"Wouldn't you think my collection's complete?/Wouldn't you think I'm the girl/The girl who has everything?" - Part of Your World, The Little Mermaid
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CINDY WAKES UP THE NEXT MORNING WITH A POUNDING HEADACHE AND A STRONG DESIRE TO FIND MYSTERY MAN AND PUNCH HIM IN THE THROAT. Not literally, of course, because assault is never okay, but metaphorically? She can feel herself just anticipating it.
But the first order of business is her headache, and Cindy drags herself out of bed, groaning slightly as she stumbles to the kitchen, pouring herself a glass of water and swallowing some Tylenol. After she'd been left hanging by "Prince Charming" - not that he was a prince or charming (not anymore, after he'd up and left her) - she'd wandered back to the ball, confused at the time (now she's just pissed), and discovered that the bartender did, in fact, have a bottle of vodka under the counter. It had been high quality, too, and Cindy had found herself finishing a quarter of the bottle.
Surprisingly, unlike most morning-afters, Cindy doesn't really regret this one, because that vodka was really good. As good as vodka can get, anyway. The notion that she might still be slightly drunk does occur to her somewhere along the way back to her bed, her phone in her right hand. Sluggishly, she unlocks her phone, frowning when she sees that she has thirteen missed calls from Ari.
[9:17 am] Cindy Lovelace: wow. 13 missed calls? i feel popular
[9:17 am] Ari Lee: you're welcome
[9:18 am] Ari Lee: spleen
["spleen" is Cindy and Ari's codeword for emergency talk]
[9:18 am] Cindy Lovelace: oh, baby. what happened?
[9:18 am] Ari Lee: can you come over? please
[9:18 am] Ari Lee: i need someone to talk to
[9:18 am] Cindy Lovelace: you want icecream?
[9:18 am] Ari Lee: and chocolate
[9:19 am] Ari Lee: maybe some wine so i can feel like a sophisticated divorced socialite also
[9:19 am] Cindy Lovelace: be there in fifteen
Cindy rushes to her room, grabbing the biggest tote bag she can find. She catches a glimpse of herself in the mirror and grimaces - she looks like an absolute mess, but there's no time for that now.
She has a certain best friend to comfort.
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As soon as Cindy raises her hand to knock on Ari's door, the door swings open, revealing a teary looking girl. If Cindy was a mess, Ari is a trainwreck - still in her pink dress from last night, mascara running down her face in half-dried rivulets. Without speaking, Cindy just drops her bags filled with goodies on the steps, opening her arms for a hug. Her friend rushes into her, squeezing the life out of her.
Cindy pats her back, murmuring consolingly. "How about we go inside and binge out on ice cream, hm?" She feels Ari smile against her shoulder. "Sounds good to me."
Ari is halfway through her pint of ice cream when she decides to speak. "I -"
Cindy nods at her encouragingly.
"I saw Eric kissing someone else at the ball," her friend says finally, after much head shaking and a mouthful of Rocky Road. "Some girl named Ursula."
She gapes at Ari. "Eric? The same Eric that literally follows you around like a lost puppy?"
The mahogany-haired girl nods. "He says he thought she was me - we had the same dress on. But, hell, we've been dating for two years, Cindy! If he can't tell the difference, then -"
" - does he really know you?" Cindy finishes - she's known Ari long enough to interpret her thinking. She finds herself grasping at reassurances, only to come up with nothing - Ari is completely right.
"Anyway," Ari sighs, "It's really no big deal. I'll get through it. At least you had a nice time," she adds.
Cindy squirms. "Um, actually..."
By the time she's finished recounting her tale, from when she went from having a Prince Charming to having no prince at all, her best friend is laughing her head off, Eric seemingly forgotten.
"Were...you...that bad...of a kisser?" She gasps, tears in her eyes.
Cindy tries not to look offended. "I am an excellent kisser!"
"Which is why you have never dated anyone for a full day."
"At least they can tell it's me they're making out with!"
"Touché. No one's ever run away from me -"
"He probably knew I was out of his league, or something -"
" - If it helps you sleep at night." Cindy feels her eyes crinkling - Ari never fails to cheer her up, no matter how morbid the banter. They'd tried dating once, but it had turned into a complete disaster (they'd broken up after two hours).
Ari scrapes the bottom of her ice cream tub. "Are you going to track him down?"
"Of course not, why would I -" Cindy breaks off, contemplating. "Good idea. He deserves a slap in the face."
"Maybe on the butt, too."
"Shh. That's for later."
"If you two last that long."
"...I hate you."
"Love you too!"
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It is incredibly difficult to discreetly examine every man's shoes without being caught, Cindy finds. She bumps into someone, muttering an apology, before looking at his feet - shiny, size 10 business shoes. She's fairly sure that Mystery Man had size 11 feet - astonishingly big - so she keeps on going, determined to find him. It had occurred to her that perhaps looking at the invitation list was the best way to go, but she'd lost her copy and hadn't been able to reach Elsa all day.
