A/N: Alright, so ff.net is a pain in the ass! All the quotation marks and
apostrophes and things like that, are all gonna be weird symbols. I have
tried everything I can think of to fix it, and nothing works. So, it be
them. Anyways, just wanted to give you a little heads up.
**************************
"Lizzie!" Cinder called from the doorway of her bedroom the nite of the Winter Formal.
"What?!" Lizzie replied sticking her head out of the bedroom. They smiled at each other for a few seconds before the met each other in the hallway.
"Please tell me you have my large silver hoop earrings," Cinder pleaded.
"Yes, I do," Lizzie nodded taking her cousin's hand and pulling her into her room. Lizzie took the earrings off her dresser and handed them to Cinder.
"Thanks," she said putting them through her ears. She took a deep breath and marveled at the Lizzie's dressed. The low cut, halter top, sheer black dress fit her perfectly. Lizzie's hair was pulled back in French braided rows and short stems of baby's breath peeked through. "You look great! Shannon's gonna die!"
"I know. That's the look I was going for," Lizzie smirked stretching out her left leg to show off the knee length slit. "You look great too! Aunt Leeann is gonna flip out on you though."
"Mom isn't the one I'm worried about," Cinder laughed. "It's Adam," Lizzie finished with her. Cinder's dress just as beautiful as Lizzie's, dark blue, with one strap that went over her right shoulder, and thigh high slits on both sides. Her hair matched Lizzie's exactly.
"This is gonna be a lot of fun," Lizzie smiled as she finished her make-up.
"Yeah, I hope so. I'm kinda nervous though."
"Worried about not winning Queen?"
"No, worried about what everyone is gonna say about my date."
"Ah, yes, the mystery date. Who is it anyways?"
"You'll just have to wait and see," Cinder laughed.
"Hmm, it's not Matt Hyson is it?!"
"No, it's not. Not even close."
"That really scary senior that sits by himself all the time? Um, the one that sometimes talks to the two Spanish exchange students. What the hell is his name?!"
"Chris Benoit?"
"YES! Him, it's not him is it?"
"No it's definitely not Chris."
"I wish you'd tell me," Lizzie said looking at her cousin as Cinder looked out the window.
"The worst part about all this is though, that if Adam doesn't kill me for the dress, he'll certainly kill me for my date," Cinder said watching a black limo stop in front of the house. "Well, they're all here."
"So who's up for King?" Lizzie asked as she and Cinder linked their arms.
"Um, Charlie, Adam, Andrew, Rob, and Shane McMahon. So it should be funny if both Adam and I win," Cinder laughed as they walked down the stairs.
"You girls look beautiful," Leeann said taking pictures as they descended the stairs. Cinder blushed at the comment while Lizzie nodded knowingly.
"Holy," Adam started as he came out of the kitchen.
"ADAM!" Leeann yelled threateningly interrupting her son.
"Could you wear clothes?" he finished.
"No Adam. It's just not me," Cinder replied sarcastically as their friends walked through the door. Shannon lifted Lizzie in the air and smiled as he looked her up and down, studying every part of her.
"You look beautiful baby," Shannon whispered to Lizzie.
"Yeah, I know," Lizzie laughed kissing his cheek.
"Cinder, may Trish and I have a word with you?!" Amy exclaimed pulling her into the living room as Cinder's mystery date walked in the door.
"Listen, I know what you're gonna say, but I was desperate!" she said.
"Cinder, I'm sure we could have found a better date for you than him!" Trish yelled quietly pointing to the door. He stood back, trying to stay away from everyone.
"I don't care, you guys. He asked and I accepted. Deal with it! God! Why does everyone think they can control my life!" she yelled at her best friends.
"We're just trying to look out for you! Really," Amy said softly.
"Then let me make my own decisions. Whether they be bad, good, or otherwise. It's my life. Jesus Christ!" Cinder said storming away from them.
"Cinder, why him?" Adam growled.
"I don't care Adam! Leave me alone!" she screamed walking over to her date.
"You look beautiful, C," he said.
"Thanks, Charlie, you look really nice," she smiled as he placed the corsage on her wrist.
