Will the Real Prince Charming Please Stand Up by Ella Martin Read Free Book Online Page A

snickered beside me while I watched him walk away.
    “What?” I demanded.
    She looked at me with wide eyes. “Nothing,” she replied, a small smile still playing on her lips.

Chapter Six
    October evenings in Southern California were usually chilly, but standing up on that float, the temperature seemed closer to forty degrees than sixty. As grateful as I was for the long gloves Ally had provided, I started to wonder if we should have considered draping a cat across my shoulders, after all, just so it could have kept me warm while the parade float inched its way around the football field. Even a pair of fuzzy slippers to keep my feet warm would have helped, but Ally had insisted I wear her peep-toe stilettos, though they were pinching my toes.
    Note to self: Never borrow your friend’s shoes when she wears a half-size smaller than you do.
    “You’re doing a great job,” Sandra encouraged from her perch beside me. “Keep smiling!”
    “I’m not smiling,” I replied as I waved mechanically to the crowd. “I’m clenching my teeth to keep them from chattering.”
    She laughed. “Stop being a baby. It’s really not that cold.”
    “You’re not the one wearing a strapless gown,” I complained.
    “Yeah, well, these little skirts don’t exactly cover up a whole lot, either.”
    I laughed. I’d never realized she could be so sassy. “Point taken.”
    She shrugged. “We’re out like this almost every week. You get used to it after a while.”
    The float lurched to a stop, and I gripped the post beside me to keep from falling. A couple of guys from the AV Club hurried out with a stepladder so I could descend the float and join the rest of the Homecoming court on the makeshift stage at the fifty-yard line as Mr. Hamilton introduced me as the Sophomore Class Princess. Amid deafening cheers from the crowd, I took my place beside Nikki under the harsh fluorescent stadium lights. I felt a little better when I saw the other princesses in their white strapless gowns, but I still wished I had a jacket or something to warm my neck and shoulders. I looked out at the spectators and enviously eyed the coats and sweatshirts I saw everyone wearing.
    On the other side of the stage, Tim, Brady, and Liam Iverson were wearing their football uniforms; the other two senior guys wore crisp black suits. My brother beamed at me, and I was warmed by his grin. Tim was watching me, too, and when he winked at me, I shivered, but not because I was cold.
    One by one, the senior girls were introduced and stepped onto the stage, escorted by their proud fathers. They were equally resplendent in their white gowns, their faces shining in excited anticipation.
    Once the entire court was on stage, Mr. Hamilton began a monologue about Westgate’s rich history and how delighted he was to present such an intelligent and talented Homecoming Court. I kept smiling and tried not to shiver, but I was secretly willing him to hurry up and announce the King and Queen so that I could retreat to the warmth of the girls’ locker room where a bag of warmer clothes awaited me.
    “How do you do it?” I whispered to Monica through clenched teeth.
    “Do what?” she asked, a smile frozen to her face, her lips hardly moving.
    “Stand perfectly still like that and not freeze to death.”
    She glanced at me and shrugged almost imperceptibly. “You do what you have to do.” She stared forward again and whispered, “I’m imagining myself on the beach in the Bahamas right now.”
    “Does that work?”
    “I don’t look cold, do I?”
    When Mrs. Goldberg finally approached the stage to hand the principal two white envelopes, I was so eager for this to be over.
    “I hope your brother wins,” Nikki whispered to me. “I voted for him.” When Brady’s name was announced, she jumped up and down, clapping excitedly.
    “Nikki!” Monica barked.
    The freshman quickly stiffened and stood straight. “Sorry, Monica.”
    I watched my brother accept his crown and