The Princess Diaries

MEG CABOT

Acknowledgments

The author wishes to express her gratitude to the people who contributed in so many ways to the creation and publication of this book: Beth Ader, Jennifer Brown, Barbara Cabot, Charles and Bonnie Egnatz, Emily Faith, Laura Langlie, Ron Markman, Abigail McAden, A. Elizabeth Mikesell, Melinda Mounsey, David Walton, Allegra Yeley and, most especially, Benjamin Egnatz.

"Whatever comes," she said, "cannot alter one thing. If I am a princess in rags and tatters, I can be a princess inside. It would be easy to be a princess if I were dressed in cloth of gold, but it is a great deal more of a triumph to be one all the time when no one knows it."

A
LITTLE PRINCESS

FRANCES HODGSON BURNETT

Contents

Acknowledgments

Epigraph

Tuesday, September 23

Sometimes it seems like all I ever do is lie.
My mom thinks I’m repressing my feelings about this.

Wednesday, September 24, Fifth Period

Lilly’s like, "Mr. Gianini’s cool."
Yeah, right. He’s cool if you’re Lilly Moscovitz.

Thursday, September 25

In Algebra today all I could think about was how Mr. Gianini might put his tongue in my mom’s mouth . . . 

Friday, September 26

LILLY MOSCOVITZ’S LIST OF HOTTEST GUYS
(compiled during World Civ, with commentary . . . 

Later on Friday

I was measuring my chest and totally not thinking about the fact that my mom was out with my Algebra teacher . . . 

Saturday, September 27

I was asleep when my mom got home from her date last night . . . 

Sunday, September 28

My dad called again today, and this time Mom really
was
at her studio, so I didn’t feel so bad about lying . . . 

Monday, September 29, G & T

Today I watched Mr. Gianini very closely for signs that he might not have had as good a time on his date . . . 

Tuesday, September 30

Something really weird just happened. I got home from school, and my mom was there . . . 

Wednesday, October 1

My dad’s here. Well, not here in the loft. He’s staying at the Plaza, as usual.

Notes from G & T

Lilly—I can’t stand this. When is she going to go back to the teachers’ lounge?

Thursday, October 2,
Ladies’ Room at the Plaza Hotel

Well.
I guess now I know why my dad is so concerned . . . 

Later on Thursday,
Penguin House, Central Park Zoo

I’m so freaked out I can barely write, plus people keep bumping my elbow, and it’s dark in here, but whatever.

Even Later on Thursday

Of course, I couldn’t hide out in the penguin house forever. Eventually, they flicked the lights . . . 

Friday, October 3, Homeroom

Today when I woke up, the pigeons that live on the fire escape outside my window were cooing away . . . 

More Friday, Algebra

Lilly could tell right away something was up. Oh, she swallowed the whole story . . . 

Really Late on Friday,
Lilly Moscovitz’s Bedroom

Okay, so I blew off Mr. Gianini’s help session after school. I know I shouldn’t have. Believe me . . . 

Saturday, October 4,
Early, Still Lilly’s Place

Why do I always have such a good time when I spend the night at Lilly’s? I mean, it’s not like they’ve got stuff . . . 

Later on Saturday

The whole way home from Lilly’s I worried about what my mom and dad were going to say . . . 

Saturday Night

I can’t even believe what a loser I am. I mean, Saturday night, alone with my DAD!

Sunday, October 5

I can’t believe Mr. Gianini told her. I can’t believe he told my mother I skipped his stupid review session . . . 

Monday, October 6, 3 a.m.

I’ve been up all night, worrying about getting caught cheating. What will happen . . . 

Monday, October 6, 4 a.m.

I tried washing the quadratic formula off my shoe, but it won’t come off!

Monday, October 6, 7 a.m.

Decided to wear my Docs and throw my high-tops away on the way to school . . . 

Monday, October 6, 9 a.m.

Realized in the car on the way to school that I could have taken the laces out of my high-tops . . . 

Monday, October 6, G & T

Okay. I admit it. I looked.
Fat lot of good it did me, too.

Tuesday, October 7

Ode to Algebra

Thrust into this dingy classroom . . . 

Wednesday, October 8

Oh no.
She’s here.

Thursday, October 9

I found out why.
She’s giving me princess lessons.

