Limitless: The Second Edition

Hannah

I am not at all ashamed to be bawling like a baby in front of Oliver. Everything feels like a dream right now.

"C-Courtney?" I stammer. "Is it really you?"

The woman hugs me tightly. "I thought I'd never see you again, Hannah," she replies. "But here you are. Look at you. I'm so, so proud of you."

It's a moment I thought would never come. Just a week after I expressed how much I wanted to see her again, Courtney is right here in front of me. For a few seconds, I cannot speak or do anything but cry and hug her like I'm going to lose her if I let her go.

"I-I never thought I'd see you again, either," I cry, wiping a tear from my cheek. "I've never forgotten you. You're the reason I'm here. I'm a theater girl because of you. I've always wanted to see you again to thank you. And now you're here, and now I get to tell you this. I love you so much."

Then I remember the day after Oliver and I met, when I told him about Courtney. When he assured me I'd find Courtney again. When he promised me he'd find her. When he freaked out over an Instagram DM in rehearsal but refused to tell me who it was. Suddenly, it all starts coming together. I turn towards him. "Did you - did you do this?"

Oliver doesn't say anything, just smiles. He waves briefly and nods.

"Well, get your butt over here!" I exclaim. "Don't just stand there. Get over here!"

Oliver hobbles over to Courtney and I, hesitantly putting an arm around me. I pull him right into the embrace, silently assuring him he doesn't need to hesitate. If anything, he deserves the biggest hug he can get. Courtney immediately joins me in enveloping him into the group hug and plants a kiss on his cheek.

"Thank you for helping me find my best friend," she thanks him, and I see tears leaking out of her own eyes in pure happiness. "I can't thank you enough. I've spent the past twelve years looking for her."

Once I get my bearings, I take a step back and look at Oliver, then back to Courtney. I do believe introductions are in order. "Courtney, I'd like you to meet my friend Oliver," I say. "Oliver, this is my best friend Courtney."

Oliver shakes hands with her. "Pleased to meet you. I'm just happy my hours of searching for you paid off. Hannah seemed like she really missed you, so I wanted to help her out. I'm glad you were on Instagram and I could find you. I was so worried you wouldn't see the message I sent you."

Courtney smiles. "I'm happy it paid off, too. i always check my messages, Oliver. Multiple times a day. And guess what? I have a surprise for you two. I've been in contact with Ms. Dawson, and I'm going to stick around to help out with the show. I graduated from this high school, and I wanted to return to help with the theatrical department until my career lead me out of state."

I can barely contain my excitement. First, Oliver reunites Courtney and I, and now she's staying? This couldn't get any better. "Am I dreaming?" I gasp. "This is awesome!"

"Nope, you're awake," Courtney replies. "I'm really here, thanks to your friend. We're going to have so much fun together."

"Say, do you like Chain Breaker?" Oliver asks, ready to start conversation.

Courtney nods. "I love it. In fact, I helped with the choreography. That's why I moved to New York."

I can't believe this. Not only had Courtney been my childhood hero, she worked on the musical that I was now in and lived in the coolest place in the world!

"Do you think Derek would be proud of me like everyone here says he would be?" Oliver continues. "Hannah keeps saying he would be proud that someone like me got cast in his role."

If Sadie, David, and I can't convince him of this, hopefully Courtney can.

"I happen to have worked with Derek, and he would be beyond proud of you, Oliver," she tells him. "He would be so, so proud of you. He would love to see you two perform together."

Oliver seems happy to hear that. "He's my hero," he sighs. "It makes me feel a little more confident to know he'd be proud of me."

"He's my hero, too," I add. "He's my favorite actor. I love his performance."

"Well, lucky for you two, I have contacts with him, and I will be sure to tell him about you guys," Courtney says. "I promise. He will be so happy. He's been waiting anxiously to find out about a school doing the show. By the way, why haven't you messaged him on WorldChat? He answers everyone, and he's one of the easiest celebrities to get ahold of."

I feel my face burn red. "I'm too nervous," I admit.

Oliver smiles nervously. "Same here."

Courtney laughs. "That's understandable. But really, there's nothing to be nervous about. As you both likely know, he answers everyone unless you're racist or just an overall nasty person. If you told him about your school show, there are three different outcomes. One, he'll start flipping out in your chat from excitement. Two, he'll follow you and bug you for more information. Three, he'll do all of the above and eventually show up here."

I hug Courtney again. "I'm just so happy to see you again. And you've worked with my favorite actor on my current favorite show, you're going to work on this show with us... it's too amazing to be real."

Courtney hugs me back. "I'm so happy to see you again too, my little superstar. Well, you're not so little anymore. I'm twenty-nine, and you're no longer a little girl. You're an eighteen-year-old young woman. And you have a wonderful new friend. I couldn't be prouder of you."

Oliver rejoins our group hug, and I savor the moment. This, this has to be what heaven feels like.