breakfast club ficlet
((ok so this is 4 weeks late lol but then again so is everything i do, so xD this is the fic which i cowrote some of with @calistapledger, and you’ve probably read her side of it, but now you get to see aricia’s side! i hope you enjoy! special mentions to all my babes in the breakfast club, i love you all so much!! @emmalynatwood @theiahuntley @isabellafaulkner @debbieker @calistapledger @devonmuerner))
The announcement
The weight of the eliminations has been resting heavily on all the girls since they were announced. They all seemed more aware that this was a competition, and ladies were going home faster than the cakes Debbie could ingest, which was a feat. The week before the departures, Aricia, Isabella, Debbie, and Calista were lounging in the library as they usually did in the mornings. After breakfast, if they didn’t have any pre-established plans, the quartet would walk towards the libraries and seek solitude in each other and in the walls of literature that surrounded them.
Unfortunately, as the week progressed, there was a notable increase in the tension between them. With Cal’s looming departure, the girls realized that they were losing a good friend and sister. They all tried whatever they could to being the vibe back to normal, from Debbie joking about desserts to Aricia trying to lighten the mood with terrible puns, but to their dismay, nothing worked.
When the girls woke up today, however, they felt that the mood was even more somber than normal. The girls were used to the looming feeling of sadness, starting with Aricia’s dampened mood a couple of weeks before, and the elimination of their hall friends, such as Maddie and Aiko, but today morning was something else.
It was the day of the departures
Isabella woke up, rubbing her eyes innocently, not realizing the date until she picked up her phone. When she laid eyes on the date, and the calendar notification on her phone, she noticed a heavy blanket of sadness settle on the normally overjoyed girl, who loved everything and everyone. But even she knew that today, the key to her happiness wouldn’t be found.
Debbie woke up, turning her head the sound that her maids were making.
“Lady Debbie, it is time for you to get up”, they said, getting her clothes ready and running a bath for her. Debbie slowly got up, stretching in her bed and sliding out, trying not to slip on the floor. She walked to her maids, saying good morning to them all, before slipping into the warm and inviting tub. After 10 minutes, which wasn’t nearly enough according to her, her maids called her to get out, and she did, changing into a day dress. Once she finished, she sat on her bed, thinking that something was missing from the morning. As she headed down to breakfast, she realized that for the entirety of the day, something would be missing.
People would be missing
Aricia stood on the balcony in her room, sipping on some iced coffee, hoping that the caffeine would allow her pain to subside. It seemed to her that every time she rebuilt herself, another storm would come around, opening the wounds that had just barely healed. She finished her 4th glass, feeling slightly delirious, a side effect of her insomnia the night before. Everytime she closed her eyes, the same nightmare would flash before her eyelids. All her friends leaving her, everyone she loved and cared about leaving her, and possibly the most terrifying part of the nightmare was both Percy and Dom, standing at the mouth of a chasm, pushing her back into it, watching as she kept falling into the darkness.
That’s when she’d wake up
She’d been standing on the balcony, dressed in a thick sweater and leggings, watching the sunrise, and turned around as she heard a throat clear. She saw her maids, waiting with solemn looks on their faces, as they too knew that the lady that they were serving was broken.
Perhaps irreparably.
Calista Ledger woke up, feeling the surface of her bedside table for the lamp switch, before realising that it didn’t matter.
The whole day was going to be shrouded in darkness anyways
She got up from bed, and her maids helped her dress up. She marveled at the texture of the dress, knowing that it was the last that she would get to wear at the palace. She turned and hugged all her maids, silent tears flowing down her face. Calista didn’t fully comprehend why she was sad, knowing full well that she got herself eliminated by yelling at Prince Dom, and not regretting her actions at all. But why was she sad? That was the question plaguing her mind as she packed up the remainder of her belongings. One of her maids continued to hand her things, and she started crying, realizing She held the picture that Maddie gave her, one of all her hall mates during the ball that occurred a few weeks ago, laughing and happy. As Calista put away the photo frame in to her bag, she realized that she wasn’t sad because she was leaving the luxuries or that she lost her chance with the prince.
