Hi everyone! I apologize for the late update, but I'm back! I'm hoping to have Chapter 9 up soon! Thanks for all your support and comments 3
Chapter 8: Not So Back To Normal
My index finger taps frantically on my thigh as I wait impatiently in the rickshaw. We are supposed to leave for Kinkow University in three minutes, and Brady is nowhere in sight. After our little debacle a few nights ago, I avoided the king as often as I could. Of course, I didn't drop by his room to check out the wedding gifts, but luckily for me, the unwanted presents were sent to my room.
For the past couple of days, I have spent a majority of my time with my dad. Although I wasn't permitted outside of the castle because of the media attention, I didn't feel too cooped up in the palace. The highlight of my mini vacation after the wedding was getting a chance to practice on the new guard training areas. It was nice knowing what could have been, but even nicer to get my mind off my new duties as queen and a wife.
I check the watch on my wrist and frown. I can't say I didn't expect him to be late, but so long as I have to share a ride with him to school, he was going to be on time. The night before, we had a short lesson with Kaira. Today is our first public appearance as a married couple and she made it clear that we had to be on our best behavior. I scoffed at her choice of words, treating us like children. She made sure that we had to left for school together on rickshaw and to keep a low profile when approached my the paparazzi.
The doors of the castle suddenly open and out stumbles Brady, with a juice box in hand and a bagel in his mouth. He hobbles his way toward the rickshaw, clumsily trying to get one of his shoes on.
"Hey," He said incoherently with the bagel still in his mouth. He steps into the cart and sits next to me. I give him a forced smile. Almost immediately, the guards step into the rickshaw across from us and we are off to the university.
Normally, Brady and Boomer went to school together, but because I am now the king's wife, we are advised to go everywhere as a couple. Thankfully, we had separate schedules and that meant that we weren't forced to be together all the time. Boomer took a separate rickshaw with additional guards and would follow behind us.
"So, I've got a few ground rules," Brady said as he took a sip of juice from that childish box.
I raised an eyebrow at him. "Ground rules?"
"Yup," Brady replied casually. "I know we're supposed to go to school together and leave together, but in between let's just stick to our regular routine. I'll hang out with my friends and you hang out with yours. You know, so the media won't have to follow us or whatever."
"Fine." I say quietly, hoping to end the conversation at that, but that wasn't the case.
"Oh come on, Bambi. Why so quiet? We haven't had a real conversation since our wedding!" Brady boasted.
I roll my eyes at his statement and avert my eyes to the countless palm trees to my right. My heart skips a beat when I feel an unfamiliar arm around my shoulder. I quickly turn my head and see Brady's smug expression.
"You're so tense, relax. The cameras are going to be all over us soon so we have to look the part." Brady says to me.
Right on cue, I hear the screams of photographers yelling our names. Brady waves in their direction and I put on my fake smile. Fortunately, we are already at the school grounds where the paparazzi and media fiends are prohibited. Brady steps off the rickshaw first and I file behind him. As I steady myself off the cart, he extends arm to guide me down and I take it willingly, knowing there are cameras capturing this sweet moment. A collective "aw" escapes from the photographers' mouths when I land on the ground.
"King Brady, over here! Love the smile, King Brady! Queen Mikayla, you look great!"
"Can I get a pose of you two hugging! King Brady, Queen Mikayla give us look over here!"
The guards immediately surrounded Brady and I, shielding us from the ambush of the photographers. They lead us toward the school entrance, surrounding us from the pointed cameras. We walk in the open area of the courtyard, free from the media attack still hand in hand. A few yards or so away from the gates, the guards give us a little more breathing room. We are now safe from all of the camera-yielding members of the press. We walk a couple more steps before Brady lets go of my hand.
"See you after classes, Bambi." He said quickly before breaking away in the opposite direction. Without so much as a look, I wave awkwardly to communicate my "goodbye."
