Wonderful. I'm not entirely pleased with it, especially since it sounds far too rational to be Mia at the end. But I just got out of exams and I'm dashing around to do all the Christmas stuff before Monday AND I have three running fics to get on with. Finally, I don't know how popular JP is the shipping universe, but please don't knock my fic because of that. Ok. Let's go!

Disclaimer: I am not Meg Cabot. Check the ovary count. Best wishes to her for a speedy recovery!

Saturday, September 11, 8 PM, The Loft

Whoa.

How do I explain what just happened? I can hardly believe it, and I lived it. It's like it had to have happened to someone else, because this just couldn't be my life. Stuff like this just doesn't occur in real life. To girls like Piper from Charmed, maybe, or that chick that Chad Michael Murray dumped Sophia Bush for.

But not to me.

Ok, so here it is.

I was sitting next to my phone, of course, waiting for Michael to call. I was completely convinced he was going to call. He had to. We were going to make up and live happily ever after, like they always say in fairytales, except we'd do it for real. HRH Michael Thermopolis and Princess Mia, perfect forever.

Anyway, I was next to my phone, my hands even sweatier from the waiting, when JP walked into my room.

Off my look, he said, "Your mom let me in. I was thinking we could head down to Number One Noodle Son. It's on me."

"I can't right now, JP," I told him, my eyes still on the phone.

"Why not?"

"Well," I said, not really wanting to answer. Somehow, I didn't think that JP would like the answer. He had been so supportive of my decision to break up with Michael because of the whole virginity issue and all. And we a sort of solidarity going considering that we're the two people that the Moscovites hate most in the world right now. I didn't think he'd be too jazzed to hear that I was about to beg my ex to take me back. Because that was exactly what I planned on doing. I was throwing all the dignity that Hilary Duff had been talking about away if it meant that Michael would take me back.

Apparently, JP didn't need me to answer. He settled down on my computer chair and leaned back comfortably. "I heard from a little flower that Michael's plane's landing in a little bit."

"Twenty-nine minutes, actually," I informed him with a sigh of relief. He didn't hate me for wanting Michael back! Then his comment caught up with me. "Wait. Little flower … Lily is talking to you?"

"Nah," JP answered easily. "She said something about it back when we were dating. That's really why I came here."

"Seriously?" I was genuinely confused. Why was JP coming around to listen to me beg for Michael back? And why would ask me to go to Ray's if he knew I was waiting for Michael's call? Didn't he know that I had to stay right here so I didn't possibly miss my one chance to get my lifeblood, heart of my heart, my boyfriend, back? Well, didn't he?

JP nodded and folded his arms powerfully. "I didn't want you up here obsessing."

I blinked. "Um … that's sweet, JP, but I need to be here so that when Michael calls …"

"That's the thing, Mia," JP said kindly. "I don't think he's going to."

It felt like he had punched me in the stomach. My eyes got all scrunched up and my breath stopped coming as regularly. I mean, saying something like that? We were supposed to be friends!

"I'm not saying that because I want to hurt you," JP added quickly; I guess he noticed how upset I was and was afraid I might cry or something. As if. I wasn't in the girl's bathroom, after all. "But you broke up with him. Pretty dramatically, if I remember correctly."

Something inside twitched uncomfortably, but I ignored it. "I texted him and apologized for all that! I was upset he was leaving. He'll understand."

"And then he sees you kiss me," JP barreled on, like I hadn't even been talking like a second before. I opened my mouth to protest and he threw his hands up defensively. "I know it was a friend kiss. You know it was friend kiss. He doesn't know it."

"I'll tell him. Then he'll know it."

"And what about the newspaper picture?"

I didn't know what to say to this. What about that newspaper picture? And ok, I know Michael's weathered the paparazzi before and never cared about any of it, but JP was right. He'd seen us kiss. What guy in his right mind WOULDN'T think we were an item? Clearly, only Tina Hakim Baba understood that Michael was my soul mate and that the absolute only kind of kiss I'd ever have with another guy was a friend kiss. But what did I expect? Tina is the only one who ever understands anything about love. That's why she and Boris have such a wonderful, if weird, relationship.

Maybe I should make Tina my best friend and let Lily not talk to me. It wasn't my fault. It isn't my fault. I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING WRONG!!!!!!!

"He's in another country," I attempted hopefully.

JP shook his head. "If he doesn't see it online, and knowing Michael that's not likely, he'll see it on a magazine cover or in the newspaper or something. You're famous around the world, Mia. You're a princess."

"I'll explain it!" I cried out, a little hysterically, I'm ashamed to admit. "I'll explain everything! He'll call, and I'll apologize, and he'll send me my necklace back, and everything will be fine."

"I don't think …"

I'd had enough. "No! Everything will be fine! You'll see, ok? You just wait and see. You don't know Michael at all if you think he wouldn't call me."

