How Zoe Made Her Dreams (Mostly) Come Tr - By Sarah Strohmeyer Page 0,43

two at a time, grabbing me in what the audience interpreted as a Prince Charming clutch of passion but what was obviously his practical effort to gain some control.

“What are you doing?” he hissed.

I blinked, trying to stop the world from spinning. “Twirling and waving. That’s what they told me to do.”

He shot a reproving glance at Valerie and Laura, who were giggling behind white gloves. “Don’t listen to them. They’re just sticking up for Adele.”

Well, it was nice that they were supportive. I’d heard so much gossip about the princesses being catty.

Ian lifted his right hand. I slapped it hard.

“No, no, no. You’re supposed to take it,” he said. “This is the waltz. Not a basketball game.”

Now a few parents were laughing as the crowd grew restless. Ian gripped my hand and circled my waist with his arm. “Not too close,” he said. “This dance is rated G.”

“As in ‘gee I hate you’?” I gave him a dirty look.

He shook his head. “You’ve got it all wrong. Just dance.”

The music started—The Blue Danube or something equally waltzlike—and next I knew it was back to twirling. I tried to pull him one way, but he only pulled me the other.

“You’re leading,” he said, like that was a bad thing. “Relax and follow me.”

I wanted to tell him that no way would I ever follow him. “You used what I told you last night on the way to the party to invent a story about seeing Marcus in the Forbidden Zone. I would never let you lead me anywhere.”

“Can we talk about this later?” he murmured into my ear. “Now is not the time or place for a fight. Okay, here’s the float.”

The giant royal float had arrived to begin the parade around the park. Rapunzel and her prince stepped onto it from the stage, then Snow White and her prince, and Sleeping Beauty with Dash.

Ian and I were the main attraction, our hands held artificially high as we took our places front and center. I’d briefly managed to catch sight of the Queen sitting on her throne behind us and noticed she appeared a touch green.

Perhaps she had ingested a rancid almond for lunch.

The float started up and, thanks to quick thinking on Ian’s part, I did not fall off as it lurched forward. He took my hands and planted an air kiss near my lips. “Try to look enthusiastic. We are supposed to be enchanting, you know, not homicidal.”

Easy for him to say. The music switched to the Fairyland theme song—“We Are Family”—and wouldn’t you know it, there was another dance. Only, we had to do it on a moving float. I was doomed.

Ian raised his hand again. This time I knew better than to slap it. “I remembered,” I said, putting my white glove gently in his.

He shook it off. “Actually, Zoe, we’re doing the dance Andy supposedly taught you in the training room.”

Oh. That dance. Right. Ian bowed. I curtsied, and it was hands up again without touching. Twirl to the left, twirl to the left. Kiss! Kiss! (Bottoms out.) Wave. Wave. Hands up! Twirl to the right, twirl to the right. Ian bow. Zoe curtsy. Kiss. Kiss. (Bottoms out!) Wave. Wave. Twirl to the left.

Wait . . . what was Dash doing all the way over there on the opposite side of the float? And why was he laughing?

I looked to the Queen for a hint, but she had her face in her hands. Dash sashayed near me and said, “Just pretend you know what you’re doing, and no one in the audience will be aware. Old theater trick.”

It was too late. People were pointing and taking pictures. One father called out in a heavy Jersey accent, “You need more practice, sweetheart!” Another said, “That’s a ditzy blond for ya!” I would have leaped off the float and socked him if the parade hadn’t come full circle back to the Princess Palace.

The nightmare was over.

We all lined up on the steps of the palace, took our bows, and proceeded inside, the Queen taking up the rear as kids gleefully booed her exit.

Once we were in Our World, she made a beeline in my direction. “Needless to say, that was a disaster.” She removed her black gloves finger by finger as if picking off my numerous mistakes. “We need to find a permanent replacement for you immediately if not sooner.”

I did my best to seem disappointed in order to hide my deep, deep relief. I never, ever