Amy's POV

"Amy!" I heard someone yell my name. I looked over to see Nik waving me down in the cafeteria.

"What is he doing?" Kelly whispered to me.

"I do not know," I answered, starting to walk over. I didn't even know he knew my name, but I guess princes had their ways.

"Here, come here," he said. He and Emmett moved seats so that there were two empty seats next to them for me and Kelly. I awkwardly sat down.

"Everyone, this is Amy and..."

"Kelly," Kelly finished.

"Welcome," Emmett said, looking to Kelly particularly. She wasn't like me. She didn't have distain for Emmett the way I had for discovering the true character of Nik. She only knew Emmett as the guy she met at the ball, and that's why she looked down, blushing and poorly concealing their history.

"What do you want?" I asked suspiciously.

"Can't I just ask you to eat lunch with us?"

"No," I answered, seriously. "Where are the bitches?"

"Amy," Kelly quietly scolded, maybe because of my language, maybe because of my abrupt assumptions that had slandered Nik's girlfriend inclusively.

"They're at cheer or dance, or something," Emmett answered.

"Good. Maybe then, they could get dropped on their head some more," I laughed.

Some of the guys snickered, but Kelly nudged me.

"I think it's very disrespectful to talk of your sisters that way," Todd said with his quiet voice. I looked up to him and his gray eyes. I reached up with my right hand to touch my locket, but realized it wasn't there. I froze and then spaced out. I turned to Kelly.

"I...I gotta go," I said, standing up and grabbing my bag's strap over my shoulder.

"Why? Are you okay?" Kelly asked.

"Uhh...yeah. Of course," I lied, avoiding her eyes. I cleared my throat and then left.

I went outside and thought about my necklace. If I wasn't at school, I would've cried at the missing jewelry piece. The stupid twins broke its chain last night. It was my punishment for "being disrespectful" and it sent me to my room the entire night crying. That was literally the last thing to remember my mom by. And I bet it'd be around one of the girls' neck in the next few days if fixed.

"Hey," someone said. As I got up from the ground after the bell rang, I looked to see Nik. I rolled my eyes.

"What do you want?" I spat almost choking out tears.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"I don't know. Ask your girlfriend and her friends," I said, trying to walk away from him, but he grabbed my wrist and spun me around. I sent an irritated look to his eyes and then he let go, allowing me to walk off, even though I had the next class with him. It was just my luck that the desks were in pairs and his desk was pushed against mine. I still didn't speak to him.

"What happened to your necklace?" he asked me, half way through the class. I flashed my eyes up to him, meaning to give him the same cold glare I usually did, but my sadness conquered my hostility. But he'd never find that out.

"What necklace?" I asked, making up for the glare with my words.

"The locket that you always wear," he clarified. He noticed that?

"Why does it matter?" I asked, not looking at him in his eyes.

"Well considering I've never seen you without it..." he trailed. I sniffed.

"I really don't feel like talking about it...here...or now...or at all," I whispered, hoping he'd get the picture.

"Then how about this Friday?" he asked. I looked up at him. "I want to...make up for treating you like a peasant all the time. So how about it?"

"Um...sure," I allowed.

"Seriously?" he asked. I nodded. I thought I saw a hint of a full smile, but then it was only his infamous half-smirk.

***

Nik's POV

"Aren't you cleaned up well?" my father said before I passed the living room. I stopped and addressed him.

"I have a date," I informed.

"Isn't it—"

"Nearly sunset? I know," I finished. "But it is the last Friday of the month..." A loophole day.

"Well be careful," he said, knowing about my secret. "Is Emmett going as well?"

"No..." I mumbled, shaking my hair to the side. He looked up and gave me a look. "But it's the last Friday of the month and I will be in good hands."

"With?"

"A friend...that I met at school...that's a girl..."

"That's not Candace?" he asked. I tried to give him an innocent look. "Nikolai Alexander—"

"Dad, I don't want to be with Candace," I finally admitted. "I don't even know that I want to be with this girl, but...I guess what I'm trying to say is...I'm trying to find the right girl—"

"You don't have long," he interrupted. "So I suppose you do yourself a justice."

I sighed with relief.

