MY CINDERELLA?
AUTHOR'S NOTE/DISCLAIMER
Pep rally scene from Austin's POV. A Cinderella Story belongs to Warner Brothers.
"Who are we going to beat?" our coach asked.
"The Lancers!" everyone yelled.
"When are gonna beat 'em?" our coach prompted.
"Friday," I called out along with everyone else. Just then, I felt a hand on my shoulder.
"Good news, buddy," my dad stated. "I just got off the phone with Hank Cole and if you play well on Friday, your future is all set at USC football," he continued.
"That's great, Dad," I told him. I couldn't tell him the truth. I didn't know how to.
"Who's gonna lead us to victory?" our coach continued.
"AUSTIN!" everyone shouted. Everyone cheered, hollered and clapped. I sighed inwardly. This was why I didn't want to play football at USC. There was always so much pressure. "KILL THE LANCERS!" the rest of the crowd continued. Sheesh. Calm down. It's just a game, I thought to myself.
"The, uh, cheerleaders have put together a little skit to help get into spirit," the coach stated. He stepped off the stage and Shelby and her friends walked up. It didn't take me long to realize that she was talking about me and the girl I had met in the Princeton chat room. As her little play continued, I felt like sinking into the bleachers. How could Shelby be so cruel? The blood rushed from my face as the girl pretending to be me voiced my desire to go to Princeton and be a writer.
"What are they talking about?" Dad asked. I tried to answer, but couldn't. How was I supposed to tell him this? How could Shelby do this to me?
"Let's give it up for the pretend princess. Diner Girl: Sam Montgomery," Shelby proudly finished. As the chant of 'Diner Girl' started up, I turned to look. Sam? Sam was Princeton Girl? Part of the conversation we had shared in the diner came back to me.
"Like…being yourself isn't good enough. Like you're wearing a mask. You just want to be honest with this person and tell them, 'It's me. I'm the one you've been looking for'." Oh! I wanted to kick myself! I was such an idiot! Sam had been all but revealing to me who she was! How could I have been so dense? The chants continued. Obviously upset, she and her friend got up to leave. As I turned back around, I felt my stomach clench painfully. She was leaving and I couldn't just go after her. Had I lost her? After all this time, had I finally found and then just lost my Cinderella?