Runaway Cinderella

Chapter One

I'm really not very outgoing as people might think. Usually, I clam up around the opposite gender and can't stand in front of a large crowd without shaking in fear. I don't look outgoing either. I hardly show skin when I go out and avoid making eye contact. So boarding a plan to New York alone, instead of heading on a road trip to California with friends, was completely unlike me. Of course, the road trip had just been a hoax so I would have an excuse for packing.

Trying to not cause any attention or stares, I timidly dragged my carry - on to terminal ~ B8, nervously biting my upper lip. Choosing one of the many uncomfortable yet classy seats, I slid my phone out of my plain gray sweater which I always used for traveling by plane as the temperature tends to be colder in the plane. I unlocked the screen and waited for the camera app to open while throwing a quick glance around the room to make sure no one was watching. Once opened, I eyed my messy bun with strands of red hair falling out unflatteringly. My face was cleansed of makeup, save for the minuscule time I had for mascara and concealer. Sighing, I pressed the homescreen button and put my phone away. Did I mention this was an early morning flight? Because it sure didn't feel like one. Laughing at my inside joke I sat back in the rigid chair.

While I waited for the plane to arrive, I flipped through a VOGUE magazine I had stuffed in my carry on as a last minute thought for entertainment. The coconut smoothie I had ordered from Caribou stood on the mini black coffee table besides me, half empty, perspiration dripping down the sides. Adding together the sunlight streaming in from the huge windows, the angle, and a perfect subject, I cursed myself for choosing to bring my Macbook instead of my Canon camera. Stupid, stupid, stupid, I told myself. Now I would have to buy another camera, along with new lenses and a SD card. Deeply frustrated, I also remembered Canon cameras aren't cheap, and neither are lenses. This just adds on to my stress about how I am going to find money. It's not as if I have a job interview waiting for me in New York when I arrive, just a small dorm room shared with an unknown roommate who probably won't even get there until mid August. Gotta love the future.

My phone buzzed in my lap and jolted me back to the present. I put the magazine by the smoothie and checked my notifications bar. Shocked, I brought my phone closer to make sure I'd read it right. Yep, clear as day.

@NiallOfficial - So excited to announce that we will once again be preforming at MSG ! Entry Fee s $20 ! Tickets sold online here, www.msg/1D?tickets.com

Then

@HarryStyles - Please come and enjoy MSG with us as we perform for only $20 a ticket! Buy them while they're still available! www.msg/1D?tickets.com

And also

@RealLiamPayne - Everyoneeeee. Go to www.msg/1D?tickets.com to see us live for 20 dollars!! Hurryyyyy first come first served. (:

I nearly shot out of my seat with joy! You could describe the feeling somewhat like being a human firecracker, exploding with joy at the thought of finally going to their concert. I desperately tried to click the link with trembling fingers. When it finally opened, there were only less than half the tickets remaining. $20 could get me any seat in the house apparently, however I choose a seat on the floor in the middle section so I wouldn't have to crane my head up the entire concert. Do you understand how annoying that gets? I had brought along my debit card to use along with about $3000 in cash in which case I had saved up for this specific reason. Was I worried about my money being stolen? Very much so,but a risk is a risk and I was willing to take this one.

Once my ticket order had been confirmed, I decided to print it off when I got to Julliard. No use worrying about an extra item that might, if someone got offered the chance, would definitely steal the rectangle sized piece of paper. And there was no printer, so I couldn't exactly print it off either way. I grabbed for my smoothie and finished it since I was almost done anyways. I still couldn't shake the excitement off! My face must be glowing, I figured. Finally, I'll be seeing a 1D concert!

"Flight 683, from Colorado to New York, is now boarding 1st class passengers."

The flight attendants voice boomed over the speakers in the terminal invading my thoughts. I would be next to board the plane, so as I stuffed the magazine into my carry on as well as tuck my phone safely into my pocket, I watched other people file into line. Gradually, I join them as the line gets shorter and shorter.

Soon enough, I reached the front and watched as the attendant scanned my ticket. When she nodded, I kept walking through the door that connected to the tunnel leading to the plane. I could see my reflection on the walls of the tunnel. It almost felt like a runway except without the flashing lights, totally okay with me. I looked comfortable, wearing my warm gray sweater with a plain white vneck shirt underneath, and leggings paired with vans. Once at JFK, I'd ditch the leggings for demin shorts I had in my carry on since summer is here and I would definitely get some odd looks walking around outside in New York in 70° weather with a sweater and leggings on. Stepping onto the airplane, I watched as the other passengers put their stuff up above and sit down. When I neared my seat, I just sat. I didn't want eyes on me, watching, as I put my one bag up there. My bag fit by my feet anyways, so why not save myself some embarrassment. I looked over at the person I was sitting next to, who was just an older lady, and she was already knocked out. Must have taken some sleeping pills, so I figured she wouldn't bother me at all on this flight. It did kind of bother me somewhat that she'd gotten the window seat because there was something about flying and looking at the scenery below which was calming. And she was wasting it by sleeping.

I waited as the pilot gave the same speech and ended with - "And please enjoy your flight with Delta." A beep was heard throughout the plane notifying everyone that devices could now be turned on. Instantly, I got onto twitter again to see if the lads were on. Maybe try and tweet them if they were.

Lucky for me, Niall was retweeting and tweeting people so I decided it was worth a try.

@ellasmyname

So I'm 19, never been to a concert or heard the band live, yet been a dedicated fan a year after you went on X-Factor. I just wanted you to know I felt it was important enough to tweet you. Have a great day (: @NiallOfficial

Deciding whether or not I should actually send this tweet, my fingers accidentally slipped and pressed send. Smooth Ella. Real smooth.

The three hour flight to New York felt like a millennium. The elderly lady beside me was quietly snoring, so I took the opportunity to sneak a quick glance out of the window. I breathed in a gasp of fascination, my eyes trailing the cloud wisps as we flew through them. As a child, I'd always wanted to be able to touch to the clouds. Then again, I also wanted to be the first woman on Jupiter. Sadly, those were just innocent childhood memories. I leaned back in my seat and kept thinking back to the tweet I sent. There are millions of girls spamming him with tweets right now, obviously he will never see mine and that was a wasted 5 minutes of my time. Hoping wouldn't get me anywhere, so I leaned back and tried to get as comfortable as you can get when you're feeling smushed. Disappointed that Niall would never get to see my tweet, I closed my eyes and attempted to get some sleep.

**************************

2 hours later

I stretched my arms and legs, liking the pain. I had turned my phone on silent so it wouldn't bother any of the passengers. Because if it was someone else that had a phone that was buzzing constantly, I would not be a happy camper. However, my notification light was lazily blinking, so I unlocked the screen. I started squealing with my hand over my mouth so I wouldn't make louder sounds. Then I looked more closely. Scrunching my eyebrows, I dropped my hand and stopped squealing.