Cinderella Complex (2 page)

“Will this day just end already?” Taylor groaned, closing her eyes. “I forgot how much I hate this place.”

“Yeah, well at least you didn't get Mr. Trapper for two out of seven classes.” Yep, I lucked out and got the one teacher in the school who hated me. But it was blood-related, as in my stupid brother topped Mr. T's
naughty
list.

Seth sauntered in, smirking. “No way. Since when do you like acting?” I watched in amazement as he hopped over the back of the seat and plopped down next to me.

He squeezed my left leg just above the knee. “I need a little more drama in my life.”

“Please, you hang out with Jackson. That's more than enough drama for anyone.” I smacked his hand away.

“Actually it was either this or cooking class.”

“I'd like everyone's attention, please?” Ms. Monteray tapped on the microphone.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Katrina slip into class. This
so
wasn't happening. Every flipping class. Why couldn't she transfer out?

Her eyes caught mine and she flipped me off.

“Looks like Witchie Crocker didn't want to take cooking class either,” Taylor said. She returned a hand gesture of her own.

“Ms. Packard, unless you're trying to tell me I have the number one class, I'd advise you to put that finger down.”

I sank down further into my seat, covering my mouth with my hand. “At least we know if they need any hags or witches for any of the plays, we'll be all set.”

“And if they need anyone for a kissing scene, I'll handle it.” Seth winked.

“Oh, brother.”

“Not the last time I checked.”

I laughed.

Taylor glanced between us. She caught my eye as if to say, “Hey, what's happening here?”

I shrugged. After all, it was only Seth. Or at least that's what I kept telling myself.

 

At the end of the day I went to find Jackson for a lift home. The whole week-on-week-off-sharing-a-car thing sucked. But since Mom and Dad wouldn't get us our own, I had to deal.

However, our piece-of-crap rust-bucket was missing from the lot.

“You've got to be kidding.” If my day got any better, I'd have to check myself into rehab. Digging through my now-dry book bag, I found my cell and prayed the dive into the fountain hadn't ruined it.

I punched in my brother's number. He picked up on the second ring.

“What do you want?”

“Did you forget something?”

“No, why?”

“Ugh, you're a pain in the butt sometimes.” I stomped my foot like a two-year-old. “You're supposed to give me a ride. Remember? We're supposed to be at Gram's retirement party in an hour.”

“Crap. I'm almost to Riley's. Then I'll swing back.”

“Dang it, Jack, we're gonna be late. You could've let your girlfriend take the bus.” I tossed my bag on the ground and kicked it. It skidded across the sidewalk. If he got any further up Riley's butt, I'd need to hire a bulldozer to dig him out.

“Need a lift home?”

Mouth gaping, I whirled around to face the prince of six-pack abs himself, Connor. Was it too much to hope he'd suffered from temporary blindness and hadn't seen my temper tantrum?

“Maggie, did you hear me?” My brother's voice faded as I took the cell from my ear and placed my hand over the mouthpiece.

“Don't you have practice?”

He smiled. I imagined his lips pressed against mine. “It doesn't start for another twenty minutes.”

Holy crap. Taylor wasn't going to believe this. Heck, I barely believed it. “Well, if you don't mind.”

Connor retrieved my bag and slung it over his shoulder.

“Hello, are you still there?” Jack asked as I raised the cell back to my ear.

“Never mind the ride. Connor's driving me home. You can go back to making out with your girlfriend.” I hung up on my brother then followed Connor to his Mustang Convertible.

He opened the door for me. I slid across the hot-as-heck black leather seat and nearly burned my butt cheeks through my jeans. Once he closed my door, he set my bag on the floor next to my feet, then hopped in the other side. Like watching a prince mount his horse, all noble and golden and beautiful.
And I am obviously obsessed
.

“Do you need directions?”

“Nope. You live right around the block from me.” He shifted the car into reverse.

He knew where I lived. I pinched my arm. This had to be a dream. No flipping way was Connor giving me a ride home.

He turned on the radio. Rock music filled the air. “Did you miss the bus?” I caught a whiff of his mint gum and sighed. Maybe he'd kiss me. Or maybe he'd nibble on my neck. More like I'd become his stalker.

Turning my focus back to him, I laughed. “No, my idiot brother ditched me.”

“Well, if he ever ditches you again, let me know. I'll give you a ride.”

Was he serious? Where'd he been all my life? Jack should forget me more often.

“I'll remember that.” Boy would I!

He turned his thousand-watt smile my way. My body melted. “You planning on watching the game on Friday?”

“Yes.” Dang, I sounded desperate. “Actually, I'm not sure yet.”

Connor pulled up to the stop sign then signaled a left turn. The warm breeze tickled my face. I tilted my head toward the sky, inhaling the scent of pine trees. It felt like summer all over again, riding in Connor's convertible.

