The Bookworm Meets the Prince Read online

  I didn’t know what was with him. He made me want to laugh so hard every damn time. I guess I found his gestures just too cute.

  “It’s fine, I guess. My best friend actually finds it amusing that I blab a lot when I’m around her. She sometimes tells me that when I blab, she gets something useful and does not feel like a total airhead all the time. I don’t get it because she’s really smart too. So, basically, I’m not sure how and what to feel about it,” I nervously laughed. “I mean, for crying out loud, I am just blabbing. I don’t even understand half of what I am saying,” I said.

  I was not sure what moved me to tell him that. I was not someone who’d open up too easily to a stranger, though a sexy male stranger at that. But for some odd reason, I felt safe and relaxed. I could easily say that this blue-eyed guy had definitely changed my game plan: avoiding everything that involved guys.

  I blamed this on my excessive reading. I had this belief that every guy was a jerk who would either hurt you or become your lover. I was neither ready to break my heart nor fall in love.

  “I know what that feels like. People always analyze your words, and then for some odd reason, they pick up something useful for them even when you are just saying what is on the top of your head. Then they treat you differently because of it,” he said in a serious tone like he was having troubles only he knew.

  After this, we fell into an uncomfortable silence. I checked the time through my phone to see if I could already go home. Great, I still had a few hours to endure this whole party scene.

  “I mean no offense, but I never really picture you as a party girl,” Drew said.

  I was not sure how to process that piece of information, so I decided to just go with the truth.

  “You know how it goes. If you have a popular friend, somehow you’re popular too. Then if she decides to go to a party, you have to go too for some cracked-up reason. It’s supposed to be your bonding time even if you don’t really spend time together,” I said.

  He stared at me like I was some kind of puzzle he was trying to figure out. Then, he stared at the distance and contemplated something.

  “I get that. Look at me. I’m supposed to be spending time with my cousin, but he’s now with his girlfriend. I guess the substitute isn’t that bad.” He smiled at me when he said that, making me blush. “By the way, I know it isn’t any of my business, but how come you have so many books a while ago in the library?” he asked.

  “My parents banned me from reading books. If I want to read, I have to go to the library so they won’t catch me. It’s really a long story, but you get the gist, right?” I said.

  “I have time to listen. Looks like I’m not going anywhere in the immediate future.”

  I sensed the sincerity in his comment, so I went on full story mode. “Prepare for the most boring story of your life.”

  I told him about how I got banned and how many times I got banned; by the way, it totaled to fifteen. I told him that the first time I was given the book ban punishment was when I finished reading the Harry Potter series in just a week and a half. My parents were not happy that I read the series in such a short time while I was also reading my lessons.

  I also told him the main reason why I was banned again was that I read the Hunger Games trilogy in three days. I also argued my side that three books a day was not excessive. There were even those who’d read way more than I did. Also, there was that undeniable fact that you just couldn’t put those books down.

  After my boring story, we just talked about the different books we had read and our opinion about it. For some odd reason, we shared a lot of inside jokes from all of our book adventures. He even suggested that I should read The Lost Symbol of Dan Brown, considering I read all of his works. I told him I was supposed to buy a copy myself, but I got banned the first attempt, so it got pushed off my mind all this time. I also told him he should check out J.K. Rowling’s new book since he was a Potterhead like me. In short, we never ran out of topics to discuss. He seemed well-read, and I enjoyed debating or arguing with him about our different opinions on stuff.

  We were so into our conversation, the only thing that broke it was the ringing of my phone.

  “Rissa?” I answered while giving Drew the one-minute gesture.

  “Where the hell are you? I have been looking for you all night. Tell me you didn’t ditch me. I wanted you to socialize, not hide from people,” Rissa said.

  Really, was she thinking I was the one ditching? Wow, if only I didn’t love her like a sister.

  “I didn’t ditch; I’m still here. Where are you? I’ll go to you.”

