Not Set In Stone

Chapter 12

We begin our lovely yet embarrassing story with my first month of school, freshman year. I was fourteen and I thought I had my life figured out since I wasn't a little middle schooler anymore. Boy was I wrong. I was literally the most naive little girl ever. I hated myself when I think back on it and it causes me to cringe. Thankfully, I'm a better person than I ever once was and I'm proud for my growth and development as a person.

Back then though, I was your average little princess. Maria Fitzherbert, you're average girly proper princess. God bless I changed from that, changing my name as well. It fit the new me but that wasn't the case back then. I mean some people called me Ria but most of the time it was Maira or for most guys just Fitzherbert and that doesn't come off the tongue pleasantly, now does it?

I was innocent and knowing my beliefs on things, I probably would have never talked to the Isle of the Lost children let alone be dating one of them. I wasn't petty or shallow like Audrey is now. I was just simply ignorant of life and how things worked. Ben changed my views on things over the years, along with parents shaping me into the person I am today.

Enough about me though, we all really know that you want to hear about how Ben and I met for the first time, don't you? Well our meeting was just as awkward as our first date. Our meeting story was pathetic something out of a fairy tale. I guess we could be a modern kind of fairy tale, although we don't live happily ever after, romantically that it.

We met in the lunch room and I'm pretty sure you can guess what happened as he was walking past me with a tray full of food. You guessed it, he was walking my way as I was talking with a group of people. His tourney friends were messing around and accidentally shoved him and his food right into me. It was sloppy joe day and that's never fun to get those stains out.

"Oh my god!" I screeched as Ben was literally in my lap struggling to stand back up. Food was splashed in my face and completely covering a very nice top of mine. I hadn't even realized that it was the Prince Ben and to little ol' me, that was a huge big deal back then. Now I couldn't care less that he's going to be King of Auradon. I mean I care about him since he's my friend and all but not in "oh my god, it's king Ben," kind of way.

"Oh my, I'm so sorry," Ben responded completely mortified as he looked to me and I was actually very distressed since this came out of no where and I was a bit of drama queen back then or should I say drama princess... Hey, they can't all be winners when it comes to puns.

Ben quickly got up taking the tray with him as the milk fell from his shoulder that was holding it up before from the position he was in. The milk fell splattering on the floor covering my shoes in milk. Great day for me, right?

"Hold on, I'll be right back," he dashed off leaving me there surrounded by my table laughing at me along with, oh... only everyone else that saw this whole disaster. He came running back, napkins in his hands and you'd think that'd be the end of humiliation for us both right? Boy, you're just as naive as I once was.

The graceful Prince Ben came running back towards me and he slipped on the spilled milk underneath me falling hard on his bottom. I can only imagine the pain and embarrassment he was feeling. As he was falling to the ground, he tried grabbing onto the table near him, only to grasp on my tray taking it with him and dumping it on himself.

The both of us were completely covered in food and mortified but I couldn't help but laughing at Ben. "I guess you got me back with that, are you like a witch or something?" He asked with a laugh as the pain settled in and he grimaced.

"No, I'm not a witch are you okay?" I laughed reaching a hand out to help him as he took it. As he was getting up that klutzy goof managed to slip again taking me down with him this time. Our bodies' were all intertwined with each other as I had fallen on top him.