The Wrong Cinderella

Seven

As soon as we got home, I forgot about my mom's tea and I shot to my room. I quickly connected my phone to the charger and dialled June's number.

"Did you get it?" Was the first thing she asked as soon as she answered.

"I don't know." I answered honestly.

"What do you mean you don't know? Was the audition bad or good?" She screamed.

I winced, removing the phone from my ear. "Well I think I nailed it! I even cried! I think it was perfect...except I overdid it a little. Okay a lot. I didn't even get to finish the whole monologue."

She paused for a second. "What happened?"

Somehow she always knew when something was bothering me.

"So remember how I barely remembered the details of the night my dad and my brother died?" I dropped my voice to a whisper.

The sound of crinkling paper, followed by a shutting laptop filled my ear before June returned.

"Ok, talk."

"I remembered. I don't know how but while I was halfway through Sapphire's monologue, I remembered everything. Everything Mom told me about the night was true but she didn't mention that she cracked. She cried, June, and screamed. I've never seen her that desperate except well, I guess I have but I forgot."

"She did what?" June breathed.

She was just as shocked as I was. "I know right. And uhm, I saw both of them die. I saw it all."

A pause. "Oh baby, that's why you blocked the whole thing out. That was too much for any twelve-year-old, not to mention you. Did you tell your Mom that you remember?"

"How could I?" I sighed. "It would destroy her. I'll just pretend I don't."

I knew she didn't agree before she even replied. "Lying is never the solution."

"I know but what can I do, June? I'll tell her eventually but right now, she's stressing about bills and stuff."

"She's always stressing about bills."

"Exactly. I don't want to add to her problems."

A pause. "Ok, May. I get where you're coming from. You want to protect her. But you need to tell her soon. Imagine how she'll feel knowing that her extremely transparent, borderline over-sharing teenager lied to her? We both know that would hurt her more than finding out that you're coming to terms with Matt and your dad's death. You had to remember so you can properly grieve and eventually move on."

As always, my best friend had the best advice. "You're right. I promise to tell her."

"Good. So how did Andrea react to your bawling your eyeballs out over a boy?"

I smiled. "They loved it. This one lady even cried."

She screamed excitedly.

Thankfully I anticipated it so she didn't blow my eardrums. "Well that's amazing! I'm so proud of you!"

I laughed. "But I didn't get anything."

"I don't care! I'm just glad that you went there and did your best. Did Andrea fall of her chair?"

"No! She liked me though."

"Oh well that's fine. She'll fall off her chair when they find a guy hot enough to be Ace."

I smiled. "Yeah, about that: I think I know who Ace might be."

June paused and for a while I thought she had fainted. It has happened before.