chapter fourteen
cinderella
TW! mentions/alludes of sexual assault
Athena stared at herself in the mirror, running a hand over the dress she had picked out months ago. Tonight was midsummers, the annual evening soiree for the Kooks. Athena always loved Misummers, her and Sarah would pick out their dresses together and then dance the night away, sneaking whatever drinks they could before Rose or their dad noticed. However this year was different, she was focused on different things now and she would've tried to get out of it if she knew she wouldn't be forced to go. Plus Kiara would be there so Athena could stay with her.
Athena was wearing a dark blue slip dress, it having a slit in the left leg. It was beautiful, and expensive, and she loved it. Just as every year Sarah had helped her pick it out, deciding that blue was one of the colours Athena looked the best in. Dorota had curled her blonde hair, partially French braiding the top. Athena had then made sure to put her friendship bracelets on as well as her A necklace.
She made her way down the stairs, remembering to pick up her shoes. They were gold open toed heels with a gold ankle strap and a sparkly gold heel. She also wore a chain and a butterfly necklace around her neck that Rose had given to her for her sixteenth birthday, careful not to get all her jewellery tangled.
Athena walked into the kitchen, sitting next to Sarah. The blonde was looking at pictures she had taken with John B the day before. Athena pointed to one of the couple, smiling, John B's chin on Sarah's shoulder.
"That one's cute." She commented.
"It's my favourite." Sarah replied with a smile. "I might frame it."
"You're not dressed." Wheezie observed, cutting Athena, who was about to reply off. The young girl walked into the kitchen with her dark blue knee length dress on, flowers decorating it.
"No, I'm not going." Sarah stated.
"I mean, it's Midsummers. You've been talking about Midsummers since last year." Wheezie began to ramble. "You have a date, remember."
"Unfortunately." Athena muttered.
"Yes I remember." Sarah huffed.
"Sarah says she's not going." Wheezie told Rose, who had just walked in, a glass of champagne in her hand.
"The hell she isn't." Rose chuckled. "Your father is being coronated as Guardian of Knights of the Rhododendron, you're going."
"You're not my mother." Sarah shrugged. "I don't have to do what you tell me."
"Whatever." Rose sighed. "Your daughter says she's not going."
Ward then walked into the kitchen as Rose was leaving. She directed her last statement at him, making him look at her retreating figure in confusion.
"Um—"
"She's off Topper, JoJo." Wheezie spoke making Ward sigh.
"Wheezie, please. Go." Ward instructed.
"Come on Wheezie, let's go finish getting ready." Athena got up, smiling at Sarah before grabbing Wheezie's hand and guiding her out of the room. The two got their shoes on, laughing as the younger girl told her sister a random story about her kook friends until it was time to go.
After a bit of convincing from their dad, Sarah decided to come to Midsummers. She had rushed out of the kitchen, pulling Athena into her bedroom to help her get ready. Taylor Swift played in the background while Sarah put on some makeup and her white dress, placing her flower crown in her hair, putting an identical one on Athena's head. Sarah had decided she didn't want to walk into the party with Topper and asked Athena if they can go together.
Which is why, the two were walking behind Ward and Rose, their hands intertwined while people clapped them into the party. Topper then stopped Sarah for a chat, and Athena decided it was the perfect time to sneak off and find Kie.
"Kiki Dee!" Athena exclaimed, hugging Kie when she found the curly haired girl. "How are you?"
"Thena!" Kie smiled. "Don't ever call me Kiki Dee again."
"I love your dress." Athena complimented, ignoring her order and smiling at her. Kie had on a long purple dress, a purple flower crown in her curly haired updo, emphasising the girl's natural beauty.
"I love yours, blue has always been your colour." Kie replied, spinning Athena around so she could see the entire dress, laugh falling from their lips. Sarah then appeared out of nowhere, grabbing ah hold of Athena's hand.
"A, dance with me." She ordered, dragging her towards the dance floor.
"Sorry." Athena shouted to Kie, over her shoulder. "I'll find you later."
The twins laughed as they stumbled onto the dance floor, finding Wheezie as they went. The three sisters spun around in a circle, feeling as if nothing had changed in the year since they had done this before. Laughs reverberated throughout the gazebo they danced under as the twins stole drinks from their dad, drinking them behind his back while Wheezie distracted him while they tried to have a good time.
Looking over Wheezie's head after spinning her around, Athena noticed a familiar head of blond hair. She quickly excused herself from her sisters. "I'm going to grab a drink, be right back."
She then ran off the dance floor, her sister's not thinking anything of it as she rushed away from them. She caught up to the figure as he turned around, almost of it he sensed she was there. "JJ?"
"Attie." JJ breathed out happily, catching Athena when she jumped into a hug. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him as close as physically possible, like he would disappear again if she let go.
