Hey everyone! Sorry for my hiatus. Thanks for being so patient!
Chapter 10: Cindy POV
Homecoming may have only been the second largest dance (after prom, which would always be come first on the social scale at Castle Heights) but to it certainly felt like the biggest deal.
Since Castle Heights outlawed having a prom queen in the nineties, homecoming was the only forum girls had to prove their popularity. It was also largely based on the football team's ability to beat other teams, which meant one thing: the biggest pep rally of the year.
At Castle Heights, we had a whole week of festivities leading up to the big homecoming game. On Monday, everyone in the entire school voted for homecoming attendants and escorts. Wednesday held a huge bake sale to help pay off the debt for the dance. The attendants were announced on Thursday at a huge pep rally, with another pep rally/bonfire taking place right after school on Friday. Those festivities lasted until midnight on Friday. At halftime during the game, the queen was crowned and the attendants were escorted by the escorts down the field in a grand show of superiority. Homecoming week was rounded out by the actual dance on Saturday. Girls wore short, formal dresses, guys wore dress shirts and pants, and it was basically just an advertisement, in my opinion.
At least, that's what I thought until I heard wind of Ripley Hart helping me to campaign for sophomore attendant.
When Alana Current had told me, I didn't believe it. But she'd insisted that Ripley, Arista, and my surprisingly kind step-sisters had been telling people to vote for me. Seeing as Ellen, Oprah, and I competed for everything, (whether it was looks, allowance, or our parents' attention) I found this hard to believe. But they had all been nicer to me. In fact, at the last football game they'd invited me out to eat with them. When I'd gotten mustard on my cheerleading uniform, Ripley offered to get it dry cleaned. "It always makes my uniform last longer," she'd assured me with a flip of her hair.
So on Thursday, I was beyond thrilled to get the voting results back.
"Girls! Hurry up and change!" Ms. Queen barked. Jeez, could the woman talk at a normal volume? Alana must have read my mind because she rolled her eyes at me. We'd been called out forty-five minutes early, but Ms. Queen had taken more than half of that stretching. I knew I was the best cheerleader on the squad and was usually confident about our routines, but now? She had me a little stressed.
Ripley strutted over to me. As usual, her bra and underwear matched. The girl seriously needed to prioritize. "Here's your uniform, Cindy. I hope it's okay," she said sincerely. Her smile was wider than usual. I took the white bag out of her hands.
"Thanks so much!" I beamed, returning her enthusiasm. I tugged open the strings and pulled on the skirt. You couldn't even tell the mustard had once been there. I pulled my hair back into a ponytail before pulling on my newly cleaned top. It was choppier than usual since I'd gotten layers. But it looked cute. I quickly powdered my forehead and touched up my eyeliner.
The top looked a little… different. I unbuttoned my printed chambray shirt and raised my tank top over my head. Unfortunately, my bra had been selected today because it wouldn't show under my uniform, not because it really did anything for my only average sized rack. But whatever. I snuck a glance at Jessica Rabbit, who looked almost pornographic in her top. Unlike my step-mother, Marchesa Tremaine, those were home-grown. And helped by a thick layer of padding. But still real.
"Ten minutes!" Ms. Queen shouted. I shook away my thoughts and slid my top on. Immediately I noticed something wasn't right.
Our cheerleading uniforms were long-sleeved and supposed to reach the top of the low-rise skirt. But this top?
The bottom of the shirt was barely below my bra.
"Alana?" I said, aware of how feeble my voice sounded. I tried to tug it down further, but I wouldn't budge. It was two inches away from a full blown wardrobe malfunction. My eyes stung.
"Oh my God!" she squealed, her purple eyes wide. Alana looked around frantically. "Ripley, do you have an extra top?"
Ripley tilted her head and smiled. Her smile was far too saccharine for my liking. "Why, no, I'm afraid that's the only one I've got in Cindy's size," she simpered, feigning innocence the way some girls lie their ways into bars. Oprah turned to me and cackled. Ellen snickered behind her hand. Jessica's smile was full of venom. Arista looked confused, but I was too hurt to care.
They had planned to humiliate me in front of the whole school.
