• tab He had made a mistake, an awful, terrible mistake. At the time it hadn’t occurred to him how she might react if he suddenly put his arms around her. In his own mind, he had thought that maybe it would help the princess realize that she could trust him. Now she hated him.
    tab Earlier he had seen the vile black knight Lance talking to her. He had clearly seen what the others had failed to, Lance touching the princess with his monstrous hands. She had looked so scared, that he had to restrain himself from pulling out his sword and challenging Lance to a fight. Maybe in Fantasia he would have won, but in the real world, he didn’t stand a chance. So to his regret, he had simply stood there, watching Jenna suffer.
    tab Now as he pulled himself out of the pool, he felt even worse than before. The other night she had told him all about Jason and the terrible things he had done to her. Nate was no better, even if his intentions had been good. Jenna had begged him to let go and he had ignored her request. And yet for some odd reason, he hadn’t wanted to let go. Instead he had stood there like an idiot with his hands around a frightened girl who almost passed out in his arms.
    tab Nate was pretty sure she’d never talk to him again, not that he blamed her. He deserved to be hated. But wasn’t that he wanted? Wasn’t his original plan to make Jenna hate him so she’d stay away from him and his friends?
    tab Sighing, he wiped the water off his face with a towel and decided to ignore that last thought. Life in Fantasia had never been this complicated. Before, everything went the way he wanted it to. If he was going to fight a monster, then there was no doubt that he’d win. And yet, as hard as he tried, he couldn’t seem to defeat the monster that was plaguing Jenna.
    tab “What are you doing here?”
    tab Turning, Nate watched Cass appear besides him.
    tab She looked at him intently then the water.
    tab “Did you go swimming?”
    tab “Can you believe it?” he asked jokingly. Jenna may not understand the importance of him getting into a pool but Cass sure did. Nate only swam once a year, during the anniversary race. The rest of the year, he spent his time far away from the water, only going in to rescue a drowning victim, which, thankfully, never happened.
    tab “Wow, I guess the princess has a lot more strength then I thought,” Cass smiled as she put her arm around Nate. “Thanks again for asking me to accompany you to the anniversary ball this year.”
    tab “Cass,” Nate began but stopped himself from saying anymore. He couldn’t tell her. If he did, than he’d have to explain Jenna’s secret to her and he didn’t want Jenna to hate anymore than she already did. “Never mind.”
    tab “If it’s about Jenna, then I already know that she’s mad at you.” Nate stared her in surprise. “I ran into her and she looked pissed,” Cass said reading his mind. “Is there something I can do to help?”
    tab Standing up, Nate gathered his stuff. “Don’t bother, let me deal with this,” he said as he walked away.

    tab For the next three days, Jenna hid inside her room. She wanted to forget about Nate, forget about the terrible thing he’d done to her. But Dahlia wasn’t helping.
    tab Everyday she would talk non-stop about the up-coming race and how she wasn’t going to give up until she saw Nate reduced to a ball of tears. Even if she wanted to, Jenna couldn’t talk to Dahlia about what had happened. She wouldn’t understand why it was such a big deal that Nate had put his arms around her. Knowing her grandmother, she’d probably mistaken it for a sign of showing affection. But the sheer thought of Nate liking her made her feel like she was about to vomit. Besides, Nate liked Cassidy.
    tab Speaking of Cassidy, she would visit everyday and try and convince Jenna to come out and play. But Jenna said no and politely asked her to leave.
    tab It wasn’t until the third day, that she’d heard a familiar voice that made her crack open her bedroom door.
    tab “Jenna, you’re being ridiculous.”
    tab It was Nate.
    tab Burying herself under her blankets she tried to block out the sound of his voice, “Go away.”
    tab “Do you hear yourself? If you keep acting like this, then that Jason guy will always have some form of power over you.”
    tab He was right, and the fact the Jenna knew that Nate was right didn’t make her feel any better. She hated him for what he had done to her, for all the things he had made her remember. Though as hard as she tried, she couldn’t forget the feeling of his arms around her. Perhaps if his approach had been different, she would have been grateful that someone was actually trying to help her while everybody else had left her alone to suffer.