  “Fine. Meet me at the entrance. There’s something important I need to talk to you about,” she said, then hung up.

  I didn’t really know how to react to this sudden behavior, but I guess it might be pretty damn important since she wanted me to meet her right away.

  “That was my friend. She said she needed to talk to me. I think it’s kind of important. So, I guess I’ll see you when I see you,” I told Drew and then started fixing my dress.

  “It was nice meeting and talking to you, Lizzie. I think I’m actually thankful my cousin ditched me,” he said with a bright smile.

  “Yeah, me too. I’m glad my friend ditched me too,” I replied.

  “See you when I see you then. By the way, did Mel inform you that the library is looking for a volunteer? I think this will be a great excuse for you to read all you want without being caught by your parents,” he suggested.

  That was a great idea. I made a mental note to ask Mel about it.

  “Mel never told me about that, but yeah, I think I’ll sign up for that. Thanks, Drew. Guess, I’ll be seeing you around then. Bye.” I waved him goodbye and tried to find Rissa.

  Getting inside was harder than when I left a few hours ago. There were so many people dancing awkwardly.

  I thought, Seriously? Get a room or something.

  I was not suggesting it or anything. Well, whatever. They could do whatever they’d want to do; I was just really having a hard time on my way out to the entrance.

  I saw Rissa, and when she saw me, you could see she was a bit giddy. From what I saw, she had her devious smile on—she was up to something. I was not sure if I would like it or not.

  When I came to her, Chad’s arm was around her waist, but I guess I couldn’t blame him. Especially with the sexy green-eyed blonde girl he was dating, also known as my best friend, who would not get territorial?

  “Hey, I have someone I want you to meet. Ryan, this is my best friend, Lizzie. Lizzie, this is Ryan. He is in the football team with Chad.” She motioned towards this blonde guy who had brown eyes, more than six feet height, and a model-like body. He was attractive but not necessarily my type.

  “Hi, Lizzie. Can I get you a drink, or would you like to dance?” Ryan asked. There was no way I’d drink anything he would give me, especially by the way he was looking at me. It seemed like I was something he wanted, and he was used to getting what he wants. He practically screamed player. I was not sure why Rissa thought I would want to know he exists.

  “No, not really. I don’t drink or dance,” I said with finality.

  “Wow, I don’t think I’ve heard that before,” he said, moving closer to me. I was about to glare at Rissa for setting this up, but I couldn’t find her. I was not even aware that Chad and she had left. “But I want you to know that I don’t give up easily, especially when I am challenged, sugar,” he said in a manner that shouted, Challenge accepted.

  I rolled my eyes at him and proceeded to speak my mind. To begin with, what was up with the sugar comment? Please tell me he wasn’t thinking I was going to fall for a player like him.

  I began to regret leaving Drew’s side to meet Rissa. I should shout at her for this later. Hopefully I wouldn’t forget.

  “You know what, player? I have no time for this. Excuse me,” I said and then tried to walk away, but I felt a hand on my arm. He looked like I offended him by not fawning all
over him, but he was trying to cover it up by acting like he was strong and mighty.

  “Feisty! I like it. But I have to remind you: I am Ryan King, I get what I want, and guess what? I want you. There is no getting out of this one, sugar. I will have you one way or another,” he said with a determined smile and left.

  I was left standing—frozen—when a beaming Rissa suddenly walked up to me.

  “Well, isn’t Ryan hot or what? Guess what? Apparently, he has been crushing on you for a while now, so he asked me to set you guys up. How did it go?” she asked. Judging by the way she was smiling, it looked like she was thinking she’s doing me a favor.

  Little did she know I was in trouble. Ryan’s words scared me, and I was not sure how I could get out of this one. I know Rissa was still talking, but I was not listening. I was too busy thinking of the threat Ryan said. These things only happened in the books I read. How come I was now living in one? A player never went for a nerd like me, right? Players went for the sexy vixen everyone wished they have.

