Welcome to my story! :) I hope you enjoy it!
Paisley set her things down by her bed. Her roommate - and best friend - had yet to arrive. She looked out the window across the school grounds. She watched as a black limo drove up and parked. The driver got out and opened the door. She watched as a boy with sandy blond hair got out and stood up-
Her heart lurched. It was Prince Benedict.
"Staring won't make it happen any sooner," a voice behind her said.
Paisley whipped around. "Peridot!"
She ran and embraced her friend, who was laughing. "Hi Pais," she said, a wide smile on her face as she pulled away from her friend. "How's the Prince crush going?"
"I do not have a crush on the Prince!" Paisley argued, her cheeks heating up. "Uh-huh," Peridot said, walking over to her bed and setting her things down. "I don't," Paisley said meekly, the heat in her cheeks still present. Peridot smirked. "Well, enough about you! Aren't you going to ask me about my love life?"
"Your love life? What are you talking about?"
Peridot squealed. "You wouldn't believe it!" She hopped up and down in excitement. "Chasewell asked me out!"
"Chasewell? Who is Chasewell?"
Peridot sighed. "Chase? Head of the sports team?"
"Oh . . . Chase." Paisley said. Peridot squealed again. "He's soooooo handsome!"
"Uh-huh," Paisley said slowly, distracted. She walked back over to the window, but Benedict and the limo were gone. She sighed internally. Her expression fell, but she recovered before she turned back to her roommate. "When are you guys going out?" Paisley asked her. "Tonight," she said happily, unpacking her clothes. "He told me it's going to be really romantic. Our first day back at school . . . a new year . . . , a new us." She sighed dreamily, staring at the ceiling and hugging a folded shirt to her chest. "Yuck," Paisley muttered, walking over to her bed. Peridot blinked at her. "Oh come on, you're a romantic, I know you are."
"But that's just plain cheesy."
"I thought it was romantic."
"Yeah, for a guy who's going to dump you halfway through the semester."
"He is not!"
A knock sounded on their door. "What time is it?!" Peridot shrieked. "Uh . . . , five?" Paisley said, walking towards the door. "Oh my gosh Chase is here for our date!" She scrambled off to the walk-in closet. "Tell him I'll be ready in a few minutes!" She yelled.
Paisley opened the door. "Hi Chase," she said, looking behind him. "Uh, Parsley, right?" She frowned. "Paisley." His smirked faltered some. "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"
"Forget it," Paisley said quickly. "Peridot said she'd be ready in a few minutes."
"She probably didn't realize what time it was and is now scrambling to get ready." He laughed softly. "She's amazing, isn't she?" He leaned on the doorframe, a dreamy smile on his face. "I think someone gave you guys love potion," Paisley muttered, stepping away from the door. "Why would they do that?" Chase asked, a concerned frown gracing his features. "Nevermind," Paisley sighed, turning back to their room. Peridot came rushing back, her cheeks flushed. "Chase!" Her face lit up in a huge smile, and she hugged him tightly. "Per," he said, breathing deeply in her hair. "You smell amazing," he whispered in her ear. She giggled. "Thanks." She gave him a quick peck on the lips, and then entwined her fingers with his. She grabbed the door handle and pulled it closed as she called to Paisley. "I'll be out late, don't wait up for me!"
"Whatever," Paisley called just before the door slammed. She could hear Peridot's giggling even through the thick oak door. "Yuck," she muttered, kicking her now empty suitcase under the bed. She carried her stack of clothes to the closet and neatly put them away.
She pulled her laptop out and flopped down on her bed, opening it up. She lay on her stomach, and quietly checked her email and the school update site. Nothing new. Just a "Welcome Back to School" picture.
She sighed in boredom and closed her laptop, rolling over onto her back. "My first day back, and it already sucks."
She got up and changed out of her traveling clothes into something more comfortable. She pulled on a black skirt that hit about mid-thigh, and a soft, short-sleeved light pink blouse. She put her hair behind her, and slipped on some shoes, grabbing her phone on her way out the door. She texted Peridot just to be annoying, and then left the dorm building to walk in the extensive gardens.