    tab “I’m really sorry,” Jenna heard the sounds of Nate leaning against her door, “and Cass says if I don’t get you out of your room soon, she’d never talk to me again.” That made Jenna. Trust Cassidy to make a threat worth listening to.
    tab Quietly, she slipped out of bed and crept towards her door. What had Nate told her?
    tab Find the person you trust the most and tell them ‘I’m not ok’.
    tab But hadn’t she done that? The other night, she opened up to him, an almost complete stranger and told him everything, things that she would never tell anybody else. Did that mean out of everybody she had met so far, was Nate the only person she truly trusted? No, that wasn’t true, there had to be somebody else. But upon racking her mind for names, she came up empty handed.
    tab “I know your mad at me, but you can’t keep hiding or you’ll never overcome what happened.”
    tab Cracking her door open, she caught sight of Nate’s back, “I’ll come out, but that doesn’t mean I trust you,” she whispered as Nate scrambled to his feet to make room for her.
    The bright afternoon light stung her eyes as she stepped out of her dark room. Squinting, she rubbed her eyes, waiting for them to adjust. As soon as her vision started to clear, she could make out the familiar shape of Nate’s body.
    tab “Welcome back to society,” he joked as he took her hand and led her towards the kitchen. “Dahlia told me if I got you out of your room, to try an get some food in you.”
    tab Sitting down at the table, Jenna found the rest of the apartment cold when compared to her stuffy room. Shivering in her tank top and sleeping shorts, she drew her legs close to her, trying to stay warm. When Nate returned to the table with a bowl of Cheerios, he noticed her shivering and unzipped his jacket and handed it to her.
    tab “You can wear that for now,” he replied as he sat down besides her.
    tab It was big on her, but Jenna didn’t care. While she ate, Nate kept himself preoccupied with a crossword puzzle.
    tab “Nate, can I ask you something?”
    tab He glanced up and nodded.
    tab “If you’re such a good swimmer as everybody says, then why don’t you compete in school?”
    tab A small smile appeared on his face as he helped himself to some of her cereal, “I figured you’d ask that eventually.” He pushed the crossword puzzle aside. “I used to, back in ninth grade. Back then I wasn’t the so-called ‘freak’ that I am now.”
    tab Pulling her hair into a loose ponytail, Jenna waited eagerly for Nate to continue.
    tab “I’m not going to lie, I was a damn good swimmer, and the swim team even made me junior captain, though I knew deep down they resented all the attention and praise that the coach showered me with. Of course, I stayed on their good side when I carried the team to states and earned myself the title of ‘hero’ at school. I had friends, went to all the big parties, even had a cheerleader girlfriend,” he laughed, “it was one of the blonde brats.”
    tab The story sounded familiar to how her life had been up until recently. Popular, being known throughout the school, and being in a relationship with another beautiful and perfect person, this was exactly the life that Jenna had previously known.
    tab “Then one day, the guys on the swim team decided to pull a prank on the chess team because they had busted some of the seniors drinking out in the back parking lot. The plan was to break into their chess cabinets, steal their boards and nail them to walls. Since I had a friend on the chess team, the guys commissioned me to get the key. They said if I did this one favor, they’d put their pride aside and become the best team that they could be. I turned their offer down; I wasn’t going to sink to their level even if it meant that I wouldn’t be picking up their slack. Of course those assholes did it anyway and got caught and after that, they decided to make my life a living hell, cause they thought I ratted them out.” Nate leaned back in the chair and spun a pencil between his fingers.
    tab “As a form of revenge, I dropped out of the swimming a month before nationals. Our team hasn’t gotten close since. That just made the whole school hate me on top of the swim team and since then, I spend most of my time being shoved into lockers and trashcans.”
    tab “But you liked swimming, how could you just walk away from it like that?’
    tab Nate shrugged his shoulders, “I guess because I didn’t want the team to get credit for my hard work as well as put up with thier crappy attitudes. What’s the point of doing something when you’re the only one actually putting any effort into it?”
    tab “But you loved swimming,” Jenna insisted trying to see the point that Nate was trying to make.