  But one thing was for sure, I’d be in deep shit.

  Chapter 3

  The Boyfriend? Say What?

  I woke up at exactly six in the morning to get ready for my seven-thirty class. Whoever thought it would be fun having morning classes for high school was a serious pain in the neck. I would love to kick them so hard right now.

  I barely had time to sleep because of the threat Ryan made. What would he do to me? Was he joking, or was he serious? And above all, what could I do about it?

  For now, I tried to keep my mind off it as I was preparing for school. I got up, showered, and dressed. I really dreaded going to school and facing Ryan, but I had to keep it cool. So I went down and joined my parents for breakfast.

  “Lizzie, I never really had the chance to ask you about the party you went to with Rissa. How was it?” my mom asked while she placed a stack of pancakes onto my plate after I sat down.

  I was avoiding this topic. I technically didn’t want to think about Ryan or his threats. I was also not so sure if they would like the idea that I spent most of my time at the party talking about books with Drew. Well, come to think of it. They did tell me I needed a life! Maybe this was what having a life would be like: having a player after you and a cute bookworm to help you solve your bookworm problems.

  Anyway, I tried to lock myself in my room all weekend, pretending I was either doing my homework, watching shows, or just chatting with Rissa online, but I was secretly reading PDFs. What could I say? I loved reading, although nothing could compensate for the thrill of reading from an actual book.

  “It was fun. We drank a little and danced. It was just a typical party, I guess.” I did not elaborate more than I needed to.

  They just nodded. They seemed happy that I was at least trying to find some normal things to do other than reading. Sometimes, I’d think my parents were just programmed differently from other parents. But you should trust me; they were just unpredictable.

  As I finished my breakfast, I excused myself for school. I checked my things to make sure I had everything and then drove to my dreaded destination.

  When I arrived, it was ten minutes before the bell rang. I secretly looked for the black Lamborghini, hoping that Drew was here and was somehow a transferee, but I didn’t see it. I shrugged it off and made my way to class. But before I could go inside, I heard the voice I was not too pleased to hear right now.

  “Hey, sugar, let me walk you to class,” Ryan said.

  I glared at him and continued walking on my own, but he was still beside me. He was trying to talk to me, but I shut him off. Maybe if I’d try to ignore his presence, he’d just leave me alone. Unfortunately, this was not the case because he was still following me and talking to me, earning me glares from the entire student body. Well, they were just from the girls in this instance.

  “Will you leave me alone?” I asked. Right now, I was really getting irritated with him. Could he not see I was not interested?

  “No, can do, sugar. I told you I want you, and I always get what I want,” he said, then glanced at my classroom door. “Well, this is your stop. I’ll pick you up when your class is done, and then I’ll walk you to your next class. See you later, sugar. I’ll be late for my class,” he said, emphasizing on the “sugar” comment, earning me not just glares but death stares from every girl possible. I never knew Ryan was so popular with the ladies.

  What a way to know that! I thought. I had to receive glares and daggers just to know.

  This was going to be a long day.

  I think it was safe to say that Ryan would never leave my side the entire day. He walked me to each of my classes just to make sure I couldn’t get away. I still tried my best to avoid him, though. Unfortunately, his football teammates always alerted him on my whereabouts. Talk about stalker, right?

  On my way to lunch, he still caught up to me. How he knew my schedule was beyond me.

  “Hey, wait up, sugar,” he said while running towards me.

  “What do you want this time? You’re really being a pest right now,” I said. I was irritated, so I tried to hasten my walking.

  “Oh, don’t be like that to your boyfriend.” He smirked, knowing fully well that everyone was eavesdropping on our conversation.

  “What the hell are you talking about? You are not my boyfriend. You’ll never be my boyfriend, so go away,” I said, almost shouting.

  He shrugged me off like I had no choice in the matter. It was settled in his mind, and in his world, that was all that mattered. I was in deeper shit than I initially thought.

