Somewhere In Wonderland - Chapter 1.

Hailey tried her best to push past people walking the opposite way on the busy New York street, it was like this every morning - of course it was, it was New York. The worst place a girl who couldn’t even deal with having a conversation with the person who lived in the flat next door to her to be - but who was going to turn up an offer at the Dance Academy?  

She gripped her bag and finally arrived at the huge stone building, taking a deep breath she bounded up the steps and through the heavy metal doors that probably would have been impossible to open if she was anymore lighter. She could hear the variety of music coming from various classrooms already, hip-hop, folk, and classical. 

She scurried down the hallway, catching sight of the tap-dance class going on - spotting Jesse. Probably one of the only people she had spoke too since she started, which was well…months ago. And spoke too meant him asking ‘if she was new here?’ and then ‘Would you like me to show you around?’ on her first day, she would of accepted the offer - not feeling as bad around him as she felt around other people but she was obviously already late for her first class.

They hadn’t spoken much since then, occasionally locking eyes and muttering ‘hi’ to each other when they crossed paths - she was surprised to find he was popular here. Ranked my students as one of the best dancers and one of the most popular with the girls, okay - well that wasn’t too surprising, it was hard not to find him attractive, and watching him properly for the first time - he was certainly one of the best dancers she’d seen here. 

He caught her gaze for a moment and smiled, she went to smile back but someone tapped her shoulder - scaring her half to death. 

“Hailey, your going to be late for class” It was one of the more polite teachers, Mrs Greenwood, she wasn’t sure what she taught but she had seen Jesse talking to her sometimes. Hailey nodded and carried on down the corridor into the one of the changing rooms leading to the ballet room. Getting changed as quickly as she could and joining the class. 

“Thomas, your late” The teacher scolded, using Hailey’s second name like she did with all students, Miss Harvey - of course she had ended up with who was probably the strictest teacher in the academy, you could be half a second late and she would force you to do a solo improvisation before the class started - making everyone watch. Everyone who knew about Hailey knew that she couldn’t deal with people, meaning whoever was in the class sat back and waited for mental breakdown that came with being forced to dance on her own in front of at least twenty people who were surly going to judge her.

It didn’t come.

There was a reason Hailey had choose dance as a profession, because it was the only thing she was good at - and she knew that, it was the only thing that didn’t make her anxious because she knew there was only an extremely small chance of her screwing up, if there was a chance at all. Hailey knew what she had to do and she did it well. Choreographed or improvised. 

Miss Harvey seemed annoyed at herself more than Hailey when she finished dancing; her idea of humiliation didn’t exactly work well. There was no sly faces on the other students face as there had been before Hailey had started dancing - but they had just been ignored. Now there was only admiration, in her head Hailey wished she could reply with some sort of sarcastic comment but she wasn’t dancing anymore, she was back to reality - back to not even being able to look people in the eye without her cheeks turning a dark shade of crimson.  

She joined the back of the class, Miss Harvey got over her annoyance and got round to teaching the class. Towards the end Hailey realised someone was watching - Jesse. 

They caught glances again, but Hailey refused to falter in her steps and looked down deciding he was here for someone else, he must be dating someone - there were so many beautiful girls in this class and Hailey wasn’t one of them. She finished the dance and the whole class was dismissed. Jesse let himself in, Hailey tried not to notice him walking over to her. 

“You remember me, right?” He asked she looked up checking if he was actually talking to her. “Jesse - 

I offered to show you round of your first day” She stood stunned for a moment before nodding.

“Yeah, I know who you are” She said, putting more concentration into taking her pumps off than looking at him. 

“Well, I have a different offer for you” He told her - she started untying the ribbon on the second pump, looking up at him for a second, a look telling him to go on. “Would you like to come for coffee, we both have free slots after this and there’s that place across the road” her breath caught as she took the pump of and stood up straight - why was he asking her? She remembered she didn’t feel as anxious around him. “Please?”

She considered it for a moment and returned the smile he had given her earlier on when she had watched him dance. “Okay, let me go and get changed” Jesse smiled again, a five-year-old child sort of smile. She could tell he was almost as nervous as she was but not in a, terrified of people sort of way, more in an ‘I have no idea what I’m doing, or what I’m doing here…do I even belong here?’ sort of nervous. 

