Cinderella

Three

"HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO FUCKING TELL YOU ELLA! YOU CANT TALK TO HARRY! EVER!" She yells in my tear stained face.

"But he's a friend!!" I protest but she smacks me hard. The sound of her hand connecting with my cheek was loud enough to be heard from Africa. Damn that woman and her heavy hands.

"If I say he's not your friend, then he's not your friend. He doesn't like you." She seethes.

"Then why does he hang around me?" I ask.

"Oh you stupid girl! It's not because he's your friend! It's because he's a nice boy and he sees you have no friends so he is just being with you because he PITYS YOU! You might as well call it a pity party!" She yells in my face.

"Actually mom," Taylor says, gaining my stepmom's attention, "Harry told me that she was trying to bribe him with her body, like for sex and stuff like that." She lies.

Veronica then pushes me into the wall and kicks my stomach, while my step sisters laugh. "I-I she's lying mom!!" She pulls me up by my hair.

"Get to your room. Now!" She yells.

I hobble up the stairs, clutching my stomach trying to soothe the unbearable pain. When I get into my room, I weakly plop onto the pink sheets that cover my bed. I sob into my pillow, praying that my eighteenth birthday will just hurry up and come. I can't wait to leave.

Sniffling, I pull the phone out the phone Harry bought for me. Should I call him?

No. He can't come to my rescue every time.

I explore the phone and see I have 2 messages.

From: Harry
'Is everything okay with Veronica? God, I hope I didn't get you in trouble.'

From: Harry
'Text me asap. I shouldn't have left. x'

I decided not to respond. I don't need him to Pity me. I start to cry again. did he ever really care for me? Or did he just hang around me because he pitied me? I'm so confused, I just decide to fall asleep.

I wake up, with out the sound of the needy calling my name and smiled. Today is my day off, my step mom and step sisters left this morning for their cruise in the Bahamas. At first I was upset I didn't get to go, but then I realized, I had the whole house to myself... Without them.

I heard a knock at the door and then I tried to sit up and winced. Being kicked and slapped around doesn't feel good. I slowly got out of bed and put my hair in a bun. I opened the door and saw Harry smiling at me and when I smiled back, he frowned.

"What the hell happened to you!" He asked, concerned. "Did someone rob you? Was it a gang or something?!"

"N-no"

"Who was it, i swear I will kill them on the spo-"he said angrily, but I interrupted him.

"It was my stepmom." His jaw dropped and he blinked.

"How could she? Why- why.. I don't understand why she would do this." He said softly, grazing my swollen cheek with his hand.

"B-because Taylor lied and said that you told her that you only hung around me cause I offered you..," I trailed off.

"Offered me what?"

"S-sex." I say and his eyes widen.

"What the hell! We've been friends since I can remember. God, why you? Like why do they have to treat you this way." He says, wrapping his arms around my beaten and bruised body.

"I don't know." I sniffle.

A few hours later, Harry and I are on my bed, talking and making up for the two years of lost time. I explained to him how my step mom didn't like me to be around him so she distanced me from him when my father died. We talked about his parents divorce and how his mom remarried also, but in his case his step parent wasn't crazy so I'm happy for him.

"I see you're wearing my flower crown." I smiled.

"Yep." He smiled, "Maybe one day I could make you one."

"Do you know how to?" I ask

"Nope; but you'll teach me."

"How do you know that I will?" I say smirking.

"Because you love me." He teases, but my heart jumps. I ignore it because it was probably just something to do with my previous 'beating'

"Sureeeeee" I say sarcastically causing him to laugh.

"And Ella?"

"Hmm?" I hummed.

"I've been thinking about this...." He trails off.

"Thinking about what?" I ask.

"Calling child protective services." He says.

"What? Why?" I ask. I don't want any drama, any court dates, none of that.

"Because, I mean look at you! You have bruises on your stomach, and a swollen cheek! I can't let this keep happening to you." He shook his head.

"I know but I'm turning eighteen in eleven months!" I point out.

"Do you want to spend the next eleven months getting beat up by her?" He asked and when i stay silent, he keeps talking "Look, I'm not trying to stress you out, I'm just trying to protect you. I don't want you getting hurt." He looks at me with concern.

"Do you pity me?" I blurt out.

"What? No." He says.

"So you don't feel sorry for me?" I press.

"I mean yeah I do. You don't deserve this." He answers

"So that's why you hang out with me then?" I ask.

He looks at me like I'm crazy, "No, why would you think that?"

"Veronica." I said in a small voice, looking down at my feet

He scoffs, "of course she would. Look." He tilts my head up so our eyes meet. "I don't spend time with you because I pity you. You and I have been friends forever and now I'm given a chance to be friends with you again, and I'm going to take it."

"Okay." I say with a smile.

"Can I ask you something?" He asks.

"You just did, but sure." I giggle.

"Oh hush, but would you like to come to Cotillion with me? I have to have a partner and you're the only decent girl."

"Why do you do cotillion?" I ask

"I lost a bet with Gemma." He frowns.

"Oh wow." I laugh. "But I'll be there."

"Great. I'll be right back." He smiles and goes to make a phone call.

He comes back a few minutes later. "Who was that?" I ask

"Child Protective Services." He answers.

My eyes widen "Harry! You were serious!?"

"Yes, they're on their way right now." He says and my jaw drops in horror.