Addy woke the next morning, confused and scared. She didn't remember anything about last night, and now she was in a room she didn't know. She got up quickly, ready for anything, but before she got anywhere, she felt pain lancing through her ankle.
Looking down, Addy saw the cuts on her ankle, and remembered everything. Her dad beating her, calling Alec, her prince coming and saving her. That must be where I am right now. This must be Alec's room.
Addy calmed down. She sat back down on what she assumed to be Alec's bed, and examined her ankle. It was a little swollen, but none of the cuts looked life threatening. There sure were a lot of them, but she would just make sure to clean them.
Looking around for a bathroom to clean up in, Addy's eyes found a clock instead. 7:40! I'm gonna be late for school! Where's my stuff? I need to get ready. Limping around, Addy found her things and got dressed. She was just heading for the door when she heard a knock on the door.
"Come in," Addy said, fear running through her body. She couldn't help but remember all the times her father had knocked on her door.
"Addy? Are you already awake?" Alec walked in to the room. "What are doing standing up? You shouldn't be walking on that ankle." He hurried to Addy's side, concern written all over his face.
Relieved to see it was Alec walking towards her, and no one else, Addy smiled at him. "I'm fine. I'll probably only limp a little, if anything."
"Limping? Why would you be limping? You're not going anywhere today," Alec stated, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"What? Of course I'm going somewhere. I have to go school if we're going to Home Coming." Addy was confused. Why didn't Alec want her to go anywhere?
"Go to Home Coming? That's why you're gonna limp around all day, probably injuring yourself even further, just so you can go to a dance? No! We're not going with you like this, and that's final." Alec started to lead Addy back to bed, but she stopped him.
"We're going to Home Coming, Alec. The dress I hid in your closet and the tux you rented prove that. I'm not going to let my dad win." With those words, Addy headed for the hallway, in search of the kitchen.
Alec followed her. "We are not going. You'll hurt yourself even worse. Who cares about a stupid dan- wait. What did you say? You won't let your dad win? What does that have to do with anything?"
With a sigh, Addy turned back to face Alec. Looking at the floor, she explained. "My dad said I wouldn't be able to go that stupid dance with you tonight because I would be too busy healing. I just don't want him to be right."
Alec looked shocked. "You're telling me that he did this to you because he didn't want you to go to a dance?"
Miserable with the way the conversation was going, Addy just nodded. "Well, then I guess we'll just have to prove him wrong," Alec said.
"Really?" Addy looked at Alec, not sure if she had heard correctly.
"Really," Alec said. "You better go get ready for school."
Addy was overjoyed. "Thank you, Alec, thank you. You won't regret this." Addy kissed Alec on the cheek before hurrying off to get ready for school.
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That afternoon, Addy and Alec came home from school. It had been a long day for Addy, with everyone staring at her face, then looking at Alec. Finally fed up with it, she had gone to the bathroom to see what was wrong with her face, and had seen the bruise her father had given her when he had smacked her into the door. Shaking her head, she had gone back to class and ignored the looks for the rest of the day.
It was a relief to come home and have something to do. Addy went straight to the bathroom and started to get ready for the dance. "Alec?" Addy called. "Do you think your mother would mind if I used some of her eye shadow?"
"Go ahead, Addy," Alec replied. "She has so much makeup, I'm sure she won't notice if you use a little."
Smiling, Addy got to work. She found a light blue eye shadow that would go perfectly with her dress and mascara. Knowing Alec's mother probably didn't use the exact same foundation she did, Addy gave up on trying to cover the bruise on her cheek, and went searching for a lipstick to borrow for the evening.
She was trying on a light pink, when a thought entered her mind. "Alec? Where are your parents?"
"They work all day, Addy. They left before you woke up, and they'll probably be back around ten." Alec was bored, just sitting on the couch, waiting for her to finish getting ready.
Well, at least I won't have to worry about them coming home to find a strange girl in their son's bedroom. Addy found her dress in Alec's closet, and put it on. She was looking at herself in the mirror and trying to decide how to put her hair up, when Alec came in.
He walked over to her and put his arms around her waist. "You look beautiful, Addy. Leave your hair down. I like it like that."
Addy turned around in his arms and laid her head on his shoulder. "It's lucky this dress is floor length," she murmured into his neck.
"Why? So no one can see your ankle?" Alec said.
"Well, there's that, but there's also the fact that all I have to wear are tennis shoes." Lifting up the hem of her dress, Addy showed her black Converse.
"I like it," Alec assured her. "It makes you different. Come on, we're going to be late to the dance."
Addy followed Alec to his car, and they drove to school. Alec paid for their tickets at the door, and they walked in. The whole gym was decorated with the theme "The Clock Struck Midnight." There was a huge clock on the wall, with its hand pointing to midnight and the number 12 everywhere on the walls.
Addy danced with Alec for hours, grateful that she was wearing Converse instead of high heels. She was getting tired when Alec leaned over and said, "Do you want to go outside? It's getting close to midnight and everyone knows Cinderella has to leave the ball."
Smiling at Alec's comparison, Addy nodded and the two went outside. They found a bench nearby and sat down. Addy leaned against Alec and sighed, content. Alec slipped an arm around her shoulders and brought her closer to him.
For a while, they sat like that, until Alec broke the silence. "Addy, I love you. Stay with me forever? I promise I won't let anyone hurt you ever again."
Addy turned to look at Alec, a troubled look on her face. "What would your parents say, Alec? I'm sure they wouldn't be too thrilled about having a troublesome teenage girl in the house."
"Don't worry. I'll talk them around. Please, Addy. I hate that I have to let you go at the end of the day. Stay with me."
Addy was quiet for a minute, thinking hard. Finally, she leaned over and kissed Alec. This kiss expressed everything she feeling. Scared, unsure, but most of all, safe. "I'll stay with you. After all, Cinderella has to stay with her Prince Charming."
Alec smiled. "I love you, Addy."
"I love you Prince Charming," Addy said, and snuggled closer to the boy she loved.
A/N: Well, that's it. The end of my story. Review and tell me how you like it.