Across the Pond (Prince Harry #2)

Chapter Fifty-Two

End of Meredith's sophomore year of university started to come to a close, there were positives and negatives. Warmer weather came in, something she missed; Jamaica had teased her. In Superior, warm weather took a while to come, but when it did, it hit with a force. The sun shone down. The buzz around campus came as everyone was ready for school to be out for the summer.

Summer began in mid-May for the University of Wisconsin- Superior, and the days became longer. More days were spent at college, trying to get everything prepared.

Meredith was happy as the end of days came. It was a month or so of work. Then it was a month or so of Germany for university. Then it was two weeks with Harry, in Scotland-- just them. Meredith thought her excitement might be Germany, and it would certainly be exciting. She would do new things-- with a new language. However, when that was over, Meredith would return to the US, to see Rachel's wedding. Then she would fall back into the old routine.

Everything in between these moments was just passing. The days went by, unnoticed and unimportant. The days were usual with the same schedule of classes and work. It was the same people. It was the same life. It was boring; Meredith didn't like it. She itched for the moments when she might be free again.

It was also negative because as these days ended, it was the last few times that she would fully hang out with her best friend, Kyra, who was off the University of Wisconsin- River Falls in the fall. Tabitha was graduating from college. People were getting up and moving on. Meredith felt it was her time to move on too, but she wasn't sure where. For now, she would just spend more time in the same old days, at the same college, doing the same things.

Baking under the sun, Kyra and Meredith laid on the sandy shore of Wisconsin Point in Superior. It was too hot under the sun, but Lake Superior was too cold. The ice had finally disappeared off the lake. The two girls cooked with music blasting and books open. Kyra, yet again, was reading Harry Potter. Meredith read a new book every few days; today's book was Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo. While Kyra occasionally got distracted by her mobile, Meredith held two more books in her bag, ready to read.

"I'm hot," Kyra complained.

Meredith steamed too, but she wasn't ready to run in yet. However, they did this together.

Standing up, Kyra and Meredith stood at the line of water. "On the count of three. One... two... three!"

The two girls ran into the water together and dropped down. Icy water went up to their shoulders, almost touching their faces. The first few seconds weren't bad. But when the cold came in, so did fear and the shakes. The water clawed at her skin, growing up her spine. Immediately, Meredith didn't feel her toes and fingers. Kyra let out a scream. After a second in the freezing Lake Superior, the two ran out together.

Hot sun burned their skin again, but it was like a blanket now, rubbing against their skin. They needed the warmth now. Meredith shook uncontrollably. Looking down at her fingers, under the nail of her fingernails, the skin started to turn purple. Goosebumps arose on her skin.

Flopping back down on the sand, Meredith set her book again and pulled down her sunglasses. Kyra lied on her back, facing the sun as her heart still raced.

"That was a bit cold, wasn't it?" Meredith asked.

"It was too cold!" Kyra screamed, rolling around in the hot sand.

Meredith flinched as sand kept hitting her. "I'm trying not to get your car all sandy."

Kyra shrugged and lied down again, pulling out her mobile. For all of her love as a Hufflepuff, she was distracted by Snapchat. "Smile!" Kyra said. Meredith flipped her hair over, and they took a picture together. "Everyone is going to be so jealous."

"Because we're supposed to be studying, like they are?"

Kyra shrugged again. "On Snapchat story."

"Oh shit."

"Hmm?"

"Someone could screenshot that and post it somewhere," Meredith said. "The paparazzi will get it and post it somewhere."

"Do you want me to take it down?"

Meredith thought about it for a moment, weighing the positives and negatives. By now, a few people had seen it. It was out there. Perhaps none of them took the picture, but perhaps one of them did. Meredith looked fine in it, showing off skin-- her body positivity. Negatives counted that the paparazzi would get it, someone would say something, and then privacy. But Meredith told herself again and again about not hiding, so she wouldn't hide now.

"No. Keep it on there." Meredith went back to reading. "Anything fun happening on Snapchat stories?"

Kyra stiffened and shook her head.

"You're lying," Meredith muttered.

"No, I'm not."

Looking over, Meredith arched an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Nothing, it's just a gossip article. It's nothing, really. Nothing." Kyra put down her phone and pulled out her book. Meredith pretended to ignore it, and Kyra put down her shield. In a flash, Meredith pulled Kyra's mobile away and got in. "Mer, don't."

Meredith pulled the article up, and it was all about Prince Harry and her relationship. It was just another stupid article. This time it spoke about Meredith Rogue being Prince Harry's mid-life crisis. Meredith snorted, "Is he dying at sixty?"

However, her eyes kept skimming the article, and it seemed to get worse and worse, saying that Meredith must be good with lips or Harry had hit the low of his life by dating someone as ugly and fat as her. It brought in all the negative things of Harry's past, and how he was in search for someone born after the death of his mother and the drama between his parents. He was cradle robbing.

"Mer, forget about it," Kyra said.

Meredith put down her friend's phone. "Consider it forgotten."

Kyra studied her friend and didn't believe her for a second. "Mer--"

"Kyra, really," Meredith said. "It stings right now, like it always does when someone says something. Usually it just rolls off. This will roll off too. Trust me, nothing they write and say about me hurts too much because it's nothing new. I don't care what paparazzi say about me and I don't care what Harry's friends and family say about me.

"I know fifth graders who are meaner than that. I have been bullied my whole life, and when I was fourteen I tried to kill myself. Since then, there have only been four people that can hurt me because I care what they think of me: my parents, the man I love and I know he loves me back, and me. I know who I am and who I will always be.

"I wake up at Meredith Rogue. I go through the day as Meredith Rogue. I go to bed as Meredith Fucking Rogue. I repeat.

"This," Meredith held up Kyra's phone, "this is nothing. This is people thinking that if they hurt me, they succeed. It doesn't prove my character; it proves theirs. And only one of us will be remembered."