I woke up at six in the morning to pick up Sidney from the airport then head to the auditorium to prepare for the play. On the way to the airport, I received a text from Mom telling me that they were already on their way. Dad and Sidney's parents were with her.

I got to the airport at 6:30 because of some traffic caused by an accident between a bus and a taxi. Thankfully, no one got hurt on the accident and the damages of the vehicles weren't very big.

While waiting for her to arrive, I reread the script over and over again. I already memorized everything, but I just couldn't help but feel nervous. College plays were different from High School plays, because in College, the audiences are more mature. They're harder to please, and they criticize you more.

I was glad that Baron didn't limit the play from having actors outside the arts department. I actually thought that I couldn't enter on plays anymore because I took engineering. Thankfully, Baron made everything perfect. I actually thanked God for having me go to the school, because it was the perfect college for me and Sidney.

About ten minutes later, Sidney arrived. She looked exhausted with the bags under her eyes and her messy hair, but still, my world went galactic when I saw her.

When she saw me, she immediately ran to me and hugged me so tight like we didn't see each other for years. It was only a week, but it did feel like years. Her hug was like the stars colliding, forming into a person just to hug me. It felt amazing. It felt like wonderful.

"I missed you." I said while my face was on her hair. They smelled like vanilla, and my nose couldn't possibly smell anything more pleasing than it. "I always wished you were there with me." She admitted with a small laugh, hugging me tighter.

I broke apart from the hug and faced her. "You didn't want me to come with you." I pointed out.

She rolled her eyes and shook her head in disappointment, which confused me because she did say I shouldn't come with her. "I wanted you to come, Ed, but you're needed in the play. It was just one week, so I thought I wouldn't miss you as much. Gosh I was wrong." She complained with a slightly louder voice that it caused some tourists to look at us. One asian guy in an all-black attire glared at us creepily.

"What's important is now we're together." I told her with a smile. "Let's go?" I suggested and she nodded.

We headed back to school, first stopping by her dorm room to drop her things. After that, we went to the auditorium to get ready for the play. We only had two hours left to get ready, so we swiftly went inside. We were supposed to get there at six in the morning, but I told Ms. Styles that I was going to be late because I needed to pick up Sidney. She hesitated to allow me at first, but after some pleading and reasoning, she said okay.

When Sidney and I came in the auditorium using the back door, everyone was scuffling around the backstage. Some were already dressed, while some were still applying make up on their face. I saw Harry by the stage crew, talking to them. Probably practicing his lines in front of them.

"Sidney! Dylan!" Ms. Styles called when she saw us. "Go to the dresser. We should start your make-ups." She pushed us to the direction where make-up artists where waiting.

Sidney glanced at me and chuckled. I did too. I remembered the freshman day, where I was told to have make-up and my face just couldn't be drawn. I always thought that make-ups were like crayons on a girl's face, but then I realized that it was what made them confident. But Sidney? She feels more confident without them. She is more beautiful without them.

It just took minutes for them to put make-up on me because all they applied were a few powders and some light lipstick. The lipstick made me uncomfortable because it was the first time a lipstick was applied on my lips. Usually it was only just face powders. The lipstick felt dry on my lips, like something was touching them the whole time. I wanted to ask Ms. Styles if I could take them off, but changed my mind when I saw how frustrated and stressed she was.

You can take it off after the play, I thought.

Ten minutes before the play started, Sidney pulled me to a corner. She looked beautiful in her fairy godmother dress, but it still looked dull to me like the first time I saw it.

"I just want to say good luck." She said while smiling, her fake lashes making her eyes pop. "But can I ask something?" She asked shyly.

"What is it?"

She looked away and smiled at the air, obviously embarrassed with what she was about to ask. "Are you sure there's no kiss?" She finally asked.

I chuckled at her embarrassed face. "With Zoe? No." I answered. I held her shoulders and made her look at me. "With you? Yes." I said and leaned to kiss her.

. . .