******************
"I'm glad you agreed to come with me tonite," Charlie said as they danced closely to a slow song.
"Yeah, well, you asked," she shrugged.
"I know that I did a lot of bad shit to you. And I'm sorry. I wouldn't hurt you on purpose. You know that. That's not the kind of guy I am."
"I know. But Charlie, you really hurt me. Physically and mentally. It's not an easy thing to get over!"
"I know, but if I was that kind of guy, why would I have waited so long to show you that?"
"I guess you wouldn't, but where are you going with all this?"
"Cinder, I want us to get back together. I love you. Don't you still love me?"
"Yeah, I do, but the pain is still there!"
"And I can't get rid of that pain! I never will be able to. No matter how much I apologize, that pain is still gonna be there! But you know that it wasn't intentional!"
"Charlie, are your parents gonna be home tonite after the dance?" Cinder asked, a smile growing on her face.
"No, they went up to the mountains for the weekend. Why?"
"I wanna go back to your house after. Just you and me. Together. You can prove to me how much you love me, tonite."
"Cinder, are you saying what I think you're saying?"
"Charlie, I wanna sleep with you. What do you say?"
"I don't know, I mean, everything in my body is screaming yes, but I don't want you to be like rushing into anything."
"Charlie, I want this, I want it badly," she said biting his ear softly.
"Okay," he agreed.
"Alright kids, gather around. It's time to announce the King and Queen of the Winter Formal," Mr. Flair announced with a goofy smile on his face. Everyone stood attentively awaiting the announcement of the winners. Charlie gripped Cinder's hand tightly and she smiled up at him. Her eyes drifted past him and landed on Shane. He looked so good in his tux and for a second she thought he was alone, until Melissa walked up and handed him some punch. The smile on his face made her stomach churn with sadness and some anger. "And the King of the Winter Formal is…………………….ADAM COPELAND!" Adam high-fived some of his football buddies and kissed Alanah. He jumped onto the stage and some freshman girl eagerly crowned him. His smile was large and he wore his famous black sunglasses, although Cinder didn't know why. She just laughed at him and clapped for him. "And now the Queen is…………………….surprisingly, Cinder Copeland." He announced it as if he had been upset with the outcome. Charlie, however, picked her up in his arms and hugged her tightly, kissing her passionately. She could hear some of the girls boo her as she walked up to the stage, but she tried to ignore them. There was a freshman boy standing next to Adam, ready with her tiara. He placed it on her head carefully and Adam took her hand as they stepped into the middle of the dance floor and started their dance together.
"Cinder," he stared. She gave him a look that told him he had better not start on Charlie, but she knew that he probably wouldn't pay attention so she interrupted him.
"Adam, don't you fucking start. I love Charlie. You know that. Yes he hurt me, badly, but he's sorry for that and I forgive him. That's not the kind of guy he is. You know that. Yes, he may be a jackass at times, but he's sweet. He loves me Adam, he wouldn't try to hurt me. Just leave it alone," she pleaded her case.
"I don't trust him Cin," he said.
"Then just trust me. Trust me to be able to handle myself," she replied looking up into his blue eyes.
"I do trust you. I don't know why, but I do. I love you," he smiled.
"Love you too, big brother," she laughed resting her head on his shoulder.
When their song ended she found Lizzie standing by the punch table, probably waiting for Shannon. Lizzie hugged her tightly and marveled at the tiara on her cousin's head. "Congratulations Queen!" she joked.
"Thanks. Um, Lizzie, could you do me a favor?" Cinder asked quietly.
"Sure, I don't see why not. What is it?"
"Well, could you cover for me and Charlie when we don't show up at Fred's afterwards?"
"Why?"
"We're goin back to his house."
"No, Cinder, I don't think so. I don't know him, but I know that he's not a good guy."
"Come on Lizzie, be a good friend. Be my cousin. Ya know, you're my favorite cousin."
"Cinder, I'm your ONLY cousin."
"True, but that doesn't mean you can't be my favorite cousin. Come on, please?"
"Alright. I'll do it. But you owe me big time!"
"I know, just name it when the time comes!"
