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The LAST person I wanted to see just then.
Or maybe the person I MOST wanted to see just then.
It all depended on what he had to say to me.
Slowly, I turned around.
And there stood Michael.
I guess it would sound superdramatic to say that everything else in the hallway seemed to vanish, until it was as if it was only Michael and me alone, standing there, just looking at each other.
If I wrote that in a story, Ms. Martinez would probably write CLICHÉ on it, or something.
Except, that it’s NOT a cliché. Because that’s really what it was like. Like there was no one else in the whole world except us two.
“We need to talk,” is what Michael said to me. No Hello. No Why didn’t you call me? or Where have you been? And certainly no kiss.
Just We need to talk.
And those four words were all it took to make my heart feel as shriveled and hard as St. Amelie’s.
“Okay,” I said, even though my mouth had gone completely dry.
And when he turned around to leave the school, I followed him, after throwing a warning glance over my shoulder—letting Lars know to stay FAR behind me, and Lilly know there wasn’t going to be any celebrating.
At least, not just yet.
Lars took it like the professional he is. But I heard Lilly scream, “Fine! Go with your BOYFRIEND! See if we care!”
But Lilly didn’t know. Lilly didn’t know about how shriveled and small my heart had suddenly gotten. Lilly didn’t know that I suspected that my life—my perfect princess life—was about to explode into fifty billion pieces. That supervolcano under Yellowstone? Yeah, when that thing finally blows, it’ll be NOTHING in comparison.
I followed Michael down the steps of the school—right under the watchful eye of the security cameras—and away from the crowds gathered around Joe. I followed him across two avenues, neither of us saying a word. I certainly wasn’t going to speak first.
Because everything was different now. If he was going to break up with me because I wouldn’t Do It—well, I didn’t care.
Oh, I CARED, of course. My heart was breaking ALREADY, and all he’d said was, “We need to talk.”
But, hello. I am the princess of Genovia. I am the newly elected president of the AEHS stu
dent council.
And NO ONE—not even Michael—is going to tell me when to Do It.
Finally, we got here—to Ray’s Pizza. The place was empty because school hadn’t been out long enough for it to fill up, and it was way past lunchtime, and not quite dinner.
Michael pointed to a booth and said, “You want a pie?”
“We need to talk.”
“You want a pie?”
That’s all he’d said to me so far.
I said, “Yes.” And because my mouth still felt as dry as sand, I added, “And a Coke.”
He went to the counter and ordered both. Then he came back to the booth, slid into the seat across from mine, looked me in the eye, and said, “I saw the debate.”
This was NOT what I’d expected him to say.
