Once Upon a Star

Chapter 4

“I give you my destiny; I’m giving you all of me. I want your symphony, singing in all that I am. At the top of my lungs, I’m giving it back…” Hanna sang on the stage as the audience watched her perform. Debby kept taking pictures, “Go Hanna!” she whispered. Sean was watching, “She has a beautiful voice, right?” Lyndon asked him. Sean looked at Lyndon, then back at the stage.

“You were so great out there!” Debby praised her best friend. “I’ll have your photos printed,” Debby added as they looked at them. Lyndon stood in front of them, smiling. Hanna looked at Lyndon, he handed her a bouquet of red roses. Hanna still looked, and took the flowers. “Thank you,” said Hanna as she looked at the flowers.

Hanna stepped out of the elevator and saw a bouquet of Champagne roses outside her unit’s door. She picked it up, “I wonder who these are from?” she thought, and entered her unit. “Congratulations on your performance! Sorry I couldn’t make it,” said the text message from Jenny. “Maybe the flowers are from Jenny. Besides, she knows I like these flowers,” Hanna whispered as she placed them all in the flower vase.

“I love Champagne roses,” Hanna said as she smiled at the stars. Sean sat at his couch as he read a book and turned to the next page.

“What?!” asked Hanna. “Well, that’s why they are called surprise quizzes, Ms. Park,” Ella explained as she handed out the questionnaires. “How did we do…” Debby uttered. “We did bad,” Hanna answered as she looked at her best friend. “I brought you two…” Lyndon said as he sat with them. “Uh Lyndon, please!” said Debby as she looked up and saw a banana split, “What’s this?” Debby asked him. “A banana split for you and…” explained Lyndon when Debby suddenly ate it.

“How could I be so dumb? Why am I born dumb? I feel so hopeless…” said Hanna as she looked at the stars, eating ice cream. She looked at the ice cream container, “You’re the best. You always make me feel better,” she told it.

“Why did you bring me here?” Hanna asked Debby as they looked for a vacant seat in the bleachers. “Because Sean is going,” said Debby as they sat down. “Look, there he is!” Debby said. Hanna looked at Sean. “My heart…” Hanna thought as she watched Sean play. She was feeling her heartbeat again.

“I didn’t know you play soccer well,” said Lyndon as he walked with him. “I’m going now,” Sean said and left. “He never smiles. Shouldn’t he be happy?” Lyndon asked as he scratched his head.

Hanna was solving a mathematical expression, and can’t seem to get the correct answer. She shrugged, “I can’t get you right! Even if I have my notes open!” she yelled. She stood up and went to the balcony. “This is so frustrating!” she yelled. Sean heard her and turned to her balcony. “Stars, can’t you give me someone who can teach me Math?” she asked the stars.

“Wait, Sean lives in this building too,” Hanna said. Sean heard her and sat up to listen. “But, I don’t know which floor he lives at and most of all, we are not close enough for me to ask him to teach me,” Hanna explained to herself. “What should I do…?” Hanna kept asking. “If my grades continue to fall, my sister will rant at me,” she added as she cried.

Sean rode the elevator and pressed the close button when Hanna got out of her unit. She saw the elevator doors about to close so she hurried and pressed the down button. When the doors opened, she saw Sean who was actually looking at her. She was surprised to him, without her knowing why. He glared at her. Hanna walked slowly in to the elevator. She looked tired and exhausted, after reviewing Math the whole night.

“Your eye bags are outstanding” said Debby as she drank her frappe. Hanna quickly took a mirror and looked at herself. “My eyes are so puffy!” Hanna said as she examined her eyes. “He saw me looking like this!” she added and lied down on the table. “You didn’t even fix your hair…” Debby told her friend as she combed Hanna’s hair.

Hanna slept in the school cafeteria, lying on the table while Debby ate her cake. “What happened to her?” Lyndon asked as he sat down. “She was reviewing Math, the whole night,” Debby explained as she put down the fork. “And…?” Lyndon asked, “Nothing happened,” said Debby. “We had a surprise quiz last time and she thought she didn’t do well so she reviewed. Sad to say, we won’t have any surprise quiz anymore…” Debby told Lyndon. “I’m reviewing for the next quizzes!” Hanna yelled.

“Lyndon, please tutor me,” Hanna said as she pleaded in front of Lyndon. “But, I don’t have spare time,” Lyndon told Hanna. Hanna went back to sleeping.

Hanna got back home and saw an envelope in their mailbox. “I wonder who this is from,” Hanna thought as she opened the door. [Closer by Taeyeon] Hanna put the letters down the table after reading them, with teary eyes. She took her phone and tried to contact her sister. She kept calling but Jenny’s not answering. She put her phone down and looked at the letters again, as her teardrops fell.

Sean can’t seem to sleep, so he decided to get some fresh air from the balcony. To his surprise, he heard Hanna sobbing. “What am I going to do? Where are they when I needed them?” Hanna asked herself and looked at the stars as she cried. “Stars, please guide me,” Hanna said.