ღ Finding Cinderella-5 ღ

-Tristan-

What the hell was wrong with her?

She should've been happy that I had offered her a once-in-a-lifetime chance, but she had decided to go apeshit instead and storm off. Now here I was, maneuvering through the city, searching every damn corner for Kylie but not having any luck.

Dammit. Why was I even bothering, anyway? If she wanted to get lost, then screw it. This wasn't my problem anymore, and I was done looking.

Glancing at my wristwatch, I realized I had spent an hour running around for nothing. It was already dark out, so chances were, Kylie was at her house, rejoicing.

So I headed back to the Runaway Shoppe, apologized to Morgan for our sudden disappearance, and proceeded to clamber into my car. The entire way back, I couldn't help wondering about how my night at the Ball would go, considering I was fucking dateless now. Once Fiona found out about this, she'd surely laugh and throw herself at me again.

About thirty minutes later, I pulled over in front of my house and hopped out of my car, glancing at the neighboring two-story house. As I made my way toward their porch, I let out a deep sigh, trying to dissolve my frenzied mood. Then I approached the doorbell to ring it.

Not a minute passed when the door clicked open, revealing Lacey and her usual smiling demeanor. Her expression immediately changed to one of worry the moment she studied me.

"Whoa, T, what happened to you?" she asked.

I shrugged. "Well, other than Kylie making me look like a dumbass today, nothing much."

"Would you mind telling me what happened? Maybe I can help."

Typical Lacey—always acting as a peacemaker between us. Yeah, she and Kylie were sisters, but why did they have to be so different? Lacey was the kind of girl whose personality guys loved, whereas Kylie... well, Kylie wasn't so much a girl as a lion.

I was glad that Lacey was trying to help us reconcile, but it didn't feel right to tell her everything that had happened. So I rubbed the back of my neck and said, "Uh, it's a little personal. Sorry."

She smiled. "It's okay. I just hope you two can work it out."

I nodded, though not entirely on board with the "working it out" plan. "Yeah, that's why I need to talk to her. Is she upstairs?"

"Yes. I can call her, but just a little warning..." She leaned in and whispered, "Kylie's being super weird right now. She won't talk to me and she has this hypnotized look—"

"Lacey, get back inside," said a voice, and I looked behind her to see her spitfire of a sister.

Lacey took steps back into the house while mouthing "good luck" at me, and then Kylie stepped out onto the porch and closed the door behind her.

"What?" she said with her eyes narrowed.

I examined her appearance—from her unruly short hair to her loose sleepwear. I couldn't help but tease her. "I gotta say, you look like a frustrated substitute teacher whose only hobbies are drinking beer and collecting sweatpants."

She sighed. "Man, you're damn annoying. Just tell me what you're doing here."

Huh. That's it? No loud snappy comebacks? She began to pull the tips of her hair. I cocked an eyebrow. So Lacey was right. There was something strange going on with her sister.

"I'm here to get my phone back, but before that, what's with that weird look on your face? Did something happen?" I asked.

Her eyes flashed, the real Kylie returning. "No shit, you freaking idiot. You wasted my afternoon with that stupid... fake date proposal of yours, that's what happened!"

"Nah. I can tell something else is going on. You always tug your hair when you're bothered and you just did that," I said and her face switched to a mixture of shock and annoyance. Bingo. With all these years hanging around her, of course I'd know her mannerisms.

To press her even further, I leaned closer to ask, "What, are you thinking about what I said at the shop earlier? Just say the word if you want to be my date at the Valentine Ball, Kyles. My offer still stands."

"Fuck off. Not everything is about you," she snarled.

"So there is something on your mind. What is it?"

"Why is this any of your concern?!"

I willed my face to look sad and sympathetic. "I'm just worried about you, Kylie. What bothers you bothers me."

She continued to look pissed. Heh. "Shut up. You'd better quit that stupid act like you care before I sock you."

I smiled sweetly. "And you'd better stop avoiding my questions, Kyles. Why were you acting so strange?"

She rolled her eyes, letting out a loud sigh. "God, I think we're about to go in fucking circles here, so fine. I'll tell you what's bothering me." A pause. Her face mellowed. "It's Erik."

A shiver ran down my spine.

"Erik? Erik Taylor? That guy?" I spat the name like a rotten apple.

