Chapter Twenty-Five

Elle

       “So I’ll see you around eleven-thirty?” I yawned into my phone.

       “Sounds good,” my mom confirmed.

       “Now, I know I already asked you, but how’s Jordan getting there?” I asked, groggily rubbing my eyes, and blinking at the oversized backpack I had for some reason had the lack of brains to pack.

       “Sweetie,” she said slowly, “Jordan got in yesterday.”

       “Oh,” I said, realizing that I was really out of it. Getting up before the sun has never really been my thing.

       “Get some sleep on the plane ride,” she advised in her I’m-a-mother-so-I-know-everything voice.

       “Will do,” I said, “See you soon.”

       “Have a safe flight,” she wished. “Love you.”

       “I love you too, bye,” I said, hanging up, and placing my phone in my back pocket.

       “Good morning Elle!” Nick said, popping out of nowhere, fully dressed and more energetic than I generally was awake.

       “How many Gatorades did you drink?” I questioned sourly.

       “So far, three,” he replied, smiling at me.

       “Oh,” I said, shocked that I had been right about my assumption. “So, what are you doing for the holiday? Going home?”

       “In a sense,” he shrugged, smirking at me. “Danni’s in England, Dean is in Denver, and Evan’s going to his girlfriend’s house.”

       “Evan has a girlfriend?” I asked, wondering who on earth could possibly tolerate that thing without wanting to hit it in the head with a chainsaw.

       “Yeah,” he nodded, veering into the kitchen.

       “Do I know her?”

       “Kinda,” he said, pulling two bottles of Gatorade out of the fridge, and setting them firmly on the counter.

       “Do not drink those,” I warned.

       He laughed, opening one, and chugging down in a matter of seconds. I feared that his Gatorade buzz would be far worse than him in an intoxicated state, and, considering John had left me alone, it was something I didn’t want to witness. Nick drunk isn’t the best thing, but Nick drinking twelve cans of energy drinks is deadly.

       “So, when are you heading out?” I asked, horrified as he began on the second bottle he had extracted from the damned fridge.

       “In a few minutes, actually. My flight’s at eight-thirty.”

       “That’s weird, so is mine,” I said, scrunching my eyebrows.

       “Must be a coincidence,” he shrugged, goofily grinning at me in a way that needed to be photographed for him to see when fully sober.

       “Right…” I said, brushing it off.

       “So, do you want to carpool to the airport… or what?” he offered. I thought about my options: Going with Nick, or getting into the cab of a potential rapist or murderer. The two choices seemed pretty even to me.

       “Fine. We’ll carpool,” I said, pursing my lips, noting that the rash decision must be due to tiredness and the lack of trust in the transportation system of this city.

       “Cool! My stuff’s already in the car; do you need me to take anything for you?”

       “No, I got it,” I said, picking up my backpack and slipping it over my shoulder.

       “Okay! Let’s go!” he said, practically jumping over to the door. He quickly opened the door, about to exit, when he abruptly stopped. “Wait!”

       “What?” I asked.

       “I forgot something!” he explained, rushing back over to the kitchen. I heard the fridge open, and within seconds Nick returned with two cans of Red Bull in his arms. When I got back, I would have to remember to hide all the remaining energy drinks. “All set!”

       “Okay…” I said nervously. We left the condo, and I locked the door behind us. Uneasily, I made my way into car, pushing all the pleasant and unpleasant memories away. It was a quick trip to the airport; it didn’t need to be packed with stress and anxiety.

       “Sorry about the car,” Nick said, remember my displeasure last time I rode in it.

       “It’s fine,” I lied.

       “No, it’s not. I keep meaning to get a new car!” he said, sliding his key into the ignition, animating the car.

       “Why?” I inquired, putting my seatbelt on.

       “So that you don’t have that remorseful, nostalgic look in your eyes every time you come in my car.”

       “You’re crazy,” I said, shaking my head.

       “Only about you,” he winked, driving away from the place I had learned to call home and into the dim brightness of the early morning Cambridge streets.

       When we got to the airport, it was buzzing with activity. I told Nick where my terminal was, the lack of sleep taking yet another toll on me, and he dropped me off, mentioning something about seeing me later. Thankfully, I took my backpack into the airport, and breezed through security, unlike Nick on his last unsuccessful trip here. Fake IDs. What an idiot.

       I bought water at one of the mini shops, and then began the search for my gate. People passed by me in a hurry, their bags rolling along behind them. I wasn’t in a rush though. Airports didn’t really make me tense (anymore), and it was eight o’clock, so I had at least thirty minutes to get to where I needed to be.

