Royal Pool
Nishi is here!!!!!
I can hardly believe it, but it’s true, because she’s sitting right next to me on a blue-and-white-striped sun lounger, in one of her five bathing suits, soaking up the Genovian sun (while wearing SPF 50 and a big sun hat and enormous sunglasses, sipping Genovian orange juice and petting Snowball).
We aren’t fighting anymore. I forgot what we were even fighting about.
When I saw her coming down the steps from the plane, I ran across the airport tarmac and gave her the biggest hug, and she hugged me back. I don’t think I’ve ever been so glad to see anyone in my entire life (except when I met my dad for the first time).
I’m the worst person. I can’t believe I forgot Nishi and her family were coming today! Although I have had a few things on my mind.
Thank goodness Mia not only remembered but sent Serena to get me out of class.
I texted Mia from the limo on the way from the airport:
My sister (and probably all people with jobs, not just princesses) gets a printed schedule at the beginning of the week, telling her exactly where she’s supposed to be and what she’s supposed to be doing almost every hour of every day, Monday through Sunday.
But like I’ve said, getting a party organized for 500 people—now 550—is very difficult, although things are starting to come together! I noticed the underbutlers laying out all the silver this morning, and the contractors have finally finished building the stage for Boris P to perform on. It’s definitely not going to collapse beneath him. All the bridesmaids—minus Tina—stood on it together and jumped on it up and down to make sure. Only Michael’s sister Lilly looked disappointed when it didn’t come crashing apart.
Ouch! I should have known Dad had been so distracted with everything going on, he hadn’t passed the message about our special performance from Madame Alain to Mia’s office.
Not really. Not the part about Luisa being there. But I know I have to act like I like her, because she’s my cousin and a fellow junior bridesmaid, and junior bridesmaids aren’t supposed to fight. It’s not about them and their personal feelings. It’s about the bride!
So now Nishi and I ARE having fun! The most fun I’ve had in a while.
It’s so strange to see her here at the palace, sitting on the throne (the first thing she wanted to do), checking out the wedding gifts (they’re being stacked up higher and higher), and spying on the tourists (we joined one of the tours and they didn’t even realize who we were. Although it’s true we were wearing Visit Genovia! baseball hats). She’s posted a bunch of selfies of us online for the girls back home to see.
“They’re going to be so jealous!” she keeps saying.
So I guess I was worried about her thinking I’m not living a fairy-tale life for nothing. She thinks everything is amazing. She loves Chrissy, my bedroom, and even my closet.
“Your closet is bigger than my whole bedroom,” she said. Which is true.
She’s even more excited about the fact that while we were eating lunch, the housekeeping staff went into her room and unpacked her bags, ironed all her clothes, and hung everything up.
“Of course,” I said. “They do that for everyone. Unless you bring a monkey.”
Nishi thinks I’m leading the most glamorous, amazing life in the whole world.
And I guess I can see why to her it would look like I am. She doesn’t know about Prince Gunther wanting to be my boyfriend (not a good thing) or Luisa being so mean.
I could tell her, but why? After tomorrow, none of it is going to matter anymore, because school will be over for the summer. And I won’t have to see any of those people again until the fall (well, except for Prince Khalil and Luisa, Marguerite, and Victorine at the wedding).
But Luisa won’t be able to be mean to me in front of Grandmère. And I sort of don’t mind the idea of seeing Prince Khalil again.
If I can just get through the performance tomorrow, everything will be fine!
So I’m going to pretend like none of that is happening and be on vacation, like Nishi is, for the rest of the day.
