over with sickness. Oh, no, no, poor Bella! I stare down at the pictures, which show Bella, her hair in a top knot and dressed in a tracksuit, walking in Oxford and sucking down some kind of green juice drink.
I cringe and tap on the article, which shows more pics, this time of her entering a juice shop, and then leaving with the drink. Next, I read the article from the Dishing Weekly website:
Princess Isabella was spotted out in Oxford early this evening, leaving a gym and then heading straight to the Orange and Coconut Juice Bar, where she was spotted ordering a kale protein juice blend as a post-workout refuelling drink.
“Bella is desperately trying to lose some weight ahead of the royal wedding,” an insider close to the princess told Dishing Weekly. “She has let herself go while at Oxford and has gained quite a bit of weight. But knowing all the cameras will be on the royal family, she has thrown herself into trying to get slim, as she doesn’t want to look fat next to her sisters, Princess Elizabeth and Princess Victoria, whom she has always been jealous of.”
I stop reading. Disgust and rage are fighting equally for top billing in my emotions right now. Bella is beautiful, with hips and curves and a fuller figure. How dare the press go after her and proclaim she’s desperate to drop pounds? How could they body shame her in this day and age? And play her against her sisters? Haven’t we come further than this?
And what “friend” would make that kind of comment to a rag like Dishing Weekly?
I check the timeline. The article was published this evening.
“Xander,” I say, “you need to see this.”
“Hmm?” he murmurs, tapping his stylus against his lips.
I hand my tablet to him. Xander takes it and glances down. As soon as he sees the article, his eyes immediately flash with protective anger. His jaw sets, and his brow forms a deep-V.
“That is bullshit,” Xander snaps, his voice seething with anger. “Why don’t they pick on me? I can take this rubbish. Bella can’t.”
My gut tells me he’s right about that. I could see Liz and Victoria not caring about an article like this, taking it in their stride. Even Clementine, as she will have been baptised into this by now with all of the horrible things that have been said about her. But after meeting Bella, I sense she is fragile. Delicate. An article like this would deeply hurt her.
And further batter a self-esteem that took a beating when Camden’s attention turned to Victoria the second she entered the room at the party last Friday night.
Oh, God, I want to hug her. Reach out to her.
“I hate the press. I hate them,” Xander says, his voice low. “This isn’t bloody news. It’s cruel.”
He hands my tablet back to me, and I stare down at the image, knowing this will be my fate, too.
And I’ll have to be strong and handle this like Liz or Clem or Victoria would if I am to survive.
Xander’s phone rings. He reaches forward and plucks it off the coffee table. “It’s Liz,” he says when he glances at the screen. “Hello … Yes, just read it … Bastards … How’s Bella?”
I watch his face as he talks with his cousin. He listens for a bit, then glances at me. “You can talk to her now, Poppy’s right here with me … Yes, she read it … Hold on.”
Xander hands the phone to me. “Liz wants a word with you.”
“Me?” I ask, surprised.
Xander smiles gently at me. “You are a part of the squad now. So yes, you.”
I take the phone and hold it to my ear. “Hello?”
“Poppy, it’s Liz. I know you’ve read that article,” she says, her words angry and clipped.
“Yes, it’s awful! I’m so appalled they wrote that rubbish. How is Bella?” I ask.
“Not well. She’s humiliated, even though she has nothing to be embarrassed about. Their ill perception and body shaming reflect on them, not her.”
Her words echo Xander’s from a few moments before. It seems to be the royal code for them, to let these horrible things roll off them.
I have a suspicion, however, that Bella is not cut from the same armored cloth that they are.
“But she doesn’t feel that way, does she?” I ask.
“Bella normally has minimal press,” Liz explains. “Usually, only when she’s at a family event. I suspect they are digging for any royal-related stories because the wedding fever is