Quinceañera…

A coming of age ceremony for many girls of Latin heritage, it is to be held upon their 15th birthday. However, unlike special birthday parties such as a "Sweet Sixteen," a Quinceañera was often planned at least a year in advance. This was to serve as a rite of passage for a girl to becoming a woman.

Tomorrow, Marcella Hernandez would be another girl to experience this rite of passage…

Chapter 1: Preparation! The Day Before!

"Yeah, it's going to be great! All of my family's going to be there, my dad's ordered a large cake…" She listed, seated at a table in the small, but reliable library, to her friend. "Tonight, my mom and I are going to pick up my dress! You should see it! It's like so beautiful, and…"

"Mm-hmm…" Hope Martinez nodded, hardly showing any – if at all – care towards whatever Marcella was talking about. Instead eyeing the two figures that had just entered the library: One tall the other short, both well built and dressed in jeans and a letterman jacket over a white t-shirt! Blake Pell and Jack Beck were called the Bash Brothers, given how well they worked together and that they were rarely seen apart. She thought they were gay at first, but Bonnie assured her that they were absolutely one hundred percent straight. Of course, it wouldn't hurt for her and Marcella to get to know them better.

"Hope…"

The thought of them both being in their arms…

"Hope?"

Their tight, washboard abs…

"HOPE!"

A loud "SHH" was what the Latina received as the longer-haired girl turned to her friend, "What?"

"Are you even listening?" She frowned.

"Yeah, no duh! Something about a large cake…"

"…" The annoyed expression on her face said it all, "You weren't listening, were you?"

"Look, I'm sorry, but c'mon! How am I supposed to pay attention with hotties like Blake and Jack around?" Hope let out a dreamily sigh as she watched the two walk to the front desk.

Marcella watched the duo checking out books placed on a nearby shelf, "Well, they are cute…" She turned back to her friend, "Think I should invite them to my Quinceañera?"

"If you want… I say go for it, 'Cella! Show 'em that you're interested!"

"I know, but…" She sighed, "I want this day to be special! I want this day to be absolutely perfect!"

"So what's the theme again?" Hope asked. She knew that Marcella couldn't resist bragging about how awesome her Quinceañera was going to be. Besides, it wouldn't hurt for a reminder, just to make sure she knew what to wear.

"It's a princess-theme, of course!"

Hope sighed, "Again with the princess theme…"

Marcella bragged, "Like Cinderella, I'm going to get my own glass slippers! My mom said that I couldn't see the shoes until the actual ceremony, but she did let me tell her the kind I would like for her to get."

"Let me guess: The see-through kind, right?"

"Of course! What self-respecting Cinderella-type princess would be without her glass slippers? And a pair of see-through heels is as close as they can get."

"Point taken…" Hope nodded. She just hoped that she didn't mean Hooker Heels. "So, who're all coming?"

"My grandparents," She listed, "My aunties, uncles, and my cousins! Basically the whole family's gonna be there. Everyone just arrived last night. Both of my parents took a week off just to prepare for the party!"

"So where are they all staying?"

"At the Hilton!" Marcella smirked, "The same place where my party's going to be held, so they'll have no excuse for no-showing. Anyway, dress rehearsal's at around six."

The Filipina blinked in confusion, "Dress rehearsal?"

"Duh! To go over the choreography! You do remember there's a dance routine, do you? All Damas and Chambelanes are supposed to be there!"

"Yeah, I know…" Hope nodded. Briefly before the guest of honor would make her grand entrance, the young girls and guys would pair up and walk onto the dance floor before dancing. They would execute an expertly-choreographed performance. Afterwards, they would leave the stage together as the young princess enters. The Chambelane Hope would be paired up with would be Javier. He was a year older than the both of them, but was really cute. At times she wondered when would be the best opportunity to make her move. She kept asking Marcella to hook her up with him, but she kept turning her down. Saying something about some childhood marriage promise or some BS like that. Such a shame… But there were more fish in the sea…

Martinez Residence

With the sound of her weighted bag hitting the floor, Hope walked towards her closet. Within opening the oak door, she pushed aside the articles of clothing hung by the plastic hangers. Upon seeing the object of her desire, she pulled it off the rack before laying it on top of the full-sized bed. Sighing, Hope examined the article of clothing. It was a floor-length, purple party dress made of silk with the length of the slit reaching up to her lower thigh, finished by a black sash. This was the dress all of the Damas would be wearing at the Quinceañera. Marcella, on the other hand, would be wearing a dress that was similar. Color-wise, anyway! Knowing her, the dress would be all princess-like. The common rule of the bridesmaids was that she should never, under any circumstances, upstage the bride in any way. It was her special day, after all. Those same rules would apply to Marcella's birthday party. None of the Damas were to overshadow the Quince. It was a strapless dress, but it didn't show a significant amount of cleavage. Not that she had any to show, she sighed. Sure she had filled out a bit since last year, but it was nothing compared to other girls like Amelia and Bonnie.

