Chapter 4: The Princess Diaries
The sound of language learning apps and foreign language podcasts echoed throughout Jake's apartment for three straight days.
When his landlord finally couldn't take it anymore and banged on his door to complain about the noise, Jake had already achieved something remarkable: he'd become functionally fluent in Spanish, French, and Italian, on top of his native English.
The supercharged use of his brain didn't cause him any discomfort—in fact, he was captivated by this surge in cognitive ability. The way information just stuck, the way connections formed instantly, it was intoxicating.
However, Jake knew this feeling was dangerous. His intelligence hadn't truly reached godlike levels; long-term use of NZT-48 would only bring him unbreakable addiction and serious neurological damage.
His next major goal was the movie The Day After Tomorrow—a world devastated by a sudden ice age that froze the entire Northern Hemisphere. Countless valuables would be buried under the ice and snow, ripe for the taking. Becoming a treasure hunter in that frozen apocalypse was the safest money-making opportunity Jake could think of at this stage.
Although Jake had prepared all the necessary survival gear, he wasn't ready to jump in just yet. After all, it was a literal ice age—one wrong move and he'd be a popsicle.
Lying in bed, Jake scrolled through his phone screen, browsing the movie worlds available to him.
Forrest Gump—a heartwarming story, but no real opportunities there.
Titanic—he was still single and didn't feel like watching a tragic romance unfold in person.
American Pie—definitely not. Way too awkward.
"The Princess Diaries..." Jake's eyes lit up. At this stage, there weren't many accessible movie worlds that offered easy, low-risk benefits. Before heading into the dangerous frozen wasteland, he wanted something lighter first.
Anne Hathaway was an actress Jake genuinely admired, especially in the charming comedy The Princess Diaries. Her portrayal of the awkward, endearing Mia Thermopolis was perfect—all those embarrassing moments, the physical comedy, the genuine heart beneath the mess.
This was a classic ugly duckling to swan story. Mia Thermopolis, the girl nobody notices, suddenly discovers she's the princess of a small European country. The massive identity shift made for a fun, feel-good movie.
If you asked Jake to name his favorite Hollywood actresses, Anne Hathaway would definitely make the list.
Thinking about the timeline, Mia should still be in her awkward phase—frizzy hair, bushy eyebrows, oversized glasses, the whole package. Even her only romantic prospect was her best friend's brother, and that was barely a thing.
No competition whatsoever.
With that thought, Jake got up, made sure he looked good—styled hair, fitted clothes, his new leather jacket—grabbed some of the cash he'd taken from Vernon's apartment, opened the Movie World app, selected The Princess Diaries, and jumped in.
In an instant, the scene before his eyes shifted rapidly. Although he was getting more used to traveling between worlds, the disorientation still hit him.
He stumbled backward slightly, only to bump into a trash can behind him, accidentally kicking it over with a loud clatter.
"Hey, watch it!" a voice called out from nearby.
Jake quickly straightened up, brushed off his jacket, and turned around. The speaker was an older man doing yard work—he looked familiar. After a moment, Jake placed him: Mia's eccentric neighbor from the movie.
So he was near Mia's house in San Francisco? That was convenient.
Jake waved apologetically at the neighbor and moved away from the trash can. Finding a quiet corner of the street, he pulled out his phone to check the Movie World app, confirming the timeline while observing his surroundings.
The neighborhood was classic San Francisco—steep hills, Victorian houses painted in pastel colors, narrow streets lined with parked cars at odd angles.
Half an hour later, a girl with impossibly frizzy hair, wearing a somewhat frumpy school uniform and oversized glasses, appeared before Jake on a scooter.
This was his target: Mia Thermopolis.
Jake had considered different approaches for making contact, but after thinking it through, he realized that simply introducing himself directly was the most natural option.
With that decided, Jake straightened his jacket and walked toward Mia as she approached.
"Hey there!" he called out with a friendly wave.
"Huh...?" Mia looked startled, bringing her scooter to a stop about fifteen feet away, pointing at herself in disbelief. "Are you... talking to me?"
"Of course," Jake nodded casually. "I just moved to San Francisco and I'm still getting my bearings. I think I might be a little lost, actually."
