Cinderella Complex (5 page)

 

My wings spread out behind me. The wind raged, pushing through my hair like a high-powered blow dryer. Then everything spiraled out of control. A black hole opened up in front of me, sucking me in.

I screamed as shooting stars darted past me. After a few moments, I calmed myself in an attempt to navigate around the odd objects littering the air. Birds, books, stars, rocks, rainbows, and even a pair of dusty old shoes whizzed by my head. It felt like floating inside a twister, dodging debris.

Had I gotten sucked into another dimension? The scent of soap tickled my nose as a light came into view. I tried to slow down as steam emptied from the open doorway ahead. Apparently my wings didn't come with brakes.

I flailed as I was thrust into the light.
Splash
!

Cold water seeped into my shoe. I glanced down to find myself wearing a poufy white lace gown and satin slippers. The glass sphere still rested in my hand. As the steam cleared, I groaned. Great. I ended up in a bathroom.

“Dang it !” My foot was in a toilet filled with blue cleaner. Blue stains crept up the hem of the gown.

“Who's there?” A familiar voice called. The shower curtain whipped open to reveal Katrina.

She screamed, floundering to grab a towel.

I jerked my foot free of the toilet, stumbling toward her. “Shh…don't scream.”

“What are you doing in my bathroom?”

She sounded hysterical. It wasn't like I'd chosen to drop in on her in the middle of her shower. Besides, if it'd been my decision, she sure as heck wouldn't be my first assignment.

I cleared my throat. “I'm your Fairy Godmother.”

Wrapped in a towel, Katrina stepped from the tub. “Is this some kind of sick joke?” Tears welled in her eyes. “I get it. You want payback.”

“Trust me. It's no joke.” Although, getting her back for everything she'd done to me sounded good. I turned and flapped my wings, lifting off the ground. My head thumped into the ceiling. Dang. I might need an aviator license to fly.

Katrina gasped as I landed on my feet once more.

“Kat, is everything okay in there?” A male voice called from the other side of the door.

“I'm fine, Dad. Just a spider. A big, nasty, hairy one.”

I narrowed my eyes. She totally didn't deserve a happy ending!

“Well, I'm heading to work now. Make sure you get the dishes done and throw in a load of laundry.”

The front door closed. Katrina turned to me. “If you don't mind, I'd like to get changed without you staring at my breasts.”

“Trust me, looking at your inflatable chest is the last thing I want to do tonight. Believe it or not, you interrupted my date.” Okay, so Connor had already left by the time the sphere bobbled into my hand. But I sure as heck wasn't telling her that.

“Oh. Taylor came over?”

Someone, please help me. I stormed from the bathroom and into a narrow hall leading into a small living room. I gazed in wonder at the worn carpet and peeling wallpaper. Her TV looked like something my grandma used to own years ago. The faded brown couch and matching armchair had definitely seen better days. The living room led to a tiny kitchen. I saw a stove, fridge, and table. Homemade shelves piled with dishes lined the walls.

Holy crap. This place. Not quite what I expected. I walked through the living room and noticed two doors leading to bedrooms. I peeked inside the first, which was painted lavender and had a twin bed, a dresser, a lamp, and a rack where clothes hung, swaying like limp ghosts. A couple posters of actors hung on the wall, but nothing extravagant. The other room contained a futon, a dresser, and a pile of work uniforms. And that ended the tour of the whole house. No mansion. No maids or expensive furniture.

“I suppose you're going to tell everyone at school?” Katrina stood in the doorway, watching me.

“I don't get it. You come to school in a limo. You wear brand labels.” I spun around to face her, the fabric of my dress brushing against my ankles.

Katrina snorted. “You moron. My dad's a limo driver. He drops me off on his way to work every morning. And I shop at consignment stores. Sometimes, people my dad drives for leave stuff behind. If they're not claimed in thirty days, he gives it to me.” She jerked me from her dad's bedroom back into the living room.

“Oh.” Well, this certainly changed things.

Katrina plopped down on the couch. Her wet hair hung in her face. She played with her hands in her lap then raised her gaze to meet mine. “Are you going to tell?”

“No. I'm your Fairy Godmother—I have to make your happy ending come true.”

The globe radiated in my hand, sending tingles up my arm. Time to see what Katrina Melville's happily-ever-after was. I wondered if it'd be too much to ask for a change in attitude.

Katrina moved closer as I glanced into the flickering glass sphere. My eyes bulged. There stood Connor Prince, wearing a crown. Katrina clung to his arm.

What? No way. This was the year for Connor and me to finally hook up. He was supposed to be
my
first kiss.
My
happy ending! My fantasy fizzled before me.

Katrina smiled. “I knew you weren't going to date him. You're not his type. And this proves it.”

“Wand.” It popped into my hand. One magical wave and I could poof her to Siberia, or better yet, turn her into a toad. I mean, did I seriously want to let this happen?

Then I remembered Grandma's words. With a sigh, I lowered the wand.

“Maybe we should start,” I said evenly, “with you trying not to be a witch.”

