Cinderella Smith (9 page)

The wedding went just fine except for when Julia almost fell. She really does have big feet, and she tripped over them coming down the stairs. Erin was right in front of her and Anna was right behind her, and they both put out their arms and saved her. She didn't even care that she almost fell in front of all those people. She laughed and said how lucky she was to have sisters around like Erin and Anna. And since Julia has a pretty loud voice, everyone heard and started saying that they agreed. The wedding stopped for a few minutes and then picked up again where it had left off.

For some reason the minister skipped over that wedding-stopping place. He could probably just tell that everyone was very, extremely happy and no one would object. When he finished up and the ceremony was over, the wedding got even more fun.

People in black walked around offering us food and napkins. There was champagne for the grown-ups and sparkling cider for the kids. Loud music played, and people started dancing. Erin told Anna and Julia all about how I was going to be the star of the Pumpkin Blossom Fairy dance, and they made me show them how to do it. Then they showed us how to do the hustle and the electric slide. We kicked off our shoes to do the moonwalk, which maybe wasn't very smart for me because I lost one of my wedges. I'm not too worried about it, though. It has my name and address on it, and it's somewhere in Erin's house. After they get the huge mess from the wedding cleaned up, I bet they'll find it.

My dad picked me up at 10 p.m., which was very late, but the reception was still going on. I told him all about everything, even the
WICKED STEPSISTERS NOTEBOOK
. He wanted to see it, but I couldn't show it to him on account of Erin and Julia and Anna were giving it to their parents as a wedding gift. It seemed like a weird present to me, but Anna said it was just the perfect thing. She's planning on being a librarian when she grows up, so she probably knows.

Chapter 15
Ballet Slippers

“I
bet Miss Akiyama is going to be very mad when she finds out you haven't found your shoe yet,” said Rosemary T. on the way to rehearsal. She slipped off the backseat, almost all the way to the floor, and slid her feet under the driver's seat.

“How do you know I haven't found it yet?” I asked.

She shrugged her shoulders. “I have some bad news.”

“What is it?” I asked.

“I've looked everywhere for my old pair of tap shoes, and I can't find them.”

“Oh,” I said.

“I must have lost them.”

“You never lose anything,” I said.

Rosemary T. said, “But I really did lose them!”

“Oh, honey, of course you did,” said Mrs. Taylor. “We're so very sorry, Cinderella.”

And then a big explosion went off in my head, and I closed my eyes tight. I didn't want Rosemary T. to know what was going on inside me, but this was it: I was in the middle of TROUBLE OF EPIC PROPORTIONS! All in capitals! It was two weeks until the Autumn Recital. I still hadn't found my missing tap shoe, and now I didn't have any to borrow.

“Here you are, girls,” Mrs. Taylor said all cheerful. “Have a good practice. I'll pick you up afterward.”

Rosemary T. unbuckled her seat belt and slid her feet even farther under the front seat.

It made it very, extremely difficult for me to get out, but I finally climbed over her and out the door.

I headed into the dance studio, and right there was Miss Akiyama.
Alas
. I took a big, deep breath and walked over to her; but before I could say anything, Rosemary T. raced over in front of me.

“Excuse me, Miss Akiyama,” she said. “I was thinking that I should do the Pumpkin Blossom Fairy part today since Cinderella still hasn't found her shoe.”

“You haven't?” Miss Akiyama asked me.

I shook my head and felt sad and horrible.

“With the recital coming up, someone else needs to practice the part,” said Rosemary T.

Miss Akiyama sighed. “Fine. Switch parts, girls. Cinderella, you can be a Dancing Pumpkin, and Rosemary can be the Pumpkin Blossom Fairy.”

Then I got mad too! I was so mad, I wanted to yell and stamp my feet. I wanted to bonk Rosemary T. on the head with the Pumpkin Blossom Fairy wand very hard with a capital
H-A-R-D
. I also got a big lump of sad in my throat and I needed it to go away right away, because there was no way I was going to cry right there. I started tapping with my right foot and tried very hard not to blow my top, which means not to do all those things I just said.

Rosemary T. smiled. “I promise to be the best Pumpkin Blossom Fairy ever.”

“It's just in case, Rosemary,” said Miss Akiyama. “I'm sure Cinderella will find her shoe before our last rehearsal next week.”

“Yes, I will!” I yelled, sort of blowing my top after all. Even though I couldn't think how that would be possible. And then I tapped out the Pumpkin Blossom Fairy solo right then as hard as I could stamp to make sure I didn't cry one bit.

Miss Akiyama laughed very loud, and everyone stared at her and me and Rosemary T.

I did not want to turn into a Dancing Pumpkin when Rosemary T. tapped me, and I did not think I could make myself at all; but I did somehow or other.

When dance class was over, I stomped out to the car very fast and left Rosemary T. in the dust. I got in and sat down behind the driver's seat and buckled the seat belt and crossed my arms. When Rosemary T. got to the car, she said, “Move over.” But I wouldn't budge.

“Move!” she said.

