The Nerd Duchess

Chapter Five

Chapter Five

"The one and only." Hayley said. "Anastasia Williamson."

"How is this Duchess Anastasia, connected to all, these 'Alexa problem'?" Victoria asked completely out of it. She narrowed her eyes as she faced Hayley with a confuse expression on her face.

"She said that," Hayley started. "She wanted to be friends with her. Especially since as she says, 'everyone in her society wants to be friends with her.'"

"You are kidding." Elizabeth stated. She laughed outright at the absurdity of the statement.

Her laugh subsided when she notice that Hayley was serious as before.

"Friends with whom? Alexa or Anastasia?" Victoria asked still confuse.

"You weren't kidding, were you?" Elizabeth asked seriously.

"I wasn't," Hayley said. "Alexa really thinks that everyone ones to make friends with her."

"Oh well good luck on that one," Victoria commented as she finally caught on what they were talking about.

"I agree with you," Hayley said sipping her strawberry smoothie.

"Why is the school buzzing about Anastasia, anyways?" Victoria asked. "It had been like that since yesterday."

"Well," Adam started joining in the conversation, "apparently she was kidnap along with her mother over the summer, a few weeks before the start of classes."

"Who took them?" Elizabeth asked clearly interested and genuinely worried. Adam and Hayley looked at her as if something was amiss but didn't think twice about it. It's the Duchess, isn't it? It's not surprising people would got concern about her. They are royalty.

"It say so in the tabloids that it a Rafael Anderson," Hayley said.

"And you believe in the tabloids?" Victoria asked.

"It was also in the cover of every newspaper all over the world," Hayley said.

"So," Elizabeth asked again. "Where did it happen?"

"It said that when they were on the mall on a store in downtown London," Adam said in a tone as if he was just reading it off the newspaper.

"Natasha Williamson's ex-fiancé?" Victoria said clearly shocked. The fork she had on her hand slipped out of her grasps as she paled for a moment before she guarded her expression again. How did the tabloids get that information?

"Ex-fiancé?" the Adam and Hayley asked.

"Yeah!" Victoria said without thinking. "Natasha was engaged to Rafael Anderson for two months before she found out that he cheated on her with Patricia Rostove."

"Natasha's step-sister?" Hayley asked. "Wow! That is a rather big controversy. How did you know that?"

"Ummm," Victoria said now feeling the consequence of what she said. "My parents. They told me about that...and it is in the internet. If you want to look."

"Do you know how she and the Duke met, then?" Hayley asked.

"They met France," Victoria said with a huge amount of certainty. "If I remember correctly." She added in an afterthought.

"Why do you think Rafael would do that?" Adam asked genuinely curious. "If it was him that is."

"I don't know..." Victoria trailed off as her eyes scanned the room before it landed to a rather funny scene.

Victoria's gaze landed on a brunette boy who was busy trying to brush off Alexa'a advances.

The boy had a brunette hair that had been styled on the side. He wore a dark jacket and pair of denim jeans.

"Who is that guy?" Victoria asked gesturing to the brunette boy. "I pity him."

"Who?" Elizabeth asked following Victoria's gaze.

"Oh," Hayley said looking at the brunette boy. "That's Anthony Wilder."

"The guy Alexa keeps throwing herself to," Elizabeth asked, "is the guy that stole your seat in that table?"

Hayley nodded. "Wow! Tough luck."

The others laughed at her comment.

"Hey, tomorrow is Saturday," Adam said, totally changing the topic away from the poor lad. "What are you guys doing?"

"I don't know," Elizabeth said. "What about you, Tory?"

"Well," Victoria said finishing her dinner, "I have archery try-outs tomorrow."

The clanging of the silverware hitting the plates was heard from the two girls. Victoria looked at the two girls before her innocently and took a glance at Adam to see him pretty shock as well.

"What?" Victoria asked innocently.

"Seriously," It was Elizabeth who first reacted. "You are considering joining the Archery Team."

"Yup," Victoria said nodding her head. "Why do you guys sound so surprise? It's just an Archery Team. It's not like I said I was taking over the world?"

"You are joining an athletic team," Hayley said. "Does that ring a bell to you? The whole school would be surprise since they know that you hate sports."

"I don't hate sports," Victoria said. "I'm just don't have the time to attend and join in sport recreation before. Besides, it's my last year here. I want to make it memorable. I think it's time to do something different, don't you? Even if it is something small as joining a sports team."

She gave Elizabeth as knowing look who caught on to it immediately.

"Yeah!" Elizabeth smiled. "I think it is too."

"I guess, you're right," Hayley, totally oblivious to interaction of the two, nodded agreeing with her. "Just to warn you, Alexa and her groupies are also part of the try-outs tomorrow?"

"How do you know that?" Elizabeth asked.

"Well," Hayley said, "she keeps boasting on it. She boast about her grades, how she is an expert in archery and in karate because her grandfather wanted her to know how to protect herself. It's one of the reasons why she thinks she and Anastasia would become best friends."

Adam chuckled at the absurdity of the statement as Victoria and Elizabeth giggled.

"That's absurd." Adam said.

"You said it, Adam." Elizabeth said giggling slapping the boy in the shoulder.

"What time is the try-out tomorrow?" Hayley asked. "I want see you there. For moral support."

"Me too," Elizabeth said.

"I'll try," Adam said as he could see the others looking at his way. "We have football try-out tomorrow. When is it?"

"It's nine in the morning tomorrow," Victoria replied. "And I wouldn't have to worry about the equipment too since for the try-outs the school is the one who will provide."

"I'll be there," Adam said.

"I do hope I get in," Victoria said.

"Don't hope," Elizabeth said. "I know you would."

"What teams are you guys joining?" Victoria asked. "Aside from Adam being in the football team, that is."

"Hayley and I decided to join the lacrosse team this year," Elizabeth said smiling happily.

Victoria was happy to say that Elizabeth was joining clubs too. But it wasn't a big surprise since she had been in clubs since the first year, even if they were academic clubs. But still, the fact that they are breaking status quo for joining those types of clubs and teams is refreshing.

Dinner was uneventful after that as if it was eventful before. They ended up joking around. Elizabeth and Adam were bickering with Hayley smiling happily scolding them half-heartedly. Victoria happily watched them thinking that indeed, it will be a long and eventful year