" I hope every single one of you has a magical summer.

Elizabeth cringed, grimacing at the teacher in charge of the day's last class. Ms. Harmon always spoke with an annoying level of chirp in her voice, yet she'd also used a word Elizabeth preferred not to hear—magic. Shaking her head, Elizabeth headed out of the classroom for her locker so she might back everything into her bag.

In the back of her mind, there was that inkling her parents might change their minds about letting her decide whether she would attend that boarding school her older sister attended, particularly with how flustered her father was becoming over her unwillingness to crack a single book they'd brought home for her the summer she'd received her acceptance letter by owl of all things.

"You're so lucky your parents let you wear makeup!" One of her friends—Hayley Mccann—cooed over her shoulder as she brushed some of her loose makeup supplies into her makeup back, sticking it into her backpack. "My dad would kill me if I were to wear makeup before I turned sixteen!"

"Lizzie's dad's actually pretty cool," Katya Blaese laughed softly. "I think the only thing he doesn't let her wear is red lipstick."

"It's because it doesn't look good on me," Elizabeth muttered. When she started wearing makeup, she'd expected her mother to be the one giving her advice—not her father, who shouldn't have, as a guy, known anything on the subject. One of those disturbing things about her dad made him not a regular parent as her friends had.

"Because he thinks you look like a scarlet woman?" Haley asked, her eyes going wide.

"Oh, no. Mr. Granger actually knows quite a bit about makeup," Katya said, making it seem as if Elizabeth's dad knowing as much about makeup as he did was actually a normal thing, but then—

"Be still my beating heart!"

Elizabeth paused, turning her head to see what exactly made Haley's eyelids flutter and her hand go over her chest, knowing full well her friend had caught sight of a boy—only to tense up, her mouth opening slightly, completely wishing it wasn't so.

"I want him as my prince charming!" Haley said, her eyes continuing to flutter.

As did Ms. Davis, who batted her eyelids at the prince charming in question as he spoke rather candidly with her, being a proper gentleman like always. And there was that flash of white teeth as he smiled at Ms. Davis, utterly oblivious to the fact he was putting on the charm as always, only to flinch when Ms. Davis touched his shoulder, his mind like always not registering the predatory intentions of the woman because of his habit of always looking for the best in people.

"I'm going to be sick."

"What?" Haley said, letting out a gasp. "You don't think he's quite dashing?"

A laugh came from nearby as yet another friend joined them—Elouise Moore, who clapped an arm around Haley's neck. "Don't we all."

"I don't understand. What's so funny?" Haley said.

"Ever wonder where Lizzie gets her good looks that all the boys swoon over from?" Katya said, smirking as Elizabeth rolled her eyes, not at all liking the fact their amusement was at her expense. Worse, Katya latched onto her arm, preventing her from escaping.

"Her mom?" Haley said.

"Oh no. I'm not saying Mrs. Granger isn't pretty, particularly compared to Lizzie's older sister," Katya said.

"Older sister? I've not met her. Is she that girl in the year above with the same last name?" Haley asked.

"Not my sister. A very distant cousin, but you'll find there are a lot of people with the last name of Granger in this small town you've moved to," Elizabeth muttered, wishing she could escape as yet another one of the moms was talking to her father in addition to Ms. Davis. This one was married, possibly making him even more oblivious to that one's flirting.

Elouise wrinkled her nose. "Yeah. Her sister Hermione is away at a boarding school for gifted students, but you really don't want to meet her. She's an annoying know-it-all and thinks she knows everything. Always butting in with the answer and stuff and getting on people's cases when they break the rules. Her year was glad to be rid of her."

"That's not very nice," Haley said.

"Yes, well, my sister can't even be bothered to come home on holidays. She's missed Christmas the last three years," Elizabeth said. "And she spent last summer away from home as well, with those friends of hers."

"Wait? Hermione has friends?" Katya asked. "Or is she busy studying and simply told your parents that she would be friends so as to not upset them regarding the fact she was staying at school?"

Elizabeth frowned. "It is a foreign concept."

"I did like that cat she brought home last summer. Your dad fell in love with him as well," Elouise said. "Too bad, she took him to school with her."

"Wait?" Haley frowned. "She took the cat to school?"

"I guess she got the cat for experimenting on, poor thing," Elouise said.

"Oh! I can so see your sister styling a lab coat and looking like a mad scientist. Particularly with that bushy hair of hers that she can't manage to take care of properly," Katya said. And sadly, Elizabeth could imagine it, cringing—there was a reason she she didn't want to crack the books open.

