Chapter 193: Princess Waits For Her Order
Princess drove to the pizza shop, the city of Oakland quiet and tucked under a blanket of fog. It was 2am in the morning, the kind of hour where the only people on the road were those with bad intentions or, in her case, those with a seven months pregnant girlfriend.
After giving out Faye’s orders, Princess found herself repeating it to the staff strictly, over and over again. She made sure they understood the extra cheese, the specific pickles, and the absolute lack of pineapples. She was doing her due diligence so Faye doesn’t have a reason to send her back out into the cold night.
While the pizza was being prepared, the kitchen staff moving in a blur of flour and rolling pins, Princess spotted Beam sitting down at a corner booth eating pizza. Princess rechecked her phone to confirm the time. It was definitely 2:05 am. She wondered why Beam will still be awake by this time; it wasn’t like someone was preventing her from sleeping. Beam didn’t have four growing pups inside her, and she certainly didn’t have a partner breathing down her neck for midnight snacks, unlike Princess’s case.
"So you eat pizza by 2 in the morning now.." Princess said the moment she got to Beam’s table, her voice thick with fatigue.
Beam looked up, her hand halfway to her mouth with a slice of pepperoni. She was about to talk, her mouth opening to deliver some sharp-tongued remark, but then she saw Princess.
She took in the sight of the rubber ducky robe, the lack of makeup that made Princess look drained, and then she looked down to see her wearing crocs instead of her usual high heels. The sight made her mouth slightly ajar, her brain scrambling to find the proper words to say to the girl who used to be the most feared and polished Alpha in school.
"Save your taunts, when you have a pregnant girlfriend you will understand where I’m coming from.." Princess said before Beam could even start.
She slide into the booth, sitting beside Beam and letting out a long, heavy sigh that seemed to drain the last of her energy.
"I wasn’t going to say anything.." Beam said, even if she was trying to hold her mockery laugh.
She was dying to know what the Alpha Princess was doing wide awake by this hour in such a ridiculous outfit. She was going to mock her, not going to let it slide normally, but then she realized that she had a play in the condition Princess was. Beam happened to be the author of what Princess was going through, and she knew that if she pushed too hard, she might be the one to finally break the dam.
She locked up, not wanting Princess to put all her anger on her. She had been noticing Princess lately; anytime soon, she was going to blow up, and Beam doesn’t want to be the scapegoat for an Alpha’s meltdown.
Princess lazily rested her head on Beam’s shoulder, closing her eyes for a bit and letting the heat of the pizza shop wash over her.
"Beamer, I think my girlfriend is going to kill me before I get to see my pups..." Princess said lazily, her voice barely a murmur.
"Well, you can do this. You have been reading those books, watching YouTube videos, preparing for this.. hang in there buddy.." Beam said, her tone surprisingly soft.
"I am, but Faye’s daily cravings is sending me nuts.... If I haven’t fallen in love with that girl I would have smacked her a thousand times with every absurd food she has been demanding for.... I’m losing my mind.." Princess muttered, her eyes still closed, feeling the weight of the last few months pressing down on her.
"Gambere Gambere.." Beam said, using the little Japanese she knew while lightly tapping Princess’s shoulder. "Leonny, Ranny, Donny and Minny... will be here soon and all what is happening will be history, just tales to tell...." Beam said, trying to offer some kind of light at the end of the tunnel.
"Faye hasn’t agreed to the names yet, she doesn’t want to name the pups after the TNNT first and second alphabets.." Princess said, a small, frustrated frown appearing on her face.
She remembered the time she told Faye how she will be naming the pups and Faye refused immediately, saying she wasn’t raising a team of crime-fighting turtles. They have been arguing about that anytime they bring it up, which was practically every day. They don’t know the genders yet, but the doctor told them three are the same out of four. Faye and Princess decided to solve the genders on their own, waiting for them to arrive to know who is the winner of their ongoing bet.
"Okay. Do you want pizza?" Beam said, offering the sleepy girl on her shoulder a slice. Princess did not even bother to open her eyes; she just leaned further into Beam’s jacket.
"My girlfriend has succeeded in making me hate that food.." Princess said.
It was true. Faye always ordered pizza lately, some with weird combinations that made Princess’s stomach turn just looking at them. Princess eats the leftovers to avoid them going to waste because she doesn’t squander food, so even her breakfast was going to be whatever Faye had ordered the night before. There were some slices in the fridge right now just waiting for her to eat them. Princess, who used to eat pizzas only on Saturdays as a treat, now eats them for breakfast and lunch.
Princess took a deep breath, her heightened senses picking up a familiar floral perfume. She opened one eye, noticing something was different about the way Beam was acting.
"Are you just coming from Kiara’s?" Princess asked, her voice sharpening.
"...." Beam stayed silent, her eyes fixated on the pizza crust.
"Are you guys together now?"
"No." Beam said with a low voice, the word sounding hollow.
"Why? Because you two are supposed to be an item since you have been doing it behind my back... she cheated on me with you, you tried to tarnish my reputation because you wanted her for yourself, so what is stopping both of you?" Princess said. She wasn’t angry anymore, just curious. The betrayal felt like it belonged to a different person’s life.
"Kiara doesn’t want to be with someone like me.. she once said if I was the last person on earth, she rather be a nun.." Beam explained, her shoulders slumping.
"So why are you still.. you know? Why keep going back to the nun?" Princess asked.
"When I am trying to get myself over that girl, she just seemed to call me and I have no choice than to answer.. it’s like I’m on a leash," Beam admitted.
"I would’ve bought you a beer but you deserve what you are getting bitch... you should have known by now Kiara chases those who doesn’t chase her."
"I know, but she is all I can think about.. I just can’t stop loving her knowing that she will never be mine... but in my head, she is the one.. she has to be.."
"Then I wish you the best... I hope your heart doesn’t get ripped out trying to love someone like that..." Princess muttered. Just then, her name was called from the counter. Her order was ready.
Princess stood up, stretching her sore back. The rubber ducky robe swished around her legs.
"Well guess it’s time to go back home to my pregnant girlfriend... enjoy your bitch of a pizza.." Princess muttered, heading to the counter to collect the steaming boxes.
"Princess.. will I get your vote?" Beam asked suddenly.
Since Princess has stepped down as the school president, students were finally allowed to contest for president. It was the first real election Oakland High had seen in decades.
Princess paused, looking back over her shoulder. She gave a short, tired nod.
"Of course, you already have my vote.." she said.
Princess picked up her order, the smell of pickles and dough filling the car as she drove back home. The streets were still empty, the silence of the night wrapping around the vehicle. She was at the parking lot of the clubhouse, the engine idling, when she remembered the last part of the mission. She forgot the donuts. She took a deep breath in, her forehead resting against the steering wheel for a second, before reversing out of the lot to get the donuts. She knew if she went in without them, the crying would start all over again, and she couldn’t handle another heartbreak at 3am.
