The Princess Sisters (The Princess Sisters Series) (6 page)

Cinderella
was starting to get disappointed that she hadn’t seen Scott all night.  She had
tried to look for him between each song, but the place was so crowded and
everyone was moving around her so fast, it was near impossible to find anyone. 
The next song began and Cinderella looked around in confusion.  Everyone was
forming lines around her and they all started to do the same dance steps in
unison.  She tried to move toward the back corner to get another drink but she
felt two hands on her back, pushing her forward towards one of the lines.

“Where
do you think you’re going?” Scott grinned.  He pulled her into line and took
her by the hand, helping her learn each step.

“It’s
called a line dance,” he was practically yelling to be heard.  “There are about
ten that they play between the swing songs.  If you come here often enough, you
learn them all real quick.”  Cinderella could almost keep up by the time the
song ended and everyone cheered.  Then a slower song started to play and Scott
took her by the hand before she could escape again.  He positioned Cinderella
next to him, putting one arm over her right shoulder, holding her right hand
and the other in front, holding her left hand in his.  He took her through the
moves, step by step.  She liked the way he stood really close with his arms
encircling her; it sent chills up her arms which turned into goosebumps.

“This
is the cowboy cha-cha,” Scott said.  Cinderella picked up the steps fairly
quickly.  She realized she didn’t have to do much when it came to western swing
dancing.  If the guy was a good enough leader, she could follow with relative
ease.  Then Scott started to sing along, adding a dramatic twang to his words. 
Cinderella laughed and lost her footing.  Then Scott started laughing and
before they knew it, the two had tumbled and tripped to the ground.  This, of
course, made them laugh even harder.  Somehow, in the tumble, one of
Cinderella’s shoes had gotten knocked off.  Then, as the music picked up, the
two of them watched the blue sneaker get kicked around and end up somewhere
across the room.  Scott, still chuckling, crawled across the floor to retrieve
it.  Cinderella sat on the floor against the wall and watched, trying not to
laugh, as he almost tripped at least three other couples.  His hands got
stepped on several times in the process, but he finally made it to the runaway
shoe and held it high above his head in triumph.  When he finally returned, a
little bruised, he untied the laces and held the shoe up.

“I
think this is yours, Princess.”  Cinderella didn’t normally like being called
‘princess’.  But when Scott said it, his voice didn’t carry the mocking tone
she was used to.  His way sounded sweeter, almost like he was complimenting
her.  He then slipped the shoe back on and covered his open mouth with a hand
in mock surprise.  “It fits!”  Cinderella rolled her eyes at him and the two
laughed again as he pulled her back to her feet.

“I’ll
catch ya later,” he said, kissing her on the cheek.  Then almost immediately he
looked surprised at himself and apologized.  “Sorry,” he said, seeming
embarrassed.  Cinderella brushed it off with a wave of her hand before Scott took
off again into the crowd.  Cinderella stood against the wall for several
minutes without moving, a hand on her cheek where he had kissed her.  For the
first time in her life, she was glad she had lost a shoe.

Chapter
Nine

Cinderella
was asked to dance by two boys she didn’t know before Dave finally found her
again.  The first one was a pretty good dancer, but he wasn’t a great leader. 
He barely moved Cinderella’s hand in the direction he wanted her to go, unlike
Scott and his friends who pulled her in such a way that she had no choice but
to follow.  Then the second guy couldn’t dance at all!  Cinderella wished she
was back in her heavy duty boots after he stomped on her right foot for the
seventh time.  Dave came up behind Cinderella at the end of the song, causing
her to jump in the air and land painfully on his shoe.

“Now
I know how you feel!” he said, hopping on one foot and pointing his chin in the
direction of her last partner.

“Sorry,”
Cinderella said.  Then hugging him, “But I am so glad to see you!”  Dave
grinned.

“Miss
me that much?”

Cinderella
flushed pink.  “I just don’t like dancing with people I don’t know.”

“You
could always tell them no, ya know.”

“I…I
can’t,” she stammered.

“Why’s
that?”

“I
don’t want to be mean.”

Dave
laughed.  “You’re too nice,” he said.  Then putting his arm around her, “But I
guess that’s what I like about ya.”  He gave her a sideways hug.

