Disclaimer: Don't own it.

Cinderella: Oh, that clock! Old killjoy. I hear you. "Come on, get up," you say, "Time to start another day." Even he orders me around. Well, there's one thing. They can't order me to stop dreaming.

Cinderella

Chapter One: When I Think About You

Mornings start like this: the alarm blares music that she loves (but everyone else in the house hates) and she hits snooze. She manages to fall asleep for nine minutes, and it goes off again. So she hits snooze. This happens two more times and finally, Alex Russo emerges from bed.

When she gets out of bed, she turns her radio up louder and dances around to whatever tune it may be playing. Today's choice is a cover of I Touch Myself. Her mom used to listen to often when she was younger, until Max asked one day what the song was about. Her mom quickly shut the radio off, said nothing and they didn't talk about it. Alex was curious herself and she asked an older kid on the sub one day. When she found out it only made her love the song more. The bonus to playing this song at full blast at six thirty in the morning is that it annoys the crap out of Justin (something she's been quite good at and something she's strived for the majority of her life.

"ALEX!" He yells moments later, banging on her door, "Turn it down!"

She smirks to herself and reaches for another top in closet, she tries it on, looks in the mirror, studies her reflection and seconds later takes it off and reaches for another shirt.

"Alex!" He tries again. Her smile grows as his tone becomes more and more exasperated. "Please!"

Finally, the song ends and Justin's given up, obviously heading downstairs, away from the cacophony in his sister's room.

*****

"Mom, you've got to talk to her. I can't take much more of that nonsense she listens to," Justin is whining to their mother when she comes downstairs.

"Oh, get it over, loser," she sighs and rolls her eyes, "you're just jealous that I listen to better music than you. Tears of Blood? Really, Justin?"

He shoots a glare in her direction and continues to dip his tea bag into his mug. He mumbles something unintelligent under his breath. Alex shrugs it off and pours a bowl of cereal before sitting next to him at the bar.

"What were you listening to Alex?" Her mother questions once she and Justin stop glaring at each other and are quietly eating their breakfast.

"I Touch Myself." She tells her mom.

Theresa grins and claps her hands together excitedly, "Ooh! I love that song!"And she begins to sing, "I don't want anybody else, when I think about you I touch myself. . ." She trails off when Justin stares at her incredulously, shakes his head and leaves the loft. Theresa shrugs and picks up a sponge, wiping off jam on the counter (a product of Max, Alex is sure), "It's a good song," she defends to Alex.

Alex just grins in response. She finishes her cereal and places the empty bowl in the sink. "Bye mom," she says, placing a kiss on her mother's cheek.

"Love you, Alex," her mom replies, still engrossed in her task of cleaning the kitchen and the mess her children just made in it. "Apologize to Justin on your way to school, please."

"Ugh, whatever," she groans, putting her jacket on. (The cute plaid one she talked her mother into a few weeks before.)

"Alex," her mother starts in a warning tone.

"Fine, mom, I'll apologize."

On her way down to the Sub Station she passes her father on the steps, hugs him good bye and rushes down the street to where her brothers are.

*****

Justin gives her the cold shoulder most of the ride to school, he sits next to her begrudgingly, but when an older woman gets on, he gives up his seat with a smile and seems to lose some of his anger (when he does good deeds like that, he's always happy, she doesn't understand that, but hey, that's Justin).

She smiles at him when he glances down at her and the corners of his mouth hesitantly rise to return the gesture.

She bumps him with her hip when they're exiting the subway and walking to school, a few seconds later he playfully jabs her side with his elbow and they seem to be back to normal, he finally accepting her silent apology she made moments before.

*****

Harper scares the crap out of her when she's at her locker. "Oh god," she lets out, hand over her heart, "Harper you scared me." She takes in the ensemble her friend is wearing today and she tries (and fails) not to make a disgusted face, "Harper," she whines, clearly annoyed with her friend's choice, "Didn't we have this talk freshmen year?"

"What about?" Harper asks voice cheery and grin on her face.

"About dressing up as an actual item of food." Alex replies slowly, hoping to get the message across.

"That I shouldn't?"

Alex nods, "Bingo. I mean, you're pushing it with the plum headbands already."

"Those were grapes, Alex," Harper defends, her face falling and she looks a little hurt. Whatever, Alex thinks, it's for her own good.

"Whatever, same difference, they both become raisins."

"Actually Alex, only grapes do, you see, plums become—"

Alex cuts her off with the wave of her hand, "Whatever, Harper. Look, you can't wear a pumpkin suit, costume, or what have you, to school."

"But it's October."

Alex raises her eyes skyward and blows the hair away from her face, "It's October 15, Harper. Halloween isn't until the end of the month."

"I'm just," she starts, but Alex slams her locker shut and drags Harper to the nearest bathroom.

*****

"I did see Harper dressed as a pumpkin earlier, right?" Justin asks from behind her between third and fourth period.

Alex groans and puts her hand against her forehead, "Ugh, I was hoping that no one saw that."

Justin chuckles, "Sorry. So she really was?"

"Yes," Alex replies, "I don't know about her sometimes."

Justin laughs again and rubs her shoulder gently before he leaves.

Alex stares down at her shoulder with a furrowed brow, her skin tingles there and she's pretty sure if she pulls her shirtsleeve down she'd see goose bumps there. "Huh," she whisper to herself in the hall, "well, that was weird." And she tries to brush it off.

Tries.