#flooks

((Thanks @jordan-maldez and @brooks-schreave for the rps!! Mentions @aubree-gram Can I just say the sketch is amazing? haha thankss ~1.3k words))

After talking to Venus, I went back to my room and I decided that it was time for some me time that was long overdue. I had been so busy the past few days with the ball and party, I overlooked the presents I received. There were also letters and a parcel that I have yet to open. I opened the parcel to find this amazing drawing along with an autograph of Aubree Gram. I had laughed when I saw the autograph as it had been a long time since I received one and not signed one. I flipped the drawing to find a few words written by her. Turned out she was my secret santa. I quickly sent her a message to thank her and then I remembered I had another secret santa - Jordan Maldez. She had come to my room and given me this gorgeous necklace with a sphere charm with real flowers inside. We had a nice chat and I had been shocked to find her eliminated. I had found it weird that I had two secret santas, but by that time, morning was rolling by and so I slept instead.

New Year’s Eve was fun at the palace and I had a nice time with the girls. Thing only got quiet a few hours ago and I retreat back to my room. For some reason, I can’t fall asleep, so I decide to go out to the gardens for a walk.

Fresh air does wonders to one’s body and with the quietness, I feel like I can finally breathe. Not that I don’t like spending time with the girls, just that with everything happening all at once… It’s nice to have a break.

“Fleur?”

I jump in surprise when I hear my name, not only because I am surprised somebody is here but also because I immediately recognize the voice.

“Uh…” I turn around to see him, walking to me. I am really not in the mood for this. I’ve spent the past few days ignoring him and pretending not to see him and I plan to keep it this way. I turn back around and start walking away faster. Maybe he’ll just think I can’t hear him and leave.

“Wait!” he calls. I sigh, stop and turn back around.

“Yes?”

“Can we talk?” He asks, shoving his hands into his pockets. I purse my lip, trying to decide what to do… I look around, trying to see if there’s somebody or something who can save me from this, but of course, there isn’t. Closing my eyes, I tell myself to calm down.

“Okay,” I sigh. “What do you want to talk about?”

“What you said.” He states. There it is. Simple and straight to the point. What I said.

“Oh!” I exclaim, feigning surprise. I am an actress after all. “What about that?” I fidget a bit.

Brooks hesitates a bit before finally saying, “I want to apologize.”

Now I am surprised for real. “Oh um what for? You didn’t do anything wrong…?”

“I feel I didn’t react in an exceptional way.” He tells me with a grimace. “It was rude of me.”

“Uh it’s alright I should apologize for not watching my mouth anyways…” I say quickly. Please leave me alone.

“Wha- Fleur, no. You don’t have to feel bad about anything.” He says quickly. Yeah, right.

I can’t help but fidget again. “Yeah… uh” I pause, trying to find something to say. Finding nothing to say, I resort to swearing quietly. “Flower.”

A small, light laugh escapes his lips. Please stop making my heart race. “Flower?”

I force a small giggle, silently thanking him for changing the subject. “It’s my f word.”

“Of course it is.”

“Do you have a substitute swear word or do you just not swear at all?”

“Does ‘shoot’ count?”

I relax a bit and try to make a joke. “Aww here I thought you had perfect manners!”

“I am not without flaws.” He says with a smile.

“So I’ve come to realize.” I reply, pulling a small smile.

Then he breaks the magic. “Are we good?”

My smile drops at this. What do I do? What do I do? “Um.” I stammer, and then my heart takes over my brain, telling me to force a smile. “Yeah, I guess. Yeah, sure. Of course.”

A frown takes over his features. “You don’t have to lie to me.” I should have lied then this wouldn’t have had happened.

I sigh. He wants the truth? Here’s the truth. “Look, I would love for us to go back to how we were, but I think we both know that’s not possible, now that we both know how we both feel.”

Brooks stays silent for a short moment before stepping away. I watch in confusion as he does something and comes back, holding a rose in his hand. “A fleur for Fleur?” He asks, holding out the flower.

My heart explodes.

And my eyes widen in surprise. “I-” I hesitate and laugh before taking the rose. “Thank you!”

He smiles happily. “I’m sorry.”

I bite lip and smile. “It’s alright… And you shouldn’t pick a rose like that… what if you pricked yourself on the thorns?” I ask, shaking my head as I stare at the rose in my hand.

