Meg Cabot - Princess on the Brink

WHY WOULD KENNY WANT TO BE LAB PARTNERS WITH ME???? I mean, except that I have better handwriting than he does, I can see no possible advantage for him in being lab partners with me. It’s true, he doesn’t know how bad my math practice PSAT score was.

But he KNOWS I suck in science. I can only bring our group effort down!

Oh, wait. Now J.P. just passed me a note.

Hey, Mia. I didn’t know you had Chem with Hipskin this semester. He’s supposed to be good. Want to be lab partners? I suppose that’s what Showalter just asked you in that note he flipped over to you. Ditch him, he’ll just hold you back with his constant protestations ofl’amour.I’m the one you want.

Which is funny, but—oh, dear. What do I do? I WANT to be lab partners with J.P., because I really like J.P. He is very amusing and, besides which, gets straight As—except for in Honors English last year, since he ALSO had Ms. Martinez (only for a different class period than mine) and she gave him a B same as me because—we decided—she just didn’t like our writing style.

But Kenny asked first. And Kenny and I are ALWAYS partners. He’s right, we can’t break with tradition.

WHY DO THESE THINGS ALWAYS HAPPEN TO ME????

Wait, I can figure this out. I mean, I haven’t had TWO YEARS of instruction in diplomacy for nothing.

I know…let’s all THREE be lab partners. Okay?—Mia

To which Kenny replied:

Cool! I like your new haircut, by the way. You look just like Anakin Skywalker fromThe Phantom Menace. You know, the one where he pod races?

Great. I look like a nine-year-old boy.

J.P. just wrote:

Skillfully done, grasshopper. I see your sensei has taught you well.

Sensei! That’s the first time I’ve ever heard anyone refer to my grandmother as THAT.

Would she be offended if she knew?

Are you kidding? I can totally see her in one of those karate uniforms, with a big stick, telling me that “some lessons can’t be taught. They must be lived to be understood.”

À la Terence Stamp inElektra.Nice. Only it’s called a gi.

What is?

A karate uniform. Don’t you know the ways of the fighting arts?

Sorry. But I know how to pour a formal tea.

Well, obviously you’re set for life then.

Hee. It’s fun talking to J.P. It’s like talking to a girl, only better, because he’s a guy. But there’s no sexual tension because I know he likes Lilly.

This might actually turn out not to be so bad. I mean, except for the whole Chemistry part.

—Matter—

—Pure substances—

—Mixtures—

Elements

Compounds

Homogeneous

Heterogeneous

Pure substance—constant composition

Element—composed of single atom

Compound—2 or more elements in a specific ratio

Mixture—combinations of pure substances

Only six hours until I get to see Michael. Please, God, don’t let me die of boredom before then.

Tuesday, September 7, Precalculus

Differentiation—finding the derivative

Derivative = slope

Derivative also rate

Integration

Infinite series

Divergent series

Convergent series

Wait.

Okay.

What?

They have GOT to be kidding.

Only five hours until I see Michael.

Tuesday, September 7, Assembly

Okay, well, THAT was lame. Only one person was nominated for student council president:

Me.

I am apparently running unopposed.

Principal Gupta is way disappointed in us. You can tell.

I guess I am, too. I mean, I knew our school was apathetic, and all. Look how everyone rushed out and bought Diddy’s new album when they KNOW he is withholding information about Biggie Smalls’s murder from the Los Angeles police.

But this is ridiculous.

Lilly practically cried. I guess it’s not really a victory if there’s no one to beat. I tried to tell her it was because we did such a great job last year, people figured there was no point in running against us, because we would just win anyway.

But then Lilly pointed out that everyone was just text messaging one another about what they’re doing after school during the entire Assembly, not even paying attention, so it was likely they didn’t even know WHAT was going on. They probably thought it was just another convocation on daring to keep off drugs.

HOMEWORK

Homeroom: n/a

Intro to Creative Writing: Describe a scene out your window

English:Franny and Zooey

French: Finishdécrire un soir amusant avec les amis

G & T: Prepare a summary for Mrs. Hill of what you hope to accomplish in G&T this semester

PE: Wash gym shorts

Chemistry: Ask Kenny/J.P.

Precalculus: Seriously. This class HAS to be a joke.

ME, A PRINCESS???? YEAH, RIGHT.

A Screenplay by Mia Thermopolis

(first draft)

Scene 13

INT/DAY—The Palm Court at the Plaza Hotel in New York City. Close-up of MIA’s face as she tries to digest what her father, PRINCE PHILLIPE, has just told her.

MIA

(fighting tears, and hiccups)

I am NOT moving to Genovia.

PRINCE PHILLIPE

(using his now-let’s-be-reasonable voice)

But, Mia. I thought you understood—

MIA

All I understand is that youlied to me my whole life.

Why should I come live withyou ?

MIA leaps up from the table, tipping over her chair, then rushes from the restaurant, nearly knocking over the snobby doorman on her way out.

Tuesday, September 7, W Hotel

So they’re converting the Plaza into condominiums and luxury time-shares. And Grandmère’s already bought the penthouse.

But they’re still renovating it. And Grandmère can’t live there with all the dust because of her sinuses. Not to mention the banging, which starts promptly at 7:30 a.m.

So she’s taken up residence at the W Hotel.

And she doesn’t seem to be liking it very much.

“This,” Grandmère was saying, as I walked into her suite—which, can I just say, is pretty freaking nice? I mean, it’s not exactly her style (it’s more modern than frou-frou—stripes and leather as opposed to floral and lace), but it’s got views all up and down the island of Manhattan, and a lot of shiny wood—“is completely unacceptable.”

She was saying this to a guy in a suit with a little gold nametag that said Robert on it.

Robert looked like he wanted to kill himself.

I sympathized. I know what Grandmère’s like when she’s on a tear.

And this one appeared to be a doozy.

“Daisies?” Grandmère’s voice had dipped to icy registers. “Does your staff really believedaisies are the appropriate flower with which to adorn the rooms of the dowager princess of Genovia?”

“I’m so sorry, madam,” Robert said. I saw him flick a glance over at me, all sprawled out across the kick-ass white couch in front of the flat-panel TV that—yes—appears as if from nowhere when you push a button, just like Joey always wanted onFriends .

You could tell Robert was totally looking for a hand with the Big G.

But there was no way I was letting myself get sucked into this one. I bent over my screenplay, scribbling away very busily. J.P. says when I finish it, he knows a producer who would be very interested in seeing it. Very interested! That practically means it’s sold.

“We put Gerbera daisies in all our rooms,” Robert went on, seeing he was getting no help from me. “No one has ever complained about them before.”

Grandmère looked at him as if he had just said that no one had ever pulled out a knife and committed hari-kari right in front of him before either.

“Have you ever had a PRINCESS stay in this hotel before?” she demanded.

“Actually, the princess of Thailand was here just last week before settling into her dorm room at NYU,” Robert began.