Mess of a Fantasy (Darise Ever After High Fanfiction)

Chapter 13: The Dizzy, Dizzie Truth Unfolds

"Ready?" Darling shouted, knocking at my door at 2 o'clock.

"Ready," I declared, opening the door to an overexcited Darling in a baby blue lace party dress.

I dropped my hand off the diamond doorknob and twirled and curtseyed, knowing she'd be shocked by my sudden girlish outfit and interest in dressing up.

"Oh em geeeee, you look gorgeous! You curled your hair again! Did he say he liked it like that?" There goes Darling, overdramatizing everything I do.

"What? No!" I laughed, playing along with her good-natured teasing. "I just thought that since I had the curling iron here, and I don't usually wear my hair curly.... Well, why not?"

She nodded, playing with her own platinum blond hair. It was down, but in one of her usual styles- a bit of a poof up at the top and some elegant curls. She also wore her jeweled silver tiara on the tip-top of her head.

"Let's go, guests are going to start arriving any minute!" She said, walking with me out of the room and to the main entrance. Dexter was there, waiting for us.

"You guys seen Daring?" He asked. Dexter was wearing a black jacket similar to his usual Royal blue one, and underneath wore a blue tee shirt, and jeans. On his feet, though, were purple sneakers- I assumed he'd worn them for Raven, who loved the color purple.

"Not since this morning at breakfast," I said, and Darling nodded. Not that I'd expected to, but he had to be just running behind on getting ready, right?

"Oh well, let's meet him outside," Darling said, and we all took a step out the big Charming Castle front door. The air was fresh and clear and the sky was a brilliant blue. Something, though, didn't feel right. The gorgeous day and the promise of the most popular guy at school asking me out... Of course, something hung in the air like smoke you just can't rid the room of. It was bringing on a feeling in me that screamed "there's a twist!" or "you're missing some of the puzzle!" But what was missing?

It was too late to ask Darling if she knew anything else. She probably wouldn't know anything anyway. She didn't seem to know about Lizzie. Was that even a truth though? Was he even dating Lizzie? Or was that a lie?

Lies. Secrets are one thing, lies are another. In order for things to go spellbindingly, secrets can stay secrets but lies and loopholes never stay hidden. You see it in books and movies- there's always something under the surface, something the main character isn't told, something someone doesn't want them to know. It felt like there was something that he wouldn't want me to find out about suddenly, something that could probably ruin... Everything.

The feeling made me feel sick, my stomach churned and my head ached. Looks like it'll be just another party that I sit like an antisocial lump in the corner. I can't help who I am. This feeling though has never come to me before any other party. It's telling me to stay out of things until the time is right, or turn around and don't go to the party at all. It's probably a good idea to listen to it, at least the first one. If I don't I could risk puking on my new dress and shoes, or worse.

The first person to arrive was (shocker) Apple White. A shiny, expensive-looking red sports car pulled up, and Apple got out of the passenger side. "Hello Dexter!" She greeted. She glanced at Darling and I. "Hi Cerise..... Darling. So, Dexter, where's Daring?" She strolled over to where Dexter stood and out of my earshot.

The next people to arrive were Briar Beauty, Holly and Poppy O'Hair, and CA Cupid. Briar, Darling and Holly were probably discussing princess things so I stayed out of their quickly-escalating conversation. It sounded as if they were yelling, but Briar and Holly looked more concerned than angry. They're probably talking about how Apple had practically ignored Darling, I thought.

"Hey Cerise," Raven and Cedar approached me. I hadn't even realized they'd gotten here.

"Oh, hey, guys," I said. There was still no sign of Daring.

"Everything okay? I'm not gonna lie, you seem a bit jumpy," Cedar noticed. I was a little nervous. With everything that was going on combined with the fact that nobody else knew what could possibly happen tonight, I was a mess.

"Yes, yes, Cedar, I'm fine." Yes, the perks of not having an honesty "blessing" like Cedar- you can lie to Cedar's face.

"I don't think that's the truth, but since I can't assume that I'm just going to go along with it. Which reminds me, Raven, your boyfriend's shoes look ridiculous with his outfit, despite the fact that he wore them for you. Maybe you should change your favorite color to blue so he'll match. I mean... That's not what I meant. Sorry," Poor Cedar can't help but say what she's feeling.

I sat at one of the many foldout tables set up in the Charming backyard with Raven and Cedar. In the folding chair that would likely make the whole lower half of your body fall asleep if you sat in it too long, my feet twitched. They so badly wanted to make a run for it. Maybe I should have followed my instincts earlier and went for a run before the party to take that crazy idea out of their metaphorical heads. Unfortunately, it was too late to make that decision. I was here, and a lot of strings had been pulled to get me here.

I began to wonder if it was really worth all the trouble to have gotten to come to this party. It's just another Charming party. Like always, I wouldn't see Daring the whole night and then he'd show up at the end and be like, "hey! Where were you the whole time?"

Then I'd want to respond "um, here, waiting for you at your party like always. Where else would I go?" Instead, I always just squeaked a nervous and preoccupied "around," pretending I had something better to do than talk to him any more, which I never really did. It could be a potential blow to the emotional being that is Daring Charming's soul, but I knew it never was. I'm a shy hood and he's an ideal Prince. Naturally I was far more sensitive than he is, and it's just how the world works.

"OFF WITH YOUR HEAD!"

There was instant silence among the quickly accumulating partygoers. Everyone contorted themselves in the direction of Lizzie Hearts, who stood with the previously missing and recently found Daring Charming near the side garden entrance.

Turning myself toward this direction of course caused me to wince and tremble slightly, seeing the red roses that reminded me of my own red lipstick and that pitiful yet beautiful two-person swing.

Lizzie's red painted heart was melting away slowly in red raindrop tears. Daring leaned uncomfortably on the fence that enclosed the garden, icy eyes affixed on me. I could feel my skin freezing up, my mouth locking itself because saying something was irrelevant, and ears still echoing with the tune of Lizzie's angry last words in the hurriedly diminishing relationship.