He shrugs. “Worth it.”

My heart flutters and I tell myself to stop it. He doesn’t like you like that. Stop being such a freak.

“Worth what? Is this some bribery to make me forgive you?” I ask, only half-joking.

He laughs lightly. “No, it’s not that. You just don’t seem in the best of spirits… It’s not you.”

I smile at his reply. “Happy New Year.”

“You too.” He says, flashing me a smile.

“Any new year resolutions?”

“Uh, no, I don’t think so. What about you?”

“New year, same me.” I reply with a light laugh. ((I copied this from madelaine’s snap haha))

“Good. You’re already pretty cool.” He says, smiling brightly. I smile back before looking away.

“Thanks.” I say, rubbing my arm absentmindedly.

“You’re welcome.” I notice him rubbing his arm.

“It’s getting chilly, do you wanna um head back?” I ask.

“Y-yeah, sure.” He starts walking and I follow.

“What were you doing out here anyways?” I ask.

“Looking for you.”

I look up in surprise. “Really?”

“Well, yeah. I didn’t want to let things sit.”

“How did you know I’ll be here?”

“I had to ask around a bit.”

I laugh lightly. “Oh. Well luckily the red hair is easy to spot.”

“Do you like it? Your red hair, I mean.” He asks. Oh Brooks, you really don’t know?

“I love it.” I tell him with a beam. “It’s like the thing that makes me me.”

He laughs. “I couldn’t imagine you brunette or blonde.”

I laugh along. “Same. What’s your favorite feature of yourself?”

He takes some time to think. about it. “My eyes? I’ve heard they’re not that bad.” Not bad? They are beautiful. I love blue eyes.

“Blue eyes are my favorite. I’ve always wanted blue eyes and I used to get jealous of my brother for having them.” I say with a chuckle.

“Blue eyes and red hair…” He nods as he thinks about it. “Not a bad combination.”

“My brother’s a catch!” I joke with a grin.

Brooks laughs. “I’m sure he is.”

“Like me!” I joke, laughing and flipping my hair.

“It’s nice to talk to you again.” He says quietly with a smile. I look up to see we’ve reached the door.

“Yeah it is.” I return the smile.

He walks over and opens door for me. “Good.”

“Thanks.” I say, entering back to the palace. “I’ll see ya when I see ya then.” I tell him with a smile.

“Til then.”

I nod and turn around to go back to my room. My heart is still beating like crazy when I arrive my room. As I get ready for bed, I look at the rose on my bedside table.

((So, this takes place right after challenge 4. Thanks @brooks-schreave and @nathaniel-schreave aka Grace and Claire, the duo, for the rps!!!))

((Btw the car on the top right hand corner is actually the gift from Fleur to Nate. It has been turned black and white for aesthetic purposes hahaha. It’s originally red.))

I stumble walk through the hallways to get to my room. I keep losing my balance and so I try to hold on to the wall. I must have did too much dancing. I giggle as I think of how I wished Nate on his Christmas card to not let his feet fall off due to too much dancing when I should’ve wished that to myself as well. And then I fall again. Stupid legs. Warms arms surround me and pull me up.

“Fleur? What's wrong?” The owner of the arms asks. I look up and flash him a smile.

“Oh hey Br-Brooks!” I frown as I stare at the stairs in front of me. “I c-can’t reach the stars!”

“The stars? Do you mean the stairs?” He asks, gently holding my elbow.

I frown at his question. “Stars…” Then I look up and see the stairs, remembering I have to go up them to get to my room. “Um... both. But it’s important to reach for the stars. Reach for the stars, so that if you fall, you land on a cloud.” I tell him.

With his eyebrows raised, he says, “And so I was right... A philosophical drunk. Let's get you to your room.”

I squint at him. “A what? Huh? I’m not drunk? I never drank any alcohol. I don’t drink, remember?”

“Right.” He replies, keep dragging me along. I have no idea what is going on, but I trust him so I let him drag me.

“I really didn’t drink any alcohol! All I drank was the hot chocolate and that pink colored juice!” I tell him.

“Those had alcohol in them, Fleur.” He states with a sigh.

“Huh?” I question before I realize what he said. “Oh no. Am I drunk? Oops!” I giggle. “But they taste so good!”

