18Chapter One
A Family Affair
People say that there's a fine line between love and hate, but I always thought that was impossible. Love and hate are complete opposites - it's like saying there's a fine line between hot and cold. Something extremely hot cannot get extremely cold in a matter of seconds, or vice versa. It's not scientifically or logically right. Like hot and cold; love and hate should change into each other gradually, hate, like then love changes like cold to warm then hot. But lately, I've realized that maybe that's not actually the case; perhaps love and hate is more like dry ice; it's so cold it burns you as if it's actually hot, and maybe, just maybe, you can hate someone so much you love them...however crazy it may sound.
But whether it was a fine line or a gradual process that happened, I think it can all be traced back to the last couple days of school. Everyone was excited about their summer plans because for some crazy reason this summer was going to be a few weeks longer, which meant a longer, more extravagant vacation. Every hallway you walked down you heard the frenzied murmur of summer plans. People had passed the stage of spring fever; it was now a full-blown epidemic, and everyone was catching it - except me. I was unlucky enough (as I liked to call it, others thought differently) to have a foolproof vaccine against spring fever.
I was sitting down at the usual table, waiting for my friends to come back from wherever they were getting their lunch and I opened my "attempt to get healthy" lunch. Dumping the contents on the table, I looked at the sandwich, I had made earlier that day from a recipe I had found in a food magazine. This lunch was supposed to be a perfectly balanced meal that would help you get into shape. Now let's get this straight, I am not an eight hundred pound gorilla. I am slender but since I do not habitually exercise like most people at my school do, I have a few pudgy spots. Spots I'd like to get rid of, but I digress.
Anyway, as I looked at this healthy, good for you and your body sandwich, I realized that I really wanted a BIG JUICY HAMBURGER – to hell with getting in shape!
And as soon as I thought that my mother's voice popped into my head, "You need to start eating healthy now, or else when you grow up you won't have the body you have right now. That high metabolism you have now, say adios to it, because it will desert you in your twenties." I rolled my eyes at the thought. So what if I didn't have the body I had now when I was twenty, by then I'll probably have the time to work out and actually care about the whole healthy living thing and I'll actually like the healthy food by then. Besides, if my high metabolism is only good for a short period of time, shouldn't I take advantage of it? I think that as long as I can eat whatever I want and still stay averagely skinny, I am so there. Now if only the food fairy would come and transform this sandwich into a nice greasy burger, complete with salt covered French fries, and a double chocolate milk shake, I would be set. Realizing the chance of a food fairy actually existing was slim to none; I pushed the sandwich aside and looked up to see my friend Jacey walk up to the table.
"I just finished talking to Jess about her plans to travel across Europe this summer. It sounds amazing," she said sitting down holding a tray filled with curly fries (the only edible thing that our school ever served) and a rather pathetic looking piece of grease covered pizza. "What are your big plans this summer?" she continued looking ketchup off her fingers.
"Shouldn't you know the answer to this already?" I asked raising my eyebrows. I reached over and stole a fry (or two). She glared at me and made sure I couldn't get to the rest. I only wanted a couple anyway, jeez.
"Aw, come on Kate, it's not that bad," she insisted rolling her sapphire eyes at me. Hello! She didn't have to spend every summer with him.
"What's not that bad?" asked Dorothy, or as we liked to call her; 'Dot', sitting down with a bottle of Dr. Pepper and a bag of potato chips.
"The usual; Kate thinking that spending the summer with Prince Ryan is basically living in hell," Jacey answered, tucking a strand of her gorgeous red hair behind her ear. Her hair was that rare shade of red that didn't look like a carrot but was multi-hued red color. Her hair was amazing, unlike mine which was just a dark single-hued brown.
"Not this again," Dot groaned, grabbing my rejected sandwich. I let her have it, seeing as how I still wanted something that would clog my arteries. "All the girls in this school – not to mention in the country- would kill to be in this position. I would kill to be in your position."
I rolled my eyes; nobody understood. You see, my parents are best friends with the King and Queen and always have been. My mom and the queen (the then just plain Anne) invented the term "best friends forever." They were joined at the hip in high school. King James (the then Prince James) was best friends with my Dad, they were soul brothers, for lack of a bother word, and they even looked eerily similar, despite the fact they were completely unrelated.
