AN: I've had this on a flash drive for about two years and I thought I'd post it. It's a take on 'Cinderella' and 'Red Riding Hood' that takes place in New York City.
It was seven o'clock in the morning and Ella Macintosh was just printing out her speech for that day's debate. The debate was her final chance to gain voters for the student election. She grabbed it, put her long, cinder-colored hair in a ponytail, and left for Kingdom High School. She lived on the seventh floor of an apartment building in Harlem, New York City with her father, stepmother and stepsister.
Her father, Samuel Macintosh, worked for a bank and was away on business in Europe, her stepmother, Alana Whitaker, was still sleeping and her stepsister, Jessica Whitaker, was still styling her shoulder-length blond hair and putting on lip gloss. Her mother, Maria Macintosh, had died in a car crash when Ella was 9. Courtney Ivanson, Ella's best friend who lived in the apartment building across the street and who was also Ella's campaigning partner, joined Ella as she walked to school. Courtney asked if Ella had finished her speech yet, so Ella showed it to her.
Also on her way to school was Rose Cappuccio, dressed in her red basketball sweatshirt in the cool weather. Rose lived in the same apartment building as Ella but never talked to her because she lived on the first floor. She was tying her shoe at the front door when she spotted one of her friends.
She jogged over to meet Ben Wolffson, who was also on the basketball team. He lived in the same apartment building as Courtney, but he was also on the first floor. He pulled out a basketball and they started to practice passing while they walked. They were also talking about that day's championship game when they saw William Royale, the most popular boy in Kingdom High School, driving in his convertible with his girlfriend, Jessica Whitaker.
William was enjoying the wind in his white-blond hair, even if his girlfriend wasn't. She was complaining that she spent an hour and a half on her hair just to have it messed up by the wind. He then put the top of his convertible up to make her happy. William then drove the rest of the way to school engulfed in the chatter of mindless gossip that was streaming from Jessica's mouth.
When they got to school, he pulled into the parking spot that was closest to the front door, the spot that was reserved for the reigning Homecoming King and Queen. He and Jessica had won the titles of Homecoming King and Queen the previous year, and they both expected to win again this year.
As Ella walked into Kingdom High School, she looked down at her speech. There were several changes made in glittery blue ink, Courtney's favorite. Ella had a study hall first period and the debate wasn't until seventh period, so she had time to revise and practice her speech. Courtney's first class was science, but they both had lunch fifth period, so Ella could show her her new speech then.
Rose and Ben were in almost all the same classes except for fifth period, when Rosa had lunch and Ben had math. Their first class was study hall, which they always used for basketball practice. They took advantage of all the practice time they could get for the championship game that evening. The basketball coach and gym teacher, Mr. Manzia, had them practicing passes and free throws when a buzzer rang, signaling the end of the first period. Rose rushed off to Math from the girls' locker room, thinking about how well she made her half court shot.
Also thinking about how well he did something was William. He was admiring the posters he had made telling people to vote for him for Homecoming King. Voting happened during the dance, which was the next week and he had to prepare. He was picking up his suit after school in Little Italy at the best place in Manhattan. William was picking up Jessica's pink homecoming dress from Arizano Dresses, which was also in Little Italy. The owner had a granddaughter that went to Kingdom High School and was giving discounts because of the dance.
Ella pulled her peanut butter and jelly sandwich out of her blue plaid lunchbox when Courtney walked up from the lunch line with her tray. Ella showed her her revised speech. Courtney approved and Ella started to recite. She had it memorized to the word and felt really confident about winning the debate. She was in the middle of her third point when the buzzer rang. There was only one period left until the debate. Ella had butterflies in her stomach as she walked to English, and during. Finally, the seventh period buzzer rang. Ella felt sick to her stomach but felt better when she saw Courtney. Someone called her name. Ella took deep breaths and walked on the stage to the podium. Then she started to recite.
