Thank you so much for your feedback on the last chapter. I really appreciated reading your predictions and what you thought of Leah's slip-up. Anyway I will be working like crazy trying to create more chapters before I leave for college. I know I'm going to be very busy but of course I will still make the time to get back to my wonderful readers. Please enjoy!

Chapter 4: A Father's Blessing

Troy

Of all the people I could have blamed for putting my daughter in danger, I never imagined that she would be responsible.

What on earth had possessed her to lie to me and follow someone who could care less about her? I was confident that Leah had enough self-respect and dignity to know that boys only wanted one thing from her. Usually punishments that lasted a month was something I considered harsh at her age, but she deserved it because she knew that she was older and smarter enough to make the right choices for herself. Still, seeing her upset broke my heart.

During the second week of her punishment, Gabriella and I received shocking news from the Pérez family that forever changed our relationship with them. Once Leah returned from school that afternoon, she quickly avoided eye contact and immediately began to head upstairs.

"When do you think we should tell her? Now or later?" I negotiated with my wife.

"I think now. It'll just be worse for her if we wait too long."

As we climbed the staircase, I wondered if Leah knew about it as much as we did. If so, we had all the more reason to question the choices she made.

On the opposite side of the door, we heard the sound of an object repeatedly bouncing off of the walls. Certainly, she must have been bored.

"Leah? Is it okay if we come in?" Gabriella asked gently.

After a few seconds, the doorknob slowly turned and we were allowed to enter.

"Hey, babydoll. What are you up to?"

Without a word, Leah raised the tennis ball and climbed onto the mattress.

"Did anything interesting happen in school today?" I asked hoping to strike up a conversation.

But her next response was a quick shake of the head.

"Alright. I guess there's nothing wrong with the usual. Leah, your father and I wanted to talk to you because we got a call from Mr. Pérez a few minutes ago. It's really serious and we just wanted you to know what can happen when you try to do what everyone else is doing," she began. "We found out that your friend Jennifer is... Well, she's pregnant. Two months along, to be exact. Apparently, two weeks ago wasn't the first time she's had sex and Mr. Pérez told us that she confessed to sleeping with at least 15 different boys. To be honest, this really concerned us because we figured that as her best friend she's probably spoken to you openly about it. Were you aware that she was doing this?"

Uncertainly, Leah nodded and looked at her hands in guilt.

"For how long, Angel?" I questioned softly.

"Um, since January."

Those words were the first she had uttered in two weeks.

"What did she tell you?"

Leah hesitated as if she feared that we would add to her month-long sentence.

"Don't worry, you're not in trouble. We just want the truth, Nena," Gabriella reassured.

"Jenny's the most popular girl in school because... she has sex with boys all time. Sometimes they're her age or a little older, but most of the time they're 18. She told me that it was the only way to get noticed by them, and I believed her but I was too scared to do what she was doing. Remember the Facebook profile I showed you after she met you?"

"Of course," I replied.

"Well, everything on that page is fake and she uses it to keep her parents at ease. On her real Facebook she has pictures of herself kissing them and smoking, and wearing clothes that show off her belly button ring and tattoos. I don't know why but, I actually wanted to be like her. I know that she's a bad influence but I just wanted to, you know, experience what it would be like."

As our daughter kept her eyes downcast in shame, I lifted her chin only to find tears in her eyes.

"Why are you crying?"

"Because I'm horrible! I lied to you guys to hang out with some boy I didn't know, and you saw me letting him touch me. Anything I do from now will never make you trust me again because I'm so stupid," she sobbed.

Giving into my emotions, I pulled her onto my lap and embraced her in my arms.

"No, Angel. Don't talk that way about yourself. You're an intelligent little girl and that was one of the reasons we grounded you in the first place. You should've known better," I whispered.

"I know... Because I should have been smart and chosen friends who weren't like Jenny. She was a bad influence on me because I let her influence me."

"Why do you think your father and I watch you so closely? We don't want you to end up in the same position as Jennifer or worse. You're our world, Leah-Mireya. We love you," Gabriella said firmly her eyes locked on Leah's.