They each got married to their prospective future husband or wife and soon enough my mom and Queen Anne were each pregnant. While they were watching Ryan and I on one of our many play dates, they each thought that it would be 'wonderful' (note my sarcasm) idea of Ryan and me getting married. However, since arranged marriages were made illegal in the 1800s, so our parents had to find some other way for their plan to work.
Although they couldn't force us to marry, they could however, force us to spend as much time with each other as possible. They decided that when school was in session I would live at my house with my parents. But I would still attend all royal functions – or at least the ones Ryan attended. Then once school was over, I would stay at the palace with the royal family. I could visit my parents at my house as long as I spent the night at the palace. In their crazy minds, they figured that some type of bond must form and one did – a bond of extreme dislike for each other.
Ryan's the most arrogant, pompous, spoiled brat that I have ever met. There is no way on Earth that I could fall in love with Ryan. I am sure every god or goddess out there understands. We aren't compatible in this life or the next. And every time we are together bickering usually ensues. He is personally responsible for making my life a living hell.
"I'll pull a freaky Friday with you any day," I answered, taking a bite of a granny smith apple. "If you want him, be my guest. In fact I heard that he just broke up with Rachael last night so he must be on the rebound by now."
Jacey glanced at me, "Really?" Jacey thrived on gossip, especially when it involved 'His Royal Highness' and sadly so did Dot. They even wrote our school's gossip column (the one they fought to put on the paper) and they always knew everything about everyone before anyone else did. Judging by Jace's expression, they didn't know about this particular piece of gossip yet.
"If you want to be his next flavor of the month and put up with him, then be my guest." I said.
"Come on Kate, he isn't that bad," reasoned Dot her green eyes flashing at me. "In fact I wouldn't mind if he bad with me."
"Or me!" quipped Jacey.
I rolled my eyes. Even my best friends weren't immune to Ryan's charms.
"Plus, I've gone out with Ryan and it wasn't as horrible as you think it is. In fact it was pretty cool," Dot continued.
"Just because you've gone out with him for a week – okay two weeks" I added on seeing her face, "doesn't mean you know him as well as I do."
"Oh yeah and a blind person knows what the world looks like just like a normal person," she said sarcastically.
"What in the world is that supposed to mean?" I asked confused.
"Oh nothing," she said all knowing like.
"Dot's just saying maybe you think Ryan is an ass because you've always thought that and never really gotten to know him," Jacey said.
"I don't have to get to know him to realize that he's the biggest ass in the whole entire world," I replied hotly, taking a drink of my water.
"Come on Kate, we've spent the night there, and he was still nice," insisted Dot. "He isn't as bad as you make him to be.
"He is super nice," said Jacey dreamily, "he is everything you could hope for in a prince; charming and extremely hot!"
"Jace," I said letting out a breath, "that's a façade. You use it every time your parents hold some function or another that you really don't want to be at."
"I don't know Kate, why would he use a façade around us? Or during school? I'm sure he'd get tired of keeping up a pretense for so long," said Jacey, twirling a lock of her hair around her finger.
"Fine, believe whatever you want," I said ending this particular subject and changing it not so subtlety, "Don't forget you two are coming Friday night for our end-of-the-year sleepover/movie marathon!"
"You are sure that King James and Queen Anne don't mind?" asked Jacey hesitantly. Even though she knew we had this traditional sleepover every year; Jace was always worried whether or not the Royal family was too put out with having them over.
"Yes, I called them last night, and told them about our plans," even though they know we have this sleepover every year, I added silently to myself. "Queen Anne seems very happy about it. Having two sons and no daughters, I think she likes it when you come over for a sleepover."
"Really?" asked Dot.
"Yeah, in fact she is having the chef prepare gourmet snacks for us," I told them, knowing that would draw them in, and they would forget about being too obtrusive.
"Score! We are going to have gourmet food, prepared by a gourmet chef! What more could a girl want? Well besides a pair of comfortable stilettos." laughed Jacey. With that, the conversation slowly changed to the new gossip floating around the halls. And like always, it was about Ryan and this time it was whether or not he cheated on Rachael with Laura. I thought it was false, he may be a jerk, but I didn't think he was a player.
"Hey, Katie," said an all too familiar voice behind me.