Brooks gives me a sympathetical look. “I'm sure they did. Let's go.” He says, taking me up the stairs. “Which way is your room?”

“Um um…” I stammer, trying to think. “It’s room 20.”

He nods and takes me in that direction, looking down every few moments to check up on me. “Feeling okay?”

I give him a toothy grin. “Just fine!” Then I remember what happened at the ball and frown. “Wait, what are you d-doing here?”

“I said I'd stop by to give you your gift, didn't I?”

“Aww you remembered! You’re so cute!” I gush, reaching up to bop his nose but then I lose my balance and fall. Strong arms catch me.

“Be careful!” He cries, picking me back up. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah yeah.” I say, pushing his arms away.  “I can do this myself. We are humans and we gotta stand strong and count on ourselves!”

He sighs and still holds his arms by me just in case. “How very independent of you. You really should go to bed.”

I look at him shocked. “But the night is still young! Don’t you wanna dance?” I ask him. I try to pull him into a dance while singing ‘All I want for Christmas is you’. It’s his brother’s favorite song... I realized I never asked Brooks what his is.

He lets out another sigh. “How about we dance all the way to your room, okay? C'mon, Fleur.” He starts pulling me along again.

“Okay!” I reply cheerily as I let him pull me along. “Being drunk is fun-” I pause as my head starts to pound. “Ow, my head hurts.”

Suddenly I’m lifted off the ground and I squeal before I realize the younger prince has me in his arms in bridal style. “Thank God you're light. I didn't think I'd be able to do this.” He mumbles as he continues to walk.

I sober up and get serious.“Always believe in yourself. Believe and it will…” I scrunch up my nose. “I forgot how it ends.” With that, I nuzzle into him and mumble, “you’re comfy... Thanks…”

I look up to see Brooks with an amused smile. “Thanks, it was I strive for.” He gets to my door and he slips one hand down to turn the doorknob, bringing me in. “Where do you want to be placed?”

I crane  neck. “Have we arrived? You walk tooooo fast Brooks!” I frowns as I think hard. “Um... I don’t know... Anywhere as long as it’s comfy like you.”

“Sounds like a bed.” He declares. He walks me over and places me down on it. I start giggling at his face as he tries to place me down smoothly but failing.

“You’re so awkwardly adorable!” I tell him.

His ears tinge pink. “So I've heard.” He says and begins to stand up.

I cover my mouth in surprise. “Oops did I say it aloud?” I whisper scold myself. “Bad Fleur!” I frown at him and pull his arm. “Wait where are you going?”

He looks down at me. “I was going to get you some water.”

“Oh.” I smile at him. “Okay, fangs.”

“Fangs?”

I shake my head at his silliness. “Not fangs, Brooks. It’s thanks.”

A smile spreads across his features. “I'm going to get you that water.” He walks into the bathroom, bringing out a glass of water and a small trash can. I watch as he places the trashcan next to my bed and the water on the nightstand.

I grab his arm and pout as the pounding in my head gets worse. “Being drunk is not really fun... Please don’t let me drink next time.”

“I'll do my best.” He assures me as he starts scribbling down something.

“Hmmm that’s good to hear. You can do that at my party…” I say dreamily before sobering up. “You’ll come, right?”

“Of course. I wouldn’t miss it.”

I beam at him, “You’re the best!”

He crouches down by my beds, flashes me another one of his amazing smiles and pulls out a box from his pocket. “I never gave you your gift.”

I start to get sleepy and I try to fight it. “You are a gift…”

I feel the mattress shake gently as he laughs. “Do you want me to leave it here for you or do you want to open it?”

“Oooh I’ll open it now!!” I say excitedly. I love presents, both giving them and receiving them. Although I do enjoy giving them more. He hands me the box and I open it to find a pair of earrings. They were red roses with diamonds surround them. I gasp at the beauty of them. “Oh, they are beautiful! Lemme try them on.” I say as I try to pull my current ones off. Instead of pulling them off successfully, I end up poking myself with the needle. “Ow”

He hastily pulls my hand away from my ears. “How about another time? I got them since you seem to like red so much and your name means flower. It's fitting.”

I smile up at him. “You’re sweet. Thanks! I like them a lot!”

