Mess of a Fantasy (Darise Ever After High Fanfiction)

Chapter 15: Trust No One

"So, Cerise!" Daring said, bounding over to me excitedly.

A whopping monster-sized headache had taken a seat in my brain and was making it really hard to process the moment, or anything that had happened recently. The all-too-well-known feeling of big butterflies in my stomach returned, making me want to throw up all over my new outfit. I resisted.

"I'm back, and you probably know what I'm going to ask you already...?" Daring said, also frighteningly excitedly, like a golden retriever puppy who's just retrieved a ball for his owner in a game of fetch, and is prepared to go get it again once the owner tosses it.

"Daring, we need to talk... About Lizzie," I said quietly, not wanting to have the upcoming conversation.

"Okay..." Daring said as if I'd dulled his sparkle. Maybe I had, but this discussion was long overdue, and important to me.

"You cheated on her," I breathed out like the weight of the world had fallen off my shoulders.

He didn't understand what I'd said. "Yeah, I know, you said that yesterday. Then you said I should break up with her and come ask you out. So? What do you say?"

"No, you cheated on her before that! With Duchess! You never told me any of that! Why did you keep that from me?" I tried my absolute hardest not to let any more built-up tears spill out of my eyes today.

"I didn't think it was that important," Daring stated. I swear he was rolling his eyes.

"It's really important. I trusted you. I believed that you actually liked me!" I got more and more emotional with every word. He just would not understand how much I cared. He can't just hide something that significant and reputation-scarring.

"I trusted you too! I thought you'd keep your promise and go out with me after I broke up with Lizzie!" He said, getting angrier now and balling up his fists.

That's it. "Do you even care about me at all? All you want is for me to go out with you! Don't I mean more than that to you?" I cried now, a tear escaping. I couldn't take it anymore, so I tried to run, but he called my name and that made me spin around again, hoping for a more appropriate response this time.

"What? What do you want now?" The tears streamed down my checks and I wasn't getting anywhere with trying to talk sense into him, so what was the use?

"What's your problem? I told you, it's not important," he yelled.

"Shut up! It is important! Like I said before, you don't care!" I turned to leave again, this time hoping to get further than a few steps.

"Okay, well, then if you're going to break your promise, maybe I'll break mine too. Wolf girl," he said, quieter, but loud enough. If I could hear it, other people could to, if they were close enough.

I can't believe what he just said. He told me he'd never... I didn't even do anything to him! I never promised him I'd say yes! Did I? No, of course I didn't, because I would never have been so stupid. Then again, maybe I was. I'm part wolf anyway. Wolves aren't smart. They're just wild animals, heartless, and worthless. Not even special enough to be in zoos or ecology sites. Nope. Not special, and not worth a human's time, especially not that of a handsome prince with every girl in the kingdom to choose from. It was stupid of me to think he'd choose me. Gosh, how stupid am I? This is all my fault. I believed him in the first place.

"Cerise? What happened? Are you okay?"

It was Raven's voice. Only then did I realize I'd sank to my knees on the Charming's lawn, crying in a jumble of emotions in an effort to forget what had just happened and to comprehend my own stupidity.

"What happened? Why are you crying?"

I whipped my head around rapidly, searching for Daring. How long had I been here? How long had I been internally ranting for? Where did he go? Has he told anyone? He can't tell anyone.

"Raven! He knows! And he's going to tell everyone," I sputtered, bursting into sobs again.

"Cerise, keep it together, come on. What does he know? What is he going to tell everyone?" Raven tried to help me. I wanted to be cooperative too, but it's so hard when it's probably too late.

"The secret...The wolf secret..." I cried even more.

"What? He knows? We've got to stop him," Raven stood up from her position kneeling at my side. She tried to pull me up with her, but I wouldn't budge. "I'll be back. I'm going to try to fix this." Then Raven ran towards the back gate, and I prayed that my friend would save me right now. My true friend.

Oh godmother, how did I let him do this to me? How did I trust him so easily? I shouldn't have, and now I'm stuck, and my parents are ruined, and we'll all be dead. It's all my fault. I can't be trusted, I can't trust anyone, and I can't trust myself.