    tab “Correction,” he glowered, “I was good at swimming, I never said I loved it,” Nate replied flatly before standing up.
    tab Jenna followed him to the door. “So if you quit swimming then why do you compete in the swim race?”
    tab Shoving his hands into his pockets, Nate sighed, “It’s a selfish reason,” he admitted.
    tab “And?”
    tab Running his tongue over his teeth, Nate looked at the ground. “I do it just to get on pretty boy Lance’s nerves. We used to be on the same swim team and he hated me cause I got all the attention. I race just so he doesn’t win.”
    tab At first Jenna said nothing as Nate’s words sunk in. Then she smiled and started laughing. Soon she could hear Nate laughing along with her. Once she was able to talk again, Jenna had tears in her eyes from laughing so hard. It had been forever since she had last laughed like that.
    tab “Listen, I got to go,” Nate said as soon as he recovered from his own laughing fit and reached the door, “but I’m really happy that you’ve forgiven me.”
    tab At that moment, Jenna forgot why she had been mad at him in the first place. He could be so mean but then…then become one of the greatest guys that she’d ever met. Glancing at him now, she found herself liking the awkward way he presented himself. Hands always crossed or shoved into his pockets, always avoiding your eyes though occasionally getting caught staring at you, pretending to be uncomfortable though secretly blushing when he got to close... It was obvious why Cassidy liked him; he was the kind of guy that told you how it was before lending you a helping hand. In fact, she liked everything about him, but most of all, she liked his smile. It was one of those rare smiles that, whenever a person sees it, it make others want to smile back.
    tab “Yeah,” she said as she walked over to the door and opened it for him. Then she remembered his jacket and slipped it off her shoulders before handing it back to him. “Here, you don’t want to forget this.”
    tab Reaching out, he took the jacket from her though his hands brushed against hers. The feeling that went through her body the moment their hands touched made her blush. Then Nate stared at her for a long time, his green eyes captivating, making it impossible for her to look away.
    tab “I’ll see tomorrow at the swim race, right?” He said finally before slipping his jacket back on and resting a hand against the doorframe. “It would mean a lot to me if you were there.” His cheeks turned red upon realizing what he had said and quickly added, “I mean, it would mean a lot to Cass if you were there.”
    Jenna smiled and touched his hand again, “I’ll be there.” Then he was gone.
    tab Once he had left, Jenna closed the door, turned around and slid onto the ground. Her heart was beating so loudly she could practically hear it in her ears. Closing her eyes, she rested her head against the door as she touched her pounding heart. This wasn’t happening, no, it couldn’t be happening. There was no way in hell that she could possibly be falling for Nate.

    tab In the end, Nate was declared the unanimous winner, coming in at least twenty seconds before the next swimmer. To Jenna’s amazement, almost half the town came out to watch the swim race, people crowding around the boardwalk and beach just to catch a glimpse of the competition. Standing besides Cassidy and Theo, Jenna cheered as loud as she could for Dahlia since she had been caught talking to Nate before the contest.
    tab “Sorry sweet, but no socializing with the enemy,” she said stiffly as she dragged Jenna way from her friends.
    tab While Cassidy held up a sign that read ‘Go Nate!’ in big letters, Jenna watched the official signal for the swimmers to get ready before firing his gun and then into the water they went. Nate was the first into the water, with Dahlia trailing right behind him. To her amusement, Lance tripped over his own feet and was the last to hit the water. Just like the other night, Jenna watched in awe as Nate swam effortlessly though the water, taking long even stokes that kept him in the lead. Before he even returned to the shore, the crowds already knew who had won.
    tab “And for the ninth year in a row, the winner is Nate Porter,” the official shouted over the roar of the crowds before handing Nate a trophy. In the background, Jenna watched Dahlia make a fist and shake it angrily at Nate’s back while Lance sulked off.
    tab After the race, there was a big picnic held on the beach. The place was more crowded than ever before. Sitting with her friends, Jenna watched Nate pose for photographers and speak with journalists.
    tab “It’s like this every year,” Cassidy explained as she helped herself to some fired corn.
    tab By the time Nate joined them, it had already been two hours since the actual race.
