Ever After High: Secret Storybooks

Chapter Four: Cerise Hood

Disappearing into my hood, I wolf-dashed down the hall and into an empty classroom. Today had been a particularly rough day, for lots of reasons. None of these reasons were too big or bad, but lots of minor things can swell in your brain and quickly overwhelm you.

The classroom was my dad's. When I'd first started avoiding my classmates and clearing my congested head in a random classroom, it had been a random classroom. Day after day, I found myself absentmindedly coming back to my dad's empty classroom.

I shut the door, and luckily it didn't slam. I threw my books on a desk in the back corner and dropped my basket next to it. Then I ran over to my dad's huge, swirling desk chair and rolled it over to where my stuff was. I took large, deep breaths trying to relax my heart rate and pacing mind a bit.

"Come here a lot?" A familiar voice, deep and not often heard by my own ears, said.

Startled, I jumped, and spun myself around.

You'll never believe who else was in the room with me.

"Um, sort of?" squeaked out of my mouth. I was really scared and sort of confused suddenly, I thought the classroom had been empty! At least I didn't have my hood down, though.

Why was he even here? He's not in any of the classes my dad teaches. Strangely enough, I didn't feel any negative emotions toward him. I didn't feel it was necessary to make him leave. It was just after the bell, and what would a royal Prince like him be doing in Mr.Badwolf's General Villainy classroom?

When he didn't say anything, I uncomfortably swiveled back around in the chair so I couldn't see his face or blinding teeth.

"Can I ask you something?" My small voice pondered.

"Yes," said the voice.

"What are you doing here?" I tried to make my voice sound as curious and in-suspicious as possible.

"I have Study Hall in here last period. I was just cleaning up my books... What might you be doing here?" He answered.

Ummm...

"I just- uh- come here to relax sometimes," was all I could think of.

"In Mr.Badwolf's classroom?"

"He's rarely ever here after the bell. I just like the swirly chair and that he keeps snacks in that drawer over there. He doesn't mind that I eat them either." I swirled around and pointed to a drawer in the file cabinet near the window.

"He doesn't scare you?"

"No."

"That's peculiar."

"I guess I'm just a peculiar person."

"Are you a peculiar hungry person?"

"Yes, very. Want anything?" I got up from my chair and strolled to the cabinet, which I unlocked with a key I pretended to take out of the desk drawer. I actually had my own key. Inside was a few bags of chips and other delicious junk.

"Well..."

"You're hungry. Suddenly starving. So hungry, you could fall over and die of hunger pains any second," I threw a bag of chips at him, and he caught it in one hand.

"You're funny," he laughed, sitting up on a desk.

"Daring Charming, did you just sit on a desk?" I pretend-gasped, pressing my palms on top of each other in the middle of my chest, as if sitting on desks wasn't something you see everyday. You don't usually from princes, but I'm chill, I don't care. At least he's being himself.

"Maybe," he said, popping the bag of chips open.

I propped myself up on my dad's desk, opening my bag of chips also.

"Hey," he started between chip-crunches, "a bunch of us are getting together in the courtyard tonight to read stories by the campfire. You should come."

Did he just invite me to do something with him? Was that a 'hey, you're sort of cool' invite or a 'hey, I really want you to be there' invite?

I thought about it for a moment. I looked out the windows, for a sign or something whether or not I should go. A bird landed on a branch of the tree just outside the window. I decided that if the bird does not fly away within ten seconds, I'll go.... Seven, eight, nine, ten... The bird was still there.

"Okay," I agreed, rolling a piece of crispy, salty potato chip on my tongue.

"You should tell some friends to come too. It was originally going to be just royals, but I think this whole Royal-Rebel division is stupid. And I'd want you to feel comfortable too," he explained.

Aw. "I will," I said, pulling out my MirrorPhone and immediately texting Raven, Cedar, Maddie, and Darling.

"Oh, hey, I gotta go," he hopped off the desk and tossed the empty chip bag into the garbage pail, then collected his things. "Bookball practice."

"Oh, right. It's Friday. I forgot about that. I usually go watch..." I quickly crossed the room, gathered my stuff and joined him by the door.

"You should play sometime," he said, opening the door and letting me walk through first. He stepped through after me and closed the door so that it didn't make a sound. "I hear you're really good at sports."

"Oh, really?" I pulled my hood up again, smiling underneath it. Pulling my hood up is a bit of a self-conscious thing, and I do it more than I realize. I don't really talk to boys, so I felt even more shy than I usually am. Especially since, well, princes don't talk to half weird shy girls-half wild vicious monster wolves, but he only knew half of that me anyway.

"You should even try out. Darling says you're really fast and have talked about trying out before."

Ajsksoxkakxksndbxjajskisodksmxmalsiwjdj. I have talked about that, but only once or twice. I didn't think she'd actually tell Daring about that. Why would they be talking about me anyway?

We walked in mostly silence the rest of the way to the bookball field behind the school. Maybe going to the mostly-Royal "party" tonight wouldn't be so bad. Maybe I'd even enjoy it. Maybe I'll have a great time. The best thing to do is give it the best chance I can.