"When are you gonna be back?"
"Oh before anyone gets up. I just need you to unlock my window so I can climb in my room when I get home."
"Alright, no problem."
"Thank you SO much! I love you," Cinder smiled.
"Yeah, me too," Lizzie replied in an unsure tone. "Just be careful, alright?"
"Don't worry, I'll be fine. I can take care of myself."
Cinder walked off and found Charlie. He held onto her tightly as he talked to some of the guys on the wrestling team. She felt like things were back to normal, even though there was a part of her telling her something wasn't right and things were going to go terribly wrong.
********************
She kissed Charlie goodnite before climbing up the ladder to her window. She threw her shoes up on the roof and finished her climb. Charlie made sure she was up all the way before pulling the ladder away from the roof and waving goodbye to her. She opened her window and silently climbed into her room. She threw her shoes in the corner of her room. Suddenly she caught a figure out of the corner of her eye and she spun around to see Adam sitting at her desk with his hands folded in his lap waiting for her.
"Adam," she said.
"Cinder, I see you decided to come home."
"Yeah, um, I know, but Lizzie I'm sure has already told you why I'm late."
"Yeah, she tried. But I knew she was lying. She broke down and told me the truth when we got home. So, how was it? Was it everything you ever wanted it to be? Did you love it? Do you want it again? When's the next time?"
"Adam, stop," Cinder cried.
"No, I'm serious, I wanna know."
"Adam, I just, stay out of my business!"
"Cinder, I'm trying to look out for you here!"
"Ya know what? I don't care anymore. It's no longer your job to look out for me. It's MINE!"
"Fine, if that's how you wanna be, then whatever. But don't come crying to me when shit blows up in your face!" Adam yelled just quiet enough to not wake anyone. He stormed out of her room and she collapsed on her bed.
"God, what have I done? Why did I do this? It wasn't right," Cinder cried into her pillow. "I wish I could just take back this whole nite. Hell, I wish I could just take everything back and start over."
"Hey, Cinder," she hear Lizzie's voice but didn't turn over to look at her. "I know you probably don't like me right now. But I was worried. I didn't want you to get hurt. You're my cousin. You're my best friend. I gotta look out for your crazy ass. Just like you have to look out for mine. Listen, Adam like pulled it out of me anyways. I tried to cover for you. I really did, it just didn't work out very well. I'm sorry." She heard Lizzie leave her room.
*******************
"Merry Christmas ya'll!" Shannon exclaimed walking into the living room.
"Merry Christmas baby," Lizzie smiled kissing him before pulling him to the couch. Cinder sat in the corner, away from everyone, sipping hot chocolate.
"Hey, Cin!" Jeff said walking over to her. She smiled at him but said nothing. "Hey, come on. It's Christmas. Cheer up!" He hugged her and she pulled away quickly. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing, Jeff," she replied softly.
"I know there's something wrong. It's not like you to be all down and shit about nothing," he said.
"Jeff, just go join everyone else and have a good time," she said.
"How can I when one of my best friends isn't?" he questioned walking away.
"Hey, Jeff, can I talk to you?" she called to him. He turned around and smiled at her. She stood and they both went up stairs into her room.
"What's up?" he asked as they sat on the bed.
"First, Jeff, I want you to know that I haven't spoken to anyone about this. Second, since the first day that I met you, I knew you and I would be close. You're my best friend. And although I may know Amy and Shannon better and their still my best friends, you're probably closer to me. Third, I just don't want you to think bad things about me when I say this," she sighed, waiting for a response.
"Cinder, nothing you say could change how I think or feel about you. So just say what you wanna say. I won't think any less of you."
"I slept with Charlie after the formal," she cried, tears forming in the corners of her eyes.
"So? That's not that big of a deal. Shannon and Lizzie went off early and had sex. Trish and I went off and had sex. And I'm sure that everyone else did the same!" Jeff laughed.
"No, Jeff, I don't think I did the right thing," she said.
"You regret doing it?"
"Yeah, I do."
"Why?"
