If the Shoe Fits (Whatever After #2) by Sarah Mlynowski Read Free Book Online

Cinderella’s replacements!”
    Betty clicks her tongue. “Do tell, why are we replacing Cinderella? Is she going somewhere?”
    “As a matter of fact I am,” Cinderella says haughtily. “I am going to —”
    Oh, no! She can’t mention the prince! “She’s going to need help —” I interject while pinching Cinderella’s arm.
    “Ow!”
    “— since she busted her foot. We’re not really replacements,” I add. “We’re more like helpers.”
    Betty’s beady brown eyes nearly bug out of her head at the sight of the overstuffed toes. “How did that happen?”
    “Well,” Cinderella begins. “Last night I dropped a glass sl —”
    Nooooooo! “Sled,” I interject, pinching her again. “She dropped a glass sled on her foot.” Oops. That just came out.
    “What is a glass sled?” Betty asks.
    “You know,” I say, stalling. “A sled. For sledding?”
    “Down a hill!” Jonah adds. “I love sleds! We have one at home! It’s wood, though. But I bet glass ones are slippier.”
    “Yes,” I say. “Exactly. Much slippier.” I really can’t believe the words that are coming out of my mouth.
    “But there’s no snow outside. Where was she using a sled?” Betty asks. “And where did she get it?”
    Right. Good points. “She found it in the neighbor’s trash,” I say. “Now we know why they were throwing it away. Dangerous things, these glass sleds. Especially when used down staircases.”
    Betty stares at me.
    “Obviously she would have used it outside if there’d been snow,” I add. “But there isn’t.” That kind of makes sense, doesn’t it?
    Do I sound as ridiculous as I think I do? Cinderella is bright red. Jonah is twisting his bottom lip. So yeah, I probably do.
    Betty scans the attic. “Then where is said sled now?”
    She’s got me there. No. No, no, no. I will not let her win this! Where is the glass sled now? I know! “After it busted Cinderella’s foot, I had to throw it out. Like the neighbors did. Wise people, those neighbors.”
    Jonah wags his finger like he’s talking to a dog. “Bad sled. Bad, bad sled.”
    “But how did you two end up here?” Betty asks.
    How did we end up here? Good question. I’m guessing that the magic mirror explanation isn’t something I should share.
    “She delivered the newspaper,” Cinderella offers.
    Way to go, Cindy! “Yes!” I cheer. “I was delivering the newspaper. Exactly. And I heard Cinderella scream when she landed at the bottom of the staircase.”
    “That makes no sense. Why is her foot swollen? You don’t get swollen feet from falling down the stairs. You get a broken back or a concussion or —”
    “Um, because when she picked up the sled to throw it out, she dropped it on her foot.” There. Whew. “And then she screamed a second time, and I came running in. Your door was unlocked, by the way. Not a safe practice.” Oh, I’m good! “She told me she had chores to do, so I offered to help her until she gets better.”
    Betty looks at me suspiciously. “Where are the rest of the newspapers?”
    “We gave them out,” I say quickly. “And then we came back.”
    Betty throws up her hands. “But why are you helping her? What’s she giving you in return?”
    “We’re helping her because we’re nice,” Jonah says. “We don’t mind. That’s what nice people do. They help each other.”
    Betty’s beady brown eyes narrow. She’s not buying it. She doesn’t understand what nice is! I need to speak her language. “Also,” I add, “she’s teaching us to speak English.”
    Betty raises an overly penciled-in and slightly uneven eyebrow. “It sounds to me like you already know how to speak English.”
    “She’s teaching us to speak gooder,” Jonah pipes up.
    “Cinderella is a … a … a … dortun jombi ,” I say. “That’s means ‘good teacher’ in Smithvillian. That’s the language we speak in Smithville. Also —”
    “Okay, I don’t care,” Betty says, looking bored. “If you want to help