“I’m glad.” He replies, still smiling. I suddenly remember I never asked him his favorite Christmas song and I can feel myself falling asleep soon so I grab this chance to ask him.

“What’s your favorite Christmas song?”

He reaches out to brush the loose strands that fell from my ponytail out of my face. “Silent night.”

I immediately start singing, “Silent night, holy night…” I pause to give him my answer. “Mine are Santa Baby and Mary did you know.”

“Go to bed, Fleur.” He says, sounding amused.

“You’re no fu-” But sleep takes over me before I can finish. 

Faintly, I hear Brooks sigh amusedly and says “Night”

I must have mumbled something in reply as I then hear him say, “What was that?” Then I start to dream.

----------

By the time I wake up, I am in my nightgown, my hair is let down and brushed. I moan as my head continue to pound and light fills the room and I see Taylor, Selena and Lauren, my maids, in front of me.

“Here, take these and drink this. It’ll make you feel better.” She tells me, holding out some pills and a drink. I mumble a thanks and do as she said. I look at the clock to see it’s just one o’clock in the morning. I shake my head as I feel myself getting more sober.

Knock, knock.

Selena gives me a confused look and I motion her to get me my coat so I can get the door. I open it to find the Prince at my door.

“Oh hi, Prince Nate!” I greet with a smile.

“I got you a little something.” He says, holding out a gift box.

“Oh thank you!” I thank him and take the box. “That’s so nice of you!”

He flashes me a smile that reminds me of his brother. “It’s the best I could do.”

I open it to find a flower charm for a bracelet. “Oh, it’s glo-gorgeous.” I tell him, slurring a bit over my words. “Wait, I got you something as well.”  I say as I walk back into my room, stumbling a little and come back with a box. “Here.” I hand it to him with a smile.

“Oh, you didn’t have to.” He says as he takes the box.

“It’s the best I could do.” I quote him, giggling as he opens it. It’s a a limited Christmas hot wheels car with Nate written at the bottom.

He lets out a laugh when he sees what it is. “Oh my God.”

I smile at his response. “Do you like it?”

“I really do.” Another laugh escapes his lips. “Thank you.”

I try to smile through my pounding headache. “Anyways, I should probably head to bed…”

((Thanks @brooks-schreave aka Grace for the dramatic and specific rp haha. This takes place after side fic iv aka the rp with Vic. ~2.6k words))

After showering, I figure I’ll go and visit the movie theater and maybe watch something. I walk in only to realize someone is there, watching something.

“Oh I’m sorry- I-“ I pause as I see my face on the screen. “O“Oh my god is that Serendipity?” I quickly hide behind the couch, not wanting to see my face. Confession: I’ve never watched Serendipity on my own before.

The tv is switched off immediately and a tall figure turns around. “Hello?”

I stand up slowly, peeking at the owner of the voice through my fingers. “Oh hey, it’s you!”

“It’s me…” Brooks drawls.

Brooks is watching Serendipity? I never thought he was the type to do so. Serendipity doesn’t seem like something he would like…

“Actually, I was channel surfing. But I saw it was on and thought I'd maybe check it out?” He replies hastily. I squint my eyes at his questioning tone at the end but decide to let it slip.

“Ahh.” I nod and plop down next to him. “How is it?”

“The title confuses me.” He admits.

“What?” I laugh. “Explain.”

“Serendipity means the occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way. This show doesn't seem happy.”

I laugh. “Well that’s a first. It’s actually mixed with comedy, drama and romance. I guess you just landed on a more dramatic scene or episode.” I pause and quirk an eyebrow. “Or you’re just weird.” I finish with a giggle.

“Someone just died, Fleur.” Brooks states.

“Oh oops.” I smile sheepishly as I try to think of something to say. “uh But hey that was how Jade met Louise.”

“Through murder?” He deadpans. Gosh, this boy ain’t giving up, is he?

“Okay fine, that part of the show was a bit weird... but you still can’t deny that’s serendipity! Or is it?” I question, wrinkling my nose. “Now you have me all confused! Well at least I can tell you Malika Snow’s story is 100% serendipity!”

“How’s that?”

“Well for one, for the most random reason, she decided to go to the cafe at the other side of town and met Josh and then for some reason, he gets intrigued by her despite her bitchy ways.” I explain.

