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#Chapter 8: Stolen Hope
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His Secret Princess #Chapter 9: One Man’s Trash
CelesteUnder the cloak of night, I found myself kneeling by the trash cans, swiveling my head around this way and that like a cat on the prowl while the stench of rotting food wrapped around me like a shroud.Jack had taken it upon himself to take the trash outside to be picked up by the truck in the morning. Although it was normally my job to take the trash out, along with all of the other household chores, he said that he didn’t trust me not to sneak the dress back if I did it myself.“You were so wrong,” I whispered to myself as I rolled up my sleeves.He was inside now, drunk already with the hockey game on full blast. Over the years, I had gotten good at slinking silently around the house to avoid his disdain. I had slipped past him easily on the way out here, and I would be able to slip past him on the way back to my room.With one hand clamped itself firmly over my mouth and nose, blocking out the stench of the garbage and my other hand delving into the muck, my heart pounded
His Secret Princess #Chapter 10: The Girl with the Cat Mask
MattI was hit with a sudden rush of excitement when the notification lit up my phone screen: a new picture message.Sliding onto one of the locker room benches, I opened it. My breath hitched at the sight, a tantalizing closeup of a woman's cleavage. It was enough to send my pulse racing, a lump forming in my throat.I went to zoom out, but there was nothing else there. Just cleavage. I could just barely make out a collarbone on the upper left side of the screen, but nothing more. Not even a lock of hair.“Why the mystery?” I muttered to myself, feeling a twinge of frustration.A part of me craved to see more, to uncover the enigma behind the mask. But another part of me also reveled in the mystery, in the secret thrill of the chase.This girl was mysterious, and that, to me, was sexy. So many girls who I had come into contact with were so quick to tell me everything, to show me everything. But this girl… She was a closed book with a lock and key.With the picture open on my phone, I
His Secret Princess #Chapter 11: Scrubbing Out the Stains
CelesteI knew what I needed to do in order to remedy the situation with my dress.The next night, after I had fished the cornflower blue dress out of the garbage and kept it hidden in a box in my closet all night, I fished it out. I practically gagged at the smell, and prayed that the stains hadn’t sat there for too long.My brother was out, but he would be home soon. I only just got home after my classes for the day; I had to be fast. Quickly and quietly, like a mouse, I ran to the bathroom and got to work.I found an article online with instructions on how to get stains out of satin fabric, and I followed those instructions to the letter.The cold water ran over my hands as I scrubbed at the delicate fabric of the dress.The memory of the trash can's pungent aroma was still fresh in my mind. I couldn't believe I had to go through all this just because of some cruel remarks; the dress had looked perfect on me, or at least, that's what I had believed.I still never understood why Jac
His Secret Princess #Chapter 12: Look a Little Closer
CelesteThe morning sun streamed through the tall windows of my lecture hall, casting a golden glow over my notes.It was difficult to focus knowing that my dress was waiting for me in my closet at home. I was excited to run home to check on it, to see how the stains looked now that it was dry.As class came to a close, however, my mind began to wander to lunch. I skipped breakfast that morning, and dinner the night before. I was feeling weak and sick to my stomach, but the pangs of hunger were a constant reminder of my goal: to shed a few pounds for the ball.It was likely a futile effort; I had gone through phases like this in the past where I tried to starve myself to lose some weight, only to binge at the end of it all and hate myself even more. It would likely be no different this time, but I hoped to at least save the binging for after the dance.Walking out of the classroom, I was greeted by Fiona’s familiar chirpy voice.“Celeste! Wait up! Fancy some grub?”I mustered a smile,
His Secret Princess #Chapter 13: Race to the Finish
CelesteThe gym echoed with a constant symphony of footsteps, clanging weights, and stifled conversation.“Hey. Celeste.” Fiona nudged me with her elbow, breaking me out of my short-lived reverie with Matt, who had now returned to his conversation with his friends. “Come on.”I nodded and followed her, feeling my face turning a deep shade of red—both from Matt’s unexpected presence and the other people around me, who were no doubt staring at the chubby newcomer in her baggy sweatpants and men’s t-shirt.As Fiona and I walked over to the treadmills, I caught snippets of whispered conversations that seemed to have one thing in common: me."...can't believe she's here...""...does she think she can keep up?"I felt a nudge. Fiona rolled her eyes, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “Sounds like you're the talk of the town. Congrats.”I sighed. “Yeah, for all the wrong reasons.”Under so-called ‘normal’ circumstances, maybe I would have listened to the advice of others who said that people i
His Secret Princess #Chapter 14: New Beginnings
CelesteThings were just beginning to look up.I was beginning to feel myself growing a little in confidence. My conversation with Fiona was flowing freely, punctuated by our laughter and the sound of the lively pop music in my ears, as we worked out together.I really was beginning to enjoy myself.“Hey,” I said to Fiona, smiling. “This whole gym thing actually isn’t that bad.”“See? I told you!” Fiona grinned. She shot me two finger guns as she backpedaled over to the water fountain.But that enjoyment, that growth in confidence, was short-lived. Because I felt a tap on my shoulder, and turned around to see none other than Sabrina.“Celeste,” she hissed, her eyes narrowed as a smirk came across her lips. “Fancy seeing you here. Trying to fit in with the gym crowd now?”Sabrina’s sneer was almost palpable, cutting through the humid air of the gym and landing squarely on me.“O-Oh, hey, Sabrina—”“Celeste,” she interrupted, the corners of her cherry-red lips twitching upward. “Do you
His Secret Princess #Chapter 15: Good Form
CelesteI could still feel the heat of Sabrina's cruel words when Matt's commanding voice filled the space.Sabrina whipped around, her haughty air momentarily faltering, replaced by an expression I had never seen on her before: uncertainty.“What was that, Matt?” Sabrina snapped, her voice trembling ever so slightly.“You heard me,” Matt said. “You’re a bully. Get out; this is no place for someone like you.”Sabrina stared up at Matt in shocked silence for a long time. She was kneeling on her yoga mat, already having returned to her workout now that she had driven me away. Slowly, she stood, placing her hands on her hips.“You’re joking,” she growled.Matt took a deep breath, his stance firm and unwavering. “This is a gym, Sabrina, a place for people to come and feel better about themselves. Not to be torn down by the likes of you.”Sabrina huffed, rolling her eyes. “Oh, come on. It was just a little harmless fun.”“I'm on duty tonight. As the part-time manager of this gym,” Matt sai
His Secret Princess #Chapter 16: Shattered Hopes
Celeste“Bye!” Fiona said, waving as she walked up the steps to her house. “See you tomorrow; and don’t forget to pack your gym clothes!”“I won’t,” I replied with a smile. I watched my friend disappear inside her house, and then headed down the street toward my own house. It wasn’t a long walk—just a few blocks.The rush of the day's accomplishments was still coursing through me when I pushed open the door to our shared home.But that high vanished the moment my gaze landed on the scene before me.“Jack!” I screamed, my voice echoing through the hallways. But I was met with only silence.Laid out in front of me was a trail of cornflower blue fabric. Each piece had been shredded and painstaking laid out in an obvious path leading up the stairs.Tears flowed freely as I slowly and shakily followed the path that had been left for me. With each step, my legs felt heavier, my soul felt more crushed.The trail disappeared under my bedroom door. A sob caught in my throat, and my hand shook
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His Secret Princess #Chapter 200: The Mask
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