My stomach turned and I felt like I was going to cry, throw up, and punch Ripley right in her smug little face. Alana looked sympathetic. I needed a hero.
And I unexpectedly got one. In the form of a wolf whistle.
"Wow!" Jasmine Walters called from across the locker room. She strolled over to stand in front of me, her hands on her hips. Her eyes trailed up and down my body in a way that made me blush. Confusingly enough, she wasn't laughing.
"It looks like those sit-ups have been paying off, Payton," Jasmine said with a laugh, shaking her head slightly. "You're totally the only one in here who could pull off a crop top and not look slutty."
"T-thank you?" I stuttered. I'm sure my shock was apparent. Ripley raised an eyebrow in Jasmine's direction. Jessica crossed her arms. Ellen tried tucking her uniform's top up to reveal her stomach, but cringed at the sight of her untoned tummy.
Ms. Queen's whistle almost deafened us. "Girls! I want you all out here now! We have two minutes until the other students get here!"
Ripley pushed through the door to the locker room, flanked by Oprah and Ellen. Everyone else shuffled after them. I tapped Jasmine on the shoulder.
"Thank you so much," I whispered. "I think I would've cried if you hadn't saved me."
Jasmine shrugged. "It's no problem." She paused, bringing a finger to her lips. "But there is something you could do for me."
I felt confused. "I owe you one."
She brought her mouth to my ear. "I need you to watch Rapunzel Roth for me." Without another word, she spun around and walked into the gym.
I tried to process this new information. What did she want with Rapunzel Roth? We had a lot of the same classes, sure, but I wouldn't say we were friends. Then again, she'd single-handedly saved me from Ripley and her goons. She didn't have to do that.
Rapunzel Roth would have to be a casualty in the war forming in the ranks of the varsity cheer squad.
I jogged into the gym, aware of how my abdominal muscles stayed firm and didn't jiggle. Maybe there was truth in Jasmine's words. I guess I did look good.
I waited behind the main door to the gym. They started by filing kids into their seats and announcing the band. Ms. Queen grabbed the megaphone and introduced the varsity cheerleading squad. I plastered on an overly wide smile and ran onto the gym floor, shaking my pom-poms as if my life depended on it. Then we made our V formation, with me (and my full exposed stomach) front and center. As the sound of Gwen Stefani's "Hollaback Gurl" poured from the speakers, I lit up the floor.
There was a reason I was Ripley's co-captain: I was good. I was really, really good. My movements were crisp and precise, my arms formed perfect ninety degree angles, and when Jessica, Arista, and Oprah lifted me for a stunt, I pulled my right foot behind my head like it was nothing. So what if I was wearing a uniform that broke all traditions? I was on fire.
After the routine, I took my seat in the front row of the bleachers. Unfortunately, I was forced to sit next to Babette Plumeau, who smelled funky, had sex with the French teacher, and talked nonstop in an annoying accent. I scooted as close to Alana as I could without being obvious.
Mr. Haden, the junior's English teacher with blue hair, stood in the center of the gym floor with a microphone. "Good afternoon, Castle Heights!" he called in an announcer voice than would've belonged on the radio. The stands erupted in cheering. He cocked his hip. "Are you all ready to hear who will be representing our fine school as homecoming attendants?"
I cheered as loudly as I could, but my voice was drowned out by the roar filling the walls of the gym. I was so excited that I couldn't stop bouncing my legs. "Salut!" Babette hissed in my ear. She tapped my bare knee. I tried to control myself, but it was kind of hard. Nobody had ever really paid attention to me. Like, yeah, people knew I was a pretty popular beauty blogger, and a great cheerleader, and smart, and good, and yeah. But I wasn't going to be a homecoming attendant because of that. I was going to be homecoming attendant because I was me.
And, okay, because Ripley Hart wanted to ruin my life. But can we forget that already?
"The freshmen escorts will be Arthur King and Chip Potts," Mr. Haden said into the microphone. A smattering of polite applause sounded as a blonde and dark haired guy wearing a football jersey walked to stand behind him. The dark haired guy stuck his fist in the air. Some of the other freshmen guys laughed at this gesture. Babette rolled her eyes. "Quel imbécile," she muttered. I knew enough French to know she wasn't saying something very nice.
