Facade

Chapter 9

    I pulled the red dress out of my closet and a smile formed on my face as memories of the last time Alex and I saw each other flooded back to me. I thought about how much we talked and of how he didn't seem to hate me anymore, which gave my heart a warm feeling. Just like I had hoped, I would finally have a companion my age.

    But thinking about Alex, I began to wonder about him. We had talked, but it was more about me. Me and my life as a princess, which left me with little information about Alex. He was naturally a closed off person and the lack of information he gave me left him a mystery. Thinking about that, I wondered if I could get him to open up the next time I saw him. 

    "Diana!" I heard Mother call.

    Her voice sounded nearby, so I knew she was in her room. I rushed over there and couldn't help but hope that she would have an errand to run. It had been a while since I'd last seen Alex, and with my thoughts I really wanted to.

    Reaching her room, I opened the door and went inside. I froze once I stepped in, seeing Mother sitting at her desk, looking like a mess. Her reading glasses had slid down her nose, her hair was flying everywhere, and there were deep worry lines drawn all over her face. As she looked up at me with tired eyes, worry filled me. Mother may not be perfect, but I still felt sorry for her.

    "Yes, Mother?" I asked, stepping forward.

    Mother suddenly sat up straight, pushing her glasses back up. Her mouth formed a grim line and suddenly, she didn't look like her life was a mess. She looked like a powerful, confident person, and seeing that, I thought about how easy it was to pretend to be something you weren't.

    "I'm going on an errand in a bit," Mother said.

    Excitement filled me. The thought of Alex rushed into me, and I had to think of dead puppies to stop myself from smiling.

    But then, Mother said, "You have a date with Philip once I leave, so I expect you to look beautiful."

    My excitement died down and I didn't try to hide my reluctance. Any thought of Philip made me cringe, and even if I told Mother Philip was good, she could see that I was lying now.

    "Diana, you must go on this date," she said, eyes hardening. "You must give Philip a chance. Do you even know anything about him?"

    I did know some things. Things I wish I didn't know. But, I shook my head.

    "Give him a chance today." Mother sighed. "For me Diana, give the boy an actual chance."

    Despite everything, I knew I had to do it for Mother. Even though I knew that I would never like Philip, I nodded. Mother seemed to be stressed and I was hiding some things from her, so it was the least I could do.

*****

    "Let's take a stroll through your town," Philip said, taking my hand in his.

    "You want to stroll through my town?" I asked, surprised.

    Philip had made it clear that he hated townspeople, so that was a surprise. I had a feeling he had an ulterior motive behind it because of that.

    "Yes, of course," he said, smiling at me. "Your mother said you love to do that, so I would like to see why."

   "Okay."