Not So Cinderella

by Rebekah L. Thompson

  “Athena!”

  At the sound of my name, I spin around. My eyes widen, and tears spill over when I see my brother standing at the other end of the parking lot. I push away from Drake and run, dodging people in my way. When I reach Mason, I throw my arms around him. “Mase,” I sniffle, burying my face in his shoulder.

  I just hug him. I hold him and hold him, squeezing to get him as close as I can. It’s only been days since I saw him, but it was too long.

  “What are you doing here?” He finally speaks, lifting my chin. His eyes have tired bags under them, and his shoulders have a sag to them that tells me he’s not been sleeping well. The glint in his eyes and his relaxed posture tells me he’s relieved that I’m here. I force the tears back.

  “I wanted- no, needed to see you,” I say and detach my arms from my brother. “And I brought your phone and bike,” I add.

  He smiles and kisses my forehead. “I’m glad you came. I wanted to see you, but the home won’t let me go anywhere without transportation.” He scowls, then throws a glance at his bike. “Which you have now provided,” he smirks before he wraps his arm around my shoulders and walks us towards his motorcycle.

  “So, you came out?” He asks, touching the recently dyed silver strands. I nod.

  “I’m tired of pretending to be someone I’m not, and when they took you away... that- that was it,” I tell him, and we stop by his bike. I pull his phone out of my pocket and hand him the keys and his phone. “These are yours.” He takes both items with a smile and looks over at Drake.

  “Hey, man,” he greets, doing a bro hug thing. I smile and attach myself to Mason’s side once they’ve finished.

  Mason looks down at me with a sad smile. “Athena, I have to go. I have a ton of homework and a soccer game tomorrow night I need to practice for,” he says. My mood instantly deflates. I know he doesn’t mean to sound like he’s dismissing me, but my mind jumps to the conclusion.

  “Um, okay,” I mumble. “I’ll just talk to you later. We can find a day to hang out, right?”

  “Yeah. Why don’t you come to my game tomorrow, then we can go out after? That sound good?” He asks, tucking my hair behind my ear. I nod. I’ll be able to see him, and I wouldn’t miss it. He pulls me in for a hug. “Love you, Athena,” he whispers into my hair.

  “Love you too, Mase.”

  We pull apart, and I smile at him, pushing the hurt feeling away. Mason’s eyes fix on a point behind me, then move back, connecting with my eyes. “You go ahead, Thea. I need to talk to Drake for a minute,” he says, and I nod. Drake opens the passenger door and closes it once I’m inside.

  Drake

  He wants to talk to me? This could either be very good or bad. I’m hoping for the good, but his expression doesn’t give much away as he smiles at his sister. Their relationship makes me want a sibling. My parents always told me I was enough. The longing hit me several times over the years and made me wonder what it’d be like to have a sister or brother. Of course, I have the guys, and I like to think of them as family.

  When I close Athena’s door, Mason turns his back to the window, sending an intensely protective glare my way. “Don’t hurt her.”

  “What?” I ask, surprised.

  “I said, don’t hurt her. She’s been hurt enough in her life, and she doesn’t need you hurting her more.” I run my hand through my hair and nod. Anger rises in me, a tidal wave trying to pull me down. I don’t let it. He’s just protective.

  “Can I say something?” I blurt, not wanting to miss this chance. He stops moving and looks back at me. His gaze is a weight on my shoulders, but it’s worth it. “I want to date your sister,” I say, not posing it as a question but giving him a chance to challenge me. If I’m right, he’s the only proper family she has, and it’d be good to have his blessing.

  Mason stares at me for a second before looking behind me at his sister. His eyes flick back to me. “If you promise to protect her.”

  “With my life.”

  Chapter 17

  Athena

  Ring. Ring. Ring.

  Opening my eyes, I rub them, confused by the sudden noise. I look around for a minute before finding my phone lit up on my bedside table. With stiff fingers, I grab my phone, unlock it, and lift it to my ear. “Hello?” I grumble, still rubbing my eyes with my fist.

  What time is it?

  “Thea? Hey, did I wake you?” Mason’s voice says from the other end. Mason? I sit up quickly, and now I’m fully awake. He knows I don’t care if he wakes me.

