Rewriting Cinderella

"Thatcher, please tell them! I didn't steal anything!" Tessa bit down on her bloodless lower lip, a tear hitting the floorboards.

The whole class stared at her like she was literal trash. Pierce and Margot had her backed into a corner.

The "stolen" custom antique diamond bracelet resting on the desk—her grandmother's heirloom—was the ironclad proof meant to ruin her.

According to the original plot, this was my perfect moment to play the devoted second male lead. All it would take was an "I believe you," and she'd be devoted to me forever.

But my mind was filled with the brutal reality of her future: being gaslit by Pierce, having her fullride Ivy League acceptance letter secretly intercepted and destroyed, and eventually being forced into a miscarriage that would leave her infertile.

And her grand revenge? Just refusing to get back together with him in the finale and throwing herself into my arms instead? Pathetic.

I wasn't about to be the backup plan for someone else's mess. I turned my head, cutting off her desperate gaze. "Sorry. I wasn't in the classroom during lunch.

I can't vouch for you." Chapter 1 "Sorry. I wasn't in the classroom during lunch. I can't vouch for you." The light vanished from Tessa's eyes.

A smirk twitched at the corner of Pierce's mouth.

He shoved his hands into his pockets and closed the distance to Tessa. "Tessa, I know your family can't even afford to pay the electric bill, but that doesn't mean you can just steal from Margot.

Do you have any idea what that diamond bracelet is worth? It's her grandmother's heirloom. It's worth ten years of your mom's pathetic tips." Margot stepped out from behind Pierce.

Tears pooled in her eyes as she let out a shaky breath. "Tessa, that bracelet really means a lot to me. I can write you a tenthousanddollar check right now.

Can you just please give it back?" Whispers erupted around the classroom. "No way, Tessa actually did that?" "She never goes to the cafeteria during lunch.

I thought she was just studying, but she was actually scoping out things to steal." "Well, she only got in here through that charity quota for the slums.

Not surprising she's got sticky fingers." Amidst the trash talk, Tessa forced her spine straight. Her knuckles turned white as she clenched her fists. "It wasn't me.

I didn't steal it. If you don't believe me, check the cameras!" Pierce let out a dry laugh. "Tessa, drop the act. You know damn well the hallway cameras broke two days ago.

Margot already said she'd give you ten grand. Can you stop being so stubborn?" Margot chimed in, her voice sickeningly sweet. "He's right, Tessa.

The bracelet itself isn't even that expensive, it's just sentimental. If the money isn't enough, I can write you more." "Everyone has to study.

Let's not disrupt the whole class over this, okay?" I glanced down at my watch. 1:05 PM.

In exactly five minutes, the homeroom teacher would walk through that door, and Tessa, Pierce, and Margot would be hauled into the office. That diamond bracelet was worth a fortune.

Even if the teacher usually had a soft spot for Tessa, there was no sweeping this under the rug. Tessa's mom, Rhonda, would be called to the school.

The second she stepped into the office, she would dig her nails into Tessa's shoulders in pure panic, hysterically forcing her to her knees to beg for forgiveness.

Then she would grovel to Pierce and Margot. "I'm so sorry. I didn't raise her right." "Tessa is just like her deadbeat dad. She's been a bad seed since she was little.

I've yelled at her a million times, but she just won't listen." Then she would whip around and glare at Tessa: Chapter 2 "You ungrateful wretch, apologize to them right now!

Where did you hide it? Hand it over!" … She was a maid at a rundown motel. Years of scrubbing toilets at the bottom of the barrel had made her loud and unhinged.

Her screeching and pathetic groveling would echo down the entire hallway. Tessa's fierce denials would be completely shattered by her own mother.

Even when Margot's butler showed up at school the next day to apologize, claiming he found the diamond bracelet in her bedroom, the damage was done.

Tessa was permanently branded as a thief. The whispers followed her like a shadow wherever she walked. And Pierce's socalled apology for ruining her life?

Buying her breakfast for a single semester. Right now, the teacher was still on her way.

