Royal Performer - Chapter 23

Princess Alexandria Alessi’s life has turned upside down in the blink of an eye. Only a few days ago, she was enjoying a clandestine summer shopping with her best friend at the local mall. Coming home, she was alarmed to discover her mom was there, and her secret of being transgender was suddenly no longer secret! Within a few short hours, her life became like a movie as she discovered that her long-lost father was the Crown Prince of Osané, a small, secluded island nation. Alexandria was immediately thrust into the spotlight in a whirlwind weekend that led to a Monday press conference to announce her royal lineage. Royal Performer is the second Tiffany Shar's 'Suddenly Royal' series.

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Chapter 23: Gossip

“AHEM,” I HEARD a clearing throat and realized a tall male was behind us. Turning, I realized it was our headmaster.

“Umm… hello Monsieur Higgins?” Léna said.

“Good afternoon,” he said. Looking down at me, he asked, “I presume you didn’t just escape from the primary school after-school care faculty, Mademoiselle Alessi?”

I shook my head, “Non, Monsieur.”

“So I think it’s safe to assume none of your staff would let you dress like this, so I’m guessing some problems are being caused. Mademoiselle Montalvo and Gatti, why don’t you two take a stroll to my office and wait for me there?”

“But I need…” Lola started to argue.

“You can do that, or we’ll discuss your permanent expulsion tomorrow. Your choice,” the headmaster said coolly.

The girls turned and walked towards the office. When they were out of sight, he looked down at me and asked, “Do you have an explanation for me?”

I looked up and debated about whether or not to tell him everything. After a moment, I decided that the whole thing would come out when Grandma inevitably heard about it! “During PE Lola claimed she’d been injured when I moved my hockey stick for the ball. I swear I didn’t hit her, and even Madame Langlois agreed she was faking it. She got Léna and Lilou to help her hobble inside, and another student let them into the lockers with a key. When I went to change, I discovered my uniform was gone, and this was inside instead.”

I motioned to what I was wearing.

“Her friend Lilou pretty much all but confirmed it was them when she asked about the underwear they’d placed inside.”

“Do you have proof?”

I shrugged, “I have a recording of that conversation and this one?”

He looked down at me, “Send them to my email, I’ll deal with this later. Technically, those jumpers are allowed, so you’re not out of the dress code, at least. I will let you know if your actual clothes turn up.”

“Thanks,” I told him.

“My apologies about this, Your Highness, I do want you to know I don’t tolerate bullying.”

“Then you should be aware I’m not her only victim,” I told him.

“Do you have proof?”

“None specifically, but you only have to have a discussion with anyone except her friends at school to find out they despise her,” I told him.

“She’s right,” Lanie said beside me.

“I heard something similar from Monsieur Nikolaidis when he came to tell me about your issue here. I’ll be looking into this thoroughly,” he told me as he turned to the office.

“Wow! Ian told on her for you?”

“Is that who he was talking about? I didn’t know his last name.”

She smirked, “It’s too bad you missed last week’s end-of-term dance!”

“Not too bad at all,” I smiled at her.

She walked with me out to the front, where Giuseppe was waiting. He took in my appearance and frowned, “Your Highness, why…?”

“In the car,” I told him. “Could we take Mélanie to her house?”

“Umm… sure,” he said.

“Come on, Lanie. We’ll give you a ride so you won’t have to walk.”

She looked surprised but hopped in beside me in the SUV.

By the time we dropped her off in front of an old house very tightly set inside a row of houses, she saw more digital damage. Pictures of me dressed like this were making their way around the internet, first around school and then, worse yet, trending on a couple of social media sites.

Doesn’t look like she’s fifteen?

No way she’s fifteen! My eight-year-old sister looks older!

Shouldn’t she look more developed?

Looks more prepared for nursery school!

These were just a few of the mean comments being posted around about me, primarily by complete strangers!

Lanie hugged me, “Don’t worry about it, it’ll be alright!”

“I hope you’re right,” I told her, even as I was filling in Giuseppe about what happened.

Walking into the castle through the service tunnel, I felt more looks at me. Still, fortunately, those were more bemused than anything. Madame Lavigne met us at the bottom of the elevator shaft. “Just what happened to you?” She asked me.

