Guess Who Saw the Queen
Mr. Forbes the 8th grade history teacher at PCA stood at the head of the class with his hands raised.
"Alright class, he said, "settle down, settle down, I have an announcement to make." He paused and waited for the class to quiet down.
"First, he said, "a reminder that your group projects are due the day after tomorrow." Immediately there was a collective groan that filled the classroom.
"Second," Continued Forbes, "I would suggest that you finish them as soon as possible because tomorrow Queen Lara of Chockovia will be arriving in town and the dean will be taking a group of students down to the Hotel Royale for the arrival!"
Excited whispering rippled through the classroom and immediately turned into full blow excited talking as the students flooded out into the hallway
"Just think," Zoey whispered to Chase a Queen that is no older than I am, "what a responsibility."
"Yeah," said Logan polishing his fingernails, "I guess I'd better get used to living in the lap of luxury and being called your highness."
"Humph," said Chase, "and just how-Pray tell- do you figure that."
"Let's face it," said Logan, running his fingers through his hair, "after she meets me who else could she possibly want to marry." Chase rolled his eyes and leaned over to Zoey,
"Just once I'd like to take him down a peg or two," he whispered
Zoey rolled her eyes nodded in agreement.
"I don't believe this," said Chase burying his face in his hands as his friends stood in front of him looking rather sheepish, "Zoey, Nicole, and Lola didn't get there part of the project done because Zoey was up half the night practicing greeting a queen that probably won't even look at her, Nicole and Lola were too busy trying to find the right dress to wear and when they were done with that, they had to go have their hair-styled, and speaking of hair Logan never picked up that model battleships for our display because he was up until midnight primping, there again probably for a queen who probably won't even look at him!"
"How, I ask you," said Logan, "Could she not look at m." as sharp look from Chase warned him not to continue.
"Guys," said Chase with a note of desperation in his voice, "Do I have to remind you that this project is worth a fourth of our final grade!"
"Chase," said Zoey, "We're sorry we just got distract I mean seeing and possibly meeting a real life queen is a once in a lifetime thing."
"I know," said Chase calming down, "Look," he said, "I'll stay here and finish the project myself, you all go on and see the queen."
Chase was greeted with a Barrage of hugs from the girls while the guys likened him to a saint. Then they were gone.
Chase stood and watched them as they headed for the shuttle.
"Chase," he muttered to himself, "You're not a saint. You're a sucker!"
A couple hours later Chase stood back to admire his work the day had been so nice that Chase had decided to work outside. The display was finished an ocean with an entire fleet of World War II era battleship models and a page of text about the history of the of the United States navy. And the background was a collage of images from the history of the navy going all the way back to the first would be submarines in the 18th century.
"There," he said, "that ought to at least salvage our collective grade if nothing else."
"I would give it an A," said a softly accented feminine voice behind him. Chase whirled around and found himself face to face with a girl that was about his own age. She was wearing a simple but elegant white blouse and a white lacy skirt she had sapphire blue eyes and blonde hair that she wore in a long braid that reached down just passed the center of her back it seemed she was more beautiful than any girl should have a right to be.
"Um hi," said Chase. He immediately kicked himself, "real smooth, Matthews," he muttered. The girl just smiled.
"This is a large project for one person, yes?" she said, "are all projects at this school as big as this one?"
"No," said Chase, "in fact this project was supposed to be a group effort but my group left me to go and see Queen Lara that who arriving in town tonight. By the way my name is Chase."
"And you did not go?" asked the girl who was visibly surprised
"Well," said Chase, "if I hadn't stayed here and finished this project it would've been our final grade down the drain. Besides they'll tell me all about it when they get back."
"I'm afraid your friends won't have much to tell," Said the girl who was beginning to giggle.
"What do you mean by that," asked Chase with a puzzled look on his face.
"The Queen is not at the Royale," replied the girl
"What do you mean," Said Chase, "if she's not there where is she?" suddenly before the girl could answer her stomach let out a loud growl. She looked at Chase sheepishly.
"She's standing right here hoping the cute guy that she just met will take her to dinner."
