My Very UnFairy Tale Life by Anna Staniszewski

some dinner?” Prince Lamb chimed in. His words did nothing to break up the suffocating tension in the room.
    â€œNo thanks,” Trish said coldly. “Come on, Melissa.”
    â€œGood-bye, Jenny. If that’s even your real name,” Melissa spat.
    My two best friends stormed out of the house, slamming the door behind them. Time seemed to stop. What had I done? There was no way Melissa and Trish would ever believe anything I said now. I’d thought losing them the first time had been hard. But losing them again hurt a hundred times more.

Chapter 15
    On Monday morning, I woke up to the smell of pancakes. I was still in a bad mood from everything that had happened with Melissa and Trish the other night, but this was Prince Lamb’s first day of school and I was determined to make it a good one. I threw on some clothes and rushed down to the kitchen. Prince Lamb was already at the table, stuffing his mouth full of breakfast.
    â€œGood morning!” said Aunt Evie. She had a muskrat perched on her head and another one on her shoulder as she set a pancake-filled plate in front of me.
    â€œThese smell good,” I said. My aunt rarely remembered to cook more than one meal in a row. Having the prince around definitely had its advantages.
    â€œAnd they’re crunchy,” said Prince Lamb.
    â€œCrunchy?” I inspected one of the pancakes and found something that looked suspiciously like a pellet of rabbit food. I shrugged and poured a bunch of maple syrup on top before digging in. It tasted pretty good.
    â€œAre you excited about your first day at Jenny’s school?” Aunt Evie asked.
    â€œAbsolutely,” said Prince Lamb. “But I doubt it will be as much fun as spending time with those two muskrats.”
    Aunt Evie giggled as she scratched the animals’ heads. “They’re a feisty duo,” she said. “I just hope I can help them work through their sibling rivalry.”
    â€œHow close are they in age?” asked Prince Lamb.
    â€œWell…” Aunt Evie launched into a long explanation of the difference between muskrat years and people years.
    I stared as the prince and my aunt chatted away as if they’d known each other forever. I couldn’t remember a single time I’d talked to my aunt about her job. It had always seemed so foreign to me, just as school seemed like another world to Aunt Evie.
    After breakfast was done and Prince Lamb and I had helped clean up the kitchen, it was time for school.
    â€œReady for your first day?” I asked.
    â€œOf course!” said Prince Lamb. He grabbed the old schoolbag I’d lent him (he wasn’t bothered by the pink hearts and purple stars), and we headed to the bus stop.
    â€œIf you don’t stop grinning like a fool,” I told him, “you’re going to get beat up.”
    â€œBleat up?” asked the prince.
    â€œ Beat up,” I said with a laugh. “Meaning picked on. All the girls might swoon over you, but I doubt the boys will.”
    â€œDon’t worry,” said Prince Lamb. “I’ve been trained in the art of charming people since birth. That is what princes do, after all.”
    When we got to school, I brought Prince Lamb to the front office, praying no one would ask too many questions. I shouldn’t have worried. Prince Lamb’s charm went into full swing. Within a few minutes he had a class schedule and something like a lunch date with the secretary.
    â€œAren’t you just the nicest boy?” she said, shaking her head in wonder. “If only all the boys had your manners!”
    Prince Lamb beamed.
    â€œYou hang on to this one,” the secretary told me with a wink. I blushed. “Have you had a chance to see your grandfather?” she added.
    I shuffled my feet. “Not really.”
    â€œI know it’s easy to forget about your grandparents when you’re young. But I’m sure it would brighten his day to see