Cinderella Complex

by Rebekah L. Purdy

  “Knock it off, perv.” I rushed forward and jerked the shade shut again.

  He winked. “You know it.”

  How the heck were we related? “Can you lay off the Peeping Tom crap?”

  “You’re no fun.” He wiped the crumbs from his hands and grabbed a cup of cocoa.

  “So, what were you doing outside?”

  “Training.”

  I opened the front door. Before me lay vast countryside covered with green hills. Wildflowers dotted the grassy knolls like a scenic painting. In the distance, I saw the spires of a castle. No way. It was like a medieval fairytale land. Dense woods lined the side of the cottage.

  “Wow, it’s beautiful.”

  Jack jerked me back and shut the door. “There are too many dangers in the other world for a Godmother.”

  He released me and I sat down at the table. “Wait. So this cottage opens to another world?”

  “It opens to our world, and to Fairy. Your back door is the gateway into our world. The front, into the other world.” He ran a hand nervously through his hair. “But you are not to travel into Fairy, understand?”

  “Yeah.” A shiver ran over me. I rubbed my arms against the sudden chill. “The castle, who does it belong to?”

  “The head Grimm.”

  Great. Maybe I shouldn’t have asked. Because the last thing I needed was to see my enemy at my front door.

  A knock reverberated through the cottage. Jack unsheathed his sword and pushed me onto the couch. He walked to the door. “Who’s there?”

  “Marcus.”

  Jack smiled as he sheathed his sword. He jerked the door open to reveal a middle-aged man dressed in armor. His dark hair sprinkled with gray, his green eyes sparkled like dewy grass. He clutched his helmet beneath his arm.

  “What say you, Jack? Are you ready to train some more?” His deep voice boomed. But when he noticed me, he dropped to one knee and bowed his head. “Pardon me, Godmother. I didn’t know you were home.”

  I leapt to my feet. “Oh, no, please stand up.” My face burned. As flattering as it was, I didn’t want anyone bowing to me.

  He stood. “I apologize for the interruption. Might I have a moment with your knight?”

  I glanced at Jack, who stepped forward. Behind him, I noticed a black horse clad in armor. The horse stood in front of my cottage. A blue blanket hung from its back with a white crest of fairy wings adorning it. The horse snorted and its gaze met mine. The stallion bowed its head, pawing at the ground.

  With a nod of approval, Jack went outdoors with Marcus. More than anything, I wanted to follow them, but one look from Jack made me shut the door. Even if I wanted to sneak out to see what they talked about, I didn’t have the time. I still had to get to Kat’s. Eventually, I’d figure out what was in the other world, but for now, I had Godmother duties to attend to.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Carrying poster board and art supplies through the portal turned out to be harder than I thought. When I landed in Kat’s room, I crashed into her dresser. Perfume and pictures fell to the floor, along with everything else in my arms.

  “What are you trying to do,” Kat screeched, her hand clutching her chest. “Demolish my house?”

  “Sorry. I brought stuff to make your homecoming posters with.”

  Kat knelt to help pick things up. Once we finished, I spread the supplies on her bed.

  “You’re really going to help me with these?”

  “I am your Fairy Godmother.”

  Holy crap, she actually cracked a smiled. With a pencil, she boxed out some letters onto one of the posters. “Any more thoughts on my dress?”

  “Actually, that’s why I stopped over. We have to figure out what color gown you want.”

  Kat chewed her bottom lip then opened a tube of blue paint. “Probably something green.”

  “Okay. So, on Wednesday, before the exhibition, we can meet at the park. It’s halfway between our houses and a block away from where the party will be. It’ll only take me a minute to do the spell.”

  She smiled. “I’m so excited. I mean, finally, I’ll get to hang out with Connor Prince.”

  My gut clenched. He’s hers. Time to face facts. Besides, I had Seth to worry about now. Just the thought of him made my heart flutter.

  “He’ll be yours in no time.”

  “I hope so,” she said softly. It was hard to miss the wistful look in her eye. Man, she had it bad.

