The Hood Princess and the Prep (Sample)

Chapter Eight (Edited)

Someone had turned on a light. It was so bright it made my head spin and throb. One minute I was having steamy hot dreams about a certain prince and the next I was in pain. I peeked an eye open, cursing the huge windows in my room. Cursing the sun for being so bright today when I felt like crap. Quickly closing my eyes back. The thumping in my head continued, and the room spun. Nausea soon followed the dizziness and instinctively I knew I was hung over.

What the hell happened last night that had me in this predicament? I was not the kind to over drink, well not since that one time for senior skip day. However, all the signs were there I had gotten wasted. I continued to lie in bed, willing my memories to come back. All I was getting were sad blue eyes, and my grandmother making that damned announcement.

I wanted to get up, I had to pee, and I was sure I had some throwing up to do. Rolling over, I fell out of bed. No other way to describe it, since I ended up on the floor. Crawling blindly on the plush carpet of my room, I looked for help. Where the hell was everybody? Ever since I came here I had been waited on hand and foot and now... now that I actually needed someone.... nobody was around. Karma at its finest.

"My Lady." A horrified voice called out. Thank God. Finally, I thought, as two very strong hands wrapped around my upper arms and hefted me up to a chair. I opened my eyes long enough to see Sadie and Olivia. Then I closed them back.

"What were you doing on the floor?" Sadie asked.

I opened my eyes to see Sadie standing there, hands on her hips. I smiled weakly, "I fell."

"Olivia, bring coffee and toast." She yelled.

Her voice rung in my head, causing dizziness. Reaching up, I grabbed my aching head, while trying to focus.

"Also pain killers, she has to have a horrible headache. Let's hope you can keep it down." Sadie added.

"What happened last night?" I asked. No matter how many times I blinked, my eyes just didn't seem to adjust to the light. It was natural light, how I wished I could turn it off.

"You don't remember?" I heard Sadie ask. She sounded frustrated, which was weird because last time I checked, I was the one with the giant headache and lacking the ability to open my eyes.

"Uh, I wouldn't ask if I did," I said through gritted teeth. Seriously, why was she acting so off? I squinted at her, trying to fight the pain.

She took a seat next to me as Olivia came in with a tray of toast, coffee, and fruit. The painkillers were pressed into my palm and I took them, washing them down with plain coffee. I thanked her quietly and sipped my coffee, waiting for Sadie to tell me what happened.

"Well, you got drunk." She blurted out. I felt impending doom creep in. I was not a good drunk if I was angry. I remember being a little angry with grandma dropping the throne on me and my arranged engagement. I had woken up in my bed and not the dungeons, so maybe it wasn't too bad.

"Not drunk," Olivia said, smiling mysteriously, "You got absolutely wasted."

And there went my hope.

"Thank goodness most of the guest had left." Said Sadie, her hand at her heart, as if thanking God.

"Except Prince Cornell and Prince Jeremiah," this came from Olivia.

"Your grandmother was livid," said Sadie.

"As was the prince," Olivia said again.

"You really should be more careful with the wine they serve here," said Sadie.

"It is very potent and rather strong," said Olivia. "A lady should only have maybe one glass. You had five. Three that you drank really fast."

They were now only making my headache worst. Talking in circles and taking turns. I clinched my fist around my cup and let them know it. Talking about how much wine I had drank was not getting to the root of the problem. "Ladies, one of you, just one of you, tell me what I did!"

Sadie smiled and petted my hand. "You dared the Duchess of Hogan to eat something. Anything. You also asked the Duke of Chari why he paid your grandma more attention than his spouse. You, none too gently, told Prince Cornell that before you all got married, he would have to have his brother help him remove that giant stick that was up his ass. Then you went into exquisite detail of just how you would do it and demanded that Jeremiah take notes. Then you told your Grandmother that you did not want to marry a preppy ass goody two shoes know it all. You called the Prince sensitive and said you like manly men, not wimps. Then you politely and very princess like sat back in your chair and fell asleep."

My mouth was hanging open. Hell to the naw. I knew I was a horrible drunk. I knew this, but this was ridiculous. I insulted a Prince with the help of his brother. I insulted my Grandmother the freaking Queen, and I fell asleep drunk in a chair. All that kept playing over and over in my head was the voice of King Henry, 'Off with her head.'

"Am I in deep shit?" I asked.

"Maybe." Sadie said, hunching her shoulders.

"Yes." Olivia said at the same time. "It was quite entertaining. More than we have had in a while."

Oh, my god, I was such a bad influence, her first curse word. I almost cried, but I would that later right now I needed to play Mrs. Fix it. I had royally messed up. Sure, I wasn't raised a princess, but I knew better. My mama would have probably kicked my ass if she had been here. However, they had it coming. A warning would have been nice or a hey, we think it would be a great idea if and the prince started dating so y'all can get married one day. The way my grandmother delivered, it was as if I didn't have a choice.

It was wrong, and I was going to deal with that as soon as possible. I would not take this laying down. If I got married, It would be for love, a choice my parents obviously didn't have. I refused to end up like did.

"Did you all know that I was supposed to be marring Prince Cornell?" It was a straight forwards answer that they all avoided my eyes after. "So everyone knew but me?"

"It is not news to us." Olivia said standing, and walking towards my closet. "It has been known since the moment you were born. Just as I always knew, I would serve you. You may not have grown up here or know our ways well, but your father and your grandmother have always kept your name in everything."

"Even this apartment," Sadie said. "It has always been yours. It has changed as you grew, been kept clean and maintained. Anytime the royal family was mentioned, you were not left out. So, like any royal when you were born, a royal around your age and status was chosen to be your spouse. Prince Cornell was the last born, unpaired prince. The decision is well thought out and written into law."

"So I've been sold?" I asked, growing more irritated by the moment. I suppose I should feel touched that they kept me included, but it still felt like a violation of my rights. Not that I actually had any here. In LaCresha, the queen reigned supreme. If she said it, it was the law. If she wrote, it was binding.

"No," they said together.

"It's a grand honor." Sadie said, looking horrified.

"It doesn't feel that way." I say, standing and walking to my bathroom. This whole thing was a disaster, but I was going to set some shit straight. Asap. I would not be a pawn in this game. I was a fucking princess... and soon to be queen. I was going to find dear old granny and lay down some rules of my own. As far as I could see, they needed me way more than I needed them. I had made it eighteen years without them and I would have no problem returning to my normal.