In the aftermath of the Autumn Festival, Cassie must face the wrath of her peers, but perhaps even more frightening, she must face Prince Coleman again. Fortunately, Cassie has a cute butler on her side...and a few new friends.
Maddie and I had been friends most of our lives, though when we spent time together, it was often in the company of Roiben and Mercucio. I still remember the day when everything changed. At least, when everything changed concerning Maddie. I was thirteen year old—Roiben, Merc, and I were waiting impatiently in the Rylin House hall for Madeline to come down, as we were about to do some activity or another. I can't remember what we were going to do now—I only remember her. Maddie descended the stairs—her blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail—wearing a pair of dark blue jeans paired with a sky blue blouse that brought out the color in her eyes; the outfit, while modest, showcased her blossoming curves and figures. She smiled at us, and while I normally would have joined Merc and Roiben in their complaints about her taking so long, I remained silent. That was the day that everything changed; I no longer saw a long-time friend—I saw a girl. A pretty girl.
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Maddie was tall. At thirteen she was 173cm. Neither Roiben nor Mercucio had quite met her height at the time, despite their cracking voices and awkward strands of facial hair beginning to invade their chins. While I maintained my boyish skin and tenor, I stood at 175cm—a full 2 centimeters taller than Maddie, of which I was very proud. Mama and Papa were tall, though Mama was notoriously a "late bloomer" as Grandmama will never let any of us forget, which could account for my lack of most puberty signs. One day I was boasting to our little friend group how I was the tallest, even taller than Maddie, and went on about how I was sure to dwarf her one day. Of course, I was secretly trying to impress Madeline by emphasizing that I was taller than her when many boys were not. I knew that girls liked tall boys. Instead of gushing over my impressive height of 175cm, Maddie teased me about my baby voice and baby skin. Of course, I pretended like her teasing meant nothing to me, but I took it to be very hard. That night, I asked Mr. Prescott if he would teach me how to shave. He looked a little confused, but the dear man obliged me and showed me how to use the shaving cream and the razor. That night I shaved a hairless face.
I remember laying stretched out on Mercucio's luxurious bed one evening, staring up at his ornate golden ceiling. The François were the richest family in Aregano, afterall.
"Do you think Maddie wants someone more manly?" I asked Mercucio.
"Probably," he answered, flopping down next to me. "You may be the tallest of us, but you still sound like a baby."
I bolted upright. "I'm not a baby!" I protested.
Merc remained on his back, but tucked his hands behind his head. "Doesn't matter. You sound like one."
I raked my hands through my hair and groaned as I collapsed on the bed yet again. "Well it's not my fault my voice isn't deep yet! And now Maddie won't like me."
"Look, Maddie teases all of us. She always has. I don't see what the big deal is," Mercucio said.
"I just want her to like me!" I exclaimed. "And what if she doesn't because of my baby voice?"
