Twisted Cinderella

The Party - Part Two

                “Excuse me, Miss? I asked if you would like to dance?” he was waving his hand in front of my face.

                “Oh, sorry! I was watching the dance. I guess I got caught up with tapping to the beat!” I laughed and the Prince laughed with me.

                “But I would love to dance with you,” I stood up and the Prince led me to the floor.

                As soon as we had locked our hands in the appropriate places on each other’s body, the fast waltz changed into a slow one. I gulped and started to move in time with the music. As I looked around, I saw Marie and Gene sitting on the side with the Widow, pointing at me and whispering with each other. I turned back to my partner, Prince Maxton. He was gazing at my face with a look of confusion on his. Then I gazed into his eyes and found that they were a striking blue with gold highlights surrounding the pupil…exactly like Maxton the Pages’ eyes. Hmmm, interesting. Turning back to reality, I found that the Prince was staring at my face hardly. I mirrored Prince Maxton’s expression, biting my lower lip, scrunching my eyebrows together and narrowing my eyes. His eyes widened and he threw back his head and laughed.

                “What’s so funny?” I asked, trying to sound confused although I was dying of laughter myself.

                “Your face, the way it was contorted in this twisted manner!” he was gasping for breath now.

                “Well, I was making the same face that you were when you were staring at me just a minute ago!” I laughed as he looked bewildered.

                “Do I really look like that?” he was starting to sound worried.

                “Yes, but it was so funny to look at! I just wanted to see what you would do when I mimicked you!” I was gasping, taking big gulps of breath between each word.

                “I’ve never met anybody with your particular sense of humor,” the Prince said to me.

                “Is that a bad thing?” I asked.

                “No, that’s a good thing. You’re the only girl I’ve met that isn’t fake, you’re real and you seem like the person who wouldn’t be afraid to voice her own opinion,” he stated.

                “Wow!” a compliment from Prince Maxton! Marie and Gene would be so jealous.

                The waltz had come to an end and another was beginning but we were still dancing, or just swaying to rhythm in circles while we talked. One of the other girls who apparently hadn’t danced with the Prince yet came up behind me and jabbed my shoulder fiercely. I stepped back from Prince Maxton and the girl, a small redhead, slipped right into the space that I had just previously occupied. She glared at me then she and the Prince started an easy-going conversation about shoes!!! BARF! I mean who talks to a man about shoes?