Connections

Chapter 12: Rulez Suck

The next day started out nicely. I woke up to a busy Penz, people bustling about, but with theabsence of ugly glares and hostile whispers. They walked by me as if I were nothing unusual or out of place, and that felt nice. I had to work, but Chris offered to walk me, and when I accepted, we headed out quietly. 

We walked in silence. In all honesty, I don't know what there was to say. Chris offering to walk me said he forgave me for ignoring him, and my accepting said I wouldn't do it anymore.Very simple. Then we passed by a holostand. There are records of paper newspapers at the library, but those are long gone. Instead, every few blocks there's a holographic stand - or holostand - that flashes the local news across it's surface. And on the very first side, the equivalent of a paper's front page, was a picture. There was a boy and a girl. The boy was lying on his back with the girl on top of him, their  lips connected. The boy was Chris and the girl was me. 

BREAKING NEWS!

PRINCESS PEGASYSILY DUBATCH, WHO HAS RECENTLY BEEN RUMORED TO HAVE LEFT HER FATHER AND IS CURRENTLY STAYING AT A FRIENDS HOUSE WAS SEEN AND PICTURED WITH AN ANIMAL! THE COUPLE WERE SEEN KISSING, AND IT IS NOW VERY OBVIOUS WHAT OUR LOCAL CELEBRITY HAS BEEN DOING WHILE OUTSIDE DADDY'S HOUSE. NOW THE QUESTION IS, WHAT WILL DADDY SAY TO THIS? AND HAS OUR LOCAL PRINCESS - WHO HAS A SEEMINGLY SPOTLESS RECORD WITH THE EXCLUSION OF SEVERAL SCHOOLYARD BRAWLS- FINALLY GONE OVER TO THE DARK, REBELLING SIDE?

Chris and I stopped and stared. We stared for several minutes before a Supernatural that had been there before us noticed that the two in the article were right behind her. "Rena!" she said to her companion. "It's her! Pegasisyly Dubatch and her plaything!" her companion turned, and they started to move towards us, many others now noticing we were there. It was seconds before cell phones were out and people were throwing questions at us like wild fire.

Were we engaged? What did Ruler think? Was I pregnant? Had we had sex? Why'd I leave? Was I going back? How did I expect to run a country with such explicit behavior? Could I give them a kiss? (Whoever asked that last question had some problems.) But I wasn't the only one getting the third degree.

Many people, mainly guys and men trying to seem chivalrous, were hounding Chris: how do you think your good enough for her? Who do you think you are? You don't deserve to touch her, you bastard! You've soiled our country! You should be Replaced! Hanged! 

If it wasn't obvious, Chris' opinion on the situation wasn't asked about at all. Nobody doubted what had happened, but whereas I was given the opportunity to at least plead my case, Chris was already being sent to the morgue. 

I grabbed Chris by the arm and we quickly turned and ran. Years of walking the town on my own had showed me several shortcuts and unseen alleys. We lost out pursuers on the third turn andstopped at the back of an alley. It probably helped that while always in good health, Supernaturals generally weren't very athletically inclined and couldn't run farther than a few blocks. 

"What the hell...was that about?" Chris wheezed as he tried to catch his breath.

"When you choked, I think...someone misinterpreted what was going on." I replied, just as breathless.

"That sucks." he said, already recovering from out mad dash. "Why are you winded? I'd think the Princess of the Aftermath would be swamped with paparazzi."

"When I was 7. It soon became clear that I wasn't much of a news story. Until now, apparently." I said, and mentally shuddered at the memory of my 7 year old self staring into the faces of the rapidly flashing bulbs of news reporters who believed I was finally at an age to do somethingscandalous. They were wrong.

"What are we going to do now?" Chris asked. "You get seen and they'll be on you like butter on bread." I blinked at him blankly. "Another Animal saying." he added.