If We Fall Again

Chapter 4

FEW YEARS BEFORE:

Elise walked into the house, her heart pounding in her chest. She could already hear the low murmur of her parents talking in the living room. They were waiting for her, waiting to hear her midterms score, and she dreaded this moment more than anything. A B-minus was like a flashing red sign of failure to them, and she knew what was coming.

She braced herself as she entered the room, her backpack slung over her shoulder. Her mother was the first to speak, her voice tight and controlled.

"Well, Elise? How did you do?" Her mother’s eyes were sharp, already expecting the worst.

Elise swallowed hard and forced a smile. “I... I got a B-minus,” she said quietly, her voice barely above a whisper.

Her father sighed heavily, rubbing his temples, while her mother’s face twisted in disappointment. The weight of their disapproval pressed down on her like a stone.

“A B-minus?” her mother repeated, her tone sharp. “Is that what you think is acceptable? After all the time and money we’ve invested in your education, this is what you bring home?”

Elise bit her lip and nodded, her hands gripping the straps of her backpack tightly. "I tried really hard, Mom. I just—"

"Clearly not hard enough," her father cut in, his voice low but stern. "You’ve been spending too much time with that cheerleading nonsense, and it’s showing in your grades."

She flinched at his words. Cheerleading wasn’t nonsense to her. It was one of the few things that made her happy, but she knew better than to argue. Her parents had never approved of it, and they never would. They saw it as a distraction, something that would only lead her down a path of failure.

Her mother folded her arms across her chest. "If you keep this up, Elise, you’ll have to quit. I won’t allow you to continue with those grades."

Elise nodded again, her head down, feeling the sting of their words. “I understand,” she said, her voice barely a whisper.

The conversation continued for a few more agonizing minutes, her parents lecturing her about responsibility, about focus, about how she was throwing away her future. But all Elise could think about was how much it hurt to hear them talk about her this way, as if her efforts meant nothing.

"You're grounded for the week," her mother finally said, her tone firm. "No cheerleading, no socializing. Just studying. You need to fix this, Elise."

"Yes, Mom," Elise murmured, her throat tight.

She climbed the stairs to her room, each step feeling heavier than the last. When she finally reached her room, she closed the door softly behind her and collapsed onto her bed. The tears she had been holding back all evening finally spilled over, and she buried her face in her pillow, sobbing quietly.

It wasn’t just the grounding or the scolding that hurt—it was the way they looked at her, as if she had already failed them. They had always been so strict, so focused on perfection, and Elise had spent her entire life trying to meet their impossible standards. But no matter how hard she tried, it was never enough.

As the tears continued to fall, she thought about how happy she had been earlier that day, how proud she had felt about making the cheerleading squad. But now, all of that joy had been crushed under the weight of her parents' disappointment.

Exhausted from crying, Elise eventually drifted off to sleep, her pillow damp with tears.

--
Elise rushed out of the house before her parents could catch her that morning, eager to avoid another lecture about her grades or her grounding. She quickly grabbed a piece of bread from the kitchen and stuffed it in her bag as she slipped out the door. The last thing she wanted was another tense breakfast with her parents' disappointed faces watching her every move.