Just Like Cinderella

Just Like Cinderella [5]

For Josi, the next day seemed to pass by in a blur. It was Friday, the day of the dance, and all the members of the student council were busy with preparations for the big night. This meant she didn't get to see much of Megan, or Asher. 

She saw quite a lot of Caleb however, but he was never looking in her direction. So many years spent blending in and being invisible, it was no wonder he didn't notice that she was in a good number of his classes. And yes, she admitted it might also be because she was deliberately trying to avoid him.

Luckily, it was a relatively peaceful day for her. No bumping into flower-holding girls or spilling hot beverages on cute guys. There was a fair number of tripping though, but that was the norm for her. A peaceful day wasn't about to change that.

Once school was over and still no sign of Megan, Josi figured she was still busy so sent her a quick text to let her know she was walking home. Megan replied almost immediately, apologizing for their meeting taking so long and telling Josi not to forget the plan.

The plan was simple. Josi would head home after school, pack her things for the dance with her to work and Megan would pick her up from work at an agreed time. The restaurant was closing early as they knew most of the crowd would be at the school later tonight. So they would beg Taylor to let them get ready there before heading to school.

As she walked the short distance to her house, Josi couldn't help considering all that could go wrong.

Pamela and Penelope would be distracted preparing for the dance, maybe even drinking ahead. Tammy was driving to the neighboring town to spend the weekend with Kitty May at a friend's place. But, Pamela and Penelope could decide to trouble Josi one more time before leaving, only to find her missing when she should be back from work. Or Tammy might forget something and turn back. They all knew Josi's shift was ending early today, and if they didn't find her in the house where she was supposed to be... In short, Josi was dead.

Yet, despite all the possibilities of their plan going awry, Josi was excited. Her stomach was in knots due to nerves, her arms littered with goosebumps. She found it hard to believe that after all these years, she was finally getting the chance to attend the dance. God, she could hardly wait. She had a feeling that tonight was going to be amazing, that she wouldn't ever be able to forget it, and that things would change drastically.

Stupid of her, she knew, so she shoved the thought out of her mind and focused on how she was going to avoid her stepsisters at the dance. The mask she'd chosen covered most of her face, leaving only from her lips down exposed. It would be unlikely for someone who didn't know her well to recognize her. Probably, only Megan would ever know she was there, and she realized she was okay with that. She could do whatever she wanted, act however she wanted without worrying about sticking out. There would be girls in all manner of dresses way more beautiful than her. Eyes would be on them instead. And she could dance and dance till her feet hurt, finally showing off those moves she practiced in the comforts of her room alone.

The only thing that sucked was that she wouldn't be able to claim that dance with Asher which, at first, was her reason for wanting to go. Or maybe she could but she wouldn't let him know it was her. How she intended to achieve that, she didn't know yet. She was just hoping to have a good night in all.

She would have to make the most of her limited time seeing as she wouldn't be able to stay for the best parts of the dance, like the unmasking and the Perfect Duo Award. The latter was another one of those anticipated parts of the night, or so Megan said. According to Megan, every year since the first annual dance, before the unmasking took place, everyone gathered together a few minutes to midnight at the front of the stage where the head of the student council would stand to announce the couple who had received the most attention and likes, as well as were perfectly matched. Otherwise known as the Perfect Duo. It was like choosing a prom king and queen, only it didn't always have to be a popularity contest and there were no nominees beforehand. An hour before the award, the student council provided the names of all the couples that had attracted a lot of attention on a piece of paper and everyone voted by drawing likes next to the couple they favored most. It was a bit lame in Josi's opinion but still very sweet.