  I grabbed the glue and drew a crown then sprinkled glitter on top of it. Vote Katrina Melville for Homecoming Queen.

  “So, you and Seth Charmaigne?” Kat winked.

  I fanned my face, catching the scent of Kat’s French vanilla candle burning nearby. “Yeah.”

  “You two look cute together. Although, I never thought I’d see him date anyone. Rumor has it he only dates college girls or something.”

  I giggled. “Um—no, Seth doesn’t date.”

  “He does now.”

  We laughed then started to talk about the new movie Crushing Sam. It starred T.L. Carver, only the hottest actor in Hollywood. Kat and I discussed all his movies and commercials.

  “I can’t believe he ever hooked up with Amber Donahue.” Kat set aside another poster she’d finished and spread it out on the floor.

  “Yeah, she was totally not his type. I mean, the tattoos and piercings?”

  She tossed a marker at me. “There’s nothing wrong with tattoos!”

  “Unless they make you look like a hooker…” I giggled. “And they definitely do on her.”

  “So, what do you think of this one?” She held up a picture of a dress and crown.

  “That turned out good.” I grinned and leaned against the wall. It was nice seeing her smile. And yet, even as we sat here goofing off, I still sensed things were far from perfect.

  I chewed my lip as I stared at the framed photo on Kat’s dresser of her and her dad. But there weren’t any photographs of her mom. And she sure as heck never mentioned her. The question was, why? I twisted my hands in my lap. Maybe it was best to leave things be. But I had a feeling that in order to help Kat, I needed to know what the deal was.

  Kat grinned at me, dusting glitter from her hands. It sprinkled onto her clothes, sticking to her arms.

  After a moment, I cleared my throat. “So, what’s up with your mom? Are your parents divorced?”

  Kat grew still. Her face twisted as she shifted her gaze to mine. “I think you better go now.”

  “Kat?”

  She stood abruptly. “I don’t want to talk. Just go.”

  I stood up. “Sorry. Listen, I’ll leave the poster supplies here for you.”

  Kat opened her door and ushered me out. What had just happened? One second she was fine, the next, she snapped.

  ****

  The tiny cars below looked like toys as I flew through the sky. Crisp air nipped at my skin, the scent of autumn clung to me like an expensive fragrance. Stars twinkled around me. I wondered how many of those stars were happily-ever-afters.

  Seth’s street came into view. His white, two-story home loomed against the night. Like a magnet, it drew me downward.

  I hovered outside his bedroom window. Being here was totally crazy and stalkerish. But I didn’t care. A screen held the window open. The bedroom walls were washed blue from a recent paint job. And there, on the center of the bed, was Seth. My lips burned with the remembrance of our kiss.

  My throat constricted as I stared at him, lying on his back. He wore only a pair of basketball shorts. His carved abs gave me lots of naughty thoughts, none of which had anything to do with being best friends. His head rested on muscled arms, the dark-winged tattoo permanently painted on his skin.

  He was hot. I swallowed, hard. What would he do if I knocked the screen out and barged in?

  Down, girl. The phone rang. Seth shifted to grab it.

  “Taylor, hey, what’s up?”

  Okay, maybe eavesdropping wasn’t a good idea. Yet I didn’t move.

&nb
sp; He chuckled. “No, we aren’t going to ditch you.” He frowned then sat up. He ran a hand through his dark hair. “Knock it off. The kiss meant nothing. Let it go.”

  I felt like I’d been struck in the chest by a flaming arrow. My wings folded into my skin, and I plummeted to the ground. I screeched. Way to keep a low profile. Branches poked and stabbed into my skin as I landed with a whoomp in a row of hedges.

  I sucked in a deep breath, my fingers rubbing against my scratched skin. Not exactly a soft landing, but much better than hitting the ground.

  “Hold on. I heard something.”

  Panic gripped me. I did the only thing that came to mind.

  “Meow, Meow.” I rustled the bushes. Nice. Nothing like pretending to be feline. His window shut, and I crawled from beneath the greenery.