"I love you, too, Mama and Papa. And I promise that I'll never lie to you or disobey you ever again."

After our heartfelt talk, I remained positive that we would rebuild each other's trust and bring it back into our small family. The promise my daughter made to my wife and I was going to bring us one step closer back to a life of openness and honesty.

~WYLS~

Gabriella

"Sí, Mamá. Vamos hablar en la mañana... Ay, te amo también. Adiós."

As I hung up the phone, Leah strolled into the kitchen in curious silence.

"Was that Grandma?" she asked.

"Of course it was. How did you know?"

"Oh, I can't understand Spanish that much but you kept saying 'Mama.' You were talking about someone's birthday, right?"

"Very good, mija! You're learning more Spanish every day," I praised my daughter.

"You know, I should take you to Oaxaca one of these days so you can meet the rest of your family."

Seemingly, the fact that many of my relatives still remained in Mexico came as a surprise to my daughter.

"I don't get it... Why is it so difficult for Mexicans to just come here? It's not like they're doing anything wrong by trying to survive."

"Well, it's very complicated. It's considered illegal for anyone from any country to cross into U.S. territory without the proper documents or permission. Immigration and citizenship approval took years for my family and I, but it did pay off. They wanted to give me every opportunity possible to make sure that I would have a good life, and we never resorted to what some did. But sometimes people have no choice but to cross the border illegally. There is extreme poverty, crime, and little or no education in the town I grew up in and many more places in Mexico, and I thank God every day for my fortune."

"But people here don't have to be so mean. I mean, they'd want to escape their country too if it was dangerous and poor," my daughter replied cleverly.

"That's true. I guess some people really don't know how fortunate they are. Pero eso es la vida (but that's life)."

Leah stood in deep thought for a moment before wrapping her arms around my waist.

"I'm proud to be Mexican, Mama," she said, beaming up at me.

"That's my Nena... Hey, how about we have a Girl's Day Out and go to the salon? We can get our hair done and get matching mani-pedis, and go to the spa afterwards. It'll be just the two of us."

Knowing that she could not pass up such a tempting offer, Leah nodded eagerly and said, "You don't have to tell me twice. Let's go!"

If there was one thing to be said about my daughter, it was that she was just like me: smart, courageous, loving and proud of her heritage. And there was nothing that could change our relationship.

~WYLS~

One Month Later

Troy

Now that I had become fully settled into my new job, I usually joined my coworkers during our lunch break to eat and talk about life in general. Mark and his friend Jason were the most welcoming to me, and I felt that I really fit in with them.

We could all relate to the stresses of work and home, which soon led us to discuss the methods we used to keep the edge off.

"For me a few drinks at the bar are enough to keep me satisfied. What about you, Bolton?" Jason asked.

"My beautiful, sexy, and might I add flexible wife is all I need to stay stress-free. And let me tell you... I'm pretty sure her relatives can hear her screaming all the way in Mexico."

"Ohh, she's Latina, huh? I didn't know you were into Spanish women."

"I love my wife. She's sharp, feisty and passionate, and she has curves that can knock anyone out. That's the added bonus," I chuckled.

"I don't know about you guys, but I get tired of my girl sometimes. Women are tricky, you know? You smoke, Troy? I know Jason does," Mark said.

"Probably for about two years—when I was 14 and 15. I quit after I met my wife."

"Two years? No wonder you're so stressed. I was a pothead in high school; smoked or sniffed anything that could get me high. It's not as bad as back then but when I get off the clock, I sit in my car, smoke a little weed, chug a few beers and I'm good to go."

I couldn't help but let my features sink. If there was one thing I could tolerate about smoking, it was the slight exception I had for cigarettes only. Drug use on the other hand was unacceptable to me.

I never expected to find myself associating with a man who broke the law, especially one who knew how to hide it very well.

"Well, I wouldn't go that far because I've got a family to think about. I can't do things that are going to hurt them," I said reasonably.

Yet Mark did not seem to care, and simply patted me on the back.

"I'm not saying to get addicted to it. But I'll give you the hook-up and you can try some. What harm can one little blunt do?"

