Disclaimer: Meg Cabot gets credit for all the characters and settings and everything except for Reginald Hall, I am but the measly little author who wrote this fan fiction. Read. Remember. Good.

I seem to have made a mistake (Oops) in my last chapter due to my haste in trying to get as many chapters up here as I can before I must be forced to leave my computer for two weeks, so in chapter three:

Mia is worth three hundred million dollars, NOT three million as Michael said in their IM conversation- and, um yeah, I think that's all...

Chapter 4. Shocked into a daze twice in less than ten minutes

Algebra (Friday)

Only FIVE MINUTES after I stepped into G&T today, I could feel Lilly's eyes boring into the back of my skull. I was fully minding my own business, trying to listen to Michael explain algebra slopes. I thought I was acting pretty mature, if you ask me. I didn't publicly scorn any of my best friends, or anything. Because only someone IMMATURE would do that. Named LILLY.

I should have just turned around and went, "Do you NEED something?" or whatever, but Lilly can be kind of scary.

If Lilly saw that, she would say I'm not assertive enough. Yeah, right! I could be totally assertive, if I wanted to. Like that time in Miragnac (A/N spelling? Ah, well) when I was seven and I stole all of Grandmere's cigarettes from her bedroom and threw them in the lake because I was sick of her smoking and polluting the air all the time.

Except I ended up getting in really big trouble for that and had to write her a written apology.

But still. That counts as assertive. In one way or another.

"Are you aware that your sister has laser beams for eyes?" I mumbled to Michael while he was talking. And then I felt really stupid because I realized that I interrupted him. You know, I don't understand why I had to be the princess. I am so far from one, it's not even FUNNY. Well, I'm pretty sure my mom thinks it is. But then again, SHE doesn't have to walk around with a SEVEN FOOT Nordic bodyguard.

Michael didn't seem peeved that I interrupted him, though. He just snorted and said, "Yeah, one of her favorite hobbies is burning holes through the back of my head."

This caused me to laugh, which in turn caused Lilly to glare at me in a way that almost matched Grandmere's evil eye. She has NO right. So, just because she's mad at me, I have to hate her brother? Not gonna happen. I need as many allies as I can GET, at this point in time.

Which brings me to Tina, who thinks the fact that she now gets to attend a royal ball (granted her father lets her go) is the coolest thing since yogurt in a tube.

"Mia, that is SO AWESOME!" she said during lunch, actually putting down her romance novel for a moment so that we could fully discuss it. See? Lilly SO would have never done that. "You can finally dance with Michael and tell him how you feel!"

HA. Yeah, right. But, you know, she looked so happy and excited, so I just went, "Yeah, maybe." In other words, like NEVER. I am NEVER EVER in a MILLION years telling Michael James Moscovitz how I feel about him. He thinks I'm only his little sister's best friend. And plus, said best friend would totally TOTALLY freak! I think, maybe, even more so than the Princess thing. If that's even possible.

And then after saying that, I realized just WHAT Tina had said, and I fully started choking on my coke. Lars had to slap me on the back a few times before I could breathe again. And then I sputtered, "WHAT? How... HOW did you KNOW?"

"Oh. Uh, well, you know, I read a lot of romance novels and stuff, so I could kind of tell. Most of the girls in them don't blush all that much, but you do every time you're around him, so I just figured."

I was all set on denying it. I even opened my mouth to do so. But for some reason I looked across the cafeteria at the Computer Club table, and there was Michael, looking disturbed at something Kenny was saying. He looks kind of cute when he's disturbed...

ANYWAY, so I looked at Michael and took a huge breath and said, "Tina, if you tell ANYONE I swear I will KILL YOU."

And then she smiled. BEAMED, actually. "Oh, Mia, I can't wait! You and Michael, it's so perfect. Will Prince William be there? Because I would ABSOLUTELY LOVE to dance with him!" And then she sighed all dreamily, probably thinking things about Prince William that I really would not want to know.

I seriously felt like giving her a hug, though. Because I didn't think anyone would APPLAUD my feelings for Michael. I mean, come ON. He's perfect, and I am the most far from it you could ever GET.

Anyway, so back to G&T. I was busy getting even more confused about Algebra while Michael was trying to explain those stupid slopes to me when the bell rang. All I could think was, THANK GOD. Even when a totally adorable guy is teaching it to me, I still can't stand algebra.

So then Michael got up and grabbed his stuff and went, "See you tomorrow night, Mia."

Woah.

WOAH!

Michael called me MIA! My first name!

MICHAEL CALLED ME BY MY FIRST NAME!

Not Thermopolis. Mia. I love how it sounded when he said it.

I'm pretty sure I mumbled something unintelligible in reply, and then just sat there, in my desk. For, like, five minutes. I didn't even care that the entire class had already ran out of there.

So I was busy being totally shocked when someone waved a hand in front of my face ever so rudely. "MIA!" whoever it was called.

I looked up to see Lilly Moscovitz standing in front of me, looking annoyed.

HA. I should be the annoyed one! It's not like I did anything to HER. Yeah, like I really had a choice to be a Princess.

"What were you saying?" I asked coldly.

"I said that I'm sorry about how I acted the other day. I just wish you would've told me about being the Princess of Genovia."

DOUBLE WOAH.

LILLY was APOLOGIZING?

This, clearly, put me back into a state of complete shock. I almost, ALMOST, forgot I was mad at her. "Oh," I replied intelligently. "Yeah. Um. Sorry I didn't tell you sooner. I was actually kind of hoping no one would find out in the first place."

