Not So Cinderella

by Rebekah L. Thompson

  My anger and frustration build, so I stand, unable to stay still, and pace the room. I run my hand down my face, and again, Chase watches me.

  “Drake, you don’t know for sure. All you can do is confront her, ask her about it,” he tells me, and that’s it. Yelling, I spin and hammer my fist into the wall.

  It goes straight through the wall, leaving a hole. Chase jumps up, and footsteps sound immediately on the stairs. “Whoa, calm down. What’s gotten into you?” He pulls me away from the wall, restrains my hands behind me, and orders me to calm down at the moment Ross and Alec burst into the room.

  “Okay, okay. I’m good.” I stop struggling, and Chase slowly lets me go.

  “You care for this girl, huh?” Alec points out, earning a glare from me. He raises his hands in surrender, but he smiles. “I only speak the truth,” he utters, leaning against the wall as I sit back down on my bed. Chase sits back in the chair, and Ross takes the spot next to Alec.

  “I don’t know why, but I feel this connection with her. When I first saw her in class, I just knew,” I sigh, putting my face in my hands.

  “She didn’t fawn over me like everyone else. She was… is annoyingly cute. Then, I saw her dancing in her room, and she looked free, unlike she does at school. I mean, come on, didn’t you guys feel a connection to her?” I ask, hoping that I don’t sound like a wimp. It’s not normal to have a connection so quickly, especially if it seems one-sided. Is it?

  Ross laughs and sits next to me. “Dude, I chased her out of the school when you upset her,” he looks pointedly at me. “She acted sweet, unlike when everyone’s around, and vulnerable.” My eyebrows pull together as I take in the information. “Anyway, I want to protect her too, like she’s my little sister.”

  “Yeah, I felt something. I tried to ignore it, but when Ross introduced her at lunch, she looked scared. I didn’t like it, and when I saw the disgusting way her teacher looked at her, I wanted to help her. Don’t know what it is, but I feel it,” Chase tells me, and we all stare at him. He never likes anyone outside of our group, except for his girlfriend. “She made me think of Kim,” he admits, and I feel the anger build again.

  “What happened to Kim better not be happening to Athena,” I growl, thinking about how we had to get Kim, Chase’s girlfriend, away from her abusive father.

  “I like her. She’s sweet, and she’s helping me with something for school. I feel the nerd connection,” Alec speaks up, making my anger diminish a bit. Nerd connection? What the hell is that? I’m about to talk when Chase speaks up first.

  “What we’re saying is that she’s great, but you need to give her time. She’s not ready for friends right now, so she’s probably not ready for a boyfriend. You need to show her you’re here, and you’re willing to wait,” Chase says, his eyebrows raised a bit as if to ask if I understand, and I groan again.

  Waiting isn’t my strength.

  “But she doesn’t even want to talk to me. How am I going to get her to fall for me?” I ask, then point out, “Especially if I did that?” I just can’t get it out of my mind. Scenarios run through my head of ways I can make it up to Athena if I’m right. Apologies? Gifts? Time? Let her beat me? I have to think of something.

  Chase rubs the back of his neck and looks down to think. “IF she is Cinder Wolf, then she knows the consequences of fighting. I’m not saying it’s a good thing, but we’ve seen that Cinder Wolf can take care of herself, so if they’re the same girl, Athena can take care of herself too,” he explains. I know and understand what he’s saying. I see that it’s true, but I can’t help worry still.

  “She doesn’t need a knight in shining armor, Drake. Show her you’re not the terrible bad boy people say you are,” he instructs, and I nod. I take in everything that Chase said and let it sink in. He really is smart, probably because he had to grow up quickly. He and Alec arrived first at the orphanage, then me and Ross.

  “Okay, I’ll take it slow and let her come to me.”

  Athena

  As soon as I can force my eyes open, revealing an unfamiliar room, panic rises in me. A beeping noise near me speeds up, and I look around. “Where am I? How’d I get out?” I cry out, a dull pain pulsing in my side. A second later, a woman in purple scrubs rushes into my room. She bustles over to me and lays her hands on my shoulders, stopping me from moving.

  “Honey, you’re in the hospital.” Hospital. The last thing I remember is being stuck in the closet and screaming.

