Free Earthling Ambassador by Liane Moriarty

yawned Shimlara. She sighed. “I’ve got a galactic geography test today.”
    â€œI should be taking a math test,” said Nicola. “I’m so nervous about meeting Princess Petronella, I almost wish I was back on Earth taking the test.”
    Last night, after dinner, Nicola had picked the present for the princess (a globe of the Earth—she hoped it wouldn’t be too obvious of a hint) and Georgio and Mully had explained exactly what would be happening the next day. Georgio would drive her to the Rainbow Palace, but he wouldn’t be able to come past the palace gates, because the appointment was only for Nicola.There would be lots of people waiting to see the princess, so when it was time for her appointment, she would need to talk fast.
    â€œYou’ll need to be firm and authoritative, but at the same time polite and humble,” said Georgio as if that was perfectly easy.
    â€œJust be yourself,” Mully had advised. “Speak from the heart.”
    Nicola still had no idea exactly what she was going to say to the Princess. She’d stayed up late jotting down notes, but all she’d finished up with was a long list of words, phrases, and crossed-out ideas, like:
    PREPOSTEROUS!
How would you feel?
Not fair.
Beautiful planet—oceans, mountains, beaches
What about the animals?Recycling garbage isn’t that hard.
Earthling deaths on your conscience.
    Eventually, she’d given up and gone to bed. Anyway, Mully had said it was better not to read from a script because otherwise she’d sound too stiff and formal. Nicola hoped she was right.
    Then she and Shimlara stayed up for hours talking. Soon they were in fits of giggles. Shimlara told her all about the time she’d gotten lost while cloud-surfing and had floated off to the other side of Globagaskar where she’d finally crashed into the side of a mountain in the middle of a thunderstorm. “They had to send a rescue party to find me. It was pretty embarrassing.”
    Nicola told Shimlara about the time she and Sean had been jumping on the trampoline and bumped their heads together so hard, they both had to go to the hospital with blood streaming down their faces. “My dad fainted when he saw us and hit his own head,” said Nicola. “So Mom had to take all three of us to the hospital.” By the time they’d finally drifted off to sleep, it felt like she and Shimlara had been friends forever.
    Now Shimlara was bouncing excitedly up and down on her bed so that the little balls flew in all directions. “No way would you rather be taking a test! I’d swap places in a second. I’m so jealous of you I could die. I’d love to see what it’s like inside the palace. And your whole planet is depending on you! You’ll be a hero!”
    â€œBut what if I can’t convince the princess to change her mind?”
    Shimlara’s face changed and became very serious.“Well, that could be pretty bad. Once everyone on your planet finds out, they’ll be really, really mad at you. Some of them might even want to kill you! You’ll have to go into hiding, I expect. But that might be fun! I could come with you!”
    â€œShim lara! ” Mully stood at the door with her arms folded. “How do you think that makes Nicola feel?”
    â€œSorry,” said Shimlara guiltily. “I’m sure no one will mind if you fail and all the Earthlings have to go and live on the Planet of Bore. It won’t be that boring.”
    â€œOh, for heaven’s sake,” said Mully. “Now you’re just making it worse. Nicola, don’t listen to a word she says. Sometimes she’s far too much like her father. Now, come with me, Nicola, I’ve got your parents on the phone calling long-distance from Earth!”
    Nicola followed Mully down the hallway, wondering what her parents were going to say. She could imagine her mother saying, “You get off that