Bet

Chapter One

I walked into the corridor of an abandoned building. The paint on the outside was chipping away along with the paint in each room. I didn't mind though. There was just one room that I always went to. It was the second largest room in the building; it had wood flooring and faded cracked eggplant purple walls. It was the performance room where plays were held. The stage overlooking a sea of chairs.

The people that had owned the building had left a grand piano on the far end of the room. the building could easily be over 100 years old and abandoned for probably 40 years.

But this was my haven. Where I came to when I had nowhere else to go. I spent many times just practicing endless amounts of ballet moves.

My small feet padded along the flooring, and I carefully placed my backpack against the piano with my scarf, coat and boots. I brought out my small iPod and scrolled down all the way to "All of Me" by John Legend. The first time I heard the song it instantly became my favorite and immediately danced to it the first time I heard it.

The piano softly played as I began to twirl around in the empty room. For a moment I didn't feel as though I was in a rundown musky area. For a moment I felt as though the chandelier was fixed and shining brighter than ever. The purple walls where fixed and the white trim was refurbished. I could imagine the plush cream couches and important businesspeople awing at my every movement.

But all of that soon faded away when the music stopped. The slow realization of the room came rushing back. I stood in the center of the room; the cold air from the outside flowed through the cracks of the walls. It never mattered how cold it was in here I could dance for hours.

Here I learned ballet. As much as YouTube would teach me anyways. I gently swung my arms over my head practiced a few more moves while I glided around the room Before stopping again in another spot. I bowed to the many imaginary people in the crowd. Blowing kisses and smiling. I hoped someday I would be in this position for real. Dancing in front of a crowd; hearing the people clapping and smiling in approval.

I walked away from the empty seats toward my backpack. Sliding my iPod in the side pocket. My feet ached from the cold. I hadn't yet bought ballet shoes, but they were the next on the list of things I needed to buy before I auditioned for the School of Performing Arts. I had been planning to audition there for several years and my dream finally felt like a reality.

I slung my backpack on my back and began to walk to the exit doors. My stomach began demanding breakfast with its intense roars. I patted it as I walked out the building and into a back alley. The abandoned building was on the main strip in the town but was never torn down for some reason. It was bought out a few times in hopes of renovation, but I think buyers always realized how much work it would be and sold it right away.

I walked into the nearest coffee shop. "Good morning, Anna!" The barista smiled at me as he handed a customer an iced coffee. "What are we wanting today?"

I smiled back as I walked over to him. "Hey Conner. Can I have a medium Iced Chai Tea Latte, egg sandwich and an apple." I pulled out my wallet from my backpack. "How's your day going?"

"Good. Living the dream, you know?" He smiled as he took my card to swipe for a purchase. "Few more days until your audition, right?" I nodded. Conner and I graduated college together. We never really talked outside of the barista and anytime we did it was just small talk. He was cute with shaggy brown hair and freckles along his nose. His green eyes occasionally poking between his locks. "Must be nervous. I know my moms been crying for weeks about me going to ISU. I haven't even started packing yet. I don't even leave for at least three more weeks." He gave back my card and handed me my drink back.

I put the card away and grabbed the cup from Conner. "Yeah, my dad has been pretty emotional." I lied. I think my dad probably hoped I would do community college and stay home for a few more years but I just couldn't stand this town anymore. Conner handed me a brown sack that had my sandwich and apple. I smiled again and took it from him and made my way to a table in the back of the café.

I wanted to watch a few more videos on YouTube of ballet auditions. I had spent every day for the entire summer watching ballet auditions, choreography anything to hopefully give me a leg up on the audition. I practiced the way my hair should be up for what felt like years. I felt like I was wearing a helmet for weeks from all the gel I coated in my hair.

I loaded up my laptop as I unwrapped my egg sandwich and started to eat it. It warmed my soul completely and I knew I would miss this café. I thought of every late night I spent here cleaning up with Conner occasionally when I overstayed my welcome after closing. Or the countless hours I spent catching up on homework. I never had a treehouse or anything. I think the Café and the abandoned theater were the equivalent to my treehouse.

I looked up the college I would be attending again and reread for the millionth time al of the descriptions of the classes I would be taking. My anxiety slowly crept up on me. I did not have a plan B since I hoped that I would make it in.

Conner began to wipe down tables near me occasionally looking over at me. "Hey." I looked up at him as he waved with his rag. He slowly walked over to me while he started to fiddle with some lose strings. "I was thinking maybe we could grab some coffee or a bite before we leave this dusty town." He gave a half smile light chuckle before looked down at me.

"Oh, um sure. That would be fun I think." I smiled at him as I plugged my headphones in my ear. I tried not to blush as I pretended type some random stuff in my computer.

Conner smiled as he walked away and back behind the cash register. As much as a date with Conner would be I could not let anything like that distract me from school. But I guess that wouldn't matter seeing that we would be going to two different schools in two different states.

I shook the thoughts of Conner out of my head as I began to pull up YouTube to re-watch videos.