"What do you want Ryan?" I asked frustrated, not turning around. What in the world possessed him to come and talk to me today? We tried – okay well I tried - to ignore the other person unless absolutely necessary.
"You know I get the feeling you don't want me here," he said sitting down beside me, pretending to be hurt.
"Really?" I said feigning shock, "Whatever gave you that idea?"
"I think you better be nice to me or I'll...,"he said trailing off, no doubt trying to get his pea sized brain to come up with some horrible punishment for me.
"You'll have me beheaded?" I suggested turning my back to him and eating the last bit of my apple before throwing it in the trash can in the aisle.
"Nope, I'll steal your food," he said reaching over and grabbing my chocolate bar. Big mistake. Like most girls, if you mess with my chocolate you will die. No ifs, ands or buts.
"Oh my God Ryan, give it back!" I glanced at Dot and Jacey, seeing if they would help. Judging by their amused faces, I figured they were just watching the show. Shows what kind of friends I have.
"Say you're sorry...," he taunted holding the candy bar over his head. I cursed, why was he so goddamn tall? I was only 5' 6'' and he had to be a couple inches over 6 foot, which made getting back my chocolate a hell of a whole lot harder.
"I have absolutely nothing to be sorry for!" I refused. I wouldn't bow down to him especially when I had no reason to; he started it! I was minding my own business and he comes over here and stills my food.
"Say you're sorry, and that I am the hottest guy ever," he continued with a glint in his eyes as he kept the chocolate out of reach.
"A little full of yourself?" I asked.
"Well if you don't want it…" He began to unwrap the chocolate, its silver wrapper reflecting the cafeteria lights. I couldn't help but wonder how he was able to unwrap the chocolate and keep me way. It was so frustrating and with each passing second, it was getting closer to his mouth…
"Fine, I'm sorry and you're the hottest guy ever," I said angrily, "Now give me the damn chocolate bar," I growled.
Ryan began handing the chocolate over, but then at the last second he turned around to his posse of guys. "Hmm, what do you think? Should I give it back?" I growled and muttered a curse word. Ryan looked back but didn't seem fazed by what I had said.
"I don't know man, she didn't seem like she meant it," replied Adam, one of Ryan's oldest friends, sitting down on the other side of me. I groaned to myself. Great, now I was sitting next sandwiched between two buttheads. Fate must really love me.
"Adam, butt out!" I glared as I flipped him off.
"Temper, temper," teased Ryan laughing at his little joke, "Since I am such a nice guy, I'll give it back."
I rolled my eyes. "Thank you very much," I said snatching the candy bar from his hand. "Jerkface," I muttered at the end.
Ryan leaned over. "What was that?" he asked softly in my ear. I took a deep breath and a whiff of his cologne filled my nose.
"Oh, nothing," I said in a singsong voice taking a bite of my savory milk chocolate candy bar.
"That's right," said Ryan turning around to leave. "Oh yeah," He said stopping in his tracks and heading back to me. "My mom wanted me to tell you that since I am not going to that dinner party tonight, you don't have to go."
"Woop-de-doo," I said acting as if I didn't care.
"So that means I'll just have to wait to see you on Friday," he said acting as if he was sad. "Damn; one more day till you're living with me for the summer."
"I'd like to not think about that until I have too," I answered turning away from him.
He clutched his heart "Aww, you wound me," he said. "Bye Katie," he whispered in my ear, as he got up and left.
"It's Kate!" I yelled and then muttered, "Butt." I looked at Dot an Jacey who had an all-knowing look on their face. "See what I have to put up with!"
The looked at each other and didn't say anything.
School had finally let out and I walked back towards my house, one of the finest houses in our little European country of Seraphina. Being landlocked in the mountains, was a pain in the butt for housing and such, but it still was gorgeous and great for skiing.
"Hello? Anyone home?" I shouted coming through the door, and putting my key on the hook next to the door.
"Hey Hun, could you come here for a second?" called my mom from her bedroom.
"Coming," I shouted back walking down the "hallway of fame," as I liked to call it, because it was covered in the pictures and articles we found all the way to my parent's bedroom. "Yes?" I asked my mom from the doorway of her bedroom.
"I need your opinion on what I should wear tonight. So which one?" she asked pointing to a couple of gowns lying on her bed. She began putting on her 'evening' make-up for function at the palace tonight. I looked over the dresses and finally decided on the navy ball gown instead of the gold.
