While we all asked, in a chorus, what she was talking about, Lilly said, “My secret weapon. Only after that speech you gave, Mia, I knew we didn’t need it. Looks like that grandmother of yours dropped the dime on the Weinbergers anyway, even though she didn’t have to. I have to hand it to that Clarisse. She is one old dame you don’t want to get on your bad side.”
Since this didn’t exactly clear the matter up any—at least as far as I was concerned—I asked Lilly just what the heck she was talking about, and she explained. It turns out that day at the soccer game, when Lilly had been sitting behind Lana’s parents, she’d totally eavesdropped on their conversation, and found out that Ramon is a ringer!
Yes! He is already a high school graduate! He graduated last year, back in his native Brazil, where he’d led his school district to claim the national championship! Dr. Weinberger and a couple of the other trustees got the brilliant idea to PAY him to come to this country and enroll at AEHS, so we’d have a chance at actually winning some games for a change.
Lilly and Grandmère had planned on using this information as part of a smear campaign against Lana, in the event that it looked as if, after the debate, she was going to win.
But my pulling out Sailor Moon and that John Locke quote convinced them I had the election in the bag. So, Grandmère ended up not calling Principal Gupta’s office to tell her about Ramon until after the election results were announced.
I must say, this information caused me to look at Lilly in a new light. I mean, I’ve always known that Lilly is capable of some underhanded things. And I’m not saying the Weinbergers had a right to use poor Ramon that way, or to dupe the other trustees.
But, geez! I would not want to be on the wrong side of Lilly—much less Grandmère—in a fight.
Lilly was standing there looking all pleased with herself while everyone else patted her on the back and said what a cool thing she had done.
And I guess it was cool, in a way, if you agree—which I most definitely do—that anything that makes Lana cry is a good thing.
“So,” Lilly said, when I’d gotten all my stuff together and was standing there, ready to go. “Since Clarisse let you out of princess hell for the day, want to go celebrate OUR victory?”
She put a very significant emphasis on the word OUR that only a moron would have missed.
I got it, all right.
And felt my stomach lurch.
“Um,” I said. “Yeah, Lilly. About that. Something kind of happened when I was giving that speech today….”
“You’re telling me something happened,” Lilly said, patting me on the back. “You struck a blow for unpopular kids everywhere, is what happened while you were giving that speech today.”
“Yeah,” I said. “I know. About that. I just don’t know how I feel about it now. I mean, Lilly, don’t you think your plan is kind of unfair? Those people voted for me. I’m the one they expect—”
I saw Lilly’s eyes widen at something she saw behind my back.
“What’s HE doing here?” she wanted to know. Then, to whoever was standing back there, she said, “In case you forgot, you GRADUATED, you know.”
Something gripped my heart at her words. Because I knew—just KNEW—who she was talking to.
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.”