The New Age Cinderella
" I cannot believe I let myself be talked into this.", fifteen year old Samantha Manson thought as she surveyed her talkative friends. "I do not belong at dances. Especially Valentine dances. I have noone to go with and nobody is going to notice me, so I'll end up spending all of my time watching my friends have fun with their dates. Call me the third wheel.", Sam thought sarcastically, though if she had said it aloud you would have been able to detect a note of sadness in her voice as well. Everytime she closed her amethyst eyes she dreamed of having someone to love and to love her in return. The only problem is that she had fooled herself into believeing that nobody would ever love her, not the way she wanted to be loved. Boy was she ever wrong.
The Night of the Valentines Dance
"Ok, here goes nothing.", Sam murmered as she slipped on her strappy, black heels and checked her appearence in the mirror. She was wearing a solid black dress with a blue ribbon belt, and a silver locket on top of the black heels. "Well, this is as good as it gets Sammy.", she told her reflection. "SAM!! We had better get going if you don't want to be late!!", her mom called from downstairs. "Late to what? Heartbrake? Sorry but I think I'll take my time getting to that.", were the words laden with sadness that left her shell pink lips at her mothers words. None the less she picked up her ticket and headed for the staircase. Gradually descending she met her mothers chocolate eyes at the bottom of the stairs with a shy glance. "You look beautiful Samantha.", her mother told her earnestly. "You're a really good liar mom did you know that?", Sam asked before heading toward the door. Experiance had taught her mother that when she was this depressed anything she tried to say to make her feel better was wasted and would only succede in making her feel worse. Dejectedly Sam made her way out the front door, her mom close on her heels. When they got in the car, they drove off to what would probably be the worst night in the history of the world for Sam. Boy was she wrong.
At the Dance
"Hey guys! What's up?", Sam asked, trying to be cheerful. Hiding her pain behind a beautiful smile she listened attentively as her friends described, in great detail, the fun they had at the last dance. All was going fine until Valerie showed up. "Sam you are a dish!", she exclaimed, with a large smile on her face. As red as a cherry Sam turned around muttering, "Liar." From her position on the dance floor she could hear all of her friends talking about how their boyfriends had better get there soon or they would miss half of the fun. "Yeah...fun.", Sam thought sadly.
When her friends' dates started arriving Sam started moving off, slowly making her way to the decorated lattice work, where the shadows looked inviting. "Most likely a good place to hide.", she thought with a depressed grin. Dissapearing into the shadows Sam realized that none of her friends had noticed that she wasn't there. "That is a good thing though, if they knew I was this sad then they wouldn't be able to have fun themselves.", she thought this because deep in her heart she knew it was true. Her friends loved her to death and would do anything for her...which was exactly why she wasn't going to bother them with her whining. "I would sound like a freaking puppy.", Sam thought sarcastically.The DJ to her right put on a slow song and, surprisingly enough, she felt her hips starting to slowly sway back and forth to the slow beat. A beat which, she realized with astonishment, matched her heart beat perfectly. Slow and steady. Sad and mournful. "I should have never come to this dance.", Sam murmured sadly, all movement of her body ceasing. Her black dress helped her blend into the shadows, and with her not moving anymore you could almost not see her at all. "Perfect."
An Hour Later
"Is this nightmare ever going to end?", Sam wondered aloud as she watched the couples out on the dance floor sway softly, dancing the dangerous waltz of love. A silent tear coursed its way down her face as she tried to imagine what it would be like to have somebody special to dance with. Swiping at the tear with furry Sam turned her face from the dance floor with its love struck students. "Ok. You don't look like you're having fun, and just so you know, if everybody is not having fun then I can't have fun.", a slightly nervous male voice informed her. Sam whirled around to come face to face with a raven haired boy. "Oh, I'm having fun.", she said quickly. He just looked at her with a knowing grin. "No you're not. If you were then you wouldn't be crying.", the boy told her reaching out to wipe away the tear trail that was fresh on her cheek. Sighing Sam told him the truth, that she was having one of the worst nights in history. "Is there anyway I can change that?", the attractive stranger asked. Shaking her head Sam turned her attention, once again, to the dancing couples out on the floor. "Would you like to dance?", inquired the persistent boy. "I'm afraid I don't know how...", Sam replied brokenly. "... the name's Danny. Now would it be possible for me to find out this lovely lady's name?", Danny asked with a smirk. "Sam. Well really it's Samantha but everybody calls me Sam because I hate my full name. I don't know how to dance but I do know how to slow dance.", she informed him warily. "That's fine because in case you haven't noticed the DJ just put on a soft, slow song. I'll ask again. Would you like to dance?", Danny asked holding out his hand. What Sam did next surprised even her. Taking his proffered hand she tugged him forward until their hips connected and whispered in his ear, "I'd love to."
About thirty seconds into the song Danny looks at Sam and says lowly, "You know you really need to stop being so shy, start living, you know what I mean? I see you behind the gym everyday and all you ever do is read or write. You look so depressed all of the time and I am here to change that. Monday morning you are going to go walking with me around the school. We are going to get you aquainted with some of my friends. I think they'll like you...I know I do." Looking down at the ground he continues twirling Sam around the dance floor. "Well in that case I'll accept your offer of getting me this thing you call a "life". One condition though, if you really want me to go with you then I have to get something in return just in case this "life" doesn't work out.", Sam informed him with a smirk. "Ok anything, just name it.", Danny said nervously. "I want a kiss. You see no matter what I do wishing on a star doensn't work so I have decided to take matters into my own hands. Of course I will understand if you don't want to, it would be easy to see wh...", Sam was cut off abruptly as a pair of soft, warm lips captured hers. Breaking the best kiss of his life Danny pulled back gently. "Who said I wouldn't want to?", Grinning Sam pulled him toward her again pressing his body up against the wall with hers. All the love she had saved for the one person who would look at her and love her for who she was, she poured into that one kiss. "Well now what are we going to do for the rest of the night?", Sam asked turning away and watching her friends look at her through the lattice work with grins plastered on their faces. "I have a pretty good idea.", Danny informed her with a grin of his own. Pulling her curvy body to his thin one he kissed her again. Breaking for air Sam said, "I think I like that idea." Driving her needy lips against his again she thought, "So this is what 'happily - ever - after' feels like."