The Princess Pages: A Girl Like Cinderella

Song Seventy Nine

COLLEGE LIFE

There's good luck, and there's bad luck.

Some believe half of the world population are ridiculous for falling prey to superstitions such as lucky charms, black cats, and walking under ladders.

The other half contradict the skeptics, knowing in their hearts that while people make their own luck, it never hurt to put some faith into the little things like key-chains given by friends, pieces of jewelry gifted by family members, even coins picked up from the sidewalk.

To an 18-year-old girl in California, she had three lucky charms she treasured most:

A silver moon bracelet dangling around her right wrist, gifted to her by the first and possibly last guy she had loved and still loves in a way she couldn't love anyone else.

A golden heart locket adorning her collarbone, the people in the photos perched inside eternally holding a special place in her heart.

And the last but definitely not the least, her most cherished charm, a 13-year-old boy who was now a freshman at Henry G. High School, one of the best educational academies in California.

Vance had chosen this particular public school due to its good reviews, with enthusiastic teachers, magnificent facilities, and its thirty-minute distance from Stanford University.

Like his older sister, Vance had earned a scholarship via entrance exam. Currently, the two Heartwood siblings were residing in a two-bedroom apartment, fully furnished and located within a reasonable gap between both their schools.

Wanting to be practical, Lucy and Vance commuted together, taking a bus that conveniently passed by Henry High School on Lucy's way to Stanford, her dream-come-true college.

She had done it. She had gotten into the university where her parents, Lance and Violet, had met and finished their studies. More importantly, she was an ace student, enrolled in her most desired Theater and Performance Arts Program, where she excelled as a performing arts major.

Almost a year had passed since the Valentine's Ball, the day her life had taken a turn for, in her perspective, the better. Yes, she'd endured a truckload of pain, drama, and confusion, but in the end, her broken heart had told her it was time to change. She had grown sick of hiding and pretending and cowering in the background.

That's not to say, that her mask, be it literal or figurative, had gone into retirement. While she let new people enter her new life, it was not synonymous to allowing them into her heart.

Like her persistent friend, Ethan Quartz, who was walking alongside her in the confines of the palatial university, with nearly 700 buildings and welcomes 150,000 visitors annually. Stanford was by far the most impressive and most prestigious institution in America Lucy had ever seen.

Not only were the buildings magnificent, varying in calming shades of brown and miscellaneous heights and structures. In between different halls and offices, acres and fields of green grass, fresh trees, and long marble benches were provided for the students to socialize or relax or interact in academic activities.

It was Friday afternoon and Lucy had just left her last class for the day. She loved her schedule; She had school from Monday to Fridays, 7am to 4pm. She no longer needed to fetch her younger brother after hours. He was old enough and more than able to commute on his own.

"Hello, beautiful," Ethan coolly greeted her, the same way he greeted her since they met last year, when they were in their first semester as college freshmen.

"What do you want, Ethan?" Lucy asked with a lighthearted roll of her blue eyes.

The handsome 18-year-old guy gave her a suave smile. "Let me carry your textbooks," he coaxed.