“No,” I said.

Rosemary T. got very, extremely mad and put her hands on her hips and stamped her feet.

“I said, move out of my seat!” she yelled.

I pretended I couldn't hear her.

“THAT IS MY FAVORITE SEAT!” Rosemary T. screamed. “AND I SAID TO MOVE!”

“That's enough, Rosemary,” said Mrs. Taylor. “Cinderella's already buckled in. Take the other seat, please.”

Rosemary T. climbed in over me like I had to do to her earlier. She sat in the other seat and gave me mean stink eyes, but I just ignored her.

Mrs. Taylor started driving home, and the car was all quiet and very weird feeling.

“When did you decide that the seat behind me was your favorite, Rosemary?” asked Mrs. Taylor. “I thought you liked the one behind the passenger seat better because it was easier to see the video screen from there.”

“No,” said Rosemary T. very grumpy. “You're wrong because . . .”

But we'll never know why Mrs. Taylor was wrong because we turned the corner onto our street then and things were all wild and crazy and out of control.

Ralph was racing down the sidewalk with a Barbie doll in his mouth. Charlie was chasing right behind him, bouncing his basketball and yelling Ralph's name. Next came Mr. Hansen, who was yelling at Ralph too, and then Mrs. Hansen. She wasn't chasing Ralph, though; she was chasing her granddaughter, Jenny, who must have escaped too.

Just then Charlie made a grab for Ralph. His basketball flew in one direction and Ralph ran into the street. Mrs. Taylor had to screech on her brakes so she didn't hit Ralph. We all went whooshing forward, and thank goodness for seat belts because we all went whooshing back where we belonged. And when I whooshed back, I felt a little thump of something sliding out from under the driver's seat and hitting my foot. I looked down, and there was my ruby red tap shoe!

“Are you okay, girls?” Mrs. Taylor was all out of breath and scared sounding. She pulled over to the curb right then and there and parked the car.

“Yes!” I yelled. I scooped up my tap shoe and held on to it for dear life. Even though we were way at the other end of the block, I jumped out of the car to find out about all the wild craziness.

“Thank you!” I yelled, and ran after Charlie.

When I caught up with everyone, they were on their way back to the Hansens'. Charlie was carrying Ralph and Ralph was carrying Barbie and Mr. Hansen was carrying Jenny and Mrs. Hansen was carrying Charlie's basketball.

“What'cha got there, Tinder?” called Charlie.

“What'cha got there, Tarles?” I called back, feeling proud that I thought of that.

“I've got an escape artist dog,” he said.

“I've got my lost tap shoe!” I held the gate open, and we all walked into the Hansens' yard.

Ralph was panting so hard from his long run that he dropped Barbie out of his mouth.

Jenny raced over and grabbed up her doll.

“Did she survive her adventure?” Mrs. Hansen asked.

Jenny turned her over and took a good, close look. “Yes!”

“That dog is going to be the end of me,” Mr. Hansen muttered, and headed into the house.

“Where was your shoe?” Charlie asked.

“Underneath Rosemary T.'s front seat,” I said.

“
Where?
” asked Charlie.

“Under . . . ,” I started to say, but then I had an
AHA!
I'd been so happy to find my shoe and so curious about the craziness on my block that I hadn't thought about anything else. But now I did. I looked down the block at Rosemary T.'s house with the meanest stink eyes ever.

“I will definitely be able to tell her never mind from now on,” I said.

“I think you should be able to tell her more than that,” said Charlie.

“I'm too happy,” I said, and ran home to tell everyone my very, extremely exciting and wonderful-with-a-capital-
W
news.

We had to take two cars to the recital, which is not very green, but we had too many people for just one. My dad drove my Grandmother Smith and my Grandma B.; and my mom drove me and Tess and Erin, who we picked up on the way. Erin had decided to take dance class instead of basketball for the winter, and now I could introduce her to Miss Akiyama.

I walked into the dressing room clapping my tap shoes together, which is against the rules; but I was so excited I couldn't help it.

For the Pumpkin Blossom Dance, everyone had on big, balloony pumpkin costumes except me. I had a tutu all full of different fallish colors like orange and brown and gold and red.

I also had a crown pinned onto my head and orange bows pinned on my shoes and the wand that I mentioned earlier.

In my humble opinion, which is something you say right before you say something good about yourself so you don't sound all braggy, the Pumpkin Blossom Dance was a bang-up success. We got a standing ovation, which Tess and Erin started; but standing ovations are contagious, and everyone caught it and stood up too.

Grandmother Smith and Grandma B. said I did a brilliant job and took tons of pictures. Erin said she couldn't wait to start taking dance classes, and Tess said “Bravo!” over and over again. That's a fancy way to say “Good job!” and I'm not sure where she learned it.

To celebrate we went out for ice cream afterward. I guess everyone else had the same idea too, because that place was chock-full of Pumpkins and Leaves and Acorns and Apples.

“I can tell what everyone else is, but what are you supposed to be?” said a voice behind me. A basketball started bouncing.
Alas.