She would persevere

Chapter 3

Survival of the richest
The city's ours until the fall
They're Monaco and Hamptons bound
But we don't feel like outsiders at all

Getting out of Asher's car at the location, the illegal party was lit. Leave it to our debate team to hold parties like this. Everything was there. A dj booth, with I think our chemistry teacher behind it, a bar with drinks and freakin' disco lights.

There were also people from the L.A. School present. Ha! Can't make parties like this over there.

Even though we lost the game, we still celebrated. Our team did their best and that's all we could ask for.

Dancing with Tommy from the choir club, screaming along with the music. We were having fun!

Thank god we ain't your standard school!

Going back for another drink and meeting up with Asher and Britney, we notice that one of our classmates was being held back by people from the other school. Did they not know how to behave?

"Why don't you pick on someone your own size?" I asked, while walking up to them. Cliche? 100 percent. Did I care? Heck no!

"Well, if I can have you for the night. Why not? I mean who can say no to this?" He said while showing off his abs.

"Leave them alone Taylor." Someone said coming up from behind us.

We all smirked at his comment. We're the cheerleading team bro.

"Why would we want to look at yours, when we can touch our own?" Showing him our own abs. The look on the guy's face... Priceless.

Yep, that's how we do it in Miami.

Then the dude's friend just had to ask. "How did you get those scars?"

Everyone around us froze a little bit. They had all seen my scars before, but know that it's hard for me to talk about it.

"None of your concern." I said sternly. Looking up at the guy's face, I froze. My eyes widened involuntarily.

"Have we met before? You look familiar." He asked me with a confused look.

I was unable to answer. I couldn't move, nor say anything. Asher noticed this and put his arm around my shoulder.

"You haven't met our badass yet? Mr. Creep, meet bikini girl North. Future wifey, meet a creepy guy." Asher said smiling. This was enough to get me out of my funk and laugh out. I turned towards Asher. "If anyone is creepy, it's you who is proclaiming that I am to marry you one day. Now I have to break up with my long term boyfriend, berk. You know him, my favourite tree in the park." I said, still smiling. "I should let you know, that berk the bitch, is very possessive of me and gets jealous fast. I guess you two have to fight it out when we get back. Anyways, toodles." With that I pulled Britney to the dance floor to dance for a longer while.

A few hours later, Jenna's voice screamed out through the mic. "NAZGUL'S COMING IN HOT! ABANDON YOUR POST! FLEE! FLEE FOR YOUR LIVES!!!" It was a sign that the cops were on their way. Leave it to Jenna to come up with a different way to say it. After laughing at her reference, Aubrey and I immediately went outside in search of Asher as he was our ride. We saw him waving his hands for us to come over. I was about to walk towards him when someone held my wrist, their fingers lightly tracing one of the vertical scars I had on my arm. Turning around it was him again.

"Can you let go? The cops are coming this way and I can't afford to get arrested, thank you very much." I said as I tried to get out of his grip.

"Just tell me where we know each other from and you can leave." He commanded. I was getting angry and snapped at him.

"If you cannot recognise me, Aquila, that just shows how little you care for others."

Before he could say anything someone shouted out his name making him turn around. I used that moment to get away from him and into the backseat of the car with Aubrey. I didn't look back.

The drive back I pretended to be happy and joked with my friends whilst listening to music.

Aubrey didn't comment on what happened earlier. Not even when we got back to our hotel room. She knew I needed a moment to digest what had just happened.

She didn't say anything about it till the next morning at breakfast, which we should've actually called a late brunch.

"He was one of them, wasn't he?"

"Yeah..." I said softly, while looking at my coffee. It was just us at the table.

"And he didn't even recognise you? I mean not a lot of people have heterochromia. So he should've known, at least an inkling of who you were. And then there's the fact that you two really look alike. I honestly can't focking believe it."

"It is what it is. Let's just get ready to leave. I'll feel much better when I'm breathing in miami air again."

I always felt it was risky leaving Miami. Miami brought my mind some peace. I didn't have the feeling of having to look over my shoulders every 2 seconds.

"Yeah. Let me rally up the rest and we'll leave."

Half an hour later all the cars were in front of the hotel including the bus that carried our players. Getting our stuff in the back of aunt Bec's car we said bye to our classmates. But of course not without hearing our principal with his megaphone again. "LISTEN UP CHEERLEADERS! I still expect the lot of you in my office Monday morning before class. If you are late, so help me! I will fillet you! Especially the top four of you's! That means Aubrey, Jennifer, Aurora, Priscilla. If any of you ladies are late, consider your community service even longer! YOU HEAR ME?!"

And the professional team we are, we replied. "SIR! YES SIR!" He muttered, a dear god, which we all heard and again replied to him. "WE LOVE YOU MISTER HANNIGAN!" His last name is Hanniger, if you get the reference. Everyone was still laughing. Even our principal joined the laughter.

"We meet again." Couldn't he just leave well enough alone.

"And now I'm leaving, so goodbye." I turned around to leave.

"Just tell me your name and I'll leave you alone."

"What good is a name going to do?" I asked still with my back facing him.

"You know mine. It's only respectful to give me yours."

At that point I was done with this. I turned faster than a tornado, angry.

"The fact that I still know your name, that I still recognise you at first glance, just shows how much I still care. And the fact that your mind can't even try to conjure up who I am just speaks to how much hope I have, hope that I shouldn't have." Whilst I was ranting, a car pulled up next to us and out walks an older man that stands next to him.

"Are you ready to go, son?" He asks Aquila.

The man looked at me and had the same confused face as his son the night prior. While I on the other hand stood shell shocked. Wide eyed, I looked at the man.

"Have we met?" The man asked me. And I thought that my heart was already shattered into the smallest pieces possible, unable to break even further, but apparently not as I could feel it break even more at the man's words. Breaking into even more tiny pieces. Pieces that could never be reassembled again.

Tears lined my eyes. Slowly they started to drop one by one. That's when Aubrey, god love this girl, came to the rescue.

"North, what are you doing silly? If we don't leave now, mom will have our heads. Sorry dude, no more talking to my sister, we need to hit the road."

I simply nodded my head as she pulled me away.

My eyes never left the man as we walked away and into the car. Even when he shrugged his shoulders and looked back at his son. My eyes didn't leave him, not until he was no longer in sight.

Ricardo DiMartino. My father.

So what did you think? Please let me know.
Much love, Sarah!