The shoes were next. It wasn't that difficult to select which ones to wear. She decided to go with her black, open-toed slingback heels. The material was suede and given that she hardly wore them, they were pretty much in mint condition. But at the same time, she needed to break them in, in order to make them more comfortable. Sure she could always take them off, but that would be – What was the word – Ghetto. Surely she had more class than that. Next was the decision whether to wear either stockings or pantyhose, or to go bare-legged. When wearing beautiful, formal dresses and gowns, Hope took every opportunity she could to sport a pair of nylons on her legs. Whether because it made her legs feel warm, or that she just loved the smooth, soothing sensation. Then again, she wasn't sure if the other girls were planning on wearing stockings. What if she decided to do so and everyone else didn't? What if she didn't and everyone else did? Normally she would prefer to stand out rather than being a follower, but given the risk of upstaging her best friend, it was best to go with the crowd on this one. She would call Marcella's relatives to see how everyone else was going to dress, but that would sound desperate. She decided she would carry two different pairs of stockings in her purse, just in case.

Hearing the sudden sound of a phone ringing, Hope reached toward her nightstand as she grabbed her cell phone. Seeing the ID of the caller, she let out a small sigh, "What's up, Bonnie?"

"Haven't you heard?" Bonnie's excitement showed, "Amelia's throwing a party tomorrow!"

Hope dropped down to her knees as she searched through her closet, spotting a few shoeboxes, "And I'm supposed to care why?"

"Hello? All the important people are going to be there! Josh, Brick, Julius, Patrick, all of them are going to be there!"

"And what about Kim?"

"What about her?"

"She's also among the important people, is she not?"

"Kim hangs around with that loser! So by proxy she's a loser, too! She doesn't count!"

Hope rolled her eyes at Bonnie's change in attitude as she grabbed one of the shoeboxes, "Anyway, I'm gonna have to pass!"

"What? Why?"

"You know why! Birthday, hello?"

"Oh, that Quince-whatever you and Marcella have going on? Can you both have one? Is it even possible?"

"No, it's just Marcella this time! But I'm one of the Damas!"

"What? You mean the twins aren't actually sharing a birthday party this time?"

"Hey, it's a Mexican tradition!" She opened the box, unveiling the aforementioned heels. "It's not my place to intrude!"

"Yeah, yeah… But if you ask me, this is for the best."

"What?"

"Come on, Hope! When was the last time you ever had your own birthday? Think about it, your whole life you've been part of a set! And now that Marcella's having her Quin-Whatsitcalled-"

"Quinceañera," she responded, slightly annoyed.

"Whatever… maybe now you can have your own birthday party! Just for you, not with Marcella or anyone else for once!"

Removing them from the box, she kicked off her flats before placing on the heels, "You make it sound like I've been wasting my birthdays or something!"

"I'm just saying it would be nice change of pace for you to actually have your own birthday and stand out, for once! God knows you need it!"

Hope walked around in the newly opened shoes. For the most part, they snugly fit, and they looked nice. The height of the heels wasn't too high, so they weren't the feet murderers she thought they would be. Still, it would pay to get used to them for a while… "Now that I think about it, this would bring a great opportunity for me. I mean, maybe I could have a theme that wasn't princess-like for once."

Bonnie scoffed, "Duh! I mean seriously! You're still trying to be princesses? Hello? Childish much? Queen, I could understand. …Actually, that doesn't sound like a bad idea! But princess? What are you guys, twelve?"

Sitting back on her bed, she examined her heels from the side, "Hey don't knock it!"

"Whatever! Anyway, the invitation still stands. Tara and I are already going to be there. You can have your little Princess Quincess thing with Marcella. But if you want to do your own thing, actually want to be your own person and stand out for once instead of being a set, let me know."

Hanging up, Hope reconnected the cell to the power cord as she sighed. She loved Marcella to death like a sister and all, but Bonnie had a point. For years she and Marcella did everything together, especially birthdays. Did her life really revolved around Marcella? Did she not have a life if she wasn't around? But whatever… While it was her birthday tomorrow, it was also Marcella's. She said that she was going to be there for her, to support her in her Quinceañera tomorrow. If Bonnie didn't like that, too bad for her.

Hanging the dress back up inside of the closet, Hope collapsed back-first on the bed. All she could think about was the Quinceañera that was to come tomorrow. Her shoes dropping onto the carpeted floor, Hope felt a brief sense of urgency, wondering if she was forgetting something. At any case, her eyes slowly closed before she was overcome with sleep. Ignoring the sounds of her cell ringing once more…

Hilton Hotel – Middleton

As the sound of the music faded, the couples disbanded as they headed off toward their own interests. Watching it all, Marcella wondered how her Quinceañera would turn out in the end. Sure, everything was planned to the nines, but even the best laid plans could turn out for the worse. Not to mention Hope no-showing the rehearsal – again!