She was sad because she knew that she would be leaving her friends, and she knew that friends were irreplaceable.
The four ladies walked out from their rooms, making eye contact as soon as they stepped out. They all noticed the common frowns on their faces, as they walked towards the dining hall. Normally during their walk to the hall, they talk about all the things that had happened, cracking jokes and laughing noisily, getting strange looks from the guards, but today was a different day, with none of the ladies daring to break the silence, until Cal spoke.
“Hey, could one of you help me get downstairs? I wouldn’t want to go home with an injury” she said, forcing a laugh. Isabella moved to one side of Cal while Aricia walked to the other, grabbing her arms and leading her down the stairs, while Debbie walked beside them, watching the steps. Once they got downstairs, the girls let go of Cal’s arms, and started walking towards the dining hall, the blanket of silence drifting on top of them once again.
Once the arrived at the dining hall, they waved to all the other girls, who were also sitting silently, eating their food. Aricia, Izzy, Debbie, and Cal all walked over and sat in their normal seats, helping themselves to the food on the table. Izzy and Aricia both silently talked about small things, occasionally sneaking glances at the royal table. They all seemed happy, talking animatedly amongst each other, which clearly wasn’t the case amongst some of the selected.
Once breakfast was finished, Aricia, Izzy, Debbie and Cal all walked towards the library, not wanting to break their normal morning tradition. They walked in, sat down, and waited for someone to bring up a book first.
“Well, I read this book last week-“, Izzy started, but Aricia interrupted her.
“Please, Izzy, not now… “she started, shooting a pleading glance at Izzy, who automatically understood, changing the topic.
“So, Cal, what are you planning for after the selection?” she asked, voicing the question that we all wanted to asked
Cal shrugged, fiddling with a stray book she found, “I’m not sure. I just want to live out my life without any burdens or pressures”
Debbie nodded, “That makes sense. It’s a good time as any to discover yourself right now”
We all chorused in agreement, before sinking back into silence again
“When are you leaving, Cal?” Aricia asked, running a hand haphazardly through her blonde locks
Cal smirked slightly, “Wow, Cia, you sound eager to be rid of me”
Aricia rolled her eyes, “That not what I meant, and you know it Cal” she said, the corners of her mouth tugging up ever so slightly
Debbie and Izzy laughed, shaking their head at the two girls.
“You make us laugh even in the darkest times, Cal” Izzy said, moving towards Cal to give her a hug, “I’ll miss you so much” she mumbled into Cal’s shoulder
Debbie and Aricia both got up, wrapping their hands around Izzy and Cal, enclosing them into their embrace.
“I’ll miss you guys as well. You were the highlight of my stay here, and I will never forget any of you” she said, pulling away, “You better write, or else” she threatened, which sent the four of the girls into a state of delirious laughter.
The four girls kept laughing, until they heard a throat clear from the doorway, which caused them to stop laughing. They turned around, and saw the captain of the guards, Alystair Costas, standing by the door, waiting to be invited into the room.
“Come on in, Captain Costas, no need to be shy,” Aricia said, shooting a wink at Cal, which caused her to blush slightly and Debbie, Aricia and Izzy to laugh.
“Haha, very funy Cia,” she said, rolling her eyes, but you could hear the laughter in her voice.
Captain Costas walked further into the room, coming to a stop in front of the four girls.
“Ladies, if you don’t mind, I’d like to talk to Lady Calista for a minute,” he said, rubbing a hand a the back of his neck.
“Oh, of course! We’ll give you both the alone time you need,” Izzy exclaimed, dragging a laughing Debbie and Aricia out of the room before Cal could murder them.
Calista rolled her eyes at her friends, “I’ll get you back later!” She yelled at them, turning to look at Captain Costas once the door shut.
“So, Alystair, what did you want to talk to me about?” she asked, knowing full well what he wanted to talk about.