As I exchanged indecisive glances with Jason, something in his eyes told me not to listen to Mark. Suddenly I felt as if I was back in high school, on the verge of succumbing to peer pressure like I did back then.

"Come on, don't tell me you're chickening out like Jason over here," he taunted.

Before I could refuse again, my cell phone began to vibrate against the table and I quickly dismissed myself. I had my wife to thank for my escape.

"Gabi, what's up?" I responded cheerfully, but she was anything but content.

"'What's up?' Do you mean to tell me that you forgot?"

"Forgot what?"

"This morning I asked you to reschedule Leah's doctor appointment because I would be too busy to call. Now when I finally did get the chance to call, they told me that our spot was taken and that the only available date this month was on the 20th. Troy, tell me what is happening on the 20th?" she demanded.

When the discussion we had this morning finally came back to me, it was too late.

"Nationals."

"Exactly! Leah's team is going to be in Las Vegas on that day. She doesn't want to stay here just to go to the doctor, she wants to go to Nationals! This was the second chance we had of rescheduling and you blew it. It's like you don't care about your own daughter's health."

"I do care about our daughter, Gabriella. And I care about you. The thought just slipped my mind because my boss told me to take care of something. But calm down, baby. It's not the end of the world. A month without a doctor's visit won't hurt her," I said calmly.

But my words only made her even more furious.

"¡No me digas que se calme! ¡Somos su primera prioridad, no ese trabajo estúpido! I can't believe you!"

"What the hell are you talking about? You and Leah are my first priority. Why do you think I even have a job in the first place? I have to provide for my family so we don't end up homeless on the streets. Maybe if you went out and got a job, you'd understand how much I have to do."

From the shocked gasp that ensued, I knew that I had taken things too far.

"Wait, Gabi. That's not what I—"

"Don't! You can think about your mistake when you're sleeping in the den tonight, because I don't want you anywhere near me when you come home."

And with that, the line clicked off with a slam of the phone. Now I was stressed.

As I dejectedly made my way back to my coworkers, Mark gave me a silent glance as if to prove that he was right. But I still vowed to never resort to his methods of dealing with life.

All I needed to do was apologize to my wife and make things right again.

~WYLS~

That evening as I returned home, I came to discover that my wife's grudge about the appointment only grew worse. When I snaked my arms around her waist, she pried herself from my grip and escaped to the next room.

"Don't touch me. I'm serious," she said indifferently.

"I'm sorry for what I said earlier, but it's not easy being the breadwinner of the family. There's so much I have to do in so little time, and it does get stressful sometimes."

"So, what is it—do you want me to get a job? Will that make you feel better?"

"No, I'm not telling you to get a job. Just try to understand from my perspective, okay? I'm only one person. Please don't be upset with me," I pleaded.

Also in no mood to argue, Gabriella sighed to herself and raised her palms in surrender.

"All right, I get it. I won't complain anymore... Um, I made dinner for you and Leah. I'll be in the shower if anyone needs me," she replied mechanically, failing to mask her despondency.

Before I could coerce her to talk to me, my wife disappeared upstairs just as Leah strolled past her.

"What's wrong with Mama?"

"Uhh, she's upset because I forgot to reschedule your doctor's appointment. The only available date this month is the 20th but I know that we'll be gone for the week because of Nationals. She was hysterical, and I made the mistake of telling her to calm down," I explained while grabbing plates from the cupboard.

"Oh, boy. What did she say? She must have been pissed."

"She started yelling at me in Spanish so I definitely knew that she was angry. She said that the both of you were my first priority and not my job. And here's where I went wrong. I said that she would understand if she went out and got her own job."

"Wow, no wonder she was putting blankets and pillows in the den. Good luck getting her to accept your apology after that," Leah giggled.

Knowing how difficult it would be to convince my wife to tell me how she really felt, I was going to need more than just luck.

~WYLS~

Leah

I hated watching my parents argue and seeing them upset with each other. They were the most understanding, passionate and happiest couple I knew, yet their troubles sometimes caused me immense fear.

Almost all of my friends' parents were either separated or divorced because of the most insignificant of disagreements, and I did not want to see my parents go down the same path. As their daughter, it was my duty to keep them together.

