I stood frozen, unable to move, even to flee like I really wanted to. I had worried Asher wouldn’t be able to let my silly comment about Joseph go, so I had decided to follow him, to stop him before he could get into another fight. I hadn’t thought I would hear him tell Joseph that he didn’t love
“If you would let me talk –” “I heard enough!” I said, rushing to his door. “Just leave me alone!” I half-expected him to chase me, but with those final words, I knew he wouldn’t. He would respect what he thought were my wishes, even if those wishes came from a place of pain and defensiveness.
I was so upset about my poor performance during practice, that Nicole, noticing my deep frown, insisted I go out with her and Aimee afterwards. Which was how I found myself at my favorite café, sipping on lemonade at our usual table. “Everyone has bad days,” Nicole said. “No one is perfect at ever
“Joseph is like a trigger for me,” he said. “I hate him for everything he’s done that has hurt you. I hate that he still has the capacity to hurt you, in ways I can’t always protect you from. And I’m… jealous of him.” I blinked, startled. Asher couldn’t be jealous of Joseph. He was superior in eve
I told Asher about my concerns of being physically unable to compete in the qualifying exams. I’d been weak during practice, stumbling on simple moves. He worried about me, especially after my next practice, when the harder I tried to keep up with the routine, the more tired I felt. When I confide
“I want a second opinion,” I said. The doctor nodded. “That is your right.” To Asher, I said, “I want to see Nancy. She knows everything I’ve been through. She’ll be able to tell you this is a mistake.” Asher didn’t say a word, but by the end of the appointment, I got him to agree to take me t
I still hadn’t decided what to do, even by the night before the qualifying exam. I skipped all of the cheerleading practices, taking time to rest as Nancy had suggested. She hadn’t been pleased by my lack of commitment to quitting the qualifying exam. Neither had Asher, though he hadn’t openly sai
I stumbled. “Cynthia…” Lilith warned, but didn’t say stop. “Keep going,” I said, and pushed onward. I had to test the limits, to see if this was definitely impossible or not. I kicked and twirled. I even jumped and landed without issue. Everything seemed to be going fine, until I stretched a t