Life in A Dance Routine

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"He is such a-" he stops. "I can't believe him."
"But you really did leave because of him?"
"Yeah. You can not tell mom though."
"You know I'm bad at keeping secrets."
"Fine. I'll tell her. She deserves to know."
"She does."
"But he told you that you should be paying for dance? And that it was a waste of time?"
"Yeah."
"Wow."
"And he said that dance is the easiest sport. And that I should be playing softball not doing dance. That I will never make it to my dream. He took my drawing of me with a gold metal and ripped it to pieces. He broke one of the bars in the basement. He knocked down my picture with you and it broke. And he just kept telling me I was useless. That I spend all the money on dance. That I was the one that made you leave! He said that dreams only come true to those who are good at it. It was raining and he took my old bag and through it in the mud. And told me that I will never be good enough and it was time for me to quit."
"Wow."
I started to cry then.
"Hey. It's okay. You don't need him."
"But the things he said. I will never forget them."
"Take them and use them to work yourself harder."
"Really?"
"Yeah." He puts his hand on my shoulder. "Don't let words hurt you am I right?"
"Yeah."
We walk into the house.
"Hey. Where did you guys go?" My mom says looking at us. "You did not go where I think you went did you?"
"He is not going to do what he did. He told Callie that it was her who left?"
"Yeah. I slapped him for that."
"Nice work. But she is not the reason. It was him."
My mom looks at him.
"What?"
"I left because of him."
"Anthony, hunny, why?"
"He wasn't going to yell at me the way he did. I wanted out of his way."
"That black eye wasn't from a ball, was it?" I ask.
"No."
"Well then. Let's just get him away from our lives then."
I then remember. The father daughter dance at dance this Friday. I'll be the only one without a dad. Maybe I just won't go. But I promised Sarah I would go. A tear hits my face. And I run to my room. I can hear Anthony and my mom talking.
"No Anthony don't."
"Why'd she start crying when we mentioned getting him out?"
"She has tried talking to him for 3 years. Even with what he told her. There's the father daughter dance at Rise Friday."
"And she has no father to go with."
"That's right."
"Well, she does now."
He knocks on my door.
"Come in."
He walks in. He looks around.
"Redone? I like it. Dance filled."
"Yeah."
"How about this father daughter dance your mom told me about?"
"Can we not talk about that. I'm just not going to go."
"Your going."
"No."
"Why don't you want to go? Is it because of dad?"
"No duh. Why would I go to a father, daughter dance when I have do father!"
"I'll be your father Friday."
"What?"
"Yeah. So, what do you say?"
"But then you have to dance with us girls Saturday for the competition."
"Fine by me. Know most of them. No one new on the team from before I left."
"Okay." I hug him. "Thank you."
"No problem."
"I love you."
"Love you too."