-Hesitation-
The past year and a half had been a blur and Carly was on top of the world.
Not literally, mind you, but pretty darn close.
"How do you like it?" Spencer was leaning up against the doorway, his arms crossed over his chest as he grinned. He wanted approval and he was certainly going to get it because this loft—airy, spacious, utterly cool—was amazing.
"Spencer, are we really going to live here?"
"Yup."
"In New York."
"Geez, kiddo, why is that so hard to believe? Your big bro's got connections now."
She didn't know howSpencer had been so lucky as to spill coffee all over an art collector and, upon avoiding being verbally assaulted, had somehow sparked a conversation between free spirits that shared a deep interest in individualistic expression, which had led to… This.
New York sprawled below them, its streets congested with bright yellow taxis and an incredible assortment of people decked out in a wide variety of clothing styles. The brother-sister pair were accustomed to living in the big city, but New York was a different story entirely. The sights, the sounds—it was almost overwhelming.
"As you can see, there's plenty of space for you to work," a woman's voice said from the spiral stair-case leading up to the studio. A moment later, a pretty, well-dressed blonde woman in her mid-twenties strode into view, her loafered steps echoing as she approached them. "And Carly here will be able to attend the university down the street once she graduates. She's a brilliant young woman and I'm sure she'll have no trouble getting in."
This was every mistake-maker's dream: a chance to start over. Here in New York, she would be able to rebuild her image from the ground up and broaden her horizons; make new friends and forget old ones.
So why was she hesitating?
"Thanks so much, Lana. You have no idea what this means to us." To his sister, Spencer said, "What do you think, Carly? It's your decision, too."
But then, part of her… Didn't want to forget.
"Take your time," Lana assured the teenager, resting a hand on her shoulder. It felt… Heavy. As though the life-changing decision waited in her palm.
"Sorry I'm late, Carly, I—" Freddie came skidding to a halt as he rounded the corner. "Whoa, what's with all the boxes?"
"They're the reason I called you here, actually." She cleared her throat. "We're, um, moving." He gaped and she fidgeted. "Hey, don't look at me like that. Remember that lady I told you about—Lana?"
Before long, he was helping her pack her life away into fragile brown cardboard containers and the two chattered aimlessly about various objects and the memories they had been part of.
"What about this?" the boy asked, holding up the figure of a colourful caped crusader.
He winced when his best friend lunged towards him, grabbing the figurine from him and cradling it protectively to her chest. This was…
/ "I think you've had too much cotton candy," Carly laughed, fair skin flushing as the lovely blonde leaned heavily on her.
"I think I'm gonna ralph."
"Please aim your face that way."
"Yeah, yeah…" She straightened suddenly, her eyes narrowing determinedly. "Hey, that's one of those water gun races."
Sure enough, the barstools were filled with young men trying to win a prize for their sweethearts, the largest of which was an adorable plush kitten. When the brunette voiced her thoughts on how soft and fluffy it looked, Sam suddenly recovered from her sugar crash.
"I've got this."
The boys hooted and hollered as she joined their midst, grinning confidently, and the carny raised his hand, shouting out the rules of the game: shoot fast, shoot accurately, win cute things.
Then, the game began.
It was close, but…
"Sorry… Looks like I was second." This figure was smaller and interesting to look at, but the abashed expression on Sam's face was what held Carly's expression. So cute. "This is pretty cool, though, right?"
She threw her arms around the blonde, happiness warming her chest. Sam had done this for her—to make her happy. So she wasn't exaggerating when she whispered, "It's perfect." /
Freddie frowned slightly at her unfocused expression. "Carly?"
"… I think we've made enough progress today."
"O-okay."
Once she had shown the boy out, Carly returned to her room, stiffening when the goofy-looking hero caught her gaze. She hesitated for a beat before dropping it into a box.
Might as well hold onto it.