Two of the guards follow the king while the remaining guards stay with me. I continue to head in the direction of my first class. I take a moment to scan the campus courtyard and notice all eyes are on me. A rush of heat creeps to my face, really hating the newfound attention. The hushed whispers aren't so inconspicuous as I pass by groups of students. I can hear my name being called a few times by unfamiliar voices, but I ignore it. The only think I am concerned with is getting to the lecture hall. With each step, my mind tries to drain out the crowd and to avert my eyes from glancing at my peers –or subjects… I shudder.
I finally reach my classroom building and much to my relief, the guards do not follow me in. Fortunately, Kaira made it clear that guards will only be permitted to be present outside of class time.
I take my normal seat near the middle of the room. I begin to take my class materials out of my bag when I hear a small rustling of papers and the shuffling of footsteps heading toward my direction. Two girls heading from the back of the room make their way to my row. I look at the two of them and give a polite grin. They return my gesture with wide grins and excited giggles to one another.
My head turns to my left and a boy with glasses has moved from his seat in the front of the classroom to the row right before mine. He and I lock eyes as he flashes me a toothy smile. I give him a small wave in return. More people begin to fill in the classroom and choose their seats within my vicinity. Normally, I sat with no more than three or more people, but now the entire class seems to be sitting as close to me as they could get.
"Hey." I say quietly and take a seat at the lunch table.
In the corner of my eyes I can see groups of people passing our table. The usually empty tables around us are filled with different groups of people that have never sat near us before.
"Mikayla!" Candace squealed. She was quick to get up from her seat and abruptly threw her arms around me. Tessa followed and stood up from her chair, also leaning into give me a hug from behind.
"Hey Mikayla!" Tessa says. "Oh forgive me, I should be calling you 'Queen Mikayla'!"
I shake my head and giggle. "No Tessa, you can still call me Mikayla!"
I turn around and see the pair of eyes I have missed most out of my three friends. My lips instantly curve into a large grin and I break free from Tessa and Candace to give Tristan a hug. Tristan has a small smile on his face, but I can tell that he's not entirely happy. He immediately lets go of me, breaking our half-hearted hug.
"Hi, Mickey. I've missed you." He says quietly. A feeling of disappointment comes over me, unsure of what to say to him. I keep a smile on my face hoping to ease the obvious tension between us. We all move back to our seats and carry on with our typical lunch routine.
"So, tell us everything, Mikayla!" Candace says in her usual perky tone. "One day you're eating lunch with us and next thing we know, you're queen of Kinkow!"
"Oh," I laugh it off casually. "It just kind of happened so fast. I didn't really have time to tell anyone."
"I sit at the same lunch table as the Queen Mikayla! So cool!" Tessa exclaimed.
"Yeah, so Mikayla, how's it like in the palace? I hear you have the closet the size of Tristan's room!" Candace squeaks.
The last thing I want to do is continue this conversation. I glance over at Tristan, who has clearly lost all interest what we are talking about.
"Yeah, it's pretty big." I say apathetically. Candace's eyes widen with joy, blatantly unaware of my growing disinterest and the brooding blonde-headed boy I am seated next to.
"This is great, Mikayla! How many other girls can say that they are friends with the queen of Kinkow? If you look behind you, you can totally Ally Kahn over there staring at us. She is so jealous and it's great that the guards are…"
"Hey, I'll see you guys later," Tristan spoke abruptly, interrupting our chatty friend. He stood up from his seat and began to walk away. "I'm headed to the library."
Impulsively, I get up from my seat and begin to follow Tristan. I throw a quick wave at my two girl friends. "Yeah, I forgot. Tristan and I have to head to library… for a project discussion."
Tristan gawks at me with a raised eyebrow. Candace and Tessa look to believe the little fib I told and they both wave goodbye. Tristan begins to pace quickly and I follow right behind. The guards walk closely as Tristan takes the lead toward the campus library. I could care less about the hushed mumbles coming from my groups of students we pass. All I was worried about was Tristan.
He and I walk in silence, striding step by step. We reach the entrance and the guards remain outside, while we both file inside the large book-filled building. Much to my relief, there was not a soul in sight.
He walks down the walkway toward the English literature section before pausing at one of the shelves. I match his pace and halt when he takes a moment to examine the titles. His eyes are focused on rows of books before him. I can tell that he is trying very hard to avoid my pleading stare.