  Tears streamed down my cheeks. Tonight went down, single-handedly, as the worst night ever. What was wrong with me? I had no right to be mad. I mean, Seth was my best friend. Just because he kissed me didn’t mean he had feelings for me.

  With a burst of energy, I bolted across the lawn. My foot connected with something hard, and I yelped.

  “Dang it!” I hopped up and down, clutching my big toe. The stupid lawn gnome stared back with its lame glass eyes. My toe throbbed. One more bad thing to add to the list.

  Growling like an animal, I picked it up and tossed it at the side of the house. It landed in a bush. This wasn’t fair. First, I didn’t get to have Connor. Now I had a crush on my best friend. And he didn’t feel anything. My eyes blurred as I rushed down the sidewalk. Nothing ever went right. Nothing.

  Gravel crunched under my feet, the wind tugged at my hair. I had to get home. Headlights pierced the darkness. A Mustang roared by, then the brake lights flashed. The car stopped.

  Seconds later, Connor Prince emerged from the car, all gallant and knight-in-shining-armor like.

  “Need a lift?”

  I wiped my eyes with the back of my hand. So not a good time. “No. I’m okay.” My voice cracked.

  In two strides, Connor stood beside me. “You’re not fine. C’mon, let me take you home.” He caught my hand in his and led me to his car.

  The car ride was quiet. Connor shot me several concerned glances, but he didn’t ask any questions. He pulled into my driveway and shut the engine off.

  At last, he turned to me. “What’s going on?”

  He wasn’t exactly the person I could come clean with.

  I swallowed hard. “It’s been a bad day.”

  “You’re telling me.” He smiled. “I found out the girl I’m totally into has a boyfriend, or at least she says she does. But for some reason, I think she lied to me.”

  My heart leapt into my throat. “It’s complicated.”

  “What’s complicated?” Connor grabbed my hand. “You like me, don’t you?”

  This wasn’t happening. “Yes, but—”

  “And I like you. So the answer is simple. We should be together.”

  He called that simple? More like the most impossible thing I’d ever heard. “You had forever to make a move, why now?”

  Connor’s fingers moved to my chin and gently tilted it so I looked at him. “Because, I finally got the courage to ask you out. You know how many summers I spent trying to get your attention at the lake house? You were always tanning or swimming.” He smiled. “Why do you think I came to retrieve my football from your yard so often?”

  Fate must be laughing. This whole time, he’d been waiting for me.

  “Connor, please,” I whispered. “Don’t say anything else.”

  And he didn’t. Instead, he moved in closer until his lips brushed mine. Not quite what I meant. I rested my palms against his chest. His heart beat rapidly, like a machine gun set on burst.

  Heat raced through my body as I tried to pull back. This was wrong on every possible level. But it felt good. Why shouldn’t I get this moment? My brain screamed for me to push him away, but I kissed him back. My fingers trembled against him as every moment I envisioned since elementary school flooded my mind.

  Connor pressed closer, but the gearshift and middle console were in the way. A low buzzing sounded in my ear until my head throbbed. At last, I jumped back. What had I done?

  “I’m sorry. This shouldn’t happen. I’ve got to go.” I whipped the door open.

  “Maggie, wait.” Connor climbed from the car.

  “This can’t happen.” My gaze focused on the front door of my house as I ran.

  He grabbed a hold of my arm. “Listen, I’m sorry if I came on too strong. At least give me a shot here.”

  “Connor, I’m begging you to just let it go.” The hurt in his eyes broke my heart. Someday, I might live to regret the moment. “I’ve got a boyfriend, and well, you’re not really my type.”

  And there it was. The biggest lie of all.

  Deflated, he took a step back. “You don’t mean that.”

  “Yes, I do.” I jerked my arm free and fled. Once inside, I slammed the door shut and slid to the floor. I rested my head in my hands as tears blurred my vision. Tonight had been a huge disaster.

  Chapter Twenty

  School was the last place I wanted to be. I trudged to first hour. The bell sounded just as I sat down. I kept my gaze focused on the blackboard, not daring to look at Connor. But he didn’t do the same. I could feel his eyes on me.

