Tuesday, October 21 st, 1:00 a.m.

ENGLISH PROJECT: MY DIARY

By MiaThermopolis i i.

Name: My full name is Princess Amelia Mignonette Grimaldi Thermopolis Renatdo of Genovia. When people speak to me they call me, "Your Highness." In America, I'm sometimes called "Princess Mia." A month ago, everyone called me Mia (or Amelia) Thermopolis. My friends call me "Mia." Age: 14

School Grade: Freshman—ninth grade. Description: I'm five feet and nine inches tall. My eyes are gray and my feet are too large. My hair is short and very curly. The real color of my hair is tight brown. But last month, I went to abeauty salon. Paolo, the stylist, cut my hair and colored it blond. I'm a vegetarian—I don't eat meat. Parents: My mother's name is Helen Thermopoiis. She's an artist. My father's full name is Artur Christoff Philippe Gerard Grimaldi Renaldo. He is the Prince of Genovia. 11

Pets: Fat Louie—an orange and white cat. Fat Louie is eight years old and he weighs 25 pounds.

Best Friend: Lilly Moscovitz. Lilly is very smart and she's interested in politics and ecology. She cares about people and what happens to the planet Earth. She makes films about the people of New York, and their problems. She has her own TVshow—Lilly Tells It Like it Is. Boyfriend: I don't have one.

Address: 1005 Thompson Street. Apartment 4A, New York. I've lived all my life in New York City with my mother. But every summer I go to France and visit my father. We stay in my grandmother's house.

About a month ago, my father told me, "Mia, I am the Prince of Genovta. You are my heir." After that, he came to stay at the Plaza Hotel in New York. He's staying in a suite in the penthouse—rooms on the hotel's top floor. My grandmother has a suite in the penthouse too. I have to go there every afternoon. My grandmother is teaching me how to be a princess.

Afternoon

Lilly sat with me in the cafeteria during lunch.

"What's wrong, Mia ?" she asked. "Something's wrong." I wanted to say, "Lilly, my mom's PREGNANT!" But I didn't say this. I told a lie. "Nothing's wrong," I said. But Lilly didn't believe me.

I'm worried about my mom and Mr Gianini. Will Grandmere be mad about my mom's pregnancy? Will she be angry when she hears the news about the baby? And what about my dad? How will he feel ? Wil I he be angry ? Or will he be sad.'A year ago, my daJ got very sick. He had cancer. Dad is OK now, bur he can't have any more children. He's not in

love with my mom now, but maybe this news will hurt him.

And has Mom thought aboui which foods are best for a pregnant woman? My mom doesn't eat healthy foods. She eats too many candy bars, cakes and pizzas, and she drinks beer. Our refrigerator is full of the wrong kinds of food. I must throw out all the alcohol and coffee. I must buy fresh fruit, vegetables and milk.

Late afternoon

Today, I used the school ^comP"ter and I went on the Internet. I found some information about pregnancy. Lilly saw what I was lookingat. "Do you have a secret to tell e, Mia ?" she said in a shocked ice. "Arc youpr^gna?u?" Lilly's voice is very loud. ' Everyone heard her.

"I'm looking for some information for my Biology class," I said. Only part of this was true. I'm working on a special project with Kenny Showalter. Kenny is my study partner in Biology class. The project isn't about pregnant women. It's about insects. But Lilly doesn't know this.

Lilly went on talking about pregnancy. 1 was very embarrassed because her brother, Michael, was sitting with us. He heard our conversation. 1 wanted Lilly to shut up.

I've liked Michael for a long time. But he doesn't know this. He's a senior student—he's older than me. He's very

smart and he's kind. He's also good-looking, and he has a gorgeous body. But Michael doesn't notice me at all. I'm just his younger sister's best friend.

Grandmere's Surprise

Monday, October 20th. After school

When I got home, there was a phone message on the answering machine. Grandmere had called while we were out.

"My plans have changed," she said in her message. "I was going away for a few days. But now I have decided to stay in New York. Call me back immediately, Amelia. I have a surprise for you."

What is Grandmere's surprise? It's something horrible,
I'm sure. I'm not going to call her back. If she calls again, I'll
tell a lie. I'll say, "I didn't get your message. The answering
machine didn't work properly." ₍

Early evening■'■>.

Grandmere called again.

"Come and have dinner with me and your father tonight at the Plaza Hotel," she said. "I'll tell you about your surprise then."

My mom has invited Mr Gianini to our apartment this evening. She is going to tell him about the baby. I will go to the Plaza and have dinner with Dad and Grandmere.

Lateevening—11:00 p.m.

Inow know all about Grandmere's surprise, and I don't like

it. I'm going to be on a TV show called Twenty'Four/Seven. Lots of people in America watch this show every week. Twenty-Four/Seven is very popular.

Grandmere spoke to the people who work on the show. She made an arrangement with them. I'm going to be interviewed by Beverly Bellerieve. Beverly is going to ask me questions about being a princess. The interview will be filmed next Saturday.