Cindy has just stumbled into her thirtieth person of the day when a pair of arms steady her, a slightly familiar voice sounding above her head. "Well, if it isn't Cindy Lovelace! Clumsier than I remembered, though."
Her heart sinks, and Cindy slowly looks up, hoping that he isn't who she thinks he is. Unfortunately, her (un)lucky streak continues as she stares in the face of one Rob Hoodster. "Hey, Rob," she says weakly, while her head screams for her to get away from this trash as soon as she can. Rob wasn't a harasser or anything like that - he was just plain narcissistic and annoying, kind of like Cindy, in a way, which was exactly why she disliked him. He grins at her. "Long time no see, huh, Cindy-rella?"
She scowls at the nickname - before glancing down at his shoes in dismay, because his feet are huge, like Mystery Man's. "Yeah, sure. What's your shoe size?"
"What?"
"Your shoe size," she repeats. When he just stares at her, she glares at him. "What? Are you deaf?"
"How was I supposed to know you had a foot fetish?" He retorts defensively, crossing his arms.
"I don't!"
"Oh, really?"
"Yes!"
"Prove it," he challenges. Cindy scowls. "How exactly am I going to do that?"
Rob rolls his eyes. "Maybe by not bumping into every male between the age of twenty and thirty, staring at their feet?"
She huffs. "I can't. I have to find him -" With that, she makes as if to leave, only to have Rob catch her my the arm, gently. "Find who?"
Knowing that he'll mock her if she tells him the truth, she stays silent.
"Come on," he wheedles, giving her his version of puppy eyes. "I'm Rob Hoodster, remember? I know everyone."
"Yeah, right."
"Fine. Ask me who someone is."
Cindy points to a pretty black girl on the street, dressed in light green. "Her."
"Tiana Hawkes," he says promptly, after a moment of scrutinisation. "If I'm not mistaken, she goes to NYU and majors in something that involves cooking. I'm friends with her sister."
"Friends?"
"We hook up every so often," Rob confesses. "But like I said, I'm the man you need. So who are you looking for?"
"I don't know," Cindy admits, "I met him last night, at my ball, and never got his name."
Clarity lights Rob's eyes. "Oh! The ball! You looked lovely yesterday, by the way," he adds.
"You were there?"
"Of course I was!"
Cindy sighs. "Maybe I could use your help."
He beams. "I'm so glad you could see the light! Coffee, tomorrow morning?"
"Are you asking me out on a date?"
He winks. "I'll text you the details," he calls over his shoulder as he turns and starts walking away.
"Wait - how will you get my number?"
Rob turns and looks back at her. "Don't worry," he grins, "I've got connections."
Cindy just shakes her head and looks for more men to accidentally-on-purpose bump into.
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"A spring piece," Professor Cruella announces. "For a fashion show -"
Cindy taps her pen against her desk, excited. She can already imagine stretching the fabric out, putting it together by hand, the classic way -
" - using our newest computer program, which Darrell here will show you how to operate."
Her giddiness dissipates as she stares at her professor with disappointment. Although Cindy is one of the most computer-savvy people she knows, she enjoys the feel of designing everything by hand. But she keeps her mouth shut anyway, because she needs an A in this class to get that internship she's been gunning for.
After Darrell - an old man as boring as his name - finishes his monotonous explanation, Cindy gets to work, already drawing out a light pink dress, similar to one she'd recalled her mother wearing when she was young.
She's about twenty minutes in when she notices Mickey - a boy she dislikes even more than Rob - exclaim loudly. "It must be broken, if I can't fix it!"
Cindy looks up to see the girl Rob had identified earlier - Tiana, was it? - sigh mournfully. "I guess all my work is lost, then."
Darrell wanders over, followed by so many other students, every seat around Cindy is vacated. She looks back at Tiana's computer, still frozen, before deciding to take matters in her own hands and strides over. "Let me try."
Mickey looks up and scoffs. "You can't fix this."
"Yeah? Try me." She darts at the laptop before Mickey can say anything else and begins working her magic. It's a little-known fact that Cindy Lovelace grew up surrounded by technology, the perks of having a hardware engineer for a dad, and as a result understands the basic intricate workings and commands of a modern computer.
In other words, she knows her shit.
By the time her work is done and Tiana's screen is animated and alive once again, Mickey's face is tinged a faint pink and Darrell is pulling at his collar, nervous. "Right - uh...thank you very much, Mickey," he says, blinking at Tiana's laptop.
Tiana coughs lightly.
"Oh - and Cindy. Spectacular job."
Cindy just resists the urge to snort and walks back to her seat. It's not the first time she's been so under appreciated. Her half-finished design stares back at her, and she's contemplating whether or not a pink bow would be a nice addition when her phone pings.
[4:48 pm] Unknown Number: heard you were looking for me today. i'm flattered, honestly. just wanted to say sorry for leaving you last night. forgive me?
- prince charming
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this is choppy and rushed and a filler lol sorry...thoughts on rob(in)?? did you see what i did there with the whole tiana/cooking thing
also: the chapters are named after a song from a main character from the chapter's movie (in this case ari[el])
see you next time!!