Chapter 2 Waiting For The Prince

THE cab halted just adjacent the school's gigantic gate, and Rina alighted.

She paid the t-fair and began walking into the school compound.

So much posh and expensive cars kept driving in and out of the school, throngs of students filing in, making the gate entrance busy.

That's how it always was at the gate every morning, very busy.

The securities themselves most times finds it difficult trying to control the traffic, as they either end up separating a fight which must have resulted from the students, mainly the juniors from stepping on themselves or something, or turning traffic wardens overnight, controlling incoming and outgoing cars.

Gosh! It was always busy.

She managed finding her way into the school compound and exhaled so deeply.

One marathon accomplished, she sighed.

Now in the school compound, students were all gathered in groups chatting and laughing.

She looked towards the lobby leading to her class and saw a lot of them, mostly girls. Groups of five and six, they were all chatting away, she sighed.

Getting to walk past these groups was another marathon itself, it was like hours of torture.

She heaved a sigh and braced up, she had to walk past, else she won't be in class that day.

"Oh dear, do you know the prince is coming home soon?", she heard a student asked and she made a face.

"Yep, and he's coming to pick a bride you know?", another asked and they all bursted into laughter.

"You all keep shut, heard Prince Raghav already has a girlfriend", came another.

"Girlfriend indeed, is she from Shimla town?", the second student who had spoken came again.

She hurriedly scuttled by, her ears almost itching from hearing of the prince here and there.

Why was this really trending? Everywhere she went, the prince, the prince. She sighed.

Making a left bend, she took the stairs, leading to her class.

Getting to the lobby upstairs, she came by another group of students, realizing their major topic of discussion and obviously fed up hearing about it, she braced to just scuttle by.

"Here comes the pauper girls", a student in the group sneered, or more like announced and they all turned to look at her coming towards them.

Rina now looked into the faces of the students and oh God! It was the bully girls, she hated crossing their path and always avoid doing so.

Now, just this Monday morning, she had run into them, was that a way to start the week?

Gosh! She felt like the ground should open up and swallow her, she hated being called that.

She bowed her head in shame, avoiding their eyes and slowly walked past.

"I wonder what she's still doing in our school, her likes should be in the public schools", the most smallest of the group blurted out.

They bursted out laughing.

"Look at her pauper school bag", another jeered and the laughing continued.

Rina couldn't stand this anymore, she hastened her footsteps. Suddenly the girl who had earlier spoken, put out her left leg on the way, Rina stumbled and fell.

The chattering increased.

Rina didn't know when the tears streamed her face, and slowly ran down. She was too sad to move a thing.

"Rina", someone shouted from a distance.

*

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*

Zaina sat in the class feeling all bored up, there was nothing in particular that enticed or interest her.

Even the novel she was engrossed in was only trying to savage the situation, she still felt bored.

She looked around the class and hissed for the umpteenth time, all students were gathered in groups talking about the prince and his arrival.

She was bored up with it, even her father who was one of the staunch councilors of the Bhagya Palace, haven't gone nuts as this when the news first reached them.

She looked out the window downstairs and towards the gate entrance, to see if she could get sight of her best friend.

She didn't see her or anything about her, and she was really feeling too bored.

Everyone was seriously occupied with the prince's discussion.

She looked at her wristwatch and winced, it wasn't that late anyway.

Then she decided to go out, take a walk or just go downstairs, she might even get to see her best friend.

She got up and walked out of the class, still looking into the novel. Just at the entrance to the class, she bumped into someone.

"Hey girl you blind?", the lady asked.

Zaina looked at her, it was Vidya, alias 'the busy body'. She scoffed.

"Hey", Zaina called, "I'm the one who's actually supposed to ask you that, make use of your eyes".

"You learn to make well use of your eyes or I call the palace guards", she sneered and walked into the class.

Zaina scoffed, that was Vidya for you, always showing off with the palace and everything concerning it. Just because her mom was a very good friend to the queen before she got married to the king, they were still best friends though.

But what makes Vidya behaves the way she does was what they didn't know, she wasn't of the royal blood, but she acts like one.

An uproar emanating from one of the gathered groups of students outside the class startled her. She made to ignore and continue her walking, but something drew her back...the hair of the lady on the floor.

A red hair, gosh, that was Rina, she alone has such natural red hair in the whole of the school, what was she doing on the floor? With those students surrounding her?

"Rina", she shouted and ran towards her.