The Princess Sisters (The Princess Sisters Series)

by Stacy Lynn Carroll

  “Please,” he said, pulling her into the sea of bodies. “Every good Logan boy knows how to dance.”

  Cinderella found herself being pulled in all different directions. After only a couple songs, she started to feel a little dizzy and told Dave she was going to find a drinking fountain. The dance floor was jam-packed with college students. She didn’t think it was possible, but there were even more people there now then there had been when they first arrived. After pushing her way past several couples, she found the corner that held the restrooms and a drinking fountain. She had barely gotten a drink when another guy she recognized from Scott’s apartment came over and asked her for the next dance. Cinderella found herself in the middle of the floor again, but this time above everyone else. The guy, who introduced himself as Nate, had her above his head. But she didn’t have time to be nervous because in the next second, he had rolled her over his shoulder and back onto the floor.

  Cinderella was starting to get disappointed that she hadn’t seen Scott all night. She had tried to look for him between each song, but the place was so crowded and everyone was moving around her so fast, it was near impossible to find anyone. The next song began and Cinderella looked around in confusion. Everyone was forming lines around her and they all started to do the same dance steps in unison. She tried to move toward the back corner to get another drink but she felt two hands on her back, pushing her forward towards one of the lines.

  “Where do you think you’re going?” Scott grinned. He pulled her into line and took her by the hand, helping her learn each step.

  “It’s called a line dance,” he was practically yelling to be heard. “There are about ten that they play between the swing songs. If you come here often enough, you learn them all real quick.” Cinderella could almost keep up by the time the song ended and everyone cheered. Then a slower song started to play and Scott took her by the hand before she could escape again. He positioned Cinderella next to him, putting one arm over her right shoulder, holding her right hand and the other in front, holding her left hand in his. He took her through the moves, step by step. She liked the way he stood really close with his arms encircling her; it sent chills up her arms which turned into goosebumps.

  “This is the cowboy cha-cha,” Scott said. Cinderella picked up the steps fairly quickly. She realized she didn’t have to do much when it came to western swing dancing. If the guy was a good enough leader, she could follow with relative ease. Then Scott started to sing along, adding a dramatic twang to his words. Cinderella laughed and lost her footing. Then Scott started laughing and before they knew it, the two had tumbled and tripped to the ground. This, of course, made them laugh even harder. Somehow, in the tumble, one of Cinderella’s shoes had gotten knocked off. Then, as the music picked up, the two of them watched the blue sneaker get kicked around and end up somewhere across the room. Scott, still chuckling, crawled across the floor to retrieve it. Cinderella sat on the floor against the wall and watched, trying not to laugh, as he almost tripped at least three other couples. His hands got stepped on several times in the process, but he finally made it to the runaway shoe and held it high above his head in triumph. When he finally returned, a little bruised, he untied the laces and held the shoe up.

  “I think this is yours, Princess.” Cinderella didn’t normally like being called ‘princess’. But when Scott said it, his voice didn’t carry the mocking tone she was used to. His way sounded sweeter, almost like he was complimenting her. He then slipped the shoe back on and covered his open mouth with a hand in mock surprise. “It fits!” Cinderella rolled her eyes at him and the two laughed again as he pulled her back to her feet.

  “I’ll catch ya later,” he said, kissing her on the cheek. Then almost immediately he looked surprised at himself and apologized. “Sorry,” he said, seeming embarrassed. Cinderella brushed it off with a wave of her hand before Scott took off again into the crowd. Cinderella stood against the wall for several minutes without moving, a hand on her cheek where he had kissed her. For the first time in her life, she was glad she had lost a shoe.

  Chapter Nine

  Cinderella was asked to dance by two boys she didn’t know before Dave finally found her again. The first one was a pretty good dancer, but he wasn’t a great leader. He barely moved Cinderella’s hand in the direction he wanted her to go, unlike Scott and his friends who pulled her in such a way that she had no choice but to follow. Then the second guy couldn’t dance at all! Cinderella wished she was back in her heavy duty boots after he stomped on her right foot for the seventh time. Dave came up behind Cinderella at the end of the song, causing her to jump in the air and land painfully on his shoe.

  “Now I know how you feel!” he said, hopping on one foot and pointing his chin in the direction of her last partner.