She walked in through massive stone arch, upon which was engraved "Crystal Light Castle Gardens". That's right - Crystal Light Academy was formerly a castle.
She was walking through the gardenias when a voice stopped her. "Hello!" She looked up. It was Henry, Prince Benedict's best friend. "Oh, hi Henry." He smiled kindly. "Paisley, right?" Her mouth dropped open in surprise. No one remembered her name. She blinked once. Twice. "Uh . . . mm . . . yeah. Yeah, I'm Paisley." Henry smiled. "I thought so. Glad to be back at school?" Paisley smiled shyly. "Well, not for the schooling part . . ." She trailed off as she felt her cheeks heating up. She needed to stop blushing every time she thought of Prince Benedict. Henry laughed. "I feel the same way. Why go to school? There's so much more than school to be done!" Paisley laughed, her cheeks still flushed. "Yeah."
"Well, I'm off. I promised Ben that I'd meet up with him."
Paisley's head shot up. "You're going to go see Prince Benedict?" She could feel the faintest sensation of heat across her cheeks, but she ignored it. Henry nodded. "Yep. He just got here today."
"I saw," Paisley said meekly, looking down at the ground. Henry laughed. "As I'm sure half the girls at school did." Paisley gave him the ghost of a smile. "Yeah, I bet they did." They stood in silence for a moment, Henry seeming to try to read her thoughts. "Well, I better get going," he said abruptly, startling Paisley. "Uh, right! Yeah. Um, nice to see you Henry. Have a good time with the Prince." Henry winked. "I always do."
"Did she say anything about me?" Benedict asked as soon as Henry opened the door. "Dude, chill." Henry said, sitting across from him. "Well, did she?"
Henry sighed. "Sort of. Okay? Why didn't you go down to talk to her?"
"I can't do that!"
"And why not?" Henry asked. "Well, for starters, I'm the Prince. She'd probably freak out." He ran his hand through his hair. "Do you think there's any chance she likes me?" Henry chuckled. "Considering the fact that she was awestruck when I knew her name, blushed whenever I mentioned your name, and saw you arrive at school, I think there's a decent chance." Ben's head snapped up, his eyes wide in surprise. "You're joking, right?"
"Dude - you've liked this girl since freshman year. Why don't you just tell her already? Chasewell asked Peridot out."
"He did?" Ben asked, surprised. Henry nodded. "Yep. You should ask Paisley out - you've only been fantasizing about it for two years."
"But what if she says no?" The hurt that crossed his face was enough to let Henry drop it. "Dude, practice starts tomorrow, and I was a couch potato all summer long." Henry said. Ben laughed. "You're always a couch potato Henry."
"Hey, when you're the son of a Duke, it kind of comes easier."
Ben laughed. "Right."
Henry's cellphone pinged, so he picked it up. It was from his girlfriend, Hollie. "Hey babe! Miss u :'( But in the meantime, tell Ben that I just saw Paisley walking towards the lake all by herself! *Wink wink* ❤ ;)" Henry laughed. "Ben, Hollie just saw Paisley walking towards the lake."
"So?" Ben said, picking up his school bag. "By herself," Henry added, wiggling his eyebrows. Ben rolled his eyes. "No."
"Oh my! Henry - Ben needs to get down here!"
"Why?"
"She looks upset - maybe he can help her feel better. Get an inside scoop on her life. Help bring them closer . . . ;)"
"This is why you're my girlfriend."
"Luv u ❤"
"Luv u more ❤"
"Do not, but thanks ;P"
"Hey Ben, Hollie says that Paisley looks upset. You should go check it out." When Ben didn't respond, he looked up from his phone to see Ben glaring at him. "What?"
"I'll talk to her on my own terms, not before. Got it?" Ben's serious look made him relent. "Fine . . . but I still think you should tell her-" He was cut off by a pillow hitting him. He laughed. "Okay man, I get it. You're a sensitive soul." He typed a quick message to Hollie. "So, what's the plan for the evening?" Henry asked. Ben shrugged. "I was actually thinking of going for a wa-"
"Perfect. I'm going to go find my girlfriend, because I haven't seen her in forever."
