Young Royals: After Season 1

Chapter 2: Simon

Of-fucking-course the first person I see is Wilhelm. I spent all of break trying to get over him, and he's the first person I see. Probably could have handled it better instead of running away, but it just caught me so off guard to see him in the main hall with Felice. Now as I walk to my first class of the day, biology, I know I need to keep my eyes down until I get used to seeing him every day.

Winter break was brutal with no communication with him but was necessary for me to distance myself from Wilhelm after the bombshell "I love you" he dropped at the Christmas Concert. I still don't know how to process that. All I do know is that I want Wilhelm to be happy, and if that means we can't be together in order to preserve his public image, then so be it. Why he would need to hide his relationship with me to preserve his image, though, is beyond me. It's 2021 and anyone can love anyone.

Shaking the image of his face from my brain, I think back to the choir performance before the 'Welcome Back' dinner last night, where I again avoided Wilhelm like the plague. No eye contact, nothing. I glanced briefly at him once during a break between songs, and his face was like a mask, no emotion. I ran out of there after the performance, rushing to the bus stop and away from Hillerska. Choir is typically the one place I am completely happy at this school, but that concert was hard to get through.

Walking into biology, I take the seat next to Sara's and start getting my stuff out. "Hey. How are you? How was the first night in the dorm?"

"Good, good. I think I'm going to like rooming with Felice and Stella," Sara says as she organizes her pens and papers on the table.

I zone out as class starts, and we start going over the syllabus for the semester. Seems like a pretty standard class until the teacher gets to the end of the syllabus where she mentions that instead of a final exam, there will be a group presentation on a subject of our choice. Glancing over at Sara, we meet eyes, and relief floods my body knowing that we will group up for the project. However, the next words out of the teacher's mouth ruin everything.

"I have already randomly assigned partners for the group project. Uno and Stella. Felice and Sara. Wilhelm and Simon..."

I sit up straight as my mind goes blank. The teacher continues with the pairs, but I am not comprehending anything. I didn't even know Wilhelm was in this class. Slowly, I look around the classroom for him and find him sitting at a table with Felice, head down with a furrow on his brow.

The rest of the class goes by in a haze, and when the bell rings, I quickly pack up my things and head into the hallway. I pause outside the classroom though as I should probably at least say 'hi' to my new biology partner. The plan of avoiding Wilhelm all semester has just been thrown out the window, and I decide to just bite the bullet now and get the awkward first conversation out of the way.

"Hello, Professor. Can I talk to you for a minute about the group project?" I hear Wilhelm ask from inside the classroom. Interest piqued, I glance through the doorway. Wilhelm is standing in front of the teacher's desk, backpack slung over one shoulder, head held high with confidence. "I was wondering if it was possible to get a different partner for the project?"

"No, the partners are set. They were randomly assigned, and if I were to give you special treatment, I would need to rearrange another group. That would not be fair to anyone," the teacher responds, going back to cleaning off the whiteboard.

"Of course, I do not expect any special treatment," Wilhelm responds, clearly choosing his words carefully, fidgeting his fingers on his right hand. "But you must understand why Simon and I partnering could be difficult."

"My understanding is that it was all a misunderstanding, and everything is resolved. I expect you to work with Simon."

"Right, okay, I understand," Wilhelm responds, right hand coming up to rub over his heart as he starts walking towards the door.

I turn away from the classroom before I get noticed, thoughts swirling as I head to my next class. The awkward first conversation can wait a little longer.