“Please, people with money always act snotty.”

I glanced around her house. “Um—did I miss something? Because the last time I checked, you're not rich.”

She frowned. “I have to maintain a certain image. There's no way I'd survive high school if people knew the real me.”

I wanted to tell her no one liked the “fake” her, but decided it probably wasn't the appropriate thing for a Fairy Godmother to say to her princess-to-be. “We'll start working on your happy ending tomorrow.” I waved my wand in the air, hoping to poof myself back to my room. Instead, the globe disappeared into my palm.

With a groan, I stalked to the front door. I glanced around to make sure no one was looking, and then flew into the sky. Katrina stood on her porch, watching me as I struggled to clear a tree.

Please don't let me crash in front of her
.

By some miracle, I cleared the tree and thanked whatever God or Godmother watched over me.

I made it around the block before something jerked me backward. I'd clanked into a flagpole. Clutching it for dear life, I realized my bulky dress had gotten all tangled up on it.
Rip
.

My fingers wound tighter around the pole as I slid down. The skirt of my dress tore away. This so wasn't good. The lace bottom fluttered, parachute-like, to the ground. And there I hung, butt to the wind, wearing only the top portion of my dress and my blue thong.

My fingers slipped again. Horns honked from below and guys leaned out their windows.

“Yeah, baby—take it all off.”

Aw, crap. This definitely gave a new meaning to pole dancer.

One of the cars stopped down the road. I recognized the football players. No way! I had to get out of here. Just then the parking lot lights went off, plunging us into darkness.

Pushing away from the pole, I frantically flapped my wings, flying toward home.

This easily won the award for the worst day in history. And I'd be lucky not to find my bare butt all over the internet. I only prayed the jocks didn't have enough time to snap shots.

Katrina Melville two. Me, zero.

Junior year was
not
going to be the best year ever. In fact, it'd be amazing if I survived it at all.

 

“You guys should've seen this chick on the flagpole last night.” Max Weller pushed through the crowded school entrance. “Totally hot butt.” He held up his phone. “Now if only we could find out who she is.”

Greg Bloom laughed. “Maybe we should print the pic and see if anyone claims it. We need the girls to show their backsides for sure.”

Heat raced to my cheeks. I ducked my head, rushing down the hall. Great, now my blue thong and I were the talk of the school. From here on out, I planned to wear white granny panties.

I set my bag on the floor when I got to my locker. I spun the combination and jerked the door open, smacking the locker next to mine.

“Okay, so where did you disappear to last night?” Taylor leaned against the wall. “I went up to your room to hang out. But you weren't there.”

I shrugged. “You guys ticked me off after barging in on Connor and me. So I went for a run to cool down.”

Her smile faltered and she touched my arm. “Okay, I totally owe you an apology. It's just, he's the first guy you've ever brought home. I got excited.” She dug into her handbag, pulled out a pack of gum, and offered me a piece. “If it makes you feel any better, he seemed really into you.”

I shoved a stick of Minty-Bubble Pop gum into my mouth. “Well, dating Connor probably isn't a great idea, anyway. I mean, he's uber popular. Me, I'm not even on the radar.”

“No way am I going to let you give up. Hello. You've been stalking this guy since, like, elementary school.” She shut my locker for me.

I noticed Katrina's auburn hair as she shoved past everyone. Her gaze met mine, and I knew my day was off to a crappy start. She pushed between Taylor and me.

“We need to talk.” She grabbed my arm.

Taylor clutched my other arm, inciting a human tug-o-war game. “Since when do we register on your witch-o-meter?”

“Not you.” Katrina glared. “I. Need. Maggie.”

“Stop—Okay? Taylor, let me go. Katrina needs a tutor in Chemistry. We're trying to set up a schedule.” I already felt the best-friend-knife stabbing me in the back for lying.

Taylor released me. Her gaze shifted from me to Kat. “Are you sure you want to tutor her? She might put you in her witch's brew.”

“Ha-ha. Why don't you and your lame jokes take a hike.” Katrina tossed her hair over her shoulder.

I sighed.

Why me? Maybe deep down, Katrina had some goodness in her. Okay, who was I kidding? There had to be someone more deserving than her. Like the bag lady who waited outside the grocery store, trying to steal people's pop cans. Or the Grim Reaper. Or, well just about anybody.

“It's fine, Taylor. I'll catch up with you in a minute.”

“If you need back up, just scream.” She frowned, but gave me a quick wave before hurrying toward first hour.

When she'd walked out of earshot, Katrina said, “Why'd you tell her you're tutoring me? I get better grades than you do.”

“It's the only thing I could come up with. Besides, I didn't hear you offering up an excuse.”

“Yeah, well, if you'd said something like me trying to give you fashion tips it would've been more believable.”

I dug my nails into the palm of my hand. What kind of punishment would I get for using magic on her? It couldn't be worse than being forced to help her.

I calmed myself. “So, what did you want?”

“I wondered if you'd dreamed up a plan yet.”

“I'm working on it. But it'd be a big help if you toned down the attitude some.”

