Author's Notes: Huge thanks to everyone who's reviewed this so far. I really, really appreciate feedback. I'm not sure if I really like this chapter that much. It's a lot of dialogue and not a lot of Mia's diary writing. If anyone's worried about Michael and Judith dating, please don't worry. I have a plan. It will all work itself out.

I hope you guys like this one!

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[THURSDAY, JANUARY 20 4:00 PM]

          Today was the weirdest day on earth.

          Well, maybe that's over exaggerating a little bit. Maybe it wasn't the weirdest, but it was definitely up there. The morning went fairly uneventfully. I got made fun of by Lana Weinberger in history this morning again, but that was almost to be expected. And then before that she and Josh Richter, (her senior boyfriend who has the locker right next to mine) were making out right in front of my locker. It was completely and totally disgusting.

          Maybe it wouldn't be if it were me, though. I think it was just the Josh and Lana factor.

          Algebra was uneventful. I'm not really sure what happened, though, because I mostly tuned Frank, I mean, Mr. Gianini, out. Algebra's not really that important anyways. I didn't get to see the boy from yesterday who helped me pick up my papers all morning.

          So then at lunch, I was walking off to the cafeteria by myself and Lilly Moscovitz caught up to me and she invited me to sit with her at lunchtime. Thank goodness, I didn't have to sit all alone by myself with Lars again. That would have been beyond humiliation. So I went with Lilly and we sat down with Boris, Tina Hakim Baba and her bodyguard, Wahim, and another girl named Shameeka. Tina and Shameeka both seemed pretty nice. Tina reads a lot of romance novels. She's slightly chubby, but still pretty. Her father has a ton of money. Shameeka's gorgeous, and a cheerleader. Nevertheless, she's still somewhat of a geek. I will never understand high school.

          Over across the cafeteria, I spotted him. Yes, the beautiful boy who picked up my books yesterday. He was sitting at a table a few tables away from mine. With Kenny Showalter and that Judith girl, whose last name is Gershner, as I learned from Kenny yesterday. She's actually the president of this computer club that Kenny's in, and she can clone fruit flies.

          Hmph. So the cutest boy I've ever seen is dating a girl who clones fruit flies for fun.

         

          LIFE IS NOT FAIR.

          Other than the fact that I now have friends to eat lunch with, nothing else even remotely uneventful happened at lunchtime. After lunchtime, Lilly, Boris, and I headed off to G & T together. Tina and Shameeka aren't in G & T. Yet again, the teacher failed to show up and so I sat and talked to Lilly all class.

          And I stared at the cute, completely unattainable boy a little bit. Just a little, though. I can't help myself.

          Biology was where the day started to go really, really weird.

          I had a conversation with Kenny. My Biology partner.

Kenny:  So, hey, Amelia. What are you doing this Friday night?

Me: I'm having a sleepover with Lilly Moscovitz. Why?

Kenny: Oh, I just wondered if you wanted to uh, maybe, oh, never mind.

            By now, I'm completely intrigued, and I wanted to know what he was going to ask.

Me: Why, Kenny?

Kenny: Oh, I was just wondering what princesses do on the weekends for fun, that's all.

          Fine. If he wants it to be like that, I don't even care.

          And then we proceeded to do our biology homework. I really, honestly, don't care what he was going to say. It was probably nothing, anyways. He's kind of weird, that Kenny. I'm not so sure about him sometimes.

          Tomorrow's my first ever sleepover!

          Frantically, Amelia ran around the apartment. Helen smiled from her position on the couch.

          "Need some help with anything, Amelia?" She asked, an amused tone in her voice.

          "Mom, I have absolutely NO idea what to take on my sleepover!" Amelia wailed.

          Helen got up from the couch and walked over to the bathroom where Amelia stood. "Take your toothbrush and toothpaste. You'll want some clothes for tomorrow. Underwear, socks, different pants, a different shirt. Don't forget your hairbrush. I'll go get you the sleeping bag, you might also want to take a pillow of your own just in case."

