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ღ Finding Cinderella- 32 ღ

-Kylie-

A couple of hours later, we finally arrived at Ronnie's house—a two-story dwelling surrounded by a wide lawn and red begonias. It didn't look as swanky as I had imagined, but it had a rustic aesthetic, which made it warm and welcoming, and it was huge that a kid could totally ride his bike around their living room.

The house was empty when we came. I asked Ronnie if she had any siblings, and she said she had a full older brother, an older stepsister, and two younger half-brothers. Now that was a complicated family tree to me, and I was sure that it must make for an interesting Thanksgiving dinner. Ronnie didn't share any further about her family, though. A touchy subject, I supposed.

Eventually, I found myself sitting on a beanbag in her bedroom. It was what you would expect from a girl like her. Every object screamed pink—from her walls to her curtains to her accessory collections. Her room was almost blinding, although, in fairness, it was tidier than mine.

"Is it too loose or too tight?" I heard Ronnie say from her walk-in closet. They were taking forever to finish trying on clothes; I felt like I was starting to develop back cramps.

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

Ronnie stepped out of the closet, followed by Julianne, who then slumped on the other beanbag beside me. Lacey poked her head out, looking apprehensive.

"But, uh, this is..."

"Come out now, and we'll have a mini fashion show!" Ronnie spread her arms out to present Lacey.

With a small, shy smile, my sister stepped out, revealing a dark blue dress that hugged her soft curves perfectly. Its lacy white edges draped a couple of inches above her knees. There was a silk strip on top, lining the bust, and the dress had thin straps that showed off her collarbones and small shoulders. It looked simple, but Lacey could transform any simple outfit into something elegant when she wore it.

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

"How can you not like it?" Julianne cried. "It's so cute, and it suits you!"

"I like it, but doesn't this have a cover-up like a cardigan? I don't like showing off my bare back and shoulders, and it's pretty short for me." Lacey pulled the dress's skirt aside to examine it. "Maybe I should put on tights or something."

"Up to you. But I'm telling you, girl, that dress looks great as it is on you," Ronnie said. "You have a slender figure, nice boobs, and long legs. Have some confidence, kid. If you've got it, flaunt it."

Julianne hummed in agreement.

"You look stunning," I said, smiling at Lacey. I was proud of how lovely she had become.

"Aww. Thanks, you guys," she said and sat on Ronnie's bouncy bed. Her chest rose as she breathed deep. "My date is 48 hours from now, and I'm already nervous about the whole thing. I don't know what to do. What if I mess everything up?"

"First date?" asked Ronnie.

"My first date ever. Would Clark feel weird if I told him that?"

"Doubt so. I know for sure that he'll be overjoyed to know that he's the first guy," Julianne said.

"True that. He's probably gonna joke about the pressure, too." Ronnie flopped down next to Lacey and crossed her legs. "It's natural to be nervous. Been there, done that," she said proudly, as she was more experienced than any of us.

Lacey looked at her earnestly. "Can you describe your first date?"

"Wish I could. I've been on way too many first dates to actually remember which person it was or where it happened."

"Come on, I'm sure you have one you can share."

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

Julianne pulled up a disgusted face. "You dated Grey Walter? Ugh. I'm sorry, but he looks greasy, and he always smells like smoke."

Ronnie laughed. "Kinda have to agree with that. He isn't my type, but I can't deny that he's hot."

"Yeah. If he takes a bath and you put duct tape over his mouth."

"Anyway, that date wasn't serious. I even doubt Grey remembers it," Ronnie continued. "I've had a lot of awkward and totally weird dates, and most of them were because of my doing, like ditching the guy halfway and spilling coffee on my shirt and head-butting him when we tried to kiss."

Lacey's face drained of color. "What if mine turns out worse? I have the tendency to act like a dork around him."

"It can't be that bad. Look, as cliché as this may sound, just be yourself. Keep your head up and don't let your tiara fall. Just don't bring up topics that will bore him to death. Copy?"

Lacey nodded. "Copy."

"Good girl." Ronnie smiled at her like a proud mom. "Make it the best date ever."

I almost dozed off. I wondered if this was usually how the popular girls hung out: spending the time talking about boys, clothes, and dates. Quite unexciting, really—for me, at least, since I had nothing relevant to share.

A sigh came from Ronnie as she put her hand under her chin. "Mine is yet to come," she said distantly.

Lacey tilted her head to the side. "You mean you haven't been on a date that you consider your best yet?"

"Nope." Ronnie gave all of us a crafty smile. "I'm still working my charm on Tristan, but he's so difficult."

All my sleepiness vanished instantly. Julianne cleared her throat and gave me a sideways look that said, "Did you just freaking hear what she said?" Yes, I had heard it loud and clear, and it was making me uncomfortable. I did my best not to take any action that would show I was affected.

"Oh, I hate to burst your bubble, Ron, but word on the street is that he likes someone already," Julianne mentioned as casually as if she were talking about the climate.

"Yeah, I figured that one out already. Do you think it's that masked girl at the Valentine Ball?"

Lacey bit her lip to prevent herself from smiling while Julianne chanted, "Maaaybe. What do you think, Kylie?"

"I don't care," I said, looking elsewhere.

"I wonder what Tristan sees in her," Ronnie said. The spite in her voice was hard to miss. "In my opinion, she wasn't that pretty in comparison to the other girls I saw at the Ball. Her hair looked too thick and stiff."

Probably because it was a wig, I wanted to say.

