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Sitting on Bridget’s pink comforter, Ella marveled over how much softer the bed was than the nook by the fireplace her stepmother had designated her sleeping quarters. The faint scent of buttercream and powdered sugar seemed to be woven into the wallpaper.
On the other end of the room, Bridget shuffled a deck of cards back and forth between her fingers. Her rose-colored ponytail bobbed up and down as she spun to whatever beat was blasting through her headphones. Ella smiled fondly at how Bridget danced like no one was watching – like the world was just one giant game of hearts where only having fun mattered rather than the judgment of others.
She’d finished getting dressed for Castlecoming long before Ella had. A glittery tulle skirt with heart beads flickered in the lamplight. Ella chuckled at how the billowing lower half of the dress resembled a cupcake. On anyone else the dress would’ve looked ridiculous, but Bridget’s smile made the fabric shine brighter than even the most radiant chandelier.
In Ella’s eyes, Bridget’s dress was guaranteed to be the prettiest at the dance – not that Ella would dare to say that aloud. Because Bridget thought Ella had a crush on Charming – and Ella wanted to keep it that way if she had a say in it. Don’t get Ella wrong, Charming had a nice smile and it was pretty endearing to see him skateboard everywhere – but he just didn’t light up the whole room the way Bridget did when she walked in with a plate of cupcakes.
But if Bridget found out that Ella had asked her actual crush out to Castlecoming, Ella would probably faint from mortification. Worse yet, Lady Tremaine’s attempts to wed Drizella and Anastasia were a clear sign that a prince was the only suitable match when it came to romance. As much as Ella didn’t want to sleep in a bed of ashes at least she still had a roof over her head. Heaven knew how quickly Lady Tremaine would kick Ella out if she discovered that Ella had fallen for a girl.
Reluctantly, Ella turned away from Bridget and focused on tugging the zipper shut on the dress her best friend had let her borrow. One of the few things in Bridget’s closet that wasn’t pink. The simple blue A-line dress had Ella wondering whether Bridget had specifically gotten it specifically tailored for her. After all, it even had a little denim butterfly sewn along the hem as an ode to the rest of Ella’s wardrobe. And it wasn’t overly extravagant just like Ella preferred.
Tucking a curl behind her ear, Ella admired how the cards seamlessly shuffled between Bridget’s fingertips. For the time being it didn’t matter that Bridget might not return her affections. Simply being in her presence would suffice.
Bridget hummed to herself as she slipped her headphones off and set the deck of cards aside. Her hands clasped together as Ella stood up from the bed in her blue dress.
“Wow, you look wonderful, Ella.”
Stunned by the way Bridget’s hair cascaded around her shoulders, Ella choked out, “As do you.”
“Thank you!” Grinning, Bridget lit up like a candle as she rushed toward her closet and returned with a shoe box. “Also, I have a surprise for you.”
Raising her brows with curiosity, Ella lifted the lid. Sparkling heels stared back at her. Butterfly detailing covered the tips of the shoes which looked almost translucent. Upon touching the smooth surface, it dawned on Ella that Bridget had gifted her anything but an ordinary pair of slippers.
“Glass slippers? Where did you even get shoes like these?”
“They’re pretty popular in Wonderland.”
With a half-smile, Ella pulled the glass slippers out of the box. “Huh. Wonderland seems like a weird place.”
Bridget blinked back at her. “Is that a bad thing?”
“Nah. After all, the strongest person I know is from there.”
“Aw, Ella. You’re the sweetest.”
“Not as sweet as your cupcakes.”
“Would a cupcake even be a cupcake if it wasn’t sweet?” Bridget asked.
She ushered Ella to sit down on the edge of her bed. As Bridget slipped on the heels onto Ella’s feet, Ella could feel warmth breaths against her skin that sent electricity crackling through her veins. And for the millionth time Ella wondered what she’d done to deserve someone like Bridget in her life.
Wide doe eyes looked back at Ella, making heart melt.
“Anyways, I thought the glass slippers would suit you well because they remind me of you.”
“How so, Bridget?”