          Amelia was clearly overwhelmed. "Can you make a list of that, Mom?"

          In response, she laughed. "You'll be fine. Don't worry about it so much, it's not life and death. It's just a sleepover, Mia."

          "Mia?" She asked.

          Helen blushed. "I'm sorry. I just always imagined that when I had you, if you had have actually lived with me, I would have always called you Mia. I'll call you Amelia if you'd prefer that."

          "No, it's fine. I like it better than Amelia, actually." Amelia smiled. "Grandmere called me Mia until I turned six. But then once they told me I was a princess, they said I needed a more suitable name and they started calling me Amelia because it was more formal. But I've always felt as if Mia fit me more, somehow."

          Helen wrinkled her nose. "Amelia's so old-lady."

          Mia smiled. "I know! But you don't tell Grandmere what to do, if you know what's good for you."

          Her mother nodded, and she gave Mia a brief hug. "I'll go get that sleeping bag for you."

          Half an hour later, Mia's backpack was packed with all the sleepover essentials, and she waved goodbye to her mother as she got in the limo. Lars would be driving her to the Moscovitz's residence, but he wouldn't actually be staying over. Mia had left Lilly's phone number with her mother, along with her address, just in case. And Helen had insisted that Mia take her cell phone so that she could reach Mia if it was needed.

          Mia stared out the window as the limo rode smoothly over the pavement en route to Lilly's apartment. Lilly didn't live that far away, and the limo was parked in front of the building in less than ten minutes. Mia sat there for a moment, and took a deep breath. This was going to be great! Grabbing her things, she slid out of the limo and slammed the door, waving to Lars as she walked up to the building.

          She rode the elevator alone up to the sixth floor where Lilly's apartment was. Mia stopped in front of the door with the number twenty-six on it – the address that Lilly had given Mia today in G & T. Pausing for a moment to collect herself, she reached up slowly to ring the doorbell. Seconds later, she could hear footsteps approaching the door, and Lilly's face popped out.

          "Hey, Amelia!" Lilly said, picking up one of Mia's bags.

          "Hi, Lilly," Mia answered. "I've actually decided that I'm going by Mia these days, though." She smiled.

          "Oh. That's cool, Mia." Lilly had began walking into her apartment, so Mia followed, dragging her backpack behind her. The apartment was huge and furnished with expensive looking things. "My parents are psychoanalysts," Lilly explained, as if she could read what Mia was thinking. "I think they're just psycho, though."

          Mia laughed.

          "Tina's already here. We're just going to go put this in my room." Lilly continued walking, and opened a door, flinging Mia's sleeping back onto her bed. "My crazy parents are out tonight. So it's just us here for awhile." She turned around, grinning at Mia. She then took Mia's backpack from her and dropped it on her bedroom floor, shutting the door behind her.

          "So what are the plans for tonight?" Mia asked eagerly.

          "I thought we'd watch some movies in my living room! How do you feel about the older Star Wars movies? Tina doesn't like them much, but I don't really care. Last week she made me watch two different romantic comedies when I slept over at her house, so this week was my week to choose." Lilly smiled, almost evilly.

          Following Lilly, who was presumably walking to the Moscovitzes living room, Mia responded. "I like Star Wars. The older movies are the best ones, without a doubt."

          Lilly looked surprised. "I totally didn't think you'd have watched them." She looked somewhat guilty. "I mean, with you being a princess and all. It just seemed kind of weird to assume that you were actually a normal person. Is that so terrible?"

          Mia shook her head. "No. Everyone always assumes that I'm something special. But I'm not really."

          Lilly laughed. "Sure you are." She flopped down into a big chair, and Mia sat down beside Tina, who had buried her nose in a romance novel, on the couch. "So let's get these movies started!"

          "Let's not," said Tina, teasingly. "Hey, Mia. I'm not really that into science-fiction all that much."

          "Newsflash, Tina, nobody cares!" Lilly said, a gleeful tone in her voice.

          Tina faked a pouting expression, and then the three girls all laughed.