  “How did I get here?” I ask, my voice rough to even my ears, likely from all the screaming. She removes her hands from my shoulders and grabs a glass of water that’s sitting on the side table. I take a few sips of it as she sits in the chair by my bed.

  “Your brother and a handsome young man brought you in yesterday.,” she tells me sweetly, her smile widening when she says ‘handsome young man.’ I nod. “Your brother said you got jumped and beaten. You had some internal bleeding and broken ribs, but we took care of that right quick.” Everything comes back in a flood of memories and flashes.

  Fighting Drake.

  Broken ribs.

  School.

  Lucas.

  Janitor’s closet.

  Blood.

  Screaming.

  Pleading for help.

  Darkness.

  My breathing quickens, causing the beeping sound next to me to speed up again. Oh, God. The glass cup slips out of my hand and crashes to the floor. The nurse jumps to her feet. “Athena, I need you to breathe; just breathe,” she tells me. Gripping her hand, I try to take deep breaths. In and out. In and out.

  “What’s going on!?” I look toward the door to see Mason with a coffee in his hand. My breathing slows to normal as he rushes over and pulls me into a comforting hug. It’s the best thing ever, having his arms around me.

  “Mase?” Tears well up in my eyes. I remember the thoughts of not seeing him again. I wrap my arms around him tightly, holding on. He hugs me back, and it’s the best feeling ever. When something is uncertain, like seeing someone you love again, having that person hold you feels fantastic.

  “Shhh, you’re okay. I’m right here,” Mason whispers as I cry into his shoulder. “It’s okay, you don’t have to cry,” he keeps whispering, and I can’t help but wish my dad was here to hold me or to hold both of us, which makes me think back to what happened to him.

  “Dad!” I yell and struggle as two men drag my dad away. He thrashes against them, keeping his worried eyes pinned on me.

  “Let her go!” He yells before the big, bald man punches my dad in the stomach.

  “Shut up, Wolf!” He growls, waving a gun in the air. I whimper at the deadly weapon and try not to cry out. These men wouldn’t appreciate me making noise. My dad’s eyes widen when he sees the gun.

  The men continue to drag us along until we’re in a deserted building. Two men slam my dad into a chair, and the man holding me does the same, right across from my dad. The men all exit the room, leaving Dad and me alone. I peer up at my dad with tears running down my face. “You’re going to be okay,” he tells me with a sad look on his face. I shake my head. Will we?

  “Daddy, I’m scared,” I cry, and his eyes angrily follow something behind me.

  I strain to look behind me. The big, bald man stalks toward us. They tie my hands behind me, so I can’t move. He eyes me before looking at my dad. “Well, Wolf,” he calls my dad by his fighting name. My dad is a street fighter and a good one. He started teaching me to fight a few years, but I’m no match for a bunch of big men.

  “Why didn’t you throw the fight?” The bald man asks, grabbing my dad by the hair and pulling his head backward. My dad grunts in pain, and I whimper.

  “Because I fight fair. I’m not one of your puppets. I have honor and morals. You can’t take that away,” my dad sneers at the large man. Tears continue falling down my cheeks as I watch the man’s face burn with rage. Someone pulls my head back, and I scream in pain.

  “Don’t hurt her!” My father yells, an
ger evident in his voice.

  “You may have your honor and morals, but you no longer have a life,” the bald man taunts.

  BANG

  Liquid splatters all over my face and the front of my body. I gasp as the warm liquid rolls down my cheeks, mixing with my tears. I look up at the most horrifying thing I’ve ever seen- my father with a hole in his head.

  “NO!!” I scream, fear and horror ripping through me. “DADDY!” I wiggle in my binds and keep crying. I can’t force my eyes away from my dead father. The menacing laughter of the bald man mixes with my screams.

  When I finally look away, someone slaps a piece of duct tape over my mouth. “Shut up and be grateful I don’t kill kids. If you say anything about this,” the man growls, grips my chin, and makes me look at my father, “You’ll end up the same way.” I cry as he picks me up and throws me over his shoulder.