"The first freshmen homecoming attendant is…" Mr. Haden took a pause. You could hear a pin drop. He gave us an evil grin before yelling "Tina Bell!" A blonde girl with a huge bun strutted to the middle of the floor. A large gaggle of freshmen girls who always wore clothes proclaiming them as dancers yelled and cheered. A red-headed boy sitting smack dab in the middle of all of those girls stood up and whistled. Tina didn't even look at him but gave the blonde guy a sappy smile.
"Okay, everyone, quiet down." Mr. Haden tried fruitlessly to quiet the crowd. At least ten freshmen girls looked frightened. One looked ready to puke. Mr. Haden held the piece of paper in front of his face and read, "The second attendant for the freshman class is… Jane Porter!"
That name rang a bell. She was the freshman who had fought Meg Kormos on the first day of school. A brunette who was sitting with a large group of juniors rose from the bleachers with a self-satisfied smirk on her face. Her classmates applauded politely and Jane waved.
Mr. Haden tapped the top of the microphone and snapped his fingers. I kept my eyes glued to his mouth. His lips seemed to be cloaked in a thin layer of lip gloss. "The sophomore escorts will be Hans Westergaard and Eric Shipley," the blue-haired English teacher informed the crowd. He struggled to be heard over a wailing freshman from the JV cheerleading squad. Hans Westergaard was heavily involved in the drama club and also had the best pair of sideburns I'd seen in a while. He blew a kiss to the weeping girl. She seemed so charmed that her sobs subsided into sniffling.
Eric Shipley, a baseball player, was a few inches shorter than Hans but much more handsome. He had piercing blue eyes and dark hair, which was longer and complimented his stubbly chin perfectly. If I wasn't into shorter-haired and cleaner-shaven guys, I'd definitely be interested. He seemed almost embarrassed to be walking across the floor.
I held my breath as Mr. Haden announced the attendants. "The first sophomore attendant is…" he took a dramatic pause. I wanted to choke the name out of him. "Belle Higgins!" Mr. Haden clapped along with the crowd. Belle was taking his creative writing elective class, so he knew and liked her. A curvy, brown-haired girl blushed furiously as she walked to the center of the gym. Her boyfriend was Gaston Avenant, the quarterback. That explained why she was an attendant. Still, Belle was a genuinely nice girl and deserved this honor. Gaston stood from the bleachers and waved ecstatically. Her face froze and she half-heartedly waved back.
That was weird. Maybe she was embarrassed? Belle was so quiet that she only talked when she was answering questions in class.
"We have another sophomore attendant," Mr. Haden reminded the crowd. I felt like I was going to pass out. Alana turned to me and smiled.
"You ready?" she whispered, grabbing my hand. I nodded tensely. I felt ready to pass out.
Mr. Haden's voice seemed to move in slow motion as he boomed, "Cinderella Payton, come on down!"
I exploded with excitement. A huge smile broke onto my face as I stood up, adjusted my skirt, and floated to the gym floor. Alana, Jasmine, and the other underclassmen on the squad stood up and yelled my name. It felt like an out of body experience.
"Congratulation!" Belle strained to be heard over the crowd. I stood next to her and waved to my friends and classmates. It felt good to be standing here. Well, that was the understatement of the century. It felt amazing.
I'd volunteered at countless non-profit organizations. I loved helping other people and had been fueled on nothing but other peoples' gratitude. Principal De Vil had used me as an example to others in the student body to try and motivate them to participate and give back. And while I loved helping, something had always felt a little bit… off.
Standing there, facing my peers and enemies, looking up at the people who'd chosen me to represent them, I realized what I'd been craving: recognition. It was staring me straight in the face and I loved it.
I'd been so stuck in my own thoughts I hadn't noticed a certain gorgeous junior standing next to me.
Luke Prince stood so close beside me that I could've breathed on him if I was only slightly more awkward. I gawked for a second before realizing everyone could see me. Jasmine was named as the first junior homecoming attendant and she ran straight into Flynn Rider's arms. Watching them made me realize that Luke Prince and I could be the same kind of golden couple they were, if not even more so.
