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ღ Finding Cinderella- 33 ღ

-Kylie-

A couple hours later, we'd finally arrived at Ronnie's house, a comfortable, two-story, white-stoned dwelling with a wide lawn surrounded by red begonias. The t hree of us had been very apprehensive-our palms had sweated, our throats had gon e dry, and our bodies had been so frozen, we hadn't been able to touch a single piece of furniture - since it was our first time being in a house owned by a per son we barely hung out with.

Not to mention a very popular girl at school and Fiona's ex-crony.

Now here I was, sitting on a beanbag, fingers tapping in my lap. I'd spent so mu ch time looking at Ronnie's room that I'd practically memorized everything insid e it. It was what you'd expect from a girl like her-every object screamed pink, from her walls and curtains to her accessory collections. In all fairness, thou gh, her room was much tidier and more fragrant than mine was. My room was in a c omplete muddle.

"Is it too loose? Or too tight?" I heard Ronnie say from her massive walk-in clo set. I swear they'd said they would be finished after fifteen minutes, but the t ime had doubled, and they were still in there. My back and feet already had cram ps from waiting.

"It's okay now, I guess..." Lacey said.

Ronnie and Julianne finally stepped out of the closet, puffing out air.

"She's all set," Julianne said as she went to my side.

"But, uh, guys..." Lacey poked her head out, looking nervous. "Th-this is..."

"Come out now, and we'll have a little fashion show!" Ronnie extended arms, and that was when Lacey finally stepped out, revealing her true glory.

The dark blue dress hugged her soft features perfectly, and its lacy white edges draped a couple of inches above her knees. There was a silk band at top, lining the top of the bust, and the dress was strapless, which showed off her collarbo nes and petite shoulders. She could transform any simple outfit into something e legant whenever she wore it.

"Sorry, Ronnie... it's cute, but-" Lacey mumbled, covering her chest with both h ands awkwardly. "This might be a little different from what I had in mind..."

"Hello, how can you not like it?" Julianne cried. "It's so cute, and it suits yo u!"

Lacey cast down her red face. "I said I like it, but doesn't this have a cover-u p? Like a cardigan or something? I can't do something like expose my... chest in front of other people. And it's too short for me. It's embarrassing."

"What do you want to wear, a nun outfit? Girl, puh-lease. It's totally fine!" Ro nnie exclaimed. "You have a slender figure, good chest, and nice legs. Have some confidence, kid."

"Yeah, and you're lucky to be a C-cup. Mine are borderline non-existent," Julian ne said, pointing at her chest. "If I don't stuff chest enhancement pads, I'm mi staken for a middle-school student! You've gotta work what you've got, girl. Tha t's the essence of being a woman!" She turned to me. "Right, Kylie?"

My lips curled in a frown, and she nodded eagerly, saying, "Yup, just as I expec ted."

"All right. If you guys say so... then I think I can handle this." Lacey sighed, falling on the bed, her shoulders dropped. "My date is forty-eight hours from n ow, and I'm already nervous about the whole thing. I don't know what to do. What if I mess up everything?"

"First date?" asked Ronnie.

"Not just my first date with him, my first date ever. Would he be weirded out if I told him that?"

"It's Clark. I think he'd be cool with it, probably joke about the pressure." Ro nnie reclined on the bed. "Ah, so it's your first, huh? It's natural to be nervo us and all. Been there, done that," she said proudly, as she was more experience d than any of us.

"So can you describe your first date?"

"I wish I could. I've been on way too many first dates to actually remember wher e or who's the first one was." A huge grin appeared on Ronnie's face.

Julianne flashed me a "told-you-so" look, and I quickly shot her a "keep-it-quie t" one in return.

"Come on, I'm sure you have one you can share," Lacey begged, looking eager to l isten. Apparently, she hadn't heard the rumors about Ronnie, since she wasn't ex actly the gossip-girl type.

Ronnie rolled her eyes dramatically. "Okay, I'll pick from the list." She ponder ed for a bit. "Oh, freshman year. Greyson Walter."

Julianne's eyes went as huge as saucers. "You've dated Grey Walter? The one who looks greasy and always smells like pot?" She'd described him like he lived on a sidewalk or something, but that was just Julianne.

"What?" Ronnie raised both of her hands and shrugged. "Well, he may be a bad boy and the quarterback, but he isn't my type. Plus, that date wasn't serious or an ything. It was just a silly dare and not even fancy at all. Hardly worth remembe ring, just like the others. I doubt he even remembers it."