Captain Costas ran a hand through his hair, before taking the seat opposite to Cal, “Were you honestly going to leave without saying goodbye?” he asked, his voice strained.
Well, he doesn’t beat around the bush
Cal sighed, “I thought it’d be easier that way”
Alystair frowned, “What would be easier?”
Cal shook her head, “Leaving without saying goodbye would make the goodbye easier, wouldn’t you think? No emotional sobbing, no empty promises, nothing”
Alystair exhaled, “Easier for you, but not for me,” He murmured, but before Cal could answer, he stood up, “Its been a pleasure meeting you, Calista. I must get going now, have a safe journey home”
“Wait! Where are you going?” Calista asked, and silently reprimanded herself. What did she care that this man was walking away from her?
“I do have a job here, you know,” Alystair said mockingly, “I hope we meet again Calista Ledger, I hope we meet again very soon” he added, slipping out of the room before Calista could get one word in against him.
Outside, Alystair came across Aricia, Isabella and Debbie, “You ladies can go inside. I’m sorry for keeping you waiting,” he stated, before walking away. The girls looked between eachother, surprised that the meeting was done so early, and walked back in to find their friend.
“Cal?” Debbie asked, walking into the room first, “Are you ok?”
Cal nodded, not sure about what she was feeling, “I have to go to my room and grab my stuff. Its almost time for me to go”
“Cal-“ Izzy started, but Cal held up a hand, definitively silencing her, “Not now, Izzy. I’ll talk to you all later when I’m doing packing up, okay? I’ve got some things I need to think about. Now if you’ll excuse me,” she said, storming out of the room and leaving her friends dumbfounded.
In all honesty, Cal felt bad about what she did. All her friends wanted was to help her out and spend time with her, but she couldn’t even allow them that. Cal shook her head, shaking the thoughts out of her mind. If she started thinking like this, she knew she’d go back and spill everything to the girls, and she couldn’t handle that right now. Cal walked up the stars slowly, getting assistance from a guard who was standing by the railing. She thanked him when she got to the landing, and walked towards her room.
Cal walked into the room, thankful that her maids were still there. She would still get to say her goodbyes. The three maids stood before her, not knowing what to say. Cal broke the silence, directing a smirk towards Isla.
“It is my last day, this warrants a hug, don’t you think?” she asked, and she heard Isla rolling her eyes
“You’re an odd one, Cal.” She said
Cal laughed, “I’ll take that as a compliment, Isla,” she teased, pulling her three maids into a bone crushing hug. She whispered her thank yous softly into their ears, hoping her hug said it all. She would be nothing without these women standing in front of her. Soon, the ladies had to break up their love fest because it was nearing noon and she had to leave. Cal slung her backpack over her shoulders, and walked out of the door with her head held high and her walking stick clutched firmly in her hand.
She was just exiting the hall when she felt the loud thud of his steps and smelled the scent of his aftershave. His steps were louder and rougher than usual. He was mad, and Cal didn’t blame him. The sounds stopped right in front of her, and she heard his deep breathing.
“You’re actually going to leave without saying goodbye, aren’t you,” Alystair said, with a structure in his tone that caught Cal off guard. She took a moment to revaluate her situation, knowing that if she responded, she’d give into her vulnerability, which was the last thing she needed right know. But, the smarter part of her screamed to give him an answer and walk away, acting unaffected.
“I was going to send a postcard” she blurted out, trying to ease the tension. Alystair was not amused, which was evident from the sigh that escaped his lips.
“I know you’re blind, but surely you’re not an idiot! You know how I feel about you, Calista. I know you feel the same”
What. The. Hell
Cal stood there, rendered speechless. What would she say to that? That she loved him back? Truth. That she didn’t want anything to do with him? Lie. She knew that she couldn’t say either of those, because her truth would give Alystair everything he needed to hold her back, but he would see through her lie instantly.
Quickly making her decision, Cal donned a face of indifference, “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she said, repeating the same lie she had told countless times before.
