A Cinderella story - Chapter 15: Chapter 15

"I'm gonna pack my things and
leave you behind
This feeling's old and I know
that I've made up my mind"
"But I love you so (please let
me go)" - i love you so - the waters
WHEN ANITA FINALLY GOT READY, AFTER PROLONGING HER MORNING ROUTINE, SHE WALKED INTO prisms house finding the place dreadfully silent. She knew they knew as usually there was always some sort of loud device on in this house. Like a blowdryer or a speaker
She walked through the halls until she got to the living room and thats when she saw her stepfamily. Cleo and destiny both had angry looks on their faces whilst prism had an awfully content one
"You and ryder" prism stated standing up
"You and ryder!" She shouted
"He was supposed to be for your sisters"
"He's not an object, he-" she was stopped by prisms hand meeting her face. Anita's head snapped to the side whilst her hand covered the place she was hit
"You're not seeing him again"
Anita: "But-"
"No buts! If the twins see you talking to him at school or something like that. As mayor I'll make sure that kid doesn't have a future" my mouth opened in shock at the lengths my stepmother would go through
"No please-"
"I don't want to hear anymore of this! If you care about that boy and his future you'll leave him alone! Now clean the house!" Prism walked out and the twins got up and followed her too and anita finally let her tears fall
—
Anita had cried, cleaned, and then cried. And right now she sat on her floor in her house whilst trying to gain the courage fo call Ryder. And once she did she took a deep breath
He answered in just a few seconds
"I told you it wouldn't be that bad right?" He said
"Ryder" anita sniffled before letitng out a sob. Her hand moved up to cover her mouth as she tried to silence herself but he had already heard her
"Anita? What happened? Are you okay? I'm coming over" she could hear some shuffling from behind the phone and he was most likely grabbing his keys
"Don't" she cried trying to force out word
"You can't come here"
"Why?" He whispered deflated. He knew whatever was said was bad
"I'm sorry. I tried. I can't see you anymore"
"you gotta listen to me. whatever they have over you is nothing. Forget them"
"It's you" she finally let out
"What?" He questioned, his heart dropping in his chest
"You're what they have over me. They threatened you"
"Anita- forget that. What they're saying is just a threat"
"I can't" she took a deep breath
"Ryder. I have to go"
"No-" she pulled the phone off her ear and hung up not giving him a chance to speak before falling face first on her bed
—
"THOSE BITCHES" ADAM SAID AS THE TRIO SAT IN ALEXIS' CAR THE NEXT MORNING. BOTH Anita's friends were stunned at what they learned
"They can't do that"
"They can" Anita whispered rubbing her eyes. They were all sore and red from a night of crying
"So what are you gonna do?"
"I think- i think it's over for me and ryder" both her friends let out gasps and she nodded, a sob erupting from her throat
Alexis pulled Anita into a hug and wiped away the short girls tears with her sleeve
"But Anita- you've liked Ryder forever. This is everything you've ever wanted"
"And it was good while it lasted. But i can't put his whole future on the line. It's not fair. This is just how it has to be" Anita pulled away and wiped her face one more time before she undid her seatbelt
"Come on, lets go" the three of them got out of the car but as Anita was shutting the door she glanced over to see Ryder looking at her. His eyes held a longing for her but she knew it couldn't happen. She shook her head when he looked like he was about to walk over and she turned the other way, walking to the direction of the school with her friends
—
When lunch rolled around Anita made sure to not be anywhere ryder would look for her. So the auditorium was out of the question as well as the library and cafeteria. So that left the abandoned stairs
But it was the wrong choice as ryder found her 20 minutes later
"You're a hard girl to find" Anita's head snapped up at the sound to see Ryder there
"You can't- you can't be here" she got up off the steps and went to walk off but ryder ran over and took her hands in his
"No ones here. It's just me and you. No ones gonna see us. So talk to me. Please baby" he whispered to her and for what felt like the hundredth time tears leaked from her eyes
"Ryder- i think- i think this is it for us"
"No" he replied sternly shaking his head at the idea
"No. It's not. You can't do this"
"Im doing it for you!" She cried moving away from him
"Don't you get it?! You'll lose everything! She's the mayor!"
"That means shit!" As much as Anita wished it was true. It wasn't
"It doesn't. She has authority. All it takes it a phone call and your life's over. I don't want that for you"
"But i want you" she reached out her hand and laced her hand with his, his forehead pressing against her own
"I don't want this either"
"Its taken so much to get our relationship to such a good place. If neither of us dont want to break up. Then we won't"
"I don't get it" she said confused
"To everyone else. We've broken up. But when were alone. When its just us. Then were togehter" the idea made sense. Loads of people are couples in secret
"We can hang out at my place, or somewhere secluded. You can say your hanging out with wither Adam or alexis" Anita's eyes darted around as she thought about everything and finally her ehes caught onto ryders
"Do you think it could work?"
"I think we can make it work"
"Okay" she whispered agreeing
"Lets do it" ryder let out a large exhale
"Fucking hell. I thoguht i was gonna lose you" he pulled her into his embrace, holding onto her as tightly as he could
—
6 DAYS LATER ANITA WOKE UP IN THE MORNING WITH A GROAN. THE PAST WEEK HAD BEEN ALRIGHT. SHE HAD TO DEAL with the twins and Amanda's snide remarks about her and ryder not being together. and then on top of that they both had to sneak out but thankfully prism didn't care that she had been spending more time at 'Alexis's' house
Anita walked out of her house and went in her mail pot and a confused look grew on her face when she saw a letter from the Manhattan Academy. She had already gotten her letter for her audition so she wondered what it could be. Anita tore open the paper and opened the letter
'Dear anita,
we regret to inform you that your application to Manhattan academy of performing arts has been denied'
She immediately scrunched up her paper and bowed her head. She wasn't able to go to the college. All the other ones she applied to were close to home because she thought she would get into the academy.
Her attempts to be away from her step family was shit and she doesn't get to follow the musical path she chose
Her audition was supposed to be tomorrow, and now she wont even be able to go. She ignored everything and got ready for school despite feeling like shit
—
"The- this can't be legit" Adam said as he looked through the crumpled up letter she was given. They had just gotten to school and she told them about it
"It is" she whispered taking a deep breath
"I'm not going to the academy"
"Why would they just cancel your audition though?" Alexis questioned and Anita shrugged undoing her seat belt and getting out
"Maybe i'm just not good enough" she shut the door behind her and walked off into the school building and made her way to the first lesson
—
"Anita i'm so sorry" Ryder said as she sat down on his bed. She had went to his house after school to tell him the news as in school was an off territory for them since the twins and amanda were there
"Don't be" she smiled getting up
"Your audition is tomorrow and you're gonna ace it"
"But i can barely see myself at manhattan academy if your not there" she sighed and took Ryder's hands in her own
"There's other colleges for me. And whether im in the academy or not you'll be amazing there" he leant down and pressed a kiss to her cheek and then another one to her lips and she smiled
"This is so shit"