That earned her a snort of amusement from the redhead.

"I've had a lot of awkward and totally weird dates, though," Ronnie continued, " like ditching the guy halfway, doing strange things, being not really tired, and not caring about anything at all."

Lacey's face went ghostly pale. "What if mine turns out worse than yours? Like, what if our conversation is even more horrible than awkward silence? I don't wan t to look like a dork in front of him."

"It can't be that bad. Look, just do whatever you want. Be yourself most of the time, Lace," Ronnie said, "keep your head up, and don't let your tiara fall. Don 't be cheap, and don't bring up topics that'll bore him to death, like the weath er forecast. Trust me, girl, zip it on that front. Copy?"

"Paste." Lacey laughed, her voice still quavering.

"Good girl."

"And when the date ends, hopefully having gone well, he'll ask you out to prom f or sure," Julianne said brightly.

Ronnie sprang up from the bed all of a sudden. "Oh, speaking of prom, I want to show you guys something." She rushed to her closet with surprising excitement.

The rest of us swapped looks. I wondered if this was how all the popular girls i n school hung out with each other, talking about boys, clothes, and dates. It wa s kinda unexciting for me, though, especially when I had nothing to share at all .

Now I felt like a creeper in this room.

Ronnie came back with a huge box in her hands. She put it on the bed, lifted the cover, and revealed a white ball gown with glittering, intricate designs - the kind of dress you could usually see in fairy tales or city shop windows.

As she shook it out, something flashed in my mind.

"Tada! What do you think?" She beamed.

Julianne bobbed her head. "It looks fabulous... and a piggy bank breaker."

"I know, right? I've been saving part of my allowance for a month just for this one."

There was an unexplainable look on Lacey's face as she scrutinized the dress. "O h, wow. That dress looks slightly familiar, you know. I think I might have seen it somewhere..."

"Oh, you may be finding it similar to the one the girl used at the ball. You kno w, the anonymous girl they made the Queen. Oh, speaking of her, I wonder if she will appear at prom-"

"No, I won't!"

Their eyes turned to me like they were surprised to see me still breathing. My m outh automatically snapped shut. Crap, I'd said my thoughts out loud! It had bee n my first contribution to the conversation, but it hadn't been the opening I'd anticipated. The gears in my mind turned, and I tried to come up with a diversio n as fast as possible.

I cleared my throat. "I-I mean, I won't assume that girl will be at prom." I nod ded, faking a casual grin. "Yep, that's definitely it."

Lacey pulled a bemused look.

Ronnie frowned. "How can you say that so surely? Have you ever talked to her?"

I melted on the beanbag from her penetrating gaze. This spelled trouble with a c apital T.

Scratching my head feebly, I stammered, "Uh, not all that much, you know. Ha-ha. .. we just-" think fast! "-well, we talked, like, only twice. I barely know her. She's like, um, a friend of a friend of another friend. Yup! And her name is An na."

Nailed it!

Okay, that last one had just slipped off my tongue, but what the heck. At least it sounded believable... hopefully.

Ronnie raised an eyebrow. "Wait, Anna?"

"I dunno know her surname," I quickly replied.

She deliberated over it for a moment as I silently said my prayers. The last thi ng I wanted right now was for her know about it.

Before long, the frown on her face was wiped out, and a smile snuck back again. I breathed a sigh of relief. Oh God, that had been another near-death experience for me!

While she looked at herself and tested the gown, Julianne leaned in closer to my ear. "Nice one, Anna."

"Shut up," I hissed.

"So you purposely bought a dress that's a little similar to the one at the ball? " Lacey asked slowly, sounding as if she were trying to figure it out.

Ronnie lifted her head and nodded fervently. "Uh-huh, and I had to reserve this before anyone else could snatch it."

"Why is that so?" I asked, smelling something fishy going on. This situation had both my curiosity and my attention.

"Honestly, I so don't like this kind of fashion because it's too simple and not that appealing. Well, mostly for me. I'd rather pick a sexier one than this." Sh e lowered the dress and began to fold it back up. "But when that girl grabbed ev eryone's attention, I couldn't help but wonder if that was the latest thing."

Ah, of course - she liked the spotlight. However, that answer didn't feed my cur iosity enough.

