Page 4 of Cheer
Brooke was kind, and patient and taught her that it was okay to talk to more people than just her staff. To not be afraid of new things and new people.
That resonated with her and though she still wasn’t allowed downstairs much with her dad and stepmom, she at least wasn’t cripplingly shy around new people.
It helped a lot when she finally went to school for the first time.
But she had to admit that the most important life lesson Brooke taught her was about dance.
That it could bring endless happiness and joy to even the most hardened of hearts.
Brooke taught her all different kinds of dance types and Eva loved them all.
She begged her dad to sign her up for dance classes, and he agreed.
It would keep her out of the house for hours and she worked hard to make the lessons count.
She never talked to the girls in her class, she wasn’t there to socialize, she was there to dance.
And Brooke watched each class with the look of a proud mother. She came to each lesson.
And for every performance she did, her family was there. The gardener, Rick. He clapped and whistled louder than anyone, Axelle, the french chef, would bring her treats that she could eat after, Brooke was always there, and so were the maids, Mary and Kristi.
They would bring her flowers and she would feel so loved.
They were her cheerleaders.
And when Brooke’s time came to stop being her nanny, as she was old enough to care for herself, Eva cried.
But Brooke got a job at the dance school that Eva attended and though it was hard, Eva knew it was best for Brooke.
Brooke would give her one-on-one lessons and Eva loved every minute of it.
She made certain to work extra hard at school so her dad would have no reason to make her stop dancing.
And more often than not, he completely forgot she was even there, let alone that she was in dance.
She did what she did, and stayed out of their way.
That was all they cared about, and Eva wasn’t sad anymore.
She had a reason to be happy and she wouldn’t take it for granted.
When she reached high school, she got straight A’s in all her classes and was one of the best dancers the studio had.
She was too busy with school and dance to go out with boys. Not that any asked her out.
She was shy, and got intimidated around good looking men. Plus, she had seen what they had to offer.
No thanks. She went to a private high school and all the people that went there were jerks.
They had stacks and stacks of money and threw fits that their moms and dads got them the wrong IPhone or the wrong car.
Heaven forbid. She was okay to be the quiet, shy girl in school.
The one who didn’t have any friends.
It didn’t bother her and she did what needed to be done at school, and then drove to the studio, where it felt like home.
It was more her home than her house was. And everyone loved her there.
