Photo Booth Queen And The Not So Cinderella Not So Story

Aunt Macq is back

I wake up in my own room.  In my pajamas. I can smell breakfast and I'm starving.  I more like fall downstairs,  my head is pounding. As I walk into the kitchen to my surprise it's not my mom,  it's my aunt Macquarie.

"Macq?" I say.

"Yes adri.  And you,  my dear, " She says handing me a plate, " Have lots of explaining to do.

"OK, I'll be honest," I pause dramatically, " I lost the cat. He wandered out the back door." I smile.

"And don't!! Tell your mother I helped you do this. She'll kill me and then you." Aunt Macquarie said as she held me in her arms to boost me over the gate.

"Then what do I tell her?" My 4 year old self jumbles together.

"Tell her- uhh....." She glanced over at Persian, our neighbor's cat, "tell her  you lost the cat, that he walked straight out of the back door."

"Oh, really, huh? That pesky cat never seemed to like us anyways." She returnes the smile.

"The truth is much longer and way more dramatic than sneaking to see the fireworks on the 4th of July. " I say cramming Bacon down my throat.

"Then spill your guts." She says looking at me strangely.

I jump up from my seat, "I would but I  only have 10 minutes until i need to be at school and a strong urge to keep it to myself." I walk up to my room.

"That's treason. I didn't have to help you last night, you know!" She yells from the same spot downstairs.

20 minutes later in the parking lot of Chesterfield High School,  I realize I'm not ready to see them. But they have my keys and car. So I need to know what happened.

"I promise I'll explain everything, later. " I say getting out of the car.

"Alright. I'm trusting you." She watches from the car window as I walk into school.

"There she is. " Mrs. B points Yessica and Nellie to my direction.  They run over,  relieved and angry.

"What happened?  Where were you?  Why did you leave us?" Nellie asks

"I left my keys so you could get home." I explain. Which still didn't stop their uneasiness. 

"Then how did you get in the house,  you don't have a spare. How did you get home. And why weren't you answering the door? " Nell pieced together.

"I didn't go home. I didn't get into the house. I stayed at a friends." I admit,  cautiously,  trying to find out how to say this.

"A friend's? " Yessica side eyes me, "was this friend a guy? "

"Yes." I say confused as to what this has to do with anything.

"Oh! Ok. Nell, " She says slightly nudging Nellie.

"Not like that.  I'll explain it later. " I say as the first block bell rings.

"Lunch at our table. Don't be late. I need all the details." Yessica says before turning to go to class. 

"Aren't you going to class's, you're going to be late.  And the lock out line-" I start but am abruptly interrupted by Nellie squeezing me into a hug.

"I don't care about the details. I'm just glad you're ok. " She says before leaving for class. I love her like the sister I never had.

Hours later when the bell rang for lunch,  I'd already pieced together a lie. A well thought out lie,  might I add.  I strut to the cafeteria,  where Nellie and Yessica sit, waiting for me.

"Hey." I say sitting down and placing a bag of my lunch on the table in front of me. Aunt macq always gives me lunch. Usually a bunch of snacks, but lunch nonetheless.

"Is your aunt in town?" Yessica automatically knows when she sees the bag. My mom just gives me money. She never packs me a bag lunch. I reach in and grab the extra bag of Fruity's that my aunt packs especially for Yessica, and pretzels for Nellie.

"Yes." I say before yessica snatches the fruit smacks out of my hand. I slide Nellie her pretzels.

"Thanks." Nel half smiles.

"What's wrong?" I ask.

"Good. Luck. Even I couldn't get it out of her." Yessica says with a mouth full of gummies.

"That's because there's nothing to get out. I'm just really stressed about upcoming tests. Report cards will be out soon. " Nell says putting away the pretzels in her bookbag.

"Well she's been stressing like 53 year old man going through a mid-life crisis. Don't worry, Nel, your gray is not showing." Yessica snorts.

"Ha.ha." Nel says sarcastically,  then grabs her stuff, "I'm going to go.... Study. Or dye my roots back brown." She rolls her eyes and gets up to leave. We watch her turn the corner.

"We're gonna follow her aren't we?" I ask getting ready to stand.

"Actually no. I'm going to let her be. She needs to cool down. But I'm going to follow you. In telling me the details of why you disappeared Friday night and went MIA Saturday and Sunday.

"Well the police were coming-" I start.

"-but you left us. That's not like you."

"And I was going to the bathroom-" I start before I'm interrupted by the loud speaker.

"Adrianna Berlin, you're needed in the principal's office. Adrianna Berlin to the principal's office."

"Saved by the speaker." Yessica rolls her eyes.

I get up and make my way to the principal's office. I walk in to see Braden and James Davenport. The twins, who were supposed to play Aladdin and his understudy.

"Are you Adrianna?" I kinda freeze because he's talking to me.

"Y-yes." I stutter, "how do you know my name?"

"Well our house is not a parking lot!" Braden interrupts clearly agitated.

"What?" I say confused.

"Braden calm down." James puts his hand on his brother's shoulder.

"No, I was this close to being home free about throwing the party until mom and dad seen her car just sitting. How was I supposed to explain that?!?" Braden exclaims.

"So it's my fault? Even though your party was shut down by the police, loud, packed, and contained underage drinkers?" I ask calmly. James cracks a smile.

"I wouldn't talk to me like that if my car was sitting on a stranger's property." Braden gets in my face.

"I wouldn't talk to you at all, even if it wasn't." I say returning the gesture until James steps between us. Braden rolls his eyes.

"OK, let me do the talking." James says sternly.

"Fine. You can handle her." Braden waves his hands in surrender.

"I don't need to be handled." I snap back.

"Woah, woah. Calm down.... A..." James starts.

"Adrianna." I say.

"The forgettable one." Braden snorts.

"Braden!" James breaks his calm.

"James, I had just talked mom into letting us back into the play. And her and her outdated Prius, parked their way into that." Braden rolls his eyes.

"It's not her fault. So calm down." James defends me.