"Maybe it was her simplicity that caught his attention," Lacey said.

"Kylie," Ronnie called, and I turned to face her fully. Damn, she looked serious. "Do you think simple girls are Tristan's type?"

"Uh, gee. I can't tell." For the love of pineapples, could we go home now?

"But what stuff do you know about him? You're probably his only closest female friend, which I must say, makes you the luckiest girl out there."

"I beg to differ."

"Do you think he goes for the feminine type or the boyish type?"

"I'm really not sure, Ron. I'd say he goes for no specific type," I said. Great, I was remembering his ex-girlfriends one by one, all twelve of them. To this day, though, the name of the first girl remained a mystery to me.

"Nice, it's one less problem for me. What else do you know? It can be anything like his favorite color, birthday, hobbies, and whatnot."

Ronnie was really forcing this subject, oh boy. Her probing was making me more uncomfortable, but she wouldn't stop unless I addressed her immediately, would she?

"Fine. Let's see..." I began in a sluggish, aloof tone. "Birthday: 28th of August. Favorite colors: blue and gray. He's addicted to peanut butter and jelly. He has his father's eyes, that's what his mom told me. What else—hobbies? A lot, I guess. Driving around with his friends and playing pool. Fishing with his dad on some weekends..."

"Oh, that's sweet. Keep it going, Ky," Ronnie said.

I sighed and thought about Tristan again. "He's academically smart, but sometimes he can't figure things out to save his life. He has this scary expression when he's thinking deeply that I remember telling him that he looks like Hannibal Lecter." I laughed at the memory.

"And if... if Tristan wants something so badly, he ignores everything else and goes straight for it," I continued, getting wistful. "He'll make sure that nothing and no one gets in his way. He can be as cocky and immature as long as he likes. He enjoys arguing about anything, but lets you win in the end anyway. Which makes him nice, too. And when he's nice, he's..." I couldn't seem to find the perfect word to say. "Well, he's just nice," I concluded instead.

He consumed my thoughts so much that it took me a moment to return to reality. When it did, I realized that the girls had been staring at me with their mouths agape. My eyes widened when I also realized that I had been smiling unconsciously. Oh no.

"So, uh... in other words, he's like a devil in an angel's form." I cracked a nervous laugh.

"In other words, he's a keeper," Ronnie said, swinging her legs off the bed. She kept her eyes on me as if she was evaluating me, her lips forming into a thin line. "You seem to know a lot about him, don't you, Kylie?"

"Um, no, not a lot. M-most of what I said was simply based on my observations," I said. Julianne only smiled.

"Hmm, I think you forgot to mention that he plays the guitar." Ronnie was beginning to sound like a sweet little girl with sinister intentions. "Guys who play the guitar are just so charming, no? Tell me, Kylie, is it true that he serenaded you in the courtyard?"

For a second, she got a flash of crazy in her eyes.

I shifted uncomfortably in the beanbag. "Uh, it's... yeah, it's true," I tried to reason out. "It wasn't what you think, though."

"So what was it?"

"It was just a dare," I fibbed. I was afraid that being honest with her might lead her to ask more personal questions.

"Yeah, from me," Lacey chimed in. My shoulders eased a fraction, and I shot her a thankful look.

Of course, the lie wasn't as effective as I wanted it to be. There was a crinkle on her forehead as Ronnie narrowed her eyes at me. "Say, Kylie," she said in an almost venomous hiss. "Do you like him?"

They all looked at me.

My heart raced. I drew a deep breath.

"No," I said through the blockage in my throat. I didn't want to say anything more than that.

Silence ensued until Ronnie snapped back to her lively self. "Great, one less competition to worry about," she said.

I forced a smile.

"Still, you really are lucky you're close to him." She scowled, and then her eyes lit up as if an idea came to her. "I know I asked you this before, but I'm hoping that you'll change your mind this time and help me get together with him."

ღ

The sky was already dark when we finished.

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 home. I stepped out of the passenger seat while Lacey struggled with the bags containing the borrowed dress, makeup, and accessories.

"Thanks, Ronnie," I said.

She didn't seem to hear me. Her attention was fixed on the neighboring house, as if she were hoping Tristan would come out. Eventually, she turned to me.

"No, thank you," she said. "You, Lacey, and Julianne. It was fun hanging out with you, and it's been a while..." she trailed off. A smile bloomed on her face, and it looked pretty on her. "Stay awesome, girls." And with that, she drove away.

"She's strange," Lacey said.

I shrugged and began my way to the door. That after-school assembly had taken longer than expected and had drained the life out of me. I needed to sleep.

"So... you declined her request again."

"Of course."

"Sis, do you really not like Tristan at all?"

I was about to climb the porch steps when I stopped. Without spinning around, I answered, "When I said no... it was actually a lie."

I heard the bags drop on the ground. Lacey released a piercing shriek, and she ran in front of me to hold my shoulders and scream in my face, "OH MY GAWD, WHAT? You like him?"

I laughed and pulled her hand off me. "Sure. As a friend," I said.

Her shoulders sagged, and a pout replaced her ecstatic smile. "Ugh. You just ruined it!"

I entered the house ahead of her before she could see my smile and my face turning pink.

author's note:

y'all be better buckling up your seatbelts because you're in for a fun ride in the following chapters *wink wink*

buuut before we proceed, i got questions for you:

ღ  to all first-time readers, which country are you from and how did you find this story?

ღ  to all re-readers, when was the first time you read this and how are you liking the changes so far?

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