'Where is she?' Sighing, Marcella pressed the end button of her cell. This was the fifth time she called and still no answer. She tried calling her house, but the result was the same. Hope never left without her cell phone, and she never turned it off. Put it on vibrate, yes. Silent mode, maybe, but never off! Either something had happened, or she was in an unavoidable situation.

The sound of her sneaker tapping the ballroom floor, Marcella crossed her arms. Surely she remembered, did she? …Did she? For god sakes, she's been talking about this all week! They needed to go over the choreography, the stage direction. And the decorations were supposed to be put up by tomorrow.

"What's the matter Mija?"

Marcella turned around to see an older woman standing in front of her. Dress in a white simple blouse and a pair of khaki pants, a concerned look was on her face. "It's nothing, Mama."

"Oh?" She begged to differ, "Tomorrow is your big day and yet you look as if you were ready for a funeral."

"That obvious, huh?" She sighed, "It's Hope… I mean this is like, what, the fourth no-show this week? And she's not even answering!" She looked downward, arms crossed. "I'm worried. What if something happened to her?"

"Mija…"

"I'm serious! We've been talking about this for months! The ceremony, the dance, the theme! Hell, we even talked about the freaking cake!"

"Oh come now, Marcella!" She tried to console her daughter. "I'm sure Hope has a perfect explanation for this!"

She sighed, "I hope so…" As much as she didn't want to admit it – and she really didn't want to admit it – she could see a rift building between the two friends. They've been best friends since Pre-K, and yet it seemed that ever since middle school started, both were headed in separate directions. Even their groups of friends were different: Hope hung out with Bonnie and Tara, while she managed to bond with Liz, Jessica and Crystal. It was like… Were they as close as they once were? Are they even close at all? For gosh sake, Hope would've otherwise been the first person to arrive here, with her no less! Now this is the fourth rehearsal that she missed. Granted, aside from the four missed rehearsals, Hope managed to nail the choreography down each time so she wouldn't be totally lost. But what if there were last minute changes? What if she didn't find out about them or worse, what if she made any miscues? Her Quinceañera was supposed to be perfect and anything, any one thing that was out of place could ruin that even at the slightest offense.

The older woman smiled at the girl, "Come Mija, I have something to show you."

"Okay…" Despite her worries about Hope, Marcella decided to smile if only for the sake of her mom and the rest of her family. Within moments, there were out of the ballroom and standing next to the elevator. "Where are we going Mama?"

"We're just getting something from your Aunt Rosa's room. This'll take no more than a minute."

"Sure, sure…" The elevator door opening, both mother and daughter entered as the pressed "3" button indicated their designated floor. After about a few seconds, the door opened once more as they both step out. Upon a short distance, they approached the door with the numbers "311" engraved on a small plaque on the top of the door. Pulling out the card key from her pocket, her mother slide it into the slot as within a click the door unlocked.

"So what are we getting?" Marcella asked as the two walked in.

"Just be patient…" Her mother responded as she opened the closet door. Within a few moments, she brought out a white shoe box…

Marcella's eyes widened, "A-are those…"

"Your father didn't want you to see them until the ceremony, but I figured it wouldn't hurt if you got a sneak peak."

The box placed in her lap, Marcella proceeded to remove the top as she saw them… Or rather, in this case, it! Taking out the object of her focus, excitement filled her face as she examined one of the two most important things for tomorrow's ceremony. The shoe was, of course, high heeled – Around four inches in height to be exact, open-toed and, most importantly, see-through. The outside material was made out of plastic with the soles being of a harder material, yet see through as well. "T-they're…"

She nodded, "That's right! They're your very own pair of glass slippers! Well, plastic slippers technically. Glass was too dangerous."

"I don't care!" She smiled widely… Maybe a bit too much! "I got my glass slippers! I got my-!"

"Shh!" She scolded, "Not too loud. This is supposed to be a surprise!"

"I know!" She giggled, "I can't wait to tell Hope about this!"

She sighed, "Okay, you can tell Hope, but that's it! Nobody else! If your father found out about this, he'd kill me! Your surprise is one of the things he wanted to capture on film tomorrow."

She nodded, placing the shoe back into the box, "Okay Mama."

She took the box, "Let's put this back where it belongs before your father gets suspicious." Closing the closet with the shoes secured, her mother walked towards a table. Grabbing a few items, "Just to make sure we have a viable excuse to come to this room."

Marcella nodded, now unable to wait until tomorrow. Those heels, her heels, they were so cute! She wanted… she needed to wear them! But even if tomorrow came, she would still have a lot to do before the ceremony came to pass. Getting a pedicure, having her hair done… Not to mention practicing the choreography of her grand entrance. Tomorrow would be a busy day for this cheerleader.

Next Chapter: The day of Marcella's Quinceañera has arrived. But who will be there, who won't be there, and who will be the most hurt of all?

Chapter 2: Marcella's Quinceañera! Hope's Confliction!