“You can wear my away jersey if you come.”

My cheeks lit on fire. “I'll have to see if I can make it.” Heck no, I wouldn't. The
yes
answer danced on the tip of my tongue. But no sense in letting him know how freaking hot he was. Besides, I didn't want to seem too eager.

“I hope you don't think I'm pushing myself on you.” Connor pulled into the driveway. “Just thought it'd be fun to see you at the game.”

“No, I don't think you're pushing.” At least not enough. “I've got to check with my mom—not sure if my dad's taking us this weekend or not. The whole divorced parents thing.”

“Ah, no explanation necessary.” He jumped out and was at my door before I put my hand on the handle. I should've been able to enjoy this moment, Connor standing there, gazing down at me. But instead of enjoying it, I worried whether my butt had left a sweat mark on his seat.

“Thanks for the ride.” I climbed out of the car. “If you like, you can come in and grab a pop or something.” Or I could give him a back massage or let him swim in our pool. Maybe play a little tonsil hockey.

He hesitated before glancing at the dashboard clock. “I would, but if I don't get back for practice on time, Coach will make me run extra laps.”

My heart sank. Not that I expected Connor Prince to fall head over heels in love with me, but still. “Okay, I'll see you at school.”

Connor ran a hand through his hair then groaned. “You don't know how bad I want to stay.” He caught my wrist and tugged me closer. “Can I get a rain check? Say, tomorrow after school?”

“Yeah, that'd be great.”

He grinned, releasing me. “Good, tell your brother you've got a ride home. ”

Heart hammering in my chest, I watched him jump into his car, reminding me of the old Dukes of Hazzard television show my dad loved so much.

As he backed out of the driveway, he honked and waved.

****

“You still ticked at me?” Jackson sped down the highway toward Grandma's.

“Wouldn't you be?” I swiped a strand of hair behind my ear, staring at the cornstalks. “Believe it or not, the world doesn't revolve around you and Riley.”

He flashed me a smile, taking the curves at white-knuckle speed. I gripped the door and closed my eyes, wondering how I'd look splattered on the road.

“The way I see it, you owe me a thank you.” He slammed on the brakes at a stop sign. My seatbelt tightened, jerking me against the seat.

Eyes narrowed, I turned to him. “Have you gone out of your flipping mind?”

“What? If it wasn't for me forgetting you, Connor wouldn't have given you a ride home. Not that I don't think he's a butthead, but still.”

“You are un-flippin-believable.” I threw my hands in the air. “Mom must've boinked some random guy because there's no way we're related.”

He chuckled, socking me in the thigh. “Where do you think she got the idea to call me Jackson? Named me after my real dad.”

More like Mom had been madly in love with Jackson Logan, a huge soap star when she was younger. My lips twitched. He might be an idiot, but he knew how to make me laugh. “You're not off the hook, but yes, I did enjoy Connor bringing me home. And he's coming over after school tomorrow.”

“Cool, I can go straight over to Riley's without you tagging along.”

Jackson turned down a dirt road. I rolled up my window to keep the dust from swirling in. Trees lined either side of the street, their great canopies like umbrellas blocking out the sky.
Clunk-clunk.
The car hit a pothole. We veered sideways, as he regained control.

“Might want to slow down before the bottom end drops out on us.” I closed my eyes and uttered a silent prayer.

“Your bottom end or my bottom end?”

To this day, I'll never know how he passed driver's training. Maybe he'd had an affair with old wart-lipped McGee, the instructor. I mean, grannys had needs too, right? Okay, better not think on it anymore. Total ick factor. But it was the only explanation that made sense.

After two miles on the bone-jarring road, we reached the long, winding driveway leading to Grandma's farm. I spotted the large white house with the wrap-around porch. We joined several other cars parked in the drive.

The porch swing rocked back and forth beneath the gusts of wind. The scent of flowers and baked goods floated in the air as we climbed from the car. From the familiar shutters and stained-glass windows, to the flower gardens and the ancient oaks and maples I used to climb as a kid, my grandma's house welcomed us as if we'd never grown up and left it behind.

Musical voices floated from the opened windows. We followed the stone path to the wooden bridge leading to the front door.

“I sure hope this doesn't last all night,” Jackson muttered beside me. “I've got fifty calc problems to do.”

I frowned, elbowing him in the ribs. “Don't you dare ruin Grandma's night.”

“Ow.” He rubbed his chest. “Violent much?”

The door swung open. Grandma stepped forward and clutched us to her chest. The smell of her rose perfume made me smile. It was so familiar and calming. So Grandma. She held us at arm's length to look us over.

