Free Princess In Love by Meg Cabot

overheard Lilly's formal apology for not having believed me about Kenny's weird phone call - any doubts about the veracity of which he managed to scatter today with his display of unbridled passion
    in the third-floor hallway - that she feels sorry for him? Oh, no.
    'Poor kid,' Judith said. 'I heard what he said to you in the hallway. I was in the Chem. lab. What was it again? “I don't care if you don't feel the same way, Mia, I will always love you”, or something like that?'
    I didn't say anything. That's because I was busy picturing how Judith would look with a pencil sticking out of the middle of her forehead.
    'It's really sweet,' Judith said. 'If you think about it. I mean, the guy's clearly got it bad for you.'
    This is the problem, see. Everyone thinks that what Kenny did was so cute and everything. Nobody seems to understand that
    it wasn't cute. It wasn't cute at all. It was completely humiliating. I don't think I've ever been so embarrassed in my whole life.
    And, believe me, I've lived through more than my fair share of embarrassing incidents, especially since this whole princess
    thing started.
    But I'm apparently the only person in this entire school who thinks what Kenny did was the least bit wrong.
    'He's obviously very in touch with his emotions.' Even Lilly was taking Kenny's side in the whole thing. 'Unlike some people.'
    I have to say, this makes me so mad when I think about it because, the truth is, ever since I have started writing things down
    in journals, I have gotten very in touch with my emotions. I usually know almost exactly how I feel.
    The problem is, I just can't tell anyone.
    I don't know who was the most surprised when Michael suddenly came to my defence against his sister - Lilly, Judith Gershner, or me.
    'Just because Mia doesn't go around shouting about how she feels in the third-floor hallway,' Michael said, 'doesn't mean she isn't in touch with her emotions.'
    How does he do that? How is it that he is able to magically put into words exactly what I feel but seem to have so much
    trouble saying? This, you see, is why I love him. I mean, how could I not?
    'Yeah,' I said triumphantly, to Lilly.
    'Well, you could have said something back to him.' Lilly always gets disgruntled when Michael comes to my rescue especially when he does it while she is attacking me about the lack of honesty in my emotional life. 'Instead of just leaving him hanging there.'
    'And what,' I demanded - injudiciously, I now realize -'should I have said to him?'
    'How about,' Lilly said, 'that you love him back?'
    WHY? That's all I want to know. WHY was I cursed with a best friend who doesn't understand that there are some things you just don't say in front of EVERYONE IN THE ENTIRE GIFTED AND TALENTED CLASSROOM, INCLUDING HER BROTHER????
    The problem is, Lilly has never been embarrassed about anything in her life. She simply does not know the meaning of the
    word embarrassment.
    'Look,' I said, feeling my cheeks begin to burn. I couldn't lie, of course. How could I lie, considering what I now know about my nostrils? OK, Lilly hadn't figured it out yet, but it was only a matter of time.
    'I really and truly value Kenny's companionship,' I said carefully. 'But love. I mean, love. That is a very big thing. I'm not, I mean, I don't. . . '
    I dribbled off pathetically, acutely aware that everyone in the room, but most especially Michael, was listening.
    'I see,' Lilly said, narrowing her eyes. 'Fear of commitment.'
    'I do not fear commitment,' I insisted. 'I just—'
    But Lilly's dark eyes were already shining in eager anticipation. She was getting ready to psychoanalyze me - one of her favourite hobbies, unfortunately.
    'Let's examine the situation, shall we?' she said. 'I mean, here you've got this guy going around the hallways screaming about how much he loves you, and you just stare at him like a rat caught in the path of the D train. What do you suppose that means?'

Princess Diaries III - Princess in Love
    'Have you