"It was the first nite we'd been together for how many months? And I go off and sleep with him?! I should have waited. I don't even know if I love him anymore. And now I'm afraid he'll think he owns me."
"Cinder, no one owns you but you. You'll be fine. It's not that big of a deal."
"Well, I feel like now he's my boyfriend again, but I'm scared."
"Of?"
"Of it being like it was before we broke up. I don't know if I can stop it this time."
"If he does any of that to you again, you come straight to me!"
"Please don't tell anyone. And if I do have some problems with Charlie and I come to you, please don't tell anyone."
"But if he's hurting you, Adam should know!"
"No, no one needs to know. Promise me?"
"Alright, I promise."
"Thank you Jeff," she gave him a smile and hugged him tightly.
"CINDER!! GET YOUR ASS DOWN HERE AND OPEN YOUR PRESENT!" Shannon yelled. Cinder laughed and grabbed Jeff's hand, pulling him with her. The minute she stepped into the living room she stepped back. She was awe struck as she looked at the large gift Shannon was holding. "Get your scrawny ass in here!" Cinder walked towards him and smiled.
"What's this?" she asked.
"Well, we all pitched in for your gift this year. ALL of us. You need this. You're gonna do great things Cinder. You're so talented. Even if you couldn't teach my ass," Shannon laughed. "Rip it off girl!"
Cinder ripped off the paper and screamed excitedly. In front of her stood a brand new surfboard. It had tribal designs in light blue on each side and the board itself was white. "Oh my God! You guys, thank you!" she jumped up and down as she went around the room hugging everyone. "This must have cost ya'll a fortune!"
"It was nothing baby," Chris said coolly from the corner.
"Nothing my ass!" she laughed kissing his cheek. "Wow, I really appreciate this! I just wish it were summer so I could go test it out."
Amy, Lizzie, and Shannon looked at each other and smiled. "What would you say is the temperature outside?" Amy asked.
"Oh, couldn't be anymore than 20 degrees," Shannon answered.
"The water couldn't be any colder than that lake that one time, right?" Lizzie asked.
"No, way, guys," Cinder said.
"Yes, way, Cinder!" the three of them chorused.
"SURF! SURF! SURF!" the others chanted. She nodded at then and ran upstairs to grab her gear.
**************************
"Lizzie!" Cinder called from the doorway of her bedroom the nite of the Winter Formal.
"What?!" Lizzie replied sticking her head out of the bedroom. They smiled at each other for a few seconds before the met each other in the hallway.
"Please tell me you have my large silver hoop earrings," Cinder pleaded.
"Yes, I do," Lizzie nodded taking her cousin's hand and pulling her into her room. Lizzie took the earrings off her dresser and handed them to Cinder.
"Thanks," she said putting them through her ears. She took a deep breath and marveled at the Lizzie's dressed. The low cut, halter top, sheer black dress fit her perfectly. Lizzie's hair was pulled back in French braided rows and short stems of baby's breath peeked through. "You look great! Shannon's gonna die!"
"I know. That's the look I was going for," Lizzie smirked stretching out her left leg to show off the knee length slit. "You look great too! Aunt Leeann is gonna flip out on you though."
"Mom isn't the one I'm worried about," Cinder laughed. "It's Adam," Lizzie finished with her. Cinder's dress just as beautiful as Lizzie's, dark blue, with one strap that went over her right shoulder, and thigh high slits on both sides. Her hair matched Lizzie's exactly.
"This is gonna be a lot of fun," Lizzie smiled as she finished her make-up.
"Yeah, I hope so. I'm kinda nervous though."
"Worried about not winning Queen?"
"No, worried about what everyone is gonna say about my date."
"Ah, yes, the mystery date. Who is it anyways?"
"You'll just have to wait and see," Cinder laughed.
"Hmm, it's not Matt Hyson is it?!"
"No, it's not. Not even close."
"That really scary senior that sits by himself all the time? Um, the one that sometimes talks to the two Spanish exchange students. What the hell is his name?!"
"Chris Benoit?"
"YES! Him, it's not him is it?"
"No it's definitely not Chris."
"I wish you'd tell me," Lizzie said looking at her cousin as Cinder looked out the window.
