CHAPTER 3

MARRIAGE CONTRACT

"Rise and shine pumpkin!" I groaned loudly from beneath the comfort of my blanket. Today was a weekend and that meant I could sleep in. However, that memo didn't seem to apply to everyone as I heard my bedroom door being shut and heavy footsteps approach my bed.

"Who let you inside and can you please get the fuck out of my house? I don't want to see your ugly face," I murmured sleepily to the idiot now hovering above me.

"Your precious mother, God bless her kind heart. And even though she hadn't let me in, I have a key. I am basically one of this family," I felt my bed dip and a warm figure engulfed me. I turned around so that I could face the idiot that was now grinning at me like a creep.

"I am going to take that key from you and tell my mother that she should no longer let you inside because you are a bad influence to me if you ever wake me up this early on a weekend again," I snapped at the idiot, who in turn removed the stupid grin from his face and replaced it with a soft smile.

"I have missed you. I have barely seen you this week because of our different classes and soccer. I just wanted to make the most out of this weekend,``my best friend turned brother murmured. His curly hair was sprawled on my pillow and some was sticking out on his forehead.

I leaned in and gave Nate a well deserved hug, because God knows how much this man meant to me.

"I have missed you too, you idiot, but did you have to come this early? You could have just chilled in your house and come by at noon,"

Nate laughed, caressing my back. After a few seconds, he released me from his grasp.

"If it makes you feel any better I brought you yogurt."

"My favorite?"

"You know it," I laughed as I dragged myself from the comfort of my bed. I went to my bathroom and did my morning routine. Coming out of the bathroom, I picked up Nate's bag that he had left at the foot of my bed and took my yogurt. I took a seat in my arm chair and turned my gaze towards Nate who was typing rapidly on his phone with a look on his face that I could not decipher whether he was angry or confused.

"Hey, who is it? You look stressed out by the person you are texting," I asked, taking a spoonful of the yogurt.

"Nobody. Just some chick I met in one of the games, she is annoying," Nate grumbled, eyes still on his phone. He did not even spare a glance.

"Doesn't seem like a nobody to me but I am just saying," I quickly added when he shot daggers at me, "Hey, how are the games? I am sorry I haven't had a chance to come and watch you play in a while. I promise I will try to come to the next one. I will even drag Cindy with me when I come," Nate smiled, sitting up on my bed and keeping his phone aside.

"It is no biggie. I know that your labs and reports are taking a lot of your time these days. I can see how stressed you are. We only have four games left before the season is over and you know Cindy hates the noise that the crowd makes during matches, so I don't know how you will manage to bring her to a game," We both laughed at this because Cindy, even with being the party animal that she was, could not handle a football game. She always complained that the people had too much adrenaline for her to handle.

"What else is bothering you?" Nate sighed and laid back on the bed.

"The scouts have started coming in and I know I have nothing to worry about but I feel pressured. I mean this is our last year in school, people expect that I will have joined a team before I graduate."

I stood up and went to lay by his side, "You are going to do great, you always do and you are going to be recruited to a team very soon. I believe in you and you also need a haircut," I said, running my hands through his hair to emphasize its length.

"Stop touching my hair!" Nate snapped, slapping my hand away, "And thank you. You have no idea how much that means to me."

"I am always here for you. Now get up and make my bed so that we can start doing something productive," I said standing up and leaving the room.

"I am not making your bed for you, you lazy ass, come back here!" Nate shouted from the room. I knew he would make it, even though he would curse me out the whole time.

My day had started off great and nothing could spoil it.

..................

"What!" I snapped at my father later that evening. We had just finished dinner and we were in the living room when my father decided to tell me the most outrageous thing I have ever heard.

"Isa, come down and take your seat. Let your father explain," My mother tried to soothe me, rubbing her hand in circles on my back.

"So you also knew about this! What the actual fuck is wrong with you people!" I shouted at my parents, stepping away from my mother.

"Language Isabella. Now, can you take your seat so that we can talk like civilized people," My father said, pointing at the armchair next to where he was seated.

"Civilized people would never sell off their child," I replied but nonetheless took a seat.

"We didn't sell you," My dad immediately denied. I scoffed at this because the papers on the table in front of me were saying otherwise.

"Why would you do this to me dad? I am your only child. Was the money that good that you would sell your daughter's soul to the devil?" I asked, now starting to feeling the full impact of the situation. I slumped down onto the sofa exhausted. I couldn't believe what was actually happening to me. How was I going to be someone's wife when I don't even have a hold of my life yet. I haven't even finished school and they want to get married? My mother took the seat across from me and wiped the tears that had managed to fall from her eyes.

"I didn't have any other choice, baby. The business is not doing okay and I am officially bankrupt. This deal is good for all of us, including you. The man is an old friend of mine, we used to go to the same university. Your mother also knows him. He is a good man and I know his son is just the same. The bank was on my neck Isa, and one of my clients took me to court because of a failed payment on my side. I am so sorry. I have tried to find other ways to go about our situation but I haven't found any, so when this deal came through, I went with it. We could lose everything, baby. I hope you understand where I am coming from," My father said taking my hands in his and caressing their backs.

I harshly took my hands away from his, "That still doesn't change the fact that you sold me dad, Oh my God!" I rubbed my eyes to stop the tears from falling. I was not going to cry until I was in the safety of my room, "Now I am expected to be someone's wife in a month?" I stared at my parents in disbelief. At least they had the decency to look ashamed. My mother couldn't even look me in the eye at this point.

"Yes. You will be a Mrs. McCaffrey in a months' time."