Chapter Three: Dinner, Cheers and Tears

It was the first day of school and the cheer tryouts, and I was pretty sure I had dry-heaved twice before I left the locker room.

I stood by the door and watched Eileen King perform a complicated series of flips and felt the nausea return. The position of Cheer Captain was the highest prize a girl could get in that school, apart from being Valedictorian, or Prom Queen. Whoever became Cheer Captain, however, had a clear shot at being Prom Queen. And Dad wanted me to be Prom Queen.

So there I was, getting increasingly nervous, and dreading the consequences of failure, when my name was called.

I walked to the center of the gym and it all went quiet. In my mind, I was in the workout room at home, just like last night, on the balance beam, going through the motions after helping mom into the bathtub and watching the red swirls leave her body into the drain.

I finished the routine, then I heard the applause. The room was full, but one person in particular stood out from the rest. Henry.

He ran to me and enclosed my tired body in a fierce hug.

"That is the most beautiful thing I've seen you do!"

I let out a chuckle and patted him on the back. "Well, you do know you've missed five years of my life."

"How about you tell me what I missed over lunch?" he asked with a smile, shouldering my bag pack.

My smile dropped as I glanced over his shoulder. "I can't. I have to meet those two. Dad's orders"

"Tee, introductions?", Aliyah drawled, drawing close to us and eyeing the bag pack Henry still carried.

"Henry, this is Aliyah, that's Andy" Andy gave a slight wave, his head buried in his phone "Guys, this is Henry"

We said our goodbyes, and then I had to suffer through lunch with Aliyah chatting my ear off, and Andy acting like I didn't exist. He even invited Eileen, his steady 'girlfriend', to our table, who glared at me – when the results were announced via the speaker system – with so much venom that if she was a snake, I'd probably be dead.

I was Cheer Captain. Yay.

At least, dad was going to be pleased. Eileen on the other hand was totally livid. She was still on the squad, just as the Second in command.

We left the cafeteria together, Aliyah and I, heading to Art History, while Eileen and Andy snuck off, even though had the same classes.

Halfway through the class, we were interrupted by the principal's secretary. Standing behind her was someone I never expected. Henry wasn't one for art, so when he sat right behind me, I just had to ask.

"One word, dad"

I stifled a giggle, returning my attention to Miss Chloe, while he tried to distract me by playing with my curls. As I swatted his hands away for the umpteenth time, Miss Chloe called my name.

"Since you get along well with Henry, why don't you two partner up for the project?"

"Mom, I'm home.", I called out from the living room. She responded from the kitchen, where she was helping the cooks prepare a huge buffet.

"So? How was it?"

I smiled, and her face lit up.

"I knew you could do it! Your dad would be so pleased", she said, giving me a one-armed hug because her other hand was covered in flour.

I chatted with her for a while, making myself a snack. When she told me we were to have the Vales and some other families over for dinner, my mood plummeted.

Later that day, I posted the video of my routine in the tryouts on TikTok. Seconds later, I got a text from Dad asking if I was Cheer Captain. I replied then switched off my phone, ready for a quick nap before dinner.

It felt like only seconds had passed after I closed my eyes before my door slammed open and Aliyah rushed into the room.

Chattering throughout, she forced me into a pale-pink mini dress and pulled my hair into a high ponytail.

We talked about my cheer practice for a while as she touched up her makeup, then she paused.

"Do you really want to get married to my brother?"

"You know I don't," I muttered, twisting the woven ring I had on my little finger.

She sighed softly, placing a hand on my shoulder, "I know. He doesn't either. He's talked to dad about it, but dad doesn't want to listen. He said it's your dad's idea. Can't you talk to him?"

I stared at my nails. Thankfully, a maid called us down before she could press.

Dinner was a somewhat happy affair for the adults gathered in the dining room. They spent the whole time talking about work, while I spent it bored to death on one side by Aliyah's chatter, ignored by Andy and being glared at be Eileen and her crew.

Our families did work together, unfortunately. She was not someone I could easily get rid of.

While we are, Eileen whispered (pretty loudly) to Andy, "she's so quiet! I have no idea how she's going to manage the company. And your parents want you to marry that?"

The whole room went quiet for a bit, before the other kids and their parents burst out laughing. Mr and Mrs Vale turned a deep shade of red, while my mom met my eyes. Dad just took a deep breath, stood up and made a toast, "to the future of Aviva Constructions"

Two Hours Later…

"We just had nothing to say, that's all."

He was quiet for a while, watching the news like he did every night before the screams started. "I want to start seeing you two spend more time together, you hear me?"

"Yes dad," I sighed with relief as he left the room, then I realized I didn't ask permission to have Henry over for the project.

As I crawled into bed, I got a text from Henry asking if he could come over the next day. I replied that we'd talk in school instead. I had just burrowed into my blankets when I heard a muffled crash and screams.

Terrified, I called Devon.

"Princess, it's late"

"He's at it again! This is the second time this week!"

I heard rustling, he must have been getting up from bed.

"Stay on the phone. Is your door locked?"

"Yes." I heard a crash and another scream, then bit back a sob, feeling my eyes water. "Please, hurry"

A few minutes later, sirens sounded. The police had arrived. The crashing paused, but not mom's screams.

"Have the police arrived?" Devon asked, an engine revving in the background.

"They're here," I replied, jumping at the bangs on my door.

"Natasha! You come out here right this instant! You called the cops on me? You're dead today! Before I kill you though, I'll make sure you watch that whore you call a mother die!...."

I trembled, terrified, and whispered to Devon through dad's screams, "He's going to kill her!"

"I heard. I'm out front." He told the police to let him into the house. "We're coming in. Get ready."

A few seconds passed, mom's screaming dying down, and then a megaphone sounded.

"Mr. Daniels, please come out with your hands up."

I heard the front door open, so I stood on shaky legs and started piling my clothes and personal items into a bag pack. A knock sounded on my door, accompanied by a soft "Princess?"

I unlocked the door, bag in hand. Devon took one look at me and sighed. I knew I looked messy, my hair was in my face, eyes puffy and face splotchy from crying, but I could care less about appearances.

I still ran my hands through my hair and asked, "How bad?"

"She's headed to the ER"