Yours Musically

2. Cinderella's Dilemma

Chapter Two - Cinderella's Dilemma

It reeked of deodorant and sweat.

God! How did these guys not have breathing problems? I wondered as I tiptoed inside, holding my breath until I eventually realized I had to inhale at some point in order to survive.

The water was running, which meant somebody was taking a shower. Somebody equalled Sean.

My nerves gradually rose while my pace slowed to the point where I was just standing like a pole in the middle of the changing room. If somebody walked in right then, I'd be labelled the school creep.

There was a curtain separating the shower from the bench and locker area and it wasn't until I saw an outline on it that I started to hyperventilate. He was there. Taking a shower. Naked. Well, duh! With a thin curtain separating us.

Even though it was just an outline, it brought on regret. This was wrong.

How would I feel if I were naked in the girls' room and some random dude sneaked in to talk to me? I'd probably be so creeped out; I'd try to get a restraining order.

I should've said no to Meera right away. This was a stupid idea.

Just as I began to back away, my eyes landed on the bench. A jersey with a very familiar number was lying on it. The same number I always looked for on the football field. Number Five. Sean's number.

My hands went up to my chest in awe and I started weighing my options. I could go out and everything would go back to the way it was or I could actually talk to him and change things for myself, maybe for worse but that was a 50/50 possibility.

I had a habit of imagining the worst-case scenario whenever I was on the fence about something and if it turned out to be something I could live with, I went ahead with it.

In this case, the worst-case scenario I could envision was Sean realizing what a pathetic little coward I was to not have the guts to talk to him in person in front of others, yet was desperate enough to sneak into the boys' changing room.

Why couldn't I just approach him like a normal person in the hallway or cafeteria?

Shut it, Becks. If you could pluck up the courage to talk to him, you would've done that a long time ago. Just go for it.

Without thinking twice, I cleared my throat loudly to catch his attention.

Nothing.

The water? Still running. My hands? Now shaking.

Okay! Maybe that's a message from the universe. Run away while I still can.

I'm out, I thought as I started to retreat but ended up stepping and tripping over something. A loud yelp escaped my mouth as I desperately tried to get a hold of something. As I fell, my hand closed around a poor water bottle sitting on the bench, minding its own business until it was smacked off it by me. I landed on the floor with a thud, followed by the thud of the bottle as it rolled over to the lockers.

"Ow," I groaned, rubbing my back.

The water stopped.

"Who's that?"

My eyes snapped to the curtain. His outline slowly grew bigger as he came forward. When his hand fell around the curtain to yank it aside, I lost it.

"No!" I screamed. "No! Don't come out."

His hand froze and after a moment, it creeped back inside.

"A girl?" His voice was barely audible like it was said to himself but came out loud accidentally. "Who's that?"