"She's the most beautiful girl I've ever seen." I said my line when Zoe as Cinderella entered the stage. She was wearing the beautiful dress, and she also had the bun that the cartoon Cinderella had on her hair. She had the black choker as well as the glass slippers(which was regular shoes that was covered with glass-like cloth), so she really did look like Cinderella. The color of the dress matched her eyes, and it was like she was sparkling with little lights the whole time. She was really beautiful, so I wasn't lying when I said my line.

Mom, dad, and Sidney's mom were on the second row just right behind where the school heads were seated, and when I glanced at them, their eyes were so focused on the play that they looked too intense and serious. I wanted to laugh at them, maybe make some funny faces, but held it back because I was in the middle of the play. As far as everyone knew, Prince Charming wasn't a geek.

The auditorium was packed with people, and most of them were our fellow students. There were also parents seated around, but I doubt that they were really interested with a Disney-inspired play. But then again, Cinderella was a classic fairytale.

So far, the play went well. There were no malfunctions, except for the part where Sidney as Fairy godmother had her wand spark electricity. The audience thought that it was part of the play so they were all amazed, but in truth, it wasn't part of the play. The wand was supposed to be even just made of plastic. How it sparked electricity? We had no idea. But since the audience loved it, Ms. Styles was okay with it and eventually forgot about it.

After Sidney went off the stage, I immediately came to her and made sure that she was okay. I cupped her face and examined her hands and arms. I was happy to find out that the sparkling wand caused her no harm. I then made a note inside my head to find out how her plastic wand suddenly sparked electricity.

Zeus was probably the one who caused it, but I still needed to investigate.

The play went to the part where Cinderella and Prince Charming had to dance. Like what Ms. Styles instructed me, I had to look believable that I immediately fell in love with Cinderella. She said that I had to have dreamy eyes, soft gestures, and a smile that screams I Love You.

It was easy. All I had to do was imagine that Sidney was in front of me.

And then the song played. Just like the one we had when we practiced, the song was A Thousand Years by Christina Perri. We had to dance waltz, so the song had a 3-time signature.

We started with small steps, my hand behind her back, and her hands around my shoulders. As the song ascended, so did our pace. We turned, we danced, and made the music like it was ours. We practiced the steps too many times, so it was no surprise that we had no mistakes. Every step and turn, we were in timing with the music.

"Let's go somewhere." I whispered to the microphone when the bridge of the song came.

She made a surprised look and asked, "Where?" We stopped dancing then, but my hands were still behind her back.

I made a sneaky yet excited smile, just like what Ms. Styles had told me. "You'll see." I grabbed her wrist and pulled her to the left side of the stage as the stage crew changed the props. In seconds, the right side of the stage was suddenly a garden.

There was night back drop, with a moon on the far left side. Stars or little lights were twinkling, so it made the effect of the night more effective. There was also a bench on the middle, and two vases with tulips on each side.

It was magical, even though it was fake.

"What is this place?" She asked with her eyes wandering around. Her every move and expression made her look like the actual Cinderella.

I offered her to sit down on the bench. "The garden. My mother used to go to this place whenever she felt alone." I said, looking around with a sad face to look like I was pained. "Ever since she passed away, I go here thinking that maybe she's something here, guiding me."

She didn't answer and just looked around. Her eyes were full of wonder, and it made her even more beautiful.

I grabbed her hand. "I'll show you my secret." I told her. I pulled her to the middle of the stage, where a garden door was placed. I opened it, and we were immediately in a garden inside a garden. "Welcome to my secret garden." I said with a smile.

The backdrop wasn't really different. Actually, the only difference there was was instead of a bench, there was a swing set. I pulled Zoe to the swing and offered her to sit. She did. She bowed like a princess and sat with grace. I pushed her as she went up and down. Everything was perfect, until something unexpected happened.

