MICHAEL:
I felt bad for her. No, that would be an understatement. The look on her face was pathetic. I figured she didn't want to go too far into the topic of the princess stuff. She could tell me later if she wanted to, or she could just drop it after tonight. I decided to lighten the mood. "I don't think that your mom and Mr. Gianni are gonna kill you for telling me about their torrid affair."
She laughed. "Ya think so?"
"Look, you can hide in here if you wanna be away from Lilly tonight. Or, we can go catch a movie or something." I was hoping for the movie thing because otherwise I'd be stuck in here with her. I couldn't play my guitar or anything. It'd be boring.
"What movie?"
"The dollar theater is showing a midnight viewing of Empire Strikes Back. We could get something to eat before hand." Now, don't get me wrong, I don't like Mia or anything, barely know the girl really, but I sincerely hoped I didn't sound like a geek with that invitation.
"No way! I love Star Wars! But wait...my purse is in Lilly's room. I don't wanna see her."
"My treat then fair Princess," I said with an exaggerated bow.
She laughed. "Oh come on Michael, don't be like that."
"Like what?"
"Just promise me that you won't act differently towards me than before."
I thought for a minute. "Okay then Thermopolis, get the hell out of here!" I teased.
She looked taken aback for a moment. "Re-Really?"
"Relax. If I talk to you now I can really bug Lilly. You know how much she hates it when I talk to her friends."
She smiled partly. "Fine, but if you tell anyone that I'm a princess then your dead. And I can do that because I am a princess. I have people."
I pretended to be scared and shook with fear. "I'm sure little Mia Thermopolis is gonna send her big bulky men after me."
"I could," she warned jokingly. It was easy to talk to her. Not like other girls.
We walked down the streets of New York. It was getting kind of cold out and Mia only had on her SAVE THE WHALES t-shirt. I gave her my sweatshirt, which was way too big for her. "So this thing that you are going through," I started. "Does that explain the make over?"
She nodded. "Grandmere showed up in the last week of summer vacation with my father to take me on vacation. They told me when I was getting ready to go snorkeling. Good timing eh?"
I laughed at how she said that last thing. I didn't push for more information
"You know, Grandmere would have said that leaving through the fire escape was un-princesslike." "Grandmere sounds like a real piece of work," I replied.
We ended up at Sal's Pizza. "You know what would be awesome?" I asked.
"What?" she asked as she took a sip from her iced tea.
"A pizza with all yellow M&M's."
"What?"
"Like, a girl giving me pizza with all yellow M&M's. The best of the food world, and of the candy world."
"Okay, I can get that, but what about the yellow factor?"
"Oh, my favorite type of M&M. No one else favors them so I do. Everyone is a sell out and likes blue."
"Well, I will agree with the whole yellow thing. But on a pizza? Won't they melt?"
"I guess. But it'd be pretty hot for a girl to do something like that." I wiped some sauce off of her cheek.
"I'll be sure to let your future ladies know that."
We shared popcorn and quoted the movie to one another. I have seriously seen the movie thirty times by now. "How many is this for you?" I asked when we walked out of the theater.
"Like, fifteenth."
"I got you beat."
"Sorry I'm not such a dork like you."
"Yeah, well, I'm the senior here, you are the freshman."
She rolled her eyes. "You know, you are right. So why are you hanging out with me at..." she started as she looked at her watch. "Three in the morning?"
"Because that's the kind of guy I am."
"Oh really? I guess I really don't know you."
"But Princess, you will," I promised.
"If I didn't know better, I'd think you were flirting with me."
"Good thing you know better," I replied as we reached my fire escape.
That night I slept on the floor while she slept on my bed. This was definitely the latest I had been out on a Friday night with another person. Most people I can't take longer than a few minutes.
As I started drifting off to sleep a thought came to me. Why did she tell me about the whole situation?
I felt bad for her. No, that would be an understatement. The look on her face was pathetic. I figured she didn't want to go too far into the topic of the princess stuff. She could tell me later if she wanted to, or she could just drop it after tonight. I decided to lighten the mood. "I don't think that your mom and Mr. Gianni are gonna kill you for telling me about their torrid affair."
She laughed. "Ya think so?"
"Look, you can hide in here if you wanna be away from Lilly tonight. Or, we can go catch a movie or something." I was hoping for the movie thing because otherwise I'd be stuck in here with her. I couldn't play my guitar or anything. It'd be boring.
"What movie?"
"The dollar theater is showing a midnight viewing of Empire Strikes Back. We could get something to eat before hand." Now, don't get me wrong, I don't like Mia or anything, barely know the girl really, but I sincerely hoped I didn't sound like a geek with that invitation.
"No way! I love Star Wars! But wait...my purse is in Lilly's room. I don't wanna see her."
"My treat then fair Princess," I said with an exaggerated bow.
She laughed. "Oh come on Michael, don't be like that."
"Like what?"
"Just promise me that you won't act differently towards me than before."
I thought for a minute. "Okay then Thermopolis, get the hell out of here!" I teased.
She looked taken aback for a moment. "Re-Really?"
"Relax. If I talk to you now I can really bug Lilly. You know how much she hates it when I talk to her friends."
She smiled partly. "Fine, but if you tell anyone that I'm a princess then your dead. And I can do that because I am a princess. I have people."
I pretended to be scared and shook with fear. "I'm sure little Mia Thermopolis is gonna send her big bulky men after me."
"I could," she warned jokingly. It was easy to talk to her. Not like other girls.
We walked down the streets of New York. It was getting kind of cold out and Mia only had on her SAVE THE WHALES t-shirt. I gave her my sweatshirt, which was way too big for her. "So this thing that you are going through," I started. "Does that explain the make over?"
She nodded. "Grandmere showed up in the last week of summer vacation with my father to take me on vacation. They told me when I was getting ready to go snorkeling. Good timing eh?"
I laughed at how she said that last thing. I didn't push for more information
"You know, Grandmere would have said that leaving through the fire escape was un-princesslike." "Grandmere sounds like a real piece of work," I replied.
We ended up at Sal's Pizza. "You know what would be awesome?" I asked.
"What?" she asked as she took a sip from her iced tea.
"A pizza with all yellow M&M's."
"What?"
"Like, a girl giving me pizza with all yellow M&M's. The best of the food world, and of the candy world."
"Okay, I can get that, but what about the yellow factor?"
"Oh, my favorite type of M&M. No one else favors them so I do. Everyone is a sell out and likes blue."
"Well, I will agree with the whole yellow thing. But on a pizza? Won't they melt?"
"I guess. But it'd be pretty hot for a girl to do something like that." I wiped some sauce off of her cheek.
"I'll be sure to let your future ladies know that."
We shared popcorn and quoted the movie to one another. I have seriously seen the movie thirty times by now. "How many is this for you?" I asked when we walked out of the theater.
"Like, fifteenth."
"I got you beat."
"Sorry I'm not such a dork like you."
"Yeah, well, I'm the senior here, you are the freshman."
She rolled her eyes. "You know, you are right. So why are you hanging out with me at..." she started as she looked at her watch. "Three in the morning?"
"Because that's the kind of guy I am."
"Oh really? I guess I really don't know you."
"But Princess, you will," I promised.
"If I didn't know better, I'd think you were flirting with me."
"Good thing you know better," I replied as we reached my fire escape.
That night I slept on the floor while she slept on my bed. This was definitely the latest I had been out on a Friday night with another person. Most people I can't take longer than a few minutes.
As I started drifting off to sleep a thought came to me. Why did she tell me about the whole situation?
