Chapter 5: Charming the Ugly Duckling Princess
San Francisco, 2001.
On one of the city's famously steep hills, a young man in a casual leather jacket and nice jeans was chatting animatedly with a girl dressed in a decidedly unfashionable style.
They walked together, talking as they went.
The girl was pushing a scooter rather than riding it, clearly accommodating the young man who had no transportation. Despite this considerate gesture, any passerby couldn't help but think the two were mismatched.
Not that the guy was unworthy of the girl—quite the opposite. The girl seemed too awkward and unstylish to be with someone who looked that put-together.
"You speak all those languages?!" Mia exclaimed, covering her mouth with her right hand—an old habit from when she'd had braces, even though they'd been removed a week ago.
"Well, traveling requires preparation," Jake smiled, adjusting his jacket collar casually.
In just over ten minutes, they'd become comfortable around each other. This might seem impossibly fast, but it really wasn't that unusual.
In Limitless, after taking NZT-48, Eddie could charm his way past his angry landlord in minutes. For Jake, befriending Mia in less than fifteen minutes wasn't particularly impressive.
Eddie had been on the drug when he did that. Jake wasn't currently on NZT, but during his enhanced study sessions, he'd inadvertently absorbed countless social dynamics and conversation techniques. Connecting with a bookish, socially awkward teenage girl was honestly pretty straightforward.
Hearing Jake's casual confidence, Mia admired him even more. This guy seemed to know everything—world geography, history, languages, cultural trivia. And of course, there was that smile.
Jake didn't fully realize it himself, but since his life had changed so dramatically, he'd subconsciously started smiling more at people he didn't dislike. It was involuntary—he just felt like every day held new possibilities.
He'd come to enjoy that feeling.
As the conversation deepened, Mia let slip that she had to give a presentation that day. Unsurprisingly, she received encouragement from Jake, along with the question: "Does your school allow visitors to sit in?"
"I think... probably not," Mia stammered, her head bowed.
Seeing Mia's avoidant behavior, Jake knew perfectly well that Grove High School definitely allowed visitors—it was a small private school with practically no security. But Mia was clearly afraid of embarrassing herself in front of her new friend, hence the lie.
In the movie, reporters could freely wander the campus, which showed how lax their visitor policy was.
However, Jake didn't push. "That's too bad," he said with genuine-sounding disappointment.
Mia felt guilty about deceiving him, but also relieved. As long as Jake didn't witness her inevitable humiliation during the presentation, she could live with a little white lie.
The topic shifted, and they continued chatting as they walked.
After a solid twenty-minute trek up San Francisco's hills, they finally arrived. As Jake had expected, the school was indeed quite small—more like an oversized house than a proper campus.
Several guys who clearly thought they were God's gift to women were circulating among groups of girls at the school entrance, while a cheerleader held court surrounded by admirers. It was all very typical high school social dynamics.
Meanwhile, as Mia reached the school gate, a girl with an unfortunate appearance and an unusual hairstyle—multiple braids sticking out at odd angles—came rushing over, shouting, "Mia! You're almost late! You're never late!" Her prominent overbite and aggressive expression made her the type of girl that teenage boys would cruelly dismiss without a second thought.
This was Lily, Mia's only real friend at school. While Lily had some questionable influence on Mia—arguably encouraging her to stay frumpy to make Lily feel better by comparison—one thing was certain: she was Mia's genuine friend.
Lily jogged over, her school blazer hanging open, giving off major tomboy energy.
"Lily, I—" Mia lowered her head, staring at her shoes, unsure what to say.
"Don't even start..." Lily waved her hand dismissively, about to launch into a lecture, when she suddenly noticed Jake standing next to Mia. They were standing close—less than a foot apart—which meant they definitely knew each other. They'd clearly been talking moments before.
"OH MY GOD, YOU'RE DATING SOMEONE!" Lily shrieked, pointing at Mia dramatically. Her scream instantly attracted the attention of the students nearby, who all turned to look.
Even Lily couldn't handle that many eyes on her. She grabbed Mia's arm and pulled her aside, beginning her interrogation in what she probably thought was a whisper but was actually perfectly audible to Jake standing ten feet away.
This really was a comedy movie world, wasn't it?
"You're dating someone? And he's a total hottie?!" Lily "whispered" urgently.
"No, it's not like that at all," Mia protested weakly, sounding like she was on trial, but this didn't make Lily back off. "Are you turning into one of those girl-boy obsessed people who just make out in the hallways all day?"
It had to be said that Lily, having been dismissed by boys her whole life because of her appearance, had developed a serious distaste for couples. She'd probably have joined some anti-romance club if one existed.
Her current interrogation of Mia wasn't without undertones of envy and jealousy.
"No, Lily! I—" Mia tried to explain, but suddenly Lily punched her in the shoulder—not hard, just a buddy punch—and gave her an expression that said, "You sneaky devil!" Very tomboyish energy.
"That guy is seriously cute. If you don't want him, I'm calling dibs," Lily said, though she actually did value her friend's happiness. "Tell me everything—how did you two meet?!"
This surprised Mia. The friendship crisis was over just like that?
Mia recounted her meeting with Jake in very condensed form—maybe twenty sentences total. Lily, after listening, clutched her chest dramatically. "Oh my God, that's SO romantic!" she exclaimed, loud enough that several nearby students glanced over again.
Where exactly did you get 'romantic' from that story? Mia wanted to ask, but remembering that her best friend had forgiven her for supposedly having a "boyfriend," she kept her mouth shut.
Wait—when did she get a boyfriend?! Jake wasn't her boyfriend!
Mia was shocked to find herself swept up in this narrative her friend had created.
If Jake knew about this development, he would definitely give Lily a mental thumbs-up. What an excellent wingwoman!
After Lily's brief but intense investigation, she'd apparently confirmed in her mind that Jake was Mia's "boyfriend." Coincidentally, that aligned perfectly with Jake's purpose in entering this world. So when Mia glanced at him uncertainly, he just smiled, neither confirming nor denying anything.
Mia's face turned bright red, her bushy eyebrows twitching nervously.
"Hey, do you guys have time after school?" Jake called over. "I'd like to take you both out for pizza. You know, to thank Mia for helping me find my way around. And I'd love to get to know you too, Lily."
Jake remembered that Mia's favorite food was pizza, and including Lily as the third wheel was just good strategy—it would make Mia more comfortable.
Though Jake seriously doubted whether he could maintain his appetite if Lily sat directly across from him at the table. That was mean, but honest.
Even socially oblivious Mia understood that this was basically a date invitation, and Lily kept raising her eyebrows at her encouragingly.
Bolstered by Lily's enthusiasm, Mia nervously agreed.
Watching Mia practically flee toward the school building, Jake couldn't help but think, I really hope I get to see you after your transformation into a princess.
That awkward, frizzy-haired girl was going to become Anne Hathaway at her most elegant. He just had to be patient.
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