The Two Princes

Chapter 6: Interrupted Moments

"So when are you going to rehearse with him?" Nat nudged me in the lunch line.

"Uhh. I don't really know." I sighed. "I finished editing both our scripts together. So, we are pretty much ready to start going over the script together."

"Why don't you start this Friday?" She suggested.

"I guess. I'll ask." She nodded in agreement and as if she won a victory.

So, I'm class I wrote on a sticky note:
Owen, how about we start rehearsing the play this Friday? Sorry I'm terrible at communication and writing eliminates the stuttering aspect of speech. So how about this Friday? Sound good?
                                                    ~Alex

I placed it on his desk before he walked in. He read the note quickly after he sat down. He turned to me smiling, and he nodded. I half smiled in return of course.

In my next class there was a note on my desk.

I like your stuttering.
                     ~Owen

He.... likes it? WHY WOULD HE LIKE IT? It's the most horrible thing on earth.

<><>

"I TOLD YOU HE LIKES YOU!" Nat shouted a little to loud in the hallway. "HE LIKES YOUR STUTTERING." She laughed and squealed as I tried to shut her up.

"Shhhh!" I put my finger to my lips and widened my eyes at her. "Anyway, this Friday we are going to rehearse. So you can come if you want to help."

She smirked so evilly it almost reminded me of that one scene from The Grinch. I think I regret asking her already. "Oh you can BET that I'm going."  She smiled. We were almost to class when we passed him in the hallway. I couldn't help but notice how great his maroon baseball hoodie looked on him.

"His hair is too perfect for him to be straight!" She shouted to embarrass me.

<><>

The doorbell rang that Friday and I luckily beat Jonathan to the door. I opened the door with a smile and invited him in.

"Oh hi again Owen." My mom smiled walking to greet him. "Will you be staying for dinner with us?"

"Um.. sure." His face lit up as if he's never been invited to dinner before.

"Well good. Because I would have made you anyway." She smirked, laughing.

"Come on, let's go work on this." I intervened the obvious awkwardness in the air.

He followed me to my room down the short hallway. He glanced at family photos where my hair was so much shorter than it is now. I honestly have no idea why every boy I knew went through having short buzzed hair even though looking back on all the photos it looked terrible. He lingered on one with my brother and I.

I stopped. "That was after our father left. We thought we should get his mind off of it so we took him to Disney shortly after."

"How long ago was that?"

"Two years ago. He was four and doesn't really remember anything. But that was probably one of the best couple of days I've had" I smiled at the picture. A real smile.

"I wish me and my brother were that close." I looked at him.

"I didn't know you had a brother."

"He's a senior too. But he's two years older than us, nineteen. He got held back."  He paused. "We were so close as kids. Now we barely speak. Not even just him. Our whole family barely speaks. You know, basically all my friends are his friends. They don't really know the real me. They just hang out because we are in the same baseball team." He was still staring at the photograph.

I grabbed his arm. "Come on."

<><>

"No wait! I don't even know your name."

I fake walked away from him as we rehearsed me fleeing the ball. Instead of a shoe we agreed a ring would be easier to do. So I let my ring slip of my finger and 'vanished' from his sight as he picked it up.

"Right. Then the narrator, who isn't here, says: the prince, longing to find this mysterious boy again, ordered everyone around his age to come to the castle. And the ones who couldn't, well he would just have to to go to them wouldn't he? The entire kingdom was on edge. Would he find this boy? Soon there was one house left. The stepmother and her daughters argued that no one else was staying with them. But the prince did not believe them. Especially when he heard the singing. He ordered that the last boy be brought down here. So I 'descend' the staircase and you see me. The prince didn't in fact need the ring at all. He knew that this boy was the one from the ball. So we hug and happily ever after." Unexpectedly, he hugged me right then and there. I took a sharp breath and relaxed my arms around him. This was the most contact we have ever had. My heart was beating so hard I'm sure he could feel it. But I think his was too.

The door flew open revealing Nat as we separated rather quickly. "So what did I miss?" She smirked.

"Just rehearsing." I glared at her. "That's all."