Playing Princess

Playing Princess 2.19

I couldn’t believe I hadn’t noticed why all the girls around the school were more annoying lately. Their heated whispers, excited discussions and the posters strung around the school should have given it away but I’d been too busy sulking and strolling through my mundane life to notice.

“Are you going?” Kyle asked me at lunch as we grabbed the nearest empty table and settled for the next hour or so.

“Going where?” I asked flatly but I knew what he meant.

“The school ball. Duh.” He shot me a pointed look and chewed on his fries. I blinked at his choice of lunch. Kyle always ate healthy, minus the fizzy drinks. Otherwise, it was either all salads, fruits or salads. And the occasional red meat.

“Why would I go?” I snorted and snatched a handful of fries from his tray.

Kyle shot me a dirty look and grabbed my can of fizz from me. “Well why not?”

“Why should I?” I argued, not really seeing the point in this conversation. “You know how I feel about people. Particularly at this school.” I gestured around at the rich kids gossiping and sniggering amongst themselves. Well at least that’s what I assumed they did. I never really paid attention to them.

“You’re missing out on what every teenage girl wants,” he sighed and swallowed a mouthful of greasy fries. I repeat, swallowed. He’d literally shoved a bunch of potatoes into his mouth and swallowed it. No chewing whatsoever.

I made a face at him. “Every teenage girl? Please. Every teenage girl has wanted to be a princess and I’ve had that come true. I think that’s enough of an average teenage girl’s dreams come true.”

“Oh Astrid,” Kyle sighed and reached out with a greasy hand to clasp mine.

I stared down at his hand on mine and glanced back up, glaring at him. “Yuck.”

He merely flashed a grin and patted my hand, dabbing more grease onto my skin. I wrinkled my nose in distaste and wiped it off vigorously with a napkin. Then I proceeded to clean it with hand sanitizer.

“I’m just saying, when we’re still friends in ten years’ time, I don’t wanna hear you complaining about missing out on the high school life. You’re almost eighteen this month.”

“June,” I murmured with a frown. The month caused something crossed my mind. “The Winter Solstice Festival.”

“Not Aldern again.” Kyle groaned aloud and let his head fall on the table with a bang. I glanced around and glared at anybody who looked our way, satisfied when they shrank back. Never mess with the scary blonde chick. “You need to put that behind you, Astrid. You’ll go back someday, I know you will but you need to move on. Focus on your career and all that.”

“Well you should too,” I retorted lamely.

He lifted his head and raised an eyebrow. “You’re talking to the scholarship kid here.”

“And aren’t you modest,” I teased and flicked a fry into his face. “I learned to ride a horse for a month to prepare for that festival. All those wedgies and screaming and yelling at Joey for nothing.” I was sorta disappointed that all that effort into perfecting my horse riding skills had gone to waste but if it hadn’t been for those lessons, I probably wouldn’t have gotten to know Joey better.

“Fine, if you aren’t going to go on your own then I have something to ask you.” Kyle shot up in his seat and leaned forward with a determined gleam in his eyes.

Alarmed, I leaned back and prepared to abandon my lunch when he spoke, “Will you go to the ball with me?” He whipped out two tickets from nowhere and waved them in my face. A wicked smile lit up his features as he dangled them nearer to me.