30 Days with Prince Obnoxious, What Could Go Wrong? [Part 12]

When I was a kid, I had a nightmare - a nightmare so scary to me then that I remembered it all of my life.

In that damned dream, I was challenged by my friends to go inside this white building and climb all the way to the top. By the looks of it outside, the white building is only like 3 floors high. But as I enter the building, looking back towards my friends, I realized that climbing the stairs to the top wasn't going to be easy.

I was a mere 5-year-old then.

Inside the building, there were so many stairs to climb that it doesn't look like 3 floors high anymore. When I was scared and I started to climb down again, it seem a very long way to go. So long that I can't find it.

When I woke up, I cried.

I don't know what's so scary about the building, there were no ghosts or anything. And it was not at the middle of the night like any normal nightmares are.

The fact that I can't climb the stairs all the way to the top? Maybe. The fact that I got lost in a small building? Possibly.

But while I was in that building, I was alone.

And that freaked me out so much, so badly, that I still remembered it till today.

Tonight, in my princess-like dress, my brown hair in a neat, tidy, french twist and with those mascara, glossy lips and eyeshadow of mine - the nightmare repeated itself over and over again in my head.

As I buried my head onto Jason's shoulder, I had to gather all of my energy not to cry.

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[Day 8]

"You should go with the pink one," Kate said thoughtfully. I stuck out my tongue and made a barfing sound.

I don't want to go to this stupid ball.

Because I just realized that I don't wear short sleeves or sleeveless outfits in my entire life. It's my weird problem; I don't like to feel being so exposed.

The rest of last week went by in a flash. The only thing interesting that had happened is Emily beating me in a game of chess. And get this: She didn't even know how to play chess! That, and His Royal Highness seems to be less annoying since I spoke to Jason the other day.

Big surprise right? Prince Alexander being less annoying? To me?

That's because he's ignoring me for some reason. Or at least, I think he is ignoring me.

"Can't I just go with a pair of jeans and a white shirt?" I asked.

Kate looked at me as if I had grown two heads and snakes were protruding out of my eyes sockets.

"Fine," I finally said and bought the silky dress. It was strapless, with pink ribbon lacing at the back. The pink silky fabric was covered up with white organza. So it showed more white than pink.

Personally, I hate it.

Stupid dress doesn't have sleeves.

That dress would cost me my whole life savings when I don't have this job. But hey, I'm getting paid $1500.

That makes me so damn happy. I can actually purchase something that's costs more than my leg.

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After 2 whole hours (and a half. Kate won't be satisfied until she practically painted my face with those make up) of getting ready, I looked myself in the mirror.

"See how pretty you look?" Kate said.

Yeah, after 2 hours of face painting. My hair was pulled up in a french twist, and the silk dress hugged my curves perfectly that I was sorely tempted to hunch my shoulder to hide my ample cleavage like I always do.

I don't look like me. I look like a very stunningly beautiful model that made even goddesses envious. Part of me didn't like this transformation at all.

Why?

Because as soon as I arrived at the ridiculously humongous ballroom, people were ogling at me. I was partly surprised by the reaction. It made me so self-conscious that I started to walk like a duck the minute after.

No one took notice, oddly.

Normally, if people walk like a half-bleeding duck, they would laugh right?

"You look amazing," someone cooed in my ear.

"What's this ball for anyway?" I asked hurriedly. Jason looked at me weirdly.

"I mean, thanks," I replied. It was rude not to accept compliments - even though you think otherwise of the comment - I learned that from my friend.

"But seriously," I continued on, "what's it for?"

He laughed.

"You're asking me? I don't know too."

Sheesh.

"Don't complain too much Melissa. We have free food here, most of my friends are here tonight-" he paused, motioning towards the crowd of scattering young adults, "-and me...I have you accompanying me tonight. And if I'm really lucky on this beautiful evening...maybe we could-"

"You're thinking too far. Don't bet on it," I snapped, cutting him off. He grinned childishly.

"But it's a possibility, no?"

"No it's not," I said expressionless. He faked a sad sigh and ran a hand through his brown hair. I almost laugh at his act.

"Hey Jason, who's the girl?" a girl around my age with fiery red hair and green eyes asked.

"Er, Melissa Winters," I started. I don't want anyone else to introduce me. She smiled. "Hi, I'm Ava deFleur, nice to meet you."

After almost an hour of meeting new people, I went to the nearest bathroom. But as I was in one of the cubicles, three girls walked in and started to talk. It was not my intention to listen - their voice was just too loud to ignore.

"Have any of you met that Melissa girl tonight?" a girl asked.

"Not yet," one answered. And there were these clattering sounds on the counter. I guessed they were retouching their make up. "Have you?"

Silence.

"But I heard she's a real pain."

What the-?

"Have you seen the way she treated dear Alex in that restaurant last week?"

"I know!" two of the girls exclaimed in unison. It's almost annoying.

"Shame that the picture was taken by an amateur. I can't even see her face right,"

"Must be a bimbo though right?"

"Definitely."

My jaws dropped. After flushing the toilet, I got out of the cubicle and smiled nicely at them - even though my blood was boiling with rage and my throat felt like bursting. I can't swallow right.

"Oh hi," A girl with blonde hair said. I greeted her back.

"So what is up with this Melissa eh?" she started again.

My god, I felt like choking her right there and then.

"Er- I need to go, I'm sorry. Nice to meet you though."

Not.

When I went back to the ballroom, the nightmare played back in my head. The nightmare that I had when I was a kid.

"Hey there kiddo," Jason said when I approached him. He was talking to his four friends. I started to wonder if they were hating me too. Gosh, I hate being too self-conscious like this.

"Uh, can we call it a night?"

We moved away from the crowd.

"Why? It's just starting," he said, pouting and then dragging me to the middle of the room. "Come on, let's dance."

As I sway away with him, the nightmare replaying over and over again in my head - I realized that I was feeling lonely than ever before.

I miss my home. I miss my parents. I miss everything in the U.S.

This country was so foreign to me now. I can't fit in that easily can I? But it's going to be my home for this month, so I have to deal with it with an open mind.

That's not easy though, since my eyes started to get teary.