          Mia enjoyed sitting there with her new friends. This was something new to her. Usually, whenever she watched movies in Genovia, she did it at home in her bedroom when everyone else had gone to sleep. She'd never actually watched movies with company before and been able to comment on what was taking place on the screen before her with people. Surprised, she found that it was something she really enjoyed.

          Lilly liked to make silly voices and imitate the characters on the screen, and it made both Mia and Tina laugh uncontrollably.

          Before Mia knew it, they had became bored with the movies and turned off the television.

          Tina grinned. "Now that we've spent three hours watching Lilly's movies, I think we should play truth or dare!"

          "Tina, you've got to be kidding me. That game is so juvenile. And you always want to play it. Every single time we have sleepovers." Lilly sighed. "Mia, do you want to play truth or dare?" She turned to face her, wide eyed and shaking her head vigorously, as if she were willing Mia to say no to Tina.

          "I've never played it before," Mia admitted. "I didn't really do this sort of thing back in Genovia when I lived there."

          Mia could hear the door to the apartment open and shut, footsteps walking around somewhere away from the living room. She looked at the clock. One in the morning. Obviously, Lilly and Tina weren't paying any attention to it, so she ignored it and thought that maybe it was just the Drs Moscovitz coming home for the night or something.

          "Well, then. We have to play it! Everyone's got to play this game at least once in their lives," Tina decided, an air of authority lending itself to her voice. "I'll start. Lilly, truth or dare?"

          Lilly sighed. "Truth, I guess. If I have to."

          Tina smiled devilishly and her eyes became thoughtful. "I've got one. What is your most embarrassing memory?"

          Lilly rolled her eyes and sighed dramatically. "This game is so kindergarten. I guess that would have to be back when I started preschool and Michael was in the first grade. We were fighting one morning before school started out on the playground because he wouldn't give me back my crayons, and he spit his bright green gum in my hair and I didn't realize it until I went into class and all the kids were laughing at me because I had green gum all over my head. The teacher had to cut all the gum out of my hair and I had a bald spot for weeks after that until all the hair grew back."

          Mia laughed.

          "You laugh now, Mia Thermopolis, but back then when I was in preschool, it was so entirely not funny at all." Lilly frowned. "And now, I get to ask you!" She clapped her hands together, a delighted smile taking the place of the frown on her lips. "So Mia, what will it be? Truth or dare, princess?" Lilly joked, smirking slightly.

          Mia thought about it, and decided that she didn't really want to talk about anything that personal. Who knew what they would ask her to say. "Dare, I guess."

          Lilly and Tina looked at each other, grinning. Tina leaned over and whispered something in Lilly's ear and Lilly's eyes widened, a smile forming itself on her face. "Tina, you're good!" Lilly exclaimed when Tina finished whispering in her ear. They both giggled. "This is totally kind of immature, but I think it will be fun. Come with me."

          Lilly got up from her position on the chair, and Mia obediently stood up also. Tina followed behind the two girls, giggling. They headed up the stairs and back to Lilly's room. Lilly pulled a blanket out of a drawer and tied it around Mia's neck as if it were a cape. She then took a pair of socks and placed them on Mia's hands, pulling them up to her elbows.

          Mia stared in wonderment, but didn't ask any questions.

          Tina then grabbed a pink wig out of Lilly's closet and placed it on Mia's head, giggling as she looked at the results. Lilly's face was serious, and suddenly, remembering something, she dug into another of her drawers and pulled out a huge pair of polka dotted pants. Smiling, she handed them to Mia. "Put these on," she instructed, and Mia complied.

          So there she stood, wearing a blanket as a cape, clown pants, socks on her hands pulled up to her elbows, and a pink wig on her head. Lilly and Tina looked at each other and smiled. "Now," Lilly instructed, keeping a straight face, "I want you to go out in the hallway and run up and down it, screaming as loud as you possibly can."

          "But won't that wake people up?" Mia asked.

          "Nobody important," Lilly said, shrugging.