"Ok."

Of all the responses and retorts I thought JP would sling my way next, this was nowhere on the list. "What?" I asked oh-so-brilliantly, my jaw dropped.

"I'll wait," JP said, looking for all the world as if that had been his intention the whole time. "It's only, what, twenty minutes more?"

"Twenty-two minutes," I corrected automatically. I was still in a whirlwind. What was JP trying to do here? He wasn't being very supportive, that was for sure. But waiting with me for Michael to call … I wasn't sure why he was doing that, but I thought it was pretty sweet.

JP grinned at me and leaned back in the swivel computer chair. "So. Ned telling Chuck the truth – stupid or romantic?"

"Romantic, of course," I replied instantly.

"That's what I thought, too." JP looked at my abandoned Calculus homework lying on my desk. "You need help with that?"

He helped with my Calculus homework. He helped me with my Chemistry homework. He told me about a new short story he was working on, and I showed him a poem I had written about Michael last night (which I won't copy down here because it needs a lot of work. A lot of work). We talked about every single TV show we both watched, and he even let me go on about Top Model for a few minutes before pointing out he was ten seconds from slitting his own wrists at the thought of skinny women curling up with snakes or nearly drowning all to get their fifteen minutes. I refrained from mentioning that modeling is a lot harder than it looks, and just because someone takes some pictures of you and you kind of look like a model should doesn't mean you'll sell that many dresses for the person's line. Unless, of course, you're a princess. But that doesn't mean what the girls on Top Model do isn't in fact a valid effort to get a foot in the door of a very difficult and competitive industry.

A couple hours went by. But Michael never called.

I pretended I didn't notice at first, even though it was killing me. I kept sneaking looks at the clock in between equations and reciting the Table of Elements. The more worried I got, the more JP tried to think of stuff to talk about and things to distract me. But four o' clock rolled around, and the phone hadn't rung. I ran out to the living room to ask Mom if the phones were working. She said that they were. And with Mr. G here to pay the phone bills and stuff, why wouldn't they be? I turned on my computer and kept checking my e-mail, but nothing came of that, either.

"The offer for Number One Noodle Son still stands," JP told me kindly at five.

My stomach had fallen down to my toes and shrunk to the size of a nickel, so I didn't think that eating dinner was really an option. I didn't want to say that, though. Instead, I told him, rather shakily, that I wasn't giving up.

"Don't you have to get one of those special cell phones when you go to other countries?" I asked as calmly as possible, even though I felt like curling up under my covers and never coming back out. "He might not have one of those yet. When he gets one, he'll call. I'll stay here until he can do that. He'll call, JP. You'll see."

Something sort of came over JP then. He got this sort of funny look on his face, like I was really frustrating him somehow. He got out of his chair and walked over to me on my bed and pulled me up off it.

I stood there, all bunched up between his hands, utterly confused. "JP, what are you … ?"

That was when he kissed me.

He released me for a moment after and shook his head. "I like Michael. You know I do. Him and Lily both. And if you want to get Michael back, I'm not trying to get in your way. But I don't think that you two are right for each other, and not because I'm biased. Still, I should have told you a long time ago. You're the one I like. Always have been. So that kiss? It wasn't a friend kiss for me. Not at all."

Then he grabbed me and kissed me again – slow and deep and meaningful.

And really, all I can say about that kiss is what I said at the beginning.

Whoa.

He left after that, but he invited me to go to Noodle Son with him tomorrow. And I think I'm going to go.

Look, he may have been trying to get me to go out with him or something. But he was right. Michael still hasn't called. And I really don't think he will. Maybe he needs some cooling off time, just like Lily. But Lily is still in New York, and Michael isn't any more.

JP's still in New York, too.

I don't know what to think right now. I do know that as much as I love Michael, I don't want a long distance relationship. I want to wait a whole year for him, but I don't think I can. Boris was right. For once. I also know that Michael is probably still hurting, and there's nothing I can do about that until he wants to talk to me. Which might be never, and can you blame the guy?

I know one other thing. That kiss with JP wasn't a friend kiss for me either. Maybe I'll go with him to Noodle Son tomorrow after all.

AN: Ok, yeah, I know. It'll never happen. And it's not that I don't love Michael, I do. But I am sick and tired of Mia whining about their relationship. Every single book she has been convinced for some reason or another that Michael is going to break up with her. And each book Michael seems less and less able to deal with her. Plus, he's kind of is in the wrong half the time and no one calls him on it. When you're girlfriend is a virgin and she's all tripped out about losing it to each other, you should really mention that you're not a virgin before the actual night of consummation. I mean, you KNOW Mia did not say that she thought Michael was a virgin for a first time that night, not at the rate she mentions that prom night fantasy of hers. So yes, I wouldn't mind and M&M ending. But I want something different this book, damn it! Don't yell at me for needing a change, please. Love? Hate? Review!