He Called Her Cinderella

Chapter One

This chapter is dedicated to kpgcatlover because I love all her books (yep, read 'em all), especially Perfect Duet. I may or may not have cried.... you may wanna check that out. Thanks, Kay, for writing like you do!

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(Four Years Later, Ruth's Senior Year... I hope I did that math right)

        I was sitting in my attic bedroom sulking. No, fuming. I almost checked the mirror to make sure smoke wasn't coming pouring out of my ears.

        "You have no right to question me, young lady! If I say you are staying with me every weekend from now on, you do. If I say you don't go to that dance, you don't."

        Stephanie's words pounded in my ears like so many sledge-hammers. Why was I staying with her? Because I couldn't go anywhere else. The Bradfords were more like my real family, but I wasn't going to college if I moved in with them. I was trapped.

        Hot tears sprang to my eyes. I wasn't crying because I wanted to go to some stupid dance. Not because I wanted to get away and stay with the Bradfords every weekend. It was because I was trapped. Shut in Stephanie's cage.

        "Ruth, get down here and apologize!" Stephanie screamed up at me.

        I hurridly wiped my eyes, scolding myself for letting her get to me.

        Climbing down the ladder my dad had installed years before, I gave her my winning smile, "Sorry, I over reacted."

        Man, I can lie well.

        "I'll forgive you this once, but please be more respectful in the future," she gave me that look that made her appear like a wounded deer. Riiight, because she cared so much about what I thought about her.

        "Now, as I was saying, you're not going over to the Bradfords anymore this year. I think it's unhealthy. You spend your weekends goofing off instead of studying," she sighed. "And this dance is  a bunch of nonsense. You can't afford a dress, and I won't have you looking silly and everyone blaming me."

        I guess she was waiting for me to respond, but I was at a sudden loss for words.

        "Well?" she finally demanded.

        "Yup," I grinned.

        I'd learned long ago, there's no use arguing with her. I never win. 

        "Go get ready for school," she said, turning on her heel and leaving.

        Stephanie had a shoe obsession. Correction, a high-heel obsession. I've never seen her wear the same pair twice.

        I grabbed an apple and headed out the door. I got into my car and prayed it would start. It didn't.

        "Come on, Pumpkin," I begged. "Please?"

        She started. Yes, when I called her Pumpkin, she responded in a positive way.

        I turned the radio on and started driving to school.

        Tapping the steering wheel to the beat, I started counting how many days were left in school. One and a half weeks, then graduation. Wow. Dang, I still had that valedictorian speech to write. And start studying for finals, not that I needed to, but still. Ugh.

        It was a Monday morning, and I was feeling it. I turned up the radio to pound all thoughts of finals out of my head.

        All too soon, I was at school. I parked in the back lot and trudged inside.