[EVE]
The bell had barely rung, signaling the end of the school day, when I found myself being herded toward the auditorium for the after-school practice session.
Our school''s rendition of
Cindere
wasing up fast, and as much as I pretended to be annoyed about having to stayte, I had to y my part as a graduating student.
Besides, there was no way I''d pass up the chance to get back at Sophie.
I was cast as one of the evil stepsisters, and with Riri ying the other, our scenes were guaranteed to be
entertaining
—if nothing else.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om
Riri and I were in full character as we took center stage, circling around Sophie, who was ying Cindere.
Sophie, in her in rags costume, was crouched down on the floor, pretending to scrub it with a cloth, her expression perfectly conveying the downtrodden heroine.
Riri and I, on the other hand, were fully embracing our roles as the cruel stepsisters. I leaned in, lifting my chin haughtily, and gave Sophie a look that could curdle milk.
"Oh, dear sister," I drawled, flicking an imaginary speck of dust from my sleeve. "Do you think this peasant girl even knows how to clean properly? Look at this mess!"
Riri gasped in exaggerated horror, clutching her chest like she''d been mortally wounded. "You''re right! It''s absolutely filthy! Cindere, you''re doing a terrible job as usual!"
She nudged Sophie with her toe, and I caught the slight twitch of annoyance in Sophie''s eye.
Sophie was a natural actress; she knew how to y the victim without overdoing it. Her eyes filled with fake tears as she looked up at us, trembling in her pretend fear.
"I''m trying my best," she said softly, her voiceced with just the right amount of hopelessness.
I couldn''t help but smirk. "Trying your best? Ha! Your best is pathetic." I turned to Riri, putting on a mock thoughtful expression. "Maybe she needs more chores to do, so she could practice more. What do you think, dear sister?"
Riri giggled wickedly, sping her hands together. "Oh, I quite agree! Perhaps she should wash all the dishes again. They look far too . . . dirty."
Sophie shot us a re when she thought no one was looking, but she quickly dropped her gaze again, ying her part to perfection.
In the corner, I noticed Lily standing with a script in hand. She was cast as the Fairy Godmother, which was ironic considering her real-life attitude was anything but sweet and magical.
She was ncing at herself in the mirror, adjusting her sparkly costume, probably more focused on her appearance than the actual practice.
When it was her cue, Lily stepped forward, waving her wand with a dramatic flourish. "Oh, dear Cindere," she began, her voice dripping with forced sweetness. "Fear not, for I, your Fairy Godmother, havee to grant you your deepest wish."
Sophie rose to her feet, giving Lily a grateful smile as she delivered her lines. "Oh, Fairy Godmother, you are too kind!"
I had to stifle a snort. The way Lily''s eyes narrowed slightly, I could tell she wasn''t happy with how easily Sophie stole the spotlight.
Even in rehearsals, Lily hated sharing the stage, especially when she wasn''t the main character. And mostly because Daniel was the leading Prince.
But what really made the whole practice amusing was Daniel''s role as the Prince. He had the most minimal part in the y—a handful of lines, a brief dance with Cindere at the ball, and a final moment where he fit the ss slipper on her foot.
Daniel was currently lounging in a chair at the edge of the stage, looking about as bored as humanly possible. He was leaning back, his eyes half-closed, absently scrolling on his phone when he thought no one was watching.
Our president called out, "Daniel, you''re up next!" and he sighed heavily, getting up from his chair like it was the greatest effort in the world.
Riri leaned over and whispered to me with a chuckle, "Looks like Prince Charming would rather be anywhere else right now."
I snickered. "Can you me him? His role is barely more than a cameo."
Daniel finally stepped onto the stage, looking every bit the disinterested prince. He delivered his lines in a monotone voice, clearly counting down the minutes until he could leave.
"Oh, fair maiden, it is you I have been searching for," he said, sounding like he was reading off a grocery list rather than dering his love.
Sophie, to her credit, yed along, fluttering her eyshes and responding with, "Oh, my prince, I cannot believe you chose me."
For a moment, I caught Daniel''s gaze, I thought I saw longing in there, but then he shifted his gaze over to Sophie once more.
Was I seeing things?
As the scene continued, I could tell the president''s was getting a bit exasperated with Daniel''sckluster performance, but what could she do? It wasn''t like we could rece him at this point.
And besides, the main selling point of our
Cindere
y was Daniel as the prince. Without him, probably half the girls on campus wouldn''t even bother to show up.
Riri and I continued our part, hamming it up as much as possible.
We both towered over Sophie, our voices filled with mock disdain. "You think the Prince would ever want to dance with
you
?" I said, my voice dripping with false pity. "You''re nothing but a lowly servant!"
Sophie straightened up, her eyes shing with determination. Even though this was just a rehearsal, I could see a genuine spark in her performance, like she was channeling her frustration at us into her acting.
"I may be a servant now," she said, her voice firm, "but one day, I''ll be more than that."
I raised an eyebrow. It wasn''t part of the script, but fine, whatever . . .
"Know your ce, maid!" I dered, pointing sharply at Sophie. But to everyone''s surprise, she stumbled backward, copsing to the floor in a dramatic heap.
"You don''t have to push me like that!" she cried out, instantly drawing the attention of the entire cast.
"Eve! What the hell are you doing? That''s not in the script!" someone shouted from the side.
I blinked, stunned. I hadn''t even touched her.
Oh, right . . . Sophie was putting on her usual performance, pretending to be the fragile damsel in distress, and I was the usual bully.