Even though Jasmine had stuck her neck out for me, she still had horrible blonde highlights. So there.
"Our other junior attendant is Mulan Lu!" Mr. Haden proclaimed loudly. Either the microphone batteries were going out or he was just trying too hard to be louder than the bleachers. The entire football team stood up and yelled as Mulan, clad in her football jersey and jeans, walked over. She looked confused but exhilarated. She looked out of place with Jasmine and I in our cheerleading uniforms, but happy. It was like it had never hit her that she didn't belong here. It must've felt nice.
Jasmine looked at me and coughed pointedly. I crossed my arms self-consciously over my exposed mid-section. Whoops.
Mr. Haden breezed through the names of the senior attendants. Shang Li stood beside Mulan and patted her shoulder. The longtime couple would definitely be walking down the field together. Gaston joined the nervous looking Belle and held her hand. David Kawena, a tall and muscular surfer, stood on the other side of Shang. I noticed Ripley eyeing him. I wondered if he knew to stay far, far away from her?
"So, who wants to know the names of our two senior attendants?" Mr. Haden shouted, abandoning the microphone. I joined the mess of people still sitting in the bleachers to whoop and holler. Mr. Haden grinned mischievously before yelling, "The senior class will be attended by Charlotte Irving and Ellen Tremaine!"
Charlotte was even shorter than I was, and as pure and innocent as fresh snow. She deserved to be a senior attendant, what with being the nicest girl in her class and all. Her smile lit up the entire gym.
I don't think Ellen could've been happier if she had just won the lottery. She jumped out of her seat and screamed at the top of her lungs before almost running over to Mr. Haden. On the other hand, Oprah looked devastated. Her spray-tanned faced turned white and she immediately dissolved into tears. Ripley wrinkled her nose in disgust and inched away from her.
Mr. Haden's face was red with anticipation. "Our two-thousand thirteen homecoming queen will be… Ripley Hart!"
The gym turned into chaos. Aurora Bayle was on her feet before Ripley, shouting about rigged voting and cheating. Jessica Rabbit slumped into her seat and looked absolutely deflated. Babette rolled her eyes and tried to pretend like she hadn't cared at all. The only person in the entire room who looked happier than Ripley was Ms. Queen, who had a poisonous smile on her face.
Ripley stood a few inches taller than all of her attendants and definitely looked the part of a queen. As Mr. Haden began herding the other students out of the gym, a furious Principal De Vil stormed over to the group, followed closely by Ferdinand Waddell.
"Flynn Rider! I know what you did!" she yelled, her overly made-up face bright red. Flynn's shit-eating grin had been replaced with a look of astonishment. He opened his mouth to respond, but was cut off by De Vil jabbing her finger into his chest.
"You will not serve as an escort and you have detention tomorrow after school," she finished, ending her sentence with an evil grin. Jasmine looked ready to cry. Ferdinand smiled wickedly.
"You're looking at your new junior escort," he told us all. Gaston gave him a high-five. Jasmine shot daggers at him with her eyes.
"Girls, we need to go get changed," Ripley ordered. Then she turned on her heel and marched back to the locker room. Ellen followed obediently. I practically had to drag Jasmine away from Principal De Vil before she got herself in a whole heap of trouble.
Walking into the locker room was like walking into a funeral home. Alana gave me a huge hug, but I couldn't help but notice Oprah's loud bawling. I felt someone yanking on my shoulder and turned to face my tear-stained step sister.
"You!" Oprah hissed. Her green eyes were narrowed and puffy. "You think you're better than me, huh? Because you're smart and pretty and you have a cute bellybutton?"
I had to swallow a giggle. A cute bellybutton? What?
"You're only an attendant because Ellen and I feel sorry for you. Because you're pathetic. Pathetic!" she finished with a yell and stomped out of the room, still in her cheerleading uniform.
Oprah's bad mood couldn't even begin to sour my amazing mood. I was a homecoming attendant. I had stood less than six inches away from Luke Prince. And I had a cute bellybutton!
Could this day get any better?