By this point, it was starting to get to me, and I just shook my head, “Lola,” I told her.
 

OF COURSE, BEFORE long, Grandma, Geneva, Madame Lavigne, and Giuseppe had me cornered in Grandma’s office discussing the situation! Grandma couldn’t believe anyone could get to my belongings that easily. Now, the headmaster was on the line with a high-end speaker phone in the middle of a conference table that fit in her office to one side.

“Your Majesty,” I heard his voice, “you have our sincerest apologies for what happened today. We will be handing staff reprimands…”

“Staff reprimands?” Madame Lavigne asked. “Monsieur Higgins, I have been a teacher and a headmistress for more years than I care to admit. I have seen many student interactions with bullying take place, and every time I hear ‘staff reprimands’ first, it makes me think you’re making a scapegoat?”

“Umm…”

“Who was responsible for the actions?” Grandma asked him. “Was it a staff member, or was it a student?”

“Well… It was students ultimately?”

“Then make sure that is who gets punished, not the PE coach who was hoodwinked by her,” Grandma said. “Though I do think the school needs to address this dreadful lack of security for personal student belongings! Determine what equipment and renovations you need, and give me bids and quotes. No matter where we educate Her Highness moving forward, we will ensure we fix this for the students!”

“Yes, Your Majesty. We will deal with the students in a way that is within policy, which means I cannot discuss it with you?”

“They will be dealt with, though?” Grandma asked.

“Your Majesty, I promise you that this will not happen again to the princess,” he allowed.

“It better not!” Grandma said and hung up on the headmaster.

I felt bad for him; he seemed genuinely on my side earlier. “It’s not his fault, Grandma,” I told her.

“It isn’t, but it is Alexandria,” she told me. “This can’t be the first circumstance this has happened? More importantly, how bad is your cousin? I knew that she was not someone who should take the throne, but I don’t think I knew just how far she could go to be a bully.”

I shrugged, “From what I’ve heard, this is pretty common. I got a taste of that the first day I encountered her in Mélanie’s shop. She stood up for me long enough for adults to come then.”

She shook her head, “Sorry for making you have dinner with them then…”

“Now, what do we do about these social media posts?” Geneva asked. Someone on staff had printed a whole ream of paper dedicated to the twenty pictures that seemed to have been taken primarily by Lola, Lilou, and Léna. Two seemed to have come from someone as I left the school, so we couldn’t determine who took them.

I looked at Grandma, “It’s out there. There’s not much we can do now.”

“It makes you look like you’re just a tiny and immature little girl?” She paused, “Weak?”

I shrugged, “It’s not like I’m the queen at this point?”

“You will be one day…?” She replied.

“But I’m not today?” I paused, thinking, “Look, in the locker room, I concluded I could either go crying out in my sports kit to the principal… headmaster, or I could just lean into it. I am a little girl. I’m tiny and young, and there’s not much we can do about it other than just own it.”

Madame Lavigne smiled at me. “Own it?”

“Own it,” I told her. “Let people know it was a prank, but it didn’t really bother me more than my stuff being stolen?”

“That might work,” Geneva said.

I had a thought, “What would happen if I wore it again tomorrow?”

“What?!?” Geneva sputtered.

“Just a thought? Say it doesn’t bother me that way?”

“You’d be the butt of a lot of jokes?” Grandma worried.

“Maybe… or maybe I start a trend?”

“What?” the three said.

“Well, if the princess is willing to wear one, who else would want to match her?” I suggested.

Madame Lavigne laughed then, “That is diabolical and might just work?”

“Let me sleep on if I actually go through with it. I might have to get some friends to go along with it, too, though?”

“They’re really good friends if they do,” Geneva said, appraisingly. She shrugged, “In the grand scheme, it’s probably the best we have unless you really want to get into a PR war with the Montalvo family for months.”

Grandma looked at me, “Your decision. If you try to get friends to go along with it, I’m guessing they won’t still have them.”

I smiled, “Probably not? Which is why it won’t work?”

“Go work on your homework, talk to your friends, and I’ll make a call.”

“Yes, Grandma,” I said.