“Ah, I know what you’re doing” he said, his voice as gentle as the morning wind. Cal placed her hands stubbornly on her waist, staring him down the same way she did when they first met.
Its funny how their story both started and ended the same way
“What exactly am I doing?” she asked
Alystair shook his head, “I’m not going to patronize you, Cal. You don’t have to push me away. I want you to stay.”
Cal was shocked and livid, “You’re crazy! Dominic would never allow it!” she scoffed
Alystair laughed, and the tension between the two dissipated immediately. He ruffled her hair, and she shook her head, trying to get rid of his touch.
“AH HA! You do fancy me!” he exclaimed, seeming happier than a kid on Christmas. Cal ran the words she had said over in her head, and groaned when she realized her mistake.
“It doesn’t matter, I’m leaving,” she said, attempting to move around him. Just as Cal moved around him, Alystair grabbed her and pulled her to him, enveloping her in a warm embrace. Cal fought off the embrace, but to no avail, so she slowly found herself melting into Alystair’s arms. She could feel his soft breath on her forehead, and the thundering of his heard beneath his uniform.
I’m doing that to him, she thought, blushing slightly.
“I want you to stay, but not in the palace because I can’t make you do that. I have an apartment outside the palace. You could stay and study in Angeles University, so we’d still be close. Please, Cal,” he said, looking down at Cal with a weighty stare, “We could be happy.”
The last part of his sentence was what broke Cal out of her trance. She knew that with the way things were going now, she couldn’t be happy. Not until she could have some time to heal.
“Life isn’t a fairy tale, Aly. I have a family to get home to. I’ve disappointed them enough” Cal said, wrenching herself out of his hold and walking away. This time, Alystair didn’t stop her.
Cal walked down the hallway, and in her haste, bumped into someone, sending them both sprawling out on the floor.
“Oh my, I’m so sorry! Are you ok?” Cal asked, getting up and dusting herself off.
“Cal?” A voice said, coming close to her, and Cal recognized it as the voice of Aricia.
“Hey, Cia,” Cal started, and tried to walk around her friend. Unfortunately for her, Aricia knew what she was planning on doing and grabbed her wrist with an iron grip.
“Where are you going? You just ran away without any explanation, and we’ve been looking for you for the past half hour!” she exclaimed, incredulous.
Cal sighed, and turned to look at her friend, “I’m sorry, Cia, it just…” she trailed off, and Aricia started guiding her down the hallways.
“Where are we going?” Cal asked, continuing to match Aricia’s brisk pace
“Well, you’re leaving soon, and Debbie, Izzy and I want answers, so you’re going to give them to us,” she said forcefully.
Cal was shocked, she’d never seen Aricia behave this coldly before. Whatever was bothering her, Cal made it her mission to figure out.
“Here we are,” Aricia said, leading Cal into a room.
“Where are we?” Cal asked, trying to gauge her surroundings
“The library,” Aricia stated, the edge coming back into her voice again.
What was up with her?
“Izzy? Debbie?” Aricia called, looking around the library
“Back here!” Came a voice, and Aricia guided herself and Cal towards it
The girls walked silently, Aricia’s hand still clasping Cal’s with a vice like grip. They kept walking until they reached a small nook in the corner of the library
“Oh, you found her,” Debbie said, as Cal and Aricia approached them.
Aricia nodded, and let go of Cal’s wrist, as if it were poison. She walked over and took a seat beside Izzy, who looked at her with concern.
“Are you ok, Cia?” she whispered softly into Aricia’s ear.
Aricia shook her head, “I’ll tell you later,” she said, and turned to look at Cal.
“So, Cal,” Izzy started, shifting her gaze from one friend to another, “Why did you storm out?”
Cal shrugged, “I was going to leave without saying goodbye to Alystair, which made him upset.”
Debbie gasped, “How could you? You know he cares about you, right?”