"Dude, you saw her yesterday."
Henry smirked. "So I did."
Ben chuckled, shaking his head. He grabbed his school jacket. "Well, I'm going for a walk." Henry lifted his hand in farewell, not looking up from his phone.
Ben shrugged his jacket on, walking out into the gardens, which his dorm overlooked. He looked towards the lake, but decided against going there. If he happened upon Hollie, he'd never hear the end of it. Instead he started walking towards the school stables, which wasn't that far from the lake. He breathed in deeply as the crisp autumn air blew around him. He loved the fall - it was his favorite season.
As he neared the stables, his steps slowed slightly. He knew the silhouette that was leaning against the fence, feeding one of the horses. He felt his heartbeat quicken, and took a deep breath. "Hey, Paisley, right?" He said nonchalantly as he leaned against the fence next to her. She froze. He thought about repeating himself, but she looked at him, the shock evident in her eyes. "Yeah," she said softly, looking right into his eyes. He smiled. "And you're Prince Benedict." Ben chuckled, running his hand through his hair. "Yeah. But call me Ben. I much prefer it. All my friends do." He smiled. She nodded, looking a little nervous. "Okay . . . Ben."
Gosh, it sounded so nice when she said it.
"So, what are you doing out here?" Ben asked her, looking sidelong at her as he petted one of the horses. She shrugged. "I find walks to be relaxing." She chuckled. "And Chasewell stole my best friend."
"Peridot?"
She nodded, smiling slightly at him. "She's been ogling over him for years . . ." Ben chuckled, turning to her. "Funny, because he's been doing the same."
"Really?" Paisley asked, turning to look at him. He nodded. "Funny how that happens sometimes, right?" She opened her mouth, but closed it and turned back to the horse. "Yeah, funny." He took a deep breath silently. "So, no boyfriend to reconnect with this evening?" He asked. She laughed, her nose crinkling. "Nope. No boyfriends for me."
"Oh?" Ben said, raising his eyebrows. She shook her head. "Nope. What about you? No girlfriend?" Ben smirked. "Nope. I'm totally single." He winked. She smiled slightly and turned away from him, but he could see the blush covering her cheeks. He smiled, observing her out of the corner of his eye. She was wearing a black mini skirt, with a soft light pink blouse, and black flats that went perfectly with her petite frame. Her chestnut hair was in soft curls, ending about mid-back. Her flushed cheeks complemented her dark blue eyes that seemed to sparkle in the sun. When she smiled, her right cheek dimpled.
"What brings you to the stables?" She asked. He smiled. "I find walks to be relaxing." She turned to him, raising her eyebrows. "That's what I said. You can't say what I said." He turned to her, a smirk on his lips. "Oh, I can't? I believe I just did." She narrowed her eyes. "New rule. No copying what I say." Ben stepped closer to her, feeling a little daring. "No copying what I say? Or no copying what you say?" She blinked, staring into his eyes. "Uh . . . no copying . . ." she blinked. "No copying what-" her voice faltered as Ben leaned closer to her. He could feel her breath across his face. "No copying . . . what I say . . ." Her voice trailed off into a whisper. Ben chuckled. "No copying what you say." She nodded, her eyes betraying her. He smirked. "Got it."
He leaned closer to her, feeling her warm breath on his skin. He heard her breath hitch, and smiled slightly. He could see her chin tipping ever so slightly-
"Yo Ben!"
They leapt apart, Ben turning towards the voice. It was Henry. "Hey Henry," Ben called, glancing nervously to his side where Paisley looked like she was going to bolt. "What's up?"
"We're having a 'back at school' round on the field, wanna join?"
"Uh, maybe in a mi-" Ben looked back to his side, but Paisley was gone. "Drats," he muttered. "Yeah, I'm coming." He called, running to join Henry.
There it is! I hope you liked the first chapter :)
Just a few notes on how I say Paisley and Peridot's nicknames: Per = Pear. Pais = Pays (and later she'll have one that sounds like "pay-zee)
Thanks for reading! Please review!
Angel Princess 31