THE BAD GUYS IN: raising princess

#Aleura

(A request from AlicornNorth )

The cafeteria buzzed with laughter, the clatter of trays, and the hum of students chatting over their lunches. At a table near the center, Princess, Claudine, Laura, and Kira sat with their trays mostly forgotten as they leaned in toward each other, deep into a round of Truth or Dare. It had started off as a way to pass time, but now, it was getting interesting.

Claudine tapped her fingers against the table, a smirk playing on her lips as she locked eyes with Laura. "Alright, Laur, your turn—truth or dare?"

Laura took a sip of her soda, considering her options. She wasn't feeling particularly brave today, so she went with the safer choice. "Truth."

Claudine's grin widened in delight. "Who was your first kiss?"

Laura's eyes went wide, and she nearly choked on her drink. "W-What?"

"Oh, you heard her," Kira chimed in, leaning forward eagerly. "Who was it?"

Laura hesitated, visibly regretting her decision. She ran a hand through her hair, biting her lip before sighing dramatically. "Ugh. Fine. It was... my Twilight poster of Edward Cullen when I was thirteen."

A beat of silence.

Then—

Princess arched a brow, her lips twitching in amusement. "Wait... the vampire dude? From that movie?"

Laura covered her face with both hands. "Yes."

Kira let out a sharp gasp before bursting into laughter. "No way! You kissed a poster?!"

"I was thirteen, okay?!" Laura groaned, her face practically glowing red now.

Claudine cackled, slapping the table. "I knew you had a thing for the brooding, sparkly types."

"I did not—okay, maybe a little," Laura admitted, her voice muffled behind her hands. "I just—he was hot, and I was lonely! I wanted to know what it was like to be kissed."

Princess shook her head, smirking. "Laura, you do realize you kissed paper, right?"

"Oh my God, I know! Can we move on now?!" Laura groaned, peeking out from behind her hands.

The table was in hysterics, giggling at her confession.

"Absolutely not," Kira wheezed. "This is getting written in history."

"I hate you all," Laura muttered, but she couldn't help the small smile tugging at her lips.

As their laughter settled, Laura's phone suddenly buzzed with a notification. She casually glanced down at the screen, but as soon as she saw the message, her entire expression softened. Her lips curled into a smile—one so uncharacteristically lovestruck that it instantly caught Kira's attention.

Curious, Kira leaned over Laura's shoulder to see what had captured her friend's attention. Her eyes widened when she spotted the Instagram post—Laura and a very handsome red-maned lion sitting together at a cozy sushi restaurant. The guy had warm amber eyes, a strong jawline, and an easygoing but confident smile. The caption read: "Sushi nights with my favorite person ❤️ #BestDateEver"

Kira's jaw dropped. "Hold. On."

Before Laura could react, Kira snatched her phone and bolted to the other side of the table.

"Hey! Give that back!" Laura lunged forward, but Kira held the phone out of reach, grinning like a Cheshire cat.

"Oh, no, no, no," Kira teased, turning the phone toward Princess and Claudine. "You guys have to see this."