CHAPTER FOUR

It was the D-day and we were to dazzle the audience with our beautiful rendition. Oh boy! I was so nervous. What if I made a fool of myself ? Taking in a deep breath, I opened my wardrobe. I was about to take one of my usual oversized dresses. I don’t know exactly why but I changed my mind. I picked one of the dresses Tim bought me. It was a pink gown, simple which was what I was going for.

I packed my hair into a loose bun and for the first time in a long time, applied some make-up, not to alter my appearance but to enhance it. I felt beautiful, like I was in my own skin.

Tim was waiting downstairs to drive me to school. He was surprised, I have to say when he saw me walk down. He smiled, “You look beautiful” I smiled, walking into his open arms.

My besties were excited to see my appearance. The ever hyper Trina squealed and jumped on me.

It was time for our presentation. I gotta say it was amazing until a bucket of water was emptied on me from nowhere. It was humiliating, I ran to the restroom to get cleaned up.

The concert was scattered. Miss Smith apologized for the “glitch”. Kaffy ran after me. I looked at the mirror and back at Kaffy with tears in my eyes.

“I have had enough!” I cried Kaffy drew me in a hug and gave me an eskimo kiss.

Five minutes later, Trina came in, messy and disorganized. Kaffy and I looked at her in shock. She waved it off, smiling like a maniac. She had said, “Nothing serious. Just taught somebody a lesson” We were confused but decided to let it go.

Trina excused herself and came back with a bag. In it was a pretty gold dress and a make up box. Wow! Someone really went all out. After a long twenty minutes of fussing, patting and dabbing, we were done.

I was stunned when I looked into the mirror.My hair had been made into a french twist, the nude make up perfectly done. The dress was an off-shouldered,bell handed, fitted and knee-length. I loved it. It was paired with diamond earrings and bracelet. I was almost in tears. My besties hugged me. I thought I heard Trina say, “You are not a monster, just a beautiful girl living her life”

We walked into the concert room holding hands. Mindy was arguing with the guys; Cole,Jay, Leo and Nick. Suddenly, the attention shifted to me and my friends. Smiling, Jay walked to me and said,“Nice! You are finally being you.”

He asked for a dance which I obliged. I had to admit, he was a good dancer. I was having fun with him surprisingly. I glanced at Leo who had this intense look. I looked back at Jay when the music changed tempo to a slower one.

Jay leaned forward to kiss me and I panicked. A hand grabbed me and I was pulled away from Jay. I looked up to see Leo staring into my eyes. He took me outside the room. “Thanks for the save but…why?” I murmured.

Leo sighed, “Do you not get it? Are you so naive?” He noticed the change in my demeanour. Flicking his hair to the back, he apologized. “I am sorry. I didn’t mean to be rude.”

Taking a deep breath, he continued, “You look beautiful tonight… not like you aren’t always beautiful but you get what I mean…Mara Dawson.” I froze when I heard that name. “You are Mara, right?” He reached out to touch my cheek. I turned away from him.

I was about to reply when Jay and Mindy ran to us. “What the hell was that about, bro?” Jay yelled at Leo. I used that opportunity to escape, walking away from everything.

I walked into a secluded area and sat on the ground shakily. Taking a deep breath to make sure I sounded composed, I called Tim.

“Hey pumpkin,” he answered from the other end of the call.

“Tim, could you come pick me up please?” I pleaded.

“Baby, I’m coming right now,” he affirmed with urgency in his tone.I was grateful he consented without asking any prying questions. He really was the best.

He arrived about fifteen minutes later. “Come in, pumpkin,” he opened the door and I literally crawled in. We drove home in silence with Tim handing me a box of chocolates and my headphone. He really was the best brother any girl could ever wish for.

We arrived home fifteen minutes later. I dragged my feet to my room, a little less depressed, thanks to Tim. I took a shower, cleaned up and fell on the bed, staring into the ceiling.

Tim called me downstairs. He had ordered some pizza and some icecream sundae. He was seated on the floor. He pat the space beside him, beckoning on me to sit. I sat, unsure of what exactly to say.

He smiled, “You must have quite a lot on your mind. Eat up.” I stuffed myself with food, happy and relieved. We sat in silence for quite a while.

When I was done, he wiped my mouth with some tissue. “Do you wanna talk about it?” he asked. I sighed, shaking my head in negation. He smiled sadly, “It’s fine, lil’ sis. I understand you’ve been through a lot, even as a child. I wish I could have protected you. I want you to know that I love you so much. I just wish you’d embrace who you really are.”

He took a deep breath, that was really not a good sign. I was quite scared. He held my hands, “Mom is coming for you and you may have to leave for England.” I squeezed his hands tightly,tears falling down my cheeks, my voice already breaking, “You wouldn’t allow her take me, would you?”

In obvious pain, he pulled me close and kissed my forehead, “Oh baby! No, I’ll protect you but you would have to participate in the Prom Night Competition.” I started to cry, wanting to protest but he shook his head, “That’s the only way.” I kept shaking my head until I cried myself to sleep on his shoulders.

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