    tab “They wouldn’t leave me alone this year,” Nate complained as he sunk into the space between Jenna and Theo. “Those reporters are like vultures, pecking away at my last nerves.” He picked up the uneaten hotdog off Theo’s plate and was about to take a bite when a bunch of girls approached him.
    tab “Hey, um, can we…can we have a picture,” they mumbled before holding up their camera. The girls look like they were still in middle school and blushed when Nate said all right.
    tab Turning around Jenna studied the way Nate handled himself in front of the girls. Instead of being the cold sarcastic guy she had come to know, he was funny and open, boldly kissing one of the girls on her cheek, making her face turn bright red. His transformation was strange and yet Jenna found herself wishing that he wouldn’t put on this stupid act, that he would just act as open as he was now all the time.
    tab “Are you going to the dance tonight?” one asked after they got their camera back. “If not, I could use a date,” she squeaked.
    tab Pushing away his dried hair, Nate reached back and put his arm around Cassidy. “Sorry, but I’m taken.” Cassidy’s face reddened as she gazed at the sand, too embarrassed to look up.
    tab Jenna tore her eyes away and stood up. Guessing that Dahlia might need some cheering up, she walked over to her grandmother who was getting very friendly with another resident of the apartment complex.
    tab “Next year I’m going to crush that little boy until he won’t know what hit him,” she announced loudly before crumpling up her napkin and tossing it into the trash.
    tab “She’s already planning my downfall isn’t she?”
    tab Spinning around, Jenna nearly collided with Nate’s bare chest. Blushing she looked away hoping he hadn’t noticed.
    tab “It’s Dahlia, what else do you expect?” her voice was uneasy as she felt the heat from Nate’s body against her own.
    tab Shrugging his shoulders, he bent down to her level and smiled a wide smile, “Good point,” turning back he pointed to Cassidy. “She asked me to tell you that its time to start getting ready for the dance.”
    tab “Right,” Jenna responded, grateful to get away from him. Once she got to Cassidy, she took her friends hand and started to head back towards home. “Once I’m through with you, Nate won’t be able to look away,” she assured her as the climbed onto the boardwalk.
    tab Five hours later, both were ready. Their nails were polished, hair done up, and makeup applied. While they pulled their dresses on, Cassidy explained to Jenna how her dad always changed the theme of the anniversary dance.
    tab “Every year since this place’s grand opening, dad’s been going all out to celebrate its anniversary. Last year we had a masquerade and the year before that, a Hawaiian Luau.”
    tab Walking over to Cassidy’s full-length mirror, Jenna examined her reflection. Her dress was a dark green and matched well with her brown hair. It was strapless dress with a corset like bodice that laced up in the back. Towards the bottom of the dress, the fabric fanned out and whenever she spun around, the sparkles would glisten as they caught the light.
    tab “You look beautiful Jenna,” Cassidy said she appeared in the mirror besides Jenna. Her blonde hair pinned up and a few strands cascaded down her back, “Just like a princess.”
    tab Smiling, Jenna gave her a friend a tight hug. All around Cassidy’s room were sketches depicting people dancing around a large ballroom. Some of the pictures were held together with tape from when her brothers thought it would be funny to pull a prank on her, Cassidy had explained. But when they walked out of her room, all three of Cassidy’s brothers claimed that she looked amazing.
    tab “Never thought Cass could look so good,” Sam, the eldest of Cassidy’s stepbrothers, whispered to Jenna as their mom took a bunch of photos of a beaming Cassidy.
    tab Jenna smiled. Tonight belonged to Cassidy and no one else.
    tab When the elevator opened up into the lobby Jenna was sure that she was stepping into a whole other world. The entire lobby had been transformed into an enchanted forest. Trees and rose bushes lined the marbled floors. Soft lights twinkled from the branches and Jenna could hear music coming from the ballroom. But the most remarkable sight was located in the middle of the room, standing upon the red carpet that had been rolled out and was littered with flower petals.
    tab Not even in her dreams had Nate ever looked so handsome. Wearing a black tux and a smile, Jenna thought that she might faint at the sight of seeing him looking so dashing. For the first time since meeting him, Nate’s hair was tidy and seemed to allow him to tame it for once. He looked so good she couldn’t help feel a bit envious of Cassidy who glided towards him as if she was walking on air.
