TRAPPED BY LOVE

Episode 2: Laura's POV

I lay in bed, looking at nothing in particular, trying to navigate through my thoughts, leading me to reminisce about my childhood, losing my mother, and my dad taking another wife.

It all seemed like a movie in a cinema, and I always wished I could just wake up to the reality of everything being normal. I've longed to wake up like this since I was a child. The dream was never-ending.

My father took another wife not long after my mother's death. She was all nice and caring in the beginning until she allowed the devil to use her. Shortly after my father married her, she became the angel I used to know. She treated me with so much contempt, something that was going to happen. She made my father never believe anything I said, so she could always have her way with him.

It seemed as though my father loved my stepsister more, which never sat well with me. I was deeply hurt and always had to wet my pillow every night.

I always believed everything has an expiry date. The only place where I found solace was in school, where I always hung around with my best friend, Kamal.

Kamal was very nice, friendly, and fun-loving. She's a carefree extrovert who believes she only lives once, so she wanted to make the most of every opportunity that came her way.

She gained popularity when she won the award for the most outstanding cheerleader.

My journey with Kamal as friends began when we met at the library. I had dropped my books as I was walking out of the library that very day.

Some guys behind me laughed at how silly I was. I had forgotten to close my zip.

She came to the rescue, helping me with my books.

“Don’t mind those jerks,” she said, helping me arrange them neatly into my bag. I watched her in amazement because I never expected such from anyone, not even my father was this nice to me. I had to do everything on my own. The last time I was cared about was when my mother was alive. Nothing short of that was incessant nagging from my stepmother or an excessive tongue-lashing from my father.

“I’m Kamal.”

“I’m Laura. It’s nice meeting you,” I said, smiling sheepishly as I stretched out my hand for a handshake.

“It’s nice meeting you too. How are you doing this morning?” She asked, nudging me.

That was the beginning of a wonderful and ever-peaceful friendship between us. We made it a duty to check up on each other every day.

“You’ll be coming to watch the basketball match, right?” she asked me one day.

“I’m not sure if I will be coming. I don’t have money for tickets,” I said, looking away.

My stepmother wasn’t ready to give me anything to grab a ticket for the match, and I wasn’t ready to answer a series of rhetorical questions from my father. It was something to be ashamed of.

A billionaire's daughter can't afford to get a ticket for a basketball match.

This thought filled my mind. I was wondering how and where I could get some money for the match. It wasn’t sitting well with me.

“Well, close your eyes,” she said, with a chuckle.

“I have no idea what you’re up to this time around, Kamal. Tell me what you want to tell me,” I said, looking into her eyes, curiosity stirring inside me.

“Just do as I say, close your eyes, girl,” she said again. This time I had no choice but to close my eyes.

“Okay, it’s closed.”

“Open it.”

“Ta-da! I got your ticket to the basketball game!” She said, in a fit of excitement, as she held up two tickets in front of me. I was shocked. This was just one of the few benevolences she's always shown.

“I’m short of words right now… thanks a lot, girl. I’m grateful,” I said, hugging her.

“You’re my soul sister, remember? So, this is what sisters do,” she said, hugging me even tighter. At this point, I began to wonder what I did to deserve so much love from Kamal. She loved me just as she loved her soul. It was amazing!

“So you want me to watch you perform, yeah?” I asked suspiciously.

“Of course! Have you forgotten you've only watched me practice? C'mon girl, I’d want you to join the cheerleaders in the coming months,” she said, nudging my shoulders.

I’ve always admired the cheerleader's team over the past few weeks, courtesy of Kamal. She’s made me fall in love with many things during my stay at Jason High.

I got addicted to watching the guys practice during their training. I’ve always longed to watch a standard basketball match, and now I’ve got the opportunity to watch one, all thanks to Kamal.

“You’re the best girl, kiss kiss,” I said as we both laughed, holding each other as we walked toward the cafeteria.

“Laura! Laura!” My father called out. He’s back. His constant call jolted me out of my thoughts.

I didn’t hear his car horn in the garage. I stood up abruptly from the bed, looking around for my flip-flops, making my way downstairs toward the living room.

“Welcome back, Dad,” I said, greeting him.

“Welcome. There’s something I want you to help me with, and it’s very important,” he winked at me, which made me understand right away. Forge another signature.

My father would always bring home a series of documents for me to forge signatures for him. He only spoke nicely to me whenever he needed me to do something for him, which I found manipulative. I took his suitcase from him and carried it upstairs. I wondered what was in the suitcase.

I looked around, hoping no one was watching as I slowly opened the suitcase. My mouth dropped open in shock at what met my eyes.

Inside the suitcase was not just a collection of documents as I expected, but something far more unsettling. Staring back at me were thick bundles of cash, all sealed in tight packages. But that wasn’t all. On top of the money, there was a photograph that sent a chill down my spine.

It was a picture of my mother. The woman I thought I’d lost forever. But something about this photo didn’t feel right... it wasn’t just a picture of her; it was a photo taken in a place I didn’t recognize, a place I could have sworn I’d never seen before.

I quickly shoved the photo back under the pile of money, but the lingering question gnawed at me. What was my father involved in? What had he been hiding all these years?

Just as I was about to close the suitcase, I heard a noise behind me, a soft, almost imperceptible rustle. My heart skipped a beat. Someone was standing in the doorway.

I froze.

"Laura..." The voice was low, chilling. It wasn’t my father.

I turned slowly, my eyes locking on the figure in the doorway.

It was my stepmother.

And she was smiling. But it wasn’t the kind of smile I had ever seen before.