Rose was playing hangman on her hand with Ben. She was bored out of her mind with the student debate. They had been here for ten minutes already and they had just sat there. All of a sudden, the lights dimmed and the spotlights flashed on. A girl with red hair, Ella Macintosh, walked onto the stage. Rosa thought that she would just continue her game of hangman with Ben, but he wasn't paying attention. His eyes were glued to the stage. She rolled her eyes and started to listen. She couldn't hear at first, but as Ella gained confidence, her voice became louder and stronger. Rose was so intent on Ella that she hadn't even noticed that she had stopped. There was a great roar of applause and in that moment, Rose knew who she was going to vote for.
William was also in the assembly for the student debate, though he hadn't heard a word of what was said. He was thinking about strategic points to put his homecoming posters. Jessica hadn't even made posters; she was relying on him to win the contest for her. Of course, he would. William had study hall after the assembly, so he started to put up his posters. He had put up about half of them when the ninth period buzzer rang. It was Science next, his least favorite class, but it was only forty-five minutes until the weekend.
He droned through Science until the final bell when he sped out the door. He had to pick up his six-year-old brother, Nicholas, from school, drop him off at their apartment and pick up his suit and Jessica's dress before the store closed. Nicholas complained that he left his book at school and wanted William to go back so he could get it. William groaned and turned around. By the time Nicholas was eating his after-school snack at home it was 4:30. The dress and suit shops closed at 5:00. He drove as fast as he could to get to Little Italy and got there at 4:55. He had just enough time to get his suit and then run next door to get Jessica's dress. On his way into Arizano Dresses he saw Ella Macintosh, one of the girls running for student body president.
Ella had taken the city bus from school to Arizano Dresses. She was picking up her homecoming dress. It was a simple, pale blue dress with a full skirt and a few sparkles. It wasn't anywhere near as complicated as Jessica's dress, which was shocking pink with ruffles and pleats all the way down with rhinestones on each one. She had just finished paying for the dress with her babysitting money and was about to take the bus home when she saw William. He was obviously picking up Jessica's dress. Ella offered to take it home with her so that Jessica could have the dress that evening instead of the following Monday morning.
When Ella arrived home, she cooked dinner for herself and then put the leftovers in the refrigerator for Alana and Jessica. Alana was out shopping and Jessica was at a party, so they wouldn't be home for at least another three or four hours. Ella remembered that there was a basketball game that evening and she had nothing else to do, so she decided to go and support her school. She invited Courtney to go with her and they both got on the subway to go to Westman High School, where the game was. When they got there, the game was already in progress. The Kingdom Stallions were ahead of the Westman Tigers by ten points with five minutes left on the clock.
Rose was feeling good about the game. They were tied at 50-50. She made another basket just as the buzzer rang for a total score of 52-50 to Kingdom High School. They had won the championship game! The crowd flooded out onto the court, cheering and applauding. Ben, as team captain, held up the trophy in victory. As the crowd thinned, Rose's parents, Adam and Loretta Cappuccio, came up to congratulate her. They told her that they were going out to dinner with her grandmother, Donna Arizano, to celebrate.
Rose asked if she could invite Ben and Mr. and Mrs. Wolffson to dinner also, and her parents agreed. Rose told Ben and they agreed that their families would meet at the entrance to Central Park in an hour. When Rose and her parents got home, she took a cold shower and got dressed in her best jeans and a blouse. She met her parents at the front door of her apartment building. There, she saw William. She wondered what he was doing there, but then forgot about it.
William was waiting for Jessica. They were supposed to go out to dinner that evening. He had buzzed up to her apartment and she had said that she would be down in a couple of minutes. That was ten minutes ago. He gave up on waiting and took the elevator to the seventh floor. He knocked on her door and she answered. She had a curling iron in her hand. She screamed and slammed the door shut. It opened a moment later and Ella Macintosh appeared at the door. She invited him in and then left, telling him that Jessica would be ready in about five minutes. She turned and went down a hallway into her room. He sat down on the leather sofa in the front room and stared at the clock.