I don't want to be on the Twenty-Four/Seven show. But Grandmere won't listen to me. "You have to tell everybody about Genovia," she said. "Then lots of tourists will go there. This will be very good for Genovia."

"Your grandmother is right, Mia," said my dad. Then he started asking questions about the interviewer, Beverly Bellerieve.

"Didn't she win the Miss America beauty competition in 1991?" he said. "Is she dating anyone?" My dad likes beautiful women.

"Where will the interview be filmed?" I asked. "Will it be filmed at my apartment, or at the Plaza Hotel?"

Then I thought about my mom and Mr Gianini.

"What will Mr Gianini say when Mom tells him about the baby?" I said to myself. "Will he be happy?"

When I got back to the apartment, the door to my mom's bedroom was closed. I heard Mom and Mr Gianini talking quietly inside the room. I want Mr Gianini to be pleased about the baby. He's the best guy that my mother has ever dated.

I went into my bedroom and switched on my computer. There was an e-mail message from Michael Moscovitz. He wanted to talk to me. Michael likes working on computers. He is a member of the Computer Club at school. He writes an online magazine called Crackhead.

Michael and I often use our computers to send instant messages to each other. We have conversations in an Internet chatroom. We use different names when we chat to each other. I use the name "FtLouie." It means Fat Louie. It's the name of my cat. Michael uses the name "CracKing"—a criminal who sells drugs. Michael is always making clever jokes. This was our conversation:

CracKing: At school today you were weird. What's wrong with you?

FtLouie: Nothing is wrong. I'm fine.

CracKing: You weren't listening when I was helping you with your Algebra problems. FtLouie: Yes, I was. I heard everything that you said.

But I wasn't telling Michael the truth. There is something wrong. I have a problem, and I can't talk to him about it. I HAVE A CRUSH ON MICHAEL MOSCOVITZ! When I'm close to Michael, I can't think clearly. He makes me feel happy and excited.

I have to stop writing now. My mom is outside my room.She's knocking at the door.

-" - •■ ■■^rii^; ■;■■ ■ ■
Very late. . '^J

My mom just came into my bedroom and she was crying.

"Why are you crying?" I asked. "Isn't Mr Gianini pleased about the baby? What did he say?"

"I'm crying because I'm so happy," she replied.

Then she pulled me into the living room. Mr Gianini was
standing there. -71

"We want you to hear our news first," said my mom. "We're getting married."

Then she put her arms around me and held me tightly. Mr Gianini hugged me too. It's very weird, being hugged by yourAlgebra teacher!

Tuesday, October 21 st, 1:00 a.m.

MY MOM AND MR GIANINI ARE GETTING MARRIED! Does my mom believe in marriage? She never married my dad. Maybe he never asked her.

I've just realized something. If my mom marries Mr Gianini, he'll live with us. He'll live here, in this apartment. I'll have to eat breakfast every morning WITH MY ALGEBRA TEACHER!

9:00 a.m.

When I woke up this morning, my throat was painful. I felt ill and I couldn't talk properly. I tried to shout for my mom, but my voice was very weak. She couldn't hear me. So I got up and went down the hall to her room.

"Mom, I'm sick," I whispered. "I can't go to school today. Please will you call the school? And please call Lars. Tell him, 'Don't come with the limousine.' And call Lilly."

Lars is my driver and bodyguard. His job is to protect me because I'm a princess. He drives me to school every day in my dad's limousine. We always pick up Lilly and take her to school too.

Late morning

My mom usually goes to her art studio to paint. But today she stayed at home and looked after me. She made me cups of tea and special food.

At ten o'clock, Mom put a thermometer in my mouth. She took my temperature. She wanted to find out if my body heat was normal. After a minute, she took the thermometer out of my mouth and looked at it.

"Your temperature is ninety-nine point zero degrees," she said. "It is zero point six degrees higher than normal." Then

she touched my face. "Your skin is hot. You have a fever. Stay

in bed and rest."

My temperature:

11:45 a.m.—99.2°F

12:14 p.m.—99.1°F

1:27 p.m.—98.6°F

2:05 p.m.—99.0°F

3:35 p.m.—99.1°F

Maybe my temperature won't be normal by Saturday.

Then I can't be interviewed by Beverly Bellerieve. GREAT!

Evening

Grandmere called a short time ago. "I'm sick," I told her. But she didn't feel sorry for me at all.

"If I'm still sick on Saturday, I won't be able to do the interview," I said.

"Of course you will," said Grandmere. "A princess must do her duties for her people, even if she is sick."

;; '."■;. •

Wednesday, October 22nd ■•. i. .. <'~ When I woke up, my temperature was 102°F! My mom called my dad. She asked him to take me to my doctor. So Lars and my dad came to the apartment in the limousine.

We had to sit in the doctor's reception for about ten minutes before the doctor examined me. My dad spent the ten minutes talking to the doctor's pretty receptionist.

The doctor looked inside my throat and felt my neck.

"You have a throat infection," he said.