"The worst part about all this is though, that if Adam doesn't kill me for the dress, he'll certainly kill me for my date," Cinder said watching a black limo stop in front of the house. "Well, they're all here."
"So who's up for King?" Lizzie asked as she and Cinder linked their arms.
"Um, Charlie, Adam, Andrew, Rob, and Shane McMahon. So it should be funny if both Adam and I win," Cinder laughed as they walked down the stairs.
"You girls look beautiful," Leeann said taking pictures as they descended the stairs. Cinder blushed at the comment while Lizzie nodded knowingly.
"Holy," Adam started as he came out of the kitchen.
"ADAM!" Leeann yelled threateningly interrupting her son.
"Could you wear clothes?" he finished.
"No Adam. It's just not me," Cinder replied sarcastically as their friends walked through the door. Shannon lifted Lizzie in the air and smiled as he looked her up and down, studying every part of her.
"You look beautiful baby," Shannon whispered to Lizzie.
"Yeah, I know," Lizzie laughed kissing his cheek.
"Cinder, may Trish and I have a word with you?!" Amy exclaimed pulling her into the living room as Cinder's mystery date walked in the door.
"Listen, I know what you're gonna say, but I was desperate!" she said.
"Cinder, I'm sure we could have found a better date for you than him!" Trish yelled quietly pointing to the door. He stood back, trying to stay away from everyone.
"I don't care, you guys. He asked and I accepted. Deal with it! God! Why does everyone think they can control my life!" she yelled at her best friends.
"We're just trying to look out for you! Really," Amy said softly.
"Then let me make my own decisions. Whether they be bad, good, or otherwise. It's my life. Jesus Christ!" Cinder said storming away from them.
"Cinder, why him?" Adam growled.
"I don't care Adam! Leave me alone!" she screamed walking over to her date.
"You look beautiful, C," he said.
"Thanks, Charlie, you look really nice," she smiled as he placed the corsage on her wrist.
******************
"I'm glad you agreed to come with me tonite," Charlie said as they danced closely to a slow song.
"Yeah, well, you asked," she shrugged.
"I know that I did a lot of bad shit to you. And I'm sorry. I wouldn't hurt you on purpose. You know that. That's not the kind of guy I am."
"I know. But Charlie, you really hurt me. Physically and mentally. It's not an easy thing to get over!"
"I know, but if I was that kind of guy, why would I have waited so long to show you that?"
"I guess you wouldn't, but where are you going with all this?"
"Cinder, I want us to get back together. I love you. Don't you still love me?"
"Yeah, I do, but the pain is still there!"
"And I can't get rid of that pain! I never will be able to. No matter how much I apologize, that pain is still gonna be there! But you know that it wasn't intentional!"
"Charlie, are your parents gonna be home tonite after the dance?" Cinder asked, a smile growing on her face.
"No, they went up to the mountains for the weekend. Why?"
"I wanna go back to your house after. Just you and me. Together. You can prove to me how much you love me, tonite."
"Cinder, are you saying what I think you're saying?"
"Charlie, I wanna sleep with you. What do you say?"
"I don't know, I mean, everything in my body is screaming yes, but I don't want you to be like rushing into anything."
"Charlie, I want this, I want it badly," she said biting his ear softly.
"Okay," he agreed.
"Alright kids, gather around. It's time to announce the King and Queen of the Winter Formal," Mr. Flair announced with a goofy smile on his face. Everyone stood attentively awaiting the announcement of the winners. Charlie gripped Cinder's hand tightly and she smiled up at him. Her eyes drifted past him and landed on Shane. He looked so good in his tux and for a second she thought he was alone, until Melissa walked up and handed him some punch. The smile on his face made her stomach churn with sadness and some anger. "And the King of the Winter Formal is…………………….ADAM COPELAND!" Adam high-fived some of his football buddies and kissed Alanah. He jumped onto the stage and some freshman girl eagerly crowned him. His smile was large and he wore his famous black sunglasses, although Cinder didn't know why. She just laughed at him and clapped for him. "And now the Queen is…………………….surprisingly, Cinder Copeland." He announced it as if he had been upset with the outcome. Charlie, however, picked her up in his arms and hugged her tightly, kissing her passionately. She could hear some of the girls boo her as she walked up to the stage, but she tried to ignore them. There was a freshman boy standing next to Adam, ready with her tiara. He placed it on her head carefully and Adam took her hand as they stepped into the middle of the dance floor and started their dance together.
