The Nerd Duchess

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Thirteen

The silver car pulled up on the parking lot. The sounds of the nearby carnival passed through the walls of the car and inside it to the pair.

"What are we doing here, D'Angelo?" Victoria asked facing the blank face driver. Seeing the merry people around heading towards the carnival, this is not something she expected when she went in the car.

"Relax," Charles replied. His face softened and his eyes twinkled with excitement.

"Seriously, what are we doi—" but Victoria was cut off by sound of the car door slamming shut. "D'ANGELO!" she scrambled to open the door just as the beeping sounded. He looked the doors. "OPEN THE DAMN DOOR!" she shouted but it seems he couldn't hear her or simply ignored her.

Damn you, D'Angelo!

Victoria watched helplessly inside the car as Charles made his way to her side opening the doors for her.

The click sounded.

He opened the door.

"We have arrived, mi amore," he said in a low and husky of his completed with that sexy Italian accent of his. The tone he used almost made her legs turn jelly. Almost.

She slapped his hand away for her glaring at him. "Why did you lock the doors? Why did you take me here? Where are we anyways? Do you know that I have an archery practice this afternoon? What will the teachers say when they found out that we went out of school premises in a Lockdown Weekend. Do you even know what Lockdown mean? And, where did you get tje car. We are—"

"Relax Ri," Charles said chuckling he took hold of her hands with one hand while the other was holding her chin making her look up to him. "Breathe in. Breathe out. And it's okay, I had permission."

He took a deep breath gesturing for her to do as well.

"I know how to breathe, prat," she practically growled at him. "Jerk!"

He laughed. "But seriously, drop the attitude, Ri. It's not working."

"What attitude?" she asked innocently. Mischief dancing in her eyes.

"Seriously, drop it," he said seriously.

"Fine," Victoria quirking her brows up. "What are we doing here?"

"You know you are completely and utterly bipolar," he said shaking his head.

"I have been called worse." Victoria shrugged as if it was nothing. "But yes, I know."

She turned her back towards and him and looked at the carnival that Charles had brought her to. She could see many rides and booths set up. Long lines were formed amongst the rides.

"What are we doing here?" Victoria inquired again.

"Stand here and glare at each other," he replied sarcastically.

She narrowed her eyes towards him. He is such a pain in the arse.

"Oh," Victoria said faking a smile on her face gesturing to him start. "Well then, glare away, your Highness."

The two glared at each other for a few minutes before Victoria had enough.

"Ugh, Doofus," She groaned out in annoyance. "This is getting us nowhere."

"No shit Sherlock," Charles said still stubbornly looking at her, a mischievous and challenging glint dancing in his eyes. "You started this."

"No," Victoria huffed out. "I didn't, prat. You did. You dragged me here."

"I didn't dragged you." he replied. "You went in the car willingly."

"As if I had other choices, you practically ordered me in," Victoria huffed out.

"You could have said no," he replied. "but you didn't."

Victoria opened and closed her mouth again as if decided on something to say but thought against it on the last minute.

Charles waited for her comeback but she had none. "What? Cat got your tongue?"

"Now, whose bipolar, bipolar?" she asked amused.

"You," he replied. Smiling he continued walking.

 "Ri?" he said softly yet seriously.

"Yeah!" she looked at him back.

"Why don't we dropped the pretenses today and be ourselves," he suggested. "Just like last summer."

"Deal?" He looked into her eyes. His gaze holding so hope that Victoria couldn't say no.

"Fine," she replied after a moment. "Yes. Deal. Pinky swear?" she hold out her pinky at him.

"Pinky swear," he replied intertwining his pinky with hers.

She smiled.

"Good," he nodded. "We wouldn't need this then." he reaches up her head and took out her brunette colored wig showing off her vibrant red colored hair.

"D'ANGELO!" she protested grabbing it but Charles only raised it up and Victoria being short couldn't reach it despite her efforts on her tip toe.

"Be ourselves, remember," he tsked as he put the wig back in his car. "No pretenses."

After that, he gestured to her contacts. "Take them off."

Victoria begrudgingly took off her blue colored contact lens and put it on her container from her purse.

"Better?" she asked.

"Definitely better," he said before he looked at her slightly tanned skin, "except, did you tan your skin or something?" he asked.

"It's just a tanning cream, Doofus," she replied. "It's temporary. It will wear off."

"Good then," he nodded looping her arm with his. "I like you better without make-up and any other cover-ups."

"Where are we going?" she asked following him as he dragged her to the direction of the entrance of the carnival.

"To enjoy the rides, we don't have all day," he replied.

He stopped right the middle of the entrance. He faced her looking right in to her eyes.

"Promise me you'll enjoy the day, Ri," he said. "You need a break. Leave everything behind for now. Worry about them later. We are on break."

"I promise if you pay, of course," she nodded.

Charles chuckled nodding his head. "Fine, I'll pay."

She squealed. "Good! Come on! As you said, we don't get all day."

She laughed running pass him to the long line heading to the bump cars. "Come on slow poke. I want to play on the bumper cars. We don't get all day."

Charles smiled jogging to the smiling girl as she headed towards the line to the bumper cars. She was different. Smiling like it was Christmas morning she was, Charles had to admit bringing her to the carnival was definitely worth it despite the huge amount of gas and cash he had wasted on the ride for her.