  “Yeah, but it’s okay,” I whisper, and he chuckles. I lean against my headboard and smile. “Did you need something? Are you okay?” Ever since we met up the other day, the thought of something happening and me not being there for Mason has scared me. “Are they mistreating you? Did you wreck? Are you in the hospital? Did someone –”

  “Thea! I’m fine,” he cuts me off, and I breathe a sigh of relief. I don’t know what I’ll do if he got hurt and I couldn’t be with him. Running a hand through my hair, I sigh again.

  “Oh, okay,” I look down. “I miss you.” I hear something from the other end before he speaks again.

  “Look out your window,” he tells me, and I shoot to my feet. I go over to the window.

  “What are you doing?” I ask, looking at my smiling brother.

  He waves his arm. “Open the window.”

  I quietly flip the latch and pull the window open. There’s not much space between my window and Drake’s, but it’s enough where Mason has set up a ladder and climbed it. He cuts our phone call off, and I notice it’s past midnight. Mason climbs up, and when he reaches my window, I’m wearing the biggest smile.

  “What happens if Alisha finds you here? What happens if they find out you snuck out?” I ask as he climbs into my room. He shrugs and flops down onto my bed.

  “Don’t know, but I felt like coming to see my sister. Screw the consequences,” he tells me. Oh, I love my brother.

  “Okay,” I say, flopping down beside him. He immediately pulls me into his chest and wraps his arms around me.

  “I miss you so much,” he whispers, hugging me tightly. I let out a breath and try to push the tears back. Not trusting my voice, I decided to nod.

  After our parents died, Mason and I always tried to be there for each other, so it messed that up when they took him away. This scene is familiar. When I’d have nightmares, Mason would hold me to make sure I could fall back asleep. We used to stay up all night sometimes and talk about random topics, from what we’d wear the next day to our favorite memories.

  Some people might think us being this close is weird, but I love having a brother who cares enough to make sure I’m okay. He’s the best.

  “So your birthday is coming up,” Mason says, and I nod. My birthday is December 6th, and currently, it’s October. I’ll be eighteen, and I can finally get custody of Mason. Then we can live our lives.

  Mason smiles down at me as I lay my head on his shoulder. “Yeah. Then I can take you away from here. I will. You know that, right?” I ask, and he nods. Times like these are precious because I don’t know when I can be with him. We won’t get family time now.

  “Are you coming to my soccer game tomorrow?” I look up with a ‘what do you think’ facial expression, my eyebrows raised.

  “Of course, I’m coming. I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” I promise, and Mason laughs. He looks over my shoulder and sighs. My vision blurs when I see what he’s looking at. It’s a collage of five pictures of my parents that I had framed. I never take them off of my bedside table.

  I remember when Mason and I took these pictures; we had to sneak them, but they’re my favorite. They actually caught me taking one shot, and my dad mock glared at me, but Mom still smiled.

  The first picture is in the top left corner is of my dad holding my mom bridal style. The second picture is the one of my dad mock glaring. Picture three is in the middle; it’s when they had a picnic my dad set up. The fourth picture was when my pare
nts had just woken up on Christmas morning, and they were facing each other in bed, looking like they were about to kiss. The last picture in the bottom right corner is of my parents kissing. The frame is white with the words “I love you” in red writing.

  “I know. I miss them, too,” I tell Mason, yawning as I hug him. He squeezes me comfortingly. My eyes droop, and Mason says something, but I’m already too gone to understand what he said.

  ~*~

  “Athena, wake up,” someone shakes my shoulder gently. I slowly open my eyes and rub them.

  “Drake?” I mumble, finding him leaning over me. “What’re you doing here? Where’s Mason?” I ask, noticing the lack of brotherly presence. Drake sits next to me on the bed, and I pull myself into a sitting position when he holds out a piece of paper. I take it.

  Thea,

  Sorry to leave you. I had to get back before anyone found me gone. I had a guy cover for me, but he could only do that for a few hours. See you at my game. Call if you need anything. I mean it.

  Love you.

  Sighing, I fold the note back up and put it on my bedside table. I’m still confused about Drake.

  “Wait, but why are you here?” I ask, and pink touches his cheeks. He runs his hand through his hair. Is he embarrassed?

