Rise To The Crown- The Story of the Third-In-Line

Forty (2012.03)

One day, as they were sitting in art class together, Delly couldn't help but notice the intricate details in Theo's drawing of a rose. "Wow, Theo, that's amazing!" she exclaimed, admiring his work. Theo blushed and smiled shyly at her.

After class, Delly and Theo were walking down the hallway together when he suddenly asked, "Hey Delly, do you want to see something else I drew?" Delly nodded excitedly, and they made their way to the schoolyard.

As they sat down on a bench, Theo pulled out a sketchbook from his backpack and began flipping through the pages. Delly was amazed by his drawings of different animals, landscapes, and even some of their classmates. But then, she noticed a drawing of herself.

"Delly, this is for you," Theo said, handing her the drawing. It was a portrait of her, smiling and happy. Delly was touched by his gesture and couldn't stop staring at the drawing. "Thank you so much, Theo, it's beautiful," she said, feeling her heart flutter a little.

Theo looked up from his drawing and blushed, "Thanks, Delly. I really like drawing, and I think you're a great subject."

Delly felt her face flush too, feeling both flattered and a little embarrassed. "Do you draw a lot?" she asked.

"Yeah, I do," Theo replied. "I love it. It's like I get lost in another world when I'm drawing."

Delly sat down next to him and watched him draw for a few more minutes, admiring his talent. She could see how much he loved it, and she felt happy for him.

As they sat in comfortable silence, Theo's gaze would often stray towards Delly, and Delly couldn't help but notice. She wondered if he had a crush on her. But before she could say anything, the bell rang, signaling the end of class.

"See you around, Delly," Theo said as he packed his things.

"Yeah, see you later, Theo," Delly replied with a smile, wondering if he would ever confess his feelings to her.

_

It was a bright and sunny day at the school, and the kids were in the playground during recess. Delly was sitting on a bench, drawing in her sketchbook when Bella came over and sat down next to her.

Bella looked at Delly's drawing and said, "Wow, that's really good! You're so talented, Delly."

Delly smiled, "Thanks, Bella. I love drawing."

Bella replied, "Me too! I want to be an artist when I grow up, but my parents can't afford art school."

Delly looked at Bella with concern, "Why not?"

Bella explained, "My mom is a doctor, but the clinic she worked in was being sued, and they had to cut some employees. So, she's jobless now. And my dad isn't rich either. To be an artist, you must have rich parents and connections."

Theo walked over to the bench and noticed Bella and Delly talking. He couldn't help but admire Delly's drawing. "That's amazing, Delly. You're so talented."

Delly blushed and said, "Thanks, Theo. You're pretty good too. I've seen your drawings."

Theo grinned, "Thanks, I've been drawing since I was little. But I've never been as good as you."

Bella sighed, "I wish I could go to art school, but I don't think I'll ever be able to."

Theo tried to comfort Bella, "Don't worry, Bella. You don't need art school to be an artist. You can draw and paint at home, and someday, you'll be just as good as any art school graduate."

That was not true, Theo knew that no hard work is going to amount to a college diploma. Yet, this was the lie he told himself too, as he is not in any better situation than Bella.

He draws a lot now because he knows he isn't going to be drawing for long. His parent's rental home (the one Delly and her parents stayed at some years ago), isn't doing well. Everyone preferred larger hotels. The company that his father worked for is experiencing a financial loss too. There needed to be one more person who could work, and Theo knew damn well what he should do. But a part of him has yet to reconcile with his fate.

In a way, Bella and Theo are experiencing what Delly is, reconciling with their place in life and society. One of them is a second-generation immigrant, the other is a lower-middle-class boy, and Delly is the future queen. Whenever Delly felt that her life was going rough, she'd remember, many had it worse.

_

One day, during recess, Delly and her friends were sitting on the playground field, talking about their dreams and what they wanted to be when they grew up.

"I want to be an astronaut when I grow up," Brandon said with a determined look on his face. "I want to go to space and explore the universe."

"But you're not rich like the astronauts, how are you going to do that?" Bella asked.

"I don't know yet, but I'll figure it out," Brandon replied.

Delly looked at him in awe. "That's so cool, Brandon! You can do anything you set your mind to."

Brian, who was practicing his basketball moves nearby, overheard their conversation and chimed in, "I want to be a basketball player when I grow up. I love playing and I want to be in the NBA one day."

"But you're not rich either, how are you going to afford all the training and equipment?" Theo asked.

"I'll work hard and find ways to get better. And I'll try out for scholarships and sponsorships," Brian replied confidently.

Delly smiled, feeling inspired by her friends' determination and resilience. 

_

Delly watched as her friends talked excitedly about their dreams. She couldn't help but feel a little envious. She wasn't sure what she wanted to be when she grew up. On one hand, she knew that being a queen was an important responsibility that she had been born into, but on the other hand, she loved skating and the freedom it gave her.

Though, Delly noticed that her friends had barriers to their dreams too. Their barrier was money, hers was the status of "future queen".

Nothing good comes easy.

Unlike Bella and Theo, Delly wanted to pursue her dream as a skater and conquer the barriers just like Brandon and Brian.

Delly had always loved the idea of being a queen because her family was royalty, but sometimes she wondered if there was something else she could do that would make her happy. This year, she really wanted to explore different options and learn more about what being a queen meant to her. She was curious and sincere about finding her true calling in life, whether that be being a skater or a queen.