“You play a…” He began before dropping his voice to a whisper like a little kid saying a bad word. “Bitch?”

“Uh yeah.” A smile tug my lips at his childish behavior. “I thought you knew coz like…” I pause before mumbling it quietly. “Everyone says I’m a bitch as well…”

“Really? Why?” He asks, confused.

“Why? You mean, you don’t think I’m a bitch?” I ask, shocked. “The reason is that I am a bitch, or at least I pretend to be one.”

“Well, I don't think you're one, and I'm an outstanding judge of character.”

I peek at him through my eyelashes, trying hard not to smile. “Really?”

“Sure, you've never been rude to me. Or others that I've seen.” He reassures me. Before I knew what I was doing, I throw my arms around him and hug him.

“Thank you so much for saying that!! I’ve been trying soooo hard to get the ‘bitch’ reputation off of me ever since I’ve stepped into the palace. And I know I’ve failed sometimes…” I gush, I feel his face get hot and I let go.

He rubs the back of his neck. “It’s just the truth.”

I beam and decide to change the topic. “So what tv do you like to watch then? Are you more of a reality show guy, soap opera guy or like I don’t know documentary guy?”

He laughs. “I know I'm boring, but I'm not a documentary guy. Truthfully, I don't watch a lot of tv. I like old movies.”

“You’re not boring. There’s nothing wrong with liking documentary. Ooh what kind of old movies?”

“Hitchcock films to be specific. Put me in a room with a ton of books and Rear Window playing, and I'll be set for life.” He answers, sitting back a little like he’s ‘set for life’.

“Ah ha so you’re a suspense kind of guy! His films are great!” I smile. “Although one of my favorite old movies will always be To Kill A Mockingbird! I love both the movie and the book.”

“Me too! When I was little, I was set on changing my name to Gem.” he admits. “Or naming any future daughter of mine Scout.”

I laugh. “ That’s so cute! Scout Schreave does have a nice ring to it! I’ll let you in on a secret, as a kid I always thought Scout was called Scott.”

“I thought Gem was Jim.” He replies with a smile.

“Jim and Scott…” I muse. Quite a pair. “Did you read the sequel?”

“Yep, is it bad if I didn't like it?”

“Yes, it’s bad! Coz I HATED it. I almost didn’t finish the book! And I can’t believe she killed Gem off and Dill was nowhere to be found!” I groaned, filled with emotions I once felt when I first read the book.

“'Twas highly disappointing, I must say.” Brooks agrees.

I sigh and laugh at the thought of us bad mouthing a book together. “I read it back in high school and my English teacher saw and was like.” I change my tone into a dramatic one. “You’re reading that?”

“Why’d she say that?”

“Coz she read about the bad reviews and didn’t even bother picking it up.” I reply with a chuckle.

“She was right.” He says, tapping his head like he’s a meme.

I smile at his mimicking. “So what else does Brooks Schreave like except old films and books?”

“Well,” He begins in a dramatic tone. “Brooks Schreave absolutely loves holiday music.”

I nod excitedly. “I love it too! I’ve already been listening to it for like at least a month!”

“Seriously? Too soon, Fleur. I'm disappointed.” He replies, shaking his head playfully.

“Too soon?” I quirk an eyebrow and crosses her arm childishly. “When do you start listening then?”

“December 24th.” He jokes.

I nod head and clap slowly. “Yup, can totally see how you love holiday music.”

“I actually start the day after Thanksgiving.”

“So you’ve been listening it for at least a month as well.“ I reply with a slight roll of my eyes, fighting a smile.

“Helps me focus.”

“It cheers me up.” I reply with a smile. “Christmas is my favorite time of the year!”

“Of course it is. Put you in a green sweater and you'll look extremely festive.” He says.

I gasp dramatically. “Green sweater? How could you!?” I flip my hair. “I will always wear a red sweater.”

“But with the green and red, you'd be showing off your holiday spirit!” He argues.

“Hmm.” I pretend to think. “I’ll take it into consideration. So you’re gonna wear a green sweater? Or a red and green one?”

“Nope, a black sweater.”

“Like a funeral.” I point out.

“My own.” He says, pretending to wipe tear.

I give him a weird look. “I dare you to wear a green sweater on Christmas.” I smirk.

