Cinderella in Reverse

Thirteen - Vulnerable

I arrived back at the Callahan mansion after feeling pretty satisfied with my quasi-tan at Moreland Park Beach, despite feeling the early signs of a sunburn.

as-tori-yah: you forgot your sunglasses. I'll return them to you the next time i see you. xx

I went to reply to Tori's text but I froze at the sight of Finn's bedroom door, wide open. He never leaves it open! What teenager leaves the door open? That's pretty unorthodox...

He must have noticed me standing there blankly, as he let out a breath and said dully, "Come in. It's open."

"I can see that," I deadpanned, stepping inside the teenage male dumpster. "What the hell happened in here-"

He turned to face me, a copy of the National Geographic in his hand. Nerd. "Was there anything you wanted? Because you can get out, and shut the door behin-"

"Hold your horses, Callahan!" I interrupted, resting my phone on his desk. "I just came to say that I bumped into Sienna Nightingale today."

He stared at me confusedly. "And...?"

"She just told me to tell you that she's ecstatic to see you tonight." I said sarcastically. "Whatever that means."

~~~

With sand in my hair and my skin starting to peel from excessive sun exposure, I was certainly in need of a long shower. After a warm blanket of water rushed over me for a solid half an hour, I stepped out...

And froze. There was no sign of my towel anywhere. Nor were my change of clothes in my sight at all, apart from my underwear. I must've left it in my bedroom! Thank god I brought my underwear...

I let out a long sigh. After attempting to sprint across the hallway without slipping over, I made it. It must be how athletes feel after crossing the finish line at the Olympics or something, because I felt incredibly proud of my efforts. Finn was probably in his room studying or whatever, which was a bonus. Crisis averted!

Shutting the bedroom door behind me, I met face to face with the devil himself. Let's just say that my face was as red as the 'time of the month'.

He stood there in shock and was speechless. "I-um..."

I squealed and covered the exposed private parts of my body. Glaring at him with such malice, he almost looked vulnerable. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?! DON'T LOOK! STOP LOOKING!"

Dear God, please let there be no nip slip...please let there be no nip slip...thankyou and amen.

He timidly walked closer and I felt my heart pounding. "Y-you left your phone in my room."

I grabbed the phone from him, still attempting to shield the exposed areas of my body. "T-Thanks."

He stood there for about a minute just eyeing me and I yelled, "HELLO?! GET OUT!"

Finn muttered something under his breath, before dashing out the door. After putting decent clothes on, I thought about our awkward encounter. Why was he stalling? He could've just thrown it on my bed and walked off, but instead he just stood there. Why was he snooping around?

Maybe I was just over-analysing this. But I had to go and ask him, so as a courageous, independent woman I stormed into his room demanding an answer.

"FINNEG-oh." I charged in, opening his door to reveal no one inside. Well this is awkward.

Then, a phone dinged on his mahogany desk, adorned with medals and certificates, as well as paperwork for something I couldn't care less about. I grinned evilly. Time to give him a taste of his own medicine - by snooping around in his personal belongings.