The Uncrowned Prince

Chapter 2

A/N - So, last chapter I asked my best beta reader:
'How much do you think I can write about two people in a car on their way to school?'
Soo...the goal of this chapter is to uhm...well...yk write over 1500 words about Cherry and Akiira in a car. This is going to kill my braincells.
Also, is it weird to call your child sweetheart? I feel like it isn't because it makes them feel loved by their family...do you all think it's weird? Because if so then I'm gonna need to edit the chapter because this is mother and son bonding time..
Anyways!! Enjoyyyy~

The car was silent for the first 10 minutes before they hit traffic,
"This is going to take a while."
"..."
"...You'll be on time."
"I hope so..."
Cherry sighed at her sons negativity and thought 'How can I cheer him up?' After around 5 minutes of thinking, Cherry asked:
"Akiira, can you open the glovebox for me?"
"Uhm...sure." Akiira seemed confused on why, but opened the glovebox, before realization dawned on him, "Ma...no."
Cherry reached into the glovebox and grabbed a CD case.
"Ma." Akiira shut the glovebox to sit up properly, as Cherry opened the CD case and pulled out the CD, putting it in the disc thing by the radio.
"Maaaa..." Akiira groaned, Cherry smiled and pressed the play button. As soon as the button was pressed music played, specifically songs little Akiira liked, 13-14 year old Akiira. Akiira stayed silent before smiling slightly and sighing, looking at his mother. "I can't believe you kept that.."
"Of course I kept it, oh I remember you, all dressed up in your emo phase listening to this CD whenever you got the CD player~" Cherry teased her son, causing Akiira to go red in embarrassment and cover his face,
"Ma! I don't want to remember that!" he groaned, "Do you know how hard it was to get the black and green out of my hair??"
"It is truly a miracle your hairs still healthy with the terrible job you did at dyeing your hair." Cherry sighed, remembering that era of Akiira's life, the emo phase.
"Eugh..."
"And you're going to ruin it by bleaching your hair!"
"Ma...I said when I'm 20 I'll do that so that I still have time to decide on if I want to or not..."
"Still! Two years until your hair gets destroyed by bleach and hair dye!!" Cherry sighed, reaching over and ruffling her childs hair, "Oh god- yeah, your father was right your hairs soaking."
"Ughh, it can't be that bad if nobody notices it until they touch it!" Akiira whines,
"What if someone touches your hair???"
"Why would someone touch my hair?"
"Because its deceitful."
"what-?"
"It looks dry, they'll ask, your people pleaser self will say yes-"
"I'm not a people pleaser anymore! I grew out of that last year ma!"
"How do I know your only saying no whenever your around us or your friends?" Cherry looked at Akiira and raised a brow,
"Because I'm not that much of a liar. I've turned a new leaf ma, I swear I'm not a people pleaser." Akiira says, before pointing forwards, "Also the lights are green and traffics moving."
"Ah- thank you sweetheart." Cherry continued to drive, the 'silence', which isn't really silence because of the edgy songs playing in the background, being bearable now.

"Awe..." Akiira gasped in awe as he was looking on his phone, scrolling through tiktok, "Ma! Look at this!" It was one of those swipe tiktok things where it showed what animals you were, Akiira was a seal, and Cherry was a dolphin.
"Awe, look how cute the seal is." Cherry said, aweing.
"I know!" Akiira nodded, before the car started moving again, "Ugh...how much longer are we gonna be in traffic?" Akiira asked,
"A while yet, it's okay. The welcoming assembly starts at ten so everyone has a chance to talk and make friends."
"..." Akiira looks at the time and bit his lip nervously, "It's quarter to nine..."
"We'll be there by half nine, okay?"
"...okay.." Akiira nodded and went back to scrolling on tiktok, the edgy playlist having finished playing now.
Cherry and Akiira sat in silence again, neither really knowing what to say, before Akiira decided to break the silence with a question,
"Ma, are you sure I have magic?"
"...Leifare said you do."
"But do you?"
"...I think you do, yes."
Akiira frowned and looked out the window, having put his phone away when they asked their mother the question, "But how? I haven't managed to do anything magic..."
"Maybe you just need to unlock your magic, I'm sure there are others who feel the same as you."
"...mh." Akiira nodded glumly."
"...Do you not want to go?"
"...not really..."
Cherry sighed, "Look. If this is about Charlie and Sage, they'll be fine as long as you message them and hang out with them during the breaks, okay?"
"...okay..."
"I mean it Akiira. No purposefully breaking rules just to get kicked out or I will send you to a different academy."
"The only other one nearby is-....No."
"Then stay in that school, okay?"
"Okay...I'll stay in the school."
"Good."
"...can I link my phone to the radio?"
"...why?"
"I want to listen to music."
"The channels-?"
"Too much talking."
"...touche. Fine."
Akiira smiled and linked their phone to the radio, playing a Spotify playlist. The first song to come up was Lewis Capaldi with Someone you loved. Cherry sighed,
"Still haven't grown out of sad songs?"
"Wha- Hey! I listen to happy songs."
"Yeah, every 20 sad songs then a happy one."
"Thats not true!"
"Mhmmm."
"It isn't!"
"MMHMM"
"Maybe every 10 sad songs, NOT 20!"
"mhmm.."
"I swear!"
"I'm saying yeah!"
"...hmp." Akiira crossed his arms after turning the music up.