It was a new day at Ever after High. But Greenly didn't feel as refreshed as the morning dew on the grass. She stared at her reflection in her vanity mirror, deep in thought about yesterday.

"Hey, how long are you going to stare at yourself?" Amber asked. "Mirror gazing is a bad habit, just ask the Evil Queen."

"Amber, you don't understand." The princess turned to her fairy friend. "What I did yesterday was just..." It was hard for her to put it in words.

Amber scoffed. "So what? You had one bad day. It doesn't mean it's the end of the world. Today's a new day, and the day after that. I just want to know how you learned those sweet moves!"

Greenly sheepishly rubbed the back of her head. "Well, since I'm always alone, I figured I needed to learn to defend myself. I mean, with all the popular princesses like Apple getting all the boys' attention and something happens to me, I can't just leave anything to chance and find a prince to save me!"

With a silent nod, Amber couldn't agree more. "I get it. Anyway, we better get to class." The two roommies ventured to class together. Almost immediately, gossipy whispers were heard among students. Greenly felt the sting of their murmers, and so did Amber. They tried to use chit-chat to drown out the gossiping.

"So, how's classes so far, Am?" asked Greenly.

Amber shrugged. "Not much. Just learning how to be offensive in General Villainy and listening to Professor Rumplestilskin on how to turn straw into gold." She rolled her eyes. "Seriously, who hires a guy like that?"

"Who knows?"

"So, anything new with you?"

Greenly shook her head. "Nothing special. I had to go through smiling practices in Princessology and learn how to finance a kingdom properly in Good Kingdom Management."

Suddenly, a girl approached Greenly. She had long and wavy platinum blonde hair streaked with blue that was tied back in a small bump. Her eyes were a light shade of blue and she had a perfectly placed beauty mark under her right eye. She greeted Greenly with a kind curtsey. "Hello, Greenly." The girl spoke in a soft and sweet voice. "I just wanted to say how amazing you were yesterday."

Greenly sighed. "No, it's not." She looked at this girl squarely in the eye. "You shouldn't like me just because I beat someone up. That's not okay."

"What?! No! No!" The girl innocently waved her hands. "It's not like that! It's just...I really admired your bravery to stand up for yourself." she said with a smile.

The princess blinked in surprise. "Oh. Uh, yeah. Thanks. And you are?"

"Darling. Darling Charming." said the girl.

Greenly froze. Her hope to make a new friend was crushed just like that. This girl was a princess. And not just a princess, but a Charming, who is most likely a blood relative to that pompous, I'm-too-into-myself-to-care-about-anyone-or-anything' Daring Charming.

"Darling!" a nerdy voice called out.

All of a sudden, a boy came stumbling out of nowhere and fell flat on his face right before Greenly's feet. Bystanders just laughed as Darling helped the boy up. Greenly scooped up the boy's fallen glasses and handed them to him. "Here."

"Oh, thanks." When the boy looked up, Greenly felt her heart fluttering. Time seemed to stand still as she gazed into the boy's beautiful blue eyes. As she stared, Greenly felt as if she was under a spell, the most powerful kind of spell...love.

"Uh, can I have my glasses back?" asked the incredibly gorgeous boy.

Greenly managed to snap out of her lovesick state. "Oh! Uh, r-r-right! I'm so sorry!" She tried not to gush over how amazing he was to her. "A-Are you okay? You're not hurt, are you?" She finally gave him his glasses. Once his glasses were put back on, Greenly felt like a fog in her head was suddenly cleared up.

"Dexter, are you okay?" asked Darling.

"Yeah, I'm okay." said the boy named Dexter. "I had to rush over as soon as I saw all these guys gawking at you!" He tried to shield Darling from the boys that were drooling at Darling.

"Dexter! I can take care of myself!" Darling insisted.

"Nonsense, little sis." said Daring as he strided in. All the girls squealed as the boys sulked away. "You are destined to be a damsel, which makes it our duty to protect you from all kinds of dangers." He gave Greenly a cold glare. "Including bad influences like her."

Greenly tightened her fists. Amber approached the oldest Charming sibling. Her eyes flashed. "That's not very polite to say to a princess, Daring." she pointed out very sharply.

Daring rolled his eyes. "Whatever- after." He took Darling's arm. "Come, Darling. I'll walk to you class." He shot the girls one more glare before walking off. Dexter shook his head before following his brother.

"Can you believe that guy?" said Amber as she and Greenly went to their classes.