"Tristan," I sighed. "We need to talk and we need to talk now."
The blonde-haired boy grabbed a small novel with a black cover and read over the large printed words before putting it back, still ignoring me. I gently tugged at his shoulder for him to turn around. We are face to face and I can see frustration written all over his face.
"Tris, what's up? Why are you acting like this to me?" I say quietly.
"It's too complicated to explain, Mikayla. So maybe it'd be best if we just didn't talk… anymore, ever again." I would have felt deeply hurt by his words, had he said them with sincerity. The doubt in his voice makes me feel somewhat okay.
"No." I say defiantly. "I'm not letting my best friend treat me like I don't matter. I already get that enough from Brady so I…"
"Just stop, Mickey." Tristan interrupts. I know he wants to end this discussion, but he's keeping something from me and I need to find out.
"You're my best friend, Tris. If you're not in my life to help me get through this, I don't know how I could survive this marriage and this role as the queen." I tell him honestly, my voice cracking with nervousness.
He finally looks up from the row of books he has been trying so hard to concentrate on. His expression softens and his bright blue eyes look at mine for the first time in what feels like forever. "I… I don't know if I want to tell you this."
I look at him insistently. All I want is to come to a resolution to this so-called argument we have been having. Tristan responds with a heavy sigh, breaking our eye contact to gaze off at the other shelves in the distance. He grabs a hold of both of my shoulders, almost as if he were trying to steady himself. My insides begin feel heavy not knowing what he was going to say next.
"I always imagined telling you this at a better time –not after your marriage to the king of Kinkow in the English literature section of Kinkow University's library." He says through a forced smile that immediately transforms to a firm stare.
Tristan lets out one audible breath like he was trying to expel something out of his system. "Mikayla, I have feelings for you and I don't see you as just a best friend. I really like you… a lot. I know this doesn't matter now, but you've got a right to know why I've been acting so distant."
Surprised is a mere understatement of how I am feeling. My eyes immediately divert towards the ground. Did Tristan really just confess his love –err like for me? My mind starts to wander, trying hard to replay his words of revelation. It felt like he recited an entire Shakespeare sonnet in the last few seconds. A thousand thoughts race through my mind, but the only clear voice in my head is telling me one thing.
"I'm sorry, Tris," I say quickly. "I… I need to be alone right now."
Instinctively, I need to get away. Without so much as a glimpse, I hurry past Tristan and race toward the entrance. I don't take a moment to look back and see the expression on my best friend's face. I push through the doors and am greeted by the guards.
"I… I'm not feeling very well. Could we please head back to the palace?" I ask hurriedly.
The guards nod their head in unison and the three of us walk to the parked rickshaw. I zone out the number stares shooting my way, forgetting that I'm now a royal. All I wanted to do was go back to my room and sleep this away, hoping to empty my mind.
"Mikayla, Kaira would like to see you downstairs in the royal conference room in ten minutes time."
"Okay." I shout through my door.
The long nap I intended to take never happened. I spent the past few hours keeping myself busy with homework, reading books, cleaning my room, and any other monotonous activity. Of course, trying to preoccupy myself was not a successful feat. I kept rerunning Tristan's confession in my head. He had professed his feelings for me, and all I could do in return was run away. There were so many signs that I had brushed off in the past: his willingness to always hang out with me, his arm around me when I snuck into his room a few nights ago, his annoyance with any mention of King Brady… I was oblivious to all of them.
I tried to reevaluate my feelings for Tristan. Obviously, he was handsome –tall, blonde hair, blue eyes, and athletically built. He was a sweetheart, kind to everyone especially me. We had so much in common and enjoyed each other's company. He was the perfect best friend. Everything about him should have eventually led to a romantic relationship, right? I knew he was boyfriend material, so why wasn't I attracted to him in that way? He had everything a girl could ask for, but I still can't even picture myself holding him in a tight embrace.