“Well aren't you two my most precious grandchildren?” Her ivory hair was knotted at the top of her head. Her blue floral dress was long and flowy on her petite frame. A pair of homemade bead earrings hung on her lobes, her skin was wrinkled like wadded-up paper, but she still looked beautiful to me.

“We're your only grandchildren.” Jackson tried to fix his hair where she'd messed it up.

“Pish-posh, don't be such a spoil-sport, Jack.”

I stifled a giggle. “Yeah, you spoil-sport you.”

He glared at me, then scanned the room. “Wow, you sure invited a lot of women, Grandma.”

Clusters of people stood everywhere, all women of varying ages and shapes and sizes. Even some teens and college-aged girls, much to Jackson's interest. He quickly forgot Riley, the love of his life.

“There's food on the tables over there and drinks out back on the sun-porch.” Grandma hugged me again. “Don't run off too far, I want to talk to you in a few minutes.” She leaned down to touch my face. “Got lots I want to tell you.” With that, she hurried off to greet more guests.

Jackson wasn't kidding when he mentioned the number of females here. It seemed odd that Grandma knew them all from selling pharmaceuticals.

I grabbed a cup of punch and stood in a corner by the window. Shadows darted across the backyard, peeling away from the trees outside. I shivered.

What the heck
?

Setting my drink down, I went outside and wound my way back toward the tire swing.

It groaned as the wind spun it around. I heard a rustle in the bushes.

“Hello?” I moved toward the sound. A shadowy form elongated from the bushes near my feet. I stopped. Shadows were supposed to move away, not toward a person. The air around me buzzed and grew colder. Was that wings flapping?

Whoosh!
Something raced across the sky. It blocked out the moon as it flew overhead.

“Maggie!” Grandma hollered. “You get in here now.”

I hurried back to the house. Her face looked white. “Grandma, are you okay?”

She stumbled as she dragged me back into the house. “I'm fine—you just need to be more careful, is all.”

“Grandma—”

“Hush, child,” she said, leading the way upstairs. “I need to talk to you.” She held tight to my arm and kept peeking over her shoulder as if she expected someone to jump out of a dark corner. We walked down the long hallway to her bedroom. Once there, she tugged the drapes shut and scooted me to her large walk-in closet.

I stiffened. Either Grandma had lost her mind or she really thought someone was after her.

“Um—shouldn't you be downstairs greeting your guests?” I planted my feet so she couldn't drag me any closer to the closet.

“They can wait. What I need to talk to you about is more pressing.” Grandma stepped into her closet.

“Can't we talk out here?”

Popping her head out of the closet, Grandma chuckled. “I know this seems odd, but will you trust me?”

Her eyes begged me. With a sigh, I let her take my hand and pull me into the huge walk-in. Light shimmered near the back where another door stood, hidden behind hangers of clothes. Where'd it come from? I knew, from years of hide-and-go-seek games there'd never been a door back there, or else I would've found it.

“What's going on?”

She shut us in, turned, and clasped my hands. “The time has come for me to retire, Maggie. I've been doing this job for so long. And downstairs is the proof of my success. Generations of happiness.” She smiled wistfully. “But now, Maggie, I want to hand the legacy over to you.”

Great, how was I supposed to tell her I wasn't interested in pharmaceuticals? “Grandma, it's not that I don't appreciate this, but I kind of had bigger plans. Not like there's anything wrong with medicines and junk. But it's not my thing.”

Grandma's laughter filled the space. “Heavens no, child. I don't want you to follow in those footsteps.” She squeezed my hands. “I suppose I ought to be more clear. Maggie, I want you to take over my position as Fairy Godmother.”

My mouth dropped open. I stared at Grandma. Oh great, she'd gone senile. What would I tell Mom? Maybe she'd have to come live with us. Or what if Mom wanted to put her in an old-folks home?

“Maggie, are you listening to me?”

“Grandma, I'm sorry, but this is insane. We should call a doctor.” I pulled my hands from hers and backed away.

“Look at me.” Grandma took my face in her hands and gazed into my eyes. Light enveloped the closet. The air thrummed around us. Glitter fell from the ceiling, and I gasped as wings unfolded behind her.

No flippin' way!

“Grandma?” Holy crap, holy crap, holy crap. She had wings and a gown. “You just… you're a Fairy Godmother?”

She nodded. “Not just any Fairy Godmother.
The
Fairy Godmother. As in Cinderella and pumpkins and happily-ever-after.”

I gripped a fur coat to keep from toppling over. My blood pounded in my ears. Maybe someone spiked the punch.

Taking a deep breath, I fought to stay composed. “So this means you're not sixty-seven?”

“Heaven's no. I'm ancient, dear, but the magic kept me young.”

“How old were you when you had Mom?”