“May
I have this dance?” he asked, spinning her out of the hug and then twirling her
under his raised arm.

“I
think you already started,” she giggled.  Dave wasn’t as fast as his brother,
but he definitely had the same dancing skills.  He twirled and spun and dipped
Cinderella until she was out of breath.

“So
how did you learn to dance like that?” she asked as they headed toward some
open seats.

“Scott
taught me.”

“I
thought you weren’t old enough to be in this club until recently.” she asked,
nudging him with her shoulder.  “Didn’t you just barely turn sixteen?”

“Oh
I wasn’t old enough,” he said.  “But Troy was, and so was Chad, Aaron, Ben, Brad…” Dave listed each name off on his fingers.

“Guys! 
There you are!”  Jenny and her roommate ran up to them.  “It’s almost midnight
and there’s a full moon tonight!”

“Awesome!”
Dave jumped up to join them but Cinderella moved more slowly.

“What’s
going on?” she asked.

“We’ll
explain on the way!” Dave said, grabbing her by the hand and running for the
exit.

Jenny’s
roommate, Melissa, took the front seat while Dave squished in the back with
Cinderella and Jenny.

Cinderella
sat in the middle between Dave and Jenny.  Dave explained the long story while
Jenny occasionally filled in missed information.

“I
don’t even know how far back the tradition goes,” he started.

“1916.”

“Ok,
so clear back since 1916 every time there is a full moon, kids gather around
the ‘
A’
at midnight.”

“Tell
her what the ‘
A’
is.”

“I’m
getting there!  The ‘
A’
is a large blue square block of cement with four
white
A’s
.  One on each side, to hold it up.  It stands a few feet above
the ground and kids stand on it to become a ‘True Aggie’.”

“Aggies
are the USU mascot.”

“Right. 
So a guy and a girl stand on the
‘A’
on a full moon at midnight and
kiss.  This makes them a ‘True Aggie’.”

“It’s
all about saying you’ve done it.  Once you’re a ‘True Aggie’, you’ve got
bragging rights forever,” Jenny piped in.

“Do
you want to explain this to her?” Dave asked.

“Sorry. 
Go ahead.”

“The
catch is you can only become a ‘True Aggie’ by kissing someone who is already
one.”

“Except
for on Homecoming night,” Jenny said.  Dave glared at her.  “Okay, I’m done,”
she said, putting her hands up in surrender.

“You
can also become a ‘True Aggie’ by touching someone who is on the
‘A’
. 
The
‘A’
is only big enough for one couple to stand on.  So everyone gets
in a big cluster, so they can be touching someone who is touching someone who
is touching one of the people on the
‘A’
.  Do you get it?”

“So
it’s like a huge kissing party every time there is a full moon?” Cinderella
asked, not quite seeing the point behind it.

“I’m
a ‘True Aggie’,” Scott said, turning in his seat.  “So if any of you lovely
ladies decide you wanna give it a try, I’m your man,” he added, winking.  Cinderella’s
stomach flipped.  Now she understood some of the motivation behind the
tradition.  This strange ritual was a good excuse to kiss the person you like. 
Or several people you like, by the sounds of it.

The
car stopped and everyone jumped out.  They ran towards an already gathering
crowd.  Cinderella couldn’t even see the revered
‘A’
amidst all the
bodies.  But she could feel the rush of adrenaline and hormones, like a breeze
on her face, as they entered the tight circle.  Dave pulled her back a ways
from the crowd and leaned down so only she could hear what he was saying.

“I
really want to become a ‘True Aggie’.  And I really want to kiss you.”

“But
I’m not one, so I…” Cinderella was completely blown back.  She couldn’t even
finish the sentence.

“I
know, but if you kissed Scott first and then me, it would work.”

“But
I thought the kiss had to be at midnight?”

“And
midnight lasts a full minute.  Scott said when he became one, he kissed six
different girls!”

Cinderella
shifted from one foot to the other. 
This night is just full of surprises! 
Here I have a chance to kiss two very good looking guys, but do I really want
my first kiss to be with so many people watching?

