Beauty Is Her Name (#OnceUponNow)

Chapter Five

The party was a major success.

With an upside-down cake taking center stage, and splashes of pink, purple, and fuchsia lights illuminated the exclusive EMK nightclub. Guests nibbled on exquisite hors o' d'oeuvres such as mini beef wellingtons, seared ahi, wasabi caviar, and coconut shrimp while the open bar kept their libations going all night.

Meanwhile, Beauty danced the night away with her friends. As she occasionally stopped to mingle with guests, Beauty kept an eye out to see if Prince made his way to her party. She swallowed her disappointment and kept her spirits light. She had no idea what he even looked like. For all she knew, he was probably there and dancing away with some thot instead of her.

No, she shook the thoughts out of her head. She wasn't going to get jealous. She wasn't going to get jealous over some guy she's never met, that probably wasn't a guy at all, and definitely not on her 21st birthday.

Still, she wondered if they would ever meet. Would it be awkward and they both would have nothing to say? Or would there be sparks flying everywhere?

It was at that brief moment Beauty wondered if there was such a thing as true love?

"Beauty!" Her mother's assistant called over to her. "It's time to cut the cake and take your first drink!"

Truth was, it wasn't Beauty's first drink and most people at the party realized it. It was her first official drink since turning 21 so she wanted to make it a great one. Before she celebrated, she took out her cell phone and did a quick Snapchat story. "I'm about take my first drink! I wish you were here with me, Prince!" She blew a kiss to the camera and sent the story, also sending a private one to Prince.

She took center stage in front of the cake as numerous photographers snapped pictures of her. A server handed her a Swarovski martini glass filled with her current favorite drink, a Cosmopolitan. "Thank you all for coming! I'm so happy and blessed you're here to celebrate with me today! Cheers!" She lifted her glass and took a sip. The drink tasted a little funny, but she thought it was just the alcohol. "Now, let's celebrate!"

She cut a slice of cake and nibbled on the German chocolate slice before her friends pulled her away. "Beauty!" A friend called her. "You need to finish your drink!"

"Oh, okay!" Beauty quickly downed the drink and handed the empty glass back to her friend. She grimaced a little as the cool drink trickled down her throat. It was probably the worst Cosmo she's ever had with a biting aftertaste. "Get me some water, will ya?"

"Sure!" The friend left.

Beauty went out to the dance floor and mingled with some of her friends and fellow celebrities. As the DJ spun more tunes, Beauty started to not feel well. The music became distant. Everyone became a blur. The room was spinning at a dizzying pace.

"I need to...I need to...I need to just lay down."

Her legs felt wobbly and soon gave out underneath her. As Beauty saw her parents and friends circle around her, she briefly heard someone yell, "Get away from her! Give her some room to breathe!"

The room felt cold, and she shivered. Why was it suddenly so cold? She remembered it was being kinda warm.

"Beauty," Samantha kneeled down to her daughter, "baby, it'll be fine. Just breathe, baby. Just breathe."

Beauty nodded before she closed her eyes. It would be the last thing she would remember of her birthday.

****

The video took longer to edit than Prince wanted but it was finally finished.

As Prince uploaded the video, he started working on his next idea. Maybe he could do something romantic since Valentine's Day was coming up and he could have a female co-star.

Maybe then he could summon the courage to ask Beauty out.

No girl had ever rejected him but the idea of Beauty rejecting him scared him to death. He liked her. He really liked her.

He loved her.

It was stupid – being in love with someone he'd never met and not sure if she felt the same. She had no idea what he even looked like and she would probably hate the idea that although he looked like an Abercrombie & Fitch model, he preferred spending his evenings inside playing Call of Duty.

He'd successfully sold the persona he was a ladies' man to keep the press off him. But his relationships never lasted more than a few weeks. Once the girl realized he was a boring homebody, the relationship quickly soured.

As Prince watched Beautiful's Snapstory, he recognized quite a few celebrities at her bash. That wasn't his thing. He didn't want to waste her time with a meeting when he knew she was going to be with some other celebrity kid like her.

He noticed Beauty sent a private story sent to him. "I wish you were here!" She blew a kiss to him.

He smiled and blew a kiss back to her. "Okay, that settles it." Prince quickly got up and began to get dressed. He was going to surprise her at the bash. Even if she rejected him, he would have a good time and possibly make some new contacts.

After he'd dressed, he quickly went online to check his e-mail. His heart dropped when he read the breaking news headline:

BOBBY WHALEN'S DAUGHTER HOSPITALIZED AND IN STABLE CONDITION

Prince slowly sat down as he read the story. She fainted at the party and was rushed to the hospital. The party abruptly ended as people all over the world began to send her prayers via online.

Prince swallowed the seemingly lump of coal that was stuck in his throat. He felt his eyes water, but determined not to make those tears fall.

His girl was sick and he needed to see her before it was too late.