I Fell in Love with Hope - Lancali

But love is not a choice.
“Without you, we would all be alone right now, Sam. You know that,
right?” Sony says. “We love you.” She takes my hand across the
railing. “Don’t ever forget that.”
the bridge
Our heist begins when the broken clock should’ve stricken noon.
A few flights of stairs. That’s all we have to conquer. Just a few
flights and we’ll be free. Neo and C cling to the railing, looking down
the seemingly infinite spiraling steps. Their feet shuffle, anticipating.
Sony is waiting for us downstairs. She’s the oldest on paper, making
her the only one who can actually leave without arousing question.
Neo and C are known for wreaking havoc and not being legally
allowed to. Sure, we’ve slipped off to the gas station across the
street, but that’s different. We’ve only actually pulled that off a few
times, and Eric was waiting in the lobby with his arms crossed and
his foot tapping both times.
Today is different. I remind myself of that every time the urge to run
back into our rooms and hide pokes at the back of my mind.
“We’re gonna get caught.” Although I’m not the only one.
C chews on his nails.
“We’re not gonna get caught,” Neo says through his teeth.
“We always get caught.”
“Oh, for god’s sake. Just pretend we’re going to the roof.”
“We’re not, though. We’re running away. We aren’t allowed to run
away.”
“We aren’t allowed on the roof either, you idiot.”