“Green doesn't complement me. You, however,” A smirk disrupts the younger Prince’s perfect features. “should definitely wear Viridian. I'm told I look nice in blue.”

“Excuse you! I will not wear that color!” I say with a shake of my head. “Blue... well you should wear turquoise then.”

“I'll do my best. Excited for the ball?” He promises.

“And I’ll try to add green to my outfit. Yeah, I’m excited! I love Party and of course, dancing! What about you?”

“Not my scene, actually.”

“I guessed. What do you usually do during balls?” I ask.

“Stand against the wall like a nerd from a cheesy highschool movie.” He answers solemnly.

“I can totally imagine you doing that!” I laugh.

He rolls eyes playfully. “What do you think you'll be like at the Ball?”

“Hmm I’ll mostly dance, chat with some of the girls and eat. But I’m not gonna drink. Do you drink?” I answer truthfully.

“Never. It doesn't seem like something I'd be into.”

“Same here. I’ve tried alcohol. Ew.” I say with a disgusted face.

“Ever been drunk?”

“Not really, I got into the show biz before I was old enough to really drink and my assistant has always been there to test my drinks to make sure they’re not alcohol so I don’t get drunk and do weird stuff and embarrass myself.” I explain with a laugh.

“The only thing that I regret is not knowing what kind of drunk I am.” He replies with a small shake of his head.

“True. Let’s try to guess... I think you’re gonna have an extremely red face and you’re gonna walk around blushing at every human contact you make, making your face even redder. And then you’re gonna say and do all these awkward things, more awkward than usual that is... And everyone’s gonna have a great laugh with you!” I declare with a giggle at the thought of Brooks doing exactly that.

“That sound awful.“ He laughs. “I feel you'd be a philosophical drunk.”

I frown. “Philosophical drunk? Tell me more.”

“Well, you're already a pretty lively person, so I think you'd be the opposite when drunk. You'd be maybe a little low about things or talk a ton about the meaning of life.” He explains.

“Meaning of life…“ I repeat with a giggle. “Well if I ever get drunk, please record it for me. I wanna see myself talking about the meaning of life!”

“I'm sure you'd evoke some real thought on the topic.” He muses.

I giggle. “Probably give in a lot of legal advice as well! So what’s your favorite part of Christmas besides the music?”

“I like seeing everyone together.” He says with a smile.

I raise an amused eyebrow. “Together? That’s Valentine’s Day, Brooks.”

He rolls his eyes in response. “Not like that. I mean like family.”

I smile. “I know what you mean. Do you royals do anything as a family besides the ball?”

“We have secret Santa amongst the kids and we spend the day together. I'd say that's normal.” He tells me, a smile tugging on his lips. “What about you? I'm sorry, I don't think I've asked about your family before.”

“Aww yeah that’s pretty normal! Nah it’s alright. I have an uh um tw- twin brother. We usually go to my grandma’s for lunch and then we spend the rest of the day together. Similar I guess.” I say, stuttering through the word twin. What’s wrong with me? I’ve always been at ease to call Lucas my twin, to lie to others. Why can’t I do the same with Brooks?

“You have a twin?” He questions.

Flower. Flowerity flower flower. ((Fleur swears using the word flower hahahah))

“Uh um y- y-yes.” I answer, looking super uncomfortable.

“What's his name?” Brooks being Brooks, is obviously oblivious.

“L-Lucas.” I stutter.

“Is he a redhead too?”

“Uh yeah of course. My parents are both redheads.” I reply, trying to pretend to be confident and relaxed.

“Are you alright?” Brooks asks. Flower.

“He’s not my brother. Please don’t put my parents in jail.” I blurt, covering my face. Oh Flower.

Suddenly Brooks starts laughing a bit awkwardly.

What?

I look up at him with teary eyes. “Why are you laughing?”

He looks alarmed. “Why are you crying?” He asks, placing a hand on my shoulder. If this had been any other situation, I would’ve laugh at his alarmed face.

I blink furiously, trying to stop my tears from falling. “I just... I don’t want my parents in jail…”

“Why would they go to jail?” He asks, still incredibly confused.

I take a deep breath. “Coz Lucas was my dad and a prostitute’s son and then the prostitute abused him and he came to us and we took him in. He had no birth certificate so my parents made him one so that he would be my twin brother.” I say in a rush,breathless when I finish.

