Skater Cinderella (First Edition)

Chapter 30

Look at this amazing cover! It's by Tambito_o and I'm in love with it.

I think I wanna make this the cover. What do ya say?

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"What's wrong, Jules?" I ask immediately, sitting straighter in my chair than I was before.

"I... I just need you to come get me." She said with a thick voice, coughing afterwards to clear it a bit.

I bolted up from the seat I was reclining on and made a beeline towards the front door. Seeing my distress, both Jordan and Mrs. Rayley stop what they were doing to follow after me. "We are on our way. Where are you?"

My question is followed by a short sniffle, the sound reaching into my heart making it ache in a painful way. "I'm at my mom's house."

"Okay, be there soon." I said, grabbing a jacket and hanging up the phone. As I slipped my arms into the sleeves of the clothing, Jordan and his Mom quickly followed suit.

"What happened?" Jordan asked worriedly, his brows pulled together and his lips forming a frown.

A heavy sigh escaped my lips as I began to stuff my feet into my shoes, already feeling the worry for my sister grow every passing second. "I don't know. She just asked me to come pick her up." I told him solemnly, snatching up the keys from then key holder as I did so. "She is at Jill's house right now, so Lord knows what could've happened."

"I'm coming with you." Mrs. Rayley said firmly, tying the laces on her tennis shoes and wrapping a scarf around her neck. As she opened a closet door in the hallway, Jordan spoke up as well. His lips were set in a grim line and his eyebrows were drawn together as he crossed him arms in a 'no-discussion' type of way.

"I'm coming as well."

I sighed deeply as Mrs. Rayley came out of the closet with a thick blanket and a jacket in her arms. I decided against asking about it, and instead chose to respond to her and Jordan's first statements.

"Guys, she called me. I am not saying that you are not her friends, but I think that she only wanted me to pick her up." I said in a serious voice, only earning a snort from Jordan and a tired sigh from Mrs. Rayley.

"Tessa, dear, I know you mean well by your point. But I have stood by for too long. Sure, I've said words, but often times, actions speak louder. This might turn out to be not all that bad, but starting from your skating competition, I shall no longer not condone the actions of others that hurt the kids that I consider to be my children." Mrs. Rayley said with tone full of conviction, giving me a look that basically said, 'you mess with mama bear, you gon' get burned'.

Grinning just the slightest bit, I threw my keys in the air and caught them once they fell, feeling pride in being able to have Mrs. Rayley in my life. "Alright, I guess we are all going."

Don't worry, Julia, we are coming.

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As we pulled into the driveway of my old home, I couldn't help but think about how this place once held so many happy memories. Even during hard times, my mother always found ways to make them bearable for Dad and me. She was feeling light-headed and dizzy? No worries, it was only because the halo on her head slipped off. A few drops of blood got coughed up out of her lungs? She was just donating it to the sewer people, who needed special blood.

Crazy ideas and excuses, I know. They still worked, however, for my seven year-old mind. It was one of the reasons that I was able to have a somewhat happy childhood. Even though my mother was dying--or preparing to work with the angels, as I saw it--she still managed to give me hope, strength, and optimism. The fun times that my parents and I had in my old home still resonate within my mind sometimes. Unfortunately though, not all the time.