“They might look fragile at first, but the glass is hard to fracture. They’re resilient like you.”
Ella barely suppressed a snort. Because if anything that description sounded a lot more fitting for Bridget. The sort of girl who wouldn’t back down from bullies. The sort of girl who always tried to make life sweeter. The sort of girl who was so easy to fall in love with even if no one else had realized it just yet.
But no one had to know the way Ella’s heart skipped a beat every time Bridget flashed her a warm sunshine smile. Just going to Castlecoming as friends and being by Bridget’s side every second of the night would be enough.
As the carriage came to a halt, Ella found herself staring at its gilded walls. She couldn’t remember ever riding in something so exquisite before – including while her father was still alive. She counted her lucky stars that Bridget had offered her a ride since even without the glass slippers the several miles it would’ve taken to walk to Merlin Academy would have been brutal.
Opening the carriage door, Bridget held out a hand for Ella to take. A flush crept across Bridget’s face as fingers intertwined – but maybe the blush was just wishful thinking on Ella’s part. Once her glass slippers hit the ground, Ella smiled at Bridget like she was her whole world.
“Thank you! For everything, Bridget.”
“No prob! I want nothing but the best for my bestie!”
Bestie . Maybe Ella wanted something more but being Bridget’s best friend was already a privilege beyond comparison in Ella’s eyes.
Bridget abruptly turned away from Ella and tapped an index finger to her lower lip. Staring at the crowd, Bridget lit up and grabbed a tray of cupcakes from a compartment at the back of the carriage. Bridget rushed off to offer cupcakes to Hades and Maleficent because according to her “a couple as cute as them” most definitely deserved some sweet treats. As soon as Bridget was out of sight, a tentacle wrapped around Ella’s ankle.
Hardening her expression, Ella tried to not let her fear show – because if Bridget wouldn’t back down from a bully neither would she. Still, Ella figured that the beads of sweat and goosebumps forming on her skin were giving away how nervous she actually was.
Sneering, Uliana flipped her braids over her shoulder and held out a spellbook with a deep purple cover toward Ella. The sort of enchanted spell book that not every average person could open.
“Open this,” Uliana hissed.
Not even bothered to shake off the tentacle “This is to get back at Bridget, isn’t it? What makes you think I’d sell out my best friend?”
“Are you so sure she’s just a friend?”
Ella froze up but tried to uphold her stern poker face. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I don’t play dumb with me. It won’t change the fact that I know the truth.”
Going pale, Ella dug her fingernails into her scalp. No, no, no. No one was supposed to figure out that Ella was a lesbian. Her skin already went cold at the thought alone of sleeping on the streets as Lady Tremaine hurled her out of the house.
“So what is it going to be? Little miss sunshine or your happily ever after?”
Closing her eyes, Ella pictured Bridget’s smile. How the world seemed to glow with pink-tinted joy wherever she went. And Ella wanted anything but to taint that smile. But if Lady Tremaine found out that Ella was anything but straight, she’d make a fireplace look like a king-sized bed. Whether that meant kicking Ella out on the streets or pulling some strings for Ella to get mysteriously expelled from Merlin Academy.
Ella’s arms shook as she pulled the cover of the spell book open. Because as much as she hated the choice, it was her only chance at graduating school – of having a future and an escape from her stepmother. A chance at some semblance of happily ever after.
“Good choice.” Uliana leaned in to whisper into Ella’s ear. “And if you breathe a single word about this, I will tell everyone exactly what you are.”
As Uliana stomped away in her combat boots, Ella’s knees buckled and she barely managed to stay standing. Had opening the spell book been the wrong choice? But she couldn’t afford to have Uliana out her. Because if getting her hands dirty from obeying Last Tremaine had taught Ella anything, it was that there were always places deeper than rock bottom.
As vibrations echoed from the speakers, Bridget spun Ella across the ballroom floor. Staring at Bridget’s eyes beneath the multicolored lights, Ella wondered whether the fact that Bridget was the future Queen of Hearts was why she had such a strong hold on Ella’s heart.
