Chaper 5 - Preparations

Everyone is getting excited about the ball but I find myself dreading that moment. I try to back off a couple of times but Charlie doesn’t even let me utter an excuse. He recognises the look in my eyes and before I open my mouth he says, “no.” Just like that.

That’s one of the bad things about your best friend knowing you as he knows himself. He doesn’t even let you protest. Damn you, Charlie!

Rhonda makes me drop invitations in every room with a week of anticipation and I have to help with the preparations. The retreat’s crew is everywhere working on all the preparations and celebrities, on the other hand, even leave the retreat centre to go shopping. The Summer Ball, as Rhonda likes to call it, is very popular. Everyone who knows of this centre also knows of this celebration. This year everything looks really fancy.

Liv calls me a few times to check for my dress. She doesn’t want me to see much of it, so I still have no idea what I’ll be wearing, but I know it’s a cream colour, like tea with milk. I like that, at least. I know it’s gonna be beautiful because Olivia is working on it, but I still think it’s a bad idea and it will blow up in my face. I’m a bit scared.

I’ve tried to avoid all celebrities, especially Niall after that evening at the barn with the horses. I don’t want him to spill his problems at me, I have enough with my own. I’m doing a good job because I haven’t ran into any of them or any other celebrity, although Jenny and Kimmy keep telling me that I have to keep an eye on the boybanders.

By the way, Jenny confirmed her beloved Niall, the love of her life, has a girlfriend and she is a model. I thought she was going to cry for three days, but she got over it when she found out Logan Lerman is also here. I guess her love was never pure. Niall is safe. I’m sorry for Logan Lerman, though. My stepsister will be all over him.

Since my meetings with Niall and Harry, I make extra sure no one is in the room when I come in. I’ve always done this, but now I’m just more careful than I was before. Especially with One Direction’s rooms.

Today I’m done with Niall, Zayn, Louis and Liam’s rooms, now only Harry’s is left on this floor so I hurry up to clean his mess and drop the invitation. I’m about to leave when the door opens.

No! I was so, so close. I almost got it.

My eyes meet green ones and I sigh heavily, trying not to be so rude.

“Ella,” he exclaims surprised. I’m impressed he still remembers my name. “What a lovely surprise. I haven’t seen you since that day I was in the shower.”

“Since I named you moth guy,” I tell him and he laughs. Ella, remember, don’t be that rude. “I’m done here, so I won’t bother you.”

He nods, but then he notices the envelope in my hands. “What’s that? A love letter?” Is he full of himself or what?

“Uh, no. It’s an invitation to the Summer Ball. I’m leaving one in every room,” I reply and he opens his mouth in an ‘O’ that reflects understanding. “Here it’s yours. It’s one of the events during summer. This year is a masquerade bash.”

He steps closer and takes the envelope of my hands. I try to walk past him but he moves, blocking my way as he opens the envelope and reads the invitation. “It says I can bring a date. Are you available that night?” He asks me and I roll my eyes.

“I’m not allowed to attend,” I reply and he looks at me suspiciously. “I work that night.”

“What a pity. I wanted to bring a lovely date with me,” he says sweetly with a cute smile. Is he serious or is he just mocking me?

“Uh… yeah, right. Anyways, I gotta go. Have a love day,” I say before finally leaving his room.

I managed that quite well. I wonder if he is that flirty with everyone. If he even flirts with me, what happens with the rest of the population? I get it, he is really handsome and there’s something really adorable about him, but isn’t it like too much? There are limits and I’m the limit. You don’t flirt with Toilet Girl. You flirt with someone like Olivia.

I make my way out of that room and that floor and carry on with my job. I don’t run into any other celebrity that day and when I’m almost done with my shift, Rhonda calls me to her office. I have a really bad vibe about this, but I can’t avoid it.

Her office is humongous and pompous. It screams snob and it overwhelms me every time I walk in, and it also makes me really sad. This used to be Dad’s office and it used to be a warm and cosy place, where I would spend hours looking at the many books he had on the shelves. He had so many books for me… now all of them are gone. Not like I would read fairy tales anymore, but they were Dad’s gifts for me, and I don’t have them anymore. I have no idea where they are.

“Arabella, you’re finally here,” she says when I walk in, dropping her pen and staring at me. “You look hideous today. Have you taken a shower? You can’t go like that around the complex.”

I roll my eyes. I know I’m a disaster. I’ve spent the day cleaning rooms and bathrooms, helping with the decoration for the ball and avoiding celebrities. I went to the stables, as well. I know I look terrible, she doesn’t have to say it. I think I have birds living in my hair.

“I’ve been too busy cleaning for your guests to take a shower,” I reply. “If you wanna take my place so I can shower, I’d be delighted.”

