Bonds

New York City

PS: The last two scenes happen simultaneously.

The sun light found their way through the window and illuminated the bedroom. Hannah closed her eyes tight. She had forgotten to close the curtains. She tried to go back to sleep, in vain. So she stretched her arms and yawned before getting up.

She was staying at one of the best hotels in New York. Her family always stays here whenever they come to New York. That's why most of the employees already know her.
"Good morning, Miss Fontaine."
"Good morning."
"Are you enjoying your stay?"
"I am. Everything here is amazing and very tidy."
"We're glad to hear that."
"I have to go now. I want to walk around the city before classes start."
"Have a great day, Mrs. Fontaine!"
"You too!"

*****
The deafening sound from the cars and the lights on big screens may throw some people off, but not Hannah. She loved this city. She decided to go shopping on her very first day in the US and then sign up for a dormitory at the campus in the following days.

She made her way through the crowd until she found her favorite store. She walked in and took a deep breath.
"Thank God I got to get away from that crowd. This city is amazing, but really..."
"May I help you?"
"I'm just taking a look. Thank you." She replied with a smile.
"Anything you need, call me."
"Great, thanks."
She stopped at the summer collection of the store and started going through the clothes. She saw a flowery dress that she really like and picked some other clothes for college.

When she tried the dress on, she thought she looked really cute. So she started posing and taking pictures.
"I think I have enough pictures to post on my feed for a whole month." She said while changing into her own clothes.
Hannah then went to pay for the stuff she bought.
"50 dollars." The saleswoman said.
"Okay." Hannah showed the card. "Credit, please."
"It says here it's been refused."
"Refused? That's not possible." She went through her wallet and grabbed another card. "Try this one."
"Okay." The attendant said. "Same thing."
"I still have money there. It can't be..." She finally understood what happened. "Of course! I'm sorry for the trouble."
"It's okay. Have a nice day!"
"Thank you! You too!"

*****
Kyle got up really excited when the first rays of light illuminated his room. He was staying at a hostel for now, until he sorted everything for college.
"Good morning!" He said in a cheerful tone to his roommates when he walked into the kitchen.
"Good morning, Kyle." Nathan, a boy from California, answered him. "Did you sleep well?"
"Yes, very well. What about you?"
"Me too."
Kyle and Nathan were sharing the same room and got close right away. Nathan is also taking Art class at Juilliard School.
"It's your first time in New York, right?"
"That's right."
"I will have to show you the city then! You're gonna love it!"
"I can't wait to see it." He felt his phone vibrating in his pocket and soon the sound echoed in the kitchen. He grabbed it and smiled. "Hello, mom."
"Hi, darling. How's everything there?"
"It's good. How's everyone?"
"Good, but we miss you already."
"We miss you too. Where are you staying?"
"I found a hostel in New York, so I'm staying here until I apply for a dorm at the university."
"Is it reliable, Kyle? I get worried with these places."
"Yes, mom. This place is all clean and people here are really nice."
"Okay, if you are saying." She said a little unsure. "Have you made friends there already? Of course you have. You're a very talkative person and everyone likes you."
Kyle couldn't help but smile. "Yes, I met a boy from California who's going to Juilliard with me."
"Really? I'm so happy! It will make you feel less alone."
"That's true."
"What's his name?"
"Nathan, and he's eating breakfast right now. He's going to show me the city today."
"That's so cool!" Vanessa said. "New York must be so beautiful. I want to see your friend."
"Mom..."
"What's the problem, Kyle?"
"Yeah, what's the problem, Kyle?" Nathan asked the same question behind him. "Are you embarrassed to introduce your friends to your mother?"
"That's not it." He said quickly. "It's just..."
"Hi!" Nathan cut him off and said cheerfully over his shoulder. "Nice to meet you!"
"Nice to meet you too, Nathan!" Vanessa replied. "I'm Vanessa."
"That's a nice name!"
"Thank you! You're so sweet and cute."
"Thank you! You are too."
"Kyle, you should bring him over. I like him already."
"Mom!"
"Am I embarrassing you again?"
"No, you're not, Mrs. Martin!" Nathan replied. "Kyle is the boring one who can't find anything funny."
"That's true."
"Hey, how come you two are against me now?"
"Just facts, K." Nathan said jokingly.
"We should get going." Kyle changed the subject. "We'll be late."
"The city isn't going anywhere, Kyle. I want to keep talking to your mother."
"Where are you going?"
"I'm showing New York to Kyle since he's never been there before."
"Mom, who are you talking to?" Another voice could be heard and a child came closer. "Is it Kyle?"
"Yes, it's him."
"I wanna talk to him!"
"Is that your sister?" Nathan asked as he looked at his friend.
"Yes, her name is Alyssa. Hello, Alyssa."
"Kyle!" She said cheerfully. "I miss you already."
"I miss you too. Are you taking care of mom and dad?"
"I am. This house is so empty without you."
"I'll be home for Christmas."
"For Christmas? That's three months away." Alyssa looked at the boy next to her brother. "Who's he, Kyle?"
"This is Nathan. He's a new friend of mine."
"Cool! Nice to meet you, Nathan."
"Nice to meet you too, Alyssa. Kyle didn't tell me he had a sister."
"WHAT? Kyle!"
"I'm sorry, I was going to. I just didn't have the time yet. Things have been a little crazy here so far."
"Still not a reason for forgetting me."
"I know, I'm sorry."
"As long as you bring me a very nice gift when you come back."
"I'll see what I can do. We should really get going now. I'll try to call you later."
"Okay!" Vanessa said. "You two take care and have fun."
"We will. Bye mom."