When I pushed her the fifth time, she might have gone out of balance because she fell flat on the floor with a big thump. It was like one of those movies where little kids ride on a swing and fall on the floor, and they would wail. Of course, Zoe didn't cry. I immediately ran to her and helped her stood up, because with the sound of her fall, it was obvious she was hurt.

"Are you okay?" I whispered to her, putting the mini microphone away from my face first. The audience were murmuring, obviously surprised with the incident too. Ms styles was on the right side of the stage, giving me signals, asking if everything was alright.

Zoe tried to smile at the audience, but hurt was still evident on her face.

I did the most prince-like thing to do. I scooped her bridal style, and carried her back to sit on the swing. I heard awe sounds around us, but I didn't pay attention to it. Zoe was hurt, and it's the thing I should focus on.

She looked surprised like she just saw a monster. Even after I put her down on the swing, she was still looking at me like she'd never seen me before. "Thank you." She whispered, only enough for me to hear. I only smiled at her as a response.

"Can you run? Or should we stop the play?" I asked her when I saw Ms. Styles panicking behind the curtain.

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. With full confidence, she said, "I can run."

I gave the crew a signal, and then, the loud sound of a clock surrounded the auditorium. Everyone stopped moving, the sound catching their attention. Zoe then came back to her acting self. "I have to go." She said.

"What? Where?" I tried to stop her by holding her wrist when she stood up. I saw her flinch a little, but maybe I was the only one who noticed. "It's still midnight. It's still too early for you to go."

"You don't understand. I have to go."

"But I don't know your name yet!" I screamed but she didn't answer.

She went behind the stage that was in the middle, and climbed up. Then, she ran down, leaving one of the glass slippers behind. I ran after her and told the guards to follow her. The curtains closed, and everyone went back to work changing the stage back to the house.

When the curtain had fully closed, most of us gathered around Zoe to make sure she was okay. Sidney slipped her arms around mine and asked me what happened. "I don't know. The last time we checked the swing was fine, and I didn't push too hard either. She must've just really slipped." It was the truth.

Zoe tried to convince everyone that she was okay and that we can all just resume the play, but she had a hard time judging by everyone's faces. "Cinderella is strong, right? I must be strong too. So, let's get this play going!" She told everyone, and there were second thoughts, but we all eventually resumed.

Fast forward to the end of the play. I found Cinderella, and we were having our wedding. Zoe got changed to her bridal gown while I changed for a little old fashioned tux. The stage was converted into a palace, with white flowers surrounding it. There was a porch in the middle, where Cinderella and Prince Charming will be saying I do.

The curtains opened, and wedding bells blasted from the speakers. A sophomore was in front of us playing as the priest, and he was saying the wedding rights.

"I do." Zoe said, and I repeated it.

"You may now kiss the bride." He said, and I froze. It wasn't in the script. I was sure that we didn't have to kiss.

I was about to tell him about it, but Zoe already leaned and kissed me on the lips.

I was surprised that I jerked back a little. The audience all stood up and clapped their hands, some yelling "Bravo!" Mom and dad were clapping too, but they seemed surprised as I was. Sidney's mom? She didn't look happy at all. I looked at the right side the stage, and Sidney was right there, looking blankly at the air. She looked like she was about to cry, and all I wanted that moment was run to her and tell her that it wasn't planned. That I didn't know we were going to kiss.

Seeing her broken made my world shatter. It was like a huge boulder of stone dropped on top of me, and with its weight, I lost the ability to move my body.

The curtains closed, which meant that the play ended, and the first thing I did was run to Sidney. On my first step, she ran away too. I only caught her near the exit door.

I grabbed her hand which made her look back at me. Tears were on her eyes, and it just made my heart shatter more. "Let me explain."

She pulled her hand away from me. "Don't even, Ed. I was just gone for seven days, and you and Zoe? You told me there wasn't any kiss. You lied." She scoffed and ran away.

I ran after her, and called her name too many times. But she didn't stop nor look back.

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

Well, this took too long to write.

About two chapters left!

Z.