My Roommates are Princes! [Complete!]

Chapter 8: The Unexpected

“You’ll die from a fight or infection sooner than expected then! You’re JUST as reckless as Felipe!” I shouted back.

“SHUT UP! JUST SHUT UP RIGHT NOW!” He shook me. “OR I’LL MAKE YOU REGRET IT!"

“You can threaten me all you want but I know what I’m saying!” I shouted.

In that moment, Eric had raised a fist, I looked away, bracing for the worst.

Although I expected a blow right to my face, I found that his grip on my collar had been let go of.

“You’re f*****g mad.” Duke said narrowing his eyes, as he delivered a dynamic punch right into Eric’s face. The force of the blow had caused the latter to fall back, staggering as he landed against the wall.

Chaiya pulled me back, my body shaking as I retreated towards the end of the room. “Are you ok?!” He turned me around to face him. “Look at me.”

“I’m fine.” I smiled, looking at Chaiya’s worried face just as he had asked. “I just want to stand by Felipe’s side is all.” I replied.

Eric stood up again like a boxer going back for another round, but like an unskilled drunk he swung a fist, a punch that was easily caught by Duke.

Duke maneuvered around Eric’s body and kicked him right in the gut, forcing the latter back with a series of sputters and deep breaths. “You won’t win against me and you know it.” Duke replied. “Why do you care so much about her involvement with Felipe? Is it because you want Felipe dead or is it because you can’t stand the fact that she looks so much like Emerald?”

Eric ignored the question, looking directly at me. “I’m warning you right now…..you bloody commoner. You are going nowhere.” He stood up, walking towards me, only to be halted by Duke’s extended arm. “You can try and meddle all you want in the royal aristocratic world but you won’t be able to do anything.” He warned me.

But of course, nothing he said would ever stop me.

~~~~

Four days after Felipe had began treatment, he had began to experience those hallucinations again. Horrid images that appeared in his warped, tormented mind. It was then that the real battles had began.

Before Felipe could drink from the flask, in the dark comfort of his room, I was able to stop him, snatching it right from his hand. I was lucky I had caught him in time, the silver glint shone from here into the kitchen.

“Felipe!” I exclaimed. “You’re supposed to be on medication to stop drinking.” I reminded him, sitting down beside him. He was a haggard mess, skinnier than a twig, as worn out as a pen used by a secretary.

“I know that….” He mumbled to me, on the verge of breaking down. “I just can’t take it Luisa…I just can’t….” Felipe grabbed my arm, shaking me. “I just can’t….you don’t know what horrible things I see without it. The hallucinations…they’re so cruel….they’re just too much….I just want to forget everything Luisa, I really do.”

I placed a hand on his wilted shoulder. “I’m here for you, Felipe.” I reminded him. “We’re all here for you alright? But you have to help yourself get better as well.”

“But what if I don’t want to get better?…What if I’m fine living like this?”

“But you’re not!” I rebutted. “You can’t be like this.”

“You just don’t want me like this. You’re the only one that can’t stand to see me like this….” Felipe said.

“Emerald.” I began, which got his attention right away. "Wouldn’t be able to stand seeing you like this either.” I reminded him.

“I understand. I’ll try my best.” Felipe replied, though a bit weak.

~~~~~

After I felt like I could leave him alone, I left the room, wondering to myself where he could have found the alcohol from. I would have to tell the bodyguards later, I thought. After closing the door behind me, I headed to the living room, where I saw Duke had been sitting, reading a book. It was definitely educational I would have to say, judging by its relative thickness.

“How is the man of the hour?” He asked me, noticing the flask in my hand.

I tossed the flask away, giving him a look.

“You know, I was thinking. Besides the fact that Eric has some issues of his own, he does have a point.” Duke began, setting his book to the side and standing up. “One day, you don’t know if he would come and hurt you too.” He warned me. “He’s hopeless.”

“I’m trying to help him because he’s my friend.”

“And I have known him longer to know that your help won’t make a difference. You’re not the real Princess Emerald.” Duke said.

“Duke…I knew someone who was exactly the same way as him.” I began. “I know that there’s a way out….and if we leave him alone now then there’s just no chance that he would get better. If we don’t save him….if we don’t then he might hurt us or hurt himself later…..” As I tossed the flask away, I felt a lump developing in my throat, as I began to remember memories of a time that I had tried so hard to repress.

“What do you mean by that?” Duke pressed me, noticing the tears that began to fall.

I tugged on the left sleeve of my dress, pulling it down so that it exposed the back of my shoulder. “Do you see this?” I pointed to the jagged, ugly scar in my shoulder. “My mother was an alcoholic…just like Felipe the same way.” I began to explain, the memories I had tried so hard to forget had come back to me. “One time in a drunken rage, she smashed a bottle on my shoulder leaving this behind. I was very young so it has mostly disappeared by now.” It felt as if time had unwinded, going back to the time when the shards were deep in my skin, barely missing any vital veins.

