Hi Hello (Oneshot)

Chapter 1

I tried so hard this time. I really did. But I failed yet another audition. My 29th to be exact. Everything seemed to be caving in all at the same time. I was broke, jobless, struggling with my studies, and apparently talentless. Should I just put this dream behind me?

I stared at the math homework in front of me. I had been trying to solve the first problem for half an hour already. Frustrated I crumpled the paper. By now I was crying. I can't even solve a stupid math problem. Why can I never do anything right? Hot tears of frustration ran down my cheeks. To say I felt miserable was an understatement.

"Are you...okay?"

I looked up to see a boy wearing a black hoodie, a black plastic bag in his hand. I hurriedly wiped my tears and stood up.

"Yes, I'm fine. I was just leaving."

I started to walk away when I heard his voice again.

"Wait!"

I turned around to see him standing in the same place.

"The convenient store had a sale...I have more ice cream than me and my friends can eat. You- you can have one.....if you want."

There was an awkward silence and a brief flashing warning not to accept candy and ice cream from strangers went off in my head. I was beginning to consider his offer when all of the sudden he seemed to realize how he might be coming across. After all, there were all sorts of weirdos in the city.

"Of course you wouldn't accept ice cream from a stranger. Let me start over. Hi, my name is Brian."

"Hello, I'm Mya," I offered after a few seconds.

"Mya," he repeated slowly. In a gentler voice, he said, "I'm not sure what's wrong, but ice cream usually makes things better."

With that he sat down on the bench where I had been sitting, reached into the bag, and handed me an ice cream bar. I gingerly sat down next to him and accepted the ice cream. He seemed harmless enough.

We ate the ice cream in silence and when we finished we just sat there listening to the birds twitter from branch to branch. I wasn't speaking, but I had a feeling he didn't mind. After a few minutes, the ice cream seemed to cool me down, but something was still bothering me.

"Brian...do you have a dream?"

"A dream? Of course, who doesn't."

"Have you achieved your dream or is it far away?"

"Well.. I think I've achieved some of it, but not all of it."

Wow, even Brian the ice cream boy on the street has reached some of his dream.

"..have..have you?"

"Not at all."

"Is that why you were crying?" He asked cautiously.

I looked at him for the first time since he gave me the ice cream and nodded.

"I feel like I can't do anything right, even this stupid math homework!" I squeezed it tighter in my fist. Sighing I needed to do something with my hands, so I began to smooth out the crumpled paper. After all, I still needed to do it.

What was I doing talking about my feelings with a stranger? A handsome one at that. He must think I'm an emotional wreck.

Brian leaned over to peek at my homework. "Oh, I remember that! It's easy. I can explain it to you if you have some time."

"Really? I've been trying to understand it for the last 30 minutes!"

He chuckled. "Do you have a pencil?"