"Cinder," he stared. She gave him a look that told him he had better not start on Charlie, but she knew that he probably wouldn't pay attention so she interrupted him.
"Adam, don't you fucking start. I love Charlie. You know that. Yes he hurt me, badly, but he's sorry for that and I forgive him. That's not the kind of guy he is. You know that. Yes, he may be a jackass at times, but he's sweet. He loves me Adam, he wouldn't try to hurt me. Just leave it alone," she pleaded her case.
"I don't trust him Cin," he said.
"Then just trust me. Trust me to be able to handle myself," she replied looking up into his blue eyes.
"I do trust you. I don't know why, but I do. I love you," he smiled.
"Love you too, big brother," she laughed resting her head on his shoulder.
When their song ended she found Lizzie standing by the punch table, probably waiting for Shannon. Lizzie hugged her tightly and marveled at the tiara on her cousin's head. "Congratulations Queen!" she joked.
"Thanks. Um, Lizzie, could you do me a favor?" Cinder asked quietly.
"Sure, I don't see why not. What is it?"
"Well, could you cover for me and Charlie when we don't show up at Fred's afterwards?"
"Why?"
"We're goin back to his house."
"No, Cinder, I don't think so. I don't know him, but I know that he's not a good guy."
"Come on Lizzie, be a good friend. Be my cousin. Ya know, you're my favorite cousin."
"Cinder, I'm your ONLY cousin."
"True, but that doesn't mean you can't be my favorite cousin. Come on, please?"
"Alright. I'll do it. But you owe me big time!"
"I know, just name it when the time comes!"
"When are you gonna be back?"
"Oh before anyone gets up. I just need you to unlock my window so I can climb in my room when I get home."
"Alright, no problem."
"Thank you SO much! I love you," Cinder smiled.
"Yeah, me too," Lizzie replied in an unsure tone. "Just be careful, alright?"
"Don't worry, I'll be fine. I can take care of myself."
Cinder walked off and found Charlie. He held onto her tightly as he talked to some of the guys on the wrestling team. She felt like things were back to normal, even though there was a part of her telling her something wasn't right and things were going to go terribly wrong.
********************
She kissed Charlie goodnite before climbing up the ladder to her window. She threw her shoes up on the roof and finished her climb. Charlie made sure she was up all the way before pulling the ladder away from the roof and waving goodbye to her. She opened her window and silently climbed into her room. She threw her shoes in the corner of her room. Suddenly she caught a figure out of the corner of her eye and she spun around to see Adam sitting at her desk with his hands folded in his lap waiting for her.
"Adam," she said.
"Cinder, I see you decided to come home."
"Yeah, um, I know, but Lizzie I'm sure has already told you why I'm late."
"Yeah, she tried. But I knew she was lying. She broke down and told me the truth when we got home. So, how was it? Was it everything you ever wanted it to be? Did you love it? Do you want it again? When's the next time?"
"Adam, stop," Cinder cried.
"No, I'm serious, I wanna know."
"Adam, I just, stay out of my business!"
"Cinder, I'm trying to look out for you here!"
"Ya know what? I don't care anymore. It's no longer your job to look out for me. It's MINE!"
"Fine, if that's how you wanna be, then whatever. But don't come crying to me when shit blows up in your face!" Adam yelled just quiet enough to not wake anyone. He stormed out of her room and she collapsed on her bed.
"God, what have I done? Why did I do this? It wasn't right," Cinder cried into her pillow. "I wish I could just take back this whole nite. Hell, I wish I could just take everything back and start over."