*****
"Bonjour, Anne!" Hannah said cheerfully when she answered the call.
"What a nice way to find out you already moved to another country! Without saying goodbye to me!"
"You probably were too busy fucking some guy over and not caring about me and Nicky."
"Don't you dare talk to me like that! I'm your mother!"
"So why don't you start acting like one?"
"Hannah Fontaine, I demand some respect."
"You have to earn it first." She said harshly. "You knew when I was going away and decided to go see some random guy, as always."
"Matthew came and told me were gone."
"And of course you couldn't realize on your own and had someone else to tell you. It doesn't surprise me anymore. Especially coming from Matthew."
"He was really good for you."
Hannah started laughing. "Are you serious? He was alright to me when he wasn't being a jerk. I was just too blind to see it."
"He's a good boy."
The girl rolled her eyes. "Where's Anne? I want to talk to her."
"She's busy, she can't talk right now."
"So we have nothing else to talk. I'm busy "
"Don't you dare hang up on me."
"Oh and by the way..." Hannah said. "It was such a low move to cancel my credit card."
"You asked for it when you left so suddenly.
"Oh my God, you're the most horrible person in this world. You don't care for anyone but yourself. And no, I didn't leave so sudden. You just couldn't be bothered enough to know I was accepted at Juilliard."
"Don't you talk to me like that."
"Really, how many times will you say that? When you actually start acting like a real mother, I can talk to you differently."
"Hannah Fontaine!"
She rolled her eyes. "You can use all your arguments. It won't change the truth."
"I'm going after you."
"No, you're not."
"I know where you're staying. Some of the clerks there are my friend."
"That's a lie."
"Try me."
Hannah didn't answer. She was beginning to feel scared.
"You were shocked by that, huh? That's what happens when people try to fight me. They don't know what I'm capable of."
"I'm not afraid of you."
"Oh yes, you are. And you should be."
"You can't force me to do something I don't want."
"Until you're 21, I can. And you're not going to study abroad."
"Why are you doing this?"
"You challenged me. By tomorrow, you'll be back here."
Hannah stared at her phone, scared. She had to do something or she could say goodbye to her dream. There was only one person she could turn to, and she quickly dialed her number.
"Hello?"
"Nicole?"
"Hannah?

*****
Kyle and Nathan were walking out of the subway station. A smile began to appear on the Canadian's face as the first noises coming from the crowded streets filled his ears. He was indeed in New York. He gave a 360º turn to watch everything around him. Nathan smiled.
"I wish you could see yourself now. You look like a child who went to Disney for the first time."
"It's hard to believe I'm actually in New York."
"Well, believe it. How does it feel?"
"I have no words. It's so much better than the movies. It feels like a dream come true. Everything here is so beautiful."
"Wait till you see the Central Park."
"What?! Are we going there?"
"Yeah, if you want to. It can be our first stop."
"Of course I do!" Kyle said cheerfully.
"But we might spend a couple of hours there. It's really big."
"It's okay. We'll have plenty of time to see the rest of the city. Let's go!"
The two friends began to walk in a rather fast pace to the park.

*****
"Oh thank God you picked up!" The French girl said kind of relieved. "I need your help."
"What happened?"
"My mom is threatening to take me back to France."
"Wait, what? Why?"
"Because I left without saying goodbye to her."
"Hannah!"
"I'll explain everything later. Right now I just need a place to stay, since she knows where I'm staying."
"Okay, you can stay here until we find a safer place for you."
"Thank you so much, Nicole."
"Now tell me where you are."
"I just entered the Central Park." Hannah said as she looked over her shoulder, afraid of someone following her. "I'll wait for you here, I think it's safer."
"Good idea. I'll be right there."
"Please don't take long."
"I won't. Give me five minutes."
"Okay. I'll see you soon."
The girl put her phone back in her purse and searched inside the accessory for her glasses. She kept walking until she stumbled on something, falling down right away. The things inside her purse were spread all around her.
"Ouch." She said as she knelt down and started collecting her things.
"I'm so sorry." A male voice spoke. "I shouldn't have let my legs so stretched out."
"No, it was my fault. I was distracted and probably lost my sense of direction."

*****
Kyle and Nathan decided to sit on a bench to rest from walking.
"It's true, this place is huge."
"I told you."
"Where do you want to go next?"
"How about we go watch a play?"
"On Broadway? We'll have plenty of time to do that."
"Still, but I'd like to see one before we start college."
"Okay, I think Wicked is what they're acting currently."
"Sounds cool."
The boys were about to stand up when someone stumbled over them and fell to the ground.
"Oh my God!"
"Are you okay?" Kyle bent down to help the girl. "Are you hurt?"
"Ouch." She said as she knelt down and started collecting her things.
"I'm so sorry." Kyle spoke. "I shouldn't have let my legs so stretched out."
"No, it was my fault. I was distracted and probably lost my sense of direction."
"It's funny, it's the second time someone bumps or stumbles into me."
Hannah was reaching for her sunglass case when she froze.
"It's weird, I bumped into someone at the airport a few days ago. I had just talked to my ex and we were arguing in French."
"Yes, that's true! I couldn't hear much of the conversation, but it was definitely in French.
"Oh God, it was me. I bumped into you. I'm so clumsy, I'm sorry." Hannah quickly apologized.
"Don't worry about it. What are the odds?"
"Hannah! I finally found you!" Nicole said loudly and started waving her hand for her friend.