Ten: Prince Cadoc
1371 Words
Chapter Ten
Prince Cadoc
Penelope wasn’t talking to me. Ever since the awkwardness from the first week of school, and her date with Jasper, we’d managed to find an easiness. We weren’t friends, but she didn’t seem to hate me either. Since the day in the gym where she’d found out about Jaspers basic training, she’d avoided me like the plague.
At that very moment, she was sitting in the cafeteria with Audrey. Every once and a while she’d look up, scowl, and then glance back down at her food.
“Okay, this is ridiculous,” I said with a sigh, “I didn’t do anything. It’s not my fault that Jasper has basic training. Even if they weren’t dating, he’d still have basic training this month. He always does.”
Eddie Spencer sat across from me on my left-hand side, with my cousin Winnie right next to him. Gwyneth was sitting on the right-hand side, looking bored as she painted her nails glittery blue.
Eddie ran his hand through his red hair. “I don’t get it. Why is it so important for this girl to like you? You could have anyone.”
“It’s true,” said Winnie, “and besides, I thought you and Gwyneth were dating.”
“We are,” said Gwyneth, “but I’m not his soulmate. I’m not his Queen.”
“So, the girl shooting murder daggers at us is?” Eddie said.
I sighed. “I know it sounds stupid, but there’s something about her. Maybe we’re not together right now, but one way or another she’s going to be mine. I could feel it in my bones the moment that I saw her. But she thinks we’re too young to date right now.”
“She’s right,” Gwyneth said knowingly.
“So, I’m adhering to her wishes. I’m stepping back. I’m letting her be sixteen, which I guess means letting her date my best friend.”
“Hey!” Eddie objected.
“Well, it’s true,” I said, “anyway, we need someone to call to bail us out of jail and we all know that it wouldn’t be you. Jasper’s more responsible.”
“Point taken,” he admitted, “except, we’re so f*****g rich we’d never get put in jail.”
“Touche,” I said with a smirk, “but I can’t have this girl hate me if I want a shot at making her mine.”
“Well, the solutions obvious, isn’t it?” Gwyneth finished painting her pinkie nail, and she put the top back on her nail polish. “Get Jasper a leave of absence so that he can be here for the dance.”
“I can’t do that,” I told her, “I tried doing it for his birthday once, and he wouldn’t speak to me for two months. He said, ‘I can’t protect you if I don’t know what I’m doing. Don’t try that again, asshole.’ Those were his exact words.”
Winnie smiled. “Okay, so he’s at base right?”
“Right,” I said, “military personal only, and well, me. Because I’m the Prince.”
“Bring the ball to him,” Winnie suggested.
I stared at my cousin. “What are you going on about?”
“You know exactly what I’m going on about,” she said, “if this girl really is the one, you should be doing whatever it takes to win her over. It doesn’t matter that you’re not with her right now. Right now, you’re getting to know each other. This is how you get her to fall in love with you. To want to be part of her world.”
I frowned. “So, I make her be Ariel?”
“Yeah. Make her want to be one of us.”
“How do I do that? Do I ask her to the ball myself? Jasper would kill me.”
“No, i***t,” said Gwyneth, who was now blowing on her nails to get them to dry faster, “you’re a prince. Wield your Princely power. Sneak her on base for one night on the night of the dance so that she can see her boyfriend.”
Eddie shook his head. “No. I don’t like the sound of that at all. That sounds like you’re pushing her into his arms. You’re giving him the lead.”
“Shut up,” Winnie ordered.
Eddie, instead of looking put off, looked at her with nothing but pure adoration. “My god, I love it when you’re bossy.”
Winnie rolled her eyes. “Now, you’re being gross. Look, Jasper might be reaping the benefits in his favor for now, but in the end the dance is just going to be a small portion of what she remembers. What’s going to stand out to her is that the Prince of The Welsh Nation cared about her enough to make it so that she could have one, great romantic evening with her boyfriend. Even if it wasn’t him. What she has with Jasper, it’s puppy love. Trust me.”
“What makes you the expert, Win?” Eddie said. “I’ve asked you out a million times, and you’ve never once said yes.”
“I have taste,” she answered, “we can’t date, Eddie. We’d look like siblings.”
“She does have a point,” Gwyneth said, “you’d get called Arthur and Molly.”
“I can live with that,” Eddie said.
Winnie rolled her eyes. “Anyway, this isn’t about me. This is about my dear cousin, finding love and making sure that the future Queen of our country isn’t going to be a complete imbecile.”
Eddie raised an eyebrow. “You really think that girl there, with the scowl and the Lana Del Rey phone case is going to be the future Queen?”
“Yes,” Gwyneth and Winnie said in unison.
Eddie looked back to me. “So, let me get this straight. That girls your Beesley?”
“Yes,” Gwyneth and Winnie both answered.
Eddie scowled. “I’m looking at the future King, here. Not the peanut gallery.” He looked back at me once more. “Is this girl your Pam Beesley?”
“She’s everything,” I responded.
He sighed. “Well, f**k. Do it mate. Use that power of yours and make some romantic s**t happen.”
I chuckled. “Well put, mate.” I ran a hand through my blond hair. “You know if I do this, my father’s going to find out about it. There are going to be questions, and the Queen---”
Gwyneth coughed. “Don’t worry about the Queen. I can handle her. Just make the arrangements to get Pen on base, so she can spend the night of the ball with Jasper.”
“This still sounds like a dumb move,” I muttered.
“You’ll thank us later,” said Winnie, “like at your wedding.”
It was too soon to think in terms of forever. Penelope had said as much herself. But I wanted to daydream about it, to know that it was a possibility. So, if that meant I had to play Cupid for my best friend, hell, I’d do it.
Anything to get her to stop looking at me like I was the devil.
- Writer
