Cinderella Complex (8 page)

****

When lunch arrived, I hurried to my locker and grabbed my cell. With one of my textbooks tucked beneath my arm, I went to find Kat.

“How do I look?” She sidled up beside me. Her auburn hair hung loose at her shoulders. She chewed her bottom lip.

“You look fine. Now, come on. We're meeting him at the outdoor pavilion.”

We wandered out through the front doors and across the main schoolyard. I spotted Connor leaning against a tree. He waved me over. I saw the picnic blanket spread out on the grass. A bouquet of flowers sat in the middle of it with two plates of food. Not the type you get from the cafeteria, either. He'd brought salads, chicken breasts, rolls, and slices of cheesecake.

He'd done all this for me. My throat tightened. It was intimate—perfect. My heart launched into hyper-speed. I mean, seriously, what guy actually made a picnic for a girl?

Kat gasped, reminding me this was her moment. Not mine.

Connor smiled, sauntering to meet me. Then he noticed Kat and his smile faltered.

“I hope you don't mind, but I brought Katrina along. I forgot we have to study.” I held up my textbook.

Katrina cast me a sideways glance, her face bright red. She fidgeted from one foot to the other. Her eyes darted everywhere. This wasn't the Kat I knew. Where had the confidence gone?

Connor ran a hand through his hair, his eyes wide. “Um—yeah, sure. I don't have enough plates, but we can share.” He gestured to the blanket. I nudged Kat, trying to position her between Connor and me.

We sat down, Katrina between us. Not exactly the way I pictured this. But it was for the best, or so I kept telling myself.

On cue, my cell rang. I flipped my phone open. “Hey, Mom, what's going on? What? Okay, I'll go to the office. Yeah. Thanks.”

“What are you doing?” Taylor snapped on the other end. “I'm not your mom.”

“Yeah. I'll see you in a few minutes.” I hung up before Taylor said anything else then turned to Connor. “I'm sorry. My mom needs me to go to the office. My grandma has a doctor's appointment and has to borrow my car.”

Connor's face fell. “Would you like me to save some food for you?”

“No.” I stood up, grabbed my book, and backed away. “You and Kat enjoy lunch. I'll catch you guys later.” With a forced a smile, I ran across the grass. When I got to the sidewalk, I glanced over my shoulder to see Katrina scoot closer to Connor. My stomach knotted. This wasn't fair.

I ran right into Taylor. She scowled at me, throwing her hands on her hips.

“Okay, I get it. She bullied you into hooking her up with Connor.”

“No!”

“I'm putting a stop to this now.” She pushed around me. I clutched tight to her arm.

“It's not like that. Please. Just stay out of it.”

“Maggie, you've been in love with this guy since…forever. I'm not sitting back and watching that skanky ho-bag move in on him.”

This so wasn't going well. I didn't need Taylor's help. I had enough problems to deal with without having to contend with an obstinate best friend. She meant well, but if she didn't stop, she'd screw everything up.

“Let it go, Taylor.”

“Let what go?” Seth sauntered toward us.

Taylor pointed in the direction of the picnic. “Maggie's letting Katrina take Connor away from her.”

Seth grinned. “I think it's a great choice. Why don't you stay out of Mag's business? She knows what she's doing.”

“Can we just forget it?” I tugged on Seth's arm, pulling him toward the school. “So why don't you treat me to lunch, since I'm starving to death?”

“Cafeteria meatloaf a la king?” He teased.

I slapped his arm. “No. More like Smokey's. You know, a burger…”

Taylor wrinkled her nose. “You guys go without me. Their food is greasy as heck.”

“More for me, then.” Seth turned back to me. “C'mon, we'll take my bike.”

 

So I ditched my true love for burgers. Typical
not so
happy ending in the land of Maggie. Seth led me to his motorcycle and handed me the extra helmet. He started the bike, revved it up.

I fastened the chinstrap and slid in behind him, wrapped my arms around his waist, and leaned into him. He shifted into gear and we sped away from school.

I rested my head against his back, his scent making me want to hold tighter. Dang, he smelled good. Kind of woodsy and Calvin Klein model in one.

We pulled into the parking lot of
Smokey's
. Kids from school already filled up half the spots. Seth helped me from the motorcycle, took my helmet from me, and hung it on the handlebars.

“I thought we could get our burgers to go and head to the park to eat,” Seth said as he held the door open for me.

“Sure. Sounds fun.”

Seth ordered us both a cheeseburger and fries, then had me grab two bottles of water before we headed to the parking lot. He put the food bags in his leather saddlebag and off we went.

