Suddenly Princess

Chapter 8: Shopping Trip & A Confession

*Picture is of Anna's adoptive mother (a distant cousin) Sophia*

First of all I cannot believe that they forced me to go to church yesterday. Second of all, I cannot believe I'm actually going to school today. I mean, they could have at least given me a day off. It's Monday for god's sake! And after all, I'm one of the most dedicated students in this high school. I haven't missed a day since sophomore year unless it was for a field trip.

But here I am, sitting in the cafeteria listening to my table's daily gossip. The rectangular table near the large windows almost always consists of the same people; me, Avery, Ashlyn, the rest of the dance team girls with this lunch period, a few of their boyfriends, and the occasional hockey player that decides to join us.

"Did you hear?" Avery asks in a low whisper. "Tania Adams just broke up with Mike Vincenti. I honestly can't believe it took her that long to figure out he was cheating. Everyone knows he's a cheating bastard."

My eyes roll so far upwards I'm almost afraid they'll get stuck. I've never cared for gossip, but it sure does feel good when someone who's done me wrong gets a good dose of karma.

Back in middle school I wasn't as secure in my social status. I had braces, glasses, pimples galore and I had already stopped growing a little after I reached five foot two. I was an easy target for girls that were going through similar difficulties, but didn't have it nearly as bad as me. Tania was one of those people, along with a few others.

One of the only things I'm looking forward to about revealing my title as a Crown Princess is the look on their faces. It's not that I'll like the attention I know I'll receive, I'm actually going to hate it. What I will like is seeing people like Tania get upset for not having the spotlight anymore. Granted, my popularity may only last a few days to a couple weeks before it dies down, but it will still be so worth it.

I fight to keep my eyes open in Speech and Debate class. Ms. Beau is droning on and on about how good of a speaker Steve Jobs was. Avery keeps trying to get my attention, but I'm way too dazed to care. That doesn't stop her from trying to get me to look at her, though. She throws a piece of crumpled paper at me. It hits my face and lands square in the middle of my desk. I lazily reach down and un-crumple it. It says: You're coming shopping with Ashlyn and I after school, right?! Please?!

I look up at the seat next to mine and see her smiling expectantly.

Sighing, I nod. I know she and Ash would be more than disappointed if I didn't go. After all, I blew them off once before-even though it was a legitimate reason I still feel bad about it.

Once talent show practice ends we head out to Ashlyn's car. The temperature has dropped even further since we got to school, if that's even possible. It feels like it is. The wind doesn't help. And it's beginning to flurry.

"Feeling any better, An?" Ashlyn asks as we quickly pile into her ice box of an automobile. You would think that, coming from one of the wealthier families in town, she would have a car with an automatic starter. But no, she received her grandmother's old sedan which takes forever to heat up.

My teeth start chattering in the backseat as I answer. "No... but a little heat would help," I say jokingly.

It takes a while, but eventually we're toasty warm and cruising down the highway en route to the local mall-which happens to be quite a ways away from our little remote town. It's something I'll probably never do again without bodyguards driving me. But I try not to think about it that way. I try to keep my mind on the positive things about my situation... of which I have yet to name but I'll figure out a list sooner or later. I swear I will.