"Yeah, total creep." Greenly wanted to say how amazingly awesome Dexter was, but she kept it inside. Greenly knew she already had a prince waiting for her in her story. So, she was instructed not to have any insipid school crushes, according to her mother. The girls said their respective goodbyes and Greenly arrived in Damsel in Distressing class. She saw the same princesses from her other classes, including Darling. She smiled and gave Greenly a friendly wave. Greenly didn't want to be rude, so she kindly waved back. But there was one girl who stood out from the class, a girl sitting in the very back wearing a red hood.

Greenly remembered her name from respective introductions on the first day of school. Cerise Hood, daughter of Little Red Riding Hood. There were rumors that Cerise had always been a lone wolf, always sneaking around, keeping to herself, and hardly talks to nobody. And she's never been seen without her trademark red hood. Greenly believed Cerise had good reason to keep to herself. After all, with all the spectacular oddballs at Ever After High, why wouldn't she be on her guard? Especially since Mr. Badwolf, the villain who terrorized Cerise's mother, was a teacher at this school.

As everyone took their seats, Greenly didn't. She waited for her teacher, Madame Maid Marian, to arrive. Right on cue, the teacher glided into the room. Greenly approched her. "Excuse me, Miss Madame Maid Marian."

"Yes, my dear?"

Greenly looked at her teacher with regretful eyes. "May I have a word with you? If you don't mind?"

"Of course." The teacher and student left the classroom to talk.

"Madame, I'm really sorry about yesterday." Greenly said right away. Everyone knew that Madame Maid Marian was not only a teacher, she was Sparrow's mother. "The other day, with Sparrow..." She tried to find the right words to say, but the teacher shook her head.

"There's no need to apologize, my dear." said Madame Maid Marian, catching Greenly off guard. She wasn't angry? "I know my son can be...difficult. But what he was doing was wrong. And those who do wrong must take responsibility for their actions." She smiled. "Besides, it's so refreshing to know that you can defend yourself so well. If there isn't a prince to rescue you, then whatever will you do to protect yourself?"

Greenly smiled. "Thank you for understanding, Madame."

The teacher clapped her hands together. "Well then, now that that's settled, time for class!"

"Actually!" Greenly said quickly. "I have a question, Madame."

"Yes?"

Greenly hesitated for a moment. "Why do I even take this class? I mean, there's nothing remotely dangerous about my story. I don't have a villain, so I don't get poisoned like Apple or cursed to fall asleep like Briar or be stalked by a dangerous wolf like Cerise. So...why?"

"Well, I was wondering the same thing. So, I discussed it with Headmaster Grimm and according to him, there's a point in your story where you get lost on a dark, stormy night, which can be dangerous if you're not careful." Madame Maid Marian answered.

But Greenly wasn't satisfied with that answer. "That's not dangerous. So, I get a little wet after geting caught in the rain. Did Headmaster Grimm just dump me in this class for the hex of it because my story is that lame?"

"Miss Pea!" boomed the Headmaster's voice. Greenly nearly jumped out of her forest green dress. She spun around and there was Headmaster Grimm right behind her. And he did not look happy. "You must never speak ill of your story. All fairytales, great and small, are important. And no role is better than the other." he said in a serious, no-nonsense voice. "Your destiny is just as special as all the other students."

Obviously, Greenly didn' believe the headmaster's words. Still, she had to pretend to believe them. "You're right. I'm sorry, Headmaster."

"Good. Now, back to class with you. And no more thumbing your nose down on-MISS LOCKES!" Headmaster Grimm roared as he pointed to Blondie, who was peeking at the end of the hallway holding her mirrorphone. She was wearing dark sunglasses to disguise herself, but she wasn't fooling anyone, especially not Headmaster Grimm. The angry man ran off after Blondie, who ran away as well.

"What was that all about?" Greenly wondered out loud.

"Oh, just Miss Lockes being nosy." said Madame Maid Marian. "She's been trying to get an hexclusive picture of you, 'The Powerhouse Princess.'" She made air quotation marks with her fingers.

"The Powerhouse Princess?"

Madame Maid Marian shrugged. "Apparently, it's your new nickname around school."

Suddenly, Apple poked her head out from the classroom doorway "Um, Madame Maid Marian, are we still having class?"

"Oh! Yes! Of course, Miss White." Madame Maid Marian and Greenly returned to Damsel in Distress class. As the teacher began writing on the chalkboard, Greenly thought back to her nickname. It did sound catchy when she thought about it.

