Unleashing Cinderella

Chapter Thirteen - Drake

Sierra had insisted that we get ready for the dance separately, which led to Dylan and Tristan coming up with the idea that we should also arrive separately. This meant that I had no idea what outfit Sierra was wearing, no clue what her hair would look like, and whether or not she decided to go with or without makeup. To me, Sierra had always been beautiful as she was, so she could have shown up in jeans and a t-shirt and I still would have been proud to be her escort. Imagine my surprise when she walked in wearing the most stunning silver gown I'd ever seen, which made every guy in the room drool. I was in such a state of shock and awe that I'm pretty certain my eyes were popping out of my head. I heard all kinds of whispers as she made her way in my direction, some compliments and some snarky comments, but I ignored all of them. Tonight was all about spending time with my best friend.

As soon as she was close enough, I swept Sierra up in my arms and gave her a big hug. "You look beautiful," I whispered in her ear before I asked her if she wanted to dance. She offered me her hand and we made our way out to the dance floor. The first few songs were faster, so we just did some crazy moves and had a little fun with them. When the slow songs started, Sierra took the lead, placing her arms around my neck while I wrapped mine around her waist. She laid her head on my chest and we danced like no one else was watching.

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"This is nice," she says. "Thank you for agreeing to come to this thing with me. I didn't want to go alone or with anyone else."

"I wouldn't have let you go alone," I reply. "Or with anyone else, for that matter. Most of the guys around here only want one thing. Did you even see the way they were all looking at you when you walked in?"

"I saw you," she smiles. "I didn't know your eyes could pop that far out of your skull."

"You're funny," I wink. "Seriously, though, every single guy who saw you was drooling like a puppy waiting for it's owner to play fetch."

"Let them stare all they want," she tells me. "I could care less. I'm here to enjoy some quality time with my best friend."

"I still can't believe our brothers sent you over in a limo," I say. "How awesome was it?"

"It was pretty amazing," she admits. "They even had a glass of champagne waiting for me."

"And I was just about to ask you if you wanted a drink," I smile. "Would you like one?"

"No, thanks," she says. "That one glass was enough to last me an entire week. I'm not drunk by any means, but I'm definitely feeling it."

"In that case, do you need a glass of water?" I ask.

"Actually, that might not be such a bad idea," she agrees. "I'm feeling a little woozy. You know I'm not much of a drinker."

"Come with me," I tell her. "I'm not taking any chances of you passing out on me."

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We made our way over to the drink table and I grabbed a cup of water for her and a soda for me. Even though we showed up separately, I had planned on making sure she got home safe, therefore I wasn't going to drink any alcohol tonight. I hooked my arm in hers and led her over to a row of chairs, helping her into one and then taking a seat next to her. Every few minutes I would glance in her direction to make sure she was still coherent. Sierra's body wasn't used to alcohol at all, so that one little glass of champagne was probably doing a number on her insides right now. When she was still hanging in there about twenty minutes later, I asked her if she was ready to head back out to the dance floor. She wasn't sure she could handle any more upbeat songs, so I told her we could slow dance for the remainder of the evening. "You'd do that for me?" she asked. "Absolutely," I replied. This girl had no idea the lengths I would go to keep her happy. 

By the end of the night, Sierra was looking less loopy and more tired. I helped her out to my truck, opening her door for her and assisting her in getting seated and buckled in. After getting myself buckled in and the ignition started, I headed back to the college. I had planned on making small talk with Sierra, to pass the time, but when I looked over in her direction, she was passed out. Just to give myself peace of mind, I put two fingers up to the side of her neck to check her pulse. Thankfully, it was slow and steady, and she let out a low snore at that very moment. I laughed to myself at how adorable she was, then continued on the way back to school. I pulled up to the dorms about ten minutes later, but rather than wake Sierra up, I lifted her out of the truck and carried her up to her room. After sitting her on her bed, I unzipped her dress and helped her out of it, then found a pair of her pajamas and put those on her before tucking her into bed. Before I left to head back to my own room, I leaned in and kissed her forehead. "Good night, Sierra," I whispered. "I hope you had as magical a night as I did."

Back in my dorm room that night, I laid awake in bed for a few hours, just staring at the ceiling and wondering if Sierra and I had made the right decision when we decided not to take our relationship further. Even if she wasn't confident that our friendship could stand any test thrown our way, I was. I wracked my brain for a good long while, trying to think of a way to convince her that we should try taking our friendship up a notch. When nothing came to me, I chalked it up to tiredness and decided to call it a night. I would sit Sierra down tomorrow and discuss our relationship with her then.