He looks at a loss for words for a moment. “E-excuse me?”

“Oh flower. I just told a flowering prince about it. Oh my god.” I groaned, hot tears streaming down my face. “I’m so sorry. Please don’t hate me.”

“Wha- I don't hate you! Please don't cry!” He cries.

I look up in surprise. “You don’t?”

“Why would I hate you? Nothing you said sounds wrong.”

I frown. “...but I just told you my dad committed two crimes. And and you’re a prince?”

“It sounds like unofficial adoption and adultery.... Neither are great, but I don't understand what you expect me to do about that.”

“I don’t know... Put my father in jail or something. It’s just that I’ve never told anyone about this, well except for my best friend and Venus, who figured it out on her own. So uh…” I wipe my tears. “I’m so sorry for acting weird.” I apologize with a nervous giggle.

“Hey, it's alright! Don't feel bad, I understand. I know how it must suck to hold things in.” He replies kindly. I exhale a breath I never knew I was holding.

I smile. “Yeah it’s really hard. I’m usually quite good at concealing it but... I don’t know what happened.” I confess with a nervous laugh.

He cocks his head. “You just burst.”

I laugh. “I did, didn’t I? Gave you a bit of a scare!”

“Just a bit.” He jokes.

I laugh and decided to joke to make things lighter. “I’m sorry for scaring you and making you even more awkward.”

He laughs lightly. “It's okay.”

I smile. “Let’s put that behind us then.”

He rubs his arm absentmindedly. “Sure.”

“Are you cold?” I ask, noticing his not so subtle gesture.

“A little. I checked this morning at it's like 68 degrees. That's a bit cold for Angeles.” He says. ((Ahhh I love how Grace is so specific hahahahha))

I look down at my mid-sleeved dress then to his long sleeved shirt. “Uh yeah I guess.” Then I have an idea. Eyes dance mischievously, I rub my hands together real quick and place them on one side of his face. “Better?”

“Ever so slightly, yes. It reminds me of defibrillators.” He muses.

“Defibrillators. Really.” I deadpan. “This is defibrillators!” I rub hand together and pushes his chest, imitating defibrillators.

“You could've killed me!” He cries.

“Let’s see…” I pause to count my fingers. “Since I’ve met you, I’ve almost killed you twice... wow I feel sorry for the guards here.”

“Incompetent fools.” He puffs.

“Ow come on, they’re that bad?”

He laughs. “They let me almost die twice.”

I laugh back. “Well... yeah.”

“I've gotta go, meetings and such.“ he smiles, suddenly becoming all polite. “It was nice seeing you.” Then he adds, becoming more Brooks-like. “I'll make sure to wear turquoise.”

I smile back. “It was nice seeing you too. And I’ll add some green to my outfit!”

“Good.” he chuckles before leaving.

I shake my head as I turn on the tv.

((HELLO. Sorry for being inactive for so long but I have been super busy with school but yeah, I’m finally free to finish the ficsss!!! Oh and CONGRATS TO @eloiseduval!!!!!!!!!! And thanks @maximus-schreave @brooks-schreave aka Grace for the fun rppp. The long overdue challenge is nexttt. This fic happens before the attack.))

Before we go any further, let me just tell you one thing.

I am not a thief.

Okay, now that we’ve got that straight. We can continue.

I am not a thief and all I am trying to do is to get a bit of food from the kitchen when someone slides over to next to me, making me jump and scream.

“Well, what do we have here?”

“N-nothing!” I stammer, turning to face the young prince.

“You don't have to lie to me, carrots. I have a proposition for you.”

“Carrots?” I ask, raising an eyebrow at Max, as Anne Shirley comes into my mind. Wouldn’t it be funny if I broke something over his head. “What proposition?”

He grins. “Pranks, foxy, pranks!” What’s with Max and his nicknames?

I perk up immediately. “Ohhh. I’m in! Who are we pranking?”

“Brookie”

I clap my hands together. “ Oooh! I’m intrigued! So what’s the plan?”

“I was thinking we could ruin something dear to his heart.” Max replies with a wicked grin.

