Converse and Tiara

Truth Reveled

Noelle paces around her bedroom whilst telling Bettina what happened.

"Ok, you need to calm down. Sit down," says Bettina when Noelle finishes.

Instead Noelle lays down on the bed and stares at the ceiling. "What should I do?" she asks.

"I think there's only one thing to do;" says Bettina, "talk to her."

Noelle sits up quickly. "Talk to her? And tell her what?"

"Apologise for kissing her and explain to her how nothing can happen between you two so long as your grandmother is queen."

With a sigh, Noelle agrees with her friend. Bettina then excuses herself and goes to continue her work. When Bettina leaves Noelle tries to call Evangeline several times but she doesn't pick up.

She decides to turn on some music as loud as possible in an attempt to drown the loud noise of her thoughts. Pretty soon her mood shifts.

She kissed the teacher!

The teacher kissed her back!

She likes her back!

Evangeline Gillies likes her!

She ends up dancing until she collapses on her bed exhausted.

*

The next morning Bettina isn't the one who wakes her up.

"Noelle! Wake up!" yells her grandmother.

Noelle sits up with a groan. "Jesus Christ! What's with all the yelling? What happened to your royal etiquette?" she asks grumpily.

The queen shoves a copy of "Juice", in her face; a local gossip magazine that Noelle wouldn't be caught dead reading. "Explain this!" she says pointing at a picture of her kissing Evangeline whilst she's leaning on her arm.

Her mouth falls open as she snatches the magazine out of the queen's hands. Above the picture in bold letters read: "Is Princess Neolle a Trodger Dodger?"

The picture looks as if it was taken from inside the room. Noelle's mind starts to race. Who would do this? Who could? Was there another person in the room with them? Was she too busy making out with Evangeline to notice?

"You better tell me she was the one who kissed you!" yells the queen. "Tell me you had nothing to do with this!" She yells even louder when Noelle keeps staring at the picture.

"She wasn't," Noelle says, because she knows that the teacher would have it worse if she blames this on her.

With her grandmother's slap Noelle's face turns to face the wall. She stays like that, facing the wall because she doesn't want to look at her grandmother. She doesn't want to see the hatred in her eyes.

"You fool!" yells the queen. "Do you know how wrong this is? Because I can make a list of you want."

"Please don't," says Noelle with a tiny voice.

"She's ten years older than you! She's only a teacher therefore not worthy of someone like you! She's married!"

In astonishment, Noelle turns her head to look at her. "Married?" She asks because she had no idea the teacher was married. She would have never made a move on her if she knew. She didn't know she was thirty two years old either. She thought she looked around twenty six.

"Yes married!" answers Queen Cressida. "Did you not notice the giant ring on her finger?"

Noelle resists the urge to tell her she was too busy looking at her breasts.

"How about the fact that she's a woman?" continues Queen Cressida.

"I think that falls under the right reasons category grandma," says Noelle. "I'm a lesbian."

The Queen slaps her again. "Don't you dare say that! There's no such thing as a lesbian! There's only idiots who dare to rebel against society! Never say that again!" she says pointing a finger in her face.

She begins to walk out of the room but then pauses at the door. "Meet me in the living room at five. Wear your purple velvet dress and don't try to stand me up.

When she leaves Noelle reads the article. It's an interview with Evangeline where she says how horrified she was when the princess pushed herself on her. It says that luckily her maid walked in the right time and took a picture with her phone as proof.

Noelle can't believe Evangeline could do something like this but they were the only two in the room. She starts to hope that the article is fake and that the picture was taken by someone else. But there was nowhere anyone could possibly hide. The room was empty of furniture, meant only as a dancing hall. Tears start to trickle down her face as reality dawns her. She must have done this. She betrayed her. That's why she wouldn't return her calls. She doesn't really like her. Why would she? The woman is beautiful. She could have anyone. Why would she choose her?

Despite everything Noelle hopes that by blaming her, the teacher would be able to dodge the horrible faith that she would otherwise have to face.