We were walking by the park a block away from school. That part of the town wasn't as crowded as the others so the morning noise was lesser. The sun was slowly rising, and there were joggers around who had earphones on their ears. I didn't bring mine because I was with Harry, and I thought it would be rude to listen to music when we could both just talk.

"But how did you know?" Harry asked, rubbing his black sweater because of the cold. Since he wasn't wearing any sports attire, I decided to wear something casual too. A white plain t-shirt paired with some blue jeans and black Vans. "How did you know that you had to stop?"

I shook my head and chuckled at remembering what happened. "There was this girl at school who had planned everything. It was a long story, but to make it short, she was like Sidney's half-sister, and she hated her, and she tried to ruin her life." I said.

The trees were swaying with the wind, and the sound of the birds were like music to my ears. The sky was almost getting too bright, but otherwise it was still a beautiful morning.

He nodded in understanding. "Where is she now? The girl?" He asked.

"Canada." I said with distaste because it was all about Hayley. Every time I think of her, all I could remember was that I passed out at prom, and it really wasn't a great memory. "It's been a year, so I don't really know if she's still there now."

He nodded in understanding, again. He didn't say anything else and just walked. For minutes, we were silent. All I could hear was the wind, the chirps of the bird, and the honk of vehicles from the next block.

The park we were walking around was big so we still haven't reached where we started. There was a gazebo in the middle, about fifteen benches scattered around, some statues of the greek gods, and grasses that just couldn't look any greener.

"How's it going with Brianna?" I asked him as we passed by the statue of Athena, the goddess of wisdom.

He stopped walking and turned to look at me. "What do you mean?" He asked, obviously confused.

I raised my eyebrow at him. "Brianna. How's it going with you two? Do you like her? Are you going out?" I asked.

Then, like I just made the funniest joke in the history of jokes, he laughed like a maniac. "Dude. I have a girl friend!" He slapped my shoulder still laughing.

"You do?" I asked in a surprised tone. "We've been roommates for weeks. How come you never told me about it?" I asked again.

He shrugged his shoulders. "You never asked." He said. "Plus, I told Brianna to stay away from me. She's convincing me to break up with my girl friend. Even though my girl friend is like a monster, I still love her and I wouldn't leave her." He told me, this time in a sincere tone.

The way he described his girl friend, a monster, almost made me laugh. Usually guys describe their girl friends as a princess, a queen, or even their precious one. But him, he described her as a monster. But what made me not laugh was how sincere he sounded with what he said. He wouldn't leave her, no matter how a monster she was.

Is Sidney a monster? A gummy bear monster, probably. But to me, she is the most perfect girl I have ever known. Maybe she have some flaws, but those flaws are the things that makes her perfect.

Perfect doesn't really mean flawless. Sometimes, it means that you love him/her/it despite his/her/its flaws.

"What's her name?" I asked. We passed by a kid, probably a 5 year old, who was wearing a minion outfit. If Sidney was there with me, she would've told me to wear one too.

"Jane." He said with a smile.

The name sounded familiar. I just couldn't point out where I heard it. It seemed like I knew a person who was named Jane, but at the same time I had no idea at all.

I convinced myself that the reason it sounded familiar was because of Tarzan.

Harry never mentioned having a girl friend before, but it really wasn't his fault because I never asked. He just didn't look like someone who had a girl friend. But, one thing was sure. He really loved her.

. . .

Five days had passed and the practices for the play were getting busier. We only had a week left, and everyone was running around making sure everything would be perfect.

When Sidney and I entered the auditorium, the stage was almost finished. The stage crew really did a great job because they designed it first as Cinderella's house, with the stables and the fountain. Then, if the day of the ball arrive, they would just change the backdrop and immediately replace the other props with chandeliers, columns, and a big staircase in the center. They also had the garden on the right where Cinderella and Prince Charming talk to each other, also where Cinderella will runaway, leaving her slipper.

Even though it was only half finished, I could already imagine everything perfectly.

Ben poked my shoulder. "Dylan, Ms. Styles needs you to try out your costume." He said and with the way his eyes and mouth moved, it was obvious that he had been up for days. He looked like a zombie, only without the blood and ragged clothes. "You too, Sidney." He added while tilting his head at her and walked away.

Sidney and I went to the dressing room which was backstage, like what Ben told us. When we got there, dresses and costumes were cluttered around, so we were very careful not to step on any of them. We didn't want Ms. Styles kicking us out of the play just because we stepped on Anastasia's dress.

Ms. Styles was staring at a beautiful blue dress that was hung on the wall when she tilted her head a little bit, just enough to notice that we were already there. "Ah! There you are." She beamed and walked towards us. She suddenly gripped on my wrist, which got me gripping on Sidney's wrist, and pulled us to the dress. "This is Cinderella's dress. Zoe haven't seen it yet. What do you guys think?" She asked with hope.

I studied the dress. It was a ball gown in dodger blue color, that looked exactly like Cinderella's dress on that 2015 movie. It had those puffy sleeves that showed her shoulders, and it had these little butterflies sewed onto them. I could picture Zoe wearing it and I knew that she would look beautiful, but I still couldn't help but think that Sidney would look better.

"It's beautiful, Ms. Styles." I said to her, smiling. "The perfect dress for Cinderella."