  He carries me out to my dad’s car and opens the trunk. I try to protest and scream, but he slaps me. “Shut up!” He throws me into the back of my father’s car. The ropes around my wrists burn my skin as I try to wiggle free.

  My gangly thirteen-year-old body barely fits in the small trunk, making me feel trapped. The big bald man slams the door shut, leaving me in darkness.

  “Athena, look at me.” Mason’s voice pulls me from the horrible memory. I look up at him through blurry, tear-filled eyes and watch as the severe wrinkles around his eyes soften. “You’re okay now. I’m here,” he says, cupping my cheek and wiping the tears away.

  “Mason, I-I miss Mom and Dad.” He sucks in a breath and hugs me again.

  “Me too,” he murmurs, watching me. I can’t take the stare, so I close my eyes and force myself to calm down. Freaking out and becoming hysterical helped no one, and it won’t help me now. I take some deep breaths, following the nurse’s advice from earlier. In and out. Over and over.

  I don’t get flustered; it makes me seem weak, but I hate remembering my dad that way. I prefer to remember him happy. At night, after he’d get back from fighting, how he’d sit on my bed and tell me all about the fight and how he won. Or I think about when his eyes would shine with pride after I learned a new fighting move.

  Occasionally I’d hate seeing him leave for fights. He wouldn’t take me even if I begged, except for on special occasions, after I’d turned twelve, and only if there was someone he trusted to look after me while he fought. Other times, he’d tell me it was too dangerous, and he wouldn’t put me in danger.

  After a few minutes, I open my eyes, and he pulls out of the hug, giving me a small smile. He settles on the end of my bed and watches me.

  “Mase,” I mumble, picking at the covers. “Would Dad be disappointed that I’m fighting?”

  With a small smile, he leans in and squeezes my hand. “He’d be so proud, Thea,” he whispers, then kisses my hand. We sit there for a bit in silence, thinking about it, and while we sit, I think about the hell hole Lucas stuck me in.

  “How’d you find me?” I ask, thinking back to why I’m in here. I was in that closet for a long time. At least, it felt like a long time. Hours, honestly. I didn’t think I’d get out in time. Thanks to Mason, though, I’m okay.

  Mason looks away and sighs. Is that guilt? “Actually, Drake found you,” he tells me, and my eyes widen.

  “He did?”

  “Yeah,” he answers, nodding his head, “We all searched, but he’s the one who found you and kicked the door in.” He flips his hand over in a lazy gesture to motion to Drake, who isn’t here.

  Drake broke down the door. He kicked a door in for me- to save me. My prince clad in dark jeans and leather to save me. I push the thought away and think about what Mason said. He said ‘they,’ which I can only assume means Drake and his friends. They all did that for me, so honestly, I can’t be mad anymore. They helped save my life. They didn’t leave me.

  I lay back and stare at the bland ceiling. This was their way of proving that they can break free of the mold others have put them in. “I guess I owe him,” I pause. I owe them- all of them. “Should I give them a chance?”

  Mason looks up at my question. “Yeah, I think you should. I don’t think they’re your normal bad boys. Sure, they dress the part and fight, but they’re not bad guys,” he tells me. Ross said the same thing.

  “I even think that Drake likes you,” he tells me, making me turn my head. Did he just say… what?

  “How would you know?” I question, narrowing my eyes. Did Drake tell Mason something? Or is this just Mason messing with me? He likes to do that sometimes, says it’s his duty as my brother.

  “Well, he went crazy when we couldn’t find you, not to mention that he punched a stall in the bathroom when we were waiting for you to get out of surgery,” he explains. I stay quiet. He was so worried or upset that he’d risked injury. “He even noticed that you got hurt in the same place he hit you in the fight…” Mason pauses, his teeth worrying his bottom lip. I watch him with interest.

  “He-asked-if-you-were-Cinder-Wolf,” he blurts, the words stringing together, but I understand him. How could I not?

  “What? What did you tell him?” I shriek, causing his eyes to widen. It wasn’t my best reaction.

  Mason explains how he gave our practiced excuse of me getting mugged. When I started fighting more, I knew any injuries I got would show up, so Mason and I came up with a plan. Anytime someone found an injury, we’d say that someone attacked me or assaulted me while I was out if the damage was bad enough. Plan B, basically.

