Precious

Alejandro

That night, I took 4 sleeping pills, and hoped they would kill me. Unfortunately, that morning I woke up, and my reality was the same.

Alexander could kill me in seconds, reputation wise anyways. I looked at the alarm clock willing it to be 12 pm, which would mean I wouldn't have to go to school, but it was only 7 am. In a way I was happy, because if I didn't go to school everyone would've thought I was too embarrassed because of what happened, and a queen never does that.

I was surprised that my maid hadn't already brought my iced tall hazelnut latte by now. So, instead of getting ready, I wasted time and decided I would go downstairs to the kitchen. Jude was walking out of his room at the same time, tightening his tie for school and looked at me suspiciously.

"Estella, what happened to you yesterday." He asked.

"Jude, I need your help." I whispered, feeling extremely embarrassed about what had happened yesterday with Alexander.

"What did you do?" He wondered.

"I kissed," I stopped, trying to find the most delicate way to phrase this. "Alexander kissed me."

"What?!" Jude yelled.

"That's not the worst part." I looked away from him.

"How could-" Jude opened his mouth but after a second, he pressed his lips into a thin line. The anxiety of his judgment gave me chills. Jude never judged me.

"I thought- I thought he hated me," I shrugged, looking away from Jude. Trying to figure out my story.

I wasn't prepared to lie to Jude, I almost didn't know how.

"He kissed me for some charity thing." I whispered.

"You're joking, right?" Jude began laughing.

"Your story is he kissed you cause you're a charity case?" Jude shook his head and the shame made me scream.

"STOP!" I raised my hands to my ears.

"It's almost time for school – why didn't you tell me this yesterday? He's going to tell the whole school and it's going to ruin everything." He looked away from me angrily.

I felt my own guilt.

"I don't need this!" I turned around and noticed the sleeping pills on my dresser. I cringed in embarrassment and prayed Jude wouldn't spot them.

"I should stay home." Jude spoke so seriously, you would've thought I told him he had been cheated on.

"No! You can't. You need to see what's going on at school, you have to see what Alexander's going to tell everyone."

"You're right."

"I know I am." I raised my brows.

"You've messed up big time Estella, I don't know how we're going to fix this." He didn't smile at me back and walked away.

I followed him down the stairs and went to the kitchen, thinking of coffee again, of anything that would help me forget the shame that overwhelmed me.

"Darling!" My mother said, very nicely.

"Mother, where's my maid, and where's my coffee?" I said with a strange, confused, look on my face. My mom was rarely ever home.