"Hey, Cinder," she hear Lizzie's voice but didn't turn over to look at her. "I know you probably don't like me right now. But I was worried. I didn't want you to get hurt. You're my cousin. You're my best friend. I gotta look out for your crazy ass. Just like you have to look out for mine. Listen, Adam like pulled it out of me anyways. I tried to cover for you. I really did, it just didn't work out very well. I'm sorry." She heard Lizzie leave her room.
*******************
"Merry Christmas ya'll!" Shannon exclaimed walking into the living room.
"Merry Christmas baby," Lizzie smiled kissing him before pulling him to the couch. Cinder sat in the corner, away from everyone, sipping hot chocolate.
"Hey, Cin!" Jeff said walking over to her. She smiled at him but said nothing. "Hey, come on. It's Christmas. Cheer up!" He hugged her and she pulled away quickly. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing, Jeff," she replied softly.
"I know there's something wrong. It's not like you to be all down and shit about nothing," he said.
"Jeff, just go join everyone else and have a good time," she said.
"How can I when one of my best friends isn't?" he questioned walking away.
"Hey, Jeff, can I talk to you?" she called to him. He turned around and smiled at her. She stood and they both went up stairs into her room.
"What's up?" he asked as they sat on the bed.
"First, Jeff, I want you to know that I haven't spoken to anyone about this. Second, since the first day that I met you, I knew you and I would be close. You're my best friend. And although I may know Amy and Shannon better and their still my best friends, you're probably closer to me. Third, I just don't want you to think bad things about me when I say this," she sighed, waiting for a response.
"Cinder, nothing you say could change how I think or feel about you. So just say what you wanna say. I won't think any less of you."
"I slept with Charlie after the formal," she cried, tears forming in the corners of her eyes.
"So? That's not that big of a deal. Shannon and Lizzie went off early and had sex. Trish and I went off and had sex. And I'm sure that everyone else did the same!" Jeff laughed.
"No, Jeff, I don't think I did the right thing," she said.
"You regret doing it?"
"Yeah, I do."
"Why?"
"It was the first nite we'd been together for how many months? And I go off and sleep with him?! I should have waited. I don't even know if I love him anymore. And now I'm afraid he'll think he owns me."
"Cinder, no one owns you but you. You'll be fine. It's not that big of a deal."
"Well, I feel like now he's my boyfriend again, but I'm scared."
"Of?"
"Of it being like it was before we broke up. I don't know if I can stop it this time."
"If he does any of that to you again, you come straight to me!"
"Please don't tell anyone. And if I do have some problems with Charlie and I come to you, please don't tell anyone."
"But if he's hurting you, Adam should know!"
"No, no one needs to know. Promise me?"
"Alright, I promise."
"Thank you Jeff," she gave him a smile and hugged him tightly.
"CINDER!! GET YOUR ASS DOWN HERE AND OPEN YOUR PRESENT!" Shannon yelled. Cinder laughed and grabbed Jeff's hand, pulling him with her. The minute she stepped into the living room she stepped back. She was awe struck as she looked at the large gift Shannon was holding. "Get your scrawny ass in here!" Cinder walked towards him and smiled.
"What's this?" she asked.
"Well, we all pitched in for your gift this year. ALL of us. You need this. You're gonna do great things Cinder. You're so talented. Even if you couldn't teach my ass," Shannon laughed. "Rip it off girl!"
Cinder ripped off the paper and screamed excitedly. In front of her stood a brand new surfboard. It had tribal designs in light blue on each side and the board itself was white. "Oh my God! You guys, thank you!" she jumped up and down as she went around the room hugging everyone. "This must have cost ya'll a fortune!"
"It was nothing baby," Chris said coolly from the corner.
"Nothing my ass!" she laughed kissing his cheek. "Wow, I really appreciate this! I just wish it were summer so I could go test it out."
Amy, Lizzie, and Shannon looked at each other and smiled. "What would you say is the temperature outside?" Amy asked.
"Oh, couldn't be anymore than 20 degrees," Shannon answered.
"The water couldn't be any colder than that lake that one time, right?" Lizzie asked.
"No, way, guys," Cinder said.
"Yes, way, Cinder!" the three of them chorused.
"SURF! SURF! SURF!" the others chanted. She nodded at then and ran upstairs to grab her gear.