Chapter Text
Alex doesn’t get the opportunity to avoid Henry, no matter how hard she tries. At eighteen years old, right before she is supposed to turn nineteen, she has to spend dinner making nice small talk with the Royal Family.
It’s her spring break, she should be spending it on the beach illegally drinking and running from PPO’s.
Instead, she is forced into a dress at a nice dinner, with Henry.
Henry is already older than Alex, but their birthdays aren’t far apart. Henry’s is at the beginning of March, meaning that right now Alex is even younger than her.
It pisses Alex off to no end.
“Make nice tonight, okay Alex?” June says. She’s trying to help Alex zip up her dress, but it keeps getting stuck on the hem.
“It’s a sign. I shouldn’t go.” Alex huffs. “You know, I have perfectly good dresses in my closet I could have worn. I don’t see why I had to borrow one of yours.”
“It matches better for pictures,” June says, giving the zipper another tug, finally getting it past the hem. “There we go!” She clasps the hooks at the top and rubs her hands together. “That hurt, but you look great.”
“The fabric itches.”
Alex wears dresses, they’re great, but she prefers a different style. This dress is peach with sleeves that go to her elbows and sinches at her waist, ending at that perfect ‘tea length’ at her knees.
She’d prefer a suit to this dress. Alex can rock a suit.
June looks amazing in it, of course. Alex, however, keeps pulling at the sleeves.
“If you ruin that dress I’ll shave your head in the middle of the night,” June says, grabbing a pair of black shoes.
“You wouldn’t dare,” Alex replies, glaring.
“I think you’d look great without hair.” June taps her head, “You’ve got a good face shape for it.”
Alex snatches the heels from June’s hand and sits to put them on.
“I’ll shave your head,” Alex mutters.
“Are you going to be able to handle seeing Henry tonight? After the tabloid incident, I have fears.” June says, moving to put in a set of pearl earrings.
June’s talking about an issue of the Daily Mail she picked up in February, which contained a picture of Henry making heart eyes at whatever blonde-haired blue-eyed boy she was with that day.
She has a habit of picking up trashy magazines, especially now that they make more frequent appearances in them, and going through them with Alex. This time they were eating donuts in Alex’s bed when Alex saw the picture.
“Ugh,” she moaned, “give us a break! We get it, you can have any man you want wrapped around your tiny delicate finger.”
June had looked at her in a weird way before responding.
“Why do you care? I’m pretty sure the newspapers keep speculating about you and who you may be dating as well. I’m fairly sure People has speculated that you and Liam are dating.”
“Liam is gay!”
“I only mean, you’re just as eligible a catch as she is.”
“Yeah, but look at her,” Alex snatched the paper. “She is doing that stupid thing where a girl tucks a piece of hair behind her ear, looking up at the boy with wide eyes, who looks like a total douche by the way.” June hits her arm. “It’s true! Look at him, his hair is stupid perfect and I bet you nothing he is wearing will be worn again. It’s ridiculous. I bet they’d have beautifully average blonde-haired children together.”
June rolled her eyes at Alex before taking the paper back.
“You sound like a jealous ex, you know that right?”
“I’m just calling it like I see it June. Princess Henry is out there acting like she’s perfect as can be, but she can’t fool me.”
“She can’t, can she?” June responds, raising an eyebrow at her.
“Nope, she’s prim and proper, yes, but she’s also an absolute menace. I wouldn’t be surprised if now that I’m related to the president of the United States she’s nicer to me. I’m not going to let it slide though. Fuck that.”
June rolled her eyes one last time before turning the page and changing the subject.
“Look, I was just spitting facts, I can be perfectly pleasant. It’s her everyone needs to watch out for.” Alex replies, standing up.
When they make it down to dinner Alex is pleasant and polite, just as she knew she would be.
They’re all making polite talk before they get seated, and Alex is mostly sticking with June. She talks some with Queen Mary, who seems like an old geezer, but fits the typical elder royal member bill.
Princess Catherine stays mostly quiet but comments on Alex’s dress and such. Bea isn’t in attendance, Alex notes, but Nora is here either. Typically Nora is a part of anything June and Alex are, as they are their own gang, and with her grandfather being the Veep. She doesn’t have spring break this week, however, so Alex and June are left to fend for themselves.
Alex makes it until dinner without having to speak to Henry.
Henry came wearing a powder blue dress, and when Alex sees her take the seat next to her, she winces.
June kicks her shin under the table.
“Ouch,” Alex whispers, rubbing her leg and glaring at June.
“What?” Henry asks, turning to look at her.
Henry’s hair is pulled back into a sleek ponytail, revealing yellow diamond earrings that hang to her chin.
She has light pink lipstick on and subtle eyeliner making her eyes look even bluer than normal. Does she get eyelash extensions?
Everything about her makeup look says natural beauty . Alex is sure whoever did it probably only raved about her acne-free skin and how she doesn’t even need makeup.
She doesn’t even have a foundation line. Maybe she isn’t even wearing foundation .
“Oh, nothing, sorry,” Alex mutters, looking back down at her glass of water.
“How are you, Alex?” Henry reaches a hand to grab a roll from the middle of the table. There’s a lovely gold bracelet hanging off her wrist, glinting in the lights of the dining room. It’s probably some fancy brand like Cartier.
Alex rolls her eyes. Apparently they’re making small talk . She doesn’t acknowledge it, but she can feel June staring daggers into her skull right now.
“Actually only my friends call me Alex. You can call me Alexandria.” She says, using her best fake nice voice.
