I went into the dressing room and tried on everything he picked out for me. I liked everything I tried on, the dresses were cute and cut off at my knees. The shirts all came in different styles, the jeans were tight and showed off my figure. Everything he picked looked perfect for me and made me feel beautiful. I was changing out of a shirt that had missing shoulders and a tight pair of brown leggings when Jaq knocked on the door.

“Hey try this on.” He passed me the dress through the door. It’s beautiful, floor length, white with a silver top and a white band around the waste. The neckline was a sheer blue and silver fabric that went all the way down my arms. The fabric felt like satin agents my skin. As I walked the fabric flowed like water around my legs. I came out of the dressing room and Jaq sat straight up in his seat. “Wow,” I smiled at him and slowly spun around.

“Is that all you have to say?” He nodded and stood up to walk around me.

“Cinderella you look...Wow.” I blushed and looked down at my hands. When he was finished looking me over, I went back into the dressing room and changed. Jaq picked up everything he liked on me, which was almost everything, and carried it to the counter. An old white-haired lady came out from the back and smiled at us. She wore a long silver dress that wrapped around her. With a smile, she rang everything up.

“That’s fifty-one seventy-five.” I beamed at her.

“That doesn’t seem right.”

“Everything is on sale and you get a discount for being new customers.” Jaq smiled and paid. I thanked the kind women and helped Jaq carry the six bags out to the car.

“Anytime dear, hope to see you again soon.”

“I feel like we just robbed her,” I said to Jaq.

“Don’t worry about it. She was a nice lady.”

“Still” Jaq put his hands on my shoulders and looked me in the eyes.

“Cinderella, she was a nice old lady who was being kind to you. Let people be nice to you. You are an amazing, kind, beautiful girl who deserves so much.” He kissed my forehead and smiled at me. “Now what do you want for lunch?” I laughed at him and wiped away the tear that had formed from his words. Looking around the street we spotted a quaint little dinner and headed there. When we walked into the dinner we were surprised at how cozy it was. Off to the side where two couches where you could sit and relax. Booths lined the wall and an old fashion bar with bar stools took up most of the place.

We took a seat at the bar and looked over the menu. A girl about our age came out from the kitchen and stood behind the bar. She wore a tight jean skirt and pink strapless top. Her dark red hair was pulled back into a ponytail. When I looked up at her face I was amazed to see how dark green her eyes were.

“What can I get for you sugar?” she said in a thick southern accent. Jaq looked at her name tag

“Rose. It’s nice to meet you. I’ll have a water.”

“And I’ll have a cola, please.” She nodded and walked away. I looked over my menu and couldn’t decide on what I wanted, everything sounded so good. When she brought back our drinks we gave our orders. While we waited I thought about some things, like school and how well I’m doing. A few weeks ago I switched from working in the dining room to working in the barn. I love working there. The animals make me happy and I always feel good when I leave. Lately, I have been finding veterinary school pamphlets all over my room. I thought about it and liked the idea of being a vet and working with animals every day. I also knew it was Jaq who was putting the pamphlets all over the place. After our food was brought to us I looked over at Jaq. He smiled at me and bit into his cheeseburger.

“Jaq I think I want to be a vet.” I expected him to act surprised but instead, he smiled and nodded as he chewed his burger. “How’s your relationship with Lottie going?”

“Where good. She’s really funny and I like being around her.”

“What’s it like to be in a relationship with someone who’s good to you?” Jaq put his burger down.

“Cinderella you do have relationships like that, with me and Henery. You’re my best friend and I love you like a sister. I would do anything for you.” Jaq took my hand and lowered his voice. “Cinderella you are a beautiful person who is going to go very far in life. You’re stepmother and sisters are only a chapter in your life and it will end soon.” He brought my hand to his lips and kissed it. “I wish you would let me take you away from those people. You know my family loves you and would take you in a second.” I didn’t want to cry in the middle of the dinner, but his words made my heart swell. I could feel my face burning up, so I nodded and looked down at my food. His words played in my head over and over again and I knew I was going to be okay.

“Henery? Jaq what did you mean about Henery?”

“He’s a good friend to you. He wants to keep you safe and hates the way your family treats you.” I took a deep breath and gave Jaq a serious look.

“Jaq. I think it’s time to take my life back.” He grinned

“Well, it’s about time.”