She bit her bottom lip and tugged her hair again. "I bumped into him when I was running away from you. I didn't know he was back in town."

So they finally met. Shit. I'd been trying to keep them apart for as long as possible. Julianne and Lacey (who had been reluctant at first because it was against her morals) helped me by steering Kylie away from Erik's path, and I warned that bastard not to talk or even show his face to her. It had been going well until today. Valentine's Day, no less. I knew they'd eventually meet again, but I was hoping not this early. Ah, fuck. I wanted to keep this information to myself, but I couldn't hold it back any longer. There was no use anymore.

"Yes," I said through gritted teeth. "Erik has been back from Florida for about four months now, Kylie."

Her jaw dropped.

"What? Why did no one tell me about this?" she exclaimed. I scowled.

"So what? Are you still obsessed with him?"

"No! But can you blame me for reacting like this? I... I liked him, and it's been two years since the last time we talked." There she was again, looking unusually wistful. Why was he got to be the one to make her look like that?

"Yeah, not to mention that he rejected you," I said with a dry smirk.

"Shut up! Don't bring that up!"

"Oh yes, I'm definitely bringing that up. He rejected you, and after that, you began putting us guys in a bad light. You started saying that we're all the same, that we're a bunch of jerks, right?"

She lifted an eyebrow as if questioning my assessment of her. Then she rolled her eyes, grunting a laugh. "It's true, though. You're all the same."

"No, we are not," I deadpanned.

"Yes, you are."

"No, we're—"

"Yes!"

"No!"

She flung her hands up in frustration. "Yes! Just admit the darn fact already!"

I didn't admit the darn fact. Instead, I chose to flick her large forehead with my finger. She swatted away in self-defense.

"Hey, what was that for?" she barked.

"You're too obstinate and brainless, you know that?" I grumbled. "If you really believe that we're all the same, why do you still seem to be into Erik? What's great about him, anyway? He's always hiding behind his sheet music or books or whatever like a creepy nerd."

"That's what's great about him! Erik's the type of guy who doesn't like to show off. He's down-to-earth and very nice, totally different from the rest of the male population, and I'm so glad he hasn't been influenced by people like you."

Oh, fan-fucking-tastic. I had never figured out why Kylie kept defending that guy.

"Jesus. You talk like you've known that bastard for ages." I shook my head. "Trust me—you don't know him as well as you think you do."

"Oh, and you do?" she asked.

You have no idea.

"He's a bigger jerk than I am, Kyles."

"And you're a liar, too. I think you're only making that up because you've never liked someone for real."

My jaw clenched, and she blinked as if she was surprised by her own words. My heart banged hard against my ribs. Her accusation seemed to sting me more the longer I thought about it.

What the hell had she seen in Erik that could turn her into this? She wasn't acting like her normal self, and it was infuriating to watch. Why was he the one who could bring out this side of her?

I took a few steps closer to Kylie that made her press up against the door. It was like I was on autopilot. Before I knew what I was doing, I was placing my hands against the wall on either side of her, my gray eyes locking with her startled blue ones. A hint of cologne invaded my nostrils as I leaned into her ear, whispering:

"But what if I have?"

Then I was standing in front of her again, my hands at my sides. The shock had paralyzed me, and I was left wondering:

Did I actually just say that?

Shit.

Kylie's eyes were wide with surprise. With curiosity filling them by the second, she asked me, "What are you saying?"

I couldn't bear to make eye contact. I couldn't believe the words had slipped out of my mouth so easily.

"Wait a second." Her voice was shaky. "Don't tell me—"

"Forget it," I cut her off. "It's not important." Then I turned my back on her. I couldn't handle any more of this Erik crap tonight. "I'm tired of bickering with you so I'm out. You refuse to listen, anyway."

"Great! About time for you to get the fuck outta here."

Just as I was about to head toward my house, she shouted, "Hey, you're forgetting something, asshole."

I turned around and saw her hurling my phone, which I managed to catch just in time. It was off, but thankfully, there was no damage or anything.

"You're lucky I didn't smash it to the ground, but try calling my family for stupid reasons again and I will," she said.

"Yeah? Here's my warning for you." I glared at her. "You'll regret meeting him."

She frowned. "What—"

"Happy Valentine's Day, Kyles," I muttered before leaving her alone by the door.