"I think you should wear this one. You'll be the hit of the evening! All the men will line up wanting a chance to talk to you, and Dad will have to glare at them to leave you alone." I joked. Nevertheless, knowing my mom it probably would happen. My mom is gorgeous, and I am not saying this just because I am her daughter. It's so true. With her blonde hair, blue eyes, and gorgeous skin completion, she always is being hit on from different guys at various places and is always telling me about it.
"Shut up," she laughed, throwing a pillow at me and resuming lining her eye. "So are you going tonight?"
"No," I said putting away the dress she wasn't going to wear, "I think I'm going to stay here so I can finish packing and study for my math final."
"All right then, don't stay up too late," she replied laying the dress on the bed.
"Yes ma'am. Please tell Queen Anne that I'm sorry, and that I am looking forward to tomorrow," I said standing up and heading to the door. What a lie, I am so not looking forward to tomorrow, but hey, a little white lie never hurt anybody.
"Will do, now go finish packing," she said playfully swatting my butt as I left.
"Hey now; that's my butt," I said turning around with my hands on my hips.
"Well I made it," she mocked, putting her hands on her hips like me.
"Eww, Mom, gross!"
"Well it's the truth," she laughed.
"Still, that doesn't mean you have to say it."
"Oh go pack," she said turning back around to her vanity mirror.
"Alright then, have fun tonight," I chuckled heading upstairs to my room. I turned on my stereo and my good friend, Patrick's CD compilation blared through the speakers. I sat on my bed, grabbed my Pre-Cal book, and began to work the long, complicated problems. Stupid school requirements, I am never going to use this in everyday life.
"So x = -12," I murmured to myself, checking the back of the book for the correct answer when the phone rang. I glanced at the caller ID and saw that it was Pat.
"I am going to answer this, I so deserve a break.'' I thought, besides my head was starting to hurt from all that studying. I swear I was allergic to math, it always gave me a headache, or maybe it was just my brain saying, 'Hey I'm full, stop feeding me more information.'
"Psychic Hotline," I answered the phone with a slight smile at our little joke.
"So I just had this dream that I was sitting in my car and beside me there was a chicken, what does it mean?" he said continuing on with the joke.
"I think it means that you are supposed to call your best friend and talk to her because she is tired of studying for her final," I said sitting up on the bed.
"Oh I forgot that you were close to failing that class." he replied.
"Yep, so close it's scary," I said getting up and walking around. For some bizarre reason I absolutely cannot sit and talk on the phone, I have to be walking around. I think it must be genetic because my mom does the same thing.
"You'll do fine," reassured Pat. I rolled my eyes. He was always telling me 'You did/will do fine', even though half the time I didn't. Sometimes it was nice having someone always positive there, but then on the other side it could be so annoying.
"I highly doubt that seeing how I have an average of 79 in there right now!" I argued.
"That's because you haven't been trying on your homework and quizzes," he pointed out. I could see him smirking, knowing that he was right. Annoying brat, I thought to myself.
I rolled my eyes and laughed. "Shut up! Whatever the reason, I am still close to failing, so I still need an at least a low A to bring my grade up. Otherwise my parents are going to shoot me."
"You'll do fine; my sister had Mr. Fills, and she said that the final was super easy. She didn't study and got an A," he said referring to his twin sister Madison who had the about the same GPA as me.
"That's slightly comforting, but just in case, I am going to study." I said slightly relieved. "What finals do you have to take?"
"Technically I don't have to take any finals, However I am taking my Physics final to see if I can bring up my grade a bit," he answered.
"What! Don't you have like a 99 in there?" I asked in my closet wondering what I should wear tomorrow, so I could pack up the rest of my clothes.
"Yeah, but a hundred looks so much better doesn't it?" He pointed out smugly. True it does. But would it really stand out that much from the millions of others he has? I don't think so.
"Of course, but you don't need it. You're like what the top person in your class?"
"Second actually," muttered Patrick. Of course, Ryan is top of his class. Pat always got jealous of Ryan for stupid reasons and without fail he would complain to me about whatever Ryan had done that day
"That's still really good though. You could apply to any college anywhere in the world and be automatically accepted," I told him, picking out a navy shirt and laying it out on my bed.