"But you and Candace...?" he asked.

"Are currently still going out," I answered. He sighed. "But hopefully not for long...I just..."

"Son, make up your mind," he ordered, impatiently.

I humorously saluted him and then left to go pick up Amy—er, well meet her at the park. I couldn't pick her up at her sisters' house because it was bound to get back to Candace.

"What's the real reason you asked me out—not that it's a date or anything," Amy asked as we sat on a bench table.

"I didn't know there was a fake reason," I replied with a frown that had really formed at her assumption that it wasn't a date instead of her needing a reason. But I guess that was my fault, considering I was the one with a girlfriend and Amy was the kind of girl who didn't try things with guys who had girlfriends.

"Mmh..." she nodded, covering her mouth with her propped up hand.

"So now that we're alone, are you gonna tell me why you were upset the other day?" I asked.

"Do I have to?" she droned. I cocked an eyebrow.

"Answer for answer?" I asked. She looked interested. "I asked you out because you're interesting and I wanted to know what was wrong with you."

She sighed and then shifted positions.

"The other day at lunch, I realized that my necklace was missing and it made me sad," she said.

"Well do you want me to help you look for it?" I offered immediately.

"I know where it is," she said.

"Then?"

"Lydia and Leticia broke it. I don't have the money to fix it since it was welded uniquely for a specific chain, and I'm sure they already fixed it and trade wearing it on their necks," she explained.

"Why?" I asked, very interested. I was actually more angry than interested.

"It's what I get for disrespecting you, and Candace, and them," she answered.

"This locket..." I started. "It's important to you, isn't it?"

Her dark brown eyes flashed to me.

"It was my Mom's," she informed. "It's basically the only thing I had left of her."

I knew then that minus the dislike she had towards me, Amy St. Claire had a soft spot. She was an interesting girl. I wanted to know more about her. I already liked her more than I ever had of Candace. But I felt as though she was being mistreated by her sisters, and I'd do anything in my power to try and retrieve the locket back to her.

"You're a fascinating girl, you know that?" I said to her after a moment of silence.

"Thanks," she said, tucking her hair behind her ear. "Now what about you?"

"Excuse me?" I asked.

"You can't just be the arrogant prince you tease around me, can you?" she asked.

"Why do you think otherwise?" I asked. She gave me an impatient look. "Okay. Um...I'm a prince—"

"Got that," she assured.

"I'm youngest in my family," I added.

"Got that," she assured as well. "Nik, I want juicy info. Something personal."

Like the curse I've been having to live with?

"You know, I've never had an acquaintance address me by the name of Nik and order me around," I commented.

"There's a first for everything, right?" she figured.

"Mmh..." I nodded, even though I wondered what the hell this girl was making me feel and why I had been away from her this long.

"Who was your first girlfriend?" she asked. I decided to play her little game since she opened up to me before. And I don't think anyone's ever really gotten to know me that wasn't some media outlet.

"Candace."

"First kiss?"

"Candace."

"First love?"

"No one." I answered this, sadly, knowing that I needed to find my love before the death of the magical plant. But beneath my breath I had managed to add: "Yet."

"First time you had—"

"That's enough," I concluded before she could finish what we both knew she would ask. She smirked.

"So Candace is important to you..." she assumed.

"Not at all," I answered.

"Haven't you been with her since, like seventh grade?" she asked.

"Ah. So you do listen to gossip about me," I caught.

"Um no. Having her as my bully since sixth grade, I can't help but listen to her rant about her royal boyfriend," she commented.

"Being her boyfriend isn't all it's cracked up to be," I informed.

"Oh?"

"But, I'll take what I can get," I said as I hopped up. I walked around until I was sitting on the same side as her. I put my arm around the back of the table. I looked over to find her staring at me as the light shone on her face.

"Look," she said, randomly, before turning to face the dying sun. As it decreased behind the horizon, I tensed up, hoping nothing with the curse would malfunction considering I wasn't in the confines of the castle...I was in public—with Amy of all people. "Don't you just love sunsets?"

"No," I answered honestly because of the fate I've had to deal with. She looked over to me.

"Well I guess I should enjoy this as the only time we can spend a sunset together," she figured.

