I'm Not Cinderella - I'm Chloe

Chapter 4

f o u r

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Walking into school the following Friday, I excitedly jogged to my locker. Alannah was already there, waiting for me. When she saw me coming she gave me an eye roll and snickered. I stopped in front of her and pouted.

"What's that look for?" I demanded. She just giggled and pointed at my outfit.

"What the hell are you wearing?" I straightened up and shot her a smirk as I twirled my skirt.

"Well, since the stupid principal won't let us wear costumes, I decided to improvise. It's Halloween, and I want to dress up!"

Yes, today, it is Halloween, my favorite holiday. See, most people would say something like 'Christmas' or 'my birthday', which is great. I usually spend Christmas and my birthday with Alannah's family, which makes it ten times better. Frankly, I doubt my mother even knows my birthday. She and Audrey usually spend Christmas at some rich friend's house, which I'm never invited to, which is fine by me. Despite that, I do enjoy Christmas and my birthday.

However, Halloween has always held a special meaning for me. My dad and I used to go to town on decorations, covering the front yard in a creepy graveyard scene. While Mom and Audrey would click their tongues at the 'silly' holiday, we'd be busy carving pumpkins and stocking up on candy. It was always the best holiday for me, and it still is.

Looking at my outfit, though, I could see why Alannah was surprised. I might have gone a bit overboard. I was wearing a black skater skirt, a grey sweater with the word 'meow' printed in black across it, and long black socks with kittens on the top. My feet were clad with black cat flats, and I also threw on cat earrings and a headband that looked like cat ears.

Simply said, I was about as noticeable as a flashing neon sign.

"That's great and all, but nobody else is dressed up, so you stick out like a sore thumb," Alannah explained, gesturing to everyone around us. I too glanced around and noticed she was right. A lot of them were still being festive, with black and orange attire, but nobody was quite as dressed up as me.

I shrugged, "You should have learned a long time ago, I don't give two shits about what people think about my clothes." She chuckled, nodding along.

I stuffed my floral backpack into my locker while grabbing my books. I turned and noticed Alannah looking at me with a weird expression.

"What?" I asked. She glanced around, and leant in closer to me.

"Has Derek called you at all again?" she questioned quietly. I stiffened at her question and stiffly shook my head. "Hey, I'm sorry for bringing it up, but he just called you out of nowhere and it worries me."

I smiled, comforted by my friend's worry for my safety. I wasn't too sure of it, though. After Derek called me last week, I hurriedly hung up as soon as I heard it was him. He tried calling a few more times that night, but I ignored them. Luckily, he hasn't tried since then, but I'm still a little on edge.

"No, he hasn't. Everything's fine, Lan." She looked skeptical, but dropped it anyway. I turned back to my locker and shut it.

"Boo!" someone behind me screamed, pinching my sides. I screamed and jumped, spinning around. I glared at my offender.

"Tyler! What the hell?" He just grinned cheekily at me.

"Happy Halloween, Chloe," he said, giving me a hug. I hugged him back and smiled, which quickly turned into a grimace.

"Damn, Tyler, that taze hurt," I whined, rubbing my sides.

You know when somebody pinches your sides and yells "tazer!"? Yeah, well his hurt a lot.