Chapter 3
Mia

I came to a resolution when dealing with His Royal Pain-in-the-butt. I'm simply going to ignore him. I won't even acknowledge his presence in the world. If I see him walking down the hall and he waves at me, I will look the other direction and go on my way. And if my plan works the way I know it will, his stay will be much more pleasurable for me.

And luckily for me, I have a date with Kenny today, so I won't have to spend much time in the palace while the staff gets ready for Prince Michael's fancy ball.

I was running down the staircase in a pair of jeans and a nice white top and my favorite sneakers when Julia spotted me. "Excuse me, Your Highness," she held her hand out to stop me, her eyebrows jumping up into her forehead. "Where do you think you're going?"

"I'm going on a date with Kenny. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm late."

With a quizzical look, she stated, "You never were this energetic to go out on a date with Mr. Showalter before."

I tried to let my exasperation bleed through my voice. "He's my boyfriend, Julia, and I'm trying to be a good girlfriend to him. He deserves that."

"Okay, that's it," she said as she grabbed my arm and forcefully led me back to my room. "Something's wrong and I'm not letting you leave this palace until you tell me."

"I'm fine!" I cried while fruitlessly struggling against her iron grip.

"No you're not," she insisted grimly as she threw open the door to my chambers and threw me into a chair. "What's going on?"

I glared at her resentfully and replied, "Nothing's going on. I was just going to meet Kenny at the theater, but now I'm gonna be late thanks to my paranoid personal assistant."

"Mia," she began warningly. She gave me that look that told me I wasn't going anywhere until I spilled. And the worst part was, I usually did.

"Fine!" I cried melodramatically. "I'm trying to get out of the palace."

She rolled her eyes. "I assumed as much. Why?"

"I'm trying to get away from Prince Michael," I muttered almost inaudibly, but I knew she heard it.

Her eyebrows furrowed. "Why?"

Before I could stop myself, I spilled the whole, disgusting story of what happened last night in his room. Julia clucked sympathetically during certain parts and shook her head at Prince Michael's insensitive comments. When I was finished, she asked, "Is that why you're trying to avoid him?"

I nodded.

"Well, sweetie, as your friend, I'd say that the best thing for you to do is to keep your head held up high. He's forcing you to run away, but princesses don't run away."

"He's not forcing me to run away. I'm running away of my own accord. And besides," I said, preparing to leave, "this is the only way I can think of to deal wit him. If I just ignore him, he'll leave me alone. Anyways, I've gotta go, Julia. I'll see you later, alright?"

Michael

I feel like such a jerk.

Should I apologize? Yeah, I should apologize. Or not. Should I apologize? Apologizing is a skill that I need to acquire before I take the throne, or so my mother keeps reminding me. But what if she doesn't accept my apology? What I insulted her so much that she'll hold a grudge forever? Diplomatic relations would be seriously complicated…oh geez.

I screwed up big time.

On my way back from lunch, I ran into Julia in the hallway. "Oh, hey, Julia, have you seen Mia around? I was hoping I could talk to her—"

"She went on a date with Kenny, so she won't be home until after dinner," she cut in briskly. "You can apologize tomorrow."

"Thank—wait a minute," I said suspiciously. "How did you know I was gonna apologize to her?"

She looked up from her clipboard and over the glasses that were primly perched on the bridge of her nose. "Mia told me about the whole ordeal that transpired between the two of you last night, and I feel obligated to inform you that she was quite distressed." My heart sunk, but Julia's lips lapsed into a small smile. "However, you don't exactly strike me as the type to ruthlessly destroy someone's self-esteem without feeling terrible about it, so I am assuming that is why you want to talk to her?"

I nodded, a little shocked from her speech. "Do you think she'll forgive me?" I asked anxiously.

Julia shrugged. "She's resolved to completely ignore you, and she can be very stubborn when she wants to be, but…I don't know. Just in case, be prepared to work very hard."

I nodded. I suspected as much. "Thanks, Julia."

She grinned and winked. "No problem, kid. Just try not to be such a pain in the ass." And with that, she walked off down the hallway, glancing down at her clipboard every so often.

Damn it, I didn't know I upset her that much. There's seriously something wrong with me.