She snorted. “Then people will know something's up. I told you last night, I'm not blowing my cover, so forget it.”

I imagined several ways to make myself disappear. First and foremost, moving to another country.

“I'll handle it.” I followed her gaze to one of several posters for the Homecoming Dance.

“You've got three weeks to figure it out,” she whispered. A look of longing masked her face. For a moment, I thought I watched someone else.

When we got to first hour, I plopped down at my desk and Connor turned around. “Listen, I gotta apologize for bolting yesterday. I want to make it up to you.”

My heart skidded to a stop, running right into my ribs. Problem was, I knew Kat heard every word. So not good.

“No problem. My family can be crazy.”

“Are you eating lunch with me?” His smile beckoned me to say yes. And those eyes. How could someone be so flipping hot? Why did he have to be so nice?

Kat kicked my ankle, and I yelped. “Er…I can't. I'm tutoring Kat. Maybe I can bring her along.”

The grin left his face like he'd been doused with cold water. “But school just started a couple of days ago. How can she need help already?”

“Um—she's doing an accelerated program. She has to start off on-track or she'll fall behind.” I offered what I hoped was a sincere look and fidgeted in my seat.

Maybe they should've called me the Fairy God Liar.

“Okay, why don't you write me in for Monday, then? And no excuses. I've got something big planned.” He brushed his fingers down my arm as he turned to face the front of the room.

My dream guy wanted to have lunch with me. So perfect. So gorgeous. So—

Kat cleared her throat and I spun around in my desk.
I'm so screwed!

“Don't worry. I've got a plan.” It wasn't a total lie. I had every intention of going to lunch on Monday. Only I'd have Kat in tow. He didn't say not to bring anyone.

But picturing Katrina and Connor together made me sick. She didn't deserve someone as nice as him. Deep down, I knew it didn't matter. The sphere had spoken. He was supposed to be hers.

****

Seth glowered as I picked at my turkey sandwich. He stabbed a slice of chicken, chomped it down in two bites, then pushed his tray back. What was wrong with him?

Across from us Jack nuzzled Riley's neck until she giggled. They whispered sweet nothings to each other.

Talk about my gag reflex getting a workout.

“Are you really tutoring Katrina? I mean, come on, you could easily tell her to find someone else,” Taylor said.

Too bad it wasn't that easy. “No, I can't. Listen, it'll look good on my college apps.”

“But you're only a junior.” She tapped her cocoa-colored fingernails on the table.

“And this is the year to start getting stuff in order.” Wow, I sounded like my mom.

Taylor's frown deepened. She leaned against the cafeteria wall. “Since I don't want to ruin our whole lunch hour with talk of Katrina, what'd Connor want?”

“Oh, he asked me to have lunch with him Monday. But I'm not sure if I'll go—Kat kind of seems more his type.”

Taylor's fist struck the table, causing our lunches to jump.

“If she's bullying you, I swear I'll punch her in the mouth until her veneers come out her butt.”

I cringed. That certainly gave a whole new meaning to the phrase, “butt-chewing.” This wasn't going to be as easy as I thought.

“Just drop it.” Seth spoke up. I loved how he defended me. “You don't have to force Connor down her throat.” He grabbed his tray then stood up.

“I'm not forcing him on her. She wanted him until that ho-bag Katrina showed up this morning.” Taylor's eyes narrowed. “I'm just trying to be a good friend.”

“Yeah, well knock it off.” Seth stormed away. I leapt to my feet to follow him.

“I'll see you later,” I called over my shoulder to Taylor.

When I caught up to Seth, I bumped his arm with my shoulder. “Thanks for back there.”

“No problem. Taylor can be pushy.”

We stopped at my locker to grab the books for my next class. “You're telling me.”

“Hey, Maggie.” Connor jogged toward us. “Wish you got to come to the game tonight. I'll be playing hard for you.” He winked.

My throat went dry. My pulse leapt into overdrive. “Thanks—good luck!”

His smile faded when he noticed Seth. “I thought you and Kat planned on studying?”

“Um—she had some cheerleading thing come up. Had to get ready for tonight's game.” My face flushed.

“Just as long as you're not avoiding me.” He laughed then hurried after his buddies.

Seth snorted. “Man, that guy's annoying. You don't seriously like him, do you?”

“It doesn't matter. I think Kat wants to hook up with him.” I shrugged, clutching the books to my chest as we headed to class.

“And you're going to let her?” He quirked an eyebrow.

I didn't have a choice. Not if I wanted fate to turn out. “Probably.”

“Well, if you ask me, they're a perfect match. He's a tool and so is she. Besides, I'm sure you can find someone more interesting.”

My smile faltered. “Well, I don't see anyone lining up. Just call me Maggie Winters, cat lady.”

Seth turned to me. “Maybe you're not looking hard enough.”

My gaze met his. It sent strange tingles across my skin. So not the reaction a girl should have for one of her best friends. But even as the thought crossed my mind, I knew I was insane to even think about it. Besides, there was no way Seth liked in me in that way.