“I never knew you had such a filthy imagination, Chiara.”
“What?” I look at him.
He taps my laptop screen. “This scene is hot.”
Heat rushes to my cheeks, and in a panic, I delete the whole thing.
“Damn, why did you do that? It was really good.”
“I don’t know what I was thinking. I can’t submit that. Mrs. Fallon will think I’m a perv.”
Robbie glances at the front of the room, where our teacher is busy writing something on the whiteboard.
“Nah, I think she’ll appreciate it. Maybe it will give her some ideas to use with her husband later tonight.” Robbie wiggles his eyebrows up and down.
I hit his arm. “Shhh. You have such a dirty mind.”
“Not as dirty as yours.”
I cover my face with my hand. “You’re never going to stop teasing me about that, are you?”
“Never. So, what, or better yet, who inspired that scene?”
“Nobody,” I say through clenched teeth.
“Right. I’ll pretend I believe you.”
The class finally comes to an end, and mercifully, Mrs. Fallon doesn’t ask us to submit our scenes at the end of it. She says we can keep working on them during the weekend.
Robbie laces his arm with mine and says, “Come on. I’m famished.”
On the way to the cafeteria, I notice there are more students heading there than usual.
“What’s going on?” I ask.
“Oh, I think the students in the drama program are planning something. Harold heavily hinted yesterday that we should eat in the cafeteria today.”
There’s a sense of excitement in the air, and I get caught up in it. Something is definitely going to happen. Instead of veering toward the food buffet, Robbie aims for a table, scoring a spot for us with the glee club students. Introductions are made quickly before he asks if anything has happened yet.
“Nope. But it will soon,” a guy with a mop of dark curly hair says.
“Robbie, I thought you were hun—”
A commotion in the crowd cuts me off, and like everyone else at the table, I turn in the direction of the noise. The throng of people parts to make room for the dozen guys dressed up as knights. Half of them carry flags with different insignias, and the other half have a sword in one of their hands and a toy horse between their legs.
“What the hell?” I say.
“Behold, fair people of DuBose Kingdom,” says a tall blond guy as he walks to the middle of the circle that has quickly formed. “We’re the brave knights of the six glittering courts, and today we’ll duel in the name of the House Cup.”
A loud noise erupts all around us as students begin shouting and banging their food trays against the tables. The blond guy waits until the noise level goes down to speak again. “But before we begin, each of us needs a blessing and a token from a fair maiden.”
I roll my eyes when I hear the loud, high-pitched screams of some girls. Come on, people.
“I guess since I’m already talking, I’ll start.”
The guy makes a show of looking at the crowd surrounding him as he rubs his chin. When his eyes land on me, he pauses.
Oh hell to the no.
He strides in my direction until he drops in front of me like an idiot. “What’s your name, oh fair maiden?”
Instead of answering him, I narrow my eyes and say, “You haven’t earned the right to know my name.”
A collective gasp echoes in the vast room, followed by laughter.
“Ouch, we got a fierce one here, folks. I sure know how to pick them,” he says.
“Pick them? What are we, flowers ready for the plucking? I don’t think so, buddy.” I glare at him for real.
Sensing I’m serious, he brings his body to the same level as mine and whispers in my ear, “I don’t mean anything by it. This is just for show.”
I feel bad now. Maybe I was projecting my frustration with Alistair on this guy. This seems to be just harmless fun after all.
“All right. Carry on. I won’t bite your head off.”
Relief crosses his face, and he smiles. He returns to his position kneeling at my feet and grabs my hand. “If you allow me, fair maiden, I’ll win this tournament and earn the honor to know thy name.”
“I’ll give you my permission, oh brave golden knight.”