Ella walked into her room and sat down at her desk. Courtney was seated on her bed. They had gotten home from the game about an hour ago and were working on a science project together. Courtney was looking around the room, thinking, when she spotted a piece of blue fabric sticking out of Ella's closet. She shrieked with excitement and pulled a dress out of the closet. She was happy at first that Ella had bought a dress, mad that she hadn't told her, and then happy again as she ran to get her dress from next door.
While Courtney was gone, Ella pulled on her dress. She hadn't actually tried it on yet. It fit wonderfully. Courtney rushed into Ella's room, out of breath and clutching a deep purple dress. She put it on and Ella was amazed. It was beautiful, with thin straps and embroidered flowers. Ella asked where she had gotten it, and she said Arizano Dresses. They both agreed that it was the best dress shop in all of New York City.
Rose decided that she would ride her bike to the restaurant, so she rode to Central Park while her parents walked a little bit behind her. She spotted the Wolffsons and went up to greet them. Ben, seeing Rose on her bike, ran off in the direction of his apartment, presumably to get his. Rose waited for him while the two sets of parents started walking through Central Park. They would wait for Rose and Ben at the other side. Rose clicked her tongue for ten minutes while she waited. She finally decided that she would just ride ahead and Ben could catch up to her.
She was riding for about five minutes when someone ran into her. She fell and tumbled down a hill. Her arm was scratched, but not badly. Rose stomped up the hill to see who had run into her. She didn't see anyone at first, but then saw someone stuck in a bush, with a fallen bike nearby. She laughed, and went to help Ben out of the bush. He apologized, saying that he didn't see her, and they continued riding through Central Park. When they met up with their parents, Mrs. Cappuccio looked at Rose and Ben's scratches and frowned. Mrs. Wolffson did the same.
They both got bandages out of their purses and did the best they could to make them presentable for dinner. All six of them continued, with Rose and Ben riding their bikes. They got to the subway station and got on the train that would take them to Little Italy. All of them proceeded to Arizano Dresses to meet Rose's grandmother. When they got to the store, Donna went to the back room to get something.
She came out with a pale green dress. It had a halter-top and a wide sash around the waist. Rose didn't know whom it was for, so when her grandmother handed it to her, she was surprised. Donna told Rose it was the dress she had made especially for her to wear to the homecoming dance. Rose tried to tell her grandmother that she wasn't going to the dance, but she wouldn't listen. She changed the subject and said that she was hungry, and that they should get going. Rose and Ben left their bikes at the store and they all walked to the restaurant, which was only two blocks away. When they got there, they sat at their table and looked over the menus.
A few tables over, Jessica and William were eating their dinners. A salad for her, and a steak for him. They were talking about the homecoming dance and how they would accept their crowns for Homecoming King and Queen. The conversations lasted until they had finished dinner, paid, and were on the road back to Jessica's apartment. He dropped her off and went home. Over the weekend, he prepared an acceptance speech for becoming Homecoming King in case he won. Monday morning, he went in early to school to finish putting up his Homecoming posters. The dance was that night, and he had to be prepared.
Ella was also in Kingdom High School early, counting ballots for student body president. Courtney was also there. The two of them were counting the ballots for the other candidate with a member of the student election committee. The other candidate was doing the same for them. The final vote tally would be announced that morning on the announcements. So far, Ella's opposition had 365 votes, and there was still a large pile of votes in front of her. About a thousand people had voted in the election, so Ella needed at least five hundred votes to win. She sat for another hour counting votes. Her competition had 507 votes.
She nervously tapped her pencil against her desk during homeroom, waiting for the morning announcements to begin. She tapped all through the birthdays and sports and music announcements until finally, they announced the vote counts for student body president. They announced her opposition's name with 507 votes, then her name with 508 votes. She started crying out of joy in homeroom. Courtney, after hearing the announcements, ran from her homeroom on the other side of the building to Ella and hugged her, also crying. For the rest of the day, people were congratulating her.
