Ever After High: Secret Storybooks

Chapter Six: Sparrow Hood

Duchess called me fifteen minutes ago. It was two minutes to the end of study hall and Daring and I were talking about trying to recruit Alistair Wonderland for the bookball team next season.

"How do we know he's any good?" I asked Daring, not convinced that we really needed another player.

"He can't be any worse than you are," Daring answered, smirking in a smart-alecky way.

Then my phone started to ring, so I answered it, even though I was technically in class. The room was noisy, and the teacher had stepped out, so it wouldn't be a big problem. I checked the caller ID, rolling my eyes.

"Who is it?" Daring said, interested in why our conversation had been interrupted.

"Duchess."

"Oh... Well, good luck with that."

I remembered then how Daring had briefly dated Duchess last fall, and how she had had a crush on him since spellementary school. It was a little awkward being around both of them at the same time, my best friend guy and best friend girl. Duchess and I's friendship was very complicated- sometimes she bossed me around and I wouldn't consider us friends, and sometimes I'd annoy her and she wouldn't talked to me for weeks. We were still pretty close, and we had been, for years.

"It's not like that, you know that."

"What do I know? What I know is that you're different around her. C'mon man," Daring exclaimed.

I answered my ringing phone, trying to ignore Daring's last comment. "What?" I spat in the same bitter tone of voice we always seemed to talk in on the phone.

"I need to talk to you," Duchess said, seeming distracted.

"Talk."

"Not on the phone, you imbecile," that's the Duchess I know.

"Then where?"

"The campfire," she responded quickly.

"Fine. Be there in three minutes," I hung up. I started collecting my books and guitar and got up, ready to leave the class early.

"Dude, the bell didn't ring yet," Daring reminded.

"Yeah, I know."

The bell rang just as I walked out of Mr. Badwolf's classroom. I approached the school's front exit and steered left to the campfire area. There was Duchess, twirling impatiently in her pointe-inspired heels, something she did when she was focused on something. She really was a great dancer.

"Duchess Swan," I called, getting her attention. She swirled around gracefully.

"Oh, there you are."

"Here I am," I sat down on one of the log benches.

"Something isn't right," she started. "It's Lizzie. She's ignoring me, and avoiding me, and it's been going on for months. I don't know what to do about it."

"This is because of you dating Daring while he was dating Lizzie?" I'd heard the story from both sides so many times.

"I didn't know that, though. I'm not that horrible. Lizzie hadn't told me. And now she and all her friends think I'm some ferocious, boyfriend-stealing monster," Duchess apprehensively sat on the log beside me, holding her head in her hands. Her hair tumbled out of her usually perfectly-tidy bun. This has been going on for months.

"You told me it was over, you were talking again. Duchess, why'd you lie? I could've helped."

"I didn't think you could do anything about it, and I didn't want to drag you into it," she sobbed, her hair falling into her face as she started to bawl.

"Duchess," I put my arm around her shoulder and hugged her shoulder-to-shoulder style. "You'll be okay, you know. You're tough. I'll do something about it. Don't worry." I pushed hair hair away from her face.

Duchess nodded shakily.

"Hey, Daring told me about the get-together happening here later tonight. A bunch of us legacy year kids are gonna have a campfire, you know, eating s'mores and stuff, and we're going to read a bunch of our stories. Come," I explained, hoping to take her mind off of the Lizzie problem.

"But Lizzie is going to be there I'm sure..." She protested.

"Who cares if Lizzie is there? I'm going. Faybelle will probably be there." I reasoned.

"I'll think about it..." She sighed. "Thanks, Sparrow. Faybelle wouldn't have understood if I had come to her about it."

Duchess stood up, waved goodbye and then danced away, back into school.

It broke my heart a little that Duchess had such a hard time at Ever After High. She only had two friends, me and Faybelle, although when talking to other people she wouldn't even consider me a friend. I think she's embarrassed. I don't blame her, I know it's hard to be friends with a future rockstar such as myself.

She also had a hard time with her destiny, and trusting people. At the start of this year, when Lizzie Hearts had first started going to school out of Wonderland and had been placed as Duchess's roommate, Duchess tried her best to befriend Lizzie. She'd told me all about the whole effort. It hadn't been going to badly until Daring screwed it up. Since then, Daring and I hadn't been as good as friends as we were before. He knew Duchess was important to me and he screwed up big time. Unfortunately it only ended up ruining Duchess's image even more. Daring's reputation was fine because he's Prince Charming and every girl thinks he's absolutely the most charming person ever (barf), and everyone sympathized with Lizzie for having her heart broken. And I of course, was left trying to clean up the mess for Duchess, being her only friend other than unreliable, selfish Faybelle Thorn.

I lifted my guitar from its place, leaning against the bench. I strummed a little bit. "WHAT AM I GONNA DO, OHHHHH?" I scream-sang.