When we got to the park, Seth grabbed our food and a blanket from the pouch, then guided me toward a line of maple trees. The autumn wind picked up. Strands of my hair whipped into my eyes. The scent of leaves and earth clung to the air. Seth handed me our lunch while he spread out the old flannel blanket.

“Okay, we're all set.” He plopped on the ground, leaning against a tree trunk. I sat next to him, watching as he unwrapped a cheeseburger. His dark hair tumbled across his forehead. His turquoise eyes focused on something in the distance.

When he turned his face to the sky, beams of sunlight filtered through the clouds, spotlighting his golden skin. He looked like a Roman God. I swallowed back the rock-like lump in my throat. I seriously had issues. My hands trembled as I grabbed some fries and shoved them in my mouth.

Seth glanced at me, his eyes catching mine. My cheeks grew hot, and I looked away.
Just because he's gorgeous doesn't mean I have to stare at him like he's some kind of science experiment
.

“What are you looking at?” Seth's mouth tilted upward as he winked at me.

“The tree.” I wiped my hands on my jeans then pretended to open my bottle of water.

He chuckled. “The tree? That's kind of random.” He stretched his arms up over his head, then flexed them. “At least you get better scenery on this lunch date.”

“Whatever.” I tossed a fry at him. He caught it mid-air and threw it, hitting me in the head. I giggled, leaned back, and grabbed a small stick. I lobbed it toward his pile of ketchup and missed.

“Oh, it's on now.” He leapt to his feet while I scrambled backward. Only he was too quick and playfully tackled me. I was on my back. He pinned my arms above my head. “Do you give?”

I laughed, squirming beneath his weight. “Nope.”

He leaned closer, putting more pressure on me so I couldn't move. I stopped trying to get away. His face was inches from mine. The warmth of his breath tickled my cheek. His grip on my arms loosened as he brushed my hair from my face.

My breath stuck in my throat. What was happening with us? Seth went rigid and so did I. My body tingled as chills ran over my skin. Something was wrong. I sensed the same energy I'd had at the restaurant.

I tilted my head to the side and gasped. The shadows amongst the trees lengthened toward us. The park darkened as if someone had spilled a can of black paint over the whole area. Seth hopped up, his gaze darting back and forth. My chest tightened. Fear raced through my veins as he bent down to help me up.

Why now? A loud crack sounded from the treetops. A dark wing brushed against the branches.

“We have to get out of here.” I grabbed Seth's hand and started to run.

A high-pitched call reverberated around us. Shadows drifted across the playground and through the maples, heading right for us.

Seth's grip tightened. “This way.” We rushed toward a public restroom with just one stall. Seth threw the door open, jerked me inside, and locked the door shut behind us.

He wrapped his arms around me and pressed himself against me, shielding me from whatever he thought was out there. His heart thumped against my chest. I clung to him like a lifeline.

“Don't touch her,” Seth whispered.

I looked up. “What did you say?”

“Nothing. Just stay quiet, okay?” He stroked my hair, his head tipped to the side as if listening for something. After long minutes, Seth released me and crept to the door. He peeked outside. “There's nothing here. I think maybe our imaginations got out of control.”

He grinned, placing a hand at the small of my back, and led me from our hiding spot.

“But I heard you talk to them.”

“Heard me talking to what?” His face was blank.

Perhaps I did imagine it.

“Yeah, I think maybe I've seen one too many horror movies lately.” So why did I feel uneasy? I mean, I
did
hear him, right? But he was my best friend. He wouldn't lie to me.

I let it go. At least I didn't have to make something up to tell him. But what I couldn't explain was his odd behavior, or the fact that we almost had a
moment
. If the Grimms hadn't shown up, I wondered if he might have kissed me.

Burnt orange leaves painted the landscape as we walked back to our blanket. The shadows had disappeared. In the distance, I saw Jack rushing across the park. As he drew closer, I noticed his wide eyes and the grim set of his mouth. His gaze shifted to Seth and he slowed down.

“Hey,” he called, out of breath.

“What are you doing here?” Dumb question. I already knew the answer. He'd come to save me.

“I was on my way back from Smokey's and saw you two running across the park. Thought I'd stop to see what's going on.”

Seth caught my glance. “We were racing.”

“And I won.” My laugh sounded forced.

“Which means, I need to pick up our trash from lunch.” Seth spun on his heel, leaving me with Jack.

When he was out of earshot, Jack snagged my shirt sleeve and brought me closer to him. “Okay, now tell me what really happened.”

“I saw Grimms in the park. Luckily, Seth thinks they were just shadows.”