Friday, October 10

Princess lessons.
I am not kidding. I have to go straight . . . 

Saturday, October 11, 9:30 a.m.

So I was right: Lilly does think the reason I’m not participating in the taping today is because . . . 

Saturday, October 11

I can never go to school again. I can never go anywhere again. I will never leave this loft, ever, ever again.

Later on Saturday

Well, I don’t know who Lilly Moscovitz thinks she is, but I sure know who she isn’t: my friend.

Past Midnight, Sunday, October 12

She still hasn’t called.

Sunday, October 12

Oh my God. I am so embarrassed. I wish I could disappear. You will never believe what just happened.

Later on Sunday

Oh, okay. According to my mom, who just came into my room, Mr. Gianini spent the night on the futon couch . . . 

Even Later on Sunday

I just turned on my computer to look up some stuff about Afghanistan on the Internet . . . 

Even Later on Sunday

Just when I thought things might be looking very slightly up, my dad called.

Monday, October 13, Algebra

When Lars pulled up in front of Lilly’s building to pick her up for school, her doorman said she’d already left.

Later on Monday, French

So even if Lilly and I weren’t in a fight, I wouldn’t have been able to sit with her at lunch today.

Later on Monday

Oh my God. I am in so much trouble. Nothing like this has ever happened to me before!

Monday Night

Well, I don’t know what I’m going to do now. I have detention for a week . . . 

Tuesday, October 14, Homeroom

No Lilly again this morning. Not that I expected there to be. But I made Lars stop at her place anyway . . . 

More Tuesday, Algebra

Oh my God. I can’t even believe this. But it must be true, since Shameeka just told me.

More Tuesday, English

No boy will ever ask me out. Ever. EVERYONE has a date to the Cultural Diversity Dance . . . 

More Tuesday, French

Today in G & T, in between showing me how to carry over, Michael Moscovitz complimented me . . . 

Tuesday Night

Grandmère says Tina Hakim Baba sounds like a much better friend for me than Lilly Moscovitz.

Wednesday, October 15, Homeroom

No Lilly again today. Lars suggested we’d make better time if we just drove straight to school . . . 

Later on Wednesday, Before Algebra

This totally weird thing happened. Josh Richter came up to his locker to put his Trig book away . . . 

Wednesday, Principal Gupta’s Office

It’s over.
I’m dead.

More Wednesday, English

It isn’t fair. This is totally, completely unfair.

More Wednesday, French Class

I guess I should have my picture on the front of the
Post
more often.

Wednesday Night

No wonder my dad was so mad about Carol Fernandez’s article! When Lars and I walked out of Albert Einstein . . . 

More Wednesday

My mom thinks the person who tipped off Carol Fernandez is Grandmère.

Thursday, October 16, Homeroom

Well, this morning my face was on the covers of the
Daily News
and
New York Newsday.

Thursday, Algebra

Today in Algebra Mr. Gianini was totally trying to teach us about the Cartesian plane . . . 

Thursday, G & T

So I was eating lunch with Tina Hakim Baba and Lars and Wahim, and Tina was telling me . . . 

More Thursday, French

When I went to my locker after lunch to get my books for French, Josh was there.

Thursday Night

Grandmère says: "Well, of course the boy likes you. What wouldn’t he like? . . . "

Friday, October 17, English

OH MY GOD!!!
JOSH AND LANA BROKE UP!!!!

More Friday

You will not even believe what just happened. I was putting my Algebra book away in my locker . . . 

Friday, G & T

Okay, so I don’t know who Lilly Moscovitz thinks she is. First she stops talking to me.

Friday Night

Abbreviated lesson with Grandmère today because of my spending the night at Tina’s.

Saturday, October 18

When I got home, the first thing I did was check to make sure Josh hadn’t called to cancel.

More Saturday

Well, I’m sitting here in my new dress, my new shoes, my new nails, and my new panty hose . . . 

Saturday Night,
Ladies’ Room, Tavern on the Green

Okay, so I lied. I brought this book anyway. I made Lars carry it.

Later Saturday Night,
Girls’ Room, Albert Einstein High School

Why?
Why??

Sunday, October 19

I just woke up from the strangest dream.In my dream, Lilly and I weren’t fighting anymore . . . 

Sunday Night