Almost There

Chapter Three

I remember Daddy told me: "Fairytales can come true
You gotta make 'em happen, it all depends on you"
So I work real hard each and every day
Now things for sure are goin' my way

Almost There - The Princess and the Frog

Chapter three is up and running. More Reid/Hannah is one the way :) Reviews are appreciated.

The rain was back. Just what Hannah enjoyed as she rushed into the foyer of the house. Quickly, she unbuttoned her coat, placed it on the coat rack, dropped the umbrella in the holder, and ran up the staircase. Once she reached the top, Hannah noticed the door at the end of the hall was ajar. Good, Harriet was still on duty she thought as she went across the hardwood floors.

Sure enough an elderly woman around the age of fifty was scurrying around the bedroom while the woman lying on the bed stared at her with a humorous look on her face. Her eyes met Hannah's and a large grin appeared.

"I was wondering when you were going to get here," she said. "I was getting worried. It was the storm wasn't it?"

"You could say that. It came out of nowhere," Hannah approached the bed. "You may go, Harriet. I can take it from here. Have a good day."

"Thank you, Ms. Davis," the dark-skinned woman bowed her head slightly before leaving the mother and daughter alone.

With a loud sigh, Hannah turned back towards the bed. Her mom was looking a lot better today. There was more color in her cheeks. Hannah could distinguish her from the cotton sheets, but the best feature was the sparkle in her mother's hazel eyes. It hadn't been there in weeks.

"Why are you looking at me like that, Hannah?" Emily grasped her daughter's hand and squeezed gently. "You look like you are about to cry."

"Sorry," Hannah rubbed her eyes. "You look well. It's good to see you happy after a couple of bad days."

"A couple of bad days? More like a couple of bad weeks," she joked, gesturing Hannah to sit down beside her. "How is school going?"

"I've only had one class, Mom," she laughed. "And to be honest, I couldn't tell you one thing that I learned. I was a bit distracted."

"That's no way to being your last year in college, lovebug," Emily rose an eyebrow. "What made you distracted? Was it a boy?"

"Yes," Hannah couldn't help but blush. "But don't worry. I don't know him that well. He just helped me at work the other day."

"How nice," she said. "How about your savings? How much more do you need for the audition?"

"At least eight hundred," Hannah groaned flopping onto her back. "I didn't think it would be this hard to get the money. It's been four years, and I still don't have enough."

"Don't worry, lovebug. You're almost there. Think of how good it will feel when you reach your goal."

"I've dreamed about it for years, Mom. You know how I'll feel," Hannah replied. "Can I get you anything? Are you hungry? Thirsty?"

"Actually, now that you ask, I am a bit hungry."

"Okay. Same as usual?"

"As a matter of fact, I think I would like a salad today. Italian dressing and no carrots please."

"Healthy," Hannah grinned, exiting the bedroom and down to the kitchen.

Reid stared at Devon with his mouth hanging low. Cancer? Her mother had cancer? That would explain why she was in such a rush to get away from him. God, that sucks.

"Close your mouth, man. You look like a fish," Kirby joked.

"W-what about her dad then?" Reid asked.

"He died when she was seven," Devon explained. "Really bad car accident. It was all over the news."

"The one where they couldn't identify the body because it was so bad?" Reid rubbed the back of his neck. "God, I never would have known. She seems so-"

"Happy?" Devon finished. "Hannah's a fighter that's for sure. Maybe you should invite her to hang out with us at Paddy's tonight. I'm pretty sure she's off work."

"I guess I could," he said. "Do any of you know where the dance team practices?"

"How do you know she has dance today, Garwin?" Devon smirked. "Sounds a bit stalkerish of you ask me."

"Because she told me, asshole," Reid shouted, turning a few heads. "Can you tell me where it is or not?"

"So, tell me about this boy," Emily Davis poked around at her salad, glancing at her daughter every so often. "What's he like?"

"I told you, Mom. I don't know much about him. I only ran into him twice. Literally," Hannah played around with the spaghetti on her plate. "His name's Reid Garwin and he's on the swim team. He's blond with blue eyes-"

"Hannah," Emily warned.

"It's not like it's going to be before, Mom," Hannah spoke. "I mean, sure there are rumors about him, but he seemed, well not like the rumors say about him."

"Hannah, that is almost the same thing you said about Tanner, and look where that landed you," Emily stated. "You were heartbroken for weeks."

"It's not like I would go out with him, Mom. Friendship is where this relationship would be headed. Like Devon," Hannah told her mother, even if she didn't believe all of what came out of her mouth herself. "I have to go, Mom. Dance starts in an hour. I love you. Get some rest."

"I love you too, lovebug," Emily kissed Hannah's forehead. "Be careful."

When Hannah barged into her dorm room, she wasn't surprised to find Lexi in the same spot as before, texting away on her bed. She always wanted to know who her roommate was talking to all the time. She wondered if it was a boy, but Lexi wasn't in a relationship. She doubted it was her parents. Those three didn't get along very well.

"Are you coming to Paddy's after practice? There's a group of friends of mine that are going. You could meet a few guys," Lexi asked, while her fingers were typing away. "It will be fun."

"If I have time," Hannah searched through her closet for a pair of workout pants and a shirt. "It's my only day off this week. Wouldn't it be weird spending my day off from work at work?"

"If you say so," Lexi answered. "Have fun dancing."

"I will."

Lexi shook her head at the empty bed. That Hannah Davis could be really weird sometimes. All she did was go to class, work, and dance. Nothing else. She was so antisocial, it was sickening. After all this time at college she should have about 500 hundred friends by now, but Lexi could count how many friends the girl had on one hand. Her phone buzzed from her lap. WELL, IS SHE COMING OR NOT? Lexi scoffed. Would she ever go with them? I'M NOT SURPRISED. SHE'S SO AWKWARD. SEE YOU TONIGHT. Lexi smiled, she would see her tonight.