  “Sorry,” Cinderella said. Then hugging him, “But I am so glad to see you!” Dave grinned.

  “Miss me that much?”

  Cinderella flushed pink. “I just don’t like dancing with people I don’t know.”

  “You could always tell them no, ya know.”

  “I…I can’t,” she stammered.

  “Why’s that?”

  “I don’t want to be mean.”

  Dave laughed. “You’re too nice,” he said. Then putting his arm around her, “But I guess that’s what I like about ya.” He gave her a sideways hug.

  “May I have this dance?” he asked, spinning her out of the hug and then twirling her under his raised arm.

  “I think you already started,” she giggled. Dave wasn’t as fast as his brother, but he definitely had the same dancing skills. He twirled and spun and dipped Cinderella until she was out of breath.

  “So how did you learn to dance like that?” she asked as they headed toward some open seats.

  “Scott taught me.”

  “I thought you weren’t old enough to be in this club until recently.” she asked, nudging him with her shoulder. “Didn’t you just barely turn sixteen?”

  “Oh I wasn’t old enough,” he said. “But Troy was, and so was Chad, Aaron, Ben, Brad…” Dave listed each name off on his fingers.

  “Guys! There you are!” Jenny and her roommate ran up to them. “It’s almost midnight and there’s a full moon tonight!”

  “Awesome!” Dave jumped up to join them but Cinderella moved more slowly.

  “What’s going on?” she asked.

  “We’ll explain on the way!” Dave said, grabbing her by the hand and running for the exit.

  Jenny’s roommate, Melissa, took the front seat while Dave squished in the back with Cinderella and Jenny.

  Cinderella sat in the middle between Dave and Jenny. Dave explained the long story while Jenny occasionally filled in missed information.

  “I don’t even know how far back the tradition goes,” he started.

  “1916.”

  “Ok, so clear back since 1916 every time there is a full moon, kids gather around the ‘A’ at midnight.”

  “Tell her what the ‘A’ is.”

  “I’m getting there! The ‘A’ is a large blue square block of cement with four white A’s. One on each side, to hold it up. It stands a few feet above the ground and kids stand on it to become a ‘True Aggie’.”

  “Aggies are the USU mascot.”

  “Right. So a guy and a girl stand on the ‘A’ on a full moon at midnight and kiss. This makes them a ‘True Aggie’.”

  “It’s all about saying you’ve done it. Once you’re a ‘True Aggie’, you’ve got bragging rights forever,” Jenny piped in.

  “Do you want to explain this to her?” Dave asked.

  “Sorry. Go ahead.”

  “The catch is you can only become a ‘True Aggie’ by kissing someone who is already one.”

  “Except for on Homecoming night,” Jenny said. Dave glared at her. “Okay, I’m done,” she said, putting her hands up in surrender.

  “You can also become a ‘True Aggie’ by touching someone who is on the ‘A’. The ‘A’ is
only big enough for one couple to stand on. So everyone gets in a big cluster, so they can be touching someone who is touching someone who is touching one of the people on the ‘A’. Do you get it?”

  “So it’s like a huge kissing party every time there is a full moon?” Cinderella asked, not quite seeing the point behind it.

  “I’m a ‘True Aggie’,” Scott said, turning in his seat. “So if any of you lovely ladies decide you wanna give it a try, I’m your man,” he added, winking. Cinderella’s stomach flipped. Now she understood some of the motivation behind the tradition. This strange ritual was a good excuse to kiss the person you like. Or several people you like, by the sounds of it.

  The car stopped and everyone jumped out. They ran towards an already gathering crowd. Cinderella couldn’t even see the revered ‘A’ amidst all the bodies. But she could feel the rush of adrenaline and hormones, like a breeze on her face, as they entered the tight circle. Dave pulled her back a ways from the crowd and leaned down so only she could hear what he was saying.

  “I really want to become a ‘True Aggie’. And I really want to kiss you.”

  “But I’m not one, so I…” Cinderella was completely blown back. She couldn’t even finish the sentence.

  “I know, but if you kissed Scott first and then me, it would work.”

  “But I thought the kiss had to be at midnight?”

