Chapter 6: The Princess Diaries
"Today's debate on mandatory school uniforms begins now," the teacher announced, standing at the front of the classroom and surveying the students seated in two distinct groups. On the left sat the academically-focused students who disliked flashy, trendy clothes and preferred the simplicity of uniforms, which gave them more time to focus on their studies.
On the right were the fashion-conscious students dressed in their carefully chosen outfits—some genuinely stylish, others trying way too hard. All typical teenagers, all incredibly self-absorbed.
"Now, let's have a representative from the anti-uniform side present their argument. But I should remind you that you're only allowed to be out of uniform today because of this debate—tomorrow it's back to the dress code." With that, the teacher stepped aside from the podium.
Mia sat on her uncomfortable plastic chair, watching the popular boy deliver his passionate speech on stage, her mind wandering.
This boy had been her secret crush for months. He was one of the school's golden boys, dating a cheerleader, and every time she saw them kissing in the hallways, she'd fantasized about being in the cheerleader's place.
But now, watching him perform for the crowd, she couldn't help but compare him to Jake, the guy she'd met that morning.
Looks? Sure, her crush was handsome in that conventional, all-American way. But there was something about Jake's features—sharper, more refined, more interesting. The kind of face that got more attractive the longer you looked at it, unlike typical pretty-boy looks that got boring fast.
Presence? Jake had this quiet confidence about him that her crush definitely lacked.
Intelligence? Being fluent in multiple languages and traveling the world spoke for itself.
Of course, comparing superficial things wasn't enough—love was about connection, about feelings, right?
As for feelings, Mia admitted she didn't dislike Jake. But they'd only known each other for a few hours. Meanwhile, the boy currently speaking so confidently at the podium was someone she'd admired from afar for almost a year.
She couldn't even come up with a good counterargument to his anti-uniform stance.
"Representative for the pro-uniform side, please come to the podium," the teacher called out. "Mia Thermopolis!"
"Huh?!" Urged on by her classmates' expectant stares, Mia reluctantly stood up. She walked slowly toward the podium, each step feeling heavier than the last. She'd never imagined this small platform could feel so terrifying.
Standing there, looking down at the sea of familiar faces, Mia felt panic rising in her chest. "I... I think that... I..." she stammered, dozens of eyes boring into her, making it impossible to form coherent thoughts.
Even her silence invited mockery. "Look at her ridiculous hair—it's like a bird's nest!"
"That uniform actually looks good on her—she's got nothing else going for her!"
"So awkward..."
These whispered jeers rippled through the classroom, making Mia—already terrified of public speaking—even more frightened. What hurt most was seeing her crush among the mockers, his arm around his cheerleader girlfriend, both of them laughing. He wasn't her boyfriend, she had no claim on him, but Mia still felt utterly humiliated.
Just then, Mia's desperately wandering eyes caught sight of a face in the classroom window—it was Jake!
She'd assumed he'd left after their conversation that morning, that she wouldn't see him until their pizza meet-up that afternoon. But here he was, apparently having snuck onto campus just to watch her presentation.
Should she let him see her fail like this?
Gritting her teeth, Mia forced herself to speak in a trembling voice. She managed to push through: "I... I believe that as students, we should wear school uniforms because they... they eliminate economic competition and help us focus on learning rather than fashion..."
Despite her still-shaky delivery, she made it through all the points she'd prepared.
No regrets!
After she finished, the anti-uniform faction burst into laughter, mocking her stammering delivery, while the pro-uniform side looked disappointed by her poor performance.
However, Mia didn't care as much as she'd expected, because three people showed her support. One was her best friend Lily, another was her teacher (though Mia suspected that had more to do with her mom dating said teacher), and the third was Jake, visible through the window.
That enthusiastic thumbs-up made Mia involuntarily smile.
Actually, this feeling wasn't so bad after all.
Soon, the final bell rang and school was over. Mia and Lily walked out together and spotted Jake sitting on a bench near the school entrance, sipping a Coke and people-watching.
"Have you been waiting here this whole time?" Mia asked, approaching him.
"I grabbed a Coke from that corner store," Jake gestured with the bottle. "Figured I'd hang out and enjoy the afternoon."
"Let's go get pizza!" Lily interrupted their conversation impatiently.
"Sounds great," Jake nodded, standing up. He wasn't particularly fond of Lily—she was kind of abrasive—but what could he do? She was the best friend of the girl he was interested in.
"Mia, that was a really brave speech," he said, turning to her with genuine warmth.
"Thanks," Mia nodded shyly. "But you really shouldn't have snuck into the school. If they'd caught you, they could have called the cops or something."
"I just really wanted to see you present," he said with a casual shrug, like it was no big deal.
This willingness to take risks just to support her struck a chord with both fifteen-year-old girls. Lily was practically clutching her heart and sighing dramatically at the romance of it all.
Of course, Jake hadn't actually "snuck in"—he'd simply walked through the front entrance, told the office he was considering enrolling and wanted to observe some classes, and they'd waved him through. But he saw no reason to mention that.
The three of them walked to a nearby pizza place—a local joint, not a chain—and ordered two large pizzas to share. Even with drinks, the whole thing came to less than thirty bucks.
"See you later."
"Yeah, see you!"
At a busy intersection a few blocks from Mia's house, Jake said goodbye. He'd also gotten Mia's phone number—he'd bought a cheap prepaid phone specifically for staying in touch across different movie worlds.
A whole day in this lighthearted comedy world, getting close to one of his favorite movie characters, had left Jake feeling satisfied. Winning over this temporarily-awkward girl obviously wasn't going to happen overnight, so Jake decided to put this world on hold for now and focus on more urgent matters.
As much as he wanted to spend time in his favorite movie worlds hanging out with characters he admired, he also needed resources. That meant visiting some less pleasant—but more profitable—worlds.
After Mia's figure completely disappeared around the corner toward her house, Jake pulled out his phone and exited the world.
The next moment, he reappeared in his small apartment.
"So that counts as making contact with the protagonist?"
Opening his phone, Jake saw that the progress indicator had jumped to 21%!
"Does interacting with main characters increase the progress? Or is it because I participated in plot events?" Staring at his phone, Jake fell into speculation.
It was at 21% now—so what would happen when it reached 100%?
After thinking for several minutes without reaching any definite conclusions, Jake had to set the question aside for later.
He scrolled through the movie library until he found his target: The Day After Tomorrow.
Glancing once more at the small preview window for The Princess Diaries, Jake smiled at what he saw: Mia was back in her room, face-down on her bed, rolling around excitedly and hugging her pillow.
Shaking his head with amusement, Jake turned his attention to The Day After Tomorrow. He pulled on his full set of cold-weather gear—thermal base layers, insulated pants, heavy-duty winter jacket, waterproof boots. He loaded up his backpack with supplies: high-calorie energy bars, a first-aid kit, emergency blankets, flashlights, and other survival essentials.
Time to enter a much more dangerous world.
With everything ready, Jake took a deep breath and tapped the play button.
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