But if she thinks she can ignore me, she's got another thing coming. I'm gonna be the most un-ignorable person in the world, and there is no way she's gonna be able to avoid me.

"Ah, Your Highness! I am glad you are here," a flamboyant little man cried when he spotted me. He looked like a butterfly; no, seriously, he actually had silk wings on his back.

"Michael, this is Sebastiano, Amelia's cousin and renown fashion designer," Clarisse explained as she puffed on her cigarette. "He will be designing your suit for your ball."

"Oh, okay," I said in what I hoped was a cheerful voice. I was a little doubtful of what a man with psychedelic wings sewn on the back of his shirt could produce, but Clarisse seemed to trust him and she struck me as the type that could be very picky.

"I shall need to measure you," he declared as he clapped his hands and a little boy, about eight-years-old held out a tape measure. Sebastiano took it and wrapped it around my chest. He called out the measurements and his small assistant took them down. He had me contorted into the strangest positions, too; first he had me put both my arms over my had like a ballerina, then he had me bend over at the waist holding my left arm out and my right arm over my head. Then he had me bending at the knees with one arm hanging down and the other wrapped around my shoulders. When I asked him why he insisted on putting me in all these weird positions, he sniffed, "It is so I can see how you move, how you hold yourself! With my observations, I will find a suit that will give justice to your movements. Now, I want you to put your left leg up and your right arm bent over your head. Yes, yes, very good!"

When Sebastiano declared that he had all the information he needed, he shook my hand soundly and walked out of the palace, his little assistant scurrying behind him.

"He's a genius, Michael," Clarisse assured me with a sip of her sidecar. "You will look magnificent at the ball."

After all that, I better, I thought grumpily.

Mia

The date, like many with Kenny, had its ups and downs. I didn't mind it when he insisted on paying for my ticket and my popcorn. I didn't mind it when he reached for my hand in the movie theater. What I did mind was him trying to make out with me in the dark. I know most couples aren't usually concerned with the plot for movies anymore, but I happened to be extremely drawn into the film.

After the movie, however, we were just strolling down the street hand-in-hand. I have to admit, it was nice, except for the fact that his palm was kind of sweaty, but that can be overlooked. I have found that I like Kenny the most when he's not trying. Or talking.

When we reached the palace, I asked him if he would be my escort to the ball on Friday. His face lit up in happiness and he said yes. Of course. I hadn't really expected him to say no, but if he did, I don't think I would have been too torn up.

I have to break up with him. I really do.

As soon as I walked into the palace I was ambushed by none other than Prince Michael himself. "Hiya, Mia!" He cried in a distinctly Kenny-esque voice.

Remembering my resolution this morning, I huffed past him and up the staircase to my chambers. I'll give you three guesses as to what he did next.

That's right. He followed me. Bravo, you get a cookie.

"Why so glum, Princess? Turn that frown upside down!" He shouted in an annoyingly upbeat tone. Turning to stare at him like a mad lunatic wouldn't constitute as ignoring, so I didn't, no matter how much I wanted to.

"Was it Kenny?" He continued, ignoring my attempt to ignore him.

That's none of your business, I thought through gritted teeth.

"I bet it was," he said, acting like we were having a perfectly rational conversation. "He strikes me as the kind of boyfriend that can't do anything right, no matter how hard he tries."

Why was my room so far away?

"And you know what else?" He said with the air of someone who was speaking confidentially with his best friend. "I think you should break up with him. You two don't really match. My sister said that the best significant others usually match complexions. He's too pale for you."

Ha! I can see the door to my chambers.

"I bet Clarisse told you that one day, your face will freeze like that, didn't she? If she didn't, I feel it my duty to inform you that your face will indeed paralyze in that rather uncomfortable position if you continue to look like that for long."

My hands were beginning to curl up into fists. Just a few more steps, Mia. Just a few more steps.

"To be honest, Princess, I'm surprised you'd want to go out with a skinny twerp like Kenny. I bet you didn't know he threatened me after you left the two of us in the hall yesterday, did you? Yeah, he told me, and this is a direct quote, 'you keep away from my girl!' I dunno, but that sounds like some old fashioned male chauvinism to me."

