The Bookworm Meets the Prince

by Klarika Nuque

  Everything that happened was so surreal, it was like I was reading everything that has happened to me up to now. I was beginning to understand how Mia Thermopolis felt when everyone suddenly learned that she was a princess. Maybe Jam had a point when she told me I react too late to things.

  “I know. But don’t think I’m not freaking out about it because I am. It’s just that I wasn’t given time to make Cath feel my wrath for kissing my boyfriend in front of me. I was about to react, but then Prince Charming over here kissed the heck out of me, making me forget what I was supposed to say. The next thing I knew was the paparazzi taking pictures of us and Drew announcing our relationship. With all the chaos around me, I didn’t get the chance to be the jealous girlfriend I was feeling inside,” I explained while looking at the window.

  Everyone was looking at me like I grew a second head. Why? I was not sure.

  “I never thought this day would come,” Rissa said. Jam and Chad agreed to her statement.

  “That Lizzie would get so jealous, smoke is currently coming out of her ears and nose? And let’s not forget the fact that she’s as red as a tomato.” Jam teased.

  “Great. I’m practically hyperventilating here, and you’re all so concerned about how I react when I’m jealous,” I said and rolled my eyes.

  “Hey, don’t blame us. Most of the time, you have as much reaction as a robot,” Jam teased, trying to push my knees in a teasing gesture.

  The shock was slowly fading, and reality was sinking in. I could almost feel everything going back to normal, as normal as life could be. If I learned anything from our years of friendship, it’s that teasing was their way of saying everything would be alright, that they were going to be there every step of the way, and most importantly, that they would never change even if my status in the world had changed.

  “I’m sorry about everything, Liz,” Drew said, hugging me some more. I immediately felt guilty because I made Drew think I was blaming him. It was not his fault; his ex-girlfriend was a psycho bitch, and it was not his fault that he was a crown prince. Well, maybe he was a little bit at fault , but I loved him too much to care.

  “It’s not your fault. Sorry I’m not thinking straight. It just that everything came as a shock. First, Cath showed up, looking extremely pretty. She’s still a psycho in my book though,” I said in my usual calm voice, and everyone laughed with what I said. “She kisses you, which I’m not happy about. Then we announce we’re together, something I was still prepping myself for. And now I’m worried people wouldn’t like me as your girlfriend,” I said, looking Drew in the eyes.

  “Well, one thing I’m happy about is that you liked me kissing you so much, it made you forget to be mad at Cath. I’m flattered, princess,” Drew said, teasing me, and everyone started wolf-whistling about it.

  I was so red because I was so embarrassed by what I just said. I covered my face with my hands and leaned against Drew’s chest, making everyone laugh harder.

  “Great! With my lengthy speech, the only thing my boyfriend heard was that he kissed the heck out of me,” I said in a low voice which Drew unfortunately heard, making him laugh and hug me tighter.

  “All because I love you, my princess,” Drew said as he kissed my hair.

  I finally registered the term of endearment he used and looked him in the eye.

  “Why the nickname?” I asked.

  “Wow, and here I thought she has finally cured her super-dense syndrome,” Jam commented, making everyone laugh once more.

  “Because, in case you have forgotten, you are my princess. I just gave you time to adjust. Seeing as everyone already knows who you are in my life and there are no more secrets about our relationship, I can call you that anytime I want. Sooner or later, everyone else would be calling you that as well,” he said and gave me a kiss that made me forget about things again.

  “Oh my gosh. Don’t you think we have seen you guys make out enough for a day? We saw you guys do it like twice in the airport,” Jam said.

  “Whatever, Jam. Wait, why are you still here? Didn’t you have a flight to catch?” Drew asked, starting their usual banter.

  “Well, yeah, but when I heard about the crown prince being spotted I couldn’t resist but take a peak,” Jam said, a bit embarrassed.

  “Wait, you’re telling me you are willing to miss a few days’ worth of classes because you are still obsessed with the rumors even if you already know the people in it?” Andie asked, a bit shocked.

  “Hey! I was following news about you guys for the last few years I was in France. Why stop now especially when I’m personally involved?” Jam rebutted.

  “You better feel lucky I know you personally. I know you will cause no harm to us because if not, I would have had a restraining order against you by now. You are a fanatic to the highest level,” Andie said, laughing so hard with Chad and Rissa.

  I was feeling less stressed now. As I leaned into his shoulder, I knew that these people with goofy smiles around me were the same people I would be getting additional strength and confidence from. They might be a weird bunch, especially Andie and Jam, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world.

  “You think we would ever have a normal day with Jam and Andie at the same room?” Drew whispered to me.

  “I really don’t think so. I prefer them this way, though. It’s more fun,” I whispered back.

  He lowered his face, kissing me once more, and I immediately forgot everything besides Drew and me. I loved him, and I knew no matter what, we were in this together. No matter what Cath does, it wouldn’t work. I was not giving up, and neither was Drew.

  “Guys, cut the making out part please!” Jam shouted as everyone leaned towards us and made kissy-wissy sounds.

  Drew hugged me as if he was protecting me from them. We can’t help but laugh at how childish we all were at the moment.

