only if

We Take Flight

I boarded the plane with all the intention of simply falling asleep and waking up with no recollection that I had just flown a thousand and some miles towards hell. 

There was nothing I wanted to remember about this trip, let alone the next year I would spend at the boarding school my parents had enrolled me in. Everything about the past month felt like a blur- my parents had announced their undying hate for each other and entered into a messy legal battle to divide up their more than significant number of assets, alongside their intention to keep me far away from the taints of 'adult matters' by shipping me half way across the country to the social, cultural, and literal desert of Arizona, where I'd be the newest sophomore at their alma mater. 

I had hardly batted an eye at the news when I had first heard- my parents' relationship had been crumbling for years, with infidelity and scandals being just the tip of the iceberg. Plus, I had always expected to be hauled off to some boarding school eventually- it was a much loved threat in the Williams household, and one that was much deserved. 

I sighed, and shouldered my carry-on backpack as I trudged along the passenger boarding line. I sauntered forward as the lady waved me to her, scanned my ticket, and sent me on my way to eternal destitution. I didn't know much about the high school I would be going to, but with a name like Claremont International Preparatory School, the future didn't look too bright. 

As I took my seat towards the front of the plane, I looked outside to see the weather matching how I felt- it was dreary and dark, with what little streams of sunlight that managed to break through the cloud cover casting dull shadows across the concrete runway. I yawned as people slowly filled the rows, and felt my eyes slowly slide shut. It had been a long day, and it had only just begun... 

I felt a soft tap on my shoulder, and jolted awake. My eyes slowly focused onto the source that had just awoken me. It was a guy, roughly my age, slouched slightly, his head just brushing the top of the cabin ceiling. He sported a baseball cap on top of tousled black hair, with a wife beater that draped neatly over his tanned skin. He looked as if he had just awoken, yet had an air of intention- as if his crooked smile and model-off-duty look were natural, yet practiced. 

"Hey, I think you've snagged the wrong spot," he laughed, gesturing to my seating and waving his ticket. 

I hesitated for a moment, startled. I'd awoken to my fair share of good looking men before, but this guy... 

It took a moment for me to grasp my bearings, and then I silently shuffled into the window seat next to him. I tensed as he sat down next to me. 

He was huge, maybe in more ways than one, I couldn't help thinking. I felt crushed sitting next to him, and the air seemed to get heavy when he was near me. I watched as he tucked his backpack beneath his seat and aimlessly fingered through the safety pamphlets and in-flight magazines. Then he took off his jacket and slung it over the arm rest between us, and I gasped when I saw the insignia embroidered onto its chest, one that I hadn't noticed before. It was the red and black logo of Claremont International. 

"I'm Charles, by the way," he said after a while, slipping his hand into mine without asking. He gave it me a firm handshake, squeezing my delicate fingers slightly. 

I smiled. 

"I'm Alina. Nice to meet you." 

Maybe this flight wouldn't be so bad after all. I knew I would be getting to know him very well.