"GET OUT!"
After kicking an egotistical, rude (albeit gorgeous) jerk out of her store, Cassie thinks she's seen the last of him.
Too bad he's a prince.
And that she's his maid.
I could best describe my emotions as a torrential storm. I plowed down the mountain, angrily swatting branches out of my way and kicking small stones as far as I could. I had flown past the camp and was making my way back to the bottom of mountain on my own, away from everyone.
I was upset, hurt, humiliated, irritated, sad, flustered, and ashamed. Yet one predominant emotion ruled over them all.
Anger.
I was mad. I was so mad. I knew I wasn't exactly a patient person or slow to anger, but I hadn't been this steaming in a while.
"I hate him!" I screamed, no longer caring if anyone heard me. I bent down, scooped up a rock, and chucked it as far as I could.
"He's such a prick! He's so arrogant." My knuckles were white and my fingernails dug into my palms. It was so humiliating. He was so dismissive. Prince Coleman treated me like...like some stupid fan girl. He made a fool of me.
I'm sorry you think something is going on between us. I tend to have that effect on women.
What an absolute jerk.
"I tend to have that effect on women," I mocked with my faux deep voice. "Oh shut up! You're the one that's been flirting with me, Prince Coleman. YOU! SO DON'T TURN THIS AROUND ON ME. How dare you act like I'm crazy! Like...like that you've been totally normal this whole time and I'm just imagining things!"
Some frightened animals scurried out of the way as I blazoned on through.
"I was merely suggesting that we act more professional! And you act all snarky about it and 'oh I'm just such a little lady killer and you're another idiot who fell for me ahoohoohoo.'" I let out an exasperated growl. "I don't even like you, your royal highness!"
Liar. Some traitorous part of my brain said.
"It's TRUE!" I threw my hands up, finally freeing them from a tight fist. "He is despicable."
Some part of you likes him.
"I hate him more than anything in this entire world. Even more than wet socks and when people don't close the door all the way." I huffed and puffed, and embarked off the trail, hoping for a suitable shortcut.
"I hope Prince Coleman trips and breaks his foot," I snarled. "It would serve him right!" I continued fuming for a good while after that, until I finally wondered, where am I?
I started looking around the wooded mountain, realizing path was long gone now.
"This is Coleman's fault!" I decided. "If he hadn't embarrassed me, I wouldn't have run away!"
Admittedly, it was not the best reasoning, but I tend not to be terribly reasonable when I'm mad.
This is so dumb. I thought. I found that the way ahead of me was quite steep—much more so than the path had been. In my irritation, I once again tried to kick a rock. Two things went wrong. Firstly, the rock was bigger than the others that I had kicked, causing a searing pain to sprout from my poor, abused toes. Secondly, such pain, combined with the steep mountain, caused me to trip and fall. I landed on my foot horribly and I tumbled down the mountain.
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Karma's a—well, you know. Not all that friendly.
That was all I could think as I lay on the ground, my right foot absolutely throbbing with pain.
"I hope Prince Coleman breaks his foot," I mimicked myself in a high pitch, whiny tone. "Oh I'm so smart!" I continued on in the same tone. "I'll just leave the group and go off all on my own. That couldn't possibly go wrong."
Some college general ed class knowledge floated back to me. Something about how we lose more and more emotional intelligence the longer we are in a heightened state of distress. By the time I tripped and broke my foot , I was pretty sure that I must have had the emotional intelligence of a -3 year old. Yes. Negative.
What were you thinking! I chastised myself as I slowly tried to get up. Why did you run away? You were a little embarrassed? Wow.
"Ugh!" I grunted as I tried to put weight on my bad foot. I quickly plopped down on my butt and buried my face in my hands. Tears, which had long been waiting to fall, suddenly broke through. They raced down my face, hot and heavy, and I started to shake. My foot was broken, I was lost in the mountains, and I just felt so hurt and ashamed.
It wasn't like I was that into Prince Coleman. By no stretch of the imagination was I in love with him. In fact, I was pretty sure I liked Luke more anyway. I suppose I had grown to enjoy our banter and had convinced myself that he really did like me more than most people. And I hadn't expected to date him or anything, because I knew who he was. I just didn't expect to be told that it was all in my imagination. To be reduced to the status of every other maid in the castle who hold onto some delusional hope that he'll fall in love with her.
No, truly I wasn't in love with him. But a part of me liked him, and I suppose I wanted a part of him to like me too. Perhaps that was just the attention-seeking part of me—a selfish desire for every guy to like me.
"Look where that got me," I mumbled. With that, I took a deep breath and began to scoot my way down the mountain.