Cal groaned, hating the way the conversation was going, “What do you mean, how could I? Just because he cares about me doesn’t mean that I’m going to drop everything that’s going on in my life and be with him!” she yelled, her voice getting louder with each word, and a deathly silence followed her outburst.
“Debbie, I’m sorry, I know you want whats best, but I don’t know what to do,” Cal apologized.
Debbie sighed, “Its ok, Cal, but that didn’t give you the right to yell,” she said.
Always the peacemaker, Cal thought, but the irony of her words didn’t go past Cal. So, it was alright for Aricia to be upset for no reason, but not for Cal to be upset with one?
“Speaking about people not having the right to do things,” Cal started, looking around the room, “Whats wrong with you, Aricia?”
Aricia tensed, her body going stiff as a rod, “I don’t want to talk about it,” she forced out, her gaze steely.
“But-“ Cal interjected, trying to get an answer out of Aricia, but was interrupted by the latter.
“I said, I don’t want to talk about it,” Aricia stated, her words getting icier by the minute.
“Come on, Cal,” Izzy said, checking her watch, “its almost time for you to leave, lets walk you to the front doors”
The girls got up and walked towards the doors speechlessly, as if there was an invisible force that kept their mouths shut. When they arrived there, all the other ladies who were eliminated were standing there, with the girls still in the selection saying goodbye to each of their friends. The girls walked up to Calista’s pile of luggage and stood there speechlessly.
“Well, I guess this is goodbye then,” Debbie said, breaking the ominous silence
“No,” Cal started, “not goodbye, just… the start of something new”
All the girls stood together, looking at eachother before coming together for a brief hug. When they pulled away, they saw similar tears glistening in their eyes.
“Here’s to forever,” Izzy whispered, looking around at all her friends
“Here’s to forever,”
…
The girls spent the rest of their day doing completely different things. After bidding Cal and the other girls farewell, Debbie went to the library, wanting to finish the book that she was currently reading. Izzy went to take a walk outside, and offered Aricia to join her, but the latter declined, saying she had some matters to attend to.
After that conversation, the remainder of Aricia’s afternoon was bleak, to say the least. She begrudgingly walked to her room and swung the door shut, before throwing herself onto her bed and coming face to face with the item that she had been trying to run away from all morning.
The Parcel
*flashback to earlier that day*
Where on earth was she?
That was the thought running through Aricia’s mind as she walked down the hallways, looking for Calista. As she was walking down the hallway, she saw a guard approaching her, and they both came to a halt.
“Lady Aricia,” the guard said, looking her up and down, “This came for you in the mail today morning”
The man extended a parcel that was addressed to Aricia, and she wordlessly took it, thanking him and continuing to walk down the hallway.
What could possibly be in this? She wondered, and walked to her room to check. She walked into her room and hastily ripped the parcel open. Out fell a silky blue dress, and a letter. Aricia set the dress aside, and took the letter in her trembling fingers, slowly tearing the seal open.
Dear Aricia…
*flashback over*
Aricia picked up the letter again, her head ringing with warning bells.
This is wrong, it said, don’t put yourself through this
Aricia shook her head, “These thoughts have got to stop” she mumbled, pacing around her room angrily. She couldn’t allow this woman who had been absent from her life for the longest time to suddenly come and dominate her every waking thought.
Aricia threw the letter onto her dressing table, hoping the fire in her actions could incinerate it. She glanced at the clock, 11:13pm, it read, and she groaned. Turning off the lights, Aricia slipped into the sheets, hoping sleep would distract her from this living nightmare. She tossed and turned hopelessly for minutes on end, and after half an hour of pointless attempts to sleep, Aricia got up, walking towards the washroom and rinsing her face, hoping the cold water would freeze the gears that wouldn’t stop turning in her brain.
She sighed, running a hand through her already unkempt hair. Before she could fully think this decision over, Aricia slipped on a pair of fuzzy slippers and walked out of her room, her feet carrying her. She stopped infront of the door, checking the nameplate just to make sure she didn’t accidentally knock on the wrong room, especially at this time of night. She took a deep breath, poised her knuckles to knock, and went through with the action.
