Cinderella (One Direction)

Chapter 3

"Mads." Tanya nudges me for like the tenth time in the past ten minutes.

"Hm?" I wonder, already used to the nickname she has given me.

"How do you do this?" Her brows are furrowed together in a concentrated and frustrated expression. I look down at the math task she's struggling with.

"You take this." I point to a number. "Multiply it with 2 because that's what's left after you've divided 84 with 42." Her eyes widen a bit and a smile spreads over her features when she gets it. She scribbles down the calculations in her notebook, her smile grows wider when she gets the right answer.

"Oh my god!" She half shouts. "I got it right!" She looks at me and throws her arms around my neck. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" I chuckle softly and slowly wrap my own arms around her. "You're the best." She smiles widely and pulls away before returning to the other tasks.

"Well, that was a first." Someone mumbles from next to me and I turn to look at him; Liam.

"What?" I question and start to play with my pen.

"She actually solved a task." He chuckles softly, shaking his head a bit.

"Um, yeah. She did." I say, still not knowing what he's trying to say.

"She has never managed to do that before." I lift a brow.

"Really?"

"Yeah." He confirms, nodding his head and glance at the blond girl on my left. "You're great to explain things." He says. I smile a bit at the compliment.

"Thanks."

"No, thank you." He says. "Now we don't have to hear her nag about something she doesn't understand so thank you." I shoot him a full smile this time.

"I'm glad I could help." I tell him, he nods once and goes back to his own tasks.

These six students aren't as bad as I thought they would be. I have always been afraid of Ryder (I still am) and her crew but now I see a completely different side of them. Tanya is a great girl, just a bit misunderstood and insecure, that's all. The five boys, Liam, Niall, Zayn, Harry and Louis are actually all very nice lads. They might be a bit mischievous and tough but they're not mean. They're nice. All of them.

For some reason I still don't understand, they've decided to start to hang out with me. Why me, out of all people? Why the girl they've always been bullying? It makes no sense to me and I'm pretty sure it never will, I have stopped trying to find an answer. Instead I'm enjoying the feeling of affiliation. I have friends now, real friends that accept me.

When the bells rings, signaling that the last class for today is dismissed, Tanya is on her feet within seconds and gathers her books in her arms before dumping them on Louis.

"Thank you." She smiles sweetly before hooking her arm with mine and walks out of the room and down the hallway. I follow her lead with my own books under my free arm.

"Let me take those." I look up and meet a pair of green piercing eyes.

"Uh, yeah. Sure. Thanks." I give him a careful smile and in return I get a dimpled one. I feel myself melt a bit.

"- so you're coming, right?" Tanya's voice breaks through and I realize that she just asked a question and is waiting for an answer. What did she just ask me? I have no idea. She wants me to go somewhere, that's clear. But where?