Hailey went into the changing rooms and found her bag of clothes, a blue dress which skirt would of seemed long on a ten year old, but ludicrous on a nineteen year old unless like Hailey, you wore it with grey skinny jeans. It wasn’t supposed to look good, but it did. She finished getting changed, slipping on her flat shoes while reminding herself to buy a new pair since she’d been walking around in them almost non stop since she had arrived in New York. She grabbed the light brown cardigan and put it on, walking straight into Jesse. “Sorry”

“It’s okay, you could have walked into worse,” He said laughing, with a hint of uncertainly. What could she walk into that worse than the boy who had just asked you to go for coffee with him? Maybe a car…or a bus. “Follow me” 

She stayed at his side, gaining a bit more attention than she wanted. They reached the exit and Hailey breathed in the fresh air before realising Jesse was already ahead, running after him and catching up before he crossed to road. He was right, the coffee shop was straight across the road and it was almost empty. “I knew you wouldn’t like it if it was a packed Starbucks,” He said, smiling as they walked over to counter. Hailey was flattered, the person serving grinned at Jesse - she guessed he must be a regular. 

“Who’s you friend?” He asked while Hailey and Jesse studied the menu. Jesse clicked his tongue and then remembered someone was talking to him.

“Oh, this is Hailey - Can I have a tea please?” Hailey looked at Jesse, why Tea? In a coffee shop. 

“I’ll have a caramel latte” She told the man behind the counter, she nodded and give the order  to a young girl walking behind him, she made the latte and he made the tea - both waited in silence for a few minuites occasionally looking at each other, grabbing their drinks when they were ready and walking over to a booth. “Why ask me to come for coffee if you’re not going to drink it?” Hailey asked him, taking a sip of the latte - it was the best she’d tasted. 

“I assumed you’d be drinking it. Back home people were quite fond of tea parties, I guess it takes me back” Hailey stared at him, realising every girl in the shop had already given him a quick glance and a smile. Back at her school, the girls we’re interested in the boys who walked around in jersey jackets, pushing kids weaker than them around - here was different, they liked the boys who dressed in jeans, blazers and in Jesse’s case, a hat. Classy, she thought. 

“Where are you from?” She asked him, he took another graceful of his tea.

“Won-England” He said a little too quickly, stopping himself from telling her where he was really from. She raised her eyebrows and looked at him suspiciously but then feeling slightly guilty because she didn’t realise his accent was most defiantly British. “You?” 

“Baltimore” She told him. “Do you always wear that hat?” 

The question was a bit out of the blue but every time she’d seen him, he’d had it on - he adjusted the fedora a little. “Yes, it’s my favourite hat” 

“You have more than one?” She asked, what was the point of having more if he was only going to wear the one? 

“Not really, but out of all the other hats I’ve seen in shops or ones I’ve seen people wearing, it’s my favourite - my friends, back home actually used to call me Hatter” He smiled, looking down at his drink for a moment while Hailey stared at him. His brown hair flicked upwards, he bit his lip and his blue eyes shone with child-like innocence but a hint of concern when he looked at her. However, that was something she never noticed. 

“Nice nickname” She teased, feeling the most confident around someone than she had in a long time. 

“You’re a really good dancer” the compliment was random, but it made more sense than the hat question. 

“I can say the same for you - how long have you been dancing?” He asked, it took her a while to work out it was that long back.

“I must have been around four, my Mother had always been fond of it but she’d never got the chance - I’m glad she forced me to go my first class…it was the only thing I was still passionate about it when my anxiety started” She would of asked him the same question but she saw the time. “We should get back, classes will be starting soon” 

“I only had one class today, I’m heading back to my apartment - but I will be late for my bus, so yes, we should go” Jesse said getting up, they’d paid earlier and the guy behind the counter said he’d take the empty glasses for them. They walked out of the coffee shop; Hailey noted that she should go there in the future. Both walked across the road and then went to split up. “Oh, Hailey?” Jesse said - she turned back round to face him. 

“Yeah?”

“You live in the apartments three blocks away, right?” She nodded. “This sounds insane, but don’t go down to the basement - please” the ‘please’ was desperate, but Hailey didn’t have time to realise how strange what he just said was. 

“Why would I go down to the basement?” She was scared of the dark anyway. Jesse smiled and then walked off. 

Whatever happened, she could not end up in Wonderland.