Disclaimer: I OWN NOTHING.

A Cinderella Story; Starring Tristan Du Grey and Lorelai Leigh Gilmore

IT WAS ALWAYS YOU
Chapter Two: Sighs, Groans and Annoying Whispers

I quickly found my seat in the middle of the classroom, which I didn't like very much, purely because it situated me right next to Shelby and David, with Ryan right behind me.

I was glad that I didn't have to bother about designated seating again after this year. I hoped that I would get into Princeton and be done with all this tedious stuff. Become my own man, and finally walk down the path I had chosen for myself.

Yes I was going to break tradition, and I hope that my plans all worked out just perfectly. I didn't want to go to Harvard and study law like my father and grandfather had. It seemed it was the Du Grey way, well I didn't want to be JUST another man following in their father's footsteps.

Nope. I wanted to be a writer.

"Hey I missed you at break" Shelby whispered to me sweetly, batting her eyelashes at me, like the way Betty Boop did on those old cartoon shows. But hers didn't look so cute to me anymore, now it just seemed very weird and unflattering, like she was trying way too hard. She should have known that she already had me, and didn't have to try such things any more right?

Boy I really HAVE to break up with her at lunch I vowed to myself silently.

"Okay class! Great and exciting news!" the teacher held out a stack of papers he handed over to the five students who were seated at the front desks.

"Pop Quiz! I want to see what you have learnt so far. What you will need help in, and what level you are right now within the class. This will also determine if you will be eligible for extra units or be bumped down to intermediate. Good luck guys! You have thirty minutes. Begin" he pushed the button on the digital clock at the front of the classroom, which will determine how many minutes, we had left before it was time to put our pencils down.

I was glad that I picked things up pretty quick, and also did my homework every night, and when I didn't have homework, I actually skimmed through my noted and what we had learnt that day.

Though I would never admit to anyone how long I actually spent on my homework and assignments, making sure it was perfection.

It had become a habit of mine, since I had left military school.

I didn't want to sound mean or anything, but I hoped that my so called 'girlfriend' was either bumped down or requested to be bumped down. I seriously didn't want to hear what she had to say for one hour and thirty minutes every Tuesday class.

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The alarm finally rang as everyone passed their sheets to the person in front of them, till they were all at the front desk.

"Okay class I will hand them out again randomly and I want you to mark your peer's paper, while we go over the Quiz" he started to shuffle the papers and then broke them up so he could hand them out to the five front tables to pass out.

"OMG I think I failed" Shelby whispered to me, and I resisted the urge to roll my eyes at her. She always said the same thing every time we had something similar happen.

"I have no clue how I went" I feigned to her, trying to make her feel slightly better, or I wouldn't be hearing the end of it.

I received Leigh Hayden's paper, curious to know who Leigh Hayden actually was but not that interested that I searched the room either. I looked down her paper, seeing that her answer seemed to be exactly like mine had been. This Leigh Hayden seemed on par with him, and THAT was very refreshing indeed.

"I have Nate's paper" Shelby whispered to me again.

Geez I really need to break up with her soon! I thought to myself, kinda getting even more annoyed every time she leant over to whisper something to me. She did have one of her best friend's RIGHT next to her.

I nodded my head at her, as the Mister Anderson began to ask questions and writing the answers down on the whiteboard.

"OMG that was such a hard question!" she whispered to me with a moan, and I ignored her this time, and paid attention to what the teacher was saying.

Good stuff! I cheered silently. I got them all correct so far! Yeehhaaaa! I cheered again with excitement.

Geez I am SUCH a geek! I laughed at myself, lucky no one ever notice that I was one or maybe it was because no one really cared either way maybe?

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The Bell finally rang and I packed all my things into my back pack. I was glad that I only had Math class with Shelby. I couldn't possibly handle a WHOLE day with her and have to see her at break, lunch and after school.

"See you later" I kissed her on the cheek and made my way out of the room before she could say anything.

"Dude, what is up with that?" Dave asked me with a frown, he always seemed to know when something was up with me or not.

"Nothing is up" I knew that nothing could get past him, and I shrugged my shoulders in complacent.

"I know you like the back of my hand dude" he pointed out to me, before he turned the corner to get to his next class.

More than ever, I hated that he DID in fact know me like the back of his hand, just like I knew him in the same way, along with Ryan. Our parents had been friends for a very long time, and only strengthened our bond even more when I moved here after my father pulled me out of military school two months after he had sent me.

After that we were inseparable and we became the three musketeers; the most wanted teenagers in the Boston Elite, our parents were constantly holding 'meat market' parties, trying to 'match us with the most suitable girl in their class' as our fathers had stated to us more than once.

We hated those parties more than ever; but we smiled, brushed shoulders with the best, courted, flirted, nodded, dated, and took out to dinners, the whole she-bang just to make everyone happy. So I settle for the gorgeous Shelby Cummings.

Her father was a well-known business man, who was part of one of Boston's most prominent families, just perfect in my father's books. Oh yes, and she was head cheerleader at our school and the most popular one as well. The so called 'package' my father constantly aimed me towards, like a bow and arrow headed for the perfect apple.

Pssshh. I seriously hated this world to a tee. I seriously couldn't wait to get out of the main stream, and become, yet another faceless no body. But who was I kidding? I was a Du Grey! My face has been sprawled in enough papers and magazines to last me a life time!

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I entered my next class with relief, sitting down at my regular desk on the right hand side of the room, second row to the front. This class was my favourite! English class: right in my element of all places, where I could be just who I wanted to be.

I took all my things out of my bag, getting everything ready so I could tune right into the teacher without having to shuffle anything.

"Hey everyone" Mister James smiled at the entire class.

"Hey Mister J/ James/ Sir" everyone greeted him, he was one of the most well liked teachers at the school, and also one of my favourites, he was the one who always encouraged me to go for what I wanted in life. To be the best I could ever be, he even helped me with my college application for Princeton, and made sure I learnt extra work so I could be in par with everyone, if I got in next year.

"So I'm hoping that everyone is ready to hand in their five page essay on Shakespeare right?" half the class nodded, while the other class sheepishly made noises to show that they were almost done or had forgotten the piece at work or whatever excuse they were going to dribble off to him as an excuse.

"Okay well my desk is open if you want to discuss anything or need an extra day to 'polish' it off" he said with a genuine smile to us. He really DID want us all to show our best and helped us do it too.

"So I have a new activity for you all. it's something both fun and serious and will help you to become better writers and help excel your vocabulary a bit, well we should hope so" he joked with us.

"Okay just to make it interesting, I have put all your names in a basket and I would like you all to take your hand in picking out another class mates name out of it and introducing yourself in a vocabulary of another century. Make it interesting, you can even implement accents if it helps you out a bit. And in a weeks' time, I want you to present it to the class. How does that sounded?" he asked with a smile, genuinely excited about what we would come up with.

"Okay first name is Danielle Gail, come on down" he said in a game show host voice, we all laughed at his funny antics, and watched Dani walk towards Mister James and pull out a name.

"Francis Jacobs" they both high fived, happy to be each other's partners. Frankie pulled out a name.

"Janice Cane come on down" he mocked the same accent as Mister James. Janie walked towards the front, as Dani and Frankie sat back down.

"Shelia Oliver" they smiled at each other, having known each other since they were younger.

"Tristan Du Grey" she smiled at me, and I stood up, while they pair sat back down. I walked towards Mister James, happy about the activity we were going to be doing.

"Leigh Hayden" I said stunned. This was the second time I had read her name, and now she was my partner.