I reached out and twisted the doorknob. Just a few more seconds—

"But, um, anyways, that's not really...that's notwhy I wanted to talk to you. I, uh…" he trailed off.

Despite my better judgment, I stopped and waited. I didn't turn to look at him, so it wasn't technically breaking my decision to ignore him, but I wasn't not ignoring him either. If that makes any sense.

"I, um…well, I just wanted to apologize for yesterday. My behavior was uncalled for and I hope that you'll forgive me…and stuff…so…yeah…"

Without comprehending the utter foolishness of my actions, I did something completely stupid, even by my own standards.

I turned around and gave him a quick peck on the cheek before ripping the door to my chambers open and running inside before my face exploded in embarrassment.

Michael

Okay, so it wasn't necessarily the most brilliant apologies in the history of apologies, but you have to admit, it was successful.

As soon I was in my own chambers and out of sight of anyone who could see me, I did a little victory dance. She kissed me! She kissed me! Albeit, it was on the cheek, but that doesn't matter. It still constitutes as a kiss.

Wait, what does this mean? Does that mean she forgives me? You wouldn't give someone a kiss on the cheek after he apologizes if you didn't mean to forgive him, would you? Right?

This is all so confusing. If I were on better terms with my sister, I would call her to ask what this all means, but seeing as how I'm not, that's not an option. Do I just assume? Is it okay if I knock on Mia's door and ask her if she's forgiven me?

I'm being ridiculous. Of course she's forgiven me.

But girls are weird. They say something, then do something else completely different. Once, I was going out with this girl named Judith and I ordered some escargot at a fancy French restaurant. We had a nice date and everything, but when I called her the next day, she informed me (very coldly, I might add) that she did not like the way I treated mollusks. I thought the whole thing was ridiculous, so I told her I didn't like the way she treated strawberries. Then she hung up on me.

Anyways, the point of that story is that girls' minds just work in weird ways.

I'm gonna have to find out if she really meant that.

Wewere all sitting inthe formal dining room, waiting for the soup course to be served when Clarisse announced, "Sebastiano will be arriving shortly to fit you for your gown, Amelia."

I could see the groan in her eyes, even if she didn't make a sound. "He's not gonna put me in all those weird positions again, is he? I would have figured the first three times, he would have gotten a good picture, but—"

"Never insult an artist's methods, Amelia," Clarisse interrupted coldly. He is your cousin and an up and coming fashion designer. Soon all those clothes in your closet will be priceless collector's items and you'll be glad you have them."

Mia cleverly disguised her rolling eyes and said, "Lucky me."

"Oh, and also, you will be accompanying Prince Michael at the ball."

"What?" My heart sank at her slightly panicked tone. Maybe she didn't forgive me after all. "What if Prince Michael wants someone else to escort him?"

Not really, I thought glumly.

"This is tradition, Amelia. You know everyone in the Genovian court, so you must accompany and introduce him to our political leaders."

"I would know who everyone was if I was paying attention," she muttered quietly to herself. "But what if Michael has someone else he wants to escort to the ball?"

"It's tradition," she repeated simply.

"But what if I have someone else I want to take to the ball? I already asked Kenny to be my escort."

"Then you'll just have to explain the situation to him," Clarisse said as if it were the simplest concept in the world. "Kenneth is a very patient young lad. He'll understand."

She said nothing else on the subject, but quickly excused herself immediately after the desert plates were cleared away. I followed suit and ran off to her chambers before she had the chance to slam her door in my face.

"Mia, wait," I pleaded as I knocked on her door.

I could almost feel her reluctance as she opened her door a fraction of an inch and looked at me with one her gray eyes. "What do you want, Michael?"

I took a deep breath. "I—I just wanted to know if you forgave me this afternoon or not," I said quickly before the little courage I had gathered disappeared altogether.

She mumbled something incoherent. "Sorry? I didn't quite get that."

I heard her clear her throat and reply, "I forgave you, okay? Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to make a phone call."

After she closed her door, I punched the air with my fist. She forgave me! Haha!

A/N- I'm back! And I got all of you something too: a new chapter. No need to thank me, but reviews are, as always, greatly appreciated!