          Tina giggled.

          Mia opened the door, and Lilly and Tina stuck their heads out, giggling as they waited. She took a deep breath, and then began to run crazily up and down the hallway, flapping her arms all over the place, running into the walls, and screaming nonsensical words at the top of her lungs. The camera flash went off and Mia didn't even care that her friends were taking pictures of her and laughing.

          She turned to face them and smile, ripping the wig off her head and the socks off of her hands as she did, in triumphant glee. Lilly and Tina laughed uncontrollably. As she turned around, eyes closed in relief, she threw her wig over her shoulder and stepped forward to retrieve the pink wig, bumping into something strong and warm as she did.

          Quickly, Mia opened her eyes and found that her gray eyes were staring back into a pair of startled deep brown eyes. And her hands, complete with manicured fingernails, were resting on the soft, warm skin of someone's strong shoulders.

          Mortified, Mia jumped back in surprise. She tried to get out the words to apologize, but she couldn't. She simply stood there, staring. And then she realized who it was standing right in front of her. His inquisitive gaze into her eyes had shifted, and his brown eyes were focused on the hardwood floor somewhere around his feet.

It was the boy who had bumped into her that first day of school. The boy who was sitting with that Judith girl, the boy who'd held hands with Judith Gershner, the girl who cloned fruit flies. The boy with the perfect smile, the beautiful brown eyes, and the perfect shaggy dark brown hair that fell in his face in the most perfect way possible. And he was standing in front of her, shirtless. SHIRTLESS. In Lilly Moscovitz's apartment at one thirty in the morning. What was wrong with this picture?

          She turned bright red, and stepped back quickly. Somehow, her fingers found their way to her blanket-cape and she untied it quickly, wishing her fingers wouldn't stumble so much. The blanket fell to the floor and she nervously ran her hands through her blonde hair.

          "I think this belongs to you?" He said, smiling at her in an amused sort of fashion, handing her the pink wig that he had obviously caught when she threw it over her shoulder haphazardly.

          Mia grabbed it from his hands, her cheeks burning, and turned to see if her friends were still standing in Lilly's doorway, but they had disappeared. "I'm really sorry," Mia said, finally finding the words to speak. What on earth was going on here?

          "It's no problem," he answered, quietly. "I've seen you before, haven't I?"

          Mia nodded, embarrassed. "Hallway, at school."

          "Oh, yeah, I knocked you over. I'm sorry about that and all. I was kind of in a hurry. I had a computer club meeting," he explained, the expression on his face soft and cheeks slightly flushed a light shade of pink. "By the way, are you okay?"

          "Yeah," Mia answered, unable to give him more than one word answers. She was still unsure as to what he was doing in Lilly's apartment at such a late hour.

          He smiled at her, and Mia thought she might melt right there on the floor outside the door. "I'm Michael Moscovitz."

          Mia looked at him. So his name was Michael. That still didn't explain what he was doing in her apartment at this hour.

          "Lilly's older brother," he continued.

          Mia felt her jaw drop.

After a few moments of silence, Mia realized that he was politely waiting for her to respond. "I'm Mia Thermopolis," Mia stammered nervously, her cheeks still flushed a bright red. How come Lilly hadn't said anything about having an older brother? (An absolutely beautiful older brother, at that.) Mia was going to kill Lilly. "Lilly never told me she had an older brother. We were just playing truth or dare, which was what I was doing. That's what I'm doing wearing these insane pants. I'm really not crazy. I'm sort of Lilly's new friend." She paused, taking a shallow, lengthy breath of air in.

          "Nice to meet you?" Mia finished, lamely.

          He laughed, and shrugged his bare shoulders. "Lilly likes to pretend that I don't exist. Are you new at Albert Einstein, then?"

          Mia nodded.

          "I guess I'll see you around there sometime, Mia Thermopolis," he said softly, and with a shy smile, retreated back into his bedroom and closed the door quietly behind him. Mia tried not to watch his back as he departed.

          What had just happened?