Darling Charming: Finally Extraordinary

14. My Dearest Best Friend

Ping pong was actually a lot more extreme than I expected it to be. Daring pegged the ball up and almost hit me in the face like six times. Cerise dodged at least three more aimed in her direction, which was not diagonally across from him but directly, which was an incorrect hit. Hunter apologized for his "team's" behavior at least four times, and I caught myself looking at Luke maybe four more.

I had just changed and my mind was surprisingly not dwelling on Luke as I exited the locker room after class, but speak of the devil and he shall appear.

"Darling," he said, pushing himself off the nearby wall he was leaning on, no doubt waiting for someone. Maybe he was waiting for me, or maybe he was waiting for Anna. Who could tell with him.

I looked at him but did not smile.

"Can we talk?" He asked. I was surprisingly calm and that's what scared me most.

I nodded, but began walking away toward the grimmnasium exit, prompting him to follow. He did. He seemed to notice that I was not going to speak to him. I let him have the opportunity to figure out why.

"I'm sorry if I was a little rude last night," he began. I almost smiled, glad he realized his fault. However, Luke Montague had made multiple mistakes since I met him.

"You were," was all I decided to say.

He stared at me straight faced, maybe a little offended that I hadn't been as sweet about it as most other princesses would have. "Okay well as I was saying, I'm also sorry if I never mentioned Anna was my girlfriend before this. Didn't want you and your friends to get the wrong idea."

I almost guffawed at this comment. Not only was he being rude (and conceited, mind you) he was also completely in the wrong. "If I remember correctly, when we met, I overheard you mumbling something about her being mean and you never loving her. Oh, and you kissed me, maybe you forgot. Don't worry about it, it didn't mean anything to me," I stated. Not only am I a Charming princess and a dragon slayer, I'm also a world class liar.

His face contorted strangely and I interpreted this as offense to what I had just said. Not every girl is just going to love him and I guess that's a hard topic for him to grasp.

"Okay. Well," he said, sounding angrier. "I was hoping we could still be friends, you know. I could use a good friend, and I thought that was where you could come in clutch."

Just friends, huh?

Oh, I'll be coming in clutch all right.

"Okay," I said simply, refusing any further eye contact with him. I'm sure after a while we could be friends, but it would take some cooling off before I could launch into a different kind of relationship with the guy I'd freshly convinced myself I was no longer into that way.

None of what he said could offer an explanation as to why the hex the boy would kiss me if he was taken and had only friendly feelings, though.

***

The funny thing is that after I cooled down Luke did become my best friend. I noticed he did flirt with everyone. His girlfriend Anna was being incredibly nice to me, understanding that I was his new best friend. She was so bubbly, so blond, and so bright. I couldn't tell if it was real or fake but it surely made me nauseous. I learned that she was an actor just like him. He would hang out with me often, but also was unavailable often when he hung out with Anna. I found that oftentimes we would meet up for coffee or fast food, nowhere fancy and nowhere he'd likely go with his girlfriend on a date. Sometimes he even invited me to hang out with the two of them, though after the first time or two I politely declined as I was seriously third wheeling. It became increasingly harder to tell if his relationship or feelings for Anna were fake. I felt like I was really beginning to know Luke Montague without knowing him at all.

"So, dearest best friend, how are you doing today?" He texted me one Saturday morning.

"Actually, I'm headed home for a Charming family event thing," I texted back. "I could really use a pick-me-up before going back to that castle."

"Normally I would offer to meet up for fries and sodas or something but I'm busy with Anna today. She's off work," he responded. "I'm sorry about your event thing though. I know family stuff is rough for you," another text added.

I remembered so clearly what Cerise had told me about Luke and Anna's relationship her first night at the school almost a month earlier, and what I overheard Luke muttering the night I first met him.

Suddenly I felt the need to say something like "So things are good with Anna?"

"Yeah, why wouldn't they be?" He had said back.

"Idk. Just checking in. Have a fun time," I typed, before clicking off my phone and fighting the urge to slam it against the wall of my dorm.

Rosabella was in the room and looked startled by the sudden surge of energy I used to throw my phone down on my bed with.

"Are you okay Darling?" She asked. I realized this was not an uncommon question for Rosabella to ask me.

I nodded. I stood from my bed, dusted invisible dust from my pajamas, then stalked into the bathroom to shower. I angrily mumbled a string of profanities when I dropped the soap bar on my toe, deep in thought about what the hex Luke had been doing, or thinking, when he brushed my hair back and kissed my cheek before leaving me standing in that clearing alone with Annie, unsure of myself, what had just happened, or the world.

I was sure then that Luke Montague had feelings for me.

But feelings don't just disappear when you go to school, dearest.

Author's Note: the "dearest" thing was inspired by a book I just finished. The main character, who reminded me very much of Luke, always called his best friend, who was a girl, "dearest." I really liked it and I hope it doesn't kill you that I kinda borrowed it from another author. I don't expect any of you to have read the book anyway.