𝐕𝐀𝐌𝐏𝐈𝐑𝐄, 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐫𝐚𝐝 𝐟𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐫.

032.

cindy kimberly had kissed jeremiah fisher yesterday.

maybe jeremiah had always been the one.

she paced around the kitchen, a content smile gracing her lips as she poured the green-colored drink into a glass cup. her mind drifted back to the previous night, replaying the sweet memory in her head.

"hey, cinderella," a familiar voice called out, pulling her out of her thoughts.

jeremiah was the one who originally came up with the nickname after he had seen cindy in a blue dress her mother had bought.

he thought she looked beautiful, like a princess, like cinderella.

cindy flicked her eyes up to conrad as he entered the kitchen, leaning against the counter separating them. "oh, hey."

for once conrad wasn't on her mind, she had been thinking about his brother.

"what's that?" conrad asked, gesturing toward the drink she was holding.

she glanced down at the cup, a small smile playing on her lips. "my secret weapon."

"hmm," he hummed, pursing his lips thoughtfully. "feeling good about the tournament?"

cindy nodded, setting the half-empty cup down. "yeah, i'm ready."

"if you stay ready, you won't have to get ready," conrad teased as he beamed at her.

she chuckled softly, scrunching up her nose. "mm. that was cheesy."

"yeah," he admitted, dropping his head with a hint of defeat, before joining in her laughter. "you try, you try coming up with a motivational phrase with no cheese."

she clicked her tongue, a playful glint in her eyes. "i'm thinking. i'm thinking."

after a moment of comfortable silence, conrad's smile faded, and he cleared his throat, his expression turning serious. "cindy?"

"yeah?" she furrowed her brows, catching the sudden change in his demeanor.

"i'm sorry," he apologized, his voice filled with remorse as guilt washed over his delicate features.

cindy rolled her lips into her mouth, taken aback by his unexpected apology. confusion flickered in her eyes as she responded, "for being cheesy?"

"for being a jerk the other day and pretending like i don't remember when i remember everything. i just keep replaying it over and over again in my head," conrad admitted, averting his gaze.

shit, she had almost forgotten about their argument.

she finally found her voice. "i don't know what to say."

"i know. it's too little, too late. i get it," conrad acknowledged, understanding the weight of his actions.

"um..." she trailed off, her eyes scanning the kitchen for a brief moment before conrad interrupted her train of thought.

"can i take you to the ball?" he blurted out, watching her face fall slightly, his own features filled with nervous anticipation.

cindy could feel the color drain from her skin, she stared blankly at him, her voice barely above a whisper. "what?"

"i mean, i already know all the dances," conrad shrugged, attempting to ease the tension. "it's no problem."

the doorbell rang, interrupting their conversation and confirming that taylor had arrived. cindy gulped, her hands gripping the countertop for support. "uh, i'll-i'll think about it."

"think about it," conrad replied with a gentle smile.

cindy hurried out of the kitchen, opening the door for taylor, who stood with her hands on her hips and a large bag weighing down her shoulder.

"what have you gotten yourself into?" taylor groaned,hugging cindy tightly as they greeted each other. cindy laughed softly, knowing that belly must have updated taylor on everything.

"oh, we're so happy you're here," cindy sighed into the bear hug, feeling a sense of comfort in taylor's presence. the two girls rocked slightly.

taylor followed cindy as she shut the front door as they hurried up towards belly's room. they barged in without knocking.

"where's my shirt?" taylor groaned playfully, throwing herself onto the bed. belly tossed the girl a shirt, knowing exactly what she was looking for. taylor had come to the tournament as moral support.

taylor slipped the shirt over her head, her eyes shining with determination. "you're gonna kick all of their asses."

cindy walked towards belly's bed as jeremiah walked towards the door with a smile on his face when he saw cindy. "sup, taylor!" he called out, noticing the girl.

"hey," taylor responded, her eyes falling on the blonde boy who stared at her. cindy shut the door as taylor sat up, curiosity burning in her eyes. "what's the latest with you two?"

cindy rolled her eyes playfully, stepping away from the door. "there's so much to go over."

"you're kidding me!" taylor screeched in excitement, unable to contain herself. "was he cool about it or was he nervous? or was he, like, begging? oh, my god, please tell me he was begging."

cindy covered her face with her hands, trying to hide her blush as she sat beside taylor on the bed. belly leaned on her frame at the end of the bed, just as excited. "he was not begging, but he was kind of nervous, though. but you guys won't believe what just happened."

"more?" belly gawked, her eyes widening with anticipation.

"yeah," cindy nodded eagerly. "but not with jere. um, so, uh, conrad asked to be my escort for the debutante ball."

belly nearly tumbled towards the bed, gripping the copper post for support. "what! are you serious?"

"this just makes things all the more exciting because you get to tell him no," taylor beamed, but her face fell as she saw cindy's expression. "cindy, you are telling him no, okay? because, need i remind you of the bullshit conrad pulled last week."

"yeah, i know," cindy dropped her head.

taylor sat on her knees, lifting cindy's head by gripping her chin with gentle force. "need i also remind you of the emotionally available, fun, sweet, better-looking brother who is at your feet right now waiting for you, always waiting for you."

knocking at the door interrupted their conversation, causing the girls to turn their heads. laurel appeared from the other side, looking between the three girls.

cindy couldn't have been more grateful for laurel's timing.

"are you girls ready? i'm gonna take you over," laurel asked, holding her keys as they swung slightly.

belly gasped with excitement, clapping her hands together. "can i drive?"

laurel gasped in mock surprise, matching her daughter's energy. her lips formed a flat line as she replied, "no."

belly pouted with a defeated expression, her shoulders slumping as she exited her bedroom. cindy and taylor followed, their laughter filling the hallway as they made their way towards the car.