Let's get straight to the point; my grades suck. I did well enough to pass, and that's what matters!... Right? Don't judge me too harshly, please! I can never focus enough to study, and numbers give me a headache. Thankfully, there are only a week left of school.
"Wow! He got a perfect score again?! The royal family really is different; they're all geniuses!"
"I know right?! And that test was so hard, I hate it here, I'm glad we're graduating soon." I'm not involved in this conversation; I just heard a couple of my schoolmates talking in front of where our final grades were posted.
"I'm going to ask Smoke out today," One of the girls announced, which made me pause in my steps and eavesdrop more intensely,
Smoke is second in line for the throne, the youngest prince of the southern quadrant. He has hair that's black at the roots and slowly transitions to white at the ends. He's tall, handsome, confident, competent, Intelligent, and friendly too, so of course he's popular. I never spoke to him much, but like everyone else, I had a crush on him. So, hearing other people talking about confessing to Smoke, irritated me. Who does she think she is? Unfortunately, she has a chance... Smoke has only officially dated one person, but he never pushes away anyone who flirts with him, making him a playboy. Still, anyone who confesses to him practically forfeits any chance of a long-term relationship and only becomes a one-night stand. The rumor is, he's waiting till graduation to have something serious. I honestly don't trust rumors. I think he isn't interested in genuine romantic relationships at all.
"Hey Snowe," Smoke greeted. Ibij was at his side. Ibij always sent me signals that he likes me by the way he looked at me and his shy mannerisms, and even if I would prefer Smoke, I like Ibij. He's realistic, tangible, and sincere.
"How did you do on the finals?" Ibij asked. He knew I hated talking about grades, so I pouted.
"I passed! That's all that matters." I stated sternly, Smoke smiled, and I looked away before my heart pounded out of my chest.
"You're right, that is all that matters." Smoke agreed
"That's hilarious, coming from you! Mr. Perfect grades!" I teased. Our subjects are Math, History, Element Control, and hand-to-hand combat. Smoke excelled in everything. It's hard to believe he shares my indifference towards academic excellence.
"I have an older brother to live up to." He argued. That's when Ibij jumped in, saying,
"You don't need to live up to him! You're better than that asshole!" Smoke frowned,
"He's still my brother, so watch your mouth." The anger in his voice sent chills down my spine. The best way to define Smoke's family situation is: It's complicated. One thing is clear: he respects his brother.
"I heard someone talk about confessing to you earlier," I noted to Smoke to ease the tension. He sighed but didn't respond. Smoke is friends with everyone, but since Ibij likes me, Smoke has been making conversation with me regularly as of late. I know I don't have a chance with Smoke, self-awareness is a skill of mine. So I'd never step out of line and pursue him. I'm having to really push myself to act so casual with him right now.
"I bet... anyway, I need to go, talk to you later Snowe. Bye." He waved before he left me alone with Ibij. It's weird that he keeps directly chatting with me, but I'm sure it means nothing.
"So, how did things go with Kara?" I asked because I knew Ibij asked her out last week, and I don't want him to be flirting with me if he's with someone already,
"We... went out a few times, but it didn't work out, she's not the girl I thought she was." He muttered. I don't know what he means by that. "I don't want to talk about it, it's kind of embarrassing, for real." He hung his head,
"I see... I'm sorry for bringing it up." I replied. I shrugged, prepared to drop the topic completely. He's single, and that's all that matters.
"Thank you! This is why you're the best Snowe. No one ever apologizes to me..." I felt a pang of pity for him, but then I noticed the time and the hallway emptying,
"Oh, crap! I'll talk to you later! Be good in class!" I shouted,
"No! I'm gonna be a menace!" He yelled back, and I laughed. My next class is important, especially today, because the teacher, Mr. Ark, helps everyone with our career placement (once we've made a decision). Before today, I felt lost on what I should do. I'm not one of the Celestials (powerful families treated like royals), I'm also not good enough at fighting to be a guardian (sent to Earth to protect certain sectors), or useful as a soldier. My power isn't good for growing food, building, or promoting life, and I'm so terrible at my studies that I definitely should not ever become a scholar or teacher.
I waited till class was over, even though we were allowed to chat freely, I wanted some alone time with him. So I waited until everyone else was gone before I made my move.
