Opposite Attracts - Lynn Loud Jr

Chapter 1 - Two birthdays( kinda a backstory)

Estella's POV :

Growing up , I was always a golden child , I'd get the best grades in the class , had very good manners and respected my family , I didin't get into trouble at school and volunteered to help everytime I had the chance . Not to mention I was really good at my sports and I had won many competitions and awards at a very young age .

I did everything in my power to try and make my parents proud of me , I'd even go out of my way to help them at home just for a simple "thank you" or a "I'm proud of you" while they were picking me up from practice but that never happened , they always seemed indifferent and even made me feel like a burden just for hanging around the house , having to be picked up from practice or wanting them to attend my competitions which they'd rarely do . I'd usually end up celebrating with Daisy or Asher and have their parents drop me home or even crashing at their place .

Now my parents weren't abusive in any way , I like to believe that they're great people and that it's their first time living too but I couldn't help the disappointment in myself when they never showed the slightest hint of pride in my achievements or any hint of gratitude when I helped them .

Eventually , I got used to it because the only emotion they seemed to show around me was disappointment - when I got a 90% on my maths exam instead of my usual 100% at 9 years old , when I got third place in a gymnastics competition when I was 10 , when I broke a plate washing the dishes at 11 , you name it , they only seemed to remember the bad stuff about me and I hated it , so I started training in all my free time , study for days on end before my exams and clean or help around the house every time I went out of my room . Eventually , it worked , I had perfected everything I did and buried away any sign of imperfection in my actions .

Eventually they stopped showing any disappointment just like I wanted but not the way I planned . My parents were so used to me being on top of everything I do that they just stopped caring . They didin't even try to put on a fake smile when I showed them my report card or when I got an award for "best dancer on my team" they just muttered a "great" and called it a day .

When i was little , my parents would try to be as discreet as possible while arguing but I wasn't stupid . I'd see the angry look on my dad's face after my mom "wasn't hungry" at dinner and went straight to bed just to avoid him , I'd see how my mom would flinch when my dad raised his hand the slightest bit around her . No matter how hard they tried to hide it and kept it a secret from our relatives or would lie about where we've been or what we've done when talking to my friends' and teammates' parents - I remember being so confused about what the fuck they were talking about . I wasn't stupid enough to deny it whenever they looked at me and demanded a response or a reaction .