While my poor father lay fast asleep in the den, I stepped into the bedroom to investigate, where my mother remained engaged in a thick novel. She removed her reading glasses in perplexity, possibly wondering what I was doing up after midnight.

"Leah, what are you doing up at this hour? You have school tomorrow," she whispered.

"I know, but I couldn't sleep. There's a lot on my mind right now."

Excusing my late-night company, my mother pulled me onto the bed and engulfed me in her arms.

"Oh, really? Dime (tell me)."

"Well, it's about you and Dad. He told me about the argument you had earlier and to be honest, it scared me," I admitted.

"Why?"

"Because I just... I want you guys to be together forever. Isn't that the point of marriage? I hate it when you argue with Daddy."

Unable to bear seeing me upset, my mother embraced me even tighter and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear.

"We've had our share of arguments in the past but it doesn't mean that we don't love each other. I love your father very much, and just because we fight sometimes it doesn't change the way we feel about each other. Don't be scared, Nena. We will never split apart," she replied, gently cupping my face between her palms.

"Promise?"

"I promise, mija... In fact, I have a proposition for you. I'll go make up with your father if you go to bed right now."

Without another word, I kissed my mother and skipped off to my room.

At that moment, knowing that my parents were going to be happy again was all I needed to know that everything was going to be okay.

~WYLS~

The next day at practice, I knew that nothing was going to be more intimidating than facing my friend after hearing about her unknown pregnancy.

I wasn't going to anyway, since Mr. Pérez decided to take his daughter out of school and teach her at home. My coach was extremely shocked in particular, because just like my parents, she thought that Jenny was an outstanding student compared to other people her age. Unfortunately, she was just like other people her age.

Yet for some of the girls on my team, the news came as no surprise.

"We all knew this was going to happen. She's a slut anyway," Maggie, a high schooler on my team, scoffed to her friends under her breath.

Although Jenny was not there to listen to the harsh dig, I took offense to her comment and prepared to defend my best friend.

"Hey, Maggie, that wasn't a very nice thing to say."

"Okay, I know that she's your friend and all, but it's true. She was the only girl at school who slept around with all those boys. What else should I call her?"

"But you used to be so nice to her. Why would you talk about her behind her back?" I replied.

For a moment, we grew silent as the coach strolled by, hastily reminding us to finish our stretches.

"Because she's a backstabbing bitch, and fake as hell. She had sex with my ex-boyfriend after she promised me she wouldn't go near him. That was the day after we broke up."

"But that's no reason to be angry at her. You two broke up anyway."

"Look, I don't think you understand. You're still in junior high. I'm in high school so I have more knowledge about relationships in my right pinky than you do in your whole body. I was with Jason for two years and she knew how much I liked him. So until you turn fifteen and get your own boyfriend, don't tell me what I should or shouldn't say..."

Slowly, the wall of girls continued to bear down on me like a barricade. Now that the cheer captain was gone, the real Queen Bee was taking over.

"What am I saying? Your parents don't let you out of the house without freaking the hell out. But it doesn't matter. No guy wants to go out with a little boarder hopper like you," Maggie sneered as her friends snickered along.

At that moment, I needed more than a friend to ease the utter humiliation I'd come to face.

Knowing that crying in front of them would add further damage to my embarrassment; I quickly pushed past the girls and escaped to the locker room. With no one in sight to see my tears, I wept on the floor of the bathroom in distress.

Being different than everyone else was frustrating because there were not much people like me—in other words, Latino—in my private school. Jenny was the only person who understood the prejudice I had to face on a daily basis, and although she did not have the highest moral standards, knowing that she felt my pain was enough. She was my only real friend, and now I wasn't even allowed to see her again.

Too ashamed to get up and face Maggie and her friends, I wiped away the rest of my tears and marched upstairs. I had to do the unthinkable to get away: talk back to my coach. In my eyes, cheerleading coaches were worse than football and basketball coaches combined.

Before leaving the locker room, I took a deep breath, opened the doors and slowly approached her. As Mrs. Carson spun around, her intimidating gaze nearly caused me to stop in my tracks.

