SEMI-FINALIST – 7

Name: Rebekah L. Purdy
Title: The Fairy Godmother Files: Cinderella Complex
Genre: YA Fantasy/Romance

“Oh. My. God. Maggie. There he is,” Taylor squealed, jerking on my arm.

The prince rode up on his white steed like he’d fallen out of the pages of a fairytale. Golden hair, tanned skin, and a smile that made me want to recite Shakespeare. Sigh.

Okay, so it was Connor Prince, not “real” royalty, and so what if his horse was a white Ford Mustang? I had two words for him. So. Hot.

“I swear, I’m going to talk to him this year,” I said, shielding my eyes from the sun.

Taylor handed me her cappuccino, while she adjusted her out of control curls. “Yeah, right. You say that every year. And every year you walk up to him, open your mouth to say something, blush, and then turn right back the way you came.”

I deflated like a balloon. God, she was right. It was hopeless. I would be the only junior without a prom date come spring, not to mention the only girl in the entire school who hadn’t been kissed. I groaned.

No. I’m not going to do this again. Junior year would be my year. I’d be more assertive, aggressive, a go-getter. Connor Prince and I were going to exchange words this year—hell, we’d exchange more than words. He’d be my first kiss.

The sound of splashing water interrupted my Connor-laced fantasies, and I glanced at the nearby fountain. The large stone otter spewed water, which crashed over carved footballs, winged shoes, tennis rackets, and baseball bats.