Crowns and Pastries

Chapter Twenty | We're Just Celebrating Our Youth

{A/N} | TRIGGER WARNING - there will be mentions of a (minor) panic attack in this chapter. It's not a large part, nor is it very detailed. I will put a "-...-" before the beginning and at the end so you can skip that part if you want to, it is not necessary to read about it to understand the mainline of the chapter. Read-only if it's safe for you to read, your mental health is important. Enjoy!

~E~

The days after our date were strange. Corey and I barely talked, just the rare text here and there. I didn't like how things ended that night. Even though Corey said he didn't mind, I could tell it bothered him.

I didn't blame him. it bothered me too. I wanted so badly to scream his name to the paps but what good would that do?

I guessed Corey was just busy with classes, I knew he loved to dive headfirst into his studies to get a head start.

It wasn't like I was bored anyway. I barely had time to text him. My father kept me busy with Kathlyn and interviews. He also insisted it was time for me to find a cause that I wanted to support.

Obviously, I agreed with that. I'd been thinking about what charity I wanted to put my name to since I was sixteen but I hadn't found the right one yet. There were so many good causes that I wanted to help but I wanted something that was close to me. Something that meant something to me.

There was also this thing I'd been planning to do for a while now before I landed in the hospital. I'd thought it over in my head so many times now that I didn't want to think about it anymore. I had to do it, the time was right.

Well, it could be more perfect but I knew that the longer I waited the more excuses I would come up with to not do it.

As soon as I made up my mind, I asked my new assistant, Ira, to gather my siblings in the downstairs dining room at seven PM.

Lukas and Emily were already at Dawnton Keep so it didn't take long for them to text me to find out why I summoned them. I didn't reply.

I felt nervous when I got a reply from everyone that they'd be there. Now it felt real. Of course, Em already knew, it didn't make it any less scary. Coming out to my parents would be a spectacle but I'd decided that could wait for another day. I needed my siblings' support in this.

I sighed, glancing down at my piano. I'd been hiding out in the music room all afternoon to avoid running into Emily and Lukas. It helped calm my nerves by outing them in the sounds of the instrument.

When evening rolled around I knew I couldn't hide out here any longer.

A knock on the door proved this thought. Dylan poked his head in, grinning. "Your siblings have arrived."

I nodded. "I'll be there in a few. Tell them not to tear each other apart, will you?"

My bodyguard chuckled. "I'll try. I'll see you in a bit."

I stayed in the music room a little while longer, trying to compose my nerves so I no longer felt like I was going to burst. I wanted so badly to tell them but I was still afraid of what they might say.

Eventually, I did have to get up. Guards bowed when I passed them through the long hallways. Security had doubled since my hospitalization and I was thankful for that, except for now, because I was sure they could see the nerves on my face.

I could hear the laughter from my siblings coming from the dining room before I'd even opened the door. The nerves I'd managed to control on my way here spiked up and hit me full force again. I had to take a few breaths and will my hands to stop trembling before I opened the heavy oak door.