NOT A Cinderella Story

Chapter 2

A tiny pebble bounces against my window, interrupting my thoughts. There's a moments pause, and then another. Oh, I forgot to mention someone.

I walk over to yank the window open. The cool air caresses my face and lays against my skin, pleasant after the stifling heat of my attic. I look into the shadows and spot him, clad in his holey jeans, Beatles T-shirt, and untidy, auburn hair. He grins up at me and holds up two ice cream sandwiches in triumph. I grin back and balance nimbly on the window sill before

gaining momentum and leaping. I catch the branch outside my window and swing my feet until I can catch the rest of the tree. I climb down each branch swiftly, almost dangerously. When I'm in the branch closest to the ground, I jump and land cat-like in the damp grass.

I walk towards him, feeling my muscles relax and smile setting into my face, permanent for the time being as long as I'm with him.

Then there's Tyler. The only person in the entire world who I am entirely comfortable with. My best friend, unless you count my imaginary friends from nursery school. We grew up together and his family is basically my family. It's not like I have a loving one here.

He and I have stuck together since grade school. It's actually rather cute, how we met. A really mean girl who shall remain unnamed(Celia) was relentlessly making fun of me for spilling spaghetti on my pants. I still remember it so clearly.

"Oh, do you wanna go crying to your mommy Lena? Well you can't" she said with a venomous sneer, "'Cuz your mommy is dead." This happened just weeks after my mother's funeral, and I was still devastated at that point of my life. I cried every time I saw other kids with their mom fussing over them or kissing them goodbye.

Tears threatened to spill onto my cheeks as everyone laughed at me. Even my "friend", Janet, was laughing at me, timidly, if anything. She had gone over to the Dark Side when Celia offered her part of her chocolate bar at lunch and started gossiping to her about me. I just stood there, pathetic, red sauce staining my pants and napkin hanging useless from my hand.

Just then, Tyler got up and came to stand next to me. He glared at everyone, daring then to laugh some more. Everybody went silent, and finally Tyler spoke up.

"Why don't you have some spaghetti too, Celia?" Quicker than I thought possible, he grabbed the remaining spaghetti from my lunch box and flung it at Celia. She shrieked in horror and clawed at her sequined dress. Looking ready to murder someone, Celia stalked off, her entourage following. Slowly, everyone returned to what they were doing, and I gathered up what was remaining of my lunch and stuffed it in my lunchbox.

Tyler followed me and watched in silence as I stuck things in my backpack at random. The shock of what had just happened had stripped my eyes of their tears. No one had ever stood up for me like that.

I took a deep breath and turned to thank Tyler. He was looking intently at me, his blue eyes thoughtful.

"Thank you. For what you did." I stuttered out.

"No problem. And just for the record, you can pull off spaghetti pants much better than her." He was rewarded with a crack of a smile, and he beamed. Celia always hated Tyler and me after that, but she didn't dare tease me again in front of him. After that we stayed together and did everything together.

Now, he closes the few steps left between us and wraps me in a bear hug. I rest my head against his shoulder, letting myself be comforted by his big arms. He pulls back and gives me a quizzical look.

"What's wrong? My ice cream sandwiches aren't having the effect I'd hoped for." I sigh and just hug him for a few more moments.

"I don't know. I'm just tired, I guess. The family was being particularly brutal today." He waits, knowing there's more coming.

"Ugh, I just wish I could leave sometimes! It's always my fault for anything and I always do everything. I can hardly find time to do my homework, let alone community service. At this rate, I won't even graduate!" I say this all in a rush, letting all of my thoughts flood out to the only person who will listen.

Tyler listens, thoughtfully, and a light starts to shine in his eyes. His lips curl into a smile and I know the gears in his brain are turning.

What you need to know about Tyler is that he isn't like normal guys. He won't listen, say he's sorryn then give you a hug. He will listen, think, and come up with an ingenious plan to fix my problem. That's just one of the many things I love about him.

"That's exactly what needs to happen, Lena. You need to not graduate." I'm confused. It takes him a moment to explain. Just wait for it.

"You need to pretend like you're not going to graduate because you're not getting any service hours done. Talk loudly about it on the phone to me in front of Meredith and make it clear that you won't be able to get a scholarship at this rate. Oh, and when you tell her how many hours you're gonna need to work, always add an extra hour or two on so you have some free time to yourself." Oh my God. My best friend is a genius.

"Oh my God! Tyler! That's perfect! They'll let me do anything if it means I might get a scholarship. And if it means getting me out of the house after graduation, they'll sign me up for every community service opportunity!" I jump up and hug him, nearly squealing with excitement.

A scholarship to a college far away is my one and only goal at this point. It's my only chance of success that I want.

"On a happier note, can we finish these ice creams before they melt?" he asks. I laugh as we unwrap our treats, and laugh even harder when he gets ice cream on his nose. I couldn't have been more content as I sat there with back resting against his knees, talking to him about anything and everything.

---------------

Thank you for reading my story!!! As per usual, comment, fan, follow, vote, etc. Constructive criticism is always appreciated.