Ever After High

Chapter 13

(Justine's POV)

On Tuesday morning, the school was secretly buzzed by all the THD hexcitement, since Apple has now handed out the invitations.

Justine Dancer was packing her ballet clothes into her pink gym bag after class, and Duchess was headed to her.

"Hello Justine."

She didn't look up; she was really not in the mood for Duchess's taunts today, she was joyous. Now that she knows what Melody had been hiding from them, she is in the happy mood for the day.

"So you're not answering me huh? Well, okay, but I just wanted to say, sorry." Duchess pretended.

Justine was taken aback. "What are you talking about?"

"I was rude the other day and, I couldn't sleep at all, knowing I hurt my ballet mate."

"Hold up," said Justine, "I'm not your ballet mate. We're just schoolmates, keep your distance."

"Anyway," Duchess ignored her, "I heard there was a THD party coming up, and I didn't get an invitation. Did you?"

She went red, but took control of herself a second later. "THD? I didn't know about that," she lied, "I guess I was into my studying for too long. How do you know about it? Someone told you, coz I was clueless."

Duchess didn't buy it at all. "I—"

"In any case," she interrupted, "I better leave, you must be lying anyway." Justine took her things and hurried out of the studio.

  Merry pointe shoes, she thought, relieved, I would've been spiced if Duchess knew where the party was, I have to tell the girls.

She met up with Alize and Holly, who were on their way to their next class.

"Guys, hey."

"Hey Justine, what class are you having?" Alize smiled.

"Never mind that, I have important news."

They both gave her their attention.

"Guys, I think the school wasn't so secretive." Justine said. "Duchess knows, and she was trying to dig the truth out of me a minute ago."

"What's it?" Holly said.

"The THD party, she knows about it. And I know for a fact this is the first step of getting the Head to know about this. She can't tell him without proof." She said.

Alize tapped her chin thoughtfully. "I know what she'll do, she'll go to the school's weakest spot and shoot right there."

"Oh, I get you now." Holly said. "But we don't have a backup plan for that, do we?"

"Guys," Justine said, "I'm like lost in the woods here and I don't know where to go."

Holly giggled. "I fill you in. She means that Duchess will target Cedar, our honest little piece of wood. Obviously she will say where it is."

"Unless she's not invited." Justine suggested.

"No," Alize disagreed, "we can't do that. It's mean and horrible and selfish. There must be some other way for Duchess not to get what she wants."

"Hey, I have an idea. I will tell Apple the plan and we'll go do it. I know for sure this will work." Justine snapped her fingers, feeling sure of herself.

"Tell her first, then you can tell us." Holly said.

Justine smiled mischievously. "This will be fun."

They went their separate ways.

                        🍎🍎🍎

(Apple's POV)

Apple sat on her window seat at lunch break. She tried putting her mind off the issue with Ashlyn and Hunter, thinking of her upcoming THD party, but it kept drifting back to square one.

Her animals friends didn't come today, they must've been busy with all their chores and easy lives.

They must be so happy, Apple thought, they don't have best friends who betray them. Who lie directly in their face and think everything is cool.

She heard a knock on the door. Apple went to the door and opened it. Justine Dancer stood there, waiting to come in.

"You didn't have to knock," said Apple, "this is your own room you know."

Justine closed the door and sat on her bed in her side of the room.
She sighed.

"I had to," she said, "I didn't know if a bomb was going to blow me to pieces if I just barged in."

Apple smiled.

"How are you doing? Its been a week since, you know, the incident." Justine carefully picked her words.

"I'm fine I guess. I just, have to get over the massive shock I went through." She sighed. "You know, I wasn't expecting any of this, it just came as a blow. A bad blow."

"Maybe you shouldn't have broken your friendship with her."

"She broke it the minute she confessed that she was dating that person I was going to beg in future not to kill me, who was going to bring an animal's heart to Raven Queen saying he really killed me. That person who just rebelled against his destiny. My destiny!" Apple breathed calmly and looked out of the window; the last thing she wanted was to vent her anger on an innocent person.

"I just want to say," Apple calmed down, "that she will never be Apple White's best friend, ever again."

"Okay," Justine said, "I get you completely. It's hard to let go of the person that was closest to you in your friend zone. Especially when that person is your best friend."

"Ashlyn clearly doesn't know what a best friend means. She doesn't know it, and she just lost that right of being my bestie. I tell you now, Justine, Ashlyn Ella will never be my best friend. One strike of mega betrayal, you're fired. That's all I want to say regarding what I was keeping inside for a week."

She poured herself a glass of water from her diamond water jug and gulped it down.
Justine let go of that matter and went straight to the point.

"Apple, I didn't come here because of that, it's about the party."

Apple relaxed and tied her blonde hair in a high ponytail. "Spill."

"Duchess knows about it."

Apple widened her eyes. "What?!"

"Shh! Calmed down, she just doesn't know where it is."

"Well nobody will tell her."

"Except for Cedar Wood."

"Oh no." Apple chewed her nails. "What are we going to do about her? Why didn't I look into that matter?"

"Relax, I've got a plan and I know it will work."

"Tell me." Apple squeezed her duvet.

Justine told her the Amazing 'Save' THD Plan, and in a few minutes they formalised it properly and it was settled.

They had a backup plan, thanks to Justine.