𝐬𝐚𝐟𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮 || 𝚌.𝚖.𝚋

006; pretend you know me

busy shopping streets, kids running around, cars honking; it was a good day for hope to go out and wander around for a while.

her house was just outside the small town they lived in, so it was always calm and still when she was home.

but hope loved the feeling of going away sometimes, into the city where people didn't know your name and recognizing didn't exist.

as her notebook with poems was full, she had to get a new one. the only place where people properly knew her, was in the little bookstore at the end of the busy street.

books were stuffed into the shelves, it nearly breaking from the heaviness. covers from books were almost ripped, but as hope's mother learned her, those books are the ones that are the best; read so often that it's almost torn apart.

as she stepped into the tiny store, the bell above her rang and the old woman behind the desk looked up. she smiled at hope, the young girl returning one.

'you're back again?' the old woman, also known as tina, asked as she was just done helping another customer.

'yeah, my notebook is full again,' hope replied. her eyes scanned the shelve where the notebooks were placed, looking for a pretty one.

'how is your father doing?' tina wiped away the dust on the desk where the cash register was. 'i heard he is back at work again.'

'yeah, he is doing better now. still a tough time of course, but he is trying his best,' hope answered, flipping through a notebook.

'he is such a strong person, he has always been. when you were little, your mom and him went through some difficult times, as you know. he was always the person that carried the family along,' tina told hope, causing hope to smile.

she was so proud of her father, he was truly her role model. just as she was about to say something, the bell rang again and a boy around her age stepped into the store.

immediately hope's breathing became unsteady, as she moved to the cash register nervously. she had chosen the notebook she wanted; a light green one with white butterflies on it, reminding it of her mom.

the boy went to the section where the science books were, hope biting her tongue as she knew this person too well.

'this one, darling?' tina asked as she looked on the notebook for the price. the old woman didn't notice the tension that was created in the atmosphere.

'y-y-yes,' hope answered, grabbing her wallet while staring at the ground. she didn't dare to look up, afraid to meet his eyes.

'it will be five dollars then,' tina said with a soft voice. confused hope looked up.

'isn't it eight dollars?' hope asked, knowing it was for sure more than five dollars. or couldn't she think straight anymore because of the boy?

'yes, but it will be five for you,' tina smiled.

'are you sure? i have eight dollars as well,' hope replied, grabbing her money as she saw in the corner of her eye the boy moving to the next shelve.

'it's fine, darling.'

hope put the money on the desk before she put her wallet in her bag again, starting to hurry as she saw the boy walking towards the cash register.

'till next time, tina!' hope said and she walked out of the bookstore, letting out a breath she was holding for too long.

constantly looking back, the girl headed to where her bike was standing, but then realizing it was still another ten minutes walk. the streets and houses all looked alike there.

as she checked again if the boy wasn't behind her, a familiar face appeared in the crowd. it was the boy she was hiding for.

also known as aaron wells, hope and him got a little history together. a month or so ago, aaron started to get really close to the girl.

not in school, but he would meet her after school was done, asking her on dates and wanting to 'get to know her'.

as it was the first boy that was interested in hope, she was flattered and said yes to the numerous dates.

after about two weeks, hope found out that it was anything but love. he didn't like her for her personality, for the sound of her laugh, or for her love for pets.

it was only for the lust of the boy, which was the big red flag for her and the reason hope cut it off as soon as she found out.

aaron didn't stop messaging her though, and hope believed that he was still trying to get with her.

so that was the reason hope was trying to avoid the boy, looking at her watch and seeing that it was near five o'clock now. it being half november, it started to get dark already.

hope looked over her shoulder again, seeing aaron now starting to get really close to her. panicking, hope starting to jog to where her bike was.

but aaron didn't let her do that. he started to run, causing hope to run as well. oh, how scared she was.

suddenly hope saw a familiar figure standing near a bus stop, almost feeling relieved. as it looked like it was the only solution she had, she ran to the person.

she wrapped her arms around the boy, excitedly yelling, 'i haven't seen you in so long! it's so good to see you!'

'pretend you know me,' she whispered immediately after in corbyn's ear, who confused wrapped his arms around her as he was told to do so.

'yeah, it's been so long!' he replied, rubbing her back. hope let out a sigh, happy he was playing along. his strong arms around her made her feel like she could go against the whole world. sadly that lasted not for long, as corbyn let go of her.

'where are you going?' she asked, trying to start a conversation since it needed to seem she actually knew him.

'home, aren't you too?' corbyn replied, narrowing his eyes as he was still really confused. yes, of course he did recognize the girl from school. but why did she ran to him and hug him like her life depended on it?

'yeah, yeah,' hope replied, looking back as she saw aaron had turned around, immediately being more relaxed. 'sorry about that though, forget about it.'

'no, no, it's okay. i just- i'm a little confused,' corbyn replied as he looked at the much shorter girl.

'i was hiding from someone, nothing important,' hope reassured him, giving him a small smile as she started to walk away, 'thank you for playing along.'

'ho, ho, wait, of course it is important. are you safe now? are you coming home safely?' corbyn asked, a worried look appearing on his face.

'yeah, for real. just- forget about this, okay?'

author's note:

I DIDNT KNOW HOW TO END THIS BYEEEEE