"Hey Qon, I have a question," Is how I began my proposal,
"Are we on a first-name basis, now, Miss Snowe?" He asked, sounding a bit amused. I ignored his comment and continued,
"I need your help! I decided on a career. I want to be a musician!" His eyebrows rose. "I've decided I want to be an entertainer. I finally figured out how to use my power!" I said gleefully,
"So you need my help?" He asked while pulling some papers out of his desk, "Well... you want my connections." He started writing something down. "I'm glad you finally know what you want to do with your life. I was worried about you. I'm also interested to see what snow has to do with music." I'm surprised he noticed me with all the other more remarkable students in the school. Though I suppose I would stand out, being the only student who hasn't chosen a path. "Meet me after school and we'll get started."
I agreed and made sure to text my parents as well as my friends, letting them know I'd be busy before meeting with Mr. Ark. Everyone else in the school was in a rush to get home, so it wasn't long before we were alone.
"Alright, Miss Snowe, it's time for details." Mr. Ark stated while leaning against the front of his desk.
"There aren't many entertainers on Infaniya; I can sing, and my element choice is extremely rare. My skills are quite a commodity." I reasoned. He tapped his chin and said,
"Show me, I need to see what I'm working with if I'm going to help promote you." He's practically consenting already! I grinned widely, making it impossible to hide my excitement. Then I started to sing, it was just our school anthem
♪I may be young, but I will grow
The places I'll go, only time can show
I'll become strong
And I know before long,
I'll show this world the future,
The future of Youth.♪
I stopped there and waited for his response, but he stared at me silently for several seconds before saying,
"What else can you do?" He still seemed to be in a good mood, so I think I did well.
"I can dance... I can play a few instruments too." I replied.
"Really?" He sounded surprised. Most people my age don't learn instruments, so he's probably in shock. It's seen as an impractical hobby, only pursued in old age. "I would like to see your dancing too if that's alright?" I nodded and looked for an appropriate song to play on my phone before performing the choreography I'd practiced. When I stopped, I turned to him to get his reaction. His mouth was hanging open, and he was looking at me as if he had never seen me before today.
"What do you think?" I asked, and he covered his mouth and then turned his back to me.
"I'll help you... I'll call the people I know and... I think you should put on a show during the graduation ceremony... it'll be a good time to debut." Things are moving so fast! Since a prince is graduating, the crowds will be larger than usual.
"Do you really think I'm good enough already? That I'll do well?" I just need a little more reassurance, just one more push.
"You'll be amazing. Plus, one of the Princes graduates this year, so there will be a lot of press coverage," He commented. That's it! I know I got this, now. I left school with my confidence raging at full blast. That's when I saw that Smoke was standing by the gate exit. All my other classmates were gone, even Ibij.
"Hey!" I yelled while waving. He had been staring down at the ground, but at the sound of my voice, he turned to me, smiled, and gestured for me to come to him. "What are you doing out here?" I asked. He stared at me for half a second, then said,
"I had gotten used to walking home together, so I waited." My heart fluttered even though I knew not to think anything of it,
"You're so sweet," I commented sarcastically and nudged him with my shoulder. He rolled his eyes and we started walking, "Where is Ibij?"
"He couldn't wait very long. What took you, anyway?" I giggled, keeping pace with him.
"I figured out that I want to be a music artist. Mr. Ark is helping me." Smoke is good at keeping things to himself, so I don't need to worry about him telling anyone. I'm still going to keep the graduation performance a surprise, though.
"That makes sense... your voice is beautiful. I'm glad you figured out what you want to do." I grinned widely
"Thank you, that means a lot." Wait... has he heard me sing before? He must have heard me absent-mindedly singing to myself in the hallways, that's a little embarrassing. Smoke's hand brushed against mine and my temperature skyrocketed. I started to jerk away, so I didn't make him uncomfortable, but then he then grabbed my hand and pulled me closer. "Wait... what are you doing?" I mumbled out shyly.
"Your eyes... they're violet now." He noted. I blushed and covered my face. "They're usually pink... or am I wrong?" He stared at me intensely, making me feel like I should run and hide. My eyes must only be pink when he's in the room, and they're only purple now because he's touching me... My mother passed her chemelon eyes to me; basically, they change color with my mood. Right now... I'm extremely... attracted to him.
"Don't worry about it! Good night!" I said as I snatched away and ran home as fast as I could.