“You ruined my lunch with Riley for nothing?” He clenched his hands at his side, his gaze burning into me like open flames.

“I'm sorry. But I didn't call for help.” I reached out to touch his shoulder.

“You don't have to. Every time you're in danger, I can feel it. I have no choice but to obey the command and come help you.”

“I said I'm sorry…”

He glared. “Yeah, well, that doesn't cut it, Maggie. Riley thinks I'm ditching her—and I'm running out of excuses.” He stormed off.

“Where'd Jack go?” Seth asked when I came back to help him.

“School. I think he's ticked at me.”

“What for?”

I laughed. “Everything. C'mon, let's get back so we're not late.”

When we got to school, Seth took my helmet. I looked up in time to see Connor walking across the parking lot. His eyes darted from me to Seth then back again. Great. This wasn't what I needed. My stomach churned. I hated making him feel bad.

“Hey, I've got to go. Thanks for lunch.”

“Anytime, Mags.”

I made a beeline for the sidewalk, where Connor quickly caught up to me. “So that's Grandma?” He held up his fingers like quotation marks.

Any other day this would be a dream come true. I mean, Connor Prince seemed jealous…

“No. My grandma needed me to take her to the doctor. Seth followed to make sure I had a ride back.” I was getting too good at this lying thing.

Connor pulled a leaf from my hair.

“Thanks. I thought I got all those.” I gave him a wobbly smile. “The tree at the doctor's had leaves falling all over the place.”

His suspicious eyes softened and his smile returned. “Sorry. Guess I'm kind of jealous. I feel like you're trying to blow me off.”

Because I was. This totally sucked.

“Di—did you have fun with Katrina?”

He shrugged. “It was okay. We didn't talk much. Oh, and you left before I could give you this.” He handed me a single, long-stemmed, white rose.

I took it from him, my fingers trembling. “Um—thanks.” How odd. He chose to give me a flower that meant light when I had just faced dark beings in the park. A shiver crept along my skin. Light versus dark. I hoped this wasn't a hint of things to come.

“I want to hang out sometime this week.” Connor's voice snapped me back to reality. “And I won't take no for an answer.” He squeezed my hand then turned to walk away.

My plan had failed miserably. I needed a new approach. I needed a miracle.

“I might be busy tutoring,” I called after him.

“Then we'll do something after school.”

Why did he have to show interest in me now? I wanted to bask in his hotness, saunter along on his arm. Instead, I was trying to play matchmaker to the popular kids, who really didn't need my help. And I sucked at it.

 

I circled the kitchen again.

“Okay, you've almost worn a hole into the hardwood with your pacing. What's going on?” Mom glanced up from her cup of tea and the newspaper.

“Boy problems,” I muttered. My slippered feet slid across the floor as I moved to the counter and leaned against it. I propped my head in my hands, staring at Mom.

Her brow creased, she patted a seat next to her. “Can you elaborate? Because, boy problems can mean anything.”

“I like this one boy, but I'm supposed to set him up with someone else.”

“Oh, a Godmother issue.” Mom gave me a sad look as she stroked my arm. “Grandma told you there'd be sacrifices.”

I snorted. “Yeah, well, I didn't think they'd literally be on a witch's altar.”

“Aren't you being a bit dramatic, Maggie?”

I quirked an eyebrow. “If you met Katrina Melville, you'd know I was serious about the witch thing. She's my worst nightmare come true.”

Mom stood, then leaned over to kiss my forehead. “You'll figure it out. That reminds me. The Prince family asked me to help out at a benefit next week. They're selling art pieces to raise money for an inner-city after-school program. It's supposed to be a big event. So don't make plans. I want you and Jack to be there.”

“Wait, what?”

“The Prince family–”

“That's what I thought you said.” My mind reeled. Everywhere I turned it seemed like Connor was there. “Do you think I can bring a friend?”

“I already figured Seth and Taylor would like to go.”

“No. I mean, can I bring Katrina Melville?”

Mom's mouth dropped open. “I thought you just said you two weren't friends.”

I rubbed the back of my neck. “Just because we're not friends doesn't mean I shouldn't be nice to her. Are you done lecturing me on it?”

“Fine, but you'll be helping out. I already told Mrs. Prince you'd be there.”

“No problem.” It'd be nice if Mom didn't volunteer me for things. Especially things involving the family of the boy I needed to avoid. But, maybe this would work in my favor. If Katrina won over his parents, it'd earn massive brownie points for her.

Okay, I could totally pull this off. I'd get Katrina a nice dress and we'd be all set.