"Yeah," Lilly said, adjusting her glasses. "I guess I can kind of see why."

So I guess I'm not VERY mad at Lilly anymore. Just somewhat mad. If that's possible. "Yeah. So, are you coming to the ball?"

"Yeah, but do you mind if I bring my camera? I wanted to film it for Lilly Tells it Like it is. Unless you'd rather not be on TV, but I wanted to be the first one to get you in POG action."

Clearly, Lilly was making an effort to be nice, because she actually asked me permission to bring her camera. "Um... ok. Why did you say POG?"

"Princess of Genovia. Duh."

I was about to object to being called POG, but the bell rang for the start of Algebra, where I am now, and Lilly and I hadn't even gotten out of the G&T room yet.

"Crap, I've gotta get to PE. I should NOT have decided to take it Freshman year. Anyway, see you later, POG."

"Bye Lilly. And don't call me POG."

And that was the end of our conversation. So really, I've had a very trying day of strange conversations, and I'm still in Algebra. I've yet to go to Princess Lessons after school.

Michael called me Mia!

Loft (Saturday)

I was too mentally drained to write last night, so now I'm doing it only THREE HOURS before the ball, which was a really bad idea because I'm totally freaking out. I have to be at Grandmere's suite in half an hour, and I'm still IN MY PAJAMAS. But I have an excuse to stay in my bedroom all day and watch made-for-TV-movies. Mr Gianini is over, and he and my mom are talking about wedding plans in the kitchen. So clearly, I would not want to be down there. Because it is very awkward to see your Algebra teacher and your mom kissing. I should know. Whatever, my dress is at the Plaza, anyway. Grandmere should only yell at me for a few minutes, if I'm lucky.

So anyway, when I got to the Plaza yesterday (it seems to be taking longer than ususal, do to all the reporters flinging themselves at the Limo to try and take my picture) the first thing Grandmere did was make me try on the dress. I had already got fitted for it, but for some reason she wanted to make sure it fit properly. So I went into her suite's bedroom (normally I stay as far away from there as I can) and put the dress on.

For some reason, it was harder to tell that I was totally flat. I don't know what Grandmere told those people at Chanel to do to it, but it looked really good on me. It kind of flares out at the bottom, but not so much so that I looked like the sugar plum fairy. (A/N: hehe. Had to put that.) Also, it's off the shoulder, with this light blue sash-thing that sits around my waist and trails down behind me to the floor. Grandmere got ballet flats instead of heels for the dress, too. If you ask me, that seems like an insult. When I asked her why, she said it's rude to be taller than the men you dance with.

Well. That eliminates about half the freshman and sophomore boys for school dances. Not that they'd ever go with me anyway.

Besides, I'm saving myself for Michael. That's probably a really stupid idea, considering he is likely NEVER going to ever think of me as anything more than a friend. But I can't bring myself to like anyone else. Even Josh Richter. Even Justin Baxendale.

Anyway, so I came out of the bedroom and stood in front of the lounge chair Grandmere was sitting in. She simply looked at me critically and said, in French, "the chest is a bit too big. Those incompetent people at Chanel, they cannot even get the sizes right. Although it does not help that not very many gowns come in sizes that small..."

Okay, so that clearly WAS an insult. HELLO, I was standing RIGHT THERE. I ask you, again, HOW did I get stuck with HER as a grandmother?

Grandmere snapped her head towards me, like she could read my mind or something. I don't even want to think about what would happen if that were true. "Does it feel alright, Amelia?" she asked me in English with a wave of her cigarette. I swear I have NEVER seen that woman without one.

"Um..."

"Oh well, it doesn't matter, at least it should be easy to fix. I'll just have them take it in a bit around the chest. Now go take it off and bring it back here, Amelia."

So much for making me look less flat. They'll probably take it in until it looks all scrunched up.

Apparently Mr Gianini doesn't stay after school to help out algebra kids like Lilly said he did. Because when I got back to the Loft, he and my mom were sitting on the couch, watching a movie. And Mr Gianini fully had his arm around my mom.

"Oh, hey, Mia," my mom said when she saw me walk in. I felt my whole face turn a bright shade of red. And all they were doing was sitting on the couch! What's going to happen to me when they get married? "How were Princess Lessons?"

"Um. Fine," I replied moronically, then bolted out of there to my room as fast as I could. And I thought my mom would get all upset over the fact that everyone knows I'm a princess. But instead, she was sitting on the couch with MY ALGEBRA TEACHER, letting him put his arm around her.

Well. They ARE engaged.

Then Lilly called at eight and wanted to know where exactly the ball was taking place, since Michael wouldn't tell her because she failed to wash the dishes at dinner and he had to do it. So I told her that it would be at Reginald Hall, which is this big fancy place in a really expensive part of Manhattan with all these huge chandeliers all over the ceilings. According to my dad, it's only used for really big events, and since royalty from pretty much all over the globe is going to be attending, that's the only place big enough to hold everyone. (A/N wow, TOTALLY made that up)

AH! I just looked at my clock and I have about 5 MINUTES to get my butt dressed and out to the limo! Grandmere is going to KILL me!

I know, I know, HORRIBLE way to end it. But feel happy! Because the next chapter is the ball! (WAY to give it away, alyssa.) ANYWAYS, Once again your reviews make me happy! And happiness makes me write! So thanks for reviewing! Chapter 4 coming to your computer very soon!