Reincarnated as an Ugly Step Sister

Chapter 13

We got home right before Poppy and Mother because they were able to stay a lot later than us. The dress Cinderella and I made together was ruined, caked in mud and practically torn to shreds. Cinderella collapses on her bed as soon as she reaches her room. I walk upstairs and try to wash the dirt off. I won't get another bath for at least three days because we bathed yesterday for the party and it's a lot of work to heat the water. I've just taken my dress off and stuffed it into a bag (so that Poppy and Mother won't find it) when I hear the front door open.

"You insufferable pig! You only danced with the prince once! This was our only chance and you've ruined it! Get upstairs!"

I hear Poppy whimper, then her heavy footsteps climbing the stairs. I leap into the bed and cover my mostly naked body with blankets, then pretend to be asleep. Poppy comes in, sniffing loudly and bumping into furniture in the dark. I sit up, she's been loud enough to wake up a bear in hibernation.

"Is everything okay?" I ask softly.

"Mother is so mad at me. I only danced with the prince once because there was some princess hogging him all night. When I did dance with him, I stepped on his toes and I got some chocolate on his suit because Mother pushed me into him right as I was finishing a piece of cake. Now he's never going to love me back!" she sobbed and wailed as the words rushed out of her mouth like children rushing out of school after the bell rings.

"It's okay Poppy, there were so many girls he danced with that he probably didn't even remember. Plus, you're competing with, like, forty girls so your chances were always slim. I'm sorry you feel bad though." I cringe, waiting for her to punch me or make fun of me but instead I feel her arms wrap around me. She's hugging me, something I never thought would happen.

"You're different, you know. You used to be mean and ugly," she says when she lets go.

"Are you calling me pretty?" I ask, in a teasing tone.

"Never mind, you're still kinda mean." She stomps over to her bed.

"Gosh, I was just kidding around. I'm sorry I'm not always the best sister to you, especially back then." She doesn't say anything but I can tell that she's smiling.

The next day I go to the market. It's not our usual meeting day but I miss Chase and I need to vent, plus I haven't had much time to see him recently.

I wandered the market for almost an hour, buying some potatoes for dinner but not much else, when finally I heard someone call my name. "Violet!"

"Chase!" I yelled back as soon as I had spotted him. We met in front of a booth selling clothes. "How are you? I thought I might not run into you."

"I had to pick up some milk, it's good to see you. How was the ball?" Even after all these months of being friends, his smile still dazzles me.

"God, I have so much to tell you. Do you have, like, two days?"

He chuckles. "Why don't I walk you home and you can tell me all about it?" My heart flutters and I feel like a giddy school girl.

"Sure, I'm done shopping, shall we go?"

He nods and I try to match his pace as we stroll in the direction of my house. I fill him in on all the things that happened such as talking to the prince and the creepy cousin of his that tried to romance Cinderella. I express my concerns about his character and the warnings the prince gave me about him.

"Seems like a creep. Stay away from him." Chase muttered through gritted teeth.

"I'm not the one you should be concerned about. The prince warned me that his cousin may have ulterior motives to dancing with Cinderella and-" I was swiftly cut off.

"Not just the cousin but the prince too." Chase looked annoyed. "I don't like this guy. I mean, isn't it suspicious that he decided to hang out with you the whole..." Chase abruptly stopped talking as soon as he realized what he had said. "I didn't mean it like that."

His words stung. I thought that we were friends but maybe Chase only saw me as an annoyance. "I didn't realize it was so hard to hang out with me. If I had known you couldn't stand me then I would have left you alone a long time ago." I huff and storm off. "Good bye! I hope I don't burden you again!"

I arrived home faster than usual, having run most of the way to avoid Chase, well, chasing me. He's carrying a lot more than I am and I weave through backyards to lose him. When I finally get home, my skirt is muddy and my hair is a mess. I try to avoid running into anyone as I enter the house but sadly, I do.

"Where are you coming from in such disarray?" my mother says coldly as I try to smooth my dress.

"Uh, the market. Cinderella needed potatoes for dinner." I say, not looking her in the eye.

"Since when was shopping one of your chores?" she asks. I have no idea why she's interrogating me right now but it's terrifying.

"I never had chores," I respond, my voice quivering.

"That's right, you didn't. So why are you doing chores?"

"Um, it wasn't much of a chore since I wanted to go. I needed to get out of the house and I knew we needed potatoes." My heartbeat continues to quicken and I carefully watch Mother's face, waiting for her reaction.

She doesn't speak for a long time, waiting to see what I do if she continues to stare daggers at me. Finally she says, "Clean yourself up and go to your bedroom. We're expecting visitors sometime in the next few days and you must always look your best in case they arrive."

I dutifully nod, place the potatoes by the front door where Cinderella can find them, then hurry up the stairs.

Who's going to visit us? The mysterious people Mother goes to meet once a week or perhaps the prince, looking for the match to Cinderella's glass slipper? I ponder the possibilities as I pick stray sticks and leaves from my hair. As my mind wanders, it wanders back to Chase.

I knew I probably over reacted to what Chase said. Maybe I should have at least heard him out but in the moment I felt like crying, and I frankly didn't want him to see me cry. He's right though. Why would the prince want to hang out with me anyways? I'm not as pretty as Cinderella or at least as confident as Poppy. I'm rather plain in comparison.

I turn away from my reflection in disgust. As much as my looks have improved since I've arrived here I still look awful compared to Cinderella and the other princesses at the ball. Chase was right, why would Nicholas want to spend all night with me anyway?

A sick feeling rises in my stomach. My eyes feel hot and I get dizzy. I sit on the edge of the small window and try to take deep breaths. This is exactly how I felt in high school and it took me a lot of time to get over these problems. I can't let out a sound for the lump in my throat has rendered me unable to speak as I think about the insecurities I used to feel. I need to remember that I am (as cheesy as it sounds) beautiful on the inside. I'm a good person, with a good personality, and it's okay that I'm not as pretty as Cinderella. I'm beautiful in my own way, just not in the classical definition.

Yet again horrible thoughts poison my mind. Did I even have that? A good personality? What if I was loud and annoying, that one person you desperately wanted to get rid of but never could. What if I talked too much and loaded all my problems onto other people. I shouldn't have asked for Chase's help with Cinderella's present that one time, or any times! Maybe I'm just a nuisance. I shake my head and clear the negative thoughts. I have more self worth than I give myself credit for and it would be stupid of me to care what someone else thinks. Those who matter don't mind and those who mind don't matter. 

"It's all going to be okay," I tell myself.