Chasing Cinderella (Book one of the Cinderella Series) (Completed)

Chapter 12 (Edited)

I stared at the female before me, clenching and unclenching my hand together as I looked at her. I didn't trust her at all. I didn't know if she would poison the horses or not. "I will not ask again. Now, answer me."

Anna bowed her head and looked down. "I was fixing up the hay. I-I wanted to say I'm sorry. About everything that I had done to you." She sighed and looked down. "I like you. You're nicer than everyone here. No one came to wake me up but you."

I was stunned silent. I had no idea what to say. I was tense as I didn't know if she was lying or not. What if she was lying? What if she didn't care about me and was just saying that to get me to trust her?

"You don't believe me. Do you?" she asked, breaking me from my thoughts. "I don't blame you." She sighed a little and started to stuff hay. "No wonder, Colt likes you." There was a scowl in her voice, making me look at her.

I shook my head, chuckling a little. "I like him, more as a brother. That's all it's ever going to be." I looked down, smiling. "I knew that you had a crush on him for a while now. Colt's just... stupid, ya know? And slow." A smirk appeared on my face. "I think it's because he doesn't go to high school."

"I am homeschooled, thank you very much," a male voice said from behind me. I turned around to see Colt with a teasing scowl on his face, hiding the hurt. "And I don't know why you don't have a crush on me. Everyone loves a Cowboy."

I snorted and rolled my eyes. "Well, I'm a Cowgirl, so I'm the person that will rope a cow in my relationship. I don't need a cowboy, for there is already a cowboy."

Colt shook his head and sighed before looking at Anna, confused and hurt. I knew what he was thinking so I grabbed his hand and lead him over to Anna.

"Have fun together," I said putting their hands together. "It's all right." I glanced at Anna. "I'm giving you one chance. Don't make me not trust you." I looked at Colt. "She is still my sister. I'll kill you If you hurt her in anyway. Got it?"

He nodded as his Adam's Apple bobbed. He glanced at me before looking at Anna, nervous. He knew how mean I could geat, or I could just sic one of the dogs on him.

"Good, now come on, group hug." And with that I hugged them.

They laughed and hugged me back.

***

"Anna, what are you doing here?" a young male voice said in front of the feed room.

I got out of the hug to see Derek with a jar of bugs. I raised an eyebrow as I looked at him, staying silent.

"I could ask you the same thing," Anna replied glancing at the jar. There was a frown on her face, knowing about his pranks.

"Collecting bugs," Derek replied. "For breakfast." He looked at me and then back at her, suspiciously. "Why are you here, though, talking to Ella and Colt? You hate her."

Anna sighed as she looked looked down. There was a small blush on her face, letting us know that she didn't like being caught like this. "Not really," she replied truthfully. "I was just following in Clair's footsteps. I actually like her."

Derek frowned but didn't say anything as he glanced at me. There was question in his eyes, wondering if he should trust her.

"I'm giving her one chance. Now, why are you here?"

"I'm not listening to what she said," he replied. "I don't care about her."

"She's your mother."

"She doesn't care about-"

"That stupid idiot bitch," someone said cutting Derek off as he came into the feed room. I looked to see Red looking as if he was going to kill someone. "She took more money out of the bank for the farm to pay for her clothes and her trip to France." He sighed a little and sat down on an overturned bucket, moving his hand through his hair. "That's the fifth time this month she did that."

I shook my head and bit back a sigh as I walked over to him. "Red, I'll talk to Frank later. Take Patches and go check out the fencing in the North pasture."

Red looked at me, his eyes filled with hurt and confusion. "Bu-"

"Go take Patches and check the North Pasture. It'll take you 3 hours to do that, so pack a lunch."

Red studied me before nodding his head. "Yes Ma'am, Lass," he said, a smile on his face. "Thank you."

I nodded my head as he walked out. I turned to look at Anna and Colt. "Well, you two can finish up with the hay, and I'll start on the stalls. Remember, two flakes for Spots. She's pregnant and can pop any day." They nodded and started to work on the hay. I turned to look at Derek. "You can help someone. If not, then get out." With that I walked to where we kept the tools for mucking and started to get that done.

***

I hummed a little as I mucked out the stalls, not caring about anything and just relaxing. I knew that might lead to me being beaten, but I didn't care. I was going to enjoy myself, smelling the horses as well as the unpleasant smell of the manure, that stuck to my clothing and skin.

I shook my head and sighed as I placed another scoop into the wheelbarrow.  I knew that it was full, so I placed the pick by the stall door and went to dump it. However, I was met with a smack across the face, that made me stumble and almost fall back into the stall.

"What the hell?" I asked as I rubbed my cheek. I looked up to see furious looking stepmother and a smirking half sister. I bit my tongue as I had cussed in front of her and she didn't like to be cussed at.

Smack! My face went the left and I saw black spots.

"Don't you ever cuss out, again," she spat out. "Or else I'll make you pay."

I rolled my eyes, not really caring what they would do to me. I was so sick and tired of being treated like this, so I knew I was going to show a backbone, even though I would get hurt. "Pay for what?" I asked. "You already took away everything from me. I have no family, nothing to call my own, and yet you still find ways to make my life a living hell."

"And you deserve it, you worthless piece of shit. You made our lives miserable, now we're going to make yours. It'll be a good riddance when you're gone and done with," Clarice said with a spat.

That did it, I let my anger loose and punched her in the nose, hearing a satisfying crunch, meaning that I had broken her nose.

At that moment I lost it, and started to laugh hysterically as Delilah and then my stupid wench of a sister started to beat me. I knew that they wouldn't kill me, 'cause they wanted me to suffer. They wanted me to go insane, and I knew that I might be going insane.