  “And midnight lasts a full minute. Scott said when he became one, he kissed six different girls!”

  Cinderella shifted from one foot to the other. This night is just full of surprises! Here I have a chance to kiss two very good looking guys, but do I really want my first kiss to be with so many people watching?

  “59! 58! 57!” The countdown had begun. Cinderella looked up at Dave again. She looked into his amazingly blue eyes that shone even though it was dark. She had driven alone tonight with a boy, she lied to her mom, and she danced with strangers…why stop now?

  “Okay!” she said. Cinderella had never seen Dave smile so big before. The two of them pushed through the crowd toward Scott and his friends. Somehow they had secured a spot on the ground right next to the ‘A’.

  “34! 33! 32!” Dave whispered the plan in his brother’s ear and Scott froze, looking at Cinderella in surprise. Scott shook his head.

  Oh great! He doesn’t even want to! Cinderella thought, watching them. How embarrassing!

  Then Dave grabbed his brother’s gaze away from Cinderella and tapped his watch, indicating time was running out. He spoke animatedly with his hands, but Cinderella couldn’t tell what they were saying. As the seconds ticked closer, Cinderella thought her stomach had taken up gymnastics. It was somersaulting and flipping all the way up to her throat. Scott finally nodded and the two of them moved closer to where Cinderella was standing.

  “12! 11! 10!” The couple on the ‘A’ who had been quarreling suddenly jumped down. In one swift movement, Scott grabbed Cinderella around the waist and lifted her onto the smooth, blue top. The top was worn down from centuries of kids’ shoes, polishing the blue painted stone until it shone in the moonlight.

  “2! 1!” Cinderella felt Scott’s lips against hers before she knew what was happening. Several hands grabbed her legs in an effort to be connected to the ‘A’. Cinderella closed her eyes to hide from the staring faces. She could hear several of Scott’s friends cat-calling, but as he moved his hand smoothly across her cheek and into her hair, she lost all thought. Then she felt a hand brush up against her wrist, which was hanging limply against her side, and Dave’s voice floated up to her from somewhere below.

  “Hey! Come on! You can’t take the whole minute!” In the next second Cinderella’s lips were released and she let out a huge breath which she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. Then Dave was beside her on the cold stone platform and her lips became busy once again. She finally opened her eyes when everyone started cheering around her. It was 12:01.

  Cinderella’s mind remained foggy the whole drive back to the apartment. She couldn’t wrap her mind around what had just happened. She had not only received her first kiss, but she’d also received her second! And in public! She was sure the perma-grin on her face would be a huge giveaway as to how she was feeling, but no one seemed to notice. They were all worn out from dancing.

  The rest of the night felt like someone had clicked the fast-forward button. One minute she was in the car, her head resting on Dave’s shoulder and the next, she was sitting on a bed while Jenny rustled up some old pj’s for her to wear. Then she was lying on her back on the floor in a thrown-together bed in an unfamiliar room. Jenny and Melissa complimented her dancing, told her she looked like a natural kisser, and even envied her name.

  “Jenny is just so boring! I mean, there are a zillion Jennies out there.”

  “What about Melissa? My name isn’t any better!”

  “But Cinderella…that’s just cool!”

  “Do you just love your name?”

  “It’s okay,” Cinderella said sleepily.

  “Are you kidding? It’s awesome!”

  Cinderella lay in bed for awhile, all her many thoughts fighting for control of her mind. Dave acted like he liked me several times tonight. But Dave is always really flirty. Is it me? Or is Dave just being Dave? And what about Scott? Why did he kiss me on the cheek when we were dancing? And why did Dave hold my hand...once...no twice! she tried to count as her mind raced back through the night’s events. And why did Scott seem so disappointed when he found out how young I was? Was he interested? Is he still? And why did Dave want to kiss me? He could have kissed any one of Scott’s friends. Then she thought about each of the kisses, which made her squirm a little. Dave had kissed her pretty quickly. But Scott was much more passionate and he would have kissed her the whole minute if Dave had let him, she was sure of that. Although Scott was also more experienced, which might have contributed to the way he kissed her. Finally her thoughts turned to dreams and Cinderella fell asleep with a big smile on her face.