“59! 
58!  57!”  The countdown had begun.  Cinderella looked up at Dave again.  She
looked into his amazingly blue eyes that shone even though it was dark.  She
had driven alone tonight with a boy, she lied to her mom, and she danced with
strangers…why stop now?

“Okay!”
she said.  Cinderella had never seen Dave smile so big before.  The two of them
pushed through the crowd toward Scott and his friends.  Somehow they had
secured a spot on the ground right next to the
‘A’
.

“34! 
33! 32!”  Dave whispered the plan in his brother’s ear and Scott froze, looking
at Cinderella in surprise.  Scott shook his head.

Oh
great! He doesn’t even want to!
Cinderella thought,
watching them. 
How embarrassing!

Then
Dave grabbed his brother’s gaze away from Cinderella and tapped his watch,
indicating time was running out.  He spoke animatedly with his hands, but
Cinderella couldn’t tell what they were saying.  As the seconds ticked closer,
Cinderella thought her stomach had taken up gymnastics.  It was somersaulting
and flipping all the way up to her throat.  Scott finally nodded and the two of
them moved closer to where Cinderella was standing.

“12! 
11!  10!” The couple on the
‘A’
who had been quarreling suddenly jumped
down.  In one swift movement, Scott grabbed Cinderella around the waist and
lifted her onto the smooth, blue top.  The top was worn down from centuries of
kids’ shoes, polishing the blue painted stone until it shone in the moonlight.

“2! 
1!”  Cinderella felt Scott’s lips against hers before she knew what was
happening.  Several hands grabbed her legs in an effort to be connected to the
‘A’
. 
Cinderella closed her eyes to hide from the staring faces.  She could hear
several of Scott’s friends cat-calling, but as he moved his hand smoothly
across her cheek and into her hair, she lost all thought.  Then she felt a hand
brush up against her wrist, which was hanging limply against her side, and
Dave’s voice floated up to her from somewhere below.

“Hey! 
Come on!  You can’t take the whole minute!”  In the next second Cinderella’s
lips were released and she let out a huge breath which she hadn’t realized
she’d been holding.  Then Dave was beside her on the cold stone platform and
her lips became busy once again.  She finally opened her eyes when everyone
started cheering around her.  It was 12:01.

Cinderella’s
mind remained foggy the whole drive back to the apartment.  She couldn’t wrap
her mind around what had just happened.  She had not only received her first
kiss, but she’d also received her second!  And in public!  She was sure the
perma-grin on her face would be a huge giveaway as to how she was feeling, but
no one seemed to notice.  They were all worn out from dancing.

The
rest of the night felt like someone had clicked the fast-forward button.  One
minute she was in the car, her head resting on Dave’s shoulder and the next,
she was sitting on a bed while Jenny rustled up some old pj’s for her to wear. 
Then she was lying on her back on the floor in a thrown-together bed in an
unfamiliar room.  Jenny and Melissa complimented her dancing, told her she
looked like a natural kisser, and even envied her name.

“Jenny
is just so boring!  I mean, there are a zillion Jennies out there.”

“What
about Melissa?  My name isn’t any better!”

“But
Cinderella…that’s just cool!”

“Do
you just love your name?”

“It’s
okay,” Cinderella said sleepily.

“Are
you kidding?  It’s awesome!”

Cinderella
lay in bed for awhile, all her many thoughts fighting for control of her mind. 
Dave acted like he liked me several times tonight.  But Dave is always
really flirty.  Is it me?  Or is Dave just being Dave?  And what about Scott? 
Why did he kiss me on the cheek when we were dancing?  And why did Dave hold my
hand...once...no twice!
she tried to count as her mind raced back through
the night’s events. 
And why did Scott seem so disappointed when he found
out how young I was?  Was he interested?  Is he still?  And why did Dave want
to kiss me?  He could have kissed any one of Scott’s friends.
  Then she
thought about each of the kisses, which made her squirm a little.  Dave had
kissed her pretty quickly.  But Scott was much more passionate and he would
have kissed her the whole minute if Dave had let him, she was sure of that.  Although
Scott was also more experienced, which might have contributed to the way he
kissed her.  Finally her thoughts turned to dreams and Cinderella fell asleep
with a big smile on her face.