Then he wrote a prescription for some medicine. "Take this," he said, giving me the piece of paper. "Go to a drug store and buy this medicine. You must take the medicine four times each day. When your temperature is normal, you can go to school."

As soon as I got home, I took some of the medicine. Then I went to bed.

My temperature: 5:20 p.m.—99.3°F 6:45 p.m.—99.2°F 7:52 p.m.—99.1 °F

My temperature is starting to go down. I don't want to get better too quickly! If I'm better by Saturday, I'll have to do that stupid interview.

A Secret Admirer

Thursday, October 23rd

This morning, something very exciting happened.

My mom brought me a letter that came in the mail. When I opened the envelope, I got a big surprise. Someone has sent me a LOVE LETTER! I don't know who sent it, there was no name at the end. It was from a secret admirer. The person wanted to keep his name a secret. The letter was signed, "A Friend." It was printed on a computer. There was no handwriting on it. This is what it said:

Dear Mia,

I feel strange writing this letter. But I'm too shy to talk to you. I can't tell you my real feelings. So I'm writing my feelings in this letter. I've liked you for a very long time. I liked you before you became a princess. I'll always like you.

Sincerely,

A Friend

I've never had a letter like this before! Is it from Michael Moscovitz? I hope that it is. But Michael sees me nearly

every day. And he's never spoken to me about his feelings. If the letter isn't from Michael, who sent it?

I want to call Lilly, Tina and Shameeka and tell them about the letter. But they are in school. I can't be SICK NOW! I have to get well immediately. I want to go back to school and find out about this letter.

Mv temperature:

10:45 p.m.—99.2°F

11:15 p.m.—99.1°F

12:27 p.m.—98.6°F Yes! YES! I'm getting better!

2:05 p.m.—99.0°F. Oh no! My temperature going up again!

3:35 p.m.—99.1°F. I'm not getting better! Why is this happening to me?

Late afternoon

Lilly came to the apartment after school. She bought some homework for me.

I didn't tell Lilly about the letter. I won't tell anyone. A love letter is very private. Maybe Michael did write it. If he wrote it, he won't want everyone to know about it.

Lilly sat on my bed and we watched a movie on TV. The movie was about a handsome boy who fell in love with a girl. Later, the boy found out that the girl was a princess. Her story was just like mine! But the girl in the movie couldn't marry the handsome boy. Her father had arranged for her to marry a prince.

"Maybe my dad has arranged a royal marriage for me too," I said to Lilly. "So I can't fall in love with a handsome actor, or your brother Michael. I'll have to marry someone like Prince William, and live in Britain."

Lilly looked at me, then she went into the living room.

My father was sitting there, reading a newspaper. He was looking after me for a few hours. My mom wasn't in the apartment. She didn't want to tell Dad about her marriage to Mr Gianini, or her pregnancy. She had gone shopping.

"Mr Renaldo,"! heard Lilly say. "Is Mia secretly engaged to be married? Is she going to be married to a prince, or a millionaire?"

"No, of course not," said ~ my dad.

Lilly came back into my bedroom. "You're worried about falling in love with an actor. I understand that," she said. "But why did you talk about love and my brother Michael?"

Immediately, I realized my mistake. I don't want Lilly to know my feelings about her brother. I didn't answer her question.

Evening

After dinner, I switched on my computer and read my e-mail. Lots of my friends had sent me messages. There was a message from Tina Hakim Baba. "Get well soon," she said. Another friend, Shameeka, sent me an invitation to her party. Michael had sent a message too. It was a little film with a cat in it—a cat like Fat Louie. The cat was dancing and it was really cute. Michael had signed the message: Love, Michael.

Did Michael send me the love letter on Thursday? Is he the shy friend? I don't know. The word love wasn't in that letter. The sender of the letter—"A Friend"—used the word liked. And he signed it, "Sincerely."

Then I saw another e-mail. I didn't recognize the e-mail address. It was from someone using the name, JoCrox. Who is Jo Crox? Is he the person who sent the love letter? Is he my secret admirer? Is he the boy who likes me? This was the message:

JoCrox: I hoped to see you in class today. Then I heard about your throat infection. Are you feeling better? Did you get my letter? Get well soon. Your Friend

Jo Crox is my secret admirer! But who is he? He wanted to see me in class. So we must take a class together. But there is no one in any of my classes with the name Jo.

Maybe Jo Crox isn't his real name. I looked at the name and thought for a few minutes. Then I understood! JoCrox. Jo-C-rox. Jo-see-rocks. Josie Rocks! Josie is the name of my favorite character, Josie, in the TV show Josie and the Pussycats. Josie "rocks" means Josie is cool. This person is saying, "Josie is cool." This person must know me well! I replied immediately.

FtLouie: Dear Friend,

I got your letter. Thank you very much. Who are you? I won'ttell anyone. Please tell me. I'll keep your secret. I waited for about half an hour, but Jo-C-rox didn't write back.

Date: 2015-12-18; view: 1727