Uncommon (BWWM)

Chapter 27

A/n: I'm sorry everyone, my updates have been abysmal. But i have good news! I have completely planned until the ending of the book, so hopefully I'll be able to churn things out a little faster, now that I have all of the ideas and chapter plans in my head. Sorry again for the wait!

Serena x

"Good morning and you're watching BBC Breakfast... Today, we have some breaking news. A royal wedding is on its way! Prince Arthur, heir to the throne, has announced that he is engaged to his childhood friend, Rebecca Simpson, daughter of aristocrat Stewart Simpson, of the Simpson Estate firm. The exact date of their nuptials is yet to be announced, but it is believed to be at some point in the spring, as is the trend with royal weddings." The anchor reads off the news as if every word isn't stabbing Grace in the heart.

Grace sighs, picking up the remote and switching a couple of channels to a more casual news show. They're the love of her life, not a scientific specimen.

She internally groans when she is met the sight of Peter Jones, renowned journalist, and certified asshole, on her screen. His dark brown hair is perfectly coiffed into what she thinks looks like a bird's nest resting atop his head. His mouth curved up into a one-sided smile, showing off his teeth, which he had obviously spent a lot a money getting whitened to point that they no longer look like teeth, and more like tiny little icicles.

"So, the prince is getting married, what do we think of that?" He asks his co-host, Savannah Owens. She's a gorgeous woman. The sort of beautiful that you would double take on the street, an elevated form of normal, and natural. She has a kind face and eyes, and a warm, loving glow about her.

"I think it's wonderful, she seems like a lovely girl and he seems to have really grown up in his years away from the spotlight." Savannah responds, flicking some of her thick brown hair out of her eyes. She is clearly already slightly wary of Peter's topic of conversation.

"Hm." Peter starts, his investigative expression creeping onto his chiseled face, "Honestly I'm not convinced, I mean, look at the photos of them together, they don't exactly look like a happy couple."

"There are a million cameras on them, forgive them for being uncomfortable-"

"And just a couple months ago wasn't he dating someone else? Grace something? There were all those pictures of them. Look I'm just saying that if Prince Arthur is now suddenly engaged to another person... something is off."

"Oh, come on, Peter, the poor boy has just come out of hiding and you're already scrutinising his every move." Savannah scolds, rolling her hazel eyes in the way she does when she's officially had enough of Peter.

"The girl he used to be with was of Caribbean descent, wasn't she?" Peter points out, causing both Grace and Savannah to cringe visibly, "So isn't it convenient that Arthur suddenly falls out of love with the black woman, and falls for a white British aristocrat, just in time for him to come back to the public eye?"

Savannah frowns, her thin lips curving downwards, the expression adding years to her otherwise relatively young face, "I would like to think that that isn't the reason they broke up. If they were even together in the first place."

"Do you ever get tired of futile optimism, Savannah?" Peter teases, his shark-like grin growing like a tumour on his face.

"Not if I can undermine you, Peter." His co-host quips, her voice light but her tone much darker.

Grace chuckles once, allowing herself to bask that little bit of enjoyment in a day filled with the exact opposite. She clicks a button again, waiting for the ancient TV to load the next news channel.

This time, it's a group of media personalities, all of various ages, talking over one other with such vigour that their voices have all blended into one continuous stream of white noise. It's hard to pick up any one person's point, but eventually, one of them shouts louder than the others.

"All I'm saying," the man starts loudly, his blond hair is greying slightly, succumbing to the silvery tone that adorns most men of that age, "is that it looks like a marketing ploy."

There's a scoff, then a fuller-figured South Asian woman starts to speak, "I'll be shocked if it isn't. There is no way someone can go from being in love with one person, to marrying another in a matter of weeks."

"Who's to say he was in love with that Grace girl?!" Someone bursts out. A petite blonde lady, who's facial expression screams 'I don't see colour!'

"Did you see the pictures? That was love. And they were together for almost a year!" The Asian woman responds.

"Exactly, and a woman like that is obviously not appropriate in their eyes." Silver-fox replies with an annoyed roll of his blue eyes.

"You're sounding crazy. You're literally making up conspiracy theories to explain why you think the royal family is racist." Blondie laughs as if it's the most ridiculous notion in the world.

"Oh no, I'm sure the king loves black people. Doesn't mean he wants one in the family." A grumble from the Asian woman.

"Mhm. God forbid his son taints the royal bloodline with that of the help." Silver-fox jokes, but his words and tone are laced with sincerity and disappointment.

"You're so out of line." Blondie huffs.

"Is he?" The other woman says incredulously, "Face it, Amy, she is not what the public consider to be a princess. The prince may love her, and she may share the same name, but that girl is no Grace Kelly."

She's supporting Grace. Pointing out the sheer ridiculousness of the princess stereotype. Acknowledging that Grace is so far from the stereotype that she might as well be on Mars. Making people aware of how wrong that fact is.

Still... this acknowledgement hurts.

It's one thing to have a negative idea in your head. To let it fester in your mind, consuming and destroying all of the positive thoughts you have about yourself. Because you always, in the back of your mind, know that it's just in your head. The person you're on a date with doesn't think your nose is too big, your friend doesn't think your voice is annoying, your parents don't secretly wish you weren't born.

But the negative thought in Grace's head is, you will never be what the public want, you will never fit the mold. And the fact that it's so rooted in truth, that this little toxic thought she has is not only exclusive to her brain, is heartbreaking.

And Grace is not at all surprised.