My Very UnFairy Tale Life by Anna Staniszewski Page A

you.”
    â€œYeah,” I said, pulling Prince Lamb away.
    â€œWho was she talking about?” he asked when we were out in the hallway again.
    â€œDr. Bradley.”
    â€œYou miss him, don’t you?” Prince Lamb said with a sympathetic look.
    In a moment of weakness the day before, I’d told the prince all about what had happened with Dr. Bradley. Now I regretted ever opening my mouth.
    â€œNo,” I said. “All he did was lie to me. Why would I miss that?”
    â€œI’m sure he had no choice,” said Prince Lamb.
    â€œPeople always have a choice,” I said, sounding like a character out of a bad movie. I tapped the side of my head, hoping to finally shut off the corny chip in my brain. Then I turned to Prince Lamb. “Ready for class?”
    The prince nodded, and for a moment he looked like an eager sheep. Then he pushed up his cuffed sleeves, and he was more boy-suave than ever.
    When we walked into the loud classroom, it went instantly silent. Everyone watched as the prince and I sat down. It reminded me of the first time I had seen the inhabitants of Speak, with their wide, examining eyes.
    Trish and Melissa were whispering together in the corner. They didn’t even bother looking my way, and I didn’t blame them. I wouldn’t want to be friends with a big, fat liar either.
    â€œWe have a new student joining us today,” the teacher said. “His name is…Prince Lamb?”
    The prince shot up from his seat and trotted to the front of the room. “That is correct, madam,” he said. “I am Prince. And it is a pleasure to make all of your acquaintances.”
    All eyes in the room stared back at him in surprise. There went his chances of ever being accepted.
    â€œI have recently moved here from, er, California,” the prince went on. “I like spending time out of doors, especially taking long walks through grassy fields. I am very fond of all types of music, enjoy trying new things, and am an excellent listener.”
    There was dead silence as Prince Lamb went back to his seat. I could almost hear people’s brains churning.
    Then, to my utter surprise, I saw dreamy smiles spread across the girls’ faces. Meanwhile, the boys were sizing the prince up like he was their competition. I had to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing. If they only knew he was going to grow up to be a sheep!
    Finally, it was lunchtime. I gripped my bagged lunch tightly and made my way over to the table I’d shared with Trish and Melissa the previous week.
    â€œHi, guys,” I said.
    They looked up at me but didn’t say anything.
    â€œI don’t blame you for being mad. I just wanted to say I’m sorry.”
    Melissa chewed on her lip. “We don’t forgive you,” she said. “But we have a question.”
    â€œOkay.”
    â€œAll the girls have been asking about Prince,” said Trish. “Do you know if he has a girlfriend back home?”
    I fought back a smile. “I don’t think so.”
    Trish and Melissa exchanged excited looks. Then they turned their noses away from me.
    I sighed and went over to an empty table in the corner of the cafeteria. Back in my adventurer days, I’d mostly sat by myself and hadn’t really minded being alone. So why did it feel so awful now?
    As I took out my sandwich, Prince Lamb emerged from the lunch line with a tray balanced in his hands. He was surrounded by a group of the most popular boys in the entire school. I could only stare as they worked their way over to my table.
    â€œJenny,” said Prince Lamb, leaning in to whisper in my ear. “Is it all right if these fellows sit with us?”
    â€œUm, okay. You sure make friends fast.”
    He gave me a devilish grin. “They seemed impressed with my ability to eat an entire stack of napkins.”
    â€œYou’re kidding.”
    Prince Lamb raised his eyebrows mysteriously.