DISCLAIMER: I don't own the authorship of Star Wars. Some characters, I made up. This is a work of fiction. Any names resembling real-life people, dead or alive, is purely coincidental.

Chapter 9- The School Play

At the palace dining table the next morning, Bail Organa noticed that Leia was not in a joyful mood. He could tell by the somber look on her face that something bothered her.

"Why are you looking so sad, Sweetie?" Bail asked, concerned. "Is there a problem with you in school?"

Leia just stared at him blankly and said, "Nothing, father," and continued with her meal.

Bail reached out for her hand across the table and said, "Don't be afraid to tell me what your problem is."

Leia remembered Tanya and her bullying, and her threat. If you spill, you're dead! It send shivers down her spine, thinking that now that Tanya is out of the cheering squad, no thanks to her, she'll be in for a chance of even meaner treatment. What did I do to her that made her act this way?

She thought about the whole school now knowing that she's adopted. "Dad," Leia started, "Do you love me?"

Bail was taken aback by her question. "Of course, Lelila, I love you. What makes you think that I don't?"

"Do you love me even though I'm not of your own blood?"

Bail smiled at her and stroked her head, saying, "Leia, you're a blessing to both of us, me and your mother. It doesn't matter whether we're your blood parents or not. What matters is that we adopted you because we love you." He stopped for a while and said, "Wait a minute. Why are you asking those questions?"

Leia couldn't bear to tell him that a bully tampered the school records and blurted out her secret. But she couldn't keep it any longer. "Dad, what would you do if you're adopted, and the whole school finds out about it?"

"What do you mean?"

With that, Leia told him everything; that she was being bullied at school, and the bully tampered the school records in order to get back at her, because the teacher she was crushing on liked her better than her. After hearing the entire story, Bail shook his head and said, "Why haven't you told me before? Now I know what's bothering you. If you want, I..."

"No dad!" She exclaimed. "Don't intervene. I don't want to look like a sissy. Please don't come to the school and tell my adviser about it, or else Tanya will torment me even more."

"You're being bullied because you're allowing her to do so," he told Leia frankly. "The best thing you can do is this: first, avoid her at all cost, and second, if you cross paths with her again and she treats you meanly, tell her how you feel, and after that, walk away without giving her a chance to justify her actions."

Leia sighed with relief. What she heard from her dad made her smile, and she said, "Thanks for the advice, dad. But there's something I forgot to tell you." She took a deep breath and said, "People are accusing me that I'm a flirt because they thought that I'm flirting with my crush, and a lot of girls liked him. They talk things about me, and they hate me for something I have no control of. Dad, it's bothering me. I don't know what to do. And that encouraged Tanya to be mean to me."

"You cannot please everybody, Lelila. Just ignore them if they say things about you behind your back, and as time passes by, the rumors will die down."

"I hope so." Leia stood up from her seat and said, "Have to go now. I'll be late." She went up to him and gave him a peck on the cheek. "Bye, Sweetie," Bail replied good-naturedly. "By the way," he added. "Are you going to ride the tram this morning? I have your swoop bike repaired for you."

"Really dad? Thanks!" she exclaimed, and hugged him while she jumped up with glee. "But I'd rather not. They might ruin it again."

"Okay, if that's what you want. Now run off, Lelila. You'll be late."

Leia ran across the dining hall and found her way outside. She walked to the tram station and as she boarded the tram, for the first time, she felt enlightened on what to do with her situation. Never she has felt this relieved since the day Tanya bullied her. Watch out, Tanya. I'll strike back! You cannot bully me any longer.

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Leia was walking down the school hallways when she felt a ball of crumpled paper hit the back of her head. She turned around and saw Bearwin Krugg smiling mischievously at her. Oh, here's another one to ruin my day so early, she thought in disdain.

She frowned at him as Bearwin tried to keep up with her as she walked to the classroom. "So, how's life, Your Highness?" he asked.

"Why the heck are you asking me that?" she asked snootily. "Don't you know that because of you, my life is ruined? No thanks to you, Krugg, you pasted that piece of crap paper on my back and people started talking things about me! And now, those mean girls are tormenting me!"

Both entered the classroom. "Sorry if I ruined your life, Princess," he said apologetically. "I just wanted to..."

"Well, your sorry have no effect on me!" Leia exclaimed. Even though she felt that he was sincere with his apology, she found that she has no heart to take it. Bearwin is not that mean, but I don't like him still, she thought.

