“Rachel.” “Zay.”

The environment feels stiff, like someone put a lock on the things we can say. “How’s the relationship?” That’s the only thing I think to say. “Oh, it’s… okay, at best,” Rachel replies. “He just keeps ignoring me whenever I try to start a conversation.” The thing I want to say in response is unable for me to be said. I can’t exactly respond to Rachel saying that…

“Who even planned this arrangement, anyway? Seems like they’re exceedingly dumb.” “You shouldn’t insult my father like that, you know he’s just trying to keep the royal bloodline going…” I roll my eyes. “Rachel, that’s ridiculous! Everybody else has freedom over who they have, why can’t you?”

My God, this is getting bad. She’s probably going to start an argument about all this. “Because the royal bloodline is really fragile!” I was right. She continues, “We can’t have children half royal, then our grandchildren quarter-royal, and so on!” The idea of that idiot prince having children with her… it’s a pain.

“Jack isn’t all bad,” Rachel starts, “he’s donated to ten universities while I’ve been gone.” Which is an entire month, and he could have donated to homeless children cares while she’s been gone, but I won’t say that, either. If I say the wrong words, I may end up Jack’s dinner…

“You… do want freedom, right, Rachel..?” This is not responded to, only with silence and a pondering look. Maybe I should bring up a different topic.

“Have any good food lately?” “Jack really can’t cook, so not really. Sometimes, the food is so bad I have to sneak out the dining room to make my own meal…” Does she really have to make all of this about Jack? Oh, this one she really can’t respond to with that idiot!

“Remember that one time we really wanted peanut butter and jelly as children but your mother was all out of supplies, so we started a week quest of collecting money and finding the supplies for her, but when the glorious time came we found we had no appetite?” Rachel chuckles. “The only thing Jack can actually make right.”

I grit my teeth while saying, “Please… can we not make this all about Jack?” Rachel makes a face, trying to say “sorry,” but it seems only hardly true. “If that guy is supposed to be my one and only, I just… supposed you would want to know more about him…”

I sigh. “He’s just some prince that needs to carry on the bloodline, like you. He’s nothing all that interesting, just that he sucks at making food so much that you can’t handle it for two seconds before you have to run off like some child that wants their ‘freedom.’ The similarities between you and children that usually run away are extremely concerning, and I feel like you shouldn’t be forced into this. But that’s just my take. Go to your prince or whoever.”

Rachel puts a hand out. “Wait, please! Before you go… wanna have some PB&J? Just a few more memories before we have to part ways for now?” “…I guess if that’ll make you happy. Hey, didn’t we make a script of that one movie when we were eight and then it ended up too large for even our printer to work?” “That was just because the printer was out of ink…” “Go make excuses, the printers are after us!” Rachel chuckles again.

God, why does love hurt?

(Part two maybe?????)