Mess of a Fantasy (Darise Ever After High Fanfiction)

Chapter 14: I Wish I Was Still an Antisocial Lump

Like a young child after their full cup of juice spills onto the freshly cleaned counter, the party was stunned, lifeless.

Nobody moved a muscle or made a sound. The silence spoke much louder than a fight ever could. It was deafening as we all awaited the future Prince's next move or the Princess of Hearts's next accusation.

The tension just kept building, and building, and building, like a skyscraper that seems like it'll never be finished. Cedar was still seated next to me, and I could hear her face creaking as it carved itself out of a smile and into a frown. "Yikes," Raven whispered, the only one who dared to even partly speak a word.

"We're over! I can't believe you did this to me again! To think I actually trusted you! You haven't changed! Off with your head!" Lizzie exploded like a charged-up battery.

The silence remained for a few seconds longer and then closed in on Daring. It then shattered everywhere else, everyone seemingly breaking off into conversations with overly-obvious topics.

Maybe I was crumbling uncomfortably on the outside, because my friends were staring at me.

I opened my mouth to speak, but all that came out was a short, high-pitched squeak.

"Go deal with that," Raven encouraged, crossing her arms over her chest and leaning back in her chair. This was not a time to relax! Did I just hear what I thought I heard?

I can't believe you did this to me again, my brain echoed.

Again?

I shook my head, hoping I'd just heard Lizzie wrong. When I couldn't shake the uneasiness away, I stood from the table and followed in the direction Lizzie had stomped off. I found her standing on the bridge over the "pond" (come on, the thing's so big it's practically a lake), leaning against the railing with her head in her hands.

"Hey," I said quietly, stepping onto the bridge that I still felt weird walking on. I crossed my arms on the railing and lowered my head like she had.

Lizzie sniffed in response, but she didn't turn away.

"I know we don't usually talk, but I know what it's like to feel alone with nobody to talk to. I don't want you to feel alone," I tried. It was true. Usually, I was the quiet girl with nobody to talk to. It's not a pleasant feeling and nobody should have to feel that way.

"It's you, isn't it?" Lizzie said weakly, turning to me.

"What's me?" I asked, confused.

"Daring. He likes someone else. It's you, isn't it?" Lizzie seemed more concerned than angry.

I turned my head away first, mumbling, "yeah."

"Oh, good luck, my friend. You are stronger than I am and a better leader than I could ever be. For you it's natural, for me, it's an acquired skill. If anyone can tame that boy it's you."

I turned back to Lizzie, confused even more by what she was saying. "What?"

"Okay, look, Cerise. I appreciate you coming to talk to me so much. I'm not one to dwell over the past for too long. I'll be fine. You, on the other hand, are being faced with a challenge. Daring's a devil with the face of an angel. It's nearly impossible to keep his eyes on you as his only girl. But if there's anyone that can, I believe it's you."

"Do you mind me asking what you meant by again before?"

"Daring cheated on me once, with Duchess. I gave him another chance, and he blew it again."

"Oh, you don't know the half of it."

"What don't I know?"

"Are you sure you want me to tell you?"

Lizzie leaned in closer and nodded, as if ready to hear a juicy secret, but in a calm and collected way.

"Well, yesterday," I began, going on to explain the entire day of crazy teenage feels, awkwardly mumbling my way through the part where Daring kissed me without mentioning my secret whatsoever.

"Wow," Lizzie gasped. It was hard to read her exact expression.

I ended with, "so, are you okay?"

Lizzie groaned a simple "off with his head", and then continued with "are you okay?"

"I don't know," I responded, honestly meaning it. "Should I say something to Daring?"

"Like what?" Lizzie asked, attempting to wipe away the smeared heart makeup from her face.

"He never told me he cheated on you. Actually, he deliberately covered that part up."

"Oh, then yes, maybe you should. That liar..."

I nodded, preparing myself to face Daring. I turned from Lizzie, then swiveled back around, a look on my face that already spelled defeat.

"Come on, you can do this. You can, Cerise," Lizzie said encouragingly. "I promise."

I bobbed my head, then confidently marched off. The confidence was pure, 100%, all fake, garbage. I wasn't confident, in fact, I was feeling extremely insecure. Anger also tugged at my heart like a puppet master does with the strings of the puppet. There was absolutely no way he could leave out such an important detail. I told him it was wrong to cheat on Lizzie, and there he had already cheated on her before. How could I have not heard of this earlier? Where had I been when Daring cheated on Lizzie with Duchess?

Mid-step, it occurred to me that I'd told Daring to ask me out again after he broke up with Lizzie. With this issue unresolved, there is no way I can face him while our entire grade is here, partying and eating pizza. I don't want to draw more attention to this absolute disaster.

I was almost at the gate to return to the backyard when someone jiggled it open and called out my name. Of course, my ears would recognize that voice anywhere, as familiar to me as my parents' faces or the taste of fresh, rich chocolate.

"Hey! Cerise!" the deep voice called, shaking fear through my entire existence and causing me to stop in my tracks like a deer in headlights. There was nowhere to run and no way to avoid it. His tall, muscular figure walked toward me bearing that big blinding smile and confident, signature Charming attitude. "Cerise!"