Anybody But You

17

Chapter Seventeen

Vibe: Redhead (ft. Reba McEntire) by Caylee Hammack

"I was surprised you accepted my invitation, lady Baldwin." Alice smiled politely, sitting back in the frilly white and blue fold up chair on the green lawn as she watched the horses and their jockeys walk towards the start up.

Flipping her long wavy red hair back and adjusting the pins in the side, Lucy smiled, "Well it just felt plain rude to reject a fourth one, and you know how I am about my manners, love." Her catlike green eyes twinkled mischievously as her accent from her hometown curled her mean words into pretty sounding things.

Alice chuckled softly, gesturing with a lace-gloved hand for the servant at the entrance of the private gazebo to serve them the specially prepared iced tea.

"Nonetheless," Alice continued, touching her delicate blue hat to fix it, "I'm happy you were finally able to make it."

Lucy laughed, the pretty sound full of contempt, "Please, Miss Alice, don't make me wait until the end of this treacherous race to hear what you have to say." Her eyes flickered towards the young man serving them the tea. Reaching with her black lace glove, she touched his arm lightly, "Would you be mighty kind and exit the box? My friend and I have much to speak about in private." With her hand still on his arm, she slipped her other hand into his coat pocket, surely spoiling the handsome lad, "For your trouble, hun."

As soon as the pleased man left, Lucy exhaled loudly, her perfect posture and controlled expressions leaving her body with the breath as she relaxed her now loose body into the chair. With an annoyed look on her face, she gave Alice a 'what in the living hell do you want' expression as she flopped her head towards her direction with the exaggerated roll of her eyes.

Alice shook her head with an amused giggle bubbling off her pink lips; Lucy hadn't changed a bit. As fake as ever, right down to her exaggerated accent. The girl wasn't even talking when her family left the Lucian kingdom, and all of her nannies and maids and teachers were from Audovera. Nobles weren't known for being taught by their parents, whatever accent she picked up on was psychological.

"Well?" Lucy turned up her lip, "What the fuck is your issue?"

Her voice wasn't nearly as pretty as it just was, with an obvious Audovera clarity in her punctuation amidst the replicated Lucian swirl of the vowels.

Lucy didn't wait for an answer as she continued to air out her complaints, "So, just so we're on the same page here—out of the blue you just blackmail me into doing your chores for you (instead of, I don't know, asking me for help maybe? Our families do business together, it's not like I would have turned it down if you asked) and then you kiss my date right in front of me at your lame ass party I was forced to attend—and yeah, I obviously knew that was you because who else would have the audacity—then you make a weird scene and run out, ruining my evening with with poor Godric because he was so shaken he could barely say a word the entire time—" she took a large breath, "—and now, you won't stop sending me invitations to tea? We have not liked each other since we were like, three, after you point blank stole my tiara and claimed it as yours. So please, for the love of all that's keeping me from pure insanity right now, tell me what you possibly could want after all that?" Her face scrunched up into one of annoyance and anger as she looked at Alice. Grabbing the tea on the table between them, she let out a frustrated huff before chugging the entire glass.

Alice's surprised blue eyes rapidly blinked. "Oh." She frowned. She wasn't exactly sure what just happened as she leaned back into her chair, copying Lucy's lazy posture as she grabbed the other glass on the table. "Huh, yah, that does sound bad..."

"Yeah. I know." Lucy laughed humourlessly. Letting out another breath, she shook her head, "Can't we just... stop now?" Her voice sounded tired.

Alice felt strange. Her hate and anger that lived and breathed inside of her chest flickering. She felt like crying. She didn't know which way was up anymore. Was Lucy in her past life this unhappy with her, as well? Did she actually deserve all her cruel treatment?

"Are you... crying?" Lucy hesitated in her chair, her pale cheeks turning pink. Biting her red lip, she looked down, "I guess I haven't been the perfect angel either." She mumbled before giving her head an exaggerated scratch and letting out an annoyed little grunt. "I don't... hate you, you know. Well, maybe a bit, but also, I guess you're the only one I don't have to worry about putting on an act for. That part's been kinda nice."

Wiping her face, Alice let out an exhausted laugh. She didn't know what she was doing. Her want for revenge was still loudly there, but a new feeling was growing inside her—conflict. Did she really hate this Lucy? What did this Lucy do to deserve what she had planned for her? Did she deserve it because her future self might end up doing the same terrible things? Was she so mad at Lucy's face that it was fair to hurt her for something she hasn't actually done?

Alice looked at the almost 18 year old Lucy. Gnawing the inside of her cheek she finally spoke, "Do you think the future is written in stone?"

Lucy's eyebrows stitched together in confusion before she turned in her seat with her arms on the armrests, giving Alice her full attention, "I don't believe in fate or destiny crap." She shook her head, "We have rolls given to us by society and our families and even our friends. So maybe if everyone followed those rules, then yeah, nothing will change and it's all, like, predictable, yeah?" Nodding her head, she gave her a serious look as if she was truly thinking about the answer, "But I think if people are willing to step off that path, anything is possible. As long as we don't all fall into line like a bunch of puppets on strings, why couldn't we change it?"

Alice couldn't keep her giggle back as she covered her mouth. She watched for a second as Lucy grew embarrassed, her face almost turning scarlet red before Alice interrupted her thoughts, "I really hope you're right, Lucy."

Readjusting her posture, Lucy gave a small crooked smile, her red hair a mess from her scratching her head earlier. It was possibly the first genuine smile from Lucy that Alice had ever seen directed at her.

Alice bit her lip, she knew in her heart she wasn't going to give up revenge. The hate was too painful. However, maybe she could also adjust plans. Maybe things didn't have to be so black and white—maybe there was room for grey too.

"Alice," Lucy spoke with resolve in her voice, "Before I go back home, can we agree to at least be civil to one another from now on?"

Looking at the redhead as she began to fix her attire and hair, Alice gave a nod. "Yeah, I think we can try that... Can you promise me something, though?" She waited until Lucy glanced at her curiously, "Don't start acting perfect around me."

Lucy gave a grin as she stood up to take her leave—looking like the perfect Baldwin daughter again. "As long as you don't ever invite me to a terrible place that abuses animals again." With the wave of her hand, Lucy exited the tent.

Alice wondered briefly if she should have warned Lucy about her laced iced tea cup... she had hoped to keep Lucy in the popular social gathering long enough that everyone would watch her lose her dignity as the perfect lady as she ran to the bathroom. Snickering, she supposed a little revenge to satisfy the angry gods wouldn't hurt now that Lucy would be safely at her estate and far from peer eyes when the laxatives kicked in. Of course, Lucy wasn't dumb—she'd know Alice was to blame.

Oh well. She'd just write Lucy an apology letter later.

~*~*~

A.N.

Hehe. Alice.
Confession, I totally fell head over heels in love with Lucy as soon as I wrote this chapter. Obsessed. *sigh* I didn't have any plans except *revenge* when I started this book and before I knew it, one of the main villains became such a cool person. Dammit.

Thank you for reading! How are you enjoying it? I hope you still are having a good time on Alice's journey x