  I was lucky to have these weird bunch with me on this crazy adventure. Without them, life would be too boring and stressful.

  Chapter 17

  The Start of the Chaotic Life

  When we got home, I was so tired from everything that happened.

  Reporters were following us from the airport, so we had to make a few extra turns to shake them off. Unfortunately, it was all in vain because when they drove me home, reporters had already set up camp in front of my house. There were about thirty reporters and more paparazzi than I could count. Everyone stood to attention when they saw our Cadillac.

  We had to be guarded by five of his body guards plus the ones escorting Rissa, Chad, Andie, and Jam.

  “Well, you have some explaining to do, young man. Whatever happened to waiting until graduation?” my dad asked as we entered the house.

  “Sir, I know I should have kept my promise, but my hands are tied. Could I speak to you about an urgent matter in a more private quarter?” Drew asked, making us all look at him with curious eyes.

  My dad looked at him intently and replied.

  “Let’s go to my library then,” Dad said, and they were on their way.

  “Baby, are you alright?” Mom asked, hugging me.

  It was pretty funny how my mom spent every second worrying about me while my friends silently made their way to the mini theatre and watched the news.

  Then something on the world news got all of our attention.

  “Breaking news: Prince Phillipe, who just got out of hiding, have officially announced that he has a girlfriend. This may be shocking for royal watchers since the royal family has led us to believe that he would be marrying his girlfriend or should we say former girlfriend, Lady Catherine, before his next birthday. This has certainly caused a debate on who he should choose. Purists still think Lady Catherine is a much-suited choice than the commoner. Though the majority of Sarconian citizens thinks that his choice of future wife is up to him and thinks that his official romance with Ms. Elizabeth is actually a good step, following Prince William’s marriage to Kate Middleton and Prince Harry’s union to Megan Markle. This might make the
royal family more attuned to the needs of the common people since a member of the royals would be a commoner too,” the lady anchor who I couldn’t remember the name said

  “I guess that would be a matter of opinion. After all, how sure are we that this relationship would last?” the other male anchor said. This was apparently the opinion part of the news.

  “I’m betting on it since the prince never announced any of his relationships and the fact that he announced this one so close to his next birthday wherein he is expected to announce his future wife. I’m thinking this Elizabeth Donalds might as well be the next Queen of Sarconia,” the previous lady anchor answered.

  This was around the time when Dad and Drew came back, and they seemed to have had a small argument judging from the strained smile on my dad’s face.

  I wondered what happened to them. Especially since Drew seemed somehow happy with whatever just transpired.

  I looked at Drew for answers, but he just shrugged and continued his merry way beside Chad. When everyone was satisfied that they have seen every single news tidbit about Drew and me, they went home and promised to see me in school the next day.

  ***

  School was getting irritating; people were looking at me like I was some celebrity. So far, I had been dubbed three different titles: the Crown Prince’s Girlfriend, the Royal Climber, and my personal favorite, the Royal Mistress. I was not sure why the last one was my favorite. I guess it was because it could mean two ways: either it meant an archaic term for a wife, or it meant I was the other woman. One thing was for sure, it was as irritating as hell.

  It also didn’t help that my teachers were treating me differently. They were always asking if there was anything they could do for me, or if I needed to talk to someone about this latest development in my life.

  I was not quite sure how to react when I noticed students discreetly taking pictures of me. Obviously, I wanted to smack them, but I was not a violent person. I didn’t understand this whole shebang.

  Everyone still thought I was Ryan King’s girlfriend. There was even a rumor that I dumped King for the real future king. If I thought I had it bad when girls were giving me the death glares for being Ryan’s supposed girlfriend, try multiplying it by fifty.

  “Don’t listen to them, Lizzie. They are just jealous because they don’t have a super cute and romantic boyfriend. Plus, the fact that Drew had the title everyone had been dreaming of all their lives… and I should shut up.” Rissa stopped talking when I shot her an irritated look.

  I nodded and proceeded to lock my locker after getting all the books I needed.

  “I’m not sure if I like this attention. Is it truly going to be like this when I’m officially a part of Drew’s life?” I asked.

  Rissa just followed me, not bothering to answer my question.

  “Aren’t you already?” asked Chad, who came out of nowhere. He draped his arm around Rissa like always, and we started walking to our class.

  “What I mean is, if and when we do work out and reach a new level in our relationship, would people react like this as well?” I asked

  “Well…” Rissa never finished because Carrie was running towards us, waving a glossy magazine.

  “Oh my gosh, Lizzie! Can I have your autograph?” Carrie said while forcing the magazine on me.

  As I looked at the newly printed magazine, all I could make out was the picture of Drew and me at the airport during the announcement. It must have been taken before he kissed me because he was staring down lovingly at me in it.

  I decided to sign the damn magazine and get it over with because she was hounding me endlessly.

  Unfortunately, it was a bad decision.

  When people saw that I signed Carrie’s magazine, everyone followed, and the next thing I knew, I was surrounded by people who were hounding me, asking for autographs and pictures. I could hear Rissa and Chad laugh. When they saw it was getting too chaotic, they decided to take pity on me and called some teachers to stop the ruckus.