I turned around to see Duke’s shocked face, as if he hadn’t expected such a story to come from me. “My father left my family and it made my mother upset, leaning on something like alcohol to sustain her existence. She had forgotten that my grandmother and I still needed her. For my grandmother, she was her daughter-in-law and for me, she was a mother. We don’t really have rehabilitation in Agricola, not like the ones in Switzerland at least.” I added. “I was quite young when my father left so I don’t really know exactly when everything had began….but all I remembered was that my mother had taken her life….when I was quite young and from then on, it was an extremely hard life for me and my grandmother. My grandmother, an elderly old woman, had to return to the fields and work on the farms in order to raise me. I was never able to finish school after 9th grade in order to begin working on the farms and help her.”I pulled my sleeve back up. “I don’t know it is for Royal families…but I know that if he disappeared like that..his family would miss him. They wouldn’t be too happy to see him leave. And as his friend…I would hope that he wouldn’t leave us either.” I turned around, to see his reaction.

Duke nodded. “I understand.” He turned around. “I’m sorry about what happened to your mother.” He added, clenching his fists. He tilted his head, opening mouth as if to talk. “Never mind.” He said. “I’ll help as best I can too.” Duke added, before retreating for the night.

~~~~~

Three days afterwards, I had been keeping a closer eye on Felipe. It has been a week now since he had began taking his medication.

“How are your symptoms now?” I asked him, sitting down beside him on the bed.

He was leaned back against a wall of weak pillows to support him. “I have a headache…” Felipe thrusted his body forward, clutching the sides of his head with his hands. “It hurts so much….”

“Felipe…” I placed a hand on his shoulder. “Do you want some ice for your forehead?” I asked him. “Or anything?”

“E-E-Em-merald?” Felipe spelled out, slowly uttering the words from his lips.

“N-No. It’s not Emerald.” I replied to him. “It’s Luisa.” I reminded him, pointing at my face.

In a split second, he had grabbed my wrist, yanking me much closer to him than I had ever expected to be. “Don’t be silly.” He laughed before placing his lips on mine, as if it were the natural thing to do.

For a moment I was baffled, only realizing what was beginning to happen as I felt his tongue at the opening of my lips. With both my hands, I pushed him back and with one of my hands, I slapped him clean across the face in horror. THAT was definitely not how I imagined my first kiss to have been. I gasped as I touch my lips where his had just been. “I-I’m sorry…I’ll….I’ll be back with your medicine….” I said, waving my hands in front of my chest before scrambling out the door, slamming it right behind me.

Outside, Eric leaned right next to the door, with an ice pack on his face from where Duke had punched him a couple days ago. He smirked as he saw my reddened face, steaming with embarrassment and shock.

I tried my best to ignore him, carrying on with my life that was perfectly fine without him.

“You can’t ignore what just happened in there.” Eric followed me into the kitchen.

“But I can ignore you.” I said to him, turning the other cheek.

Eric rolled his eyes. “Was he a good kisser?”

“I wouldn’t know that was my first kiss.” I replied.

“How does it feel?” He asked me.

“How does what feel?” I rummaged through the cabinet to find something that would relieve his headache.

“How does it feel to be kissed by a prince? Doesn’t it feel nice to be in the graces of the handsomest prince this school as to offer? Especially when you’re just a lowly commoner.” He teased me.

My hand was placed on the ibuprofen for a split second before I turned around. “I wonder if you use that line on your girls. They’re just as commoner as me if not worse at least I have some sense of self-respect.” I then took the ibuprofen.

Eric scoffed. “The attention seems to be enlarging your ego…..”

“My ego will never be as large as yours though.”

“Your d**k will never be as large as mine.”

“I never said anything about that….” I sighed as I stood in front of Felipe’s door. I stopped, before turning around. “Can I ask you to take the medication into Felipe’s room for him?”

“Why should I?” Eric c****d an eyebrow.

“I’ll punch you if you don’t.” I threatened.

Eric burst into laughter. “PUNCH ME?! WITH WHAT?!”

“I worked on a farm, I’m much stronger than you think.” I told him.

“And you haven’t been on that farm for like what almost six bloody months.” Eric reminded me.

I sighed, realizing that he had a point. “Then I’ll just call Duke to punch you. I know he would.” I folded my arms.

“Why can’t you do it yourself anyways? Scared he’ll try more moves you secretly like? Freaky girls play hard to get too I see.”

I was quickly getting weary of his shenanigans. “You know what. Forget it. I don’t know why I thought you were ever reliable.” I narrowed my eyes before entering to give Felipe the medication myself.

This time, the medicine had worked, and Felipe thanked me shortly before falling asleep.

I felt his forehead before he had fallen asleep. It was slightly warm, but I thought that it would have gone away with time. I walked outside to see Eric leaning against the wall like he had before. He stared into space, forward, watching Felipe closely.

I walked to my room, figuring it wasn’t anything serious..

~To be continued~