All Is Fair

Chapter 10

I stand there, my heart racing and my palms feel clammy. I can't believe I just witnessed Reese explode at his friend, and I feel a mix of confusion and concern wash over me.

What just happened? I think. One moment, they are all laughing together, and the next, he is shouting, his face flushed with anger. I have never seen him like this before but then again I have only seen thrice and only had one encounter with him. But It is as if a switch has been flipped, and the  quirky guy I encountered has vanished, replaced by someone unrecognizable.

I watch as Myla and Grayson help Prince Carl up from the ground and take him to the school's infirmary.

Within seconds everyone from that table had left, leaving only Allison sitting there eating alone.

"This is why they always leave her out of the family. She is an outsider" Tarine says under her breath and sits down.

I join her but my hard can't still wrap around what just happened.

"What do you think happened?"I ask stirring my meal.

"By the looks of things, it might be about his sister. I heard Allison telling Guilia after practice that, Maya had caught Prince with another girl but I didn't listen to the details"Tarine says.

"Oh that's is awful. How can he do that to her"I say feeling bad about her.

"This isn't anything new. He always does that but keeps going back to him. It is like she has no back bone. Reese is always bursting Carl's lip before she goes back to him after a few hours. See how everyone has gone back to eating" Ivanna says and I look to see indeed everyone has gone back to eating.

"But won't he get into trouble with the law? Isn't Carl a Prince"I ask.

"You have a lot to learn about old money power Annika. Reese is also an earl, a soon to be Duke. Maya is a countess. Maybe that is why she doesn't leave Carl's sorry ass. It is like they are both being forced into the relationship"Ivanna says and I nod.

But my mind still wanders off to his eyes when it locked with mine as he walked out. They looked empty, as if he wasn't the one walking away.

Is he always this volatile? Did something trigger him? I can't help but wonder.  Maybe there is more to him than I realize.

I take a deep breath, trying to steady myself. I need to remember that there is a story behind this moment, something I didn’t yet understand. I just hope that, in time, I can learn more about him and what lay beneath the surface.

.

The next morning, school was in session as always. The hallway is filled with students chattering, as my friends and I get ready to head to class. We see Prince Carl with his sister Princess Alma and Mrs. Mapelli. Myla Brille was also there with Guilia and Grayson, no sign of Allison.

"I guess the king got noticed about yesterday's incident"Ivanna says looking outside like I was.

"I wouldn't get anywhere. They'll be back before sun down" Tarine rolls her eyes and drags us to our class.

Class begins going and thirty minutes into session the door bangs open.

As the door creaks open, all eyes turns to Reese as he strolls in, a 30 minutes late, his presence commanding attention despite the teacher's deliberate avoidance. I can feel the weight of the moment hanging in the air, a mix of curiosity and judgment from my classmates. But Reese seems unfazed, his gaze locks on me as he made his way to my desk.

When he finally sits down beside me, he flashes a bright smile that felt almost surreal in contrast to the storm I had witnessed the day before. It is as if nothing has happened, as if his outburst had been a figment of my imagination. My heart races with confusion. How could he switch from anger to this easygoing demeanor so effortlessly?

I can't help but wonder what was going on inside his mind. Did he not remember? Or was he simply choosing to move on? I want to ask him about it, to understand what had shifted, but the smile on his face made me hesitate. Maybe he was just trying to put it behind him, but I feel an ache of concern for him. I want to reach out, to bridge the gap between his two selves, but I didn’t know how. Instead, I just smile back, hoping to read the deeper story behind his eyes.

“Hey, Annika!” he says his voice bright and cheerful, cutting through my attempt to focus on the lesson.

I glance at him, trying to feign indifference. “Hi,” I reply, barely looking his way.

“I heard you made the cheerleading squad! That’s awesome!” he continues with a smirk.

"And how did you know that?"I ask finally looking at him, my curiosity piques despite my effort to ignore him.

“I know everything Annika. It is my method, I am like the godfather of this school. ” he says and winks at me.

I felt a warmth spread through me, but I quickly masked it with a shrug.

"Godfather? What the hell is that?"I chuckle.

"I am like the know it all. Very brilliant, comes with my 4.2GPA"he smirks and my mouth drops open.

"Arrogance at it finest"I laugh going back to what the teacher was saying.

"What can I say? With this look and brains, who wouldn't be arrogant" he smirks and I shake my head.

"But I am glad you got accepted, now we'll be seeing each other more often."he says.

" Don't you have like a girlfriend or something?"I ask

"Oh... You already know. I thought I was invisible"he smiles

" Invisible? You practically made out with her yesterday and the day before"I reply

"No need to get feisty, fireball. We’re friends, right?” he replies, his tone light but his gaze steady, as if he is trying to bridge the gap that has formed between us.

“Friends?” I echo, taken aback. “I mean, we’re more like acquaintances.”

“Maybe we should change that,” he suggested, a hint of mischief in his smile.

I feel my resolve weaken. “I guess… I just didn’t expect you to care,” I admit, my voice softer.

We fall silent again and the rest of the lesson goes on.