"Leah, where the hell were you? You're the flyer. You were supposed to be in your position five minutes ago!" she shouted across the gym.

"I-I was doing something."

"You shouldn't be doing anything else at this moment besides getting your butt on top of that pyramid! That's it! Fifty push-ups, right now!"

So far it was the most trouble I'd ever gotten in with my coach, but the penalty did not get me kicked out of the gym completely.

"Well, maybe if you didn't bark at me like a freaking dog I would've listened to you," I murmured just loud enough for her to hear.

My teammates gasped in shock at my bold statement, and they anxiously looked on as the coach stepped towards me. Had we been the only two people occupying the area, she certainly would've slapped me. No one had ever talked to her the way I did.

"What did you say?" she bellowed sharply, causing me to flinch.

"You yell at me all the time! I never do anything wrong."

"All right, you're done. I'm sick of your little attitude! Go outside and run around the track until you can come up with a proper apology, because this is just unacceptable!"

Satisfied at my efforts, I spun around and left the gym in a huff. Of course, I wasn't really angry. I just needed to work on making better excuses.

~WYLS~

Gabriella

"You did what?" I exclaimed after listening to the shocking news I'd received courtesy of my daughter.

"I quit the cheerleading team."

"Why? Tell me why you just suddenly decided to quit."

"Well, this might sound stupid but... I quit because Coach Carson yelled at me," she explained.

"So what? She yells at you all the time. Why was today any different?"

Slightly hesitating, Leah plucked a string from her jeans and rolled it between her fingers.

"Maggie and her stupid friends got to me today, and it really upset me. Even though I know that I'm not supposed to mention Jenny around here, she was my best friend and when they started calling her names, I got offended. Then they made fun of me and Maggie said that I was a boarder hopper. I talked back to Mrs. Carson because I just wanted to get out. I'm sick of it," she said wiping away frustrated tears.

"Oh, honey. You can't let worthless people like them run your life. They can say whatever they want about you but you have the power to ignore them because it just isn't true. It shouldn't get in the way of doing what you truly love."

"You always encourage me to do what I truly love, Mami. But cheerleading wasn't it. To be honest, I only used my gymnastics training to get noticed... I feel so ashamed," my daughter finally confessed.

"Then what do you truly love?"

As Leah gazed into my eyes with conviction, I discovered that she had acquired a crippling fear of rejection. But she decided to tell me anyway because she knew that I knew that I would support her decisions no matter what.

"Dance. I want to dance, Mama."

"Sweetie, why didn't you tell me? You stopped when you were nine. I thought you were done," I replied.

"I thought I was, too. But there's nothing like being onstage and showing people your inner emotions. I only quit because I overhead Daddy saying one night that he didn't approve of me dancing while I was going through puberty. I guess I didn't want to disappoint him, so I moved onto something else to make him happy. Dancing is something I want to do for the rest of my life, and I'll just be crushed if he doesn't accept."

No longer able to fight back the tears, Leah buried her face in my chest and sobbed.

Listening to her heartbreaking confession caused me more pain than anything else. She did not have to seek her father's approval to do anything that was important to her because he always supported her in whatever she did. She only felt the need to adjust her interests to accommodate his high expectations. But Troy loved and accepted his daughter either way.

"Leah, your father loves you. Just because you choose something that he may not approve of doesn't mean that he'll stop loving you. Believe me, he will be the very first to cheer you on in whatever you decide to do with your life. And I'll be right beside him, okay, Angel?" I said, swiping her tears away with the pad of my thumb.

"I know you will, Mama. I know."

That evening as we contemplated ways of breaking the news lightly to Troy, I knew that either way he wouldn't like what he was hearing. I was not afraid of my husband, but his obsession with regulation at times left room for concern. It was not until we heard footsteps approaching the living room that Leah decided to tell him by herself.

If Leah wanted to prove her maturity by standing up to her father, then she would do anything.

~WYLS~

Troy

Against my better judgment, I decided to appease my coworkers' irritating pleads by accompanying them on a short jaunt to the bar. Armed with nothing more than my usual excuse—"I have a family to think about," they grew tired of my cover-up and thrust a bottle of beer under my nose.

