The Florist And The Prince

~ 24 ~

Avery

"Didn't look like that to me."

*******

"What do you mean?" Avery inquired, her eyebrows knitted together.

Linda licked her lips and looked behind her to see if she could see the Prince, but he had already disappeared around the corner, walking into another hallway.

"I don't want to seem like a busy body, but something tells me that this isn't you twos first encounter." Linda told her truthfully with a grin, after turning back around to face her.

Avery squinted eyes. "And that doesn't bother you?"

"Should it?"

"Well...we are here for a competition, so?..."

Linda glanced around before speaking. "To be honest, I don't want to partake in this contest. Don't get me wrong, Prince Alexander is very handsome and a good person but his not my type and I don't want to be a Queen. I'm only here because I don't want to bring shame upon my family, for declining such a rare and special invitation as this...I want to be a teacher, like my mother. I've always loved teaching children. That's my dream and passion." Linda told her truthfully.

Avery pursed her lips and looked away, to the floor-to-ceiling windows on the other side of the hallway, pondering over what Linda had said a little earlier.

"So?..." Linda prodded.

Avery looked back at her with furrowed eyebrows. "Hmmm? What?"

"Have you twos met before?"

Avery sighed and nods. "...Yes we have. First at my grandparent's shop then over at Herrington, on Mr. Walter's flower farm." She confirmed truthfully and slowly began to walk in down the hallway in the opposite direction, the Prince had gone.

Linda's mouth fell agape. "Twice?"

"Yes."

In town, Avery didn't have a lot of friends because she spent most of her time in the flower shop working, but she did considered Linda as one of her close friends because she was one of the few people who welcomed her with open arms and they went to church together and hung out whenever she wasn't working. So she trusted her and was glad when Linda was one of the girls chosen to be part of the contest with her, because she wasn't close with Cassandra.

"Wow, no wonder he was looking like that?" Linda smirked.

"What are you talking about?"

Linda smile widened. "He was looking at you like he knows you. Anyone could sense that he felt comfortable around you."

"Well he doesn't. Just because we met twice before this event, doesn't mean anything."

"Okay." Linda bit her bottom lip to stop herself from smiling widely.

"Stop it."

"I didn't say anything." Linda chuckled.

Avery looked behind them when she heard multiple footsteps coming out into the hallway. "Shhhh."

Just then, the other girls started to walk out of the living room too, where they all had a brief meeting with Madam Eunice about the competition and what was expected to come, and that they should prepare the for the tasks ahead. Avery had walked out earlier because she wanted to use the bathroom but that seemed to have vanished completely when she bumped into Alex.

"Hey, I was looking for you twos?" Pranali, a Indo-British girl whom Avery and Linda befriended over the weekend walked up to them along with a petite red haired girl. Audrey.