Double Trouble

Her Royal Highness

California's POV

A loud bell rang suddenly. I jumped in surprise and Val laughed.

"It's just one of the bells," she explained, still chucking. "It means get off your lazy asses and do your chores."

I raised an eyebrow at her. I still wasn't going to do my chores.

Val sighed. "I'll do your chores for you, but only out of pity."

"Pity? Why?" I asked. Why would she need to pity me?

"Wait until you meet Miss Prissy Princess." She said, and laughed herself out the door.

I followed, shutting the door behind me. If my roommate is as bad as she is making out, I'm running away.

I took my chance, while everyone was chor-ing, to explore my new prison surroundings.

The house was painted as brightly on the inside as on the out. Each door was painted a varying shade of pink, except Val's, which was a deep ocean blue. Probably another daddy perk.

The carpet was a vivid yellow, which was extremely disturbing because it looked like a bunch of ogres had let loose the contents of their bowels over a white floor. Eurgh.

The green walls really tied it all together, to make it look like one of the houses from The Cat in the Hat.

I reached the end of the corridor and turned back towards my room, curious about my room and roommate.

The colours blurred together like a rainbow when I spun quickly, so I spun around again, and again, and again, laughing to myself at how absurd everything was.

"Ahem." A voice said.

I turned around again and tried and failed to not notice the pretty colours.

"Yes?" I said, smiling giddily at the modestly dressed teenager before me.

The school didn't have a uniform, and considering that it was about 40 degrees outside I'd worn denim shorts and an old t-shirt.

The snobby girl who was staring down her abnormally long nose at me obviously didn't think the same way as me. She wore a long, green and red plaid skirt (to her ankles, in this day and age!) and a green, buttoned-to-her-throat cardigan.

"Yes?" I repeated, when she still hadn't answered.

"Who are you and why do you think

pirouetting like a 5 year old is something you should be doing during chore time?" Her high, bossy voice was vaguely amusing as it was so cliched, but mostly it was irritating.

"Who are you and why do you think wandering the halls watching amateur dancers is something you should be doing during chore time?" I mocked, attempting her high voice.

She looked outraged. "Do you know who I am?!" She hissed.

"Do you know who I am?" I hissed back.

She suddenly stopped hissing and glaring at me, and stood up straighter.

"No, but I am Antoinette Mirabella Samson. Pleased to make your acquaintance." She held out her hand politely.

"What?" I asked, completely bewildered. A second ago we were hissing at each other like snakes of rival gangs, and now she's trying to 'make my acquaintance'? What?

I held out my hand, then flipped it out of the way to brush my hair from my face.

"The pleasure is all yours, Ant." I said, smiling widely.

"Aah! You girls have met! That's lucky, because you'll be spending a lot of time together from now on! Oh, I just love seeing people make new friends!" Mrs Fernwick said joyfully, before bumbling off in a jolly way.

Her Royal Highness Antoinette and I stared at each other in horror.

"Room 16?" She squeaked meekly.

I nodded. Oh holy cracker. Help me now.

The vicious look returned to her face. "Well, you better not ruin my chance at being school captain, or I will kill you."

"Not a very good attitude for an aspiring school captain, hey Ant?" I smiled, before flouncing away to my room and locking the door.

I slid down the door dramatically, like in a movie. I decided to go on a hunger strike until I got a new room. It worked once with Jane, when I wanted a fish, although it died after a week.

Ant pounded on the door.

"Let me in, you insolent brat!"

I began my hunger strike immediately. The sooner I see change, the better.

When I heard angry footsteps storm away, I figured it was safe to leave the door to look after itself and do its job of keeping people out.

I pulled myself up and looked around. Two neatly made beds were pushed together in the centre of the room.

One had folded pyjamas at the end, so I dragged the other one as far away as possible and started to personalise, swapping the gaudy bright bedding for my own, black and white, which contrasted starkly with the overall eyesore of the room.

Once that was done, I unpacked my emergency food stash, and hid it throughout my side of the room. I also found an old piece of chalk (I hope it was chalk), and used it to draw a line down the EXACT (measured with a ruler) middle of the room.

I shoved Ant's bed and her stuff as far across the line as I could, then stuffed my earphones in and started to read one of the many books that I had filled an entire suitcase of the two I was allowed with.

I relaxed in peace, until someone slid a piece of paper under the door.

I got up to check it. The paper was pink and had a floral border, so I guessed accurately that it was from dear, lovely Ant. Or should that be Toni?

Anyway, she had written, in very swirly, purple handwriting:

California,

As it has recently come to my attention that we will be living very closely together, I have decided to be the bigger person and apologise for my misguided behaviour earlier this afternoon.

It was appalling and rude, and I beg your forgiveness, so we can join hands together on the path to a beautiful friendship.

-Antoinette Mirabella Samson

I tossed the letter on the ground and almost threw up in disgust. I grabbed the nearest pen (a horrendously pink sparkly one of Ant's) and scrawled 'NO' on the back, then slid it back under the door.

She must have been waiting outside for my forgiveness, so we could join hands and ride rainbow unicorns or whatever. I guess I disappointed her.

"I will have dinner and then return. Maybe you need more time to think." She said, her high voice muffled by the door.

She didn't sound too disappointed. She sounded frustrated and extremely peed off.

I heard her heavy footsteps storming off again, and I really feared for the safety of the girls she was eating dinner with.

Written by Ansel