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JUNIPER CASTILLO!
was a pageant girl.
From the moment she could walk, she was wrapped in glitter, her perfectly-maintained hair topped by a sparkling tiara. She was a sweetheart, all smiles and frills.
Her father tried his best to support her, but he truly had no idea what he was doing. While he had the whole financial support down, he wasn't all there emotionally. His professional sports career was demanding enough.
He didn't know what it was like to be a girl the same way a mother would. Try as he might, he couldn't get it down. Whether it was mismatched outfits or horribly done ponytails, he was failing. But at least he tried.
Juniper tried to play dolls with him, but he was always nudging her towards sports. All of them, in the hopes that she would find something she liked, and they'd have something to bond over.
Volleyball, her father's sport, was the one she was pushed into the most. Camps, programs, little league teams, she participated in it all.
Juniper despised running around. She got all dirty and sweaty. But she was excellent. She was bound to be a star no matter where she went. Her strikes were effortless, coated with poise.
None of it mattered if she didn't enjoy it. She just couldn't force herself, and after years, her father slowly stopped pushing it.
When she quit, she pursued fashion full-force. Her father would smile as she rambled on about whatever clothing trends were circulating. She saw it in his eyes. He didn't understand her.
That's when Juniper got her great idea.
Her father wanted to connect. All he knew was volleyball, so she'd have to suck it up. All she needed was one big stunt to prove herself and go back to what she wanted to do. It couldn't have been that hard, right?
She'd find some shitty team, look better by comparison, and quit after a couple practices.
