Queen of My Heart

16: My Mother Lost Weight?

    "Why do you think that we are meeting again?"

  "Queenie? What are you doing here? Are you real?"

  "Probably? I don't know? Don't make me go into an existential crisis!"

  "But whether you are real or not, I do have to practise talking to you, and if you are real, then, great! I don't have to do it again. If you aren't, you probably will provide a realistic and close response to the real Queenie Heart."

  "Sure. Go ahead. What do you want to talk to me about?"

  "I am so sorry that I have been a jerk. I was jealous that Flynn Fitzherbert was spending more time with you than me. I don't really mind you spending more time with Torri, because she is nice and fun to be around. Flynn, though? Like I said before... he's bad news. I hope we can go back to the relationship we used to have."

  "Of course we can! I'm sorry too. I guess that I have been so caught up with life in Auradon that I forgot about the reason I was excited to come here. I was excited to meet you."

  "Really?"

  "Yeah," and I added "but that's no excuse. I am sorry too, for progressively spending less time with you, not telling you everything, or all the facts, at least and making you guess from Flynn's boasting and my facial expressions."

  "It's fine. We're good, then?"

  "We're good." And we sat in comfortable silence, just admiring each other, to put it lightly, and staring at each other, to put it drastically.

  "So... how was your date?"

  "It was quite relaxing, actually. I would do it again, maybe if we can do it as a group, or we can do it, if it wasn't labelled as a 'date'. He drew a picture of me and I think that he is working on it now. He drew me playing the guitar, I think? I just played the guitar. Oh! That reminds me I have to play you my acoustic version of 'Karma'. I frankly think that it sounds much better like that."

  "I can't wait to hear it then." And with that, we were sucked out of our dreamland, back into reality. I woke up, ignored Audrey and went to get my breakfast. My relationship with Audrey is so much better now, I thought while ripping off a chunk of perfectly buttered toast, we don't talk, or look at each other, or acknowledge each other. We just stay quiet, except when I play the guitar, or Audrey's snores. Alex cautiously approached me and asked "Were you in my dream, as in like the ones you had before you came to Auradon?"

  "Yeah. We apologised, made up and we are best friends again!"

  "Thank god. I have no idea how I used to go more than a few days without you."

  "Thank you for saying that." We looked into each other's eyes and I saw him lean closer. I was shocked. My heartbeat drummed in my ears and I was about to close my eyes, when Flynn yelled "Hey Queenie! I finished your drawing!"

  "I made a pencil version, and I made another one where I zoomed in and sort of coloured it."

  "Thank you Flynn." I tried to say in the politest voice I could possibly muster, reminding myself that we are friends now, not officially, but sort of. We also went on a date. It has to count for something, right? It was fun too.

  "You're welcome." He placed the drawings in front of me and parted Alex and I. Not an easy feat, as we were sitting down with our hips connected. He then sat down in that space, and leaned in really close. I gulped and turned my head to the drawings. "They're really well done! Amazing job, Flynn, I didn't know you had it in you!"

  Flynn kissed me on the cheek and if looks could kill, he would be dead as a Maleficent. Except that she was brought back by the unfair and biassed king. Pay attention Queenie, this is very important. I think that Flynn noticed me looking at Alex and he was in a staring contest with him.

  Torri came over and she broke us up. Saved by the Torri, I guess. She broke them apart and said "You go this way," pointing at Flynn, "You go this way and we go this way." I quickly grabbed the drawings. She lead me to my next class.

  "Thank you so much!"

  "Don't sweat on it. Also, spill the tea. What happened? Why did it happen? How did it happen? Are you ever going to call me 'Froggy' and have I earned 'Eenie' rights yet?"

  "Umm... Lexie and Flynn were having a staring contest. Lexie and I made up and Flynn came up to us and presented these drawings in a rude fashion," I said, showing her the drawings, "and Alex was angry, so he started glaring, and Flynn glared back. Actual proof that boys' brains develop slower than an average girls'. You have earned 'Eenie' rights, just now and 'Froggy' wasn't that good anyway. I'll think of a good nickname."

  "Okay. My first class isn't this one, so bye!"

  "Bye!"

  Class began and Fairy Godmother began with "Children, excuse me. Um, as you know, uh, this Sunday is family day here at Auradon Prep. And because your parents can't be here due to, uh, distance, we've arranged for a special treat." And she turned on the computer.

  There was some fuss getting the computer to turn on and they all sat down, in their multicoloured and crinkled, old glory. Maleficent and her purple horns, Evil Queen and her headdress, Jafar with his turban, Cruella De Vil with her fur and mother, with her puffy dress. Oh, how I hated that dress. The transition of weird shapes and hearts giving me flashbacks and making my legs tremble. Yes, she was that scary. I saw that she had lost a lot of weight and dyed her hair red. Her eyes were blue now. Probably the effects of living with the Evil Queen, as she said that she would.

  While the four were having a chat with their parents, mother raised her eyebrows, as if to say without speaking 'how is the plan going?'. I just nodded and said "Family visiting day is this Sunday."

  Everyone looked at me as I said something completely random, which I sort of did, but mother just pursed her lips and gave an extremely subtle nod. Not her usual style of acting, but to be fair, she was acting completely strangely. Petite, quiet and subtle definitely isn't her way of things and I wondered if she was okay. She then stopped looking at me -ignored me completely is a better expression- and left the screen. I stopped my tears and listened to the silent argument of the most childish and deadliest villains to ever exist. It was sad, if not pathetic, to listen to them.

  When Fairy Godmother finally let me out, I rushed out, not even looking at Mal, Evie, Carlos and Jay stopping in the middle of the way out. Tears were pricking out my eyes and I ran over to Alex's class, face scrunched and tears threatening to spill out, hair flying behind me. When I spotted Alex getting out, I immediately ran into his arms, the force almost knocking him back.

  I fit inside him almost perfectly. I snuggled closer into him, full-on bawling and just relishing in his warmth, the best and one of the only comforting I have ever known from another human being. He didn't even ask why, or what; he just held me and placed his chin on my head gently and shuffled me to the side so that we weren't blocking the door. He hugged me tighter and we were in that position for a while.