"True, but I just want to see 'His Royal Highness's' face when he knows someone beat him at something, and that he's not the king of the world," Pat replied agitated. I rolled my eyes, and half-listened to his rants. I have to live with the man all summer long I really don't want to hear more of him than I have too. I know he's annoying; I was the first one to figure that out. I knew it when I was five and he poured sand all over my head, and blamed it on me. Like I would pour sand on my own head, I think not. I glanced at the clock and saw that it was already nine o'clock, "Hey Pat," I interrupted mid-rant, "I got to go if I want to keep studying."
"Oh, okay then. Good night Kate," he replied hanging up. "Thank God! Now, I can study." I thought as I sat on the bed and was just starting to really get the problem I had been working on for the past 30 minutes when the phone rang again. Ugh! Seriously, do they not understand the whole point of studying?
I picked up the phone again without looking at the caller ID. "Hello?"
"Hey Katie," said His Royal Highness. Crap! Why did I answer? I am supposed to be studying.
"Hello Ryan, I am trying to study. What do you need?" I asked agitated, hoping that he would get the hint to hang up.
"Oh nothing just wanted to see how you were doing." Nope, not a chance, I knew he was stupid.
"I am doing fine, so good-bye." I said getting ready to hang up the phone.
"Hey not so fast. I am not done talking," he replied.
"Well I am." I said but then noticing the muffled sounds of music playing in the background I asked, "Where are you?"
"At a party," he stated as if it was obvious. "Well sorry, I am not clairvoyant," I thought sarcastically.
"Is it really so boring that you had to call me? No hot girls hanging around or something?"
"Well there are, but I was just getting ready to leave."
"Really? And its only nine o'clock, this must be a record for you," I said rolling my eyes.
"I guess I'm just not in the mood for partying," he answered.
"Obviously; you're in the mood for annoying the hell out of me!"
"You could say so," he replied. I could hear him unlock his car and start engine.
"What are you doing out on a school night anyway? Don't you have finals?" I said walking down the hallway to my bathroom.
"No, I have the highest GPA," he boasted. Of course, that's what Pat had been ranting about five minutes earlier. "I am exempt from all of my finals."
I grabbed my make-up, and other toiletries and took them to my room, "Well, aren't you just a lucky duck."
"I guess I am. What about you, aren't you exempt?"
"From all except one," I replied getting out my "summer" suitcase from under the bed. I decided that if I couldn't study then I'd better pack.
"Oh really? Which one?" he questioned.
"Well, technically I could be exempt from all of them, but I am taking my Pre-Cal final in hopes to raise my grade from a C to a B," I said opening my top drawer, taking all of its contents and carried them over to my suitcase.
"Little Miss Perfect has a C? What did your parents say?" Ryan teased.
"Nothing, because they don't know," I replied evenly, as though it was no bid deal.
"Oh? So now, Little Miss Perfect is lying to her parents? I think hell has frozen over."
" Shut up, I am not lying. I am just not telling them," I answered folding the clothes and putting them in the suitcase.
"You know Katie, us non-liars, would call that lying by omission. Which means that you are still lying."
"They won't find out because hopefully I will bring my grade up. Unless, people keep calling and keep me from studying." I said hoping he would get the message.
"You have Mr. Fillis right?" Again still oblivious.
"Yes."
"Then I wouldn't worry too much about it. That final is like so easy compared to all the homework Mr. Fillis gives you," he replied changing the radio station.
"That's what Pat said, but I don't know. What if he changed the final and it's now like super hard?" I said walking to my closet, grabbing as many clothes as I could and laying them next to the suitcase.
"Mr. Fillis is like 20 million years old. I don't think he'd have the energy to type up another final without croaking," laughed Ryan. "Besides you're smart, and you probably just have a bad grade in there because you weren't trying, so try on the final tomorrow and you will pass with flying colors," he answered seriously. So, that's twice in less than 20 minutes that the fact that I haven't been trying has been pointed out. Is it that obvious?
"If you say so," I said walking over to my stereo and changed the CD.
"I'm the Prince; whatever I say goes."
"Just keep thinking that," I replied rolling my eyes and lying on my bed. I looked over at the clock, 10:03. Shoot! I still needed to pack and study. "Ryan, I have to go. Sorry." I said hanging up without letting him respond.