       Scanning the various gates, I had a hunch I was relatively close to mine. I saw a sign, and reread my ticket to double check I was where I needed to be. Sure enough, I was at my gate. From the looks of it, the plane was going to be full.

       I sat down on a leather chair next to an elderly looking couple, and got out my phone and earphones, plugging in. I pressed shuffle, and allowed my eyes to tenderly shut, giving my brain the wonderful sensation of sleep that it so badly yearned for. The musical tones and darkness jumbled together to form complete and utter bliss in the depths of my mind. It was amazing.

       “Excuse me, miss,” someone yelled. My eyes flickered open and I threw the small white items out of my ears, looking up. It was the old lady.

       “Huh?” I said.

       “The plane’s about to begin boarding, dearie,” she said, her wrinkled face forming into a smile as she communicated the information to me.

       “Oh. Thanks,” I said, returning the expression. I stood up, waiting to be called.

       “Attention: Rows one through five are now boarding. Rows one through five are now boarding,” an announcer said through speakers. I glanced down at my ticket, and walked over to the short line that was forming near one of the airline employees.

       “Thank you for flying with us,” the operative said after scanning my ticket.

       “Yup,” I yawned, waving to her with the use of two fingers. I entered the small corridor between the plane and airport, and mindlessly floated through. When I reached the actual entrance to the plane itself, I was greeted by the captain, and politely said hello.

       Thankfully, my mom had booked me a seat in first class, and next to a window. All I hoped was that my neighbor wasn’t some fat, old, greasy man who reeked of cigarettes and beer. Everything was going smoothly, and nothing could possibly ruin it… except of course my jinxing it.

       As people boarded the plane, the seats around me filled up, but the adjacent seat was never filled. The plane was packed with people, and yet I somehow had the fortune of having an empty seat beside me.

       There was a warning that the plane was about to take off, when a younger man appeared on the plane in a hurry. Shielding his face were a pair of sunglasses that looked absolutely ridiculous. He walked a few feet, and then slumped down into the seat next to me.

       “Miss me, babe?” the boy beside me asked, lifting up his shades. Damn it.

Nick

       Elle pursed her lips into a thin line, a habit of hers I had noticed lately, and didn’t particularly like. She didn’t say a word, but exhaled deeply. It’s probably because I’m just so gorgeous I left her speechless.

       “Excuse me!” I called to the flight attendant in the distance. After shuffling over to us, she bent down so she was level with me. She was a pretty blonde with perky cheeks, and her white, collared shirt was undone a button too low than appeared acceptable (not that I was complaining).

       “How may I help you?” she asked politely, smiling widely at me.

       “Yeah, I think the girl next to me might be mute. She isn’t talking,” I said slowly.

       “Excuse me, miss, are you mute?” she smartly asked Elle.

       Elle blinked, turned to me, and then blinked again before replying, “No, I just don’t like him.”

       “Why? He’s good looking, probably rich, and really cute. I would give anything to be in your seat right now!” she giggled, winking at me. So she was an airhead… Airheads always bother me. I’ve been with a few over the years, and no matter how many times I try to convince myself that their hotness overpowers their lack of a brain, I always fail. I guess I just like smart girls, or girls who actually know how to pour their own glass of orange juice.

       “He’s also my ex boyfriend,” Elle said flatly.

       “Oh! Harsh,” the blonde said, nodding her head as if she understood the dynamics between the two of us. “So, just to get this straight, you’re not mute?”

       “No, I’m not,” Elle said, her words heavily sprinkled with sarcasm.

       “Oh. Okay. I’m Tiffany, and if you need anything else just ask,” she told me.

       “Will do,” I said, smiling at her.

       “Bye!” she said, disappearing.

       “So, you’re going home,” Elle said, beginning to untangle her headphones.

       “Yeah,” I said, doing the same with my own set.

       “I thought all your family members were away,” she said.

       “They are.”

       “So then who are you staying with?” she questioned sharply.

       “A friend,” I answered. “A very, very close friend.”

       “Great for you. I’m done talking to you, Nick,” she said, putting the small buds in her ears, pretending to ignore me.

       “Okay Elle! Bye!” I said loudly, receiving looks from the people around. I laughed softly, preparing for the fun ride this would be.

       There was an announcement that all electronic devices must be turned off, and I lightly tapped Elle on the knee to relay this wonderful message to her. She shot up, glaring at me.

       “What?” she demanded.

       “We have to turn off our electronic devices now,” I said informingly.

       “Uh huh. Screw you,” she said, turning her phone off, and staring out the window. Elle in the morning, yeah, this was going to be a very fun ride.