“Hey, Izzy? Are you awake? Its Cia. Can I come in?” she asked, waiting for a response. She waited for one count, for two, and at the third, she had almost convinced herself that this was a bad idea. Just as she turned to pivot and walk back to her room as if none of this ever happened, Aricia heard a faint voice through the door.
“Yes of course! Come in, the door is open”
Aricia nodded, and realized that her friend couldn’t see her actions through the door. Shaking her head at her idiocy, she clasped the door handle and walked into Izzy’s immaculate room. She walked in and saw Izzy sitting on her bed, her hair mused from sleep and in pajamas. Seeing her friend’s sleepy state sent a flood of guilt through Aricia’s body.
“Oh my, I’m so sorry, I didn’t even think to look at the time,” she said, sighing, “I’m sorry, I haven’t been feeling like myself all day and I took it out on Cal and now she left probably hating me”
“Come sit here,” Izzy said, disregarding Aricia’s rant and patting the bed, “Whats going on? Are you alright?”
Aricia walked and plopped unceremoniously on the bed beside Izzy, “Remember today morning when we split up to go look for Cal?” she asked, and after seeing Izzy’s nod, she continued, “I was approached by a guard, who gave me a package. Since I was having no luck finding her, I decided to open it, and and I found a letter from my mom… well, I’d rather call her ‘birth giver’, since that’s all she did” Aricia said, laughing bitterly, “She cheated on my father with my dad’s best friend, and she left when I was a kid and we never heard of her again. In this letter, she…” Aricia paused, taking a deep breath, “She told me that she wanted me to come to her wedding… She’s marrying my dad’s ex best friend, Bella, and that’s not even the worst part. She wants me to come and bring Dom because apparently having a member of the royal family at her wedding increases her social status or something,” she said, rolling her eyes, “I swear she’s only reaching out because now all of Illea knows my face, so even if I loose the selection, my mother will still have a bit of fame” Aricia finished, breathless at the end of her revelation.
She sighed, and turned to look at a spot on Izzy’s wall, “I’m sorry, I’m burdening you with all my problems when you should be sleeping”
Izzy listened patiently, not interrupting at all. She gasped, “Oh my gosh! That’s horrible! I’m so sorry,” she said, wrapping an arm around Aricia, “What are you going to do now? Are you going to write her back? Youre not planning on going to her wedding, are you?”
Aricia shrugged, “I’m not sure… To be honest, I really don’t think I can bear seeing her marry him, when she abandoned our family… and I doubt I can persuade Dom to go. And in all honesty, I don’t want him to see my dysfunctional mess of a family,” she said, chuckling dryly, “I’m probably not going to write back, though. She doesn’t deserve a reply.”
Aricia turned to look at Izzy, “Thanks, Izzy, its just that this has been burdening me all day, and talking to you really helped. I’m sorry for bothering you!”
Izzy nodded, “Yes, I understand. You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do! I know she is still your mother, but you don’t owe her anything. Hey, you can always come to me! My door is always open to you, even in the middle of the night,” she said, laughing as she shot a glance towards the clock.
“Yeah…” Aricia said, turning to smile and hug her friend, “Thanks Bella,” she muttered, the words muffling themselves in Izzy’s shoulder.
Izzy wrapped her arms around Aricia, “If there is anything I can do, tell me! I want you to be happy!”
Aricia smiled, “Thanks, Bella. Hey, do you mind if I stay here tonight? I kind of don’t want to be alone…” Aricia said, trailing off
Izzy nodded vehemently, “Yes, of course! I was just about to offer that! Youre more than welcome to stay” she said softly, smiling.
Aricia grinned, “Thanks, Bella, you’re amazing”
As the clock changed to midnight, the girls were softly asleep, the worries and troubles of the day put behind them, and the threats of the future locked away, the keys scattered near eachother, because they knew that if they wanted to get past anything that was happening right now, they knew that they had to stick together.