But all the while worry curled in Ella’s gut. Because did she deserve to dance with Bridget after selling her out to save her own skin? Who knew what wicked scheme Uliana had cooked up?
A finger tapped on her shoulder and as she turned around Charming smiled back at her. Before she could deny his request for a dance, Bridget had already nudged the pair together and had wandered off to the buffet table.
Maybe it was for the best. After all, there was no way Ella would be able to behave normally if she danced with Bridget all night. And it would let have a chance to breathe – a chance to not be hit with the constant reminder of the spellbook.
Ever the gentleman, Charming placed a kiss on the back of Ella’s palm. As he placed his hand against the small of her back, Ella found herself wishing that she had felt Bridget’s lips brush against her skin instead.
The prince spun Ella around in swift structured motions – perfect and poised as if his dancing had been copy pasted directly out of a textbook. Yet, regardless of how succinct Charming’s steps for the waltz were, Ella found herself longing to see Bridget shuffling cards while dancing instead.
Enough. Ella bit down on the inside of her mouth hard. If she remained fixated on her crush on Bridget, she’d never be able to escape the rundown loveless mansion Lady Tremaine had taken over. If everyone found out how Bridget made Ella’s heart race, she’d be as much of a pariah on the streets as she was in her own home.
And there were only so many more beatings from the world that Ella would be able to withstand. Because deep down Ella knew she wasn’t as strong as Bridget – she couldn’t find the strength to smile back at the people who hated her.
So instead she focused on Charming charcoal hair framed his face. He was sweet. He seemed kind. And he wasn’t unbearable to be around regardless of how it was still debatable whether he was in fact charming. He was the right person to fall in love with – someone who could whisk Ella away from her stepmother’s beatings and a fate as a glorified scullery maid.
But at the end of the day he wasn’t Bridget. And there was a reason Ella had asked Bridget to go to the dance with her rather than accept Charming’s offer. Still, maybe Ella should ignore the pink butterflies swirling in her abdomen – because that sort of romance was predestined for tragedy, not a fairytale ending.
Suddenly, a scream cut through the ballroom. A light voice like Bridget’s. Letting go of Charming’s voice, Ella sprinted toward the source, not caring how running in glass heels of all things made her feet ache.
In Bridget’s place, a monster with pink hair sat in the center of the dancefloor. Tentacles wrapped around Uliana as she pointed at the monster and hideous laughter echoed through the room. Scales covered Bridget’s skin and dark pus oozed from every pore. Her arms had gotten so wiry they resembled tree branches. The cupcakes on the plate that Bridget had been holding were scattered across the floor.
The snake of guilt curled in Ella’s gut, reeling its ugly head. As cackling resounded Bridget seemed to shrivel up on herself. All because Ella had opened that spellbook because she was too big of a coward and didn’t want everyone to find out that she was a lesbian. Swallowing hard, Ella started to hold out a hand for Bridget only to pull away at the last second.
She couldn’t step forward – not without risking revealing how she felt about Bridget. Because if how easily Uliana had read Ella was any indication, then rushing toward Bridget while she was at her lowest would be a dead giveaway. And then Ella would have opened the textbook for nothing. So maybe it was better to wait for Bridget to pick herself back up and comfort her in private later.
And Bridget was the strongest person Ella knew. She’d be able to bounce back from it, right?
Yet, Bridget remained frozen in place. Crouched on her knees with her skin turned wrinkly and mossy green, Bridget stared at her own hands in horror. Ruined cupcake icing remained scattered in front of her. A first dance turned into a nightmare. Stepping forward, Ella cleared her throat – maybe she could wake Bridget up the horrible reality – unfreeze her from her stupor.
“I’m so sorry, Bridget.”
Bridget’s face warped into a deeper frown as her gaze drilled into Ella. It was almost as if Bridget could see right through Ella – as if she was as transparent as the shoes she was wearing. “You opened the book.”
“Yes. But Bridget, I didn’t mean –”
“Ella. Stop. Call me your Highness.” Standing up in her glittering pink dress, Bridget stood up and marched away. Sweetness no longer dripped from her eyes, as she looked over her shoulder at Ella. Only bitterness was left.