Believe in Dreams

He sat back quietly in his seat, surrounded by the unfamiliar faces that made up his local community. The darkness within the facility helped ease him as he waited anxiously for the stage lights to come on. He trained his eyes to the best of his abilities to see through to the backstage, watching intently for any signs of movement.

A smile slowly crept to his lips as the spotlight slowly lightened. He marveled at the beauty of the young girl standing posed before him, frozen in place with her head bowed down as she listened carefully for the music to begin. The purple dress that clung and hung loosely around her body glittered underneath the light, her dark stage make-up accenting her features. Her wavy auburn hair flowed freely from her face as she began to move.

This was it - this was her passion. This is what Kayla Adams lived for: to dance her heart out in front of the audience, showing them her best. It's what she's been doing since she was a mere four year old child. She was determined to work hard every day, learning and trying new techniques. Even when she fell to her lowest, she always found the motivation to stand back up and move forward.

As she maneuvered across the stage, he was intrigued with her flowing grace. With her head held high, a smile perched upon her pink lips and a strong posture, her arms and body moved fluidly in a grand manner. Never once was there a falter in her step - none that was visible to their watching eyes. He could see the pride radiating off her body and the happiness that glinted in her eyes.

This is what she's been dreaming of.

Now, as Caleb Turman sat on the isolated curb, his soul tore apart piece by piece as he watched the broken girl that sat beside him. The girl he has known for years - his best friend - who have once kept her chin held high with confidence and charm, now at the age of nineteen, rested against her knees with her shoulders slumped forward.

A head fallen with a sinking heart, a shattered spirit with hopeless tears.

A broken dream.

Never, in years, had he ever thought that this would happen - it shouldn't. She didn't belong in this position; it was all too different to him. He was used to, needed to, see her on top of it all - feeling on top of the world. She has always been one of the outstanding students in class - both high school and dance academy. She was bound to have a future, not this mess.

He was determined to get her back to that same position, back to the old Kayla that he knew a few months ago.

Distracted from his thoughts, he turned his head to watch as she dug into her small purse to pull out a tissue, dabbing her nose. It was evident that she was trying hard to hold back the tears. She wouldn't, she couldn't let them fall - not in front of him again.

They sat on the curb, far into the outskirts of town, waiting for the taxi cab that he had called for to arrive. Her bags lay lifeless beside her. She had protested against it, but he was persistent. He insisted that she leave town, handing her a big portion of the little money that he had saved up for himself. But why? She still wasn't quite sure about his decisions.

Far down the street, they could see the smallest hint of yellow quickly moving towards them. She sniffled, bringing the fresh tissue back up to her nose. "Caleb," she started, causing him to turn his head toward her, "Why are you doing this?"

He sat for a moment with his arms leaning back, legs crossed at the ankles. He stared at the moving taxi for a short while before answering, "Because this is what you want and I only want you to be happy."

"But Caleb," she started to reach inside her pocket for the $400 that he had given to her earlier that day, "You need this money--" he stopped her hand from proceeding any further, holding on to it as he stared into her eyes.

"Not as much as you do, Kayla. I already have most of the support that I need," he covered both of his hands over her small one, turning his body to face hers. "And you... I'll support you, if no one else will. I'll be there. You need this money way more than I do."

He and his band were well on their way in the music industry, having already started to play shows in many cities throughout the state of Texas, and beginning the slow process of recording their debut album. All he needed was survival money, which was no different than any other day in his normal life.

Kayla, on the other hand, was torn between what she wanted, and what reality wanted. She used to have it all planned out for herself: major in dancing and performing arts in college, join a company, possibly tour the country, etc. She had participated in many minor shows that the academy has held, and other concerts in surrounding cities. She had hoped that perhaps during one of these concerts, she'd have an encounterment with a known choreographer who would then offer her a contract.

But that had all been destroyed a few months ago, after they had graduated high school. She started to spend more of her time dancing, and auditioning for more concerts - shows that required a higher level of commitment. She was ready for that commitment; she was ready to devote the rest of her life to it.

Then came that one fateful day when her Mother pulled her aside and sat her down for a real conversation.

"Honey," her Mother sat herself down across from her at the small dining table. "Is this what you really want to do for the rest of your life? When are you gonna get a real job and apply for college?" she questioned her daughter.

Kayla squinted her eyes at her Mother, her mouth open as she tried to comprehend what was happening. She was uncertain in where the conversation was heading. Her heart was beginning to race, as she didn't know exactly how to respond. "W-What do you mean?" she tried not to stutter. "I will apply but just... I want to take a year off and do shows first--" she stopped herself mid-sentence as she heard a sigh escape from her Mother's lips. "What?"

"You can't make a living off of that," she told her. "It's a tough industry--"

She interrupted. "But I can make it," she argued. "Mom, you always said that hard work will pay off -- I can do it!"

"No, you can't," she discouraged her. "It's tough, you'll never make it."

Kayla could feel the tears hiding behind her eyes, threatening to fall. She didn't want to argue with her Mother, but how could she not? "How can you say that?" she nearly shouted. "You'll never know unless you try!"

"You need a real job," Mrs. Adams stated strongly. "You need a real degree, something you can fall back on and easily apply anywhere else for work." She couldn't believe what she was hearing. "You need to be able to rely on bringing home money consistently - not waiting around for it to come when it's not so permanent. Think of your family in the future, honey--"

"This can be exactly that--" she started to cry but her Mother interrupted once more, her words strong and final.

"No, Kayla," she said firmly, stopping the next words that were about to leak from her lips. "There are tons of other girls out here that dance; why should they choose you?"

Her heart tore apart at her Mother's words - the one person that has gotten her into dancing, the one person that led her with support through her childhood. She was shot down, humiliated, confused. What was she supposed to do now?

"Caleb, you don't have to do this," she started as he began to stand up, getting up herself. The taxi was nearly a few yards away.

"But I want to," he replied.

"What about your band?"

"We'll be fine." He reached for both of her hands, holding them together and rubbing his thumbs over her knuckles. "We'll visit you sometime." He smiled and she tried to return it.

As the yellow cab came to a slow stop beside them, she began to choke on her words, the tears once again threatening to spill. "W-What if I can't do this?"

"Nonsense," he rested his forehead against her's, "You can do it, like you always have." She didn't know if she could quite believe his words; she has been led on for years, for the majority of her life. How can she be so easy to accept his words of promise?

"Caleb--" her voice wavered as she closed her eyes, attempting to take in deep breaths.

"Shh," he silenced her, placing a soft kiss on her knuckles before wrapping his arms around her shoulders and pulled her into him. "You're not gonna back out on our promise now, are you?"

She could feel herself softly smiling into his shoulder as she remembered back to the days when they were in middle school. She had promise that when they grew older, she would try her whole life to make it big, as did he with his famous band. They were little kids with big dreams, big accomplishments, and big hearts. She slowly shook her head.

"Good," he answered. "Now, you're gonna go to New York and make me proud." He ruffled her hair before placing a kiss on the top of her head.

She squeezed her arms around him tighter. "Thank you so much," she whispered. "I love you."

He smiled. "Love you too." He pulled away before she gave him a kiss on the cheek. He gestured towards the taxi driver. "You should go before he gets irritated."

She nodded and picked up one of her bags while he took the rest, placing them in the backseat next to her. He waited until she got in before shutting the door for her. He saw her window roll down before she stuck her head out, waving to him with a slight smile on her face as they began to drive away. He waved back and stood there, still and watching as they slowly disappeared out of his sight, out of this town.

Who knows when will be the next time he'll ever see her again.