  “I saw someone climbing out of your window, and it was dark, so I went after him. I didn’t know that it was Mason until I caught him. He told me he snuck over to see you,” he explains. “He asked if I’d watch over you for a while to make sure you were okay.”

  Of course, he did. Mason may be my younger brother, but he’s still protective.

  “You worried about me?” I tease him. His blush deepens, and I crawl out of bed. He stays seated while I walk over to my closet, but I glance over my shoulder in time to see him nod. Although, that’s not the only reason I looked back at him. He’s adorable, thinking he was coming to my rescue. I also like the blush.

  “Yeah, I was. I thought someone came in and might’ve hurt you,” Drake admits, making me smile. He’s sweet. I pull out a white shirt and some high-waisted, black skinny jeans with rips in them. I also grab some black ankle boots to finish the outfit. The weather is getting cooler, so it’s time to think about fall clothes.

  I turn back to Drake and smile. “Thanks, but you know I can take care of myself, right?” Of course, he knows. He’s seen me fight.

  “Yeah. I know, but that doesn’t mean I won’t get worried. I don’t want to see you get hurt, Athena,” he says, standing and walking closer. Drake stops right in front of me and caresses my cheek, cupping it in his right hand. “I’m not good with these kinds of things, but I have a question for you,” he murmurs. What things? I wonder as I watch emotions flick through his eyes.

  Annoyance gives way to hesitation, then determination. I nod, my breath catching in my throat and my heart hammering in my chest.

  “I know we haven’t been on a date, but we’ve been with each other a lot,” he says, looking down at me. “So, Athena, will you be my girlfriend?” If it’s possible, my heart runs faster than ever.

  “Yes,” I breathe. Drake smiles down at me and leans in. I’m Drake Morgan’s girlfriend. His girlfriend!!! He rests his forehead on mine and stares into my eyes. So, so close. He’s always right there.

  We stay like this for a bit, and I bite my lip, causing Drake to groan, “Don’t do that, Flower.” He brushes his thumb over my bottom lip, pulling it out from between my teeth.

  “Why?” I feign innocence. Taking it further, I bite my lip again to tease him. The next thing I know, I’m lying back on my bed with Drake hovering over me. His eyes are trained on my lip as he leans forward.

  “Because…” he trails off, leaning in. “It makes me want to kiss you.” His lips brush my cheek. A shiver of anticipation runs through me, but he pulls away, using his arms to hold himself up and keep from crushing me.

  I stare up at him and bite my lip again. “Then why don’t you?” I want it, his kiss. If I’m honest with myself, I’ve wanted his kiss for a while.

  Again, his eyes snap to mine. My stomach flip-flops, and not the flip-flop that makes you sick, the kind that makes you want to jump and dance. He stays quiet for a bit, just watching me, thinking about what I said. I think my heart knew I liked him, but it took my mind a little longer to catch up.

  Drake’s lips finally, finally, come down on mine and let me just say, dayum. It sounds cliché totally, but I feel the sparks… the fireworks…. Whatever they are, I feel them. Our lips move perfectly together, and his tongue brushes against my bottom lip. To tease him more, I don’t give access; instead, I gently bite his bottom lip, wondering if he still wants me to stop. Drake pulls away, panting.

  “That was-”

  “Perfect,” he interrupts. I nod then he pecks my lips, “Go get dressed cause we have school and a soccer game after.” After pushing himself up, he helps me up. I pick up my clothes, which I dropped on the floor, and head to my bathroom.

  Quickly, I change and check myself in the mirror. My hair is in its usual wavy state, and my blue eyes shine brightly, probably because of what just happened. Because of the lovely, heart-jolting kiss. I take a few deep breaths before exiting the room.

  Drake is waiting for me by the window; his arms crossed over his chest. I smile and walk over, taking his offered hand. “Ready?” He asks. I nod and watch as he climbs through the window, across to his. Since the windows are close together, he can stretch and slip through the window to his room. When it’s my turn, I follow, letting him help me across.