“Oh, yes, sorry. Alexandria.” Henry says in response quietly. Her ears look a little pink, contrasting against her gold studs.
“So, tell me what you like to do?” Alex asks innocently, ignoring Henry’s question. She manages to catch June’s foot with both of hers before she kicks her. “Reading any good books lately?”
“Oh, of course. I love to read. Actually I just started this wonderful book named-”
“Is it the Art of War? I know that would probably come in handy with your position.” Alex interrupts.
“Uh, no.” Henry looks over, frowning.
“You’re probably too busy with appearances, maybe brushing your horse’s mane.”
“I’m sorry, did I miss something?” Henry asks, looking at June and back at Alex.
June lets out a big sigh.
Before she can respond, however, the next course comes, and they are quiet as they eat. Alex can feel Henry shift uncomfortable in her seat, and her lips form a small smile in between bites.
Ellen and Leo help lead the conversation, occasionally helped out by Alex and June. There is a period of time where only Phillip is speaking.
It’s dreadfully boring, and Alex wonders how his girlfriend stands it.
“Jesus Christ, are all royals so horrible to be around?” Alex whispers to herself, only loud enough for Henry to hear.
Alex can’t let Henry think she is going to bend over and kiss her hand just because she’s a fucking princess. If she’s going to act like an ass, then Alex is going to be the same.
It’s only fair.
Henry doesn’t respond verbally to Alex’s whisper, but she can feel the way her body tenses up, and when she risks a glance, she sees that the tips of her ears are red.
Bingo .
Alex and Henry dance around each other for the rest of dinner, not speaking and glaring at each other. There are a couple of moments where they hit elbows, or grab for something at the same moment. Each touch sends sparks of anger up Alex’s body and through her spine.
June gets up to leave, saying she doesn’t feel well. Alex notices she had several glasses of wine and wonders how she was able to get the staff to let her drink so much.
Alex will have to deal with that one later.
At the end of the night, they say their goodbyes, and Alex pointedly avoids Henry. She skips her and goes straight to Phillip, shaking his hand and giving him a big smile.
He doesn’t seem like a pleasant person, but it seems to irritate Henry, so it is worth it.
When Alex gets to her room she immediately shouts for June to help with her dress.
“What the fuck was that, Alex?” June asks, a hiccup at the end of her sentence.
June must have had more than just a few glasses of wine.
“What do you mean?” Alex turns around for June to unzip her dress, and June hits the back of her head. “What was that for?”
“Acting like a total fucking bitch to Princess Henry!”
Alex turns back to her and glares. June and Alex have an agreement to not call each other names, but once a year they have a free pass to call the other a cunt, and typically it is saved for a time when the other is being completely unreasonable and idiotic or rude. They can use more innocent words, like idiot or ass, but the big ones they save for huge mess-ups.
They had to create this rule after they both continuously got into fights in high school. It was for the best, and it makes their mom happier to not hear them constantly fling cuss words about.
Apparently this is the moment June is using her pass.
“Jesus Christ June, it’s only March and you’re already using your pass?” Alex asks, completely avoiding the topic at hand.
“Alex, if I could hit you and not get into trouble with mom, I would right now. I hope you know that.”
“Look,” Alex sighs, turning around, hoping she helps her out of her dress. “She started it, okay. She’s a total prissy princess and I wasn’t that bad.”
June tsks but undoes the clasp at the top of Alex’s dress, bringing the zipper down.
“Alex, you asked her if she needed salt for her potatoes, and immediately said ‘ actually, I guess you already have enough salt in your personality.’”
Alex turns around and steps out of the dress, handing it to June so she can put it back in her closet.
“Hey, I thought that one was good,” Alex replies, reaching behind her to get out of her bra.
“It would have been good to anyone who wasn’t the fucking Princess of the royal family, Alex.” June jumps out of the way as Alex throws her bra at her. “You’re a slob, Alex.”
“Am not, I am just being efficient. That bra is now next to my desk, so I’ll know exactly where it is in the morning when I need it again.”
Alex walks to her dresser to pull out a shirt and shorts to sleep in.
“Now, can we please go to sleep? It’s been an exhausting night and I just want to rest.”
June rolls her eyes again, opening her mouth to respond.
“Oh, also,” Alex says, sitting on her bed. “Why did Zahra make you leave?”
“Because I was going to murder you any second.”
“Really? I thought it was because you-”
“Please shut up Alex.”
Alex closes her mouth and smiles at June. Her face is red, either out of anger or embarrassment (maybe both).
“Hey, June.” Alex gets up and grabs her hands. “I love you. I’m sorry for being rude. I’ll try not to let her bring me into her nonsense next time.”
June gives her a glare but pulls her close into a hug.
“You did look nice tonight,” she says in Alex’s ear.
“Your dream come true, I wear one of your super girly dresses.” Alex chuckles.
“Hey now-” June leans back. “It had pockets!”
“That was the only good thing about it.” Alex jokes back.
June pushes her off, carrying the dress with her.
“If you grab hot cocoa and the thin mints mom has in the freezer you can come to my room and watch a movie with me.”
Alex smiles and nods, watching as her sister walks back out of her room and across the hall.
As she grabs the cookies and is waiting for the milk to heat up, Alex checks her phone.
One of the first things she sees on Twitter is a picture of her family with the royal family. Henry is to her left, giving a perfect smile, and wearing that lovely stupid powder blue dress. She’s much taller than Alex, especially as she wears heels much higher than the ones Alex had put on.
The sound of milk boiling over jogs her out of her thoughts, and she puts her phone down.
She just needs to ignore her .
Shouldn’t be that hard, right?