She clasped her hands with delight and her eyes looked like they sparkled the way Cinderella's slippers sparkle. "Thank you! I've been working on this dress for weeks." She said, and suddenly, I could see the lines on her eyes. She really did look like she had been up for weeks. It was only right to appreciate her hard work.

"You did a wonderful job, Ms. Styles." Sidney said with her genuine smile, and she slipped her arms to mine.

"Thank you, dear."  Ms. Styles said, still smiling. Even though there were lines from her eyes, she still managed to look beautiful just by smiling. "Now you two, we have to fit into your costumes. Come here." She said and walked to the other side of the dressing room where stacks of costumes were piled into the corner.

Ms. Styles rummaged to the pile of costumes and looked for something that was probably at the bottom. When I heard her say 'Ah. Here it is,' I figured that she already saw what she was looking for. "Dylan, here is your costume." She said, holding out the exact same royal garment that the guy from the cartoon Cinderella movie wore.

She handed it to me. "Thanks." I said, receiving the suit and hung it on my arms.

She rummaged to the pile of clothes again, and found the dress she was looking for. She held it out, and it was another ball gown like Zoe's, only lighter in color and without the butterflies. To me, it looked duller. "Sidney, this is your costume." She said, handing it to her. She accepted it without hesitation. "Now, you two, try them out so we can adjust the sizes."

Sidney and I immediately went to the bathrooms. Since there was a bathroom for the guys, and another for the girls, we had to separate. Well, not that I wanted to change with her in the same room.

I tried the suit on, and at first I thought it was okay, but when I tried to raise my hand, I couldn't. The cloth on the elbow part was too short. There were scenes that I had to raise my hands, and I had to dance with Zoe, so the suit really needed adjustments. The pants was too short too. If I wore rainbow socks, everybody would've seen it.

No. I don't own any rainbow socks.

I took off the costume and got back in my normal clothes. I then went back to Ms. Styles, and I thought that Sidney was already there, but she wasn't. Maybe she had a hard time putting her costume on.

"How was it, Dylan?" Ms. Styles asked when she saw me making my way to her. "Did it fit?" And so, I told her about the pants and the elbows. She looked a bit disappointed, and it bothered me a little bit, but I couldn't possibly act on a play with everyone seeing my rainbow socks. I mean, white socks.

She took the costume from me and handed it to a lady with a pencil behind her ear, so I guessed that she was the seamstress.

The door to the girl's bathroom opened, and Sidney walked out.

She didn't exactly look like Cinderella, because the dress was too dull, but she still looked beautiful. She was like the stars to me. Even though the sky itself was dark, she still managed to shine.

She walked towards us, and Ms. Styles looked like she was about to cry. "Oh my. You look perfect, Sidney!" She said to her and hugged. Sidney looked like she was punched in the stomach with her wide-eyed expression.

Ms. Styles finally broke the hug and Sidney couldn't look anymore relieved. "I was a bit worried we had to do some adjustments. We couldn't just do it since you're leaving. We still ha..."

"Wait, what?" I interjected. "What do you mean she's leaving?" I asked, absolutely clueless.

Ms. Styles opened her mouth to speak but Sidney spoke first. "Ed. I need to tell you something. Can we talk? Outside? After I change into my clothes?"

She looked worried and afraid. I couldn't understand what was happening. Sidney? Leaving? The thought haunted me for as long as I can remember, and it just never occurred to me that it could actually happen.

I waited for her to come out, and when she did, she walked out of the auditorium and I followed her. She only stopped walking when we were finally at the parking lot. It was almost dark, so the lights were already starting to light up. The moon was already visible, and the stars were starting to pop out.

She took a deep breath as we were face to face. Every second that passed, it was like my heart did a backflip. At the same time, my world seemed to pass by slower.

"I'll be gone for a week." She said, looking away.

One week. Seven days. The day before the play. "You won't be back ti'l the day before the play?" I asked in surprise. Then, I realized the question that I should have asked first. "Where are you going? When did you tell Ms. Styles? Why didn't you tell me first?" I asked, digging my eyes onto hers.

"I'm having three concerts in California, Ed. Mr. Frederick called me yesterday. I didn't tell you because I know that you would insist to come, and you just can't skip the play, Ed. I didn't know how to say it to you." She said.

If she had told me earlier, would I have insisted to come with her? Yes. Yes, I would've.

"But can't I come for even just three days?" I asked.

She shook her head. "No. This is your first play in college, Ed. You have to practice as much as you can."

"And this is your first play ever, Sidney. It should be special to you, too." I said.

"I have fifteen lines, Ed. And I just have to wave my wand. I already talked to Ms. Styles about it. She allowed me, and she said that I know what I have to know already so I'm good." She explained. "Please, Ed. It'll just be a week. I'll be back before you know it."

I wanted to say no. I wanted to come with her.

"Okay."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Guys, I need your opinion,

So, I'm planning to enter the Wattys this year, and I'm a little bit afraid. I have this plot that I've been working on these past few days, and I just feel that it's the perfect entry for it. But what I'm afraid of is that it wouldn't be good enough, or in other words, I'm afraid my story wouldn't be supported like the other books. Wattys is such a big thing, and many people had probably entered their entries already, so I just need your opinion. Should I enter? Or should I wait til next year or the time I will finally be confident(where I don't have much mistakes anymore). Aaand, will you guys support me?

Z.