I can't say I do without you

Nice to know you Lincoln!

The thunder startled me; that's why the towel I was holding slipped from my grasp. When I looked out the window, it began to rain heavily. "Haist! Not today, rain?" I thought to myself.

Despite the heavy rain, the class went on today. Before the prince got out of the car, I stood in front of the car's door to assist him. "Gemma, I'll hold the umbrella for the prince; take this other umbrella to keep you dry." Mr. Osiris passed the umbrella to me.

"No need, Mr. Osiris; it is my responsibility." I handed back the umbrella to him. "You need it more than I do."

"But..."

"Leave him, Mr. Osiris; what is the point of having her if she doesn't do that?" Prince Augustus stated.

I raised my hand to match the prince's height; Prince Augustus is a tall man, which I had forgotten. I should have just let Mr. Osiris do this. Carrying the umbrella made my hand numb, but I persevered until we arrived at the building. Ugh! Seriously, how come he's so tall? I couldn't feel my hand anymore. As I folded the umbrella, I noticed that half of my uniform was wet, revealing what I was wearing inside. "What the!" I muttered. I immediately placed my bag in front of me to hide my wet uniform.

When the prince entered the elevator, I went to the restroom. I used a large amount of tissue to dry my wet uniform. "Please, please, I don't want to go out like this," I said to myself as I wiped my uniform with tissues. I also tried using the hand dryer; although I looked stupid, it still hasn't dried. "Wouldn't it be nice if I had a sweater..."

My bag fell because one of Emmet's friends bumped into me, everyone in the room stopped what they were doing. All their attention turned to me "Oh, fu... I'm..."

They were all shocked, noticed that I was wearing wet clothes. I don't know what to do; I'm not sure if I'm going to sit in the chair as if nothing happened or run away, but before I could make either decision, someone covered me with a sweater.

"What?! What are you looking at? Have you just seen a wet uniform?!" Emmet, who poured garbage on my head the first day, came again for the second time. He took my bag and drew me back. "Don't you have an extra shirt or even a sweater?" Emmet sighed in embarrassment. "This is the second time I've rescued you."

"I'm aware." I hid a sly grin.

"You owe me," he said as he sat in the chair next to me.

"Here." I handed the jacket to him. "Thank you very much. Your jacket saved my life,"

"Wear it, return it tomorrow or whenever you want," he said after a brief pause. "Do me a favor... take a spare sweater next time, just in case you get wet in the rain again. You understand that you are the only girl in Borstal, so be cautious because not everyone here is like me. Some of them are assholes. " He said this as he turned his head to the front.

"All right." I'm not sure why, but what he said scared me.

At the exact moment the bell struck, the 3rd subject was dismissed.

I gave Prince Augustus a broad smile as he stepped into his private room. "Promise I won't bother you. I'll wait for you here," I said. He said nothing. He just slammed the door. "Alright."

I'm back, as usual, waiting like a fool. I could hear nothing else except the pounding rain. It's always quiet here, after all. As I looked around, I was surprised to see Lincoln standing there, staring at me.

"May I join you?" Lincoln asked.

I just nodded.

Then he took a seat next to me. "Are you still keeping an eye on the prince? It doesn't seem right that you're here than eating in the cafeteria."

"It's my responsibility," I replied. There was a brief period of silence around us. OKAY, THIS IS AWKWARD! I must break the silence. "Ah..."

"It's awkward." Lincoln turned his gaze at me.

"Yeah, it is." I gave a sly grin.

"Sorry, I'm intrigued. How did you end up as the prince's personal maid?" He queried.

I quickly moved my gaze away from him. "I'm sorry I can't tell you."

"No, it's fine. I completely understand. I'm just curious." Lincoln said, smiling at me. "So... have you already decided on a club to join?"

"There is one, but I can't go. I need to keep an eye on the prince, so I might not join." I explained.

"Why? You will not enjoy school unless you take part in extracurricular activities. There are many options, including a community service club, a charity club, a drama club, a film club, a science club, a math club, a literature club, a history club, a language club, a hobby club, a music club, and my club, an art club."

"You mentioned everything." I chortled. "You're a member of an art club, huh? I guess you're good at drawing. Sketching used to be a hobby of mine. However, I gave it up when I became the school president of Amarillo. I want to be a part of an art club as well, but I'm more passionate about music."

"I see what you mean. But if you are still interested, you can visit the art club. Everyone is welcome, including non-members. You are also welcome to paint if you so desire."

"Really?"

He gave a nod. "If you'd like, I can show you some of my paintings and sketches."

"Do you mind if I look at your hands?"

"Oh... all right."

I took Lincoln's hand in mine and moved it closer, so my eyes could see it better. "Did you know my father once told me you could tell how good a painter was by looking at his hands?" I said, continuing to examine his hands.

"I did not know,"

I put both of his hands on his head and stared at him. "Your hands say you're a talented artist. No, not at all. You are the gifted artist." I cracked a grin.

When Lincoln pats my head, I get startled. "Keep on smiling because you're adorably cute when you smile."

CUTE? Did he just say I'm cute? I was shocked, and his words caused my cheeks to flush. I averted my gaze from him because I didn't want him to see my flushed face. The bell rang, signaling the end of break time.

"Ha... ha... ha..." I let out a relieved sigh. Thank you for ringing the bell; it saved me from this awkward situation. "Break time is over!" I uttered a little awkwardly.

"Yeah," he nodded. "I think we should go back."

"You... you should go first." I made an awkward smile. "I'll wait for the prince to come out."

"All right."

We both got up, but before he left, Lincoln held out his hand to me. "I didn't introduce myself properly. My name is Lincoln Royu, or Coln for short."

"I know." I also reached out my hand, and we shook hands. "It was nice to know you, Lincoln!"