I think back to the few times I tried to see Tristan in that light. There would be those odd days when I thought of my future and how I'd eventually have to settle down with someone. In my head, I told myself that one day, I would probably end up with Tristan, because he was readily available. It was a stable plan and an idea that didn't seem too farfetched. Despite this, the thought of ending up with Tristan never excited me the least bit.
My mind returns back to reality when I remember that I should be heading downstairs to meet Kaira. I make my way to the conference room trying to compose myself. Sure enough, as I open the door, Kaira is seated with her hands folded. Her dark hair is pulled back into a tight bun and she wears a pair of sleek frames and a white lab coat. This is one of the few times Kaira actually looks like a doctor.
"Hey Kaira, how are you?" I say politely as I take a seat in one of the conference chairs.
"Good evening, my queen. We will begin in shortly." Kaira says firmly.
The tone in her voice is one that I recognize –and one that makes me incredibly nervous. The last time I had heard her speak that sharply was when she discovered Brady in the gardens after I had caught him meeting with is ex-girlfriend. It was a sign that this meeting was going to be another one of her lectures. The door opens and in walks Brady. He takes a seat next to me and greets Kaira with a small nod.
"I'm going to cut straight into our meeting. Care to explain the meaning of this?" She says, clearly upset.
She pulls a newspaper from her modish briefcase and hands it to us. A large picture of King Brady and I graces the cover. It is from earlier in the day when we both arrived to school. The colored image depicts me walking in one direction and Brady in the other. Underneath reads a printed title: "The Honeymoon Is Over."
Brady is the first to speak. "Kaira, it's just one bad frame. It's not how it happened. The press is just blowing everything out of proportion."
He looks to me for affirmation. I nod at him and we both look to Kaira to get her approval. She furrows her brow and grabs the newspaper and flips through the pages. She slides it in our direction and I see two pages filled with photographs of both Brady and I in the university, clearly not acknowledging of one another. From the pictures, we looked like complete strangers. Not one photo had us looking at one another. I feel the guilt rise in my chest when I realize we've disappointed our royal mentor.
"You know, I trusted that you two would get to know one another. All of those times we have left you two alone, we expected you both to be mature enough to develop a friendship at least. Obviously we were wrong." Kaira says in a tone both quiet and harsh.
Brady and I sit in silence. I am surprised he hasn't tried to come up with an excuse to this situation. I bite the inside of my cheek nervously, waiting for her to scold us.
"Lucky for you, we've scheduled additional king and queen hours to teach you the proper ways of a royal. And to fix this mess, you two will be making your first public interview this weekend. Now, I am going to keep this simple because I trust that you are adults. You two will stop the loathing and ignorance of one another and act like a proper couple." Kaira explains in a pedagogic manner. The usual softness and encouragement in her voice is oddly missing, making me feel worse about this lecture.
She stands up from her chair and makes her way toward the exit. "Good night my king and queen. Your royal lessons will continue tomorrow after dinner."
We sit in the empty conference room awkwardly staring at trivial objects in the room as if they held meaning to Kaira's words of disappointment. I examine the pictures in the newspaper. I know there were a few pictures like these in the tabloids and magazines during our engagement announcement and wedding, but no one had made a big deal about those ones. I wondered what made these photos so much more different. Was it because they were in a major Kinkowan newspaper or that there were so many?
I begin to stand up, wanting to sleep this stressful day away. Almost immediately, Brady mimics me and stands up as well. We find each other's eyes. The both of us look remorseful. I open my mouth and start to speak when I lose my train of thought when he puts an arm around me.
"You know Bambi, Kaira's right. We have to start looking like we know each other." Brady says coolly.
My body tenses up and I can feel myself turn a bright shade of red. What was this guy trying to pull? I nervously turn toward him and he gives me a sweet smile. I let out a small laugh and my heart stops. Did I just laugh?
"There we go, just like that. We just need to show Kaira we're capable of being friendly to one another and we're good." Brady says with a bigger smile.
I shake out of my daze and break away from Brady's half-hug. "Yeah, there are no cameras right now and we should get going to bed."
I nervously walk out the door and head to my bedroom quarters. I turn back and look to Brady who gives me a quick wink before heading up his private staircase.
What just happened?