Page 12 of My Best Friend Prince Charming

When I got to study hall in the library, I sat at the table where Shannon was already sitting with her books spread out in front of her.

“Hey,” I said, scooting my chair up closer to the table. “It was really fun at first to have so many people asking for my autograph, but I’m starting to get overwhelmed by it.”

“I know I wouldn’t like it,” Shannon said. “There’s a reason I’m always hiding behind my books.”

“Hey, that’s not a bad thing. I really like that about you.”

“I never said it was a bad thing,” Shannon said. “But I can see how some people might think it’s bad to hide from the crowd. There’s just way too much drama out there. I’m not interested in getting involved in all that mess.”

“I get that. But it looks like my privacy is a thing of the past.”

“It doesn’t necessarily have to be that way,” Shannon said. “Maybe you just need to figure out a way to set up boundaries so people learn to respect your privacy.”

I laughed. “Maybe I’ll need to hire that bodyguard sooner than I think. Like tomorrow.”

As we completed our homework, we stopped to chat every few moments. Our conversation drifted easily into the world of mangas, K-Pop, and eventually, our Katana Warrior fan fiction. I never got tired of talking to Shannon about our writing. We made a great team and loved bouncing ideas off each other. Shannon was really good at adding in the grammar and story structure, and I provided the comic relief. I also came up with colorful descriptions of the settings and what the characters looked like and how they acted.

“I can’t believe that Austin cheated on me,” Shannon said, changing the subject. “I mean, the guy knew that my dad cheated on my mom. He knows how much it bothers me. I hate my stepmom, and I barely even know her. I don’t want to get to know her.”

I hesitated. I wasn’t sure how much to tell Shannon about what I’d seen from Austin when she wasn’t around. Would it shatter her to know that Austin had been cheating on her all along? And would she be mad at me for withholding that information from her?

“I’m such an idiot. Why did I even want him, Ryker?”

Uh. I didn’t know how to answer her because I had no idea. The guy was toxic, and I could see it from a mile away. But it wasn’t like that for Shannon. She thought she deserved a guy like that. She let him treat her like garbage because it’s what she’d known from her own parents. She’d watched her dad treating her mom like that for the first part of her childhood. I didn’t say any of that, though, because Shannon was hurting enough.

“I don’t know, Shannon. I guess you just liked him. And he made you feel good when you were with him.” My answer was generic enough.

Shannon shook her head. “That’s the thing, though. I didn’t feel good when I was with him. I felt angry and irritated all the time.” She buried her face in her hands. “None of this makes any sense.”

“Does it have to make sense right now?”

A crowd of girls came into the library. They moved like a swarm of hornets to our table. “Ryker! Can we get your autograph?”

I glanced back at Shannon. She gave me an encouraging smile. “Sure.” I signed autographs until I lost count. I was sure the school librarian, Mr. Nelson, was about to kick them out, but he just sat behind the library counter and allowed it. The bell rang, and I didn’t get a chance to finish my conversation with Shannon. I filled my backpack with my books and slipped it over my shoulders. Two sophomore girls linked arms with me on either side and escorted me out of the room with a group of more girls following behind. I glanced back at Shannon. She was still smiling, but this time it looked forced. My stomach sank. How much damage would my new fame do to my relationship with Shannon? And after it was all over, if it ever actually ended, would I even have a relationship with her?

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