Ever after high (ApplexDarling)

Partners

Darling Charming POV

Oh Godmother. I'm staring at her again.

I sighed and looked away from Apple, sitting at a lunch table, laughing at something Briar had said. Her head was tossed back, pale collar bone showing, body shaking with laughter, blond hair softly rippling.

Damn it, I'm looking again.

Could you really blame me though? She was like an angel, miles of smooth skin and big blue eyes, long blond hair, she was beautiful. And I wasn't the only one who thought so either. Many of the boys had turned around at the sound of her laugh and were staring in a lovesick daze, though I seemed to be the only girl. Not surprising, considering how heterosexual this entire school was. Of course, that isn't easy, always feeling alone, like the outsider, wanting a happily ever after I could never have; but it wasn't that bad. I had friends and family and got along with pretty much everybody, though I still hadn't told anybody my gender preferences, and for good reason. I wouldn't be accepted. It wasn't unheard of, I had done some research, but it was highly frowned upon.

And there was Apple's laugh again, and then my eyes were on her once more. She caught my eye and smiled sightly, like I a stranger she was being polite to. I blushed a bit and looked away, cursing my obviousness.

"Ahem. Darling? You there?" I blinked in surprise as a hand started snapping its fingers under my nose. I looked up, seeing my friend Rosabella narrowing her eyes at me in annoyance. "Godmother Darling, I swear, you distract so easily. I was busy telling you about this boy I met over the summer. Were you even listening?" I cleared my throat and put on what I hoped was an apologetic face.

"I'm sorry Rosie, I've kinda been in my own world. But keep going, what as his name...Byron? Was he cute?" Rosabella smiled, and I knew I was forgiven. She was like that, she could never hold grudges for very long.

Rosabella Beauty was my best friend, and I was lucky to have someone like her. The daughter of Beauty from Beauty and the Beast, she was an animal rights campaigner, who loved and respected all forms of life, a driven force of nature, bookish, intelligent, and intuitive. She accepted me, regardless of how weird I could be, and never pressured me into anything. She could sense auras, which I guess could probably help determine moods, but I wasn't quite sure how that worked. I trusted her the most, second to maybe my brothers, Daring and Dexter, and we had been friends for years.

Rosabella continued telling me about her new boy, and I smiled at her expressions. She was pretty, with wavy, brown hair streaked with pinkish auburn-red pulled away from her round face, olive skin and dark brown eyes, her usual glasses and fake fur accenting her outfit. Compared to many of the girls, she was different, unique. She spoke her mind, and wasn't afraid of consequences. I was madly jealous of her for that.

Raven plopped down next to me, a big smile on her face, picking at her fries. Rosabella looked up, smiling when she caught sight of Raven.

"Okay spill! Who's the lucky boy Raven?" Rosabella squealed, looking around the room, most likely trying to find the mentioned boy. "And don't lie, your aura is bright, the type that comes from romance." Raven blushed and nodded at Dexter, who was smiling at her, looking like the happiest boy in the world.

"Dexter just asked me out." She smiled brightly, and I squealed and gave her a huge hug. Then I caught my brother's eye, and gave him a wink and thumbs up, happy that he had taken my advice. He had been madly in love with her for a while, and he deserved it.

Just then, the bell rung and Raven stopped telling her story, picking up her tray and saying goodbye. I picked up my lunch tray and made my way to the trash, throwing the leftover food in it. I sighed,realizing I had Damsel in Distress class. Godmother that class... well to put it simply, was the most retarded thing ever invented. It was literally a class where girls learned to be weak.

Just think about that for a moment.

We learned about swooning and ways to seem in desperate need of help, and how to look our best, even when we were in a dangerous situation. Now, I get that most stories portrayed girls as sad weak pretty things, but this class only added to the shame. And I wasn't the only one who thought so. Upon observing the other princesses, I came to the realization that many of them disliked being a damsel in distress as well. When our air headed teacher ranted about the wonderful tale of Sleeping Beauty, and how lucky she was that a man fell in love with her beauty in slumber, that the prince had been generous and kind, out of the corner of my eye, I could see Briar Rose gritting her teeth and clenching her fists. Or when Apple White had made a presentation on looking your best in deep sleep, and her voice had faltered just a bit and she frowned the entire presentation as she discussed how her prince deserved a beautiful princess, he had earned it, so it was only natural that they look good. And the entire class had stood very still, like if they just ignored the blatant disrespect of their gender, maybe it would just go away. No, I was not the only one who felt disgusted by the class, but I sure was the only one who fully and honestly knew it was a terrible class.

I entered the classroom and took a seat in the back, not eager to be noticed. None of my friends were here, Rosabella didn't need to take this class, and nor did Raven Queen or Maddie Hatter, my two other close friends. I felt a bit uncomfortable in this class, and felt it best to just lie low.

The rest of the students trickled in, and of course I caught sight of Apple, typing furiously on her Mirror-Pad, lost in her own world. I saw Briar Rose, and Ashlynn Ella as well, and a few others. Once everyone had taken a seat, our teacher, Mrs. Bell, sat up from her desk.

"Girls, it has come to my attention that many of you seem to be failing my class. This is disappointing girls, I honestly expected more from you." She paused a moment looking each of us in the eye. "I'm going to give you a big project to do over the span of two months, worth a lot of credit. This is only to help you girls, and I hope you take this opportunity to do well and try your hardest. I'll send you an email with the details in a second, with your partners listed on it as well. Yes that's right, partners. I expect you to see this as a gift to get your grades up, and I hope you take advantage of that. Have fun." She sat at her desk and began painting her nails.

I took a breath, nervous to see who my partner would be. I went on my email app and refreshed it, nodding slightly when I saw the new email pop up. I clicked on it, running down the list of partners. I found my name and looked nervously at the name next to it.

Oh crap.

It was Apple White.