The Royal Baby

4. The Double Surprise

Chapter Four

The Double Surprise

NORAH

•••

The morning sun shines through the window, Jess lounges on her bed scrolling through TikTok, laughing every now and then. My lip is throbbing from chewing on it as I sit in front of my laptop, waiting for the email telling me that results have been released.

"A watched pot never boils," Jess calls, her voice light in a singsong, and I smile, which is enough to stop my leg from jerking up and down. My eyes wander to the clock on the desk, and my heart sinks.

It is half an hour past the time we were given; I cannot take another day of anxiety sickness. I wish that Liam was here to hold my hand through this, but he is in the middle of a class by now, and I promised to go straight to his dorm to wait for him to celebrate. My hands play with the key card to his dorm in my jogger pocket, trying to distract myself with happy thoughts of celebration.

My phone buzzes with Abigail's name, and I answer her facetime and watch as her smile slips from her face at the sight of my glum face.

"Don't tell me that they went crazy and failed you?" She says, annoyance lacing her voice, but I shake my head.

"No, they are late with releasing the results, and I'm feeling sick again. I can't take much more waiting," I complain to her, and she smiles lightly at me, concern gracing her beautiful brown eyes.

"It really is unlike you to be throwing up from nerves. It must be really important, but try not to stress yourself out too much. It isn't healthy," Abigail says to me, and I nod, even though her advice wasn't that helpful as I have no control over the sickness.

"I'm trying, but nothing is helping. I have been drinking peppermint and ginger teas like there is no tomorrow, and I have eaten as much of my mothers chicken soup as she can send to me, but nothing is helping the nerves," I tell her, and she frowns sympathetically.

"Well, that isn't good. I don't know how to help you, but I know that you will have aced the paper. You are the smartest person that I know, so keep that in mind. When the weekend comes, I'll drive to your campus, and we can go out for drinks," Abigails smiles warmly, and I nod with a matching smile. Abigail then croons her neck as if trying to see Jess, who is still lying on her bed and calls to her, "You are invited, of course, Jess."

"Yes! I'm so there," Jess calls back, and I laugh. Jess would never turn the opportunity for drinks.

"I'll let you go, but please breathe, you are going to pass this Nor", Abigail tells me, and I nod, believing her, and I feel my confidence grow. "I expect a text when you know the results. I have a class, but I will be waiting for the text,"

A laugh leaves my lips, "I will let you know; goodbye, Abi."

I put my phone down, and I feel the confidence that Abigail had given me disappear from existence as I stare back at the glowing laptop screen. I refresh the email page, and I almost lose my meagre breakfast of toast when I see the red alert of a new email. My eyes scan the heading of the email, and my eyes widen.

"Jess!" I yell, and I watch as she jumps out of her skin and nearly drops her phone. "This is it."

"Well, open it," She tells me, bouncing excitedly on her bed.

My hands tremble nervously as I click on the result icon for the biggest paper of my course. It makes up sixty per cent of my overall grade. I have been waiting for a month for these results. My stomach flips, and I feel the familiar feeling of sickness flush through my body. My eyes glance at the screen as I scan the feedback, not taking it in before my eyes finally land on the grade.