Asking for directions—the classic conversation starter. Even Jake, whose social skills were decent but not exceptional, knew this approach.
Of course, some girls would see through such an obvious tactic, but Mia wasn't one of them. She'd always kept such a low profile that nobody ever paid attention to her, let alone approached her for any reason.
Now, suddenly being addressed by a genuinely handsome guy—even if it was just asking for directions—made Mia incredibly flustered in the best way.
"Um, maybe you could ask a police officer?" she suggested shyly, clearly uncertain how to handle this interaction.
"Nah, I don't really have a specific destination," Jake said with a self-deprecating smile. "I'm kind of just wandering, you know? Seeing where the city takes me. It's just that these streets all look kind of the same, and I think I've been going in circles for like half an hour."
"You're just... wandering?" Mia looked at Jake with wide eyes. What kind of person just wandered around a city without a plan? It sounded impossibly romantic.
Regarding Jake's navigation issues: "The street layout here is actually pretty straightforward, it's just that all the Victorian houses kind of look similar... You're not much of a wanderer if you get lost this easily."
"To be fair, San Francisco is only my second stop," Jake said with a grin.
"Are you a student?" he asked, keeping the conversation flowing. He knew the importance of maintaining momentum—if you couldn't keep a girl engaged in conversation, it was better to cut your losses early.
"Yeah, I go to Grove High School," she replied, reverting to her shy demeanor. "It's just a few blocks from here."
However, Jake wasn't fooled by her current meekness. Having seen the movie, he knew Mia was actually quirky and animated once she got comfortable with someone. She was just shy around strangers. Once they got to know each other better, he'd get to see her real personality.
Jake was confident he could make that happen.
"I'm really sorry if I'm making you late for school or anything," he said apologetically.
"No, no, it's fine!" Mia waved her hands quickly. At this moment, Mia realized that her encounter with this handsome stranger was probably coming to an end. Although she didn't have a crush on him or anything—she barely knew him—being able to chat with an attractive guy who actually acknowledged her existence felt amazing.
Thinking about that, Mia felt a twinge of disappointment.
"Hey, could you maybe show me your school?"
"Okay, goodbye," Mia said with a slightly sad nod, not quite processing what Jake had said. Then her eyes went wide. "Wait, WHAT? My school?"
Her animated personality was starting to break through.
The sudden outburst made Jake jump slightly.
Mia immediately realized she'd let her guard down and revealed some of her real personality. She lowered her head in embarrassment, her bushy eyebrows drawing together in a frown.
Knowing this was all temporary—that she'd eventually transform into the poised, beautiful woman she was meant to be—Jake found it endearing rather than off-putting. He had to admit he was being a bit superficial; beyond Mia's great personality, he was also motivated by knowing what she'd look like after her transformation.
He asked, "Is that not okay? I'd really like to see what an American high school is like. Get a feel for the culture, you know?"
"Oh, I should probably introduce myself properly. I'm Jake Mitchell. I'm from... well, I've been traveling for a while, but originally from the East Coast."
He figured keeping his background vague was smarter than trying to explain anything complicated.
"Mia," she said shyly, tucking a strand of frizzy hair behind her ear. The gesture might have been graceful under different circumstances, but combined with her wild dark brown hair, it just looked awkward.
"So, Miss Mia, may I have the honor of checking out your school?"
Mia looked up at Jake, who was smiling warmly at her, and nodded with a shy smile of her own. "Yeah, sure. That would be okay." She didn't want this unexpectedly pleasant encounter to end just yet.
However, as soon as she agreed, Mia's expression fell slightly. She suddenly remembered that she had a debate presentation today in front of the whole school—arguing in favor of mandatory school uniforms, ironically enough, given her own fashion struggles.
But public speaking always ended in disaster for her. Every single time.
"I really hope I don't completely embarrass myself in front of this guy I just met," Mia thought nervously.
If Jake knew what Mia was thinking at that moment, he would have said: You're going to embarrass yourself spectacularly, and there's even a solid chance you'll throw up from nerves.
But he kept that knowledge to himself and simply smiled, ready to witness one of the movie's most memorable scenes firsthand.
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