Mark continued his efforts of convincing me that it would do no harm to smoke a little bit of marijuana with him. But the more I denied his offer the harder he pressed. By the time I finished my second bottle, the minuscule buzz I'd developed had me aching to get home. Still well enough to drive, I escaped my tipsy colleague before he could purchase another round for me and the guys.

"Looks like I'm going to have to be the one to drive his drunk ass home... Take it easy, man," Jason bid me as I left the bar.

"All right. See you tomorrow."

I knew that my wife was going to have my neck once I returned home with the scent of beer on my breath, but after listening to Mark's nonstop persuading all evening I could care less if she decided to lock me out of the house.

"Leah? Gabi? I'm home," I announced once I stepped over the threshold.

Something strange began once Gabriella sailed down the stairs alone. Leah was nowhere to be found.

Another reason I assumed that I'd been dropped on an alternate universe was when my wife kissed me and said, "Oh, you went to the bar... Well, at least you're relaxed."

Now relieved of the fear that she would not kill me that night, I willingly took her hand as she slowly guided me up the stairs.

"Gabriella, care to tell me what's going on? Where's Leah?"

Stopping short of the last step, my wife turned around and spoke to me in a hushed tone.

"She's in her room. She wants to tell you something, but right now I'm begging you to just please, please listen to what she has to say. I don't want her to end up heartbroken. Just listen to her, okay?"

"Um, okay," I replied, unknowing as to what my daughter was preparing to tell me.

Reluctantly, I took a seat on the edge of her bed while Gabriella looked from the corner of the room.

That was when Leah appeared from her closet wearing one of her old dance costumes. I knew exactly what this was about.

"How do I look, Papi?" she asked timidly.

"You look beautiful, Angel. Very beautiful."

"I know. You used to tell me that I looked beautiful before I went onstage at every competition. Whenever you said that I felt so invincible and confident that remarkably, I would end up walking away with a trophy every time. Daddy, I want to feel that way again. I want to be happy and if you let me dance again it'll just mean the world to me. I don't want to quit again because you don't approve."

Once again, the high standards I set for my daughter forced her to abandon doing what she loved just to please me. It didn't matter what she wore, how she danced, or the discomfort I felt knowing that there were strangers watching her. If dancing was going to make her happy, then needed to support her despite my petty fears.

"Oh, baby... I'm so sorry. I didn't know how strongly you felt about dancing. You kept this in for so long. Why didn't you tell me?" I questioned.

"Because I was scared that you wouldn't want anything to do with me if I continued doing something that you hated. I knew that my dancing made you uncomfortable after I heard you say it to Mama four years ago."

Frustrated with myself, I sighed and coaxed Leah into my arms.

"I don't hate your dancing, Leah. I never did. Watching you onstage was always magical. The way you used to spin and leap in the air made me proud that I was able to help create something so perfect. My stupid worries shouldn't get in the way of you pursuing your dreams. My opinions don't matter if it's something that's so important to you. I just want you to be happy. That's all I've ever wanted for you."

To have my consent must have meant the world and more to my daughter. Not only did I allow her to continue dance because it made her happy, but because it made me happy as well.

Leah was captivating onstage, exposing her deepest and most secreted emotions to people whom she never knew. Using choreography that required stamina and agility, she would conquer those challenges with the utmost maturity and heart for a child of her age.

Perhaps the best way I could make a connection with my daughter was through dance.

"Thank you so much, Daddy. You have no idea how much this means to me," she sobbed, wrapping her arms around my neck.

"I guess I don't have any idea... You can start tomorrow."

"Okay. And I promise I won't let you down. I'll make you so proud of me."

"I'm already proud of you, Angel."

For my family and I, things were finally looking up. Possibly the only concern that remained was the troubling persistence of my coworker, Mark. If he continued pressuring me to take drugs, I was going to have to take drastic action and fast.

Tell me your predictions for the next chapter and I'll post it by Monday! I hope you enjoyed and there is much more to come. Thank you very much and please review! Have a great summer ebveryone! :)