  Chapter Ten

  Friday, July 16th

  Cinderella jerked awake the next morning to someone banging on the apartment door. Her eyes were crusted shut from falling asleep with mascara on. It took several painful seconds of rubbing her burning eyes before she was able to open them. Then she remembered also falling asleep with her contacts in and the burning suddenly made sense. She sat up slowly on the makeshift bed, her head feeling like lead. Cinderella heard the banging again and pulled at her black lashes as she ran to the front door, leaving behind the still frames of Jenny and Melissa. She threw open the door, frantic now that something might be wrong. There stood Dave; showered, shaved, and looking good as ever. Cinderella tried to cover herself with the thick, white door, which seemed to be shrinking with each passing second, but Dave only grinned.

  “Come on sleepyhead!” he said, trying to reach for her hand. “We made breakfast.”

  “I’ll be there in just a minute...I…a…I’ve got to wake up the girls,” she said, settling on an excuse.

  “No need,” said Melissa, coming up behind her. She and Jenny groggily made their way past Cinderella and out the door. Both were still in their pajamas, Jenny pulling her hair up as they walked. Dave looked at Cinderella again.

  “Just give me a minute.” She hoped he couldn’t hear the desperation in her voice.

  “Well hurry up, Scott’s roommates are pigs.”

  Cinderella closed the door and slid her back down it until her butt rested on the kitchen floor. She silently waited for the cold linoleum to open up and swallow her, with no such luck. Forcing herself back on her feet, she hurried to the bathroom.

  “Awesome,” she said in a flat voice. The black mascara had left her with raccoon eyes, no thanks to the rubbing on her own part. Her chocolate brown hair wasn’t very tangled, but it did look as though she had been rubbing it with a balloon. Cinderella reached for a silver container resting beside the sink and pulled out several Q-tips.

  “Let’s get to work,” she
said aloud. It didn’t take much time to clean up her eyes and tame her hair with a bit of water and gel. But as she stood back, looking at her reflection, Cinderella became very aware of just how high her borrowed shorts sat. She all but dove for the blue jeans that sat folded next to her pillow in the back bedroom. Once Cinderella was redressed in her clothes from the day before, she finally felt suitable to step out the front door and venture across the hall.

  “There she is!” Dave’s voice shouted over the table. Cinderella had to hold back a laugh as she entered the cramped kitchen. There, on the table, sat piles of white bags with a familiar yellow ‘M’ stamped on the front.

  “You made breakfast?” she asked, raising an eyebrow in Dave’s direction.

  “Slaved for hours and hours,” one of the roommates responded.

  “Our little providers,” said Jenny, playfully tousling another roommate’s hair. Dave made room next to himself for Cinderella to take a seat, and she followed his gesture. She reached for a bag and pulled out an assortment of egg and meat combinations.

  “So what’s what?” she asked Dave.

  “That’s the fun part,” he said, showing off his perfect smile. “Just grab one and start eating, you’ll figure it out.” Cinderella unwrapped the one nearest her and it didn’t take long to discover it included bacon.

  “I didn’t realize how hungry I was,” she said, reaching for another. Then she paused for a brief second.

  “Go ahead, I’ve already had seven.”

  “Seven?! I thought you said Scott’s roommates were the pigs?”

  “Hey, what happened to those shorts you were wearing?” he retorted. Cinderella gave him a dirty look and brought the biscuit sandwich to her mouth.

  “There’s our sleeping beauty! You made it!” Scott said as he entered the kitchen from the open door which led back into the three bedrooms. She tried to swallow and breathe in at the same time, resulting in a cough attack as she choked the food down.

  “Put a shirt on you show off!” someone yelled. “You trying to kill the poor girl?” Scott laughed and grabbed a chair across from Cinderella, flipping it around with his palm before straddling the seat. She tried desperately not to look at him, but could barely control her eyes from moving toward his strong frame. Scott had just gotten out of the shower, his bare damp skin catching the light above. He strolled in the room wearing nothing but a pair of dark blue basketball shorts. His hair was still wet and a little messy from a quick run-through of the towel. Scott’s perfectly toned arms rested casually on the table before him, which captivated Cinderella the most. She remembered how those arms had easily swung her around the dance floor last night, but she didn’t realize how good they could look without his shirt for covering.