Pierce clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Tessa, how about I add another five thousand dollars?

Don't be greedy…" "The cameras are fine." He froze. "What?" I spun the pen in my hand, letting it snap to a halt between my fingers.

I met Pierce's gaze. "The school's equipment is indeed broken. But I happened to leave my personal iPad recording on wideangle yesterday." The color drained from Margot's face.

She forced a stiff smile. "We're all classmates. There's no need to drag this out with videos.

Tessa, just apologize, and I'll forgive you." Pierce narrowed his eyes. "Tessa, if we pull up that footage, you're the one who's going to look humiliated." "…I want to see it." Tessa was pale, but her eyes burned.

She locked her gaze on Pierce and Margot. Her voice was thin, squeezed through a tight throat, sharp enough to cut glass. "I didn't steal anything.

Show the footage." Five minutes were up. The homeroom teacher stepped through the doorway.

She swept her gaze across the room. "What's all this commotion?" After hearing the rundown, she ordered the rest of the class to study quietly and hauled the three of them off to her office to review the tape.

Half an hour later, the trio returned. Tessa's face was still pale, but her spine was ramrod straight. Pierce kept his jaw locked, refusing to say a word.

The most interesting one was Margot. She strolled in at the front of the pack, her chin tilted up, wearing a smug 'I knew it' look. "Alright, back to your books," the teacher said.

The second she turned and her stylus hit the whiteboard, I spoke up. My tone was casual. "So, teacher. Did Tessa really steal the bracelet?" The teacher's hand froze.

Tessa's grip tightened on her pen as her head snapped toward me. I shrugged, flashing an easy smile. "She sits right next to me.

If she actually has sticky fingers, I need to know so I can lock up my stuff." Idiot.

She thought the footage cleared her name, so she just sat down and opened her textbook, her posture relaxed.

She had no idea that Margot's arrogant little strut back into the room meant everyone here still thought she was a thief.

Margot frowned and cleared her throat, ready to play the victim.

Before she could utter a single syllable, a low voice cut through the room. "Tessa didn't steal the bracelet." Pierce stared dead at me.

Every word was clipped and loud enough for the whole class to hear. "She was at her desk the entire lunch period.

She never left." "Is that so?" I let out a low, mocking laugh. "Guess I don't need a new seatmate after all." A sudden sob ripped from Margot's throat.

Tears spilled down her cheeks in perfect, heavy drops. "It's all my fault. I accidentally accused Tessa." Chapter 3 I nodded. "Yeah, it is your fault.

Bringing something that expensive to school just to flex. "You framed Tessa today. Who's your target tomorrow?" The classroom erupted into whispers. "Right?

If it's so precious, why bring it here?" "If someone accidentally bumped her, would we owe her a fortune too?" "She strutted back in here so smug, I actually thought Tessa was the thief!" Margot pressed her palms over her eyes.

A thin whine slipped through her fingers, her spine curling inward as she slumped against the desk.

Pierce stepped in front of her, a muscle ticking in his jaw. "Thatcher, Margot already apologized.

What the hell else do you want from her?" I tilted my head. "Pierce, are you in love with Margot or something?" "Shut up!

She's like a sister to me!" Heat flooded his face, his voice cracking slightly as he shot me a glare and balled his hand into a fist.

I threw my hands up in mock surrender. "Just a joke, man." Thwack. The teacher smacked the whiteboard with her stylus. "Enough.

This isn't a frat party!" Her eyes narrowed in warning. "You're juniors now. Get your heads in the game and study.

Cut the pointless drama!" Once the lecture started, I propped my head up, letting my eyes drift shut. Something nudged my elbow. A thick math notebook slid across my desk.

I rolled my head to the side. Tessa kept her eyes locked on the board, her lips pressed into a tight line. Her knuckles were stark white around her pen.

A thick callus bulged on her middle finger. In her future—after marrying Pierce—those calluses would soften and peel away.

The girl who once burned through stacks of practice tests would transform into a manicured trophy wife who never lifted a finger.

