The days flew by and all of a sudden, my alarm woke me up at 6:30.
Groaning, I rolled over and covered my head with the comforter.
"Rin!" Mom hollered from the hallway. "You'll be late for orientation."
Groaning again, I sat up and turned my alarm off. It was then that I noticed the message on my phone. It was from Alexander.
'Have a great day at school,' it said.
It seemed that maybe he wasn't going to make it. It's not like he had to anyways. Some students had their internship in the first half of the day and their classes in the afternoon. I'm sure the school also lets a few students have online courses for all their subjects. It just depended on their circumstances. Maybe Alexander was one of them.
'have a great day,' I sent back.
Truth be told, I wasn't ready. Unlike the years before, this year I would have classes in the morning and my internship in the afternoon. Well, if I had an internship. Despite looking for the rest of the summer, I hadn't found anything.
The school sent me an email stating that until I find an internship, I would be with a career advisor applying for more internships and 'obtaining skills that made me suitable for the positions'. The seniors who also didn't find an internship would be in the same class.
Whatever classes I didn't finish would be taken online. These were due in May next year.
"Rin, are you out of bed yet?"
Mom knocked for one second before walking in. The hallway light spilled in the room. Seeing me in bed, she turned on the lights. My eyes closed at the sudden exposure.
"Let's go. You don't want to be late."
Once I blinked away the tears, I finally saw her outfit. She wore a pantsuit and her hair was pulled back in a low bun. That outfit was new. In her hands, she had a compact mirror and between her fingers her mascara brush.
"Why are you dressed like that?"
"What?" she asked. "This is how I dress to go to work."
"You're usually in khaki slacks," I reminded her.
She shrugged. "It's time to make an impression, I supposed. So, hurry up and wear something nice."
I went with a pair of olive green shorts and a white button-down. Instead of just brushing my hair back, I took the time to braid my hair into a side ponytail.
"Rin, we're going to be late," Dad said from downstairs.
I grabbed my backpack and phone before heading to the kitchen. Mom handed me a lunch kit.
"Seniors can eat off campus because of their internship but because you don't have one, you'll have to eat on campus."
"I could have bought lunch," I reminded her.
"Here's something extra," mom said. "You seem to have more of an appetite lately."
"Thanks," I said.
We rushed out of the house soon after orientation started at 7:30 sharp.
Mom went ahead to work and Dad took me to school. To think this was the last year he'd take me to school. My throat closed up. Better enjoy it while I can.
We rounded the corner and came to a stop. The line into school was long. It always seem to be like that. when the line at the checkpoint was short, the line to school was long and vice versa.
There was little progress in the next ten minutes. Only fifteen minutes remained and Dad had to get to work by nine if not earlier. If he didn't leave now, he'll be late.
"Let me off here." I said.
Dad made a noise of protest.
"It's fine." I told him. "Besides, you're going to be late otherwise."
I pointed to the other cars. "Everyone is doing it too."
"Alright," he said.
I kissed his cheek.
"Have a great day," he said.
"You too."
I lugged my backpack out of the car and shoved my phone in my pocket.
The trek to school left me winded. Maybe I should have done some exercise over the summer.
On the way, Freshmen ran up to friends. They lingered in packs around the entrance and on the sidewalk. with their phones in hand, looking lost.
"Rin!"
I turned and saw the senior members of the Vampire Prince's fan club. Brissa, Amber, and Sandra ran over and crushed me with a hug. I didn't have enough hands to hug them
at the same time.
"It's been so long," Brissa said, stepping away. "It's nice to see you again."
"I've missed you guys," I said, "How was your summer?"
Sandra and Amber stepped back.
"It was great." Sandra answered, with a smile. "My family and I went to the beach and stayed for a week at one of the cabins. I bought souvenirs."
She rummaged through her purse and handed me a green turtle keychain. "For you."
"It's cute,'' I said. "Thanks." I took the keychain and attached it to my backpack.
"Now we all match," Amber said. She turned and I saw her red turtle key chain was on her backpack.
"Let's talk inside," Brissa said.
As we walked, Amber told us about her boring Summer and her summer job. The only people she hung out with were her family for the most part.
"I had to finish classes and look for internships," I told her. "I don't think I left the house for anything else."
Then, I remembered that I had.
"You didn't see Prince Rothchester?" Amber asked. "Did you at least talk to each other?"
Brissa and Sandra moved closer to listen.
"We talked," I confirmed. "I saw his face a couple of times but he's been super busy."
"Yeah, I saw it on the news," Brissa said. "They're trying to get bidders for the new housing project. It's all the news stations will talk about."
"Yeah," I said. "So meeting up has been hard. I did meet with the King and Violet-"
The three gasped and grabbed my arm.
"So you met the in-laws," Amber said. "I guess that means you're officially recognized as the Prince's girlfriend."
They caught on quick. Then again. they probably knew stuff like this better than anyone. I'm sure they'd look this up just for fun. They weren't the fan club for nothing.
I pulled arm free and looked away. "I guess you can say that."
"I wonder when the announcement will be," Sandra said, "You're must be busy with everything to prepare. Did you set the date?"
I looked away, sweating a bit. Technically, I found this out days ago. I still hadn't wrapped my head around this. Plus, Violet had said anything about our new responsibilities.
Amber grabbed my arm." You have been preparing, right?"
"Violet said not to worry about it," I replied in a small voice. "I haven't gotten any information so I don't know what I should do."
All three looked ready to smack me.
"Rin," Brissa said, pinching the bridge of her nose. "You need to step up your game. The sooner you start planning the better. You have to be the first to make contact."
"We'll help," Sandra said." Let's start at lunch. I have my internship afterward so I can't after school."
"Same,'' the other two replied,
"I'll make a list," Amber offered. "You can start from there. But I would recommend talking to Violet about what's expected of you."
Brissa nodded in agreement. "Yeah, set up an appointment or something."
"Thanks," I told them. "I really appreciate it."
"No worries, girl," Brissa said. "We're friends. Now, let's hurry. We're late."
As we ran inside, I mentally kicked myself. 'Get it together, Rin. We need to be one step ahead of the game.'
But I could this. I had a game plan now.