Duke Kingsley is the reigning President of Goldwater Academy. He made sure everything was done in perfect order and only the highest standards were allowed to be portrayed by students.
He was Immaculate.
And I, Norah Saunders, am about to turn his...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
The Golden ball was exquisite.
It was held inside the King's Enterprise's ballroom on the final day of the semester and everything about it blew me away. Duke had arranged for a gold and royal-blue theme, which required each student to add one or both colours to their outfits. Everything about the interior decor and entertainment were arranged in excellence and I knew then, whichever stakeholder would visit the ball would be immensely pleased.
Sarah, Rosalind and I, got ready at my house and it made my first winter ball experience incredibly exciting.
"I just feel worried that if I eat too much, I'll get bloated and burst it," Sarah complained, observing the gold belt around her royal blue gown.
I chuckled and closed my heel strap around my ankle.
"The solution is simple you know...just don't eat," Rosalind teased, and I laughed along with her. She was dressed in a gold dress with a light touch of royal blue hair pins attached to her hair. If they had a best dress award, I'd say she would've won.
"Stop teasing her," I said, picking up my small gold purse and cell phone. "And stop worrying Sarah, I guarantee you won't burst out of your belt."
Our dates were Nathan, Thayer, and Duke respectively and they picked us up individually. Duke greeted me in a black and gold suit that fitted him exquisitely and made those butterflies swim around inside me. He was gorgeous.
"Hey you," I greeted.
He kissed my hand. "You looked beautiful," he complimented.
I grinned. "And you're looking dashing, your highness."
When we arrived at the event, it felt perfect. Everyone was having a great time, mingling, and enjoying the official last day of school before the holidays. It was honestly peaceful to experience. It wasn't until my eyes met Thayer's while he was chatting with Lee that an ounce of sadness returned.
"What's with that look, Saunders?" he asked, approaching me. He playfully pulled me into a twirl and then began rocking with me on the dance floor and I grinned up at him. His blue suit matched his eyes and they sparkled down at me.
"This is your final week here," I said.
He sighed. "Yeah... it really is huh?"
"Is Duke still angry with you?" We both glanced at Duke who was standing with his father and talking to some of the school's stakeholders.
"He'll get over it." Thayer reassured me. I'll never forget the heartbroken look on Duke's face when Thayer told him he was leaving along with Daniel. It seemed even though Duke had always had good intentions about Thayer, he really didn't see how much Thayer had to suffer beneath his 'reign'. It was crazy to think about and I wasn't going to be the one to address it. It wasn't my family matter to begin with.