I let out a low scoff and shoved the notebook back. "Don't need it." I faced the other way and went back to sleep.

Maybe the guilt got to him, because the next morning, Pierce brought breakfast for Tessa. Tessa turned him down flat. "No thanks.

Keep it for yourself." Pierce stood there, frozen, holding some sushi and a bottle of freshpressed juice.

A flash of irritation twisted his features. "Pierce doesn't eat that," Margot chirped, flashing a smile. "Our private chefs make our breakfasts at home." She tilted her head, playing the sweet, understanding friend. "Pierce, Tessa probably isn't used to this highend sushi. "Maybe next time, just have your driver grab her a twodollar cold hot dog and some crappy coffee from the corner." "I just—" Tessa started. "Eat it or don't!" Pierce cut her off, his patience snapping.

He chucked the breakfast onto her desk, grabbed Margot's arm, and dragged her back to their seats. "Throw it in the trash if you want." In the original plotline, Tessa really did throw his breakfast in the trash.

The bell rang for morning study period. The classroom fell silent, save for the scratching of pens against paper. A microscopic sniffle drifted from the desk next to mine.

She was just a kid, after all. I let out a slow exhale and reached over, swiping the slightly squashed sushi and juice from her desk. "Hey. I'm starving.

Trade you for this bottle of imported sparkling water?" She jerked her head up, her wet eyes wide and bright. "You don't have to trade," she stammered. "I'm not hungry.

You can just take it." How could she not be hungry?

She had been up since 4 AM, helping her mom mow lawns in the wealthy neighborhoods, before transferring across three rundown community buses at 6:15 AM just to get to school.

Chapter 4 Since she could only rely on the school's free lunch program for lowincome families, Tessa often secretly saved half of her midday meal for dinner.

Barely scraping by on two portions a day, she always woke up with a stomach so empty it was numb.

Puberty and chronic malnutrition had left her looking hollowed out—sharp collarbones and a frame you could push over with one hand.

But even so, she still believed her pride was worth more than an empty belly.

What an idiot. "I don't do favors," I said, my voice deadpan. "Bartering works best for both of us." Tessa blinked. "Okay." She reached out and took the bottle of imported sparkling water.

Behind us, Pierce kicked my desk hard enough to rattle the wood. I ignored it, hiding my hands under the desk as I ripped open the wrapper on the breakfast panini and took a bite.

Chicken and cheddar. Not bad at all. The second the bell rang, Pierce called Tessa out into the hallway.

I hit the restroom to wash my hands, then took my time strolling over to the corner.

I leaned against the wall, flipping open a vocab book, shamelessly eavesdropping. "If you didn't want the food, fine," Pierce demanded. "But why the hell did you give it to Thatcher?" "You gave it to me," Tessa shot back. "Why do you care what I do with it?" The air between them went dead. "Tessa, I just wanted to apologize," Pierce finally said. "Margot found the bracelet in her bedroom last night.

It must've slipped off while she was sleeping.

I didn't mean to frame you." "Pierce, save the excuses," Tessa said. "I don't give a damn about your apology." She pushed past him and marched back to the classroom.

Pierce stared at her retreating back, a dark, unreadable expression pooling in his eyes, before he finally spun on his heel and left. Show's over.

I turned around, only to bump right into Margot.

She stood behind me, arms crossed over her chest, her delicate face wiped of any expression. "If you don't confess soon, Margot, Pierce is going to jump ship," I warned her playfully. "Why would I confess?" She gave me a weird look. "I don't even like him." "Then why the vendetta against Tessa?" She let out a dry laugh. "If a dog circled you every single day, and suddenly started wagging its tail at someone else, how would you feel?" "I wouldn't feel a thing," I replied. "It's just a dog.

I don't give a shit who it wags its tail at." Margot flinched.

She stayed quiet for a few seconds before asking, a dark undertone slipping into her voice, "Is that the type of girl you guys actually like?" "What type?" "Poor, pretty, and acting like a pathetic little damsel in distress." "First of all, Tessa is no damsel in distress," I said. "Second, I'm not into fragile girls anyway.

