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Chapter Three

Courtney's POV

Most of the girls head straight for Archer, no surprise really. Covering my mouth to hide my laugh, I watch my stepbrother get nearly flattened by all of his fangirls. Help me! he mouths in desperation, but I pretend not to notice.

"A friend of the family?" I turn around to see Jordan with his arms folded, a grin on his face.

I push his chest playfully. "Shut up, it was the first thing that came to mind."

"Couldn't you have just said I was your tutor?"

"No. My parents told me not to," I state. "Why? I don't know."

Jordan shrugs. "Well, I guess I'll see you around then." Looking from side to side for the coast to be clear, he raises my hand and plants a kiss on the top before leaving the room. With a roll of my eyes and a smile, I walk to a corner where I can stay hidden.

I can feel a pair of footsteps approaching me, but I pretend not to notice. "Um, Princess Courtney?" I hear, and my head tilts up. One of the models is smiling shyly at me, and the neutral emotion displayed on my face suddenly becomes a frown of concentration. Her physical features are all too familiar.

"I know, I know, we look alike," the girl states with a small shrug, still smiling. "I get it a lot. I'm Evelyn Mare." She extends a hand to shake mine, and I accept it, taking an immediate liking to her.

"Courtney. Um.. would you like to sit down somewhere?" I ask politely, my eyes drifting over to two chairs placed near us. She nods, and we both go over to take a seat.

"You're from Emerald, right? I mean, I'm assuming you are, since you're a model and all," I blurt, then realize that I'm rambling on. "Sorry."

Evelyn laughs. "It's okay. Yeah, I'm from Emerald."

"What's it like? Living as an Emerald, I mean."

The girl scrunches up her face in thought. "It's alright, I guess. I'm actually at the top of the freshman year so I'm practically in your position." She blows her fringe back, and I notice that her hair is only slightly darker than mine, though you can still tell that it's blonde.

"That's cool. You must be really good then." I wink and she smiles.

"Yeah, I guess I'm good. There are still three more year groups above me so I can't say much."

I nod slowly, trying to stop being so awkward. I mean, I love talking to people, I'm just so bad at it.

"So.. you and Jordan?"

Her question takes me aback. "What do you mean?"

"Well, when I came in, I noticed that you two were holding hands," Evelyn points out. "Are you two dating?"

I force out a realistic laugh. "Oh my Gosh, no. We're just friends." Her eyes scan mine, trying to detect some sort of lie, and I hope for the best.

"Okay then.."

"Fine. We're not dating, but I do like him. A lot," I admit, looking away shyly. In the corner of my eye, I see her raise a neatly trimmed eyebrow.

"Does he like you back?" Evelyn interrogates.

"Yea-"

"Then you two can date! It's as simple as that," she interrupts. Sighing internally, I shake my head slowly, a sad smile on my face.

"Firstly, he's from Maize. He's a caste lower than you and I. It's practically against the rules. Second, I'm already engaged to Prince Nolan. I barely know the guy, but that's who I'm marrying. And third, well, he's not just a friend of the family.."

Evelyn tilts her head in interest, and I continue. "He's my tutor. Another reason why I can't get with him."

"Have you two ever kissed?"

"Yeah, but it's never meant anything really... I'm a flirt at heart. I don't get into relationships, I only tease."

She opens her mouth to reply, but my mother interrupts her. "I've just had word that you girls must be back at Emerald Fashion Academy soon! I wish you all well in your studies," she announces, and Evelyn stands up.

"Well, it was nice to meet you," she shrugs, smiling.

"It was nice to meet you too." I smile back, and we shake hands once more.

"Goodbye, Princess Courtney." And with that, she and the other girls leave the room. Once they're gone, I make my way up to my own.

As I'm about to enter my room, I hear someone calling my name. My head whips around, and I see Jordan running up the stairs, panting. "Is something wrong..?"

"Um, yeah. Sorta." He places his hands on my shoulders. "I'm leaving early tomorrow morning for some family related things."

My eyes widen. "What happened?" I blurt.

"My dad.. he got hit by a car and he's in a coma. All the best doctors and hospitals are in Maize, so I'm going to have to go back to my hometown. Your parents are already aware, don't worry."

"Oh okay... Stay safe," I murmur, my lips instinctively pecking his cheek.

"I will. Bye, Court." We both retreat into our own rooms. On my desk, I find a neatly folded sheet of paper. I open it up quickly with curiosity.

Dear Courtney,

I am not sure if you are aware of this or not, but your tutor, Jordan Hastings, will not be able to attend to you and teach your classes for the next two weeks or so. Instead, you will be sharing your classes with Isla, and be taught by her tutor, Penelope Wong.

Please note that you will have already learned the material she will teach. However, this may be a good opportunity to refresh your memory.

Tomorrow morning, when your lessons start at 9 am, please make your way to Professor Wong's study, which is located to the left of Isla's room. Have a pleasant evening.

Love,
Your mother (Queen Marissa)

I sigh and crumble up the sheet of paper into a little ball, aiming it at the rubbish bin on the other side of the room. Score, I think with a smirk when it lands inside.

A/N

Yay another update lmao.

Honestly the only reason we want Isla's tutor to teach Court is because there's some backstory shit you need to know and we could keep it in a single lesson ahahah

Again, hope you enjoyed this! Leave votes and/or comments if you like :)

- Zalie :3