Cindy walked through the halls of Magruder High, never bothering to look up from her books, unless someone specifically called out her name. She had been taught from a young age by an abusive step mother not to stand out in much of anything unless asked to by someone else. Her three stepsisters, one already in college, one a senior here, the other a junior, didn't necessarily join in on the abuse, but they never spoke a word of it to her father, who was away on work so often it was as if he weren't there at all. They were the enablers. She resented them for letting her stepmother do something like that to her, even though she knew it was hardly fair. She was just always treated the worst of the four, if she didn't do something like Jenny, then she wasn't enough like Caitlyn, or she didn't smile about it like Abby did.
So she went through high school like she was taught, with her head down, barely greeting anyone, wary of everyone she didn't know. Well, everyone except one boy in her French class, named Don. He was the highlight of her day, and quite possibly other's as well. He wasn't what most people would call "cute," but she wasn't most people, and to her, he was Prince Charming. She would often doodle in the margins or spare pages of her French journal, and he'd look over at them and compliment them, even if it was just a bad practice sketch of a scarf or a necklace. She felt lucky to be able to sit next to him in the back of the French classroom, and nobody ever questioned them sitting next to each other. But she was pretty sure for all of her suspicious sidelong glances and smiles and friendly conversation (since when did she do friendly conversation?!) he wasn't interested in her like that. It was painful, but understandable. She was the quiet girl who didn't really go out of her way to talk to anyone, he was the sweet guy who would respond to girls who went over to talk to him and would always try to get her to talk a little more. In retrospect it became obvious. But of course, you always have 20-20 hindsight.
Semester exams came up, and Cindy would complain to Don about how she knew exactly where she would fall flat on her face in her exams, knowing what parts of language she was good at and which she couldn't get the handle on from her Spanish classes in middle school. He'd smile, maybe give a little laugh and reassure her that she'd do fine. She looked forward to seeing him for 2 hours during the exam, but he wasn't in the room. He was in the library, getting extra testing time. Still, when exams came back she got an A. That was the highest grade she could remember getting on a language exam.
Life continued into the second semester much as it did the first. She and Don kept talking like good friends, but not much more. Once he asked her nervously if she was going to the play, and she responded disappointed that she didn't know, because she knew he was in the Drama club, and was just trying to see if he could get her to come. Or at least that's what she told herself. She couldn't believe he would actually trying to be asking her out on a date.
The end of the year rolled around. They exchanged e-mails and wrote each other maybe once over the summer. She was disappointed, but not surprised. Everyone else had social lives, she was scared of going out, scared of staying in. Her stepmother was surprisingly acting nice to her. Something inside Cindy told her that Abby had told her about the nice boy in French who could be coming around the house soon.
Sophmore year. Don was a junior. Upperclassmen. Probably had other people do date than her. Because of a mix-up on the schedule, she didn't get to sit next to him in French 2. She got to sit in front of him at least. Then she had to drop the class because she just had too much work and felt like she was being torn at from all sides. She felt like she was breaking. Some of her best friends were in French, and now she wasn't going to be with them anymore, except maybe at lunch. She made two friends in her new photography class, but it wasn't the same.
It was September. Homecoming was in a month, they hadn't even started selling tickets yet. Don caught her attention from across the hall during lunch.
And he asked her to homecoming.
She said yes.
At homecoming they became official. And Cindy couldn't help but ask herself where this princess dancing with Prince Charming had come from. And then it occurred to her.
She was this princess all along.
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