He still followed her as she took her seat. Leia glared at him, saying, "What are you staring at?" she asked. "Get away from me, or people might think that I'm flirting with you next."

"Okay, Your Highness," Bearwin mumbled as he went to his place at the back of the classroom.

"Would you please stop calling me that? Do you have to tell it to my face that I'm a flirt princess?"

"Sure, Leia," he replied, went back to his seat. Later on, when classes had already started, Leia felt another piece of crumpled paper thrown at the back of her head. She glared at Bearwin for the second time, but he just smiled and winked at her as he mouthed the words, "Open it." Leia got his point, and opened the piece of crumpled paper. On it were written the following:

If people are trying to pull you down,

BE PROUD OF IT!

It only means one thing:

YOU ARE ABOVE THEM!

And one sure reason why they would hate you?

Because they wanted to become just like

YOU.

The note ended with the phrase, "Sorry Leia if I was mean to you. But I hope this will inspire you. –Bearwin."

Leia smoothed the note and smiled to herself as she kept it inside her notebook. She looked back at Bearwin, and for the first time, she smiled at him. Bearwin blushed and smiled back.

"Who are you smiling at, Leia?" Siobe asked her when she noticed the smile on her face.

"Bearwin," she replied, still smiling.

"Huh?" Siobe asked, her brows furrowed in confusion. "But you hate him, did you?"

"He inspired me today," she replied, and said no more.

What is that supposed to mean? Siobe asked herself. For a while, she has been noticing that Bearwin wasn't really a bully at heart; that the pranks he pulled on Leia were more of a way to get her attention. Even though I hate boys, maybe he's kind, after all. Maybe he secretly likes her, she thought, and surprised herself with her thought. But...

Siobe's thoughts were cut off when Ms. Koophius announced in a loud voice, "Class, we'll be having our annual school play for the upcoming Foundation Day. All of you are required to audition, and this year, our play will be 'Juris & Arlette', sponsored by the third year students, and this year, 3-A is chosen to perform for the play." A section was chosen for each year level to sponsor a play for the whole batch.

Sounds of students whispering excitedly filled the air. Some were eager to audition, and some were nervous at the thought of having to speak in front of the whole batch, even if only for audition. "At last, I'm in a section that will sponsor the play!" one exclaimed.

"This is exciting," Siobe whispered to Leia and Winter. "I'll be auditioning for the role of Arlette. What about you guys?" she asked.

"I'm not much of an actress, but I'll try it out for the supporting roles," Winter said.

"Why do all of us have to audition?" Leia asked in despair. "I'm not an actress!" she exclaimed.

"Oh, just give it a try, will you? You might like it, and who knows, you might get the part," Siobe encouraged her.

"Why do I have to be in this section that will sponsor the play?" Leia mumbled to herself.

"All of you write the role you're auditioning for on a piece of paper, and pass it to me. After classes, stay here and we'll start with the auditions in front of the other teachers as judges."

Ms. Koophius cleared her throat and said, "The role of Juris is not available, for in agreement with the other teachers, we've chosen Bearwin Krugg to play the role."

"What!" Bearwin exclaimed amidst the sounds of his classmates hooting at him. "But ma'am, you can't do this to me!"

"Sorry, Mr. Krugg, but I realized that it's the only way for you to pull up your character and conduct grades. Your naughty ways are putting you down the drain," Ms. Koophius replied with a smile.

"But ma'am, I'm already trying to be very nice!"

"That won't be enough for you to pull up your grades, regarding the pile of cases filed against you."

"Go Bearwin! Woohhh!" A student exclaimed mockingly, which lead the others to do the same.

"Why do I have to audition for this?" Leia said angrily as she wrote the role she wanted to audition for. She scribbled absent-mindedly the name of the female lead and folded it before she passed it along with the other papers.

"Hey Leia, I saw that you'll be auditioning for Arlette," Siobe remarked with a smile. "Seems like we'll be up against each other," she joked.

"I just have to write it because I can't think of any roles to audition for. Just so I can get this over and done with," she explained. "Besides, I'm sure I won't be getting the part, anyway."

"But you'll never know. If you get paired up with Bearwin, he'll like it a lot. Haven't you noticed that..."

"Oh Siobe, cut it out!" Then she thought, But if ever I get the role, at least that'll take my mind off the bullying. Might as well give it a try.

Drama Princess? You bet! Watch out for the next chapter! RR please! Thank you for reading!