I wandered back to my room and noticed we were almost at dinner time. I pulled my phone out and saw the stream of messages coming in with a sigh. While a few messages were derogatory, most kids seemed to think I dealt with the prank quite well.

I set up a group chat with my new friends, ‘Hey, so this whole thing has exploded on social media. We were talking about how to deal with it, and I suggested the idea of just ‘owning’ it to my grandmother and the others. What do you think about me just wearing the jumper dress again tomorrow?’

I hadn’t pressed send long before Léa said, ‘That’s brilliant!’ A few moments later, she said, ‘Tell you what, why don’t I borrow one from Louise, and I’ll wear it too?’

I smiled; it was nice that she was already on the same page as me.

‘Thanks!’ I said in reply.

‘Give me a minute, let me look in my closet…’ Noémie sent.

‘I’d do it too if I had one that fit,’ Zoé sent. ‘I had a big growth spurt in Year 7, though, and I wouldn’t let my mom buy any that year!’

‘Same,’ Élise sent. ‘It’s a brilliant idea though!’

A few minutes passed, and Noémie sent a picture of her wearing one, ‘My mom is a total packrat and had this upstairs in the attic. I’m in!’

I laughed at that. ‘You all are the best!’ I told them.

A while later, I was on the couch in my pajamas, working on more of the French reading and trying to make heads or tails of the Chemistry gobbledygook! I heard the door open and saw Grandma and Madame Lavigne come in.

“Hi,” I said, sitting up.

“Working on homework?” Grandma asked.

“Yes, there’s so much of it…”

“Sorry, I do wish you had a bit more time off, but I think this has been a good experience overall so far, Your Highness,” Madame Lavigne said.

“I’ve made some friends, at least,” I agreed.

“Speaking of those friends, can you get sizes for them?” Grandma asked.

“Why?”

“It might be better for your plan to have them all wearing them? I assume none of them have any of those outfits now?”

I laughed, “Noémi and Léa actually do have them?”

“What about those other two? What was it Zoé and Élise?” Madame Lavigne asked.

I shook my head, “They had big growth spurts, so none of theirs would fit if they still had them?”

“Get their sizes for me?”

I looked up and moved to grab my phone from the table where I’d left it. I had their sizes a few minutes later: “What’s your plan?”

“Well, I would rather not have some random outfit thrown at you be what you wear,” Grandma said, “So I might as well get nicer sets for your friends, too?”

I smiled, “Okay.”

Within ten minutes, I had the sizes for them to get jumpers for my friends. By the time I headed to bed, I had received messages that they had received the outfits.

‘So we’re really doing this?’ I sent them.

‘Definitely!’ Zoé replied.

‘Whatever these ones are made out of, they are way more comfy than I remember them being!’ Élise sent back.

Léa sent back an eye roll emoji.

Just as I received that, Mom’s face showed on my phone as she was calling via Facetime. “Hi, Mom!” I said.

“Hi, Allie,” she said with a smile.

“What’s this I hear about you being the latest gossip girl?”

I groaned, “I have this evil cousin… she’s mad that I exist, and she’s been rude and mean since I met her. This week, though, she’s decided to make it her mission…”

I told her all about what had been going on, and she gave me the sympathetic ear I always appreciated. By the end of our conversation, we had both laughed a bit. “So I have a concert tomorrow with the orchestra,” I told her.

“They just put you in, huh?” She asked with a shake of her head. “I’m not really fond of the idea of you not being at home for school, but I’m not sure Osané is the right place either? There might be better schools for music out there?”

I felt my stomach sink at that, “If I can’t go home, I think I’d rather stay here, Mom. I’ve made really good friends with five girls this week!”

“Tell me about them?” She told me.

We talked for nearly an hour before I realized the time and said good night to her.

I looked back at the chain of group messages and felt a tear in my eye. These girls barely knew me but were willing to stick by me for this crazy ‘own it’ plan. By the time I went to bed, I was sure these girls would be amazing friends!

Unfortunately, the nightmares that night did not behave, and I woke up at three in the morning having dreamt about being forced to go back to daycare by Lola, who was somehow a mean babysitter then.

Sadly, I remembered the dream the next day!