"Enough about Elizabeth's sister!" Haley called out, tugging on Elouise's arm. "Why did you bring up that up? I mean, that question about who Elizabeth gets her looks from?"

"Because every girl and every mom at this school wants to marry Mr. Granger," Elouise blurted out.

Which made Haley stare in confusion.

Katya let out a laugh. "What kind of prince charming do you want?"

"Stop," Elizabeth said, attempting to pull her arm away.

Haley, in the meantime, said, "I don't follow."

"Doctor, dentist, book clerk, musician—Elizabeth's dad specialises in pretty much everything." Katya let out an amused hum.

"Not everything," Elizabeth muttered, pushing Katya's arm away.

"And what does this have to do with prince charming over there?" Haley asked.

"That prince charming is Mr Granger, Elizabeth's dad," Katya laughed.

"No way!" Haley's eyes blinked. "He's got to be too young, right?"

"Thirty-four. He'll be thirty-four this year," Elizabeth muttered. "And I really need to go."

She walked briskly, yet this didn't prevent her from hearing Haley say, "Yeah. I get what you mean when you say everyone wants to marry Mr. Granger. He's to die for."

Elizabeth also heard some of the other girls whispering, knowing full well it was about her father, and so she kept her eyes on the pavement, not bothering to look up when she grabbed onto his arm and started pulling him away.

"Oh. Hold on," her father said, pointing back at the ladies who'd been gabbing with him. "Mrs. Owens asked if I could come over and help her fix her sink."

"Everyone knows the real reason she wants to ask you over," Elizabeth muttered.

"I don't follow," he said.

Elizabeth continued pulling him along. "Fine. Everyone but you knows the real reason. Even mom knows, not that she cares as she finds it hilarious."

"Then it shouldn't be a problem," her father said, getting a hint of being obstinate.

"It might be a problem for her husband," Elizabeth muttered.

"Why? Jordon's glad he doesn't have to do the work."

"Or he knows how much of a schmuck you are." It would probably get her in trouble later if her father did make the usual unintentional slip of the mouth regarding their current conversation. It only made Elizabeth wish her mother would actually care more about how other women flirted with her husband.

"Schmuck means," her father muttered.

Elizabeth stopped, turning to look at him. "It means you're an idiot!

Said idiot crashed into her as he'd decided to look up at the sky as he worked through the dictionary of his mind rather than watching where he was going. "Sorry!"

She took a deep breath, glad they were far enough away from the school. "Why did you come?"

"You're uncle Lettie is watching Jules."

"I meant, why did you come after me asking you not to?"

And there was his usual stare, the usual confusion written all over his face. "Your mother says it's not a problem."

"Yes. I remember that conversation," Elizabeth said, finally letting go of his sleeve. "Could you at least dress more like a normal dad?"

"Like a normal dad?" And there he was, lifting his arm, staring at the black, lightweight jacket and baby blue shirt. And then he looked at his jeans and shoes. "It's comfortable, and I've seen other dads wear it."

"Couldn't you have picked something that was comfortable and not so form-fitting?" And she thought to herself, "And do you always have to wear long sleeves?"

"It's form-fitting?" And there he was, pulling on one of the sleeves with his fingers. "I didn't think it was, but I'm not sure—I'm definitely not following. Is this something I should talk to your mother about?"

"Please, please don't tell mom about our conversation!" Elizabeth blurted out, placing her hands up to indicate he should stop.

To which her father stared. And then he said. "I can promise I'll try not to."

"I know. I know. You don't mean to do that," Elizabeth said, wishing her father didn't have the habit of blurting out random things. "Let's go home. Jules is likely already worried that you're not home yet."

"You as well," her father said.

Elizabeth shook her head, thinking him wrong about that. And sure enough, when they got home, Jules practically leapt into their father's arms, something Elizabeth felt her sister was too old to be doing. "I'm heading to my room."

"Alright. I should have dinner reading in an hour or two."

To which she ignored him, as well as her uncle, who was overseeing her. She headed upstairs, sitting down at her desk before unlocking a drawer on her desk. She turned, pulling out the makeup bag, planning on plunking it down, only to freeze upon seeing the long-forgotten sketchbook. Elizabeth swallowed, dropping the bag in along with the hair tie that held her long, straight blond hair in a ponytail for school before looking at herself in the mirror and shaking her head.