  Humming, I nod.

  “I admit, I kind of like all of them, but I’m not sure if I want them to know just yet,” I tell him, picking nervously at the covers again. I rarely let people into my inner circle. “Do you think they’ll hate me? What will Drake think? He’s the one who did this to me! What’s he going to say?” I fire my questions at my brother, and he laughs. I glare as he bends over, laughing. It’s not funny.

  “I don’t think Drake is the only one with a crush.”

  I grab the pillow from behind me and smack him with it. I hit him twice, but not hard enough to hurt him, though.

  “Hey! Hey! I’m just calling it like I see it!” Mason laughs, raising his hands in mock surrender. Rolling my eyes, I stuff the pillow behind me and glare at him. I’ve never really liked anyone. I mean, yeah, Drake is good-looking, and he’s sweet when he wants to be. He doesn’t treat me like everyone else, but he’s just nice, right? I’ve tried to push him away, but in an annoyingly loyal or pushy way, he keeps coming back.

  “I think you like him,” Mason says, making me even more confused.

  “She likes who?” A male voice asks from the door. I look up, and my eyes widen.

  Chapter 10

  Drake (earlier in the day)

  As I walk out of the house, I slide on my black jacket to combat the cool morning air. The guys left ten minutes ago with Chase, so I lock the house and walk alone to my black Audi. I jump in and back out of my driveway, speeding past a few cars.

  A few minutes later, I pull into the school parking lot and the spot beside Chase’s jeep. I nod. This morning, I’d told them I wanted a few minutes alone to get my head together. Chase leans against the driver’s door, Ross perches on the hood, and Alec leans against the passenger doors, reading a book.

  “We’re late again,” Alec sighs as I step out of my car. I chuckle, clicking the car’s lock button. He’s always the one to point out if we’re late, especially when it’s about school.

  “Then we better go in, huh?” I tease. He makes a face at me, his eye twitching, and walks away. I stayed up all night thinking about Athena, forgot to set my alarm clock, and got up late. Since we took her in yesterday, I’ve thought of nothing but her.

  We walk into the school and down the hallway until we stop in front of our English class. I know she won’t be there, and now I have nobody to tease. Not that I tease her in a mean way, but I enjoy teasing her. Usually, she blushes, and it’s so cute... I shake the thoughts out of my head and open the d
oor.

  “You’re late.”

  “Shove off, old man,” I growl, ignoring the teacher’s protests about us being late yet again and walking back to my seat. Today will be boring.

  As the class goes on, the teacher glances back to where Athena usually sits. Ha! She’s not here, you creep! It takes everything in me not to say the words out loud. He seriously can’t help himself. Someone needs to do something about this. I’ll have to talk to Athena about what she wants to do.

  Looking over at the guys, I see Ross is flicking tiny paper balls at Lexi, making her flinch and sneer as each ball pelts her. I shake my head and laugh, silently approving. Athena would probably laugh too… if she was here. I look to Chase to see that he’s texting- probably Kim. Alec, well, Alec is paying attention like always.

  So, as the minutes pass slowly, I pull my phone out and scroll through social media, play games, and do a google search on building trust. I’m halfway through an article when the bell rings. I’m glad to leave, even though I have more classes. The guys and I walk to History, only to find Mason isn’t here. He’s probably still at the hospital with Athena, the one place I’d rather be.

  Again, I play games throughout the class, waiting for the stupid bell to ring. It’s a waiting game. I should’ve just skipped. As I sit on my phone, I get an idea. I close out my game and pull up my text messages, opening the recently added number.

  Me: Hey, the guys and I are stopping by after school. And how’s Athena doing? What’s her favorite color, flower, and animal?

  After a few minutes, my phone buzzes.

  Mason: That’s fine. She still isn’t awake.

  Color: blue

  Flower: Lily

  Animal: Elephant

  I thank him, and I put my phone away. I hope she wakes up soon.

  ~*~

  The guys and I sit down at the lunch table and start eating. “I’m going to visit Athena after school. You guys coming?”

  Ross slaps his hand on the table and nods. “Heck, yeah!”

  Chase rolls his eyes at Ross’s excitability and chuckles, “I’m in.”