After school, Greenly decided to look around the Village of Book End. It was a beautiful and bustling place. There were all kinds of shops, it was hard for the princess to decide on where to go in first. Then Greenly spotted a shop that stood out well. The shop had a tall tower sitting atop it's structure. She read the store's sign.

Tower Hair Salon

"A salon, huh?" Greenly decided to check it out. She opened the doors and the first thing to greet her was a long trail of auburn hair starting from the entrance mat to a girl sitting in a salon station all the way across the salon. Standing next to the girl was a stylish female employee holding a pair of scissors. She was wearing a black top with pink sleeves, a silver and black wraparound scarf, a pink and purple skirt, black leggings and long magenta boots. Her auburn hair was cut short and dyed purple on the right side, decorated with a pink headscarf tied in a bow. She was so pretty and fashionable. Why was she working in a salon when she could be working as a model?

The ridiculously long haired girl turned to Greenly. She gasped as did Greenly. The employee and the girl looked exactly alike! They were twins.

"Oh my Grimm! It's you!" The long haired girl beamed, standing up. "You're the next Princess and the Pea!" She let out a squeal as she skipped over to Greenly. "I am such a fan of your story!"

A pause.

"What?" Greenly finally spoke. She expected this girl to say something about Greenly being 'The Powerhouse Princess.'

"Yeah! I know all about your story! To think, proving you're a true princess by feeling a tiny pea under a tower of mattresses! I could never sleep like that! I'm royally terrified of heights! I think it's so fableous that you'll be able to do such a brave thing!" The girl's eyes sparkled. "I'm Holly by the way. Holly O'Hair, the next Rapunzel. I start Ever After High next year!"

Greenly was amazed by how happy this princess was to meet her. It didn't look like fake enthusiam at all.

"Okay, take a chill potion, Holly." said the stylish girl. "Anyway, I'm Poppy O'Hair, we're Rapunzel's daughters."

"Ah, that explains the hair." Greenly noted, pointing to Holly's trail of hair.

"So, what's it like at Ever After High?" Holly asked with excitement.

Greenly gave a shrug. "It's pretty cool. Beats being home-schooled your whole life."

"Ugh, tell me about it!" Holly agreed. "I've been home-schooled my whole life! If it weren't for Poppy getting a job here at the Tower Hair Salon, I would have never got the chance to venture outside my tower!"

"Speaking of venturing," Poppy began. "Holly and I are going to get a bite once I finish her daily trim. You want to come along?"

Greenly was going to refuse, but something made her stop. Sure, Greenly didn't care for other royals, but that didn't mean she should avoid Holly and Poppy just because they were both princesses. They were nice girls and she liked them. "Sure!"

Holly clapped her hands together. "Great! I can't wait to try the Beanstalk Bakery!"

Greenly smiled. Looks like she made the right choice.

Okay, I admit it. I became friends with other princesses. But Holly not only acknowledged my existence, she actually liked my story! She was the first fan I ever met! And Poppy maybe a princess, but she was anything but a prissy snob. She was cool, fun, and edgy. But I didn't tell my other friends I was buddies with other royals. It might cause drama, which I do NOT care for.

The O'Hair twins were sweet as sweet pea tea. But that didn't mean I had respect for the other royals. And they had no respect with me. Thanks to my new reputation as the Powerhouse Princess, a lot of people were too scared to come near me, especially the royals. Holly, Poppy, Amber, Ian, and Bentley were the only ones who stood by my side like real friends should. And that's just how I liked it. As time rolled on, things were going smoothly for me. I was doing well in all my classes, hung out with my different friend groups, and things couldn't be better.

Before I knew it, it was already the end of the school year. And everyone was getting ready for summer vacation. But the one thing all the students had on their minds, besides Legacy Day for the second years, was Briar's end of the school year party for the freshmen. Briar will use any excuse necessary to throw a party. But I guess the end of the school year is a good enough reason. And who can blame her? Nothing. I mean nothing hexciting ever happens around here.

But that doesn't mean I was going to Briar's party. I wouldn't be caught dead at one of Briar's parties. It would just reopen old wounds for me. But it's cool. The gang and I already made plans to go out to The Herald's Hamburgers for burgers, fries, shakes, and all kinds of good stuff!

So, I just had to survive one more week of school before the big shebang. But who would've thought that it would the longest week of my entire life? And it all started when I had a friendly chit-chat with a classmate.