She gasps and looks at me disapprovingly. “You’re so rude. That’s why you can’t work with any of our guests. If you were nicer, I could put you in a nicer position.”

“I rather choke in horseshit,” I tell and Rhonda looks so disgusted that I can’t help the smirk on my face. “Is this what you wanted to talk about?” I ask, although I could go on saying things to annoy her, but I don’t want to see her face today. It’s been long enough.

“Of course not, you disgusting girl. You weren’t this horrible when your father was alive,” she condemns me and I’m this close to jump on her and strangle her. But then I remember that if I go to jail, I can’t go to Uni. Rhonda is not worth a life in prison.

“And you weren’t this poisonous when my dad was alive. You were nice. You fooled us both,” I snap at her and for a second she smirks.

Rhonda always pretends she is a nice woman who is only struggling with the burden Dad left her, she pretends she cares and she doesn’t know how mean and horrid she is. But sometimes I can see she’s very conscious of everything she is doing and she enjoys the things she makes me go through.

You see how in these Cinderella movies the stepmother is always portrayed like a stupid blond woman who is just stupid, conceited and ridiculous. Rhonda only shares the blondness. She is evil, clever and manipulative. She knows exactly what she is doing. I wish she were something like the stepmother in that movie with Hilary Duff.

“I called you because Jenny and Kimmy have told me you’re not helping them. Your main job here is to assist them in everything they need,” Rhonda says, going back to her charade of an innocent woman. What a bitch.

“They are asking me to spy on your guests. I bet they wouldn’t like that,” I tell folding my arms and she doesn’t say anything for a few seconds.

I’m convinced she’ll agree with me but then she says, “You have to be careful. The guests can’t know you’re spying on them. Use that brain of yours. Aren’t you a straight-A student?”

I sigh heavily. Even when I’m obviously right, she can’t agree with me. She’ll find a way to make me do what I don’t want to do.

“And I better not hear any complaint about your behaviour. From anyone, that includes my daughters. You will help them to get the attention of those young billionaires and you’ll keep doing your job. If you don’t, then you’d wish to go back to cleaning toilets because I’ll put you to clean the stables,” Rhonda threats me and I know she is serious.

I love the horses in the complex and I love visiting them, but cleaning their shit every day would take that love away. Although if I’d do that I wouldn’t take the risk to run into any celebrity… hmm… choices, choices.

“Fine,” I agree at the end, realising I really don’t find the idea of cleaning horseshit appealing. “But I don’t think it will help them much.”

“You just do whatever my daughters tell you to do. If they ask you to dress up like a clown to bring those boys’ attention, then you do it.”

“That’s dangerous. They may fall in love with me if they see me dressed up as a clown,” I defy and she laughs, she really laughs.

“Please, no one would fall in love with the toilet girl. Don’t make me laugh because I get wrinkles.”

“Too late for that,” I mutter but Rhonda has bionic hearing.

“Pardon me?” She spats.

“Nothing. I’ll do what they say. Is that all?” I ask because I really wanna leave before I kill her.

I can’t go to jail, I can’t go to jail, I can’t go to jail, I chant in my head.

“Yes.” I turn on my heels to leave when she speaks again. “Wait, one more thing.” I sigh heavily. What else could she possibly want? “I know the Summer Ball is coming, so I just want to remind you that you’re not allowed there. You have to stay in the kitchen, cleaning the whole night, as usual. And I’ll be checking if you are where you’re supposed to be.”

I look at her over my shoulder, squinting my eyes, wondering… does she know what we’re planning with Charlie and Liv? Could she possible know? We haven’t told anyone else and we haven’t talked about it besides that day. It’s a secret, we’ve been careful with that. She can’t know. But the way she looks at me makes me believe she knows and that scares me a bit.

“Of course I’m not going,” I say trying to sound as defiantly as I normally do. “Why would I? It’s gonna be plagued with celebrities and you know how much I hate them.”

She stares at me for a few more seconds before her grin comes back to her lips. “Good. You can’t forget your place in this home. You should be grateful that I take care of you and give you a job to pay for your education.”

I can’t go to jail, I can’t go to jail.

I want to yell at her that all this should belong to me, that’s she is not doing charity, because this is what she signed for when she got married to Dad. I want to make her regret ever saying that. She is not helping me, she is torturing me and she knows it. She enjoys it.

“You have nothing to worry about,” I say through gritted teeth and I want to wipe that grin away from her face with my fists. “May I leave now?”

“Please do. I don’t want to see you.” I turn again and I’m at the door when she speaks again. “And Arabella, please, do take a shower. You stink.”

“Will do, ma’am.” And I finally leave that room. I’ve avoided prison successfully one more time. Charlie will be proud of me.

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Dedication to @KittehVader. I agree! Charlie is kind of Jack in the Disney Movie Cinderella. Hahaha funny analogy.

Bel, xx