She chuckled. “Well, let's say over a couple hundred.”

I gazed at her until I thought my eyeballs would roll right out of the sockets. “You got pregnant after hundreds of years?” Okay, that sounded kind of gross.

“I told you, magic has kept me younger.” Grandma patted my hand.

“Then all those women and girls downstairs…”

“Are people I've helped into their happily-ever-afters. That's what we're here for, Maggie. To make sure fate turns out the way it's supposed to.”

“But how did you get this way?” I gestured to her wings.

“It's in our blood. We hand it down through the generations.”

“How come Mom isn't next in line?”

“Because I've chosen you as my successor. You'll understand someday.”

This wasn't happening. “But I'm only sixteen.”

“Maggie, you're ready for this. If you weren't, then I wouldn't be able to retire.” Grandma touched my cheek. “The magic is humming to be released from these old bones. And you're the rightful heir.”

“But I don't know what to do. I mean, how does it work? And how would I know who to help?” Panic swelled as questions filled my brain. “Is there, like, a term limit?”

“Take a breath, Maggie.”

Easy for her to say. This wasn't like she made me a butt-ugly sweater as a gift. This was worse. Dangerous, even. And what about the wings? Totally creepy. I pictured my brother chasing me around with a fly swatter. Not to mention all the things that might go wrong. Like granting a person the wrong wish, or my wings freezing up on me while flying. I could see me plummeting to my death.

“All you have to do is accept the gift from me.”

“How do you know I'll be able to handle this? I don't have any experience.” Part of me was thrilled she trusted me with such a huge responsibility, but the rational side thought she might be making a big mistake. Or better yet, I'd dreamed the whole thing.

“Because you're a good girl. And I can feel the magic's pulse in your blood. The call being answered.” Grandma smiled. “This will allow you to make a difference in people's lives, to help them find themselves, and to make their dreams come true.”

I bit my bottom lip. “It sounds like a lot of responsibility.”

“It is. Sometimes it means leaving behind those you love in order to keep the secret. Other times it means fighting off the Grimms to ensure the happy ending. You're harnessing a lot of power, which isn't anything to take lightly.”

“Grimms?” I didn't like the sound of that.

“They're our mortal enemy.”

Mortal enemies? Power? This was unreal. It sounded scary, but at the same time, pretty awesome. Granting wishes, happy endings… maybe the wings wouldn't be so horrible. At least if Jack forgot me again I'd be able to fly home. It couldn't be that bad, right? Then why did it feel like a large lump had settled in the pit of my stomach?

I closed my eyes. This wasn't a decision to make on the spur of the moment. When I opened them again I said, “Can I have time to think it over?”

Grandma paled, her eyes tired. “There is no time. I'm getting old, Maggie. I've harnessed the power for too long as is.”

“What if I say no?”

“I'll have to wait for the next heir to come of age. And I don't have that much time.”

Alarm coiled through me. “Are you sick?”

Grandma flashed me a weak smile. “No. Just old. The magic is dying in me. I
have
to pass it on.”

“What happens if you don't hand the Godmother duty off?”

“Imagine if the world's happy endings died with me. Darkness would consume everything. There'd be nothing to look forward to. All that is great would cease to exist. Including me.”

Well it certainly didn't leave me much choice. “Why did you ask me if you knew there really wasn't a choice?”

Grandma stared at me with unseeing eyes. “There's always a choice, Maggie. But every choice has consequences. This Godmother power was bestowed upon our bloodline to help keep order in the world. We must protect it and use it to better humanity. Without us, there's little hope.”

“If I decide to do this, will you train me or something?”

Grandma's smile faltered. “I can give you basic information, history, and guidance, but much of this will be a learn-as-you-go process. However, you will have this.” With a flick of her wrist, a wand appeared and she gave it a wave.

Poof.
A huge, leather-bound book the size of a toddler dropped to the floor at my feet.

“What is it?” I bent down to examine the dusty cover.

“The Fairy Godmother Handbook.” She grinned.

“Handbook? You need a forklift to pick it up.” I brushed it off then attempted to open it. The cover didn't budge.

“You must be a Godmother first, before you can read it. Can't let everyone know how our magic works.”

“Does this thing come in an e-book version? You know, something less noticeable.”

“No. This is the only copy. It cannot be duplicated.” She stared at me for a moment, her eyes intent. She tapped the book with her wand and it disappeared. “I know this is a lot of pressure, Maggie, but I need your answer.”

I kneaded my hands together and attempted to make a mental pros-and-cons list. Pros: granting wishes, getting to fly, magic at my fingertips, and I'd age slowly. Cons: I had no idea what in the world to do, and well, that should be reason enough not to do it. But if I didn't accept, Grandma might not survive.
No pressure there
.