The Princess & The Thief

Chapter 11-Bad Reputation

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"I'm sorry if I seem uninterested,"
"Or I'm not listening, or I'm indifferent,"
"Truly I ain't got no business here,"
"But since my friends are here,"
"I just came to kick it..."
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Julie's POV

(Song-Bad Reputation by Joan Jett & the Blackhearts-Beginning~1:10)

Julie stepping out of the dining room and nearly being run over by the trio of Luke, Reggie, and Carlos—who all had armfuls of pastries—was the last thing she'd anticipated happening. A dancing troll? Feasible. But the odd grouping of boys being chased by half the castle's senior guards? Slightly less expected.

Standing there stunned, Julie imagined she probably shouldn't have been so surprised. All of the delinquents had apparently made friends. Of course they'd found robbing the kitchen a fitting start to their day.

With a bemused sigh she gathered her skirts and gave chase.

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Julie rounded a corner after taking her shortcut, which was the only way to catch up in a gown and heels. A figure was gliding down the corridor, nearing the corner Julie planned on catching the guys at. With a jolt she realized it was tía Victoria, apparently visiting from her manor at the worst possible time. She was dressed in an elaborate mauve gown, never the one to shy away from frills, and her caramel hair was thrown up on top of her head.

"Tía! Tía!" Julie called, catching up to her aunt right before she met a bad situation, hoping to distract her from the whoops and pounding footsteps that were steadily growing closer.

"Julie, there you are! What are those noises, is everything—"

Victoria's question was cut short at the arrival of the pastry thieves. That's when everything went to hell.

Julie's attempt to jump out of the way turned into a painful head on collision when Luke barreled straight into her. Carlos tripped on the burgundy carpet trying not to run into his aunt, which only caused Reggie to trip over him, tarts and jelly flying everywhere. As if everything was in slow motion, she watched a drop of jelly assail the hem of Victoria's gown.

Time sped back up and Julie was clinging to Luke, who with his momentum of a freight train not only managed to knock the breath out of her, but spin them both around in order to take the blunt of the fall. He grunted as, in a tangle of limbs, they hit the ground with little elegance. The squelching and viscous noise the pastries made as they were smushed between the two rivaled the disgusting, all-encompassing gooey feeling.

"Shit, Julie, are you okay?" Luke's hands flew to her shoulders.

With a groan Julie raised her head. Her heart jolted at the sight of the bright red substance coating the better part of his neck and face. Then she realized it was strawberry jam.

She covered her mouth, "oh my god."

Luke looked down at himself, his face scrunching comically.

"Ugghh that's so gross."

Despite the situation Julie couldn't help but laugh. She swiped a finger across his cheek, popping it into her mouth. She considered the jelly.

"Mm. So good."

Luke's eyes shot back up to hers and with a bit of an out of body shock Julie saw that he'd been watching her taste test. Watching her mouth.

They were also still pressed flat against each other, and if it wasn't for the demolished tarts she likely would've been able to feel his heartbeat. The intimacy of it all struck as suddenly as the hot flush of her skin; she'd never been so close to a boy, nor was she even supposed to be. Yet, almost out of sheer curiosity she found herself studying the sharp planes of his face, the curve of his mouth, the ever-changing color of his eyes. His eyelashes were something to be seriously envied.