Band vs Band: Second Edition

Mom And Dad

Chloe's P.O.V
I dreaded going home, knowing that my mom would've already heard the news from the principal about my 'victorious' win for my school's talent show. I opened the door and stepped into the house, hesitating with each step.

"Chloe! Where do you think you're going!?" I heard my mom yell as I walked up the creaky steps to my room. I walked back down and stood in front of her and my father. My mother had a stern look on her face and had her arms crossed. "Didn't I tell you not to participate in the talent show?" my mother asked sternly. "But...but I won" I tried to make the situation look better than it was. "Instead of focusing on your studies, you decided to audition for something that was a waste of your time!?" My mother yelled at me.

"Well, I study all day everyday. Maybe, just this once, I thought I could...y'know...do something...different." I mumbled. "Chloe, you need to study hard, you can't keep fooling around like this!" My mother shouted. I looked over at my father. Me and him were closer than I was with my mother so I thought he'd be on my side. He looked hesitant to take my side, fearing my mother's rage so he just kept his mouth shut. "But mom, my exams start next year. And it's just a talent show. I can study anytime today or this year, which I will, but I need some fun in my life" I explained.

She buried her face in her hands and sighed. "What will other aunties think of me. My child's basically a failure" she muttered. "Beta, look at other kids..." here she goes...on her 'look at other kids' rant. "Their parents are so lucky."

"But none of the other kids won a talent show! I did and you are mad at me?" I defended myself. "Go to your room, beta! Clearly, I can't get some sense into your head" my mother shouted. I felt cold. Like I didn't have support from anyone to warm my heart. I just had guilt and shame for what I'd done.

That Night
I couldn't sleep, I kept twisting and turning in bed, just thinking about how much of a disappointment I was to my whole family. I suddenly sat up in bed when I heard my mother's muffled voice through the walls. It sounded like she was shouting. Who was she shouting at?

I told you we should have had sons, but no! You wanted a worthless little girl!

Kamala, please, Chloe's still a kid. She needs some fun in her life, not just studies, studies and more studies!

Chloe is turning 15 next year, she needs to start acting like a grown woman! She can't be running around auditioning for talent shows which is a huge waste of her time!

Kamala, I think this could be a great talent for Chloe. She won the talent show because she is gifted, we should appreciate that about our daughter.

She doesn't need talent! She needs to know how to cook and clean around the house so she'll be ready for her future husband.

Kamala, come on! What if Chloe decides not to marry just yet. Some people want to live their life to the fullest instead of being stuck at home cooking for their family.

Chloe will learn to serve her family and future husband and that is final! There is no other use for a girl in our life.

Don't say that! Don't ever say that! She is our daughter, and you know what, I could use another girl in the house, someone I can actually talk to without her yelling at me. Chloe is an intelligent, kindhearted girl and we'll only ever fail as parents if we fail to accept that about her, if we fail to accept her for who she is. Who cares what other aunties think. She's our daughter, not theirs, they can't tell us how to parent her.

If you want to let your daughter be a failure in her life, that's fine. But I will not stand here and watch you do it. My mother would never tolerate such behavior from me.

Well she obviously did, kudos to her for that.

Anthony! Don't speak to me like that!

Then don't speak to our daughter like that! She's human too!

She's the reason our relatives look down on us. I don't see why we should even try raising a child like her.

Those words echoed in my mind. Failure. Worthless. Useless. Was that really what I was to my mother? Was my sole purpose in life to get married and start a family? But I didn't want that life. What about college? What about jobs? I didn't want to rush myself into marriage and have kids. It just made me feel uncomfortable. I'd be marrying a stranger, starting a family with him, serving him and living with him for the rest of my life...

This has to stop. I need to take control of my life before someone else does

A/N Author's
First chapter of this book! Please do let me know if you like this chapter, tell me what you think about it. 😆 see y'all soon