    tab Bowing, Nate took Cassidy’s hand and kissed it. “My fair maiden, tonight you are not a sorceress but rather a queen,” he said softly before looking passed her at Jenna. His eyes warm and inviting, though Jenna could have sworn that she had seen them widen when he had first lay eyes on her.
    tab “My lady,” he called to her and gestured for her to join them.
    tab Feeling her cheeks grow hot, she walked out of the elevator towards Nate, wishing he wouldn’t act so chivalrous. Like he had with Cassidy, Nate bowed before taking her hand kissing it. As much as she hated to admit it, Nate’s lips felt good against her skin and Jenna would have given everything she had just to have the feeling last longer.
    tab “Theo will be late tonight, so it looks like you’re stuck with just me,” he said before offering his arm to Cassidy who wrapped her arms around it giddily.
    tab As they walked passed her, Jenna felt for the first time a pang of loneliness. While Cassidy would be off dancing the night away, she’d be sitting off in the far corner watching with unwanted jealously. Cassidy was getting her fairy tale ending. Shouldn’t she be happy for her?
    tab The ballroom looked even more spectacular then the lobby. Lights connected to the chandelier extended out across the entire room, creating a soft almost ethereal glow. Tables had been set up with white tablecloths and fancy looking chairs. On each table there was a large collection of flowers, each display more dazzling then the next. Against the wall was a long table littered with various foods and drinks. On the stage was a string orchestra playing classy music and in the middle of the room, a majority of the residences were dancing and twirling around, all having a good time while lost in this realistic fantasy.
    tab Cassidy hadn’t been kidding when she said her dad liked to go all out for the anniversary dance.
    tab At the other end of the room, the double doors leading to balcony were opened revealing the ocean were a calm sea breeze drifted into the room. The setting sun on the blue water only made the room look even more like something only found in a dream and Jenna was grateful that her parents had shipped her off to Florida instead of letting her stay home.
    tab “Jenna,” Cassidy called before pointing to Nate, “we're going to go dance for a while.”
    tab “Have fun,” Jenna said as she moved over to an empty table and watched her two friends disappear among the other dancing couples. Alone she sat there, silently watching the world go on dancing without her.

    tab This was exactly what he had thought the night would be like. For the first time ever, the real world and Fantasia had merged together, creating such a beautiful place that Nate wished tonight would never end. In his arms, Cass was all smiles. He hadn’t been lying when he called her a queen; she looked so stunning that he found it almost impossible to believe that this was the same girl who went to school with green paint splattered in her hair.
    tab “If I’m a queen tonight, then you are certainly a prince,” Cass whispered into his ear as they danced around the grand ballroom of the castle. All around them, the inhabitants of Fantasia spun around in sweeping circles. Fairies, dwarfs, elves, even the more vile creatures had come out to celebrate. All around, the room was a picture that deserved to be hanging in any museum. Everything was perfect, the lights, the music, and even the food looked straight out of a fairy tale.
    tab And yet as perfect as everything was, every now and then he would catch sight of the princess sitting sadly at a table all alone. It hurt him to see her like that, hurt him a hell of a lot more than he’d like to admit. She looked so beautiful that each time he noticed her he’d have to tear his eyes away just to make sure he wouldn’t trip.
    tab “Tell me, sweet prince,” Cass said as the song came to end, “you asked me to accompany you here this fine evening and yet you spend more time staring at a certain girl then you do me.”
    tab Nate could tell from her tone that she wasn’t angry, rather curious to know what was going on inside of her friend’s head though it wasn't like he could explain it to her anyway. Again, he caught sight of Jenna who was twisting a napkin uncomfortably in her hands. Ever since that night in the pool, he couldn’t seem to get her out of his mind. It was a worry that drove him to constantly think of her. He was afraid that she might never overcome the evil spell that this Jason had placed on her. And though he had failed, he wasn’t ready to give up, not until she learned to trust him again.
