If Only

Dreams Of Escape

♣️6 - Dreams of Escape. ♣️

Just before we caught a bus, we passed a school building, which caught Hannah's attention.

"That's it," she said. "Sylvia Young Theater School. Everyone who's in here makes it to even a tiny role in the West End. And the best ones star in Broadway,"

"You wanna go here?" I ask her, noticing the light in her eyes when she spoke about this. It may have been the lights from the school reflecting off her eyes, but it seemed as if it was something more.

"That would be amazing," she muttered.

"I know you're into a lot of those musicals and shows, but I didn't know you sang."

The fact that Hannah had a dream that was set on a stage was news to me. She never took part in the school shows. Never joined the choir. Never sang.

"Only dad knows I sing. He thinks that I can make it and you know what? Even if I'm on that West End stage for a fraction of a second, maybe as a chorus or something, that will be my dream come true. "

"Wow, you really know where you're headed," I told her, feeling self conscious about my future.

"What about you? Haze told me you're taking Computing and Media for your A-Levels. So what are you going to do?" she asked.

The truth was that I didn't know. I wasn't terrible at everything. It was quite the opposite. I was just good at everything. Academics, sport, cooking. But I wasn't amazing at one thing like everyone else. Just good.

"I don't know. I just wanna get out of Pineham, you know?"

Our town was the small countryside kind where everyone was in everyone's business. People became used to that sort of lifestyle as they grew and couldn't handle leaving. But I wanted the city, the lights and the cars.

"Yeah, I understand, " said Hannah, getting into the bus. "I just love this place! It's amazing! "

"Yeah it's pretty cool," I replied, glancing outside at the Thames, as the bus drove past it, where the lights of the London Eye and building around it reflected on the river

"OK, promise me one thing?" she asked.

I looked at her smiling face with full cheeks and dark eyes, and felt adoration. She was a friend, always there for me and I knew that I'd love her as much as Haze.

"Yeah? " I asked, already promising myself to protect her from players like Jared.

"If we both make it out of Pineham and into London, we'll still be friends,"

"Yeah, I promise, " I smiled.

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