"I'm so glad you're okay." She sighed in relief. He placed her feet back in the ground after a few moments.
"I made a promise, didn't I." JJ shrugged.
Athena looked over his face, taking note of his bruised face, a few new cuts to the collection he already had. She took his face in her hands, her thumb gently running over them. "You sure you're okay?"
"Yeah, my dad has a killer right hook, remember?" JJ told her, shrugging once more.
"I remember." Athena sighed, concern in her eyes.
JJ hated that look. He hated how concerned she was, well, he didn't. He loved the fact that she was so caring and kind that she continued to be concerned even after he told her multiple times not to worry. What he really hated was that when she was concerned she had this frown on her face and her eyebrows knit together, and JJ hated nothing more than seeing her with a frown. If he could go a day in his life never seeing her sad or frown it would be his own utopia. He would do everything in his power until he day he dies to get her to smile for as many hours in the day as he could.
"You look incredible." He told her. A blush covered her cheeks at the compliment, it being paired with that dorky smile that JJ had, his nose scrunched up slightly as he looked at her. "This is why I call you Cinderella. You've got the whole Disney Princess vibe going on."
Athena let out a laugh, nodding as her hand come to straighten his bow tie. "Thank you. I quite like the bow tie."
"Thank you."
"What are you doing here anyway?" She asked.
"I have to deliver this." JJ held up a note. "It's from Vlad."
Athena furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, thinking for a moment before she let out a gasp. "For Sarah, from John B?" She asked.
"I am so glad you understood that." JJ sighed in relief.
"Sarah told me." She laughed before looking around and seeing Sarah still on the dance floor with Wheezie. However as she turned around to face JJ once more, another person caught her attention, the boy making her breath hitch.
She took a slight step away from JJ, her eyes locked on the boy in the distance as he turned and made eye contact with her. The boy smiled at her fear filled expression, her mind plaguing with memories she tried to supress.
"Athena come on, you want this. You said so earlier, with that skirt and those glances."
"Please leave me alone."
Athena's breathing got heavier, JJ's face filling with concern as he watched her.
Lips were placed on Athena's neck as she squirmed underneath him. Her back was pressed against the alleyway wall, no one else in sight as she tried to get him off of her. His hands on her chest while she cried, begging him to leave her alone. She didn't want this. She never wanted this. She was thirteen years old and all she wanted was to go home after school, not be dragged into a random alley by one of her brother's friends.
"Please get off of me."
"Attie? Are you okay?" JJ asked her as she stood in front of him, wide eyed and heavy breathing.
"Leave me alone. Get off!"
"Attie? Athena?" JJ placed his hands on the girl's shoulders. And just like the hands that ripped the boy off of her that day, hands that belonged to none other than John B Routledge, JJ managed to snap Athena out of her memories. "Are you okay?"
"Um, yeah." Athena nodded, looking around once more. She pushed the thoughts of her past back in the locked box in the back of her brain.
"Are you sure?" JJ asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I swear." Athena smiled causing JJ to nod. He didn't believe her but he knew they weren't quite close enough yet for her to tell him what had happened. He knew she wasn't fine, for she would have promised not sworn if she was truly okay. "Dance with me."
"What?"
"Trust me." Athena ordered. "May I have this dance, kind sir?"
"You may m'lady." JJ bowed as Athena curtsied, jokingly. JJ took her outstretched hand, placing his other on her waist. Athena put her hand on his shoulder, the two swaying as they made their way through the crowd on the dancefloor.
JJ spun Athena, just like the first time they had danced together only a few days ago. Except this time, she bumped into Sarah to get her attention. Athena then grabbed Wheezie's hands, dancing with her baby sister as Athena subtly listened to JJ and Sarah's conversation.
"JJ?" Sarah questioned.
"Yes." JJ confirmed.
"What?"
"I've got a note from Vlad." JJ stated, holding up the note.
"From..." Sarah trailed off, a smile beginning to force on her face.
"Yeah." JJ nodded.
"From Vlad?" Sarah wanted to make sure.
"From Vlad." Athena piped up, a smirk on her lips.
"Okay." Sarah nodded, taking the note.
"Read the note." JJ demanded, turning to leave.
"Be safe." Athena told him.
"Don't worry Cinderella I will be." JJ winked at her, turning and walking off.
"Cinderella?" Sarah repeated, smirking slightly.
"It's a thing." She laughed. "Come on we have to find out what Vlad said."
The twins laughed, bidding goodbye to Wheezie and walking off the dance floor as they read the note Sarah had from John B.
"A secret rendezvous." Athena laughed.
"Maybe?" Sarah smiled.
"Go get your prince charming Sar." Athena pushed her in the direction she needed to go, smiling as she walked off before leaving to find Kie once more.