I frown at that. I love pranking people, especially my brother. But I know never anything too serious. I’ve seen enough “prank gone wrong” videos to know better. “Something dear to his heart? Are you sure it’s a good idea...?”

“Quite sure, gorgeous. Have you noticed his weird fascination with his own hair? I mean, it's not even as good as mine!”

“He does have nice hair…” I trail off with a smile. “What do you wanna do to it?”

“Shave it off.”

Nice id-

Wait what?

My eyes widen in shock. “What?! No! Let’s um... let’s do something else! Let’s... Let’s change the color!”

A bald Brooks?

Nope. Nopity nope.

He huffs. “Boring, but okay. What color?”

I laugh lightly. “Hmm... what about blue? Baby blue?” I flash him a wicked grin. “I remember him saying he looks nice in blue!” We agree on the color and the method and I ask the boy why he chose me and he said it was because I said I wanted to do pranks with him.

After getting the blue dye, we sneak into Brooks’ room. I try not to show how nervous I am to be there and I just follow the over dramatic Max into the bathroom to pour he dye into Brooks’ blue coconut shampoo. We exchange some playful teasing (on my part) and flirting (on his part) and he skips away.

—-

((Photoshop skills suck, sorry))

The next day, I had a hard time stifling my laugh as I watch Brooks -blue-haired Brooks- give Max death glares the whole meal. So right as everyone's leaving, I catch up with Brooks and fall into step with him.

"Hey." I say, biting my lip to keep myself from smiling. "Nice hair."

His hand instinctively goes to his hair and he mutters. "It's a prank."

I smirk and say in a sing-song voice. "So I’ve heard. Blue coconut shampoo, eh?"

Brooks stops walking and turns to me with narrowed eyes. "I'm sorry, can you repeat that?"

I flash him an evil. Think Max is the only who can pull off something like that? Wrong. Coz darling, I’m a nightmare dressed like a daydream. “You use blue coconut shampoo, don't you? Personally, I would recommend another flavour…”

Brooks responds with a groan and runs a hand through his hair. “He roped you in, didn't he?”

I grin, giggle, skip and clap. “Best prank ever. Just so you know, I chose blue coz you said you look nice in blue.”

“I was mistaken, it seems.”

“How so?” I muse.

“This doesn't suit me, does it?” He replies with a light laugh.

“Well…” I pause to pretend to examine him. I groan inwardly, this boy manages to pull off every look. “It doesn't look that bad, to be honest... Originally, your lil brother wanted to shave off your hair, but I convinced him to dye it instead. I mean, how can we ever shave off that hair!” I tease, messing his hair while giggling.

He doesn’t stop me this time. “You're always going to do that, aren't you?”

I beam at him. “Yup! Always.” I laugh and go on my tiptoes to mess his hair with both of my hands, only stopping when I see him with an unreadable expression.

“Yeah... I'll see you, Fleur.” He says quietly with an unsure voice.

Oh flowers. I messed up again, didn’t I?

He doesn’t like you, back off.

Whoops.

I decide to go with an innocent facade.

Thus, my face morphs into the perfect confused yet concerned frown. “Um... Is everything alright? You can tell me anything.”

“I know.” He replies with a smile. But I’m the actress here and I can spot out a fake smile. “I'm just thinking; don't worry.”

“You sure? Is this about…” Clove pops into my mind but I shake my head slightly. It’s none of my business. “Never mind.” I give him a slight smile.

He returns a slight, forced smile. “I'll see you later.”

Or not.

I bite my lip. “Uh yeah sure. Of course!” He looks down awkwardly and walks away.

As I stand in the hallways, I realized this time I’m no longer overwhelmed with sadness and embarrassment. Instead, I’m starting to be homesick.

Robecca Loses Steam

Robecca has been the undisputed top player of the 2013 SKRM season, promising the student bodies of Monster High to help bring home the UHHH-ltimate championship title. However, it seems that Robecca’s steam might finally be coming to a screeching halt after Friday’s harrowing match. Monsters watched in terror as Robecca limped off the course and fled deep into the catacombs. Reports have surfaced that Ghoulia was spotted slowly creeping down after her with a large package, rumored to be a programing enhancement that will increase the speed of Robecca’s rocket boots.

Will Ghoulia be able to complete the restoration in time for Robecca to join her team for the upcoming match? Only time will tell.