Behind The Scenes

[Chapter One]

Chapter 1

        

The late August sun beat down on my skin as I stood on my balcony, looking out at the vast amount of land that my parents owned. It was the kind of day where, if I had the choice, I'd relax by the pool with my sunglasses shading my eyes and my music on, enjoying myself as summer dwindled to an end.

However, that wasn't a possibility for me. I had responsibilities, and they weren't the kind that could be disregarded for a day of fun in the sun.

Sighing I was brought back to memories of when I was a little girl; when times were a whole lot simpler. Times when my mom would watch over me as I swam laps in the pool, or when my father would play with me in the backyard, throwing around the frisbee or teaching me how to perfect my dive.

Times had since changed though, because as my sister and I grew up, my mother and father started to mingle with the elite socialites of our town, and as their friends expected them to appear straight and narrow, our parents expectations of us grew to heights unimaginable.

In the eyes of our parents, if my sister or I messed up or embarrassed ourselves publicly it would reflect directly on them, and that was something they couldn't afford. They owned the highest dominating law firm in the state, and other firms, along with the press, were just looking for ways to knock them down.

We were supposed to be the daughters that succeeded in school, participated in events within the community, and most importantly, stayed in line.

That all went down hill when my sister and I both made the biggest mistakes of our lives within the same year.

My sister was only 16 years old, nearing the end of grade 10 when she was arrested for destruction of property and trespassing. She thought that it'd be a good idea to spray paint one of the towns boring signs, giving more life to the board. However, she wasn't careful enough, and even though our parents had immediately paid her bail, word quickly spread of her arrest.

A few short months later, during the summer before my freshman year of university, was when my mistake came to play. Going out and partying to celebrate graduating with your friends always seems like a good idea, but when you end up drunk and mistakenly sleeping with one of the most notorious players in the year, you have regrets.

That night I didn't just come home to disappointed parents as I nursed a killer hangover, I came home pregnant.

When I first found out I immediately considered abortion, adoption and every other option under the sun, but quickly realized that this was my mistake to deal with, finally deciding to keep the baby as my own.

Fast-forward three years and I was here, finally ready to move out from under the watchful eye of my parents, and I couldn't be more thrilled.

The sound of small thumping footsteps brought me out of my reflecting daze, as I turned around to see my three-year-old bundle of joy come skipping into my bedroom.

"Mommy!" she chirped happily, her blonde hair bouncing around her shoulders as she ran over to me in excitement, "My toys are all packed."

Smiling down at her, my heart beat with undeniable love for my daughter. Even though getting pregnant was one of the biggest mistakes of my life, I knew the very first moment I held my daughter in my arms that I would never regret giving her life.

"You are?" I asked in an overly happy voice, picking her up gently and resting her on my hip. "Well let's get the rest of your stuff packed before we get on the road."

She giggled, wrapping her tiny arms around my shoulder as I walked the two of us towards her room at the other end of the hall.

When my parents found out I was pregnant, one thing was for sure, they were furious. They didn't understand how I, their daughter who was destined to follow in their golden footsteps, had made such a careless, stupid mistake.