"Then why did you ask whether she would appear at prom or not? I don't think she 's that big of an issue." I gulped, twiddling my fingers in my lap and waiting f or her answer. I had to know more information, no matter how disturbing it might be, and so far, it had been very disturbing indeed.

"I... don't even know myself." A sigh came from her, and I detected a trace of c attiness as she continued: "Well, okay, it's just that she made me a little curi ous, because that night, I saw her and Tristan dancing and he was, like, so into her. And I was all, 'What? Why?' I mean, no one knows her. Okay, maybe a few pe ople, but still-" she shrugged, forcing a grin "-why, right? He totally went for her."

I wanted to jump off a bridge, for crying out loud!

"But when you said that she wouldn't come, well, thank you for that," she mumble d and pressed the dress back into the box. Then she looked at me, tilting her he ad. "Was she pretty?"

"Wh-what?"

"You said you've talked to her. So was she pretty up close? Was she nice?"

"Uh, I really couldn't tell," I muttered. For the love of pancakes, talking abou t yourself in third person is as awful as hearing your mother talk to other peop le about you behind your back.

She tucked her hair behind her ear as she heaved another sigh. Why was she being so worked up about this? Wait, was she thinking of that made-up girl as a threa t? Oh no, I hope not!

Lacey glanced at me and then back at her. "Why are you so interested in her?"

"Well, I was just wondering about the type of girl that Tristan likes."

"Oh, God. Not again," I heard Julianne droned under her breath.

"And also the style the girl wears. I mean, does he go for the feminine, the boy ish, or the cute type?"

I snorted a laugh. "Huh, I bet he's too busy thinking about his own style to eve n remember what the girl wears."

Ronnie flashed a smile. "Cute. Very cute. I like that trait of his." She paused and leaned closer to me. "Tell me more about him."

I blinked a couple of times before getting what she'd said. "Uh, like what?"

"You know, the basics. Like, his favorite color, birthday, hobbies and all that jazz?"

I bit my lip, trying to find the words. This was very awkward for me to answer, but I couldn't do anything about it.

"Oh, like in the slam book, huh?" My laughter sounded brittle. "If you really wa nna know, then uh... well, he was born on the 28th of August. His favorite color is blue, sometimes gray. His preferred combination is peanut butter and jelly. He inherited his father's eyes and dimples; that's what his mom told me. And, uh , what else - hobbies? I don't really know. Solving crossword puzzles, maybe?" A nd pissing me off all the time, I wanted to add, but that was already a once-upo n-a-long-time-ago story. I contemplated for a moment. "He does random stuff. Oh, and he may not show this to others, but he can actually play the guitar."

"Ooh, new discoveries. And that last one is so adorable." Ronnie sighed dreamily , and I gave her a weird stare. Wow, she was really that into him. "Go on, Ky," she said excitedly.

I brushed my head, looking away. "So, uh, he's the type that likes to be all ove r the place or whatever," I said. "He may act stupid most of the time, but in tr uth, he's actually really smart, especially when it comes to serious cases. I ev en called him a nerd once. He gets this scary expression when he's thinking deep ly." I snickered at the memory.

Ronnie chuckled as well.

"And, if... if Tristan wants something really badly, he ignores everything else and goes straight for it," I continued, getting a little wistful. "He'll make su re that nothing and no one gets in his way. He'll do anything to get it, no matt er what the cost." I paused, sighing; there was something heavy forming in my ch est. "Just like the other guys, he can be as cocky and immature as long he likes . He enjoys arguing about anything but lets you win in the end anyway. When he's mad, he's extremely creepy. I - I admit, I got scared once - only once, because I got over it the next day. But he can be nice, and when he's like that, he's - he is..." I couldn't find the word I wanted to say. "He's, well...just nice."

My mind had been drifting off to somewhere else. Then I snapped back to reality when I noticed that the three of them had been watching me the whole time. My ey es widened when I also realized that I had been smiling unconsciously. Oh, no.

"So, uh, anyway, he's just like a devil trapped in an angel form. Huh, you can't deny the fact that there's still a little evil spirit inside him." I forced a n onchalant smile, but deep inside I was slapping myself hard.

"Now that you've said that, I must say that he's a great guy. A keeper," Ronnie remarked. That dreamy smile never escaped her lips. "He really is, right?"

My eyes dropped to my pressed-together palms. "Well, uh..." I faltered, but fina lly gave in. "Y-yeah..."

