Her & Him, liliana941 [book club reads txt] 📗

"Prince Daniel, your father has requested to speak to you."
I got up slowly and followed Nelles out the room. We walked down the long hallway in silence. We stopped at my fathers' room.
Nelles knocked.
It was quiet for a moment then we heard my fathers' deep,booming voice.
"Yes?"
"Your son is here as you requested,my king."
"Bring him in."
Nelles opened the door and then moved aside to let me in.
I hesitated.
"Come,my prince," Nelles said quietly.
I looked at him.
He was pleading. I could tell by his face.
I nodded and walked in.
"You may go, Nelles," my father said.
Nelles nodded and left the room.
I shifted my weight to my right leg.
My dad sign and said,"come closer,my son."
I walked up to him and stopped a foot away from his throne.I felt him staring at me.
"Son..........."
I looked at him.
He had stress lines all over his face."You........you have to get married in a week," he said suddenly.
I actually jumped.
"Whoa!What?!Wait!Father I'm just seventeen an-"
He held out a hand to silence me.
"We all have to do it."
"Who's 'we'?"
"Every prince. That's how we become kings."
I was quiet for a minute.
"But you're king."
He nodded.
"I can't just t-take the crown from you."
He smiled."That is true but you're not taking it away from me."
I was confused."I'm not?"
He shook his head."My time is up."
"What time?"
"As king. I'm passing down my crown to you."
"Uhh...well....thanks(?).....but.....father do I HAVE to be married?"
He laughed."Yes , you do."
"But why in a week?"
"Well since you're turning 18 in a couple of weeks......."
"Oh....well how am I supposed to find a bride in a week?"
"A ball,of course."
"Dad......this is the real world not a fairy tale."
"Well you never know. you might find your Cinderella there. That's how I met your mother."
"Really?"
He nodded.
"Well.....then I'll give it a try."
He smiled."That's my boy."
I gave him a fake smile.
"You can go."
I nodded and walked to the door.
"Daniel."
I turned to him.
"Send Nelles in,please."
I nodded again and clusmly opened the door.Nelles was standing there.
"Errrrr,my father wants you."
He nodded and walked pass me.I shut the door and walked down the hall back to my room.
I flopped on my neat bed.
Me?Married?In a week?

I shut my eyes.
This might be a good thing.
Might.

"Come on Boa," I whispered. "Wait!" "No I'm leaving before we get caught." I turned around. "Wait,listen it's the kings' speaker guy." Boa grabbed my arm and pulled me. "What guy?"I asked annoyed. "The one that always makes annoucements." "Oh Boa what do we care about what he says?" "Shhh!Listen." "Ladies and gentlemen,the king has arranged a ball for all the 'single' ladies in town but of course couples are welcomed..........." "Boa lets get out of here!" "Shhhh!" I turned my attention back to the tall,skinny annoucer. ".............dance with all the single women. Then pick one young lady.One lucky girl.One lucky prince.One huge wedding!" Everybody went crazy. Boa looked at me."We should go to the ball!" "What?" I pulled him to a dark alley."No.Why?" "Well come on, Christal. Put it together." "Put what together?" "Ugh!Okay, five hungry kids plus lots of free food equals five full happy kids." "Food won't make us happy," I snapped. "Well it'll make us full." I glared at him. "Come on,Christal." I looked up at the sky."Ugh!Okay." "Yes!" I looked at him."But we can't show up in rags." "And we won't." "But how-" "Mrs. Tiny loves you since you saved her play last year so I'm sure she'll let you borrow a dress from the drama department." "And how 'bout you?" "I think she'll let me borrow a tuxedo." I bit my lower lip.It's a habit I had since I was younger. "We need to ask her now,"I told him. "Lets go then." "Wait!" "What?" "When is the ball?" "Weren't you listening?" "Uhhh...-" "Tomorrow." "Tomorrow?" He nodded."Lets go." He turned and started to walk.I followed. "Oh and maybe

