Hey, look, guys, I'm still alive - and now ready to post again! In explanation for my rather impromptu hiatus, I blame real life. Such an annoying thing, isn't it? Anyway, onto the story. This one is going to be seventeen chapters long. Enjoy!:)
Henry dodged underneath an oncoming set piece, running while simultaneously swigging his backpack onto his shoulder. David was waiting to pick him up from school and take him out for a celebratory ice cream cone at Granny's to celebrate being one week from his graduation. It was a little juvenile of a thing to do, Henry knew, but he didn't care so long as it got him away from theater club a couple minutes early. And it would as soon as Henry could make his way out of the midst of end-of-the-day theater club chaos. He was definitely not grateful to his adoptive mother for "suggesting" that he join the club ("Club participation looks good on your record, and, despite the uniqueness of our situation, that's still something you might very well need to consider").
A dozen more steps towards the edge of the stage, and then he'd be home free to flee the theater… but he could leave even quicker if he went out one of the doors of the backstage. So he decided to do that instead, and was a solid ten steps from the school's exit when he heard a shriek.
His head snapped up, and he saw that one of his classmates had gotten - of all things! - her ankle tangled up in one of the weights for the set, and she was getting ready to trip over the railing. Henry lunged forward at the same time that she fell backwards, dangling by her ankle.
She shrieked again, and Henry called out, "Hold on; I've got you" and "grab the rope with your hands" as he darted forward and unwound the rigging, lowering the rope slowly so that the girl managed to land on her back instead of her head.
"Are you okay?" Henry asked anxiously, scanning the girl and offering her a hand up as she caught her breath.
"Yeah," she managed, accepting his outstretched hand. "Thanks for your help; you really saved my skin."
"No problem," Henry grinned, suddenly not in such a hurry to leave the premises as he watched the girl brush a lock of long, wavy, blonde hair back out of muddy brown eyes. "My name's Henry Mills, by the way."
"I'm Aubrey Freeman," she replied. And then, "Wait a second - you're the mayor's son, aren't you?"
Henry nodded warily, not sure if her interest was good, bad, or mere curiosity.
At least she was smiling as she said, "Then I guess that makes you the prince of the town, huh?"
Henry grinned, answering, "Something like that."
"Then I guess I get to say that I've been rescued by Prince Charming!" Aubrey teased.
"I'm hardly Prince Charming!" Henry objected.
"No, you're not, because the mayor's son is Prince Charming's grandson, right?"
"Um… yeah," he said, surprised that she knew this.
She must have seen that surprise in his eyes because she supplied, "Everybody in town knows who you guys are at least by name."
"But it sounds like you've taken a crack at trying to figure out my family tree - you're a brave lady."
"I'd like to think so," Aubrey laughed, and Henry couldn't help but notice that, though her eyes were a nondescript light brown, they were sparkling in a way that was definitely… nice. And then she was saying, "Well, thanks again for your help, Prince Henry," and remembering, "Oh, hey, my friends are waiting for me outside! I've got to go."
"That's fine. Me too, actually," Henry recalled his own agenda suddenly.
He walked with her to the exit and held the door open for her, prompting her to ask, "Are you sure you're not the actual Prince Charming?"
"I'm sure," Henry said with a smile. "Besides, a Prince's grandson would be a… marquess, I think."
"But you're also the Evil Queen's son, right? So where does that leave you?" Aubrey teased. "As a prince - so I say you're just the next Prince Charming."
"I'll make sure I tell my grandfather that."
Aubrey laughed again as she turned to walk away, calling over her shoulder, "Thanks again, Prince Charming! I'll see you around."
"See you." Henry shook his head as he turned and spotted David's car nearby in the parking lot.
"Hi," David said slowly when Henry opened the passenger side car door and threw his backpack into the backseat.
"Hi," Henry replied suspiciously, sliding into the shotgun seat.
"What's up?" David asked with a grin as he backed out of his parking space and left the school.
"Nothing," Henry shrugged, asking, "Why?"
"Who's the girl?" David asked teasingly.
"I don't know," Henry shrugged again. "Her name's Aubrey Freeman. We just met - she got a little tangled up in some of the set rigging and I helped her down." David looked at Henry sideways, that same teasing smirk on his face, and Henry repeated, "I don't know her! We just met."
"Okay, I hear you," David said. "It just made me think of your grandma is all. Besides, a girl who looked as pretty as her… you'd notice. I know that I've noticed that you like blondes. Remember Ava?"
"Hansel and Gretel? You mean that thing seven years ago? When I was ten?"
"Point taken," David laughed.
"Besides, you only saw her from the back. Skinny and blonde doesn't mean perfect face."
"Who said anything about perfect?"
"Her eyes are a dull brown, just so you know," Henry said, and he bit back against telling him that her eyes were attractive more because of her sparkle than anything else.
David laughed anyway, and Henry could've slapped himself, if for nothing else other than his overactive thoughts - very overactive. Infatuation like this was fleeting, he'd learned, and unless he decided to seek her out and get to know her better (should he?) it was also pointless.
And that was that.
Granny's was busy with the last of the after school crowd when David and Henry found a table.
Once Ruby had come over and taken their orders - two chocolate cones - grandfather and grandson indulged in a moment of people-watching before David asked in a tone full of amusement, "Hey, Henry, isn't that…what was her name?"
"Aubrey," Henry said, spotting the girl in question at the same time as she saw him.
"Hey, Prince Charming!" she called out.
David raised his eyebrows, asking, "What did she just call you?" Henry ignored his grandfather's question and waved Aubrey over - somewhat against his better judgment, considering David's presence, although he found that he was willing to risk further teasing.