  Taylor tapped my shoulder. “Hey, I brought you some chocolate. My way of saying sorry.”

  I spun around in my seat, grinning, to accept the candy bar. “Well, you certainly know the way to my heart.”

  The teacher took attendance then handed out worksheets. The class intercom crackled to life.

  “Mr. Trapper, can you send Maggie Winters down to the office. We’ve got a flower delivery for her,” Mrs. Watson, the secretary said.

  “I’ll send her right down.” Mr. Trapper motioned for me to go ahead.

  Who the heck sent me flowers? I wondered as I walked down the empty halls. When I got to the office, Mrs. Watson slid a vase with a dozen roses in it toward me.

  “Someone sure likes you a lot!” She smiled.

  My fingers trembled as I took the card from the envelope.

  Maggie, you mean everything to me. Love, Connor

  This wasn’t happening!

  “Um, I’ll leave them here until after school, if that’s okay.” I clutched the card in my hand.

  “Sounds good. It’ll give me something pretty to stare at today.”

  When I got back to class, my face flared hot as I thrust the card into my textbook. Connor caught my glance and smiled. He mouthed the word sorry.

  Kat bent forward. “Who are they from?”

  “A secret admirer.”

  “I wonder who it is.” She giggled.

  I closed my eyes and hoped she never found out.

  ****

  Seth caught me in the hall before third hour. “So, are the rumors true?”

  “What rumors?” I adjusted my books in my hands.

  “I overheard Connor in the locker room. He said the two of you kissed last night.”

  Why me? I opened my mouth to answer, but Kat barged between us.

  “I can’t believe you. You went behind my back and kissed Connor.”

  “Listen, I can explain. It’s not what you think.” I reached for her arm.

  She shook me off. “Just stay away from me.” Kat’s eyes welled up and she pushed past me.

  Nice. I was probably the first Godmother in history to kiss a guy who happened to be someone else’s happily-ever-after. I had to fix this. Now.

  “Kat!”

  She turned to flip me the bird and kept going.

  Seth’s eyebrows rose. “We need to talk.”

  “Can’t. I’ll be late for next hour.”

  “Screw next hour.” He grabbed my arm. “Did you kiss him?”

  I frowned. “It’s none of your business—besides, it shouldn’t matter.” My eyes blurred with tears. Not now. The last thing I wanted to
do was cry in front of him.

  “It is my business and it does matter. Answer me. Did he kiss you?”

  “Yes.”

  Seth’s face grew dark. “What about our kiss?”

  “According to you, it meant nothing!” Pain tightened my chest. Like I wanted to rehash his rejection.

  “Who told you that?”

  “Just let it go, Seth. I—I thought…”

  “Thought what, Mags?” His voice softened.

  I so didn’t want to get into this. Not when I already knew how he felt. “Just forget it.”

  Seth tugged me down the hall. “I’m not letting this go.”

  “Where are we going?”

  “Away from here.” Seth grinned. “You, Maggie Winters, are going to be a bad girl and cut with me.”

  “Are you crazy?”

  “No. We need to talk and we can’t do it here. Meet me in the parking lot in five minutes.”

  My stomach knotted. I couldn’t believe I was considering this. My inner voice told me to go to class, while my body urged me to listen to Seth. I hurried to my locker and dumped off the books. With jacket in hand, I walked to the exit.

  Sweat beaded on my brow. I was so going to hell for this. Seth was waiting for me outside.

  “For a minute there, I thought you might chicken out.”

  I snorted. “Please, like I’m going to back down from you.”

  “Well, if it makes you feel better, Dean Carter owes me a favor. And since he works in the office during the last two hours of the day, he said he’d make sure he fixed the attendance records.”

  “What?”

  He chuckled. “You were the one worried about getting in trouble.”

  Great. Not only was I cutting class, but Seth bullied some kid into fixing school records.

  Seth led me to his motorcycle. After securing my helmet, I slid onto the bike behind him. Dark clouds loomed in the sky. The trees bent unmercifully beneath the gusts of wind.

  “Hang on tight,” he said.

  I pressed against him, his body solid and warm.