The same thing was happening to Rose and all the other members of the Kingdom High School basketball team. Everyone that wasn't at the game Friday night and even people that were there were congratulating them. Kingdom High School hadn't won the championship game for twenty years in a row, so winning now was a big deal. Rose had a smile glued to her face all day until she got home and saw the green dress laid across her bed. She called her grandmother and tried to convince her that she wasn't going to the dance.
When she asked why, she said that it was dumb to get dressed up and look your best for your peers only to be crushed by the Homecoming King and Queen, who usually flaunted their crowns in front of you and made you feel bad. Her grandmother finally got her to at least try the dress on. Rose tried it on and found it fit perfectly, but she didn't want her grandmother to be right, so she lied and said it didn't fit. Donna was shocked and said that she would be right over to alter it in time for the dance. Rose took the dress off and waited for her grandmother. She arrived twenty minutes later and when Rose tried the dress on for her, surprisingly smiled. She hugged Rose and told her that she looked wonderful in the dress, just as she had wanted it to.
William and Jessica were on their way to the Homecoming Dance. They both looked fantastically glamorous. When they arrived, applause and cheers greeted them all the way to the gym. There, they got some punch and talked while everyone around them started to dance. After a while, they danced too. It was soon time for the voting for Homecoming King and Queen. There was booths set up in the corner of the gym, with curtains around them for privacy. People could vote for anyone they wanted, as long as they thought that person would be the best Homecoming King or Queen. Usually, people voted for the few that had campaigned through the previous weeks. The voting was just about to begin when a girl in a powder blue dress arrived.
Ella knew she was late for the dance; Alana had made sure of that. She had made Ella clean the entire house before she would let her go. Courtney had stopped by so they could go together, but Alana had shooed her away. Ella was exhausted by the time she had pulled on her dress and arranged her hair. She met Courtney, who was talking to some other friends, and told her what had happened. She was shocked and helped Ella to a chair and some punch. An announcement came over the P.A. system saying that voting for Homecoming King and Queen was about to begin.
Lines began to form around the voting booths and pencils scratched away as the people holding them cast their ballots. The music pumped on and in about twenty minutes, everyone in the room had voted. A team of people in official looking jackets took the ballot boxes to be counted. When they came back. They announced the new Homecoming King and Queen. William Royale had won the title of Homecoming King, and there was a tie between Ella and Rose!
Rose almost fainted when she heard her name, not from giddiness, but from shock. She and Ella both walked up to the stage so William could break the tie by choosing who he wanted to be Homecoming Queen. He wavered for a couple of minutes, but then chose Ella. She shook her head and went to stand next to a girl in a grape purple dress. The two of them exchanged a quick conversation, and then left the building. William turned to her and asked her to be Homecoming Queen, as Ella had said no. She accepted and they were both presented with their crowns, and had the last dance together. After the dance, Jessica approached William, her mascara running and her eyes red.
Jessica had run into the bathroom as soon as she had heard of the tie. She had been sure that she would become Homecoming Queen, and that she would get the last dance with William. William was telling her that he had no control over who the people voted for, and that he would have picked her if she had been in the tie. She must not have been listening, because she slapped him and turned and left, with her posse following close by. He took that as a dump and turned to Rose. They both walked out of the school together, holding hands, and William dropped Rose off at her apartment. He drove to his own apartment building, feeling good about the night.
Ella and Courtney were sitting on Courtney's bed in their pajamas, when Ella's phone rang, playing "A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes" from Cinderella. After she had finished talking, she was rushing out of Courtney's apartment, yelling behind her that she had to get to the airport as fast as they could.
When Courtney asked why, Ella told her that her dad was getting home three months early from Europe because he had made an enormous deal in Luxembourg, which was big enough that he could come home early. Ella arrived at the airport, where her dad was waiting for her. She ran to him, crying. She hadn't seen him in almost an entire year, and had so much to tell him. At that moment, like Cinderella when the prince found her, she was truly happy.