  I brought my food, which he paid for, and made our way to my regular table. During lunch, I’d sometimes sit alone or sit with Rissa in the popular table. She understood that when I was reading a book, I needed to eat alone. Otherwise, I’d just a big dead weight. This time though, Ryan had his way and lead us to the popular table. Well, this day was going to be really great. I was welcomed by a very happy Rissa and a very angry set of cheerleaders.

  “Hey, so are you guys official or what?” Rissa asked.

  I said no, but Ryan shouted yes at the same time.

  “Rissa, listen to me. This player is not and will never be my boyfriend,” I said, trying to make my point clear.

  “Oh, why do you have to be like that, sugar? You’re hurting my feelings,” he said, faking he was hurt. He even put his hands on his chest to put some emphasis.

  I just rolled my eyes because there was no winning this and sat down. I was trying to eat my food peacefully, but one cheerleader just had to talk about some prince who was coming to town.

  “So they’re saying that the Crown Prince of Sarconia will be staying here for a few months. Unfortunately, to avoid any hype, he’s doing it incognito,” Carrie said.

  “Oh my gosh! I wonder how he looks like, but how can he be incognito?” Lisa asked. She had always dreamt of being swept off her feet by a real prince. I was guessing this was her chance. Poor Marco, he wouldn’t stand a chance.

  “Well, here’s what I heard; he wouldn’t be bringing any bodyguards to avoid suspicions. He’d dress normally and not in the military uniform he usually wore in public. He’d look like an average Joe,” Carrie explained.

  “I really don’t think you can hide a crown prince. Someone is bound to recognize his face one way or the other,” I said in a sarcastic voice.

  “I agree, but have you ever seen the Crown Prince of Sarconia for you to recognize him?” When I shook my head, she smiled. “I guess not. They were careful to send him here since we have never heard of their country, Sarconia.”

  “You do know you can always search his picture on the net, right?” I said.

  “Pictures are currently blocked. You will have zero result when you search,” she said smugly.

  “So how exactly do we know if he’s for real? Do we even have proof that this prince truly exists? Who knows? He might be an imagination of some bored person,” I said.

  “Well, that’s where you’
re wrong because I did search Sarconia, and it did produce results. He exists. It’s just that his pictures are blocked,” she said.

  “How can they even block all his images?” another cheerleader asked.

  “Well, they are the royal family. They can pretty much do whatever they want,” Carrie concluded.

  I just shook my head and tried to eat my lunch as peacefully as possible. This was probably one of those things they made up just to make this town a bit more interesting.

  When the lunch bell rang, Ryan once again walked me to class.

  “How the hell do you even know my schedule?” I asked while walking to my next class.

  “I have connections. Again, there’s no getting rid of me,” he said smugly, and I continued walking in silence. I tried hard to think he wasn’t there.

  When classes were over, I was glad to get rid of him. I snuck into the library, planning to apply for that volunteer job. I thought spending time in the library would help me ease the pain of being away from my babies while on ban. Then again, I’d seriously have a problem if I get any more attached with my books. Maybe my parents were right. Oh well, this was my thing, and I loved it.

  “Hey, Mel,” I said when I saw her arranging some books into their proper places.

  She was wearing a striped below-the-knee black and red dress, completed with a four-inch black pumps. What could I say? She was a well-dressed librarian.

  “Hey, Lizzie, what can I do for you? Any book you want to read?” she asked while she was walking towards her desk.

  “Not really. I heard you were looking for a volunteer here in the library. I was just wondering whether I could apply or something,” I asked.

  “Oh, yeah. Well, you’re accepted. I guess you know the Dewey Decimal System?” she asked, and I nodded. “Well, get that cart over there by the first bookshelf, and help me put things in their proper places,” she said with a smile.

  I nodded and started working. I loved this kind of activity. In fact, I used to do this in my own library. It was not as big as this one, though. After placing everything in their proper places, I helped Mel put plastic covers on the newly acquired books.