𝐕𝐀𝐌𝐏𝐈𝐑𝐄, 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐫𝐚𝐝 𝐟𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐫.

036.

"cindy!" susannah exclaimed, her face lighting up as she spotted cindy, almost losing her balance in her excitement. she rushed over and gently rubbed cindy's shoulder. "are you ready for your big day?"

cindy chuckled softly, nodding in affirmation. "you can say that."

just then, conrad entered the kitchen, holding a small teal cardboard box emitting the irresistible aroma of freshly baked muffins. his gaze shifted to cindy, a smile tugging at his lips. "hey, i picked up some of those good muffins."

belly and jeremiah, unable to contain their hunger, eagerly grabbed a muffin each and shamelessly stuffed their faces.

cindy tucked a strand of her light hair behind her ear as she glanced at the box. "i... i'm good. thanks, though."

"okay." conrad nodded with a tight lipped smile.

"oh, girls, you should get going," susannah chimed in, glancing at the time. "oh, and everyone, stay out of the family room. i've finished all your paintings, and tonight after the ball, we'll have a big unveiling. oh, honey, can you put those in laurel's car?"

jeremiah easily lifted the two thick dresses, carefully packaged in sealed plastic covers from the dry cleaners. belly looked over at her mother with curiosity. "yeah, aren't you driving us?"

"i'm going over with susannah, so i thought maybe you could drive," laurel responded, lifting her keys with a shrug. she watched her daughter's face light up with excitement. "it's only a few blocks. unless you don't want to?"

belly eagerly snatched the keys from her mother, her eyes widening with delight. "yes. yes, yes!"

"drive slow, obey the lights, wait four seconds at each stop sign." laurel reminded.

"we'll see you at the club in a few hours."
susannah beamed at the two girls.

belly rushed out of the house, with cindy trailing behind. however, cindy's progress was interrupted when she reached the kitchen doorway.

"hey," conrad's voice halted her steps. she turned on her heels to face him. "break a leg."

"that'd be bad." cindy crossed her arms, tilting her head to the side, his brows furrowing, "i'm supposed to be dancing all night."

"i just... i just mean good luck. it's, like, a thing people say. um... for what it's worth, jere was the right choice." conrad looked down at the floor.

she simply nodded and hummed, "yeah, i know."

before he could respond, she hurriedly made her way to the front door, shutting it behind her.

jeremiah closed the trunk, neatly tucking the white dresses into the limited space. a wide grin adorned his lips as he turned to face cindy.

"don't be nervous. we're going to be the best waltzers out there," jeremiah reassured, noticing the uncertainty in cindy's expression.

cindy let out a low sigh, leaning against the car. "no, it's... it's not that."

"what? you nervous about seeing the girls?"
jeremiah asked.

"no, i mean, everyone must know what happened by now." cindy shrugged. "they all probably hate me."

jeremiah gently lifted her chin, their eyes meeting. "want me to come with? i could be your hairstylist/bodyguard."

"no, you can't be in the green room. it's girls-only," cindy laughed, grabbing his wrist.

"listen, you're cinderella. you've got this, alright? i'll be right by your side the whole night," jeremiah insisted. "and if anybody gives you shit, i will..."

cindy playfully egged him on, flickering her eyes between his. "you'll do what?"

"i'll be like, 'yo, that's not cool at all.' i'll grab your hand, and we'll dance away from everybody." jeremiah grabbed her hand and spun her, causing giggles to escape her lips. as they faced each other again, cindy's palm rested on his chest. "i'll see you at the club."

leaning down, jeremiah kissed her lips gently, his smile merging with the kiss. he then walked away, leaving cindy with flushed cheeks and a bewildered steven storming out of his truck.

"what the freak? are you kidding me? you and jeremiah?" steven whined, his brows furrowed in shock.

"it just happened." cindy lifted her shoulders, meeting his angry glare.

steven looked around in utter disbelief. "like when? just now?"

"like, a week ago?" cindy stuttered, her lips forming a firm line. she observed him being melodramatic.

he began making gagging noises, pretending to throw up and creating a scene. cindy rolled her eyes and shook her head, feeling a mix of annoyance and exasperation. when steven glanced at her, his expression oozed with disgust and a sense of betrayal.

"oh, oh, this is sick. i feel like i'm gonna throw up," steven exclaimed dramatically. "oh, oh, my god, and you guys were, like, wh... like, what, like, sneaking around, keeping it a secret from me this whole time?"

"this has nothing to do with you, steven," cindy argued, her voice filled with annoyance.

"oh, my god, are you guys, like, a couple?"
steven gawked.

cindy shook her head. "no! no, i don't, i don't know. we just... we-we just kissed a few times."

"wait, wait, wait, wait. so-so what about conrad?" steven questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"what about him?" cindy questioned, fed up with the situation.

"uh, i don't know, maybe the fact that you've been, like, goo-goo gaga over him since you were ten." steven fought back.

cindy groaned loudly, "well, i'm not ten anymore."

"i ju... i just... i just don't want things to get all screwed up. all right, come on, they're like our family, cindy. and, like, you're, like, my little sister. this affects, like, way more than just you." steven reminded, placing his hands on his hips.

she nodded, "i know. but you don't get a say in who i date. you're just gonna have to trust me."

with those final words, cindy left steven standing there, and she quickly climbed into the passenger seat of the car, as belly wasted no time in speeding off.