    tab “It’s fine, don’t worry about me,” Nate said firmly though at the moment, he was the least bit sure about himself than ever before. Hearing the music start up again, Nate took Cass’s hand and began to dance again.
    tab “Oh no!” Cass cried as she pulled herself away from him and stared off in Jenna’s direction.
    tab Turning around, Nate watched that despicable jerk Lance approach Jenna. Not even waiting to see what he wanted, Nate took off, hoping to reach the princess before Lance did.
    tab “How about a dance? Lance asked as he loomed over Jenna and offered her his hand.
    tab “Sorry,” Nate said as he put his hand on her bare shoulder. “She already promised to dance with me.” Taking her hand, he pulled a speechless Jenna out of her chair, leaving behind a rather stupefied Lance.
    tab Once they were on the dance floor, Nate cautiously put his hands on Jenna’s shoulders as they started to dance. “Shouldn’t you be with Cassidy?” Jenna asked her eyes focused on the floor.
    tab “She wanted to get something to eat,” he lied. They danced in silence after that, neither one daring to look each other in the eye.
    tab “You look good,” he whispered, trying to make the situation less awkward for her. “I mean, not that you usually look bad it’s just that right now you look really…” his voice trailed off. He was blabbering, unable to find the right words to say. To his surprise, Jenna’s cheeks turned red, something they had done earlier now that he thought about it.
    tab “I get what you’re trying to say,” she spoke in a quiet voice, “and thank you.”
    tab Again there was silence. Nate chewed on his lower lip; desperate to find something to say that didn’t make him sound like a stammering idiot. It was strange, up until now he had never noticed how pretty she was, something he hated himself for not noticing earlier. But it wasn’t her fancy gown and makeup that made her pretty, it was her personality that he was attracted to. He admired the way she’d force herself to be happy, just so she wouldn’t be a burden to her friends. He would bet everything he owned, that before Jason hurt her, she was a funny confident girl who could get along with anybody, maybe even a guy who took pride in disconnecting himself from the real world just so he could pretend he was a brave knight for a few hours.
    tab Suddenly something dawned on him, “Jenna,” she glanced up at him. “You’re not trembling. I guess this means you finally trust me, huh?”
    tab Instead of smiling like he had thought she would, Jenna closed her eyes and rested her head against his shoulder. “Why is it when I’m only around you, do I feel safe?” Her voice was soft and fragile. Even though it was hot inside the ballroom, Jenna’s body felt cold against his.
    tab Closing the gap between them, Nate tentatively moved his hands from her shoulders to her waist. It was a good question, one that had a thousand answers. If she felt the same way he did, then it was obvious why she felt safe when near him. Spinning around he caught sight of Cass watching them. She didn’t look angry, in fact she looked excited.
    tab “Go on,” she mouthed to him before turning her back to them.
    tab So Cass knew. Nate smiled, guessing that Cass had known long before he had about his true feelings. Taking her advice, he closed his eyes and rested his chin gently on top of Jenna’s soft hair, inhaling the sweet scent of her perfume. Her arms were around his neck now and never before had he felt so complete. But this was the danger of being in Fantasia. In Fantasia, he was a brave knight whose soul duty was to protect his friends. He rescued those in need and had often pretended that his good deeds would be rewarded with a kiss from a beautiful princess. In Fantasia, he had a chance of meeting and falling in love with a girl like Jenna. But in the real world there was no chance. If a girl like Jenna went to his school, he knew that she’d never look at him the way she was now. This moment wouldn’t exist if she hadn’t been hurt and turned into an outcast like him.
    tab He had to stop pretending, stop acting like his life was one big fairy tale. But if he stopped, then he might lose her and that was something he never wanted to happen.
    tab When the song finally reached its end, both of them untangled themselves from each other’s arms. Looking at her, Nate knew that this was his one shot, that at any given moment, the magic would end and he would go back to being the nobody that he was in reality, the nobody that he had purposely let himself become.
    tab Taking the side of her face in his hand, he took advantage of how close she still was and lifted her chin until their eyes connected. Then he was bending down, slowly inching closer to her lips. He could almost feel them; almost taste the sweetness of her skin…
    tab “What do you think you’re doing?”