Page 44 of The Ugly Stepsister Strikes Back

What was wrong with me is that I was in love with him and wanted to believe him. "Fine. I'll think about it."

He gave me a grin and started to say something else, but Ms. Rathbone shrieked at him from the back of the auditorium and he ran out onto the stage and down the steps.

I didn't need to think about it for long. The answer would be no.

* * *

Ella called Bill and explained the whole situation to him, and he actually left his studio to come and pull me out of school early. I stopped by the cafeteria to vote for myself (and took great satisfaction in crossing out Scott and Mercedes's names and writing in Trent and Ella's names instead) before I went home.

Once we got there, Dad asked me if I was all right. I told him I would live, and that apparently was good enough for him to head straight back to his painting.

Ella rushed me into her room and closed the door. "Just so you know, that speech totally backfired. People didn't think it was cool," she informed me. She said the general consensus seemed to be that he was a jerk and I handled it well. He had the higher ground and he basically kicked me in the face. "People felt bad for you."

"So I'm getting the pity vote?"

"A vote's a vote," she declared.

"Jake says that one line wasn't his fault."

"Oh, obviously," Ella said as she went into her closet. "Scott was totally bragging about having written it to anyone who would listen."

Jake had been telling me the truth.

It was like the sun coming out after a thunderstorm. Suddenly everything seemed brighter and warmer. I felt all glowy and happy inside.

"Ella? I think I need your help with something."

She stuck her head out through the closet door. "What's that?"

"I need you to take me shopping. I'm going to the masquerade ball tonight."

Chapter 15

I didn't know human beings were capable of making the sound that Ella made. I covered my ears.

"I am so excited! Let's go!" she squealed as she grabbed her purse.

"Go where?"

"To the mall! We have so many things to do to get ready for tonight!"

I don't know what Ella had in mind, but I wasn't interested. "This isn't an excuse to shop. You know I hate shopping."

She looked like I had just insulted her favorite deity. "This isn't an excuse. Trust me when I say you don't have anything you could wear tonight. And it isn't possible for you to hate shopping. You just haven't been with me. And we can use our credit cards!" She grabbed her purse and then grabbed me.

"Dad! We're taking the car!" she called out as she dragged me outside.

He said something back, but we couldn't hear him. As I got in the passenger seat I realized that it was the first time I'd ever heard her call my dad that. She had always called him Bill. I guess things really had changed between them. Especially since she now seemed so eager to use our Dad-issued credit cards.

"Okay, so we have to get a dress obviously." She started ticking things off on her fingers. "And shoes. And accessories. And depending on the dress, possibly a new bra and underwear. Jewelry, maybe."

I already felt overwhelmed. Walking into the mall didn't help. I avoided this place like I avoided Mercedes and Scott. Ella took in a big breath and looked calmer. It was like she had come home to the mother ship.

"Let's go get a dress first." Everything swirled past in a haze of color and sound. She walked into a shop and started expertly pulling dresses in every color and piled them on top of my open arms. After she had pulled nearly every dress off the rack, she told me it was time to try them on.

The saleswoman had to help me get the mountain of clothes into the dressing room. Resigned to my fate, I tried on the black one first.

"Nope. No black tonight. No khaki or red or blue like our uniforms. Let's try something pretty and bright. With your skin tone, you would look amazing in jewel shades. Try a purple or a green or dark blue."

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