Chapter 5 Past

Last week was a little strange for Marissa. For some unknown reason, Alex has been behaving weirdly.

'I think I am over-analyzing everything.' Marissa thought.

Her train of thoughts was broken when she heard Aaron and Brook arguing.

"Brook, can't you see where you are dancing? Stop stepping on my foot." Aaron said loudly.

"It was a mistake, Aaron." She said while rolling her eyes.

"Of course, whatever the high and mighty do is by mistake."

"What's your problem, jerk face?" Brook shouted.

"My problem is with you. What are you going to do about it? Complaint to your parents?" He retorted.

"Excuse me!" Brook was completely baffled by Aaron's behaviour. For the past few days, he has been behaving strangely, getting

annoyed at every little thing.

"You heard that right. For every little thing, you go to your parents. Have you ever tried fighting your own battles?"

"I do fight my own battles. You know what, Aaron? I pity your parents for having a kid like you." She yelled.

"You are not the only one to think that."

Marissa decided to stop the fight.

"That's it! Aaron in my cabin now!" She commanded him, to which he stormed from the room.

"Brook..." Marissa wanted to say something to her, looking at her teary face, but Alex interrupted her.

She forgot for a while that even today, Alex showed up a little too early.

"Marissa, I will handle Brook. From what I have heard, Aaron is not usually like this."

"Yes" with that, Marissa went towards her cabin to see Aron sitting down with his head in both his hands.

"What happened back there in the class?" Marissa asked him, making him look at her.

"I am sorry, Marissa. I don't know how I lost my calm. It was stupid of me to shout at Brook for such silly things." Aaron admits his

mistake while looking down.

Marissa came over and sat on the chair in front of him.

"Yes, indeed, it was stupid, but I have known you long enough to know that something might have happened to you for you to behave in

this manner."

"It's just me... My life is in an awful state at present, but nothing I can't handle."

"Aaron!" Marissa gave a long sigh. "I know that I don't have any right to speak or interfere in your personal matters. But if you want to

talk to anyone, you can always count on me. You are a good kid, and I know there has to be a good reason for you to behave in this strange

manner."

"Thank you, ma'am. It's just that I miss my parents more than anything now. I... I ran away from my home to learn dance." Aaron blurted out. He had been keeping this thing from everyone for the past two years. It felt good to tell someone about it finally.

His confession stunned Marissa, and she looked at him with a surprised look on her face.

"Yes, my dad wanted me to be an architect, but I have got no skills in that field. I may be good at calculations, but I never wanted to be an

architect. I love dancing and want to do something with it. I don't care if I don't make it big, but as long as my passion is my career, I am

happy." Aaron told his dance instructor honestly.

"Oh, Aaron." Marissa could feel her student.

"I know this is not a reason to run away, but I had enough at my home. Dad was getting on my nerves, and mom made no effort to

support me. So, I ran away. But now I am broke. I have got hardly any money, plus my roommate is moving out so that he can move in with

his girlfriend, and now I don't even have a penny to pay for rent, and I don't want to bother my sister anymore. At present, she is going

against my parents to help me pay college fees and this institute fee." He felt good about letting everything out to Marissa.

"You are a strong boy," Marissa told him.

"I am not. If I was, I would not have taken out my frustration on Brook." He told her shamefully.

"Aaron, do you want to know my story?" She asked him. He would be the first one to know about it, except for Ronny.

"Sure." He shrugged his shoulder. Anything would be better to take his mind off things.

"Even I am a runaway like you." She told him, which made his eyes pop out of the socket.

"What... How... I don't understand." He stuttered.

"My parents are old-fashioned. They believe that girls should depend on a guy. She should be a faithful wife, fulfilling all her husband's

wishes. She shouldn't be working like guys."

"But that's crazy. This is the twenty-first century. It's stupid to even think in this way." He told her.

"I know that, and I never agreed with them, but I still couldn't have done much as I was a kid. But that didn't stop me from pursuing my

passion. I always loved dancing. Even in school, I took dance as an extracurricular activity." She smiled, thinking about her memories from back then.

"Didn't your parents find out?" Aaron asked her curiously.

"Well, not initially, as I told them a white lie about joining home science in school. But yes, I was about to get caught, but my dance teacher

covered it for me. She knew how my parents were, but she also knew my potential. So, she helped me to hide this truth from my parents,

along with other dance mates of mine. Although, unlike them, I wasn't able to perform in front of anyone as I didn't want to take risks, I

was still happy as I got a chance to learn dance."

"Wow, how did you convince them to let you go to dancing school?" He asked her curiously.

"I didn't. I knew that they would never agree. And before I even knew, my parents had already signed me up for some stupid art school

where they teach cooking, abdication, and manners." She chuckled.

"Do those things still exist?"

"Yes, it does. I was upset that I wouldn't be able to go to dance school, but in the end, I got lucky. My dance teacher had already sent my

application to various dance schools, and fortunately, one of them was near the college where my parents wanted to send me. So, this is

how I went to dance school with Ronny, although I had to lie a lot of time to my parents. But in the end, I got the degree."

"You were really lucky that they didn't catch you," Aaron said.

"I did get caught, but that was at the time when I was almost done with the course. Since my parents were not fond of me, they never

made any efforts to contact me during that time."

"Then how did they catch you?" Aaron asked her.