  We ended up sitting in the principal’s office to discuss how this could be avoided and the precautionary measures we needed to put in place.

  I was listening intently, or at least trying to, when I felt someone hug me. Apparently, when Drew found out about what happened, he went to the school board and talked to them.

  “Hey, are you alright?” Drew said, hugging me tight in front of the principal, Rissa, and Chad.

  “I guess so,” I said in a small voice.

  “She’s still in shock, Prince Phillipe. I received the decision of the school board. Ms. Donalds now has an option of continuing here with extra precautions or be homeschooled. Personally, I would suggest homeschooling for Ms. Donalds. This way, she could have some semblance of privacy and still continue with her studies. I can arrange that should you two wish it. I am also suggesting that she take a week off just to get this latest gossip die down on the student body. This will be done for her protection,” Principal Meyers said.

  “I’ll talk with her about it. Thank you, Principal Meyers,” Drew said and shook hands with the principal.

  We were walking towards the parking lot filled with his bodyguards and the paparazzi, who immediately took our pictures.

  When we were inside the car, I noticed something on the mirror that I just couldn’t shake off.

  “Drew, who’s on that black SUV following us?” I asked.

  “Uhhm… That would be the bodyguards that I hired for you,” Drew said in a small voice.

  So, he hired bodyguards for me, and that would be the black SUV following me for weeks.

  “When are you planning to tell me about it? That SUV has been scaring the shit out me for the past few weeks,” I said.

  He was supposed to answer me, but his phone rang. He immediately answered, glad he had a way out of our conversation.

  I rolled my eyes and looked at the window not really seeing anything. I had a lot of things on my mind and I was going to use this short time to make a plan. The only problem was that before I can formulate one, Drew was already parking the car. We got out and I decided to change my clothes to something more comfortable.

  I guess Drew knew that I needed a break which is why when I went down to look for him, I saw him at the mini theatre. He already chose a movie and made popcorn. This made me smile and sit beside him.

  “So, I never really asked… How you are adjusting?” Drew asked. We were now at the mini theatre at home, lazily sitting on the couch, watching Beauty and the Briefcase, and eating popcorn.

  “I’m not sure, but seriously, if I ever hear any of those new nicknames I have acquired again, I’m going to lose it,” I said, hugging him tighter as if he was going somewhere else.

  He hugged me tighter and kissed my forehead, which my dad obviously saw because he suddenly cleared his throat.

  “So, I have been wondering, how come you don’t have a European accent?” I asked when the character of Liam came into the movie.

  Drew laughed. He cleared his throat and revealed his real voice.

  “The truth is I do have an accent. I figured it would sound weird and would make me easily recognizable, so I learned to mask it. Andie did the same thing, though my parents couldn’t. I’m still shocked you missed that,” Drew said.

  I found it weird that I only heard his real accent now, but I was not complaining. Just like in the movie, I was checking the sexy foreign accent off my checklist.

  “Hey, guys, whatcha doing?” Andie suddenly popped out of nowhere with Rissa and Chad.

  “If you two want to know where we were, we just dropped Jam at the airport since she had to go back to France. Knowing her, she’ll probably come back after she finishes everything there,” Chad said, sliding into the nearest sofa to watch the movie with us.

  Andie and the gang nodded and followed suit.

  “So, Lizzie, what’s your decision about school?” Rissa asked.

  I was trying to avoid this conversation, but I guess I couldn’t do that now.
>
  “I’m thinking of finishing the year through homeschooling. I would still try to visit you guys whenever I could,” I said.

  After a while, two phones rang, and it totally disrupted the movie. Drew and Andie said sorry and went outside to answer their phones. Rissa and Chad shared a look they thought I didn’t catch. But I did. Something was up, but I was not sure what exactly.

  When Drew and Andie went back, they looked so troubled I immediately started to worry. They sat down but still couldn’t seem to relax.

  “Ok, both of you are scaring me. What’s up?” I asked in a hurried voice.

  “Uhhh…You tell her,” Drew said.

  “Last time I checked, she’s your girlfriend, not mine. Sheesh, man up.” Andie shook her head. “How come he’s full of courage in front of people but a total coward when it comes to Lizzie?” Andie said in a low voice, making Rissa and Chad laugh a little.

  I looked at Drew and waited for him to tell me. Well, after he was done glaring at his sister.

  “There’s good news and bad news. The thing is, Liz, we need to go back to Sarconia. That was Mom on the phone calling Andie and me at the same time,” Drew said.

  I felt sad because he was leaving with Andie. She might have been here for a short time, but I got used to her presence.

  “Well, that’s the bad news. The good news is you’re going with us, Lizzie. Isn’t that wonderful?” Andie said in her usual enthusiastic voice

  “Wait, what? What do you mean I’m going with you?” I asked in a loud voice as I stood up.

  Everyone quieted down and looked at me. I looked at them as I started panicking inside.

  Why am I going to Sarconia? I have no business there now, do I? What if the people there hated me since I’m a commoner? I’m not even from the same continent!

  There were so many things going through my head that it started to hurt. I tried to massage my forehead, but it didn’t seem to work.