Her eyes lit up. "You know, you can be, like, my source of information."

"What?"

"Be my adviser, Kylie."

Lacey, who had been sitting anxiously, shot a look her way, though Ronnie didn't seem to notice it because she was too engrossed in her request.

And all I could do was stare at her, frozen.

***

After a couple of turns around the neighborhood, Ronnie finally pulled up to my house. Her place wasn't that far from mine, but she'd insisted on driving us hom e. I stepped out of the front seat while Lacey struggled with the tiny little ba gs containing her dress and some accessories she'd borrowed.

I smiled. "Thanks, Ron."

She didn't seem to hear what I'd said. Her attention was fixated on the lawn nex t to mine, as if she were hoping for Tristan to come out of his house. Finally, she turned to me.

"No, thank you," she said. "You and the other two."

"Why? I mean, you're the one who-"

"Today was fun. Although the three of you have such different personalities, I'm comfortable being around you guys. And it's been a while..." She smiled and tip ped her head. "Stay awesome, girls." And with that, she bid us goodbye and drove away.

Tucking the bags under her arms, Lacey came closer. "I think she's kinda strange ."

"Yeah, it seems a little like that, doesn't it?"

"Maybe she just needs some friends. It's hard keeping up a flawless image around people like her clique. It's like turning yourself into a Barbie doll, perfect and plastic."

"That's how it works with them, Lacey."

"For some reason, you can't hate her. You just pity her."

I nodded and turned towards the doorstep.

"Kylie?" Lacey asked behind me. "Why did you decline Ronnie's request?"

I stopped but didn't look at her. "Wouldn't you feel bad if you found out a pers on was giving info about you to someone else? It's all about privacy, and I don' t want to get in any trouble. Besides, I don't think I'm the right person for th e job."

She exhaled. "I'm glad to hear that," she said, then mumbled something.

I spun around. "What are you murmuring about?"

"Nothing." She cackled. "That's so weird, because I remember the time when you b abbled to everyone about some terrifying childhood experience of his. That got y ou into trouble, but you only laughed at it."

I snuck my tongue out. "Bleh, whatever. He deserved it," I said with a laugh.

"But did you know what he said afterwards?"

"What was it?"

"He said that even though it was humiliating for him, at least it made you very happy."

My smile dropped. I tried to find a sarcastic comeback, but all I could come up with was, "Eh? H-he really said that?" I couldn't believe what I'd heard, and it was making me woozy.

She waved her hand. "Pfft, kidding. He said that you're crazy and should be in a mental facility. That's what he actually told me."

A joke. Ha!

I pursed my lips. "Huh, right. Of course," I deadpanned. Darn, I'd almost fallen for that. "I wish I could go back in time and yell, 'In your face, Tristan!'"

Lacey turned her head to the side and gasped. "Oh hey, T. How are you?"

Upon hearing that, I instantly jumped back, getting into a fighting stance. "Wha t? He's here?" I screamed.

I frantically looked around, expecting to meet a haughty smile and a sarcastic g reeting. But there was only empty space.

Lacey clapped her hands as she roared with laughter. "Made you look, made you lo ok!"

"Gah! Enough, Lacey. Let's get inside," I growled, my warm face contorted into a frown.

"What's with that flustered look, Kylie? You've actually been looking forward to see him, haven't you?"

"Shut up!"

"Ooh! I knew it! Yeeee, Kylieee." She began to tickle my sides.

"No, no!" I cried, half laughing. Tears began to pool in my eyes as I tried to e vade her attacks as I could. "Ah! It's not what you think, dammit!"

"Oh, yeah?"

"For the last time, it's not. I'm not! And stop tickling me already."

"Then why are you overreacting if it's not, huh?"

"Whatever."

"Are you angry?"

"Just drop it. Ah! It's getting on my nerves."

She giggled as her only response. I scowled.

It wasn't because I was mad at her. Lacey would pull childish pranks and tease m e every so often, and they always took advantage of my jumpy nature and short-te mperament; still, I managed to live with it.

It was just because I hated the fact that recently, my heart always dropped to m y feet whenever it came to him. And whenever I closed my eyes, the image of the same person would always come up-

Ugh. I think I needed a therapy.

"Kylie," Lacey called. "What do you think of him?"

I blinked a couple of times, taken off guard. Her question had sunk in my though ts. But I simply shrugged, half smiling, and said:

 

"Some guy."