Ellie stood in front of the mirror, staring at her pale reflection. She couldn't believe that she'd agreed to go to the stupid Homecoming dance. But there she stood; hair curled, black dress hugging her curves, makeup in all the right places, and the scent of lavender floating around her like a cloud. A small smile crept across her lips. "Eat your heart out Craig Manning," she thought to herself.
The doorbell chimed throughout the house, drawing Ellie's attention away from the mirror. A flock of butterflies bounced around her stomach as she grabbed her ticket from the mirror and headed downstairs. Marco was waiting in the living room, in his hand a plastic box holding a purple and white corsage.
"Wow, El, you look…amazing." Marco offered with a smile.
Ellie did a little spin then chuckled as she hugged her best friend, "You don't look half bad yourself."
Marco popped the box open and gently removed the flowers slipping the elastic band around Ellie's wrist. "Perfect," he muttered with a sly smile.
Ellie laughed, "You ready? We should probably get out of here before mom…"
"Hold it you two." Ellie's mom said, walking into the room and cutting her off. "You can't go anywhere until I get some pictures."
Ellie rolled her eyes as her mom pulled out a camera and poised it to take a picture. She scooted closer to Marco, silently mouthing an apology as the room filled with the sudden flash of light. Marco wrapped his arm around her shoulder and smiled for the camera as her mother continued to snap different shots.
"Mom," Ellie started after a few minutes. "If we don't leave now we'll be late."
Ellie's mom sighed but sat the camera down, "Okay, okay. You two have fun but not too much fun."
Ellie nodded, opening the door and ushering Marco out. Ellie pulled the door shut behind her, stopping in her tracks at the sight of the black limo sitting alongside the sidewalk.
"Paige's idea." Marco explained as if reading her thoughts.
"I should have guessed." Ellie said, slipping her arm through Marco's. The two headed down the sidewalk to the side of the limo where a nicely dressed man opened the door for them. Ellie nodded a thank you as she tucked a strand of auburn hair behind her ear and slid into the backseat.
00
The gym was decorated in a rainbow of pastels from the streamers to the cookies and cake. It was Heather Sinclair's idea of class. Too bad the only class she knew anything about were the ones she attended Monday through Friday. Ellie made her way over to a darkened corner on the far side of the gym. Marco had abandoned her to man the ticket table and Paige and Alex had disappeared onto the crowded dance floor. Ellie swayed almost unnoticeable to the tune that Sully, the fill in DJ, had keyed up. It was some slow R&B number she didn't know but it had a nice beat. Ellie unconsciously scanned the crowd for a glimpse of the brown-eyed boy who'd managed to steal her heart over the summer but she didn't see any sign of him.
"Guess who?" A voice asked from behind her as a pale, bony, hand slid across her eyes being careful not to mess up her makeup.
"Hmm, could it be Prince Charming?" she teased, a smile curling up the corners of her lips. She reached up and gently pulled his hand away turning around to face Craig. "Oh, its only you."
"Ouch, El. I'm hurt." Craig replied, pretending to be upset. He offered her up a smile then took a step back taking her in from head to toe. He let out a low whistle, "You look…Wow."
Ellie was grateful the lightening in the gym was dim as the heart rose form her neck to her cheeks. Craig's brown eyes were burning into her green ones causing the blush to darken even more. It was then that she realized that she was still holding his hand. She opened her fingers to let go but he held tight, pulling her closer and placing a soft kiss on the side of her cheek.
"I have the sudden urge to dance." Craig stated matter of factly as he gently pulled Ellie towards the dance floor. He pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her waist. He slid his hands up her side then back down to rest on her hips as they rocked to the music.
Ellie clung to Craig's shoulder breathing in the scent she'd gotten so used to. The smell of Dial soap and Head and Shoulders shampoo with a mix of cologne she didn't know the name of. It brought back a million memories from the summer. Drum lessons, taking Angie to the park, watching movies in the Jeremiah living room, group, burgers at The Dot, the summer had been filled with the adventures of Craig and Ellie. She'd been afraid once school started, once Ashley came back, things would change again but they hadn't. Ashley had stayed in England, pushing them into the awkward fold of just friends or more than friends.
Ellie slid her hand up onto Craig's neck, turning her head slightly to look up at him. Her breath caught in her throat as his eyes locked on hers. The warmth and underlying lust was enough to make her knees go weak. She vaguely heard the song end but they kept dancing, ignoring the whispers and stares shooting their way.
Ellie licked her lips as Craig bent his head slowly, making a beeline for her soft lips. He was mere inches away from fulfilling both of their desires when someone lightly tapped him on the shoulder. Craig let out the breath he'd been holding as he turned to look into the deep chocolate eyes of his ex girlfriend.
"Mind if I cut in?" she asked, ignoring Ellie completely as she inched in between the two.
Ellie clenched her jaw against her anger as she took a step back from Craig. Maybe it was stupid but she'd actually started to believe she was going to get her Cinderella moment, that perfect piece of happiness when the glass slipper actually slid on. Ellie forced back the tears threatening to smear the eyeliner she'd carefully applied a little over an hour ago as she made her way off the dance floor. She only glanced back once to see Craig laugh at something Manny said before pushing her way out the gym doors.
In the bathroom, Ellie stood in front of the mirror feeling slightly uncomfortable in the form fitting dress. Ellie frowned at her reflection. Her hair had gone flat, her make up was slightly smudged, and the smell of lavender had been replaced by the faint scent of sweat and carrot cake. She pulled a paper towel out of the dispenser and ran it under the small stream of water trickling from the faucet. She ran it under her eye, splotching at the corners where the eyeliner had smeared then tossing the towel in the trash. She fluffed her hair and took a deep breath before heading out of the bathroom.
00
Craig leaned against the wall, his eyes shifting through the crowd for a certain redhead. She'd disappeared while he was dancing with Manny and the knot in his stomach told him it might have been his fault. The dark haired girl had thrown him off with her request for a dance but it was Ellie he wanted to be spending the evening with.
He pushed himself off the wall and headed for the main doors. There was only one place girls went when they were upset. Craig made his way down the hall hoping Ellie would be the only one occupying the ladies room. He slipped open the door and peeked his head in, watching as the redhead ran her fingers through her hair. He silently stepped into the bathroom. She didn't notice him until his reflection was in the mirror.
"What are you doing in here?" she asked in shock.
Craig smirked, pushing open the stall doors to make sure he wasn't going to get busted before. "Looking for you." he started and then with a teasing tone added, "Was it my breath?"
Ellie averted her eyes to the sink as she feverishly washed her hands in an attempt to ignore Craig's tease. She was so entranced she didn't notice him move closer, didn't realize the lack of space between them until Craig's arms were wrapped around her waist. Ellie froze locking eyes with Craig's reflection.
"El," he said so softly that she almost didn't hear him.
Ellie slowly stood up turning to face Craig, her hands still dripping wet. Her entire body was hot and cold all at the same time. It was the moment she'd been waiting for since she'd found out Ash wasn't coming back. Granted the Degrassi girl's bathroom wasn't the romantic backdrop she'd hoped for but it was better than nothing. Time slowed like in the movies as his lips found hers. All the pent up tension pouring into the room causing the backdrop to fade away until all Ellie was aware of was Craig's lips and the feel of his hand sliding up and down her back. Suddenly the slipper fit and the evil stepmother and stepsisters were a distant memory. She couldn't see past this summer, past this moment, past Craig's lips. It was even better than she'd imagined. Her fairytale had finally come true.