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Chapter Seven

True to his word Sparrow was unreachable that weekend. Duchess knew the gig was fairy important to him, but she wondered how much of his silence had to do with him being upset with her.

It wasn't like he didn't know they weren't a couple. She had made it fairy clear that they were just having fun. And he had agreed.

She was not the villain.

So why did she feel like one?

After spilling her guts to Lizzie the night before…Lizzie spilled some tea into cups for them and they talked. Duchess told her how she was forever after striving to be perfect. How she didn't want to let anyone down. How much she wanted to be accepted by the other princesses. How she was having doubts about the sorority. How she was trying to let go of her feelings about Royal vs. Rebel, but it was hard. And finally Duchess confessed the feelings she had been holding inside for Sparrow.

When Duchess finished Lizzie ordered various things to be chopped before giving her some very good advice.

"Desinty? Destiny smeshtiny. Destiny is dead," Lizzie said with a nod and wave of her flamingo specter.

For once Duchess actually understood what Lizzie meant.

xxx

Duchess let herself into the Enchanted Ever After Sorority house. She was going to find Apple and tell her she was quitting. She had always wanted to be a part of the Royal Elite, but now that she was she knew it wasn't in her true heart.

She heard her Apple's voice and followed it down the hallway.

"What do you mean it didn't work?" Apple squeaked.

"She's not answering any of my hexts," Daring explained.

Duchess pressed herself against the wall and stayed as still as she could. Who were they talking about?

"We need her. You heard what the headmaster said. If anyone else quits we're going to have to close down the sorority. Blondie's been tailing her for me and she's a total flight risk. I thought this would work for sure," Apple said with a huff.

Duchess didn't even know Apple knew how to huff.

"I'll send her another picture of myself. That will surely work," Daring said.

A moment later Duchess felt a buzz in her pocket. She looked down at her MirrorPhone and saw a hext from Daring…a picture of Daring to be exact.

They were talking about her! Suddenly everything started clicking into place. Daring had never been interested in her. Apple thought if the handsome Charming wooed her she'd stay in the group. The only reason Apple wanted her in the sorority was so wouldn't lose her power all together. And the Fairest of Them All knew she was having doubts about the sorority because Blondie had been following her!

"I mean…it wouldn't be a total fairy fail if she quit. I only asked her and Bunny to be in the sorority in the first place because I had to make it look like I was accepting of everyone," Apple sighed.

Duchess honked. This was getting worse and worse.

"Did you hear something?" Apple asked.

"What?" Daring asked, admiring himself in his phone's camera and paying no attention to Apple.

Duchess snuck out the front door before anyone knew she was there. She took a minute to catch her breath. Her mind was spinning...and there was this weird moisture welling up in her eyes. She didn't even realize she walked into someone until it was too late.

When she looked up she found herself face to face with Sparrow. Well, more like the top of his head as he was bending down to retrieve his MirrorPhone after it had hit the ground.

Duchess knew she needed to fix things with him. Explain everything that was going on in her heart, but she was so rattled from what she had just overheard.

"Oh, so your phone does work," she huffed.

Sparrow just stared at her for a second before saying, "The phone works fine...just not interested in speaking to the person on the other end."

Duchess opened her mouth to reply, but he kept on talking.

"It's one thing to not be hexclusive...it's another thing to rub it in my face," Sparrow spat. "Even if you aren't my girlfriend I thought you were at least my friend."

"You know it's not that simple," Duchess replied. If she could just explain herself...

"No, I know YOU like making things complicated," he said to her. "I really believed you had changed, D. I actually thought maybe you cared about me. But you only care about yourself. That much is clear. You had a bad attitude before because you were upset you weren't going to get your happy ending, but now you have a chance to write your own ending and you blew it."

Duchess felt a heaviness in her chest, like her heart was physically breaking into pieces. "Why do you get to decide it's over?" she asked, trying to sound angry instead of...whatever this foreign feeling was.

"You made that choice," Sparrow insisted. "But I guess everything is still on script, huh? You can't outrun destiny. You're going to end up alone after all. Chapter closed."

It wasn't until Sparrow walked away that Duchess realized the moisture in her eyes had increased.

The wetness on her cheeks was tears.

xxx

Duchess slammed the door to her dorm room after she walked inside.

"Are you okay? You look a little…green," Lizzie said with a frown.

"Of course I am," Duchess said, straightening up and making her face look as serious as usual.

"Were you at a sorority meeting?" Lizzie asked. "Being around those girls would make me turn green too," she said sympathetically.

Usually Duchess would be the first to defend her sisters, but they weren't really her sisters now. "I'm not in the sorority anymore," she said to her.

Lizzie's eyebrows shot up. "Off with your head…" she mumbled.

"Well, technically I haven't quit yet…but…let me explain," Duchess said to her roommate. She told her everything from the secret carnival location…to the fake date with Daring…to the real reason Apple was keeping her around. She decided to keep the Sparrow stuff to herself. She'd work that out on her own.

"So will you help me spoil Apple's rotten plan?" she asked Lizzie.

"Off with her head!" Lizzie said with a grin.

xxx

Duchess played along with the charade of being in the sorority. She assured Briar she had secured a band, but she wanted to keep it a surprise. Everything was going along perfectly on script.

A few of her sisters wanted to go over some last minute carnival details, but she hexcused herself. She had a promise to fulfill.

It was the night of The Merry Men's gig at Book End Pub. She knew Sparrow was still upset with her so she stayed near the back.

The lights went down and the band started to play. Sparrow stepped onto the stage and the crowd went wild. He was electric as he hit the first note of a brand new song.

A song about Duchess.

It was like reliving their relationship through music. It was amazing.

After the last note he looked into the crowd.

She wondered if he was looking for her.