Chase's eyes widened and ice filled his lungs. It was at this point that he finally noticed the signet ring that she was wearing on a silver chain around her neck.
"Your Majesty it would be an honor too," Lara clamped a hand over Chase's mouth before he could continue,
"Don't call me that here." She whispered, "I don't want people to realize who I am." She quickly stuck the signet back under her shirt, "Call me Lara."
Lara sat at the table on the patio out side the cafeteria and waited for Chase to return with their food. At last he returned carrying two plates.
"Well," he said placing one of the plates in front of her, "this is what they were serving tonight I hope it's alright." On the plate were two large slices of pizza. Lara's eyes lit up.
"Pizza," she exclaimed, "Oh Chase I could kiss you!"
"In fact," she added jumping up and throwing her arms around him, "I think I will." She leaned up and gave in gentle kiss on the cheek. Chase was stunned.
"You mean, you do like pizza!" asked Chase
"Oh yes," said Lara, "I can only take so much tea and cake.
Lara sat down and picking up one of the Pizza Slices and began to devour it greedily while she at she explained that she had arrived in town early but was to tired to fool with a grand entrance at the hotel so she and her driver had slipped away from the press and had gone for a drive in the countryside. And that after he stopped to let her stretch her legs she had slipped away from her driver after he had accidentally taken a sleeping pill instead of an Aspirin. She had taken a walk and had seen Chase working on his project. After they had finished eating Chase walked her down the hill to the limo. Chase couldn't believe that he was walking with a real life queen. The thought made him a little nervous, but he became a lot nervous when she slipped her hand into his. When they finally reached the limo Chase's legs felt like Jell-o and he prayed that she wouldn't notice that his hand was beginning to sweat. Before he could say goodbye she leaned up and brushed her lips across his. As she did that she pressed something into his hand.
"Thanks for a lovely afternoon." She whispered, "I'll never forget it or you, Chase." And with that she was gone. As the limo pulled away Chase looked down at his hand and was surprised to find the royal signet ring and a hastily scribbled note on a napkin that said simply.
Here is something to remember me by.
Love,
Lara
It was about ten o'clock when Zoey Nicole Lola Logan and the rest of the group came dragging in with faces longer than the last day of school.
"How did it go guys?" asked Chase deadpanning
"Terrible," said Logan, "waited until almost 9 o'clock before some one came and told us that the Queen had arrived early and had canceled her grand entrance and press conference. How could she pass up a chance to meet me?"
Zoey rolled her eyes,
"Except for a few obvious things what Logan told you is pretty much the way that it happened." She said
"What's that," asked Quinn pointing to the object that Chase was turning over and over in his hand.
"What's the matter?" said Chase holding up the object, "haven't you ever seen a royal signet ring before?" Quinn grabbed the ring and examined with a one of her strange looking gizmos.
"This is the official signet ring of the Royalty of Chockovia," Quinn announced, "and the only way chase could have gotten it is if Queen Lara herself was here with him and gave it to him while we were sitting on a street corner downtown!"
Chase smiled as six Jaws simultaneously cracked the floor, then he proceeded the spill the beans, when he had finished Logan looked like a man who had just swallow two crows, three humble pies and a whole school of goldfish. In other worlds he could have been the poster boy for seasickness. He ran off to find the nearest toilet sickened at the thought that at girl could chose Chase over him. Then every body began to talk at once, loudly complaining that it wasn't fair that chase got to meet her and they didn't.
"HOLD IT!" thundered Zoey, getting everybody's attention
" I think it was perfectly fair," she said she turned to Chase, "Chase if anyone of us deserved to meet the queen you did. It serves us right for forgetting our responsibility to the group project and then running off and leaving you with all the work to do."
One by one they all admitted that Zoey was right.
"Chase," said Nicole, "to make up for all this we promise that the next time we have a group project you won't have to lift a finger."
"Right," said Zoey, "We'll do all the work." With that verbal agreement the girls began to file out of the room. Suddenly Zoey stopped and walked back to Chase.
"Chase," she asked, "Did Queen Lara really kiss you?"
-The End-