They snap too easily." "Then what are you into?" "I like the vicious ones.

Toxic, with a dangerously heavy scent—just like you." I let the words drag out in a slow, calculated drawl. "So, what do you say?

Want to give me a shot?" "You're sick!" A furious pink flush crept up Margot's neck. She shot me a venomous glare and bolted down the hall.

Tessa's rejection didn't slow Pierce down. It was like she activated a challenge in his sick brain. He kept dropping breakfast on her desk for the entire semester.

And every single piece of it was bartered away, ending up straight in my stomach. Naturally, the stuff I traded her wasn't cheap either.

Over the course of the semester, Tessa finally put on some weight. She shot up, too—probably hitting fivefootseven.

The original book described her as "petite," but there was nothing petite about her anymore.

Women were supposed to be strong and powerful, built to fight off malicious predators and tear their own bold paths through the world.

Tessa and I kept things strictly casual, hovering in that lukewarm space between classmates and allies.

Chapter 5 Other than trading breakfast and occasionally copying her homework, we didn't interact outside of class.

Today, right after I grabbed her panini, Tessa stopped me. "Thatcher." She avoided my eyes, staring at the floorboards like they held the secrets of the universe.

The words barely made it past her lips. "Could you… lend me some money?" I shoved my hands into my pockets. "How much?" "Fifty thousand dollars." Her voice was razorthin.

Then the panic spilled out. "My mom was diagnosed with a terminal illness, but our cheap health insurance doesn't cover the lifesaving targeted surgery.

If I don't pay cash upfront, the hospital will pull the plug on her treatment tomorrow morning." "I know it's insane to ask for this much, but I don't have anyone else.

I'll write you an IOU! I'll pay you back the second the state funding comes through!" Tessa's mom was named Rhonda. Tessa didn't always have her last name.

Rhonda changed it in a fit of rage after Tessa's deadbeat dad ran off with the neighbor's wife.

To escape the suffocating gossip, Rhonda dragged a young Tessa across the country, settling in this unfamiliar city to start over.

She despised the fact that Tessa shared that man's blood. She hated that Tessa was a girl, hated that she wasn't enough to keep a husband around.

Yet, despite all that venom, she broke her back working insane hours just to keep a roof over her head. Rhonda spent her life watering a flower she loathed.

And now that she was collapsing, this fragile stem was desperately trying to hold her up. In the original storyline, Tessa begged Pierce for the cash.

Since he'd apologized for framing her and fed her for a whole semester, she convinced herself he was one of the good guys. More importantly, Pierce's family had old money.

When she stammered out her request to him, he hadn't said a word.

He just stared down at her like she was a bug on the pavement, and the funds magically hit her account the next morning. Tessa transferred the money to the hospital in tears of joy.

She didn't realize everything in this world had a price tag. The second she took that cash, the power dynamic permanently shifted. They were no longer equals.

Even after she eventually paid him back, the debt of "saving her mother" chained her to him forever.

She became his obedient little lapdog, silently swallowing it even when he hijacked her entire future. I stared into Tessa's eyes.

Raw panic and desperation swam in her pupils, like a deer with its leg caught in a steel trap.

It was the exact kind of look that triggered a man's darkest urge to conquer and destroy. "Tessa," I started, keeping my tone dead flat. "Fifty thousand dollars.

How many motel toilets does your mom have to scrub to earn that kind of cash?" The blood drained from her face. I didn't stop. "My family is loaded, sure.

But we don't just hand out charity. We're classmates." "We've shared a desk for two and a half years, tops. What on earth makes you think I'd just hand over fifty grand?

Besides, Tessa, taking a man's money comes with a price." I took a predatory step forward, closing the space between us.

My gaze dragged slowly, coldly, over her body. "And I highly doubt you can afford the cost of being reduced to a plaything." "Thatcher!" Tessa blinked hard, the knuckles of her clenched fists turning white. "If you won't lend it to me, fine.

Why do you have to humiliate me like this