𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐨𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐚𝐧, young royals

Chapter 17: Stella

Poison,  Rita Ora

17: Stella

What am I doing here?

I don't know how many times I'd asked myself that question in the past 30 minutes. A billion, maybe.

I trailed behind the group as we strolled through the fair grounds. Felice was at the front, chatting with Wilhelm, and Maddie and Frederika laughed with Henry and Walter somewhere in the middle.

Strangers in the distance shouting and cackling and blasting folk music built the atmosphere around us. The air was almost tropical, hot and moist against our skin, and I was thankful I'd braided my hair.

I thought this was my chance, an opportunity to take a leap of faith for once in my miserable life and stop being a coward, but now there I was, and I couldn't find one excuse to get her alone with me.

"Oo, guys," piped up Felice, "let's get cotton candy."

"Good idea," rejoiced Maddie, grabbing Henry by the shoulders and shoving him toward me, "you two, go get us something!"

I didn't try to conceal the frown that crept on my face when they turned their backs and walked off, giggling like idiots.  God, could these witless assholes be any more oblivious?

Henry turned to me, grinning cluelessly, and jabbed his thumb toward of the cotton candy stand.  "Guess we should get in line."

"Guess so," I replied listlessly, crossing my arms over my chest.

We got in line behind a couple in their 20s, giggling and stealing cheeky kisses off each other's lips, and Henry cleared his throat.

"So," he began, twirling his thumbs around awkwardly, "you ever think about aliens?"

"At least once or twice a day."

"Really?"

I blinked at him.  "No."

"Oh," he said.

For the next six or seven minutes, we were completely unspeaking, mainly because I avoided looking anywhere in his vicinity. It's not that I didn't like Henry; we'd known each other since even before Hillerska. It's that, from the corner of my eye, I kept seeing Maddie and Felice stealing sneaky glances at us and winking, and that made me sick.

"You think they want pink or blue?" asked Henry once we got to the front of the line.

"I don't think they care. Just pick one."

"But what if I pick blue and they wanted pink?"

"Then take both, Henry."

We ended up picking up three blue cones and four pinks. When we reached the others again, I placed myself next to Frederika and handed her a pink cone.

"Thanks," she said, flashing all her teeth in a gleeful smile.

Her dewy olive skin seized the hot pink and red neons' hue, and I thought she looked ethereal.

She was catching a caramely tan because she spent most of her week-ends letting the early summer sun spread its kisses all over her body, and I was jealous because I wished I could do the same, but my kisses left ugly, crimson blemishes, and she deserved better.

Tonight, she wore a little white dress with tiny ribbons and white floral patterns embroidered in her skirt. Whenever she twirled, it lifted into the air, and I shivered at the thought of the wind grazing her legs. She smiled, and she laughed, and I saw that glint of blithe in her eyes. So alive, so sheer. I thought then that the wind made her happier than I ever would.