"So you wanna spend more time with me?" I asked.

"Well not if you're still going to be a jerk with Candace and them," she replied.

"But she's my girlfriend," I said. She looked over to me and turned to face me, completely.

"Not for long, you say," she reminded. I opened my mouth to say something, but she shook her head no. "I know you say that, but you don't mean it. I'm not going to make you chose between your six year girlfriend and peasant me, but I'm also not going to make promises about spending time with you when you have all that and decide to act like an ass all the time."

"But I'm starting to like you," I admitted, which was an understatement by now. "I just...have to be with Candace..."

Surprisingly, she laughed.

"You know, I heard you were a player," she started. I gave her an interested look. "It's just your luck that I'm a coach."

I gave her a look before laughing along with her. I was starting to fall for her...

***

I told no one of my "date" with Amy other than my father. He told me that he knew her parents. Her dad was a defense attorney and her mom was one of the best women he'd ever met. He said it was a shame for both of their deaths, but when Amy was born, they had hardly talked. He wasn't informed of Mrs. St. Claire's death until the obituary. He cheered up Mr. St. Claire as best as he could and introduced him to a stylist of his; Lily Cantwell.

"Aren't you listening?" Candace's high pitched voice interrupted on Monday. I pulled out one earphone.

"Uhh...yeah," I lied. She rolled her eyes and stopped walking, letting our friends go ahead of her.

"What's your deal?" she asked me as if frustrated.

"Nothing," I answered, oblivious.

"Good," she mumbled before reaching up the short distance to peck my lips. She smiled when she pulled away and I looked down at her, noticing the familiar locket around her neck. Before I could question her about it, she entered the cafeteria and got in line.

"Know your place at the back of the line," Lydia said to Amy. I thought she'd let it go, but instead, she turned to face them completely.

"The back of the line is a place where you obviously don't know," she said, measuring up to Candace, Leticia, and Lydia.

"And maybe that's a good thing," Lydia replied.

"Maybe it's not," Amy stood up.

"Speak only when spoken to, peasant," Candace said.

"Peasant? How'd I know that you're not the peasant?" she retorted.

"Because I am indirect royalty—"

"Only if by marriage, which I know will not happen," Amy retorted in a loud voice. Candace scoffed and then turned to me. To abide by Amy's regulations to being able to hang out with her, I said nothing. I should've said something in Amy's defense, but Candace had already scoffed and stormed out. I noticed that Amy gave me a look of reluctant appreciation before I was hit over the shoulder by the twins and gestured toward the direction of my girlfriend.

"Oh right..." I said, turning around to chase Candace.

I met her outside, where she was pacing in anger.

"Can you believe her? She just completely—ugh!" she shouted.

"I know. I was there," I reminded, staying calm. She stopped in her tracks and then turned on her heels to me.

"You're not going to defend me?" she asked, appalled. I pursed my lips and shook my head. "And why not?!"

"Because you're being a bitch to her for no reason," I said. Her jaw dropped, which made me look at the necklace that did not belong to her. "She's been through enough, and then you come along in her six grade year to ruin her life even more. Stop being a bitch. It's simple."

"Nik, you are not seriously being such an assh0le to me!" she squealed.

"Only to what you deserve," I replied.

"But I'm your girlfriend," she reasoned.

"Not anymore," I shrugged. I grabbed the locket and pulled, yanking it off of her neck. I don't care if the woven chain or delicate clasp was broken. I could afford to fix it. With a shocked face, Candace said nothing as I walked off.

Amy's POV

"Look familiar?" a voice said as something dangled in my sight. I grabbed the memory and turned to face him.

"How...?"

"I just yanked it off Candace's neck," Nik told, taking a seat beside me since there was no one else. I looked at him, but he still looked at the locket. "I'm sure I could get a jeweler to fix the chain, if you allow me to keep if for a couple of days, but other than that—why are you looking at me like that?"

"Thank you," I said. He smiled a genuine smile, revealing his dimples that I saw the first night I met him. He shrugged.

"So you and Candace?" I asked.

"May actually be broken up finally," he answered. Somewhere inside I filled up with happiness and nerves.