onirique - hs

-2

At the age of 18, Eileen started her professional career. Her mom and dad weren't surprised the day she came to them explaining that she didn't want to go to college. Deep down, they knew it all along, even if they wanted her to have something to fall back on when dancing was no longer an option. It was with fear that they agreed, and they knew their decision was the right one the day she told them the biggest dance company in the country had taken on her.

Although she had spent the whole summer with her parents to fully enjoy them, the day of her move came far too quickly for them. They may have had smiles on their faces, but in their hearts, it was quite the opposite. Even though they knew it was to make her dream come true, the pain was still there. After all, Eileen was their dream.

The trunk was closed after the last box had been placed and they set off a few minutes later in the direction of the capital. Eileen looked all around her to soak up as much of the landscape she had known all her life and knew that tomorrow would not be the same when she woke up.

When she arrived, her smile couldn't have been bigger. Although she knew it meant she wouldn't be seeing her parents daily, her dream was coming true and that was worth all the gold in the world.

Her flat wasn't very big, but it was big enough for her and the time she was going to spend there. After all, she already spent her days in a training studio and she intended to do the same. The three of them spent the rest of the day unpacking and enjoying every last minute of being together.

Tears were shed by all, but it was with a heart full of hope, dreams and will that Eileen closed the door behind her parents.

She wouldn't be starting rehearsals for a good week, so every day she took the opportunity to visit the city, create habits and memorise the route she would take to the studio every day.

Her first day came far too quickly and was one to remember. Her alarm didn't go off, even though the day before, she had programmed everything. It was raining heavily outside and her umbrella broke the moment she stepped outside. With tears in her eyes, she ran so fast to avoid getting soaked that her breath caught in her throat. It was a feeling she knew all too well from dancing, but hated at that moment. But in vain, she was soaked from head to toe

She was so overwhelmed that she couldn't even remember which tube she had to take to get to the training studio even though she made the journey twice a day for the whole week. The minutes flew by and she knew that getting there early was, unfortunately, no longer an option.

With all the buildup, the tears were flowing before she knew it. Sitting in the tube, she wiped away her tears as best she could but nothing helped. It was only when she got out that she was able to regain her composure. She knew that her eyes were red and puffy and that everyone was going to know about her state but that didn't stop her from taking deep breaths, putting a big smile on her face and moving on as if nothing happened. That was something she knew how to do all too well.

Despite her best efforts, for the first time in her life she was late and what she had feared happened far too soon: all eyes were on her when she opened the door. It was one thing to be the centre of attention while dancing, but quite another when she wasn't on stage.

She apologised profusely and after saying her name and surname, she went and sat down with her head down, as far away from everyone as possible. But it didn't turn out the way she wanted. She was stopped in her tracks by a young girl who called out to her to sit next to her. Hesitantly, she decided to accept even though it was the last thing she wanted.

She didn't know how to make friends, she never had any despite all her attempts. She never understood why no one wanted to be friends with her. She didn't understand what she'd done. So one day she decided she didn't want to understand any more and stopped.

The girl introduced herself as Willow when Eileen sat down. She gave her a towel to dry her hair and a tissue to dry the dry tears on her face. The shock must have been present on Eileen's face at Willow's kindness that Willow smiled wider at her.

And that's how Willow and Eileen's friendship began.

Despite a chaotic start to the day, the rest went smoothly. She was in her element and nothing could stop her.

By the end of the day, she was exhausted, but it was with a smile on her lips that she left the studio. And as if the universe had agreed with her, the sun was shining brightly.

As soon as she left the studio, Willow shouted her name. The two had been glued together all day. It was a first for Eileen and although at first she wasn't at ease and had her guard up, all that quickly fell away when she saw Willow's sincerity in building a sincere friendship.