"Ronny and I were selected for the competition 'Dancing Stars.' At first, I was hesitant because it was a national-level dance show, but

then I decided to keep my worries aside and take a risk. Things were going smoothly, and we reached the semi-finals, which were broadcast

on TV. At first, I feared my parents' reactions, but then I thought that if they saw me dancing and saw for themselves that I was good at it,

then they might change their opinion. Unfortunately, that didn't happen. After we came second in the semi-finals, we were all ecstatic. We

were so excited that we planned our routine immediately. The next day, after the result, we celebrated in the class when my parents stormed

in, and my mom slapped me in the face in front of everyone. Ronny came to defend me, but my dad pushed him and dragged me out of the

institute and took me home immediately." Aaron winced when he heard from Marissa that her parents had hit her.

"Then what happened? You performed in the finale, right?" He asked her with interest.

"Unfortunately, no. My mother and father locked me in my room and took everything that could contact the outside world. And one

evening, they told me that they were getting me married to some guy whose father is a good businessman and my marriage to his son

would benefit both the company. I wanted to run away, but somehow I was not able to. I still longed for their attention and love, which they

never gave me, but I managed to contact Ronny to tell him that he should find another partner, but he refused. I tried to change his mind,

but he was adamant about his decision. So in the end, someone else won." She said with a sad smile.

"So, you are married. But you never told us that you have a husband."

"Because I got divorced three years ago. A loveless marriage is nothing but torture. We were hardly married for a year. In fact, after two

months of my marriage, my in-laws found that my parents just wanted money and nothing else, but they never held any kind of grudge

against me because they knew that I was nothing like them. And my parents even came to take me back, asking me to choose."

"So, you went back to them?"

"No. I knew if I went back, they would try to control my life, and I liked my freedom. Although my marriage was nothing like I had ever

imagined, I could pursue my dream. I got a job at a dance class where I used to teach dance to younger kids. But yes, after a few months, when the divorce was finalized, my parents somehow found out and took me in. After eight months of living with them, I ran away. That was because they wanted to arrange another marriage, and I had enough. Somehow, Ronny found me, and he gave me a proposal to be a co-owner of this institute with him, and I immediately agreed. Although there were many arguments with my folks, they gave me an ultimatum that if I left them, they would never talk to me again and disown me, but that didn't stop me. So here I am, living my dream as a dancer."

"Wow. That's just amazing. How can your parents never contact you till now?" Aaron asked her.

"They do, once in a blue moon. They called to convince me to come back for their own benefit, but I am an adult, and they have no legal rights over me. So I brush them off." She told him with complete honesty.

"Although I ran away, Bailey always called me. If not more, at least once every week, and somehow, I know that mom and dad are present during that time. My dad never hated that I enjoyed dancing. He just thought that I wouldn't be able to live with it all my life." He somehow felt he had to defend his parents, although he was the one who made them sound like the villains of his life.

"Because they love you. My parents never wanted kids. I was a mistake. They even wanted to abort me, but it was too risky for my mother's life. That's the main reason I stopped caring. I found this truth when I was staying with my parents during those eight months. I wouldn't have cared that I was unplanned, but they never liked me ever, and when I realized that, I stopped caring." Marissa said.

"Aaron, you are the only person who knows, next to Ronny, about my life. I didn't tell this story to get pity or anything. I told you to make you understand that your parents do care about you. There are so many kids in the world who are unfortunate enough not to get warmth from their parents. After you told me your situation, I am sure that your parents love you, and they will never disown you like mine even if you continue with your dreams."

"How can you be so sure?" He asked her curiously.

"Because once or twice a month, your dad calls Ronny or me to find out how you are doing." Marissa's answer made Aaron look at her with wide eyes.

"Yes, initially, it was very confusing for me. Why was he asking me about you? But he made up a story that he didn't want you to lose your focus, and I found nothing wrong with that, as some parents tend to call teachers about this kind of stuff. But now it's clear that he doesn't care if you become an architect or a dancer. As long as you are safe, healthy, and content, he is happy."

"I think I should call my dad, but I will tell him that I won't come home till I become something in my life, but I will definitely call each of

them more often. I think I should also get another job and try to convince my landlord, and I will also apologize to Brook." He told her with a grin.

"That you should, but before that, I have a proposal for you," Marissa said with a smirk.

"Proposal?" Aaron asked with a frown.

"Yes. If you want, you can leave your old job and come here as an assistant to one of the instructors at this institute. But first, you will teach

kids, and gradually we will allow you to teach higher-grade kids." She offered him.

"Really? Thank you so much, Marissa. However, I will quit my previous job after I have paid my rent."

"Aaron, your neighbourhood is not that good. It's not bad, but I think you should live in a suitable area. I know how these landlords are,

plus finding a pleasant apartment so soon is difficult. So, you can stay with me as my roommate."

"No. I cannot do that. Plus, I won't be able to pay you." Marissa was being really generous, but he didn't want to be a burden on her.

"Oh please, you will do me a favour. And don't worry about paying me rent. You can help me do my chores. I absolutely hate doing it.

Plus, I think you are good at technology. So you can help me with that, because half of the things in the home I own, I don't even know how to operate them. So, what do you say, want to be my roommate?"

"Yes, if you don't mind, then it's a deal. You know Marissa, you remind me of my older sister Bailey." He told her with a smile.

"And I think I don't mind getting a younger brother like you who I can spoil. I always wanted one. Now go and apologize to Brook. We

don't want your love story to end before it even starts." She teased him.

"I don't like Brook like that." He tried to act innocent.

"I may have been part of a loveless marriage, but I do know love when I see one. Now go and talk to Brook."

Aaron nodded. But before leaving, he hugged her.

After a few minutes, Marissa followed him outside to find both her students hugging each other. She had a small smile on her face.

Marissa may or may not have noticed, but Alex heard each and everything that Marissa told Aaron about her life, and it just made him feel

worse about how he mistook her for being like her parents.