What if "Happily Ever After" Never Happened?

1

My name is Elizabeth. Lizzie for short, and my life as it seems, is a Cinderella story. My mother, my real mother that is, is not dead, but is living with John, her husband of 7 months. So, I am stuck with my father, who wouldn't be that horrible to live with, if it weren't for his wife Clarissa, and their two 12 year old daughters. Their my half-sisters, so if I ever want to tell them off, my father who cares more about them then he does about me, would usually punish me by making me clean the house, which I already do anyway. My father and Clarissa have been married since I was four, and at the time, Clarissa thought I was the perfect child, but then 13 years later, the only thing she thinks I'm good for is cleaning up the house. This is exactly what happened with Cinderella, although there are a few differences between Cindy and me. Three major differences.

I do not have a fairy-god mother, and if I did it would probably be Mrs. Krenshaw, my English teacher who's young, perky and still wears blue eye shadow.

I wasn't invited to the ball. Well, it's not technically a ball. More of a party…which I was not invited to…

I am not in love with Prince Charming. Well, he doesn't love me back is more or less what I mean.

But going to school with Will "Prince" McAllister, isn't all that bad. It definitely has its ups and downs. Up's are that I get to stare a lot, which is what every other 17 year old girl gets to do, but I definitely think mine is the most obvious. Downs are to see every girl who isn't too busy signing up for the Track Team, put their arms around him, and give him a hug, and even harder to watch is to watch him hug back. Janine, who has been my best friend since before I can remember, is probably the only girl, besides me, who hasn't hugged him. She's too busy with Chris, who has been her Boyfriend since the 9th grade. I used to think Chris was a total idiot, but I have learned to like him, and we're now really close friends.

I have had occasional eye contact with Will. Every time I see him and make eye contact, I think my heart might accidently light fire and explode out of my chest, because I think he has some burning love for me. but when I reflect on that moment I notice my surroundings, which are usually embarrassing moments, such as the time I dropped the entire contents of my bag my foot, or the time I fell down two flights of stairs and broke my arm. That's when I realized that the looks he gave me weren't looks of burning passion, but rather looks that would say without contemplation "Sucks to be her."

I hate my life.

~!~

"You can't honestly think that?" Janine said as we walked to "Hole in one; Putt Putt Palace"

"And why not? I mean, look at you two." I gestured to the way Chris's arm was wrapped around Janine's waist. "You've been dating for almost three years now, and you still can't let go of each other. You'd think if I was going to find true love I would've done so by now."

"Lizzie." Chris said which is my way of knowing that something was coming and that I should probably just shut up. "True love doesn't happen overnight. It takes time. Unless of course they're your soul mate, then that's a little different." I never thought I'd hear someone who was as popular as he was, was being past tense, utter the words "Soul Mate"

"But the fact of the matter is that it doesn't just happen." Janine finished what Chris was saying, then looking up at him with a smile on her mouth.

"Exactly," Chris mumbled. Then he leaned down and kissed her.

"Oh, come on! Am I completely invisible!?" I yelled up to the sky, and moon.

People on the golf course gave me a weird look, like I was crazy or something. "What?" I say to them angrily. "Never seen a girl pissed off before?"

They immediately directed their attention back to their golf clubs, and started to play the game once more.

"Sorry," Janine and Chris say in unison. They're still face to face, pretending they actually care.

"Sure," I say before turning around and walking to the cashier. A man with a long beard, a face full of acne, and dreadlocks, was standing there, placing the money from the previous costumer into the cash register. The man smiled as I walked towards him, showing a row of yellow teeth bearing braces, which, in my case were needed.

"Hey," he said, in a grungy voice that in no way shape or form surprised me. "How you doin'?"

"Uh, fine, thanks." I said taking out twenty dollars. "Three please," I said placing the bill in front of me.

"Sure thing." He winked. He gave me a five dollar bill back, and handed me a scoring sheet. By now Janine and Chris had caught up with me, getting their colored golf balls, and golf clubs.

We started playing the game, and immediately I was losing. I've never been good at playing, and soon I felt like I just wanted to give up. I've never been good at anything. Not singing, not drawing, not acting, not living. The only thing I'm good at is track and who really cares about that?

"So," Janine said trying to make small talk. "What are your goals for this year? I mean, besides finding someone who can be your 'True Love'?" She smiled at me.

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe try to create world peace, or… Oh I got it. I want to find a cure for cancer." I said sarcastically.

"Seriously Lizzie. What are your goals, Little Miss Sarcasm?" She gave me a serious look.

"I seriously," I said imitating her, "don't know. I just want to find a good college, and get this year over with." I hit my little purple golf ball. Of course it hits the windmill and rolls straight back at me. "And maybe, to learn how to play Mini-Golf." I laughed. They laughed with me.

When we got to the last hole, I let out a long sigh.

"What?" Janine turned to ask me.

"This hole's is impossible. I'll never make it." I pointed to how there was a windmill and a hole that was the only way to get to the final whole.

"You just have to concentrate. Don't just take a whack at it, actually line the club up, and hit it." Chris makes everything seem easy. He always says this when we're at this hole, and I complain.

I concentrated, lining up my golf ball and club. If I make this, it means that I will find a good college, a new place to live and my prince charming, if I don't the opposite will happen. I swing my club back, close my eyes, and hit the ball.

"Oh…my…God." Janine said.

I open my eyes to see what she's talking about. Then I see it. There sitting in the pocket of the last hole is my little purple ball.

It's a hole in one.