Confessions of a Fake Princess

Chapter 3- My Dreams Are Too Cliche

As I dialed Mystery Boy's number with awkwardly trembling hands, I tried to recall the last time I had talked to a boy. Maybe in middle school or even as far back as elementary. In high school, I started to take my studies more seriously in order to get into an Ivy League school. Specifically UCLA. I had been dreaming about the college ever since I took a tour of the campus with Kyra when we were little. Going to law school and getting a doctorate's degree was my aspiration and a college education was a mere stepping stone in my big plans for life. Anyway back to the phone call, I held the phone to my ear, the dial tone ringing loud and clear making me regret my decision to call. Suddenly, a smooth, masculine voice filled my ears, making me almost drop the phone. 

"Hello?" he asked clearly confused. Maybe he had forgotten about Claire.

"Hi," I said shyly, blushing a little from the audacity I had to call a stranger, " I'm the girl you met from earlier, I was looking for my sister and I found her with you."

I could almost hear a light bulb switching on in his head. "Oh..... How is she? She was really worked up last time I talked to her."

I could somehow tell that he was genuinely concerned about Claire-Bear. "She's doing better," I said getting to like this boy more and more. He cared for someone I loved and I could definitely respect him for it.

We talked for a few more minutes about Claire and then said goodbye, me reluctantly. I enjoyed his voice and the way he talked to me like I was important and more than just a mother. I hadn't had anyone talk to me like that since my parents were alive. The effect he had over me startled me. I was supposed to build a wall around my heart, not let the first new person I met weasel his way through it. I soon realized that I hadn't gotten his name. I quickly made a contact for him putting him under the name Mystery Boy. Maybe I'll find out later, I thought to myself, not wanting to destroy this moment of serenity I had fallen into. I reached into my pocket and pulled out my earbuds, ready to fill the silence with Beyonce's Pretty Hurts. 

As I listened to the song, I let her words flow into me. They were so true. Pretty did hurt, and you couldn't fix what you couldn't see. Allowing yourself to completely change for someone was stupid. I sighed. That would probably apply to what I was going to do. I was going to alter myself just so I wouldn't get hurt. Create two separate identities for myself. That never works in the movies, but movies aren't realistic in any way. Especially fairy tales. I used to watch all the Disney princesses and wish to be like them. Having tough lives in the beginning, but pushing through and eventually getting their true loves. But over time, I have realized that everything I have ever believed in was fake. True love, storyesque happily ever after endings, and the evil witches dying in the end. What I never realized was that the evil characters never died. No matter how much you fight them, slice them with your metaphorical sword, or cast banishing spells on them they will always be there to haunt you. I let one silent sob rack through my body, then gained control of my emotions and bit my lip until I tasted a metallic sensation, also known as blood. I knew if I let more than one sob come out that I would never stop crying.

When Cassidy, Colleen, and Kris came to our room, they sighed with relief. They had obviously had a hard time with the luggage and were out of breath when they finally reached the room, both Kris and Colleen loaded down with suitcases and duffel bags. Cass only held Topher's diaper bag and she looked exhausted regardless of how little luggage she was holding. I motioned for her to jump into bed with Claire, seeing she was about to collapse from exhaustion. She could brush her teeth when she woke up in the morning. As soon as Cassidy's blonde head hit the pillow, she was asleep. I rubbed my eyes drowsily, but all these thoughts and emotions that were racing through my head and heart made it hard to succumb to sleep. As I lay there in the dark, thinking about the one person that had treated me like I was a princess, I slowly drifted off to sleep, letting my thoughts wash over me like an ocean. And I was asleep.

I came out of the rose petal smelling bathroom with the help of my mom and Kris. They held up a light pink silk bathrobe and I stepped into it smiling. I felt refreshed and clean, like I had just gotten a facial and a double shot espresso all at once. My mom grinned at me. "My baby's growing up so beautifully." She was effortlessly gorgeous as she used to be, her dark brown hair in a thick plait down her back, her blue eyes shocking me. Kris's ombre blonde hair was curled and was held back with a flowered headband. "I'm so proud of you Kara, she said, her similarly blue eyes sparkling with compassion. I grinned even wider and followed them to my bedroom where a beautiful red dress laid for me to wear. I shimmied into it and looked at my reflection in the mirror. I looked amazing. Then, Krissy pushed me into a movie star makeup chair and started doing my makeup while my mom started curling my hair. I kept thanking them and saying I was so grateful, but in reality I didn't know what was going on. I was a mix of emotions. Kris and mom looked at each other and smiled, Kris saying, "You have to look good for your ball." 

At that, I woke up, panting and sweaty. It was all just one stupid cliche dream. My mom wasn't here, Kris wasn't looking at me in awe, I wasn't the beautiful one at all. I was in a hotel room in an uncomfortably stiff bed with my twin softly snoring beside me. I felt my eyes start to fill with tears. I will not cry. I. Will. Not. Cry. Finally, I got a hold of myself and plugged in my earbuds again, falling asleep to the sweet rhythms that pumped through my ears. 

A/N: Hope you liked this chapter! I'm honestly trying my best to make the chapters longer as I re-edit this book so please give me feedback. Am I doing okay? Also listen to Heavy. It's one of my favorite songs right now. I just couldn't link it.

Thanks.

Sophie <3