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#Chapter 6: Fragments
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His Secret Princess #Chapter 7: No More Secrets
CelesteWhen Matt entered the boutique, my heart immediately took on an erratic beat.I retreated to the safety of the dressing room, my chest heaving as I struggled to catch my breath. Why here? Why now? Why did this only happen to me?I had hoped to go unnoticed, for him to gloss over my presence as he'd always done at school or at Jack's parties. But no, my luck had run its course. This was getting dangerous, and I needed to get out before he or anyone else recognized me.After quickly changing back into my normal clothes, I tugged my hat down harder over my hair, pulled my hood up, and covered my face with my surgical mask.“Let's go,” I blurted to Fiona when I re-emerged from the fitting room, keeping my head low, my face shielded by the hood of my coat. The protective layers felt too thin, but I had no choice. This was the only plan I had in mind.“But, Celeste—” Fiona protested, her voice laden with confusion. But my grip on her arm was tight, insistent, and I shot her a pleadi
His Secret Princess #Chapter 8: Stolen Hope
Celeste“Alright,” I murmured, leaning back against the brick wall behind me. “I’ll tell you the real reason.”There was a silence as Fiona waited patiently, her arms folded across her chest.Drawing in a shaky breath, I finally let it out. “Fiona, I… I have a crush on Matt.”Her eyes widened, shock taking over her features. “On Matt?” she echoed, her voice choked with disbelief. “As in, Matt, the Matt we just saw in the store, who also happens to be your brother’s best friend?”I nodded, my heart pounding as I watched her absorb the news.“But Celeste, that's… that's not a good idea,” Fiona warned. “Secretly crushing on your brother’s best friend? That could lead to all kinds of trouble. What if Jack finds out? He would be furious!”“I know, I know,” I admitted, my fingers playing with the hem of my shirt nervously. “But that’s why I’m going to the ball in disguise. To see him. To be around him without… without all the judgments, you know?”Fiona's frown deepened. She was quiet for a
His Secret Princess #Chapter 9: One Man’s Trash
CelesteUnder the cloak of night, I found myself kneeling by the trash cans, swiveling my head around this way and that like a cat on the prowl while the stench of rotting food wrapped around me like a shroud.Jack had taken it upon himself to take the trash outside to be picked up by the truck in the morning. Although it was normally my job to take the trash out, along with all of the other household chores, he said that he didn’t trust me not to sneak the dress back if I did it myself.“You were so wrong,” I whispered to myself as I rolled up my sleeves.He was inside now, drunk already with the hockey game on full blast. Over the years, I had gotten good at slinking silently around the house to avoid his disdain. I had slipped past him easily on the way out here, and I would be able to slip past him on the way back to my room.With one hand clamped itself firmly over my mouth and nose, blocking out the stench of the garbage and my other hand delving into the muck, my heart pounded
His Secret Princess #Chapter 10: The Girl with the Cat Mask
MattI was hit with a sudden rush of excitement when the notification lit up my phone screen: a new picture message.Sliding onto one of the locker room benches, I opened it. My breath hitched at the sight, a tantalizing closeup of a woman's cleavage. It was enough to send my pulse racing, a lump forming in my throat.I went to zoom out, but there was nothing else there. Just cleavage. I could just barely make out a collarbone on the upper left side of the screen, but nothing more. Not even a lock of hair.“Why the mystery?” I muttered to myself, feeling a twinge of frustration.A part of me craved to see more, to uncover the enigma behind the mask. But another part of me also reveled in the mystery, in the secret thrill of the chase.This girl was mysterious, and that, to me, was sexy. So many girls who I had come into contact with were so quick to tell me everything, to show me everything. But this girl… She was a closed book with a lock and key.With the picture open on my phone, I
His Secret Princess #Chapter 11: Scrubbing Out the Stains
CelesteI knew what I needed to do in order to remedy the situation with my dress.The next night, after I had fished the cornflower blue dress out of the garbage and kept it hidden in a box in my closet all night, I fished it out. I practically gagged at the smell, and prayed that the stains hadn’t sat there for too long.My brother was out, but he would be home soon. I only just got home after my classes for the day; I had to be fast. Quickly and quietly, like a mouse, I ran to the bathroom and got to work.I found an article online with instructions on how to get stains out of satin fabric, and I followed those instructions to the letter.The cold water ran over my hands as I scrubbed at the delicate fabric of the dress.The memory of the trash can's pungent aroma was still fresh in my mind. I couldn't believe I had to go through all this just because of some cruel remarks; the dress had looked perfect on me, or at least, that's what I had believed.I still never understood why Jac
His Secret Princess #Chapter 12: Look a Little Closer
CelesteThe morning sun streamed through the tall windows of my lecture hall, casting a golden glow over my notes.It was difficult to focus knowing that my dress was waiting for me in my closet at home. I was excited to run home to check on it, to see how the stains looked now that it was dry.As class came to a close, however, my mind began to wander to lunch. I skipped breakfast that morning, and dinner the night before. I was feeling weak and sick to my stomach, but the pangs of hunger were a constant reminder of my goal: to shed a few pounds for the ball.It was likely a futile effort; I had gone through phases like this in the past where I tried to starve myself to lose some weight, only to binge at the end of it all and hate myself even more. It would likely be no different this time, but I hoped to at least save the binging for after the dance.Walking out of the classroom, I was greeted by Fiona’s familiar chirpy voice.“Celeste! Wait up! Fancy some grub?”I mustered a smile,
His Secret Princess #Chapter 13: Race to the Finish
CelesteThe gym echoed with a constant symphony of footsteps, clanging weights, and stifled conversation.“Hey. Celeste.” Fiona nudged me with her elbow, breaking me out of my short-lived reverie with Matt, who had now returned to his conversation with his friends. “Come on.”I nodded and followed her, feeling my face turning a deep shade of red—both from Matt’s unexpected presence and the other people around me, who were no doubt staring at the chubby newcomer in her baggy sweatpants and men’s t-shirt.As Fiona and I walked over to the treadmills, I caught snippets of whispered conversations that seemed to have one thing in common: me."...can't believe she's here...""...does she think she can keep up?"I felt a nudge. Fiona rolled her eyes, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “Sounds like you're the talk of the town. Congrats.”I sighed. “Yeah, for all the wrong reasons.”Under so-called ‘normal’ circumstances, maybe I would have listened to the advice of others who said that people i
His Secret Princess #Chapter 14: New Beginnings
CelesteThings were just beginning to look up.I was beginning to feel myself growing a little in confidence. My conversation with Fiona was flowing freely, punctuated by our laughter and the sound of the lively pop music in my ears, as we worked out together.I really was beginning to enjoy myself.“Hey,” I said to Fiona, smiling. “This whole gym thing actually isn’t that bad.”“See? I told you!” Fiona grinned. She shot me two finger guns as she backpedaled over to the water fountain.But that enjoyment, that growth in confidence, was short-lived. Because I felt a tap on my shoulder, and turned around to see none other than Sabrina.“Celeste,” she hissed, her eyes narrowed as a smirk came across her lips. “Fancy seeing you here. Trying to fit in with the gym crowd now?”Sabrina’s sneer was almost palpable, cutting through the humid air of the gym and landing squarely on me.“O-Oh, hey, Sabrina—”“Celeste,” she interrupted, the corners of her cherry-red lips twitching upward. “Do you
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