Cinderella Who

Chapter Fifteen

I was having conflicts with myself, whether to throw away the heel or not. In my hand lied the shattered heel, full of memories I wanted to keep and I didn't want to keep at the same time.

It was Nana's gift for me, but Serena stained the preciousness. The jewel was shattered and the heel was scratched. I held the heel up high, ready to throw it into the trash bin.

But, I couldn't. It was just too precious to throw away. I tightened my grip on the heel and stomped off to my personal desk in the dorm. I ransacked the desk for an empty box, finally finding a pale pink shoebox. I laid the heel inside the shoebox and closed it forever with its lid.

I felt as if a burden were lifted off. My breathing paced more calmly, all the muscles in my face relaxed, and my hands stopped shaking—completely at rest.

What was I doing?

He had found someone to take care of, someone that was his sanctuary, but, why did I feel bothered?

I stuffed the shoebox beneath the desk, hiding its existence away from the world. I sighed, feeling the burden building up inside of me again. All of a sudden, my phone rung.

I grabbed my phone, spinning around seated on a swivel chair. I looked at the vibrant screen, spinning like crazy. It was Kylie. I answered the phone, hearing her say, "I have something to tell you."

"What is it?" I asked her, hearing her breaths. She paused for a moment, only exhaling air.

Then, she answered, "Meet me by the tree in the grass field."

Before I could say a word, she hung up the phone—leaving me in a swirl. I grabbed my maroon coat and hurried out of the dorm. I ran through the hallways, my footsteps echoing. I kept running, I didn't know why. I had no clue what she had wanted to tell me, but I had a feeling that I had to meet up with her fast.

I swung open the glass door, revealing a completely transformed grass field. It was cold, chilly against my skin. The tress had turned into autumnal colour, a sign that autumn had officially arrived. My heavy breaths turned into icy breaths, although it wasn't winter yet.

I increased my walking pace, looking left and right. Then, I spotted her. She was wearing a thick, white woollen scarf around her neck, a large, grey woollen sweater that might be a dress, and a long pair of brown trousers. Her face expression looked sour, even though she was wearing makeup magnificently.

I approached her, running up to her. I said, "I'm here."

She tilted her face up and said, "It's a chilly day, isn't it?"

She looked at her surroundings with such wonder, her brown eyes sparkling and her bold lips contrasting with her surroundings. I said, "Yeah, it's freezing cold."

She sighed and looked down on her shoes, frowning. She said, "I have something to tell you."

I couldn't smile, because she was frowning. But, I said, "Yeah, you told me to come here. You're such a meanie for telling me to come here in the midst of this cold field."

She forced a small chuckle, guilt written all over her face. She said, "I'm sorry."

"For what?" I questioned her, my radiant side slowly fading away.

She looked up, tear slowly forming in her eyes. She said, "I won't be here for a long time."

"What?" I asked, demanding. "What do you mean?"

Sighing, she said, "The truth is...I got scouted by a talent agency a few months ago. They wanted me to take a spot as a model in Fashion Furores, a magazine line in NYC."