i love you • formula one

03

third person

~***~

12/01/2013

Moving up into secondary school was a big step for Lyra. She had anticipated the change for so long, feeling as if she was going to explode with excitement, only to be greatly underwhelmed. The only aspect that made attending that bore-fest even remotely enjoyable was having her best friend by her side. She wasn't academically gifted like some of her peers, but she didn't mind. All Lyra wanted was to come out the other end with solid GCSE results so she can focus on her ballet future.

The Evans family always found a way to pay for Lyra's ballet lessons when they realised the potential she had. It wasn't long after Lando became obsessed with karting that Lyra started to put more effort into her technique. There was no denying that she was born to dance, so it was a little difficult for her to understand why she had to get any qualifications in the first place. She had her heart set on attending the English National Ballet School in London, and would stop at nothing until she was good enough.

Lando was Lyra's biggest fan. During break and lunch at school, he would always sit with Lyra in the dance studio. Whilst he ate his lunch, she stretched out on the bar. Lyra had many of her favourite routines memorised. She particularly enjoyed doing the difficult routines because, although she would never admit it, she liked the reaction Lando gave her every time - mouth agape, twisting upwards into a smile, and a loud round of applause that echoed throughout the room. The role she felt she was destined to play was the dual role of Odette and Odile in Tchaikovsky's 'Swan Lake'. Lyra wanted to really nail all aspects of the characters, and she couldn't do that without practice. Lando didn't mind what routine she did; he could watch her move so effortlessly forever, and likened her fluidity to water.

The routine of spending their breaks in the dance studio continued into their second year of secondary school, however they had a couple more friends joining them. Lyra and Lando weren't complete loners in year seven. They had both built relationships with their classmates however nothing could compare to what they had together. Connor and Martha were easy going individuals and shared similar interests with the best friends. Martha, although not a dancer herself, loved to challenge Lyra to see what new, fantastic ballet move she could do, whereas Connor was obsessed with the idea of Lando becoming a famous driver.

When you're thirteen, emotions play a huge role in your decision making. Lyra couldn't help but notice when Lando's attention wasn't solely on her during a difficult routine, and it tugged on the bottom of her heart to see him looking at Martha. There was no denying that Martha was pretty: deep skin; round, brown eyes; long and curly hair - Lyra just hasn't anticipated her best friend getting a crush. She struggled to understand why she felt that way, brushing it off as her lack of desire to share her best friend.

It wasn't long after the Christmas holidays had ended and the second term had started that a new pressure pressed down on Lyra. There were rumours swirling amongst the entire year group concerning a topic Lyra knew nothing about - kissing. It was if all of a sudden it was a big deal if you hadn't kissed anyone and it made her anxious. It was crazy to the young girl that something as simple as kissing was enough to shun someone the year before, but made them mature just a year later. Both Lyra and her best friend, Lando, confirmed that the logic was deeply flawed.

The Saturday after the first week back, Lyra found herself staying at the Norris's with her younger sister, Rosie. Although her parents were never going to admit it, their arguments lately had been getting out of hand. It was Lyra's decision to take Rosie with her to Lando's so that she didn't have to hear her parents fighting. It was lucky that Flo and Cissy, Lando's younger sisters, and Rosie got on well together despite their age differences or else Lyra wouldn't have an excuse to bring her sister with her during every visit. She had yet to fully disclose everything to Lando out of embarrassment - his parents were perfect, why weren't hers?