  “So, is everyone else here?” I ask, looking around his room. It’s a sparse room, nothing fancy, just his bed, some shelves, a dresser, and the necessities. Although, it’s cleaner than I thought it’d be. He hums and nods, so I bounce over to the door, still feeling happy from the kiss. Pulling the door open, I yell, “RISE AND SHINE!”

  A loud thump sounds somewhere down the hall, and then a few groans from behind closed doors follow.

  “What the hell!” A shirtless Chase yells, swinging his door open and glaring at me. When he sees me, his glare drops away, and the corner of his lips tilts up ever so slightly. “Oh, hey Athena,” he says, walks over, and kisses my forehead before turning around and going back into his room.

  Alec is the next person to walk out, his hair sticking up, and he’s rubbing at his eyes with his fists like a little kid. “Aw, did I wake the little guy?” I ask as he looks down at me with a pout.

  “Yeah,” he grumbles, hugging me and laying his head on my shoulder. A laugh bubbles out of me when I glance at Drake, who’s watching with narrowed eyes. I smile at him as Alec pulls away, “Why did you wake me?”

  I scoff, “Did you forget about school?” Like I’d thrown a bucket of cold water at him. His eyes widen before he runs back into his room. I laugh and turn to walk towards the kitchen but stop when I hear Ross.

  “Button.”

  I turn to find Ross standing behind me without a shirt on, just like the other two. Do any of these guys wear shirts? He hugs me, kisses the top of my head, and then pulls away when a sound of protest comes from beside us.

  “You guys need to stop touching my girlfriend,” Drake growls possessively while he wraps his arms around my waist, his chest pressing against my back. I smirk and spin to kiss Drake on the cheek.

  “Don’t worry, you’re the only guy for me,” I assure him, and he beams down at me, then kisses me right on the tip of my nose.

  Chapter 18

  Athena

  I close my locker and sigh in relief. Today has been a sucky day. People started coming up to me and asking me about my fights. I didn’t realize so many of them had seen me fight. Even more, I can’t believe that they’d come to me during school, but I guess it’s okay because nobody has tried to bully me.

  There are two new realities in my world: everyone is too scared to talk to me, or they’re fawning over me because I’m Cinder Wolf, but that’s mostly the jocks.

  “Hey, you ready to go?” D
rake asks, coming out of nowhere and pecking my lips. I don’t let him move away just yet, using my arms around his neck to pull him closer.

  Once I get my kiss, I pull back. “Yeah, I’m ready. Did Mason tell you what time the game is?” It’ll take us thirty to forty-five minutes to get there, so I want to make sure that we leave on time. We told Ross, Alec, and Chase about the game, and they said they wanted to go, so they’re going to be taking Chase’s car. We’re taking his bike, his gorgeous, sleek black Harley Softail.

  “Yeah, it starts at five, so we should get going,” he tells me, snaking his arm around my waist. Chase and the guys already left to get Kim; they’ll meet us there. We make our way out to his bike, and he climbs on. “Flower,” he insists, holding a hand out. I laugh, take his hand, and straddle the seat behind him.

  Wrapping my arms around Drake’s torso, I splay my hands on his stomach. “You gonna feel my abs up the entire ride?” He asks, and I laugh. I’ve wondered what his muscles felt like since that first fight.

  “Yep.” Don’t judge! I have the right to feel my boyfriend’s abs. Drake shakes his head, passes me a helmet, puts his own on, checks mine, and then speeds away.

  Forty minutes later, we pull into the Mayfield High parking lot. All heads turn our direction when they hear the roar of the bike. Automatically, people point and whisper. I jump off the bike, remove the helmet, and shake out my hair. I hand the helmet to Drake and wait for a second while he climbs off.

  “Come on,” he says, pulling through the parking lot. I wave at Ross, who immediately jumps off the back of Chase’s jeep and runs over to me. He picks me up and spins me around, winking before yelling loudly.

  “Button, I’ve missed you.”

  Drake pulls me from his friend’s arms and wraps his arm around my waist. He’s so possessive. It’s kind of hot. Oh, who are you kidding, Athena? It’s hotter than hot. I didn’t think I’d like it, but I do. It shows he cares.

  “We should go find Mason,” Drake says, steering me from his friend. I know he means nothing against Ross, and I know Ross understands this when he winks at me again. Troublemaker.