you'll dance with the prince." "UGH!!!" Boa looked at me and smiled."What?You don't like him?" "No.Yuck!" "He's a prince." "So?" "Sooo.....nothing."He smiled. We walked in silence. "You're going to ask her,"Boa told me when we were standing in front of Mrs. Tinys' office. "What?Why me?It was your idea." "Yeah but she likes you better." I took a deep breath. "Okay." I grabbed the door knob and opened the door.Mrs.Tiny was looking down at a piece of paper. "Mrs.Tiny?" She looked at me and smiled."Come in,come in." I turned around to look at Boa. He mouthed "go". I mouthed back "how 'bout you?" He shook his head and pushed me gently. I looked at Mrs. Tiny.She was still smiling.I walked to her desk. "How can I help you,my dear Christal?"She giggled. I puffed out some air which sounded like a little laugh. "Um,Mrs.Tiny-?" "Hmm?" "Have you heard of the ball the king is throwing?" "Oh yes!Are you going?" "Uh,well I was thinking 'bout going with,um,Boa-" She smiled."Oh are you and Boa a couple?" "No!Um,just friends." "Oh." "Yeah,anyways we were thinking of going but-" "'But'?" "Yes 'but'....but we don't have the....proper clothes." "Ahhh,well you're more than welcomed to borrow some clothes from the drama department." "That's what I been hoping for,"I said under my breath. "Excuse me?" "I said thank you." "Oh well your very welcomed."She got up."Here let me take you to the clothes." She grabbed a skeleton key from her drawer and walked to a door.She put the key in the key hole and twisted it.The door opened outward. She turned to me."Come on." I walked into the pitch black room."Uhh,Mrs.Tiny,I can't see any-" The lights turned on. "Oh.Never mind." She walked pass me,laughing.She stopped at a rack full of clothes. "You can look for yourself and I'll look for your 'friend' Boa,"Mrs.Tiny said smiling. "Okay."I walked over to the rack.There were all kinds of dresses. Pink ones..... Red ones..... Black ones..... Blue ones..... Purple ones..... Yellow ones..... Even some brown ones... And way in the corner was a white,white one.I grabbed it. Mrs.Tiny came over and said,"wow!" "Yeah,"I agreed. "Well go on.Try it on." I looked at her."Okay." I walked to the dressing room.I took off my t-shirt and shorts.I easily pulled on the dress.I opened the door and Mrs.Tiny squealed. "What's wrong?" "Nothing.......it's just that you look....BEAUTIFUL!" "Oh." "Come look at yourself." We walked over to the tall mirror. Mrs.Tiny was right.I did look beautiful.Not that I was ugly without the dress but.....the dress made me look....better. "That dress is beautiful on you,"Mrs.Tiny complemented. I smiled a little.JUST A LITTLE. "The dress really shows your wonderful figure." I was a bit embarrassed. "And I love how it puffs out a little.And the diamonds on there.This dress didn't even cost as much as it looks..."Blah,blah,blah. Mrs. tiny is a sweet lady but man can she talk. ".....and the prince is going to be all over you." I made a face that she didn't see because she was too busy talking. About ten minutes later she said,"oh well I think I should stop talking so you can go home and.....uh,well do things." "Yeah.Uhh,I'm going to go change." Mrs.Tiny smiled."Go do that." I went back to the dressing room and carefully took off the dress.I pulled on my clothes and went back to Mrs.Tiny. She held out a black plastic cover."Here and give me your dress so I can put a plastic cover on it." I grabbed the plastic cover and gave her the dress. She went back to her office.I followed her. "Here.Hold this." The dress already had a hanger.I grabbed it with my free hand. She pulled a black plastic cover over it."Okay.They're ready to go." "Thanks." "Oh and here's the shoes."She handed me two shoe boxes."Can you carry all that?" "Yeah." She smiled and stretched out her hands. She wanted a hug? I'm not a hugger. She grabbed me and gave me a bear hug.I patted her back. She pulled away."Okay.....Bye." "Bye."I speed walked to the door. "Finally,"Boa said. "Sorry.She wouldn't shut up." He laughed."So you got them?" I nodded."But I don't know how your tuxedo looks."I handed him his tuxedo and shoe box."Mrs.Tiny picked it out." "Oh,well I don't care." "Lets go before Mrs.Tiny accidentally comes out and talks to us for another three hours." He laughed again."It wasn't three hours,it was 'bout seven." A laugh escaped my lips.He looked at me.I looked away. "I like how you laugh.You should laugh more often." I looked at him.I wanted to disagree but I didn't know what to say. "Anyways....."Boa started. "What's the plan?" "We steal free food." "In what?" "Our old bookbags." "And how are we going to sneak bookbags through the guards?" "The bookbags are going to be in my jacket thing." "The bookbags aren't going to fit when they're full." "That's why you're there,to distract the guards." "How am I supposed to distract the guards?" "Be pretty."He smiled. We were already at what Boa,three younger girls and me call "home." It was an abandon house. We opened the door.It was quiet."We're home" "Oh it's ya'll,"Clare said.Clare is twelve.We found her three years ago on the street.Her parents died.Just like the seven year old twins,Haley and Sally. "Yep,"Boa said."Where's the twins?" "Asleep." "Oh."Boa lowered his voice to a whisper. "What you got there?"She pointed to the clothes and shoe box. "Dress,"I answered. Boa pointed at his tuxedo."A tux." "Why do ya'll have a 'dress' and 'tux.'?" Boa and I exchanged looks. "The ball,"we said together. "The ball?" "Yep,"Boa said. "Why are ya'll going to te ball?" "Well....lets just say we're going to have a feast for at least a month." "'We' as in all five of us or 'we' as in ya'll?" "The second one,"Boa joked. I hit Boa in the gut. "OUCH!!!"he said,falling to the ground. "The first one,"I answered. Clare laughed."Good." Boa grabbed my hand and pulled me down. "Why you do that?" "You know why."I got up. "What's going on?"a high,squeaky voice asked. We all looked in the direction it came from.Both Haley and Sally were standing in the hallway. "Uhhh,nothing,"Clare said. Sally whispered something in Haleys' ear. "YA'LL GOING TO THE BALL?"Haley squealed. I looked at Boa. "Uh,yeah,"Boa said getting up. "I want to go and dance with the prince,"Haley told us all. "Oh really?"I asked."Then you can take my place." "Really?" "Ye-" "No,"Boa interrupted. "But,Boa,Christal said-" "Sorry,Haley.She has to go and plus you're to young." Haley frowned. "But,hey,you can help Christal with her hair and stuff." "Wait!Wha-?"I argued. "Aww!Come on,Christal." I glared at Boa. He smiled. Haley and Sally each grabbed one of my hands.Sally grabbed the dress. "Clare.Here."Clare grabbed it and went to our room to hang it up. The girls pulled me out of the house,down to a river in our backyard.They pulled at my clothes. "Stop that,"I told them. Sally looked at me."You have to take a bath.I mean look at you.You're filthy." "Hey!" "Sorry but