"And if you ever, ever, want to leave you know to just go to your group leader and they'll get you out of there, you know that, right?" my mom asked.
I rolled my eyes, "Of course, Mom." I wouldn't do that though. I didn't want to come back to New York. Too many painful memories. Okay, that's being overdramatic a bit. But Michael was here. With his girlfriend. Who he cheated on with me. I wasn't going to ruin anything for him. And that's all I'd be doing by staying here.
"So, kid, you are finally growing up, huh?" Mr. G said with an awkward grin. Whether I wanted to admit it or not, I was finally starting to love the guy like a father.
"Yup. My flight is going to be called in a little bit ..."
Mom attacked me with a huge hug. "I love you Mia. So much more than you can imagine," she said with tears in her eyes. I guess I should be crying too, after all, when my trip to South America was over I was going to Genovia and to my new world of Princess life.
"You too Mom. I'll miss you bunches and bunches."
"WAIT!!!!" a voice screamed, bounding down the hallway. I laughed. Only one person would do that. Lilly Moscovitz.
"Hey Lil!" I screamed, running up to her with open arms. God would I miss this girl.
"Here, take this," she said handing me an envelope. "Read it on the plane, okay?"
"Yeah, sure, whatever you say," I said, hugging her so tightly.
She wasn't normally one for public displays of affection, but she hugged me back, "You'll come back, every once and awhile, right?" she asked.
I nodded. "I'm sure I will. But I don't know what is waiting for me in Genovia. Maybe my prince..."
She rolled her eyes, "Or maybe that prince is right here. Parking the car."
My flight was called. "I g-gotta go. I'll call when I get the chance, okay?"
"Yeah, sure. Don't forget to read that note."
"I won't. Love ya."
"You too."
Walking away from her was the second most difficult thing I'd done in the past month. Well, maybe it'll take the third place. Saying goodbye to Mom, Mr. G and Rocky was even harder.
"I love you so much baby," my mom said, the tears flowing freely now.
"You too Mom. But I really gotta go."
She kissed my forehead and let me go. My little brother grabbed hold of my leg. "No. Mi-Mi no go!" he screamed in his obnoxious three year old voice. "Rocky, get off her leg now."
"No Mi-Mi, don't go! I wuv you!"
I pulled him off my leg and put him on my hip, "I'll send lots of gifts, okay? I love you too much to just up and leave completely."
He smiled. I loved it when he smiled because he had the chubbiest, cutest cheeks that you literally just wanted to squeeze. "I miss you Mi- Mi."
"I'll miss you too Rock Rock." Mom took him from me and I gave Mr. G a hug.
"I'll miss ya kid," he said kissing my cheek. "Have a good time. Meet new friends," he said emphasizing friends. He knew something had happened with me and Michael, but he couldn't put his finger on what exactly.
"I will. I'm sure I will. Love you," I said giving him another squeeze. This was the first time I had verbalized that I loved him.
He pulled back and put his arm around my mother. "Be safe baby," my mom warned.
"Don't be a fool! Wrap the tool!" Lilly screamed, joking. She earned a glare from my mother and step father. I burst out laughing.
As I turned in the terminal to see them one last time I saw Michael running toward them. I gave a wave and continued on my way. I couldn't say goodbye to him again. That fight we had was too hard. I guess it was my own way of saying goodbye...I didn't want to cry around him so getting angry made more sense.
It wasn't going to change anything, saying goodbye to him. He had his model like girlfriend. I still had responsibilities that he wouldn't want to take on. He was American; why would he give that up for me?
I arrived in Florida, where the groups were meeting, at four that afternoon. A girl by the name Belinda was meeting me at the airport. "Oh wow, you are a real, literal princess?" she asked when we were driving back to the motel the volunteers were staying in before our boat left.
"Yeah, but I don't like talking about it all that much. I don't want people to know about it."
"I only know because my dad is the one running this mission. No one else knows. I won't tell a single soul."
"Okay, thanks Belinda"
"Oh you can call me Be-Be."
"When he said I was a princess, what did you think he meant?"
"You know, like a Manhattan Princess. Gets whatever she wants from Daddy."
I burst out laughing. I was a real life princess and that never happened to me. "No, I don't get that. I am on allowance."
"Of what, only a hundred thousand a month?"
"Um, try twenty dollars a week. And I just started getting that much this past year."
"Geez, I always got more than that."
"So don't think that I am just doing this because it'll look good for charity. I really have always wanted to do a mission like this."
"No problem. Mission for Non-Recognition. Gotcha. So you just graduated high school?" "Yeah. I'll be going to Genovia, that's where I'm a princess, in the fall."
"Cool. Here we are. Home sweet home..."
"You'll be rooming with Kate," BeBe said to me, handing me a key. "She's kind of a bitch so watch out."
"Okay, thanks for the warning." I reached for my bag just as someone else did as well, "Oh, sorry," I said. "I-I thought that was mine."
"It is," the guy said. "But I was going to carry it up for you."
I smiled, "Oh, right. Okay." I'm such a moron. How many hotels have I stayed in? They all have bell boys!
"My name is Joshua. And you are?"
Well, the bell boy was going to get personal. "Mia. I'm one of the volunteers."
"Mia Thermopolis?" he asked. I liked his accent. I was a sucker for British accents (A/N- that's for you multicolouredsaz!), even if he wasn't exactly my 'type'. He was a bit on the chubby side, very different from Michael.
"Yeah," I said nervously. Great, he recognized my name.
"Oh, great! I'm Joshua Bloom. I'm your group leader when we go down south."
I smiled. Thank God he hadn't recognized my name. "Nice to meet you," I said, extending my hand. Princess lessons had sure worked off.
He half laughed and did a mock bow, "Pleasure is all mine."
Butterflies. I hadn't recognized this feeling in a long, long time. Not since I first fell for Michael. Stop thinking about him. Must stop thinking about Michael.