Before We Fall

Part 1, Chapter 10

Our first travel day of the tour had finally arrived. The rift between Alivia and I had been at the back of my mind for the past few days, but I did my best to push those thoughts away and focus on the show.

My alarm blared, pulling me out of my sleep. It was 6:30 and Josh was coming to pick me up by 7:15 to get to the airport on time, so I wasted no time getting up and ready to leave. I paired an American Eagle colorblock t-shirt with some dark grey sweats and struggled to comb out my red hair before finishing packing. I surprised myself by getting most of my packing done the night before, but there was still a few things I needed to grab.

Josh knocked on my apartment door just as I zipped up my navy blue Newsies on Tour suitcase, provided by the theatre. I yelled towards the door that I was coming before stuffing my phone and earbuds in my pocket and making my way to the door.

"You ready to go?" Josh asked skeptically.

"Dude, I'll be okay."

"Just making sure."

I loaded my bag into the trunk of his car before getting into the passenger seat. The engine of his car roared to life and he carefully backed out of the apartment complex parking lot.

When we got to the airport, he took photos of the parking lot number. And the section number. And the building number. And the elevator number.

"This seems like a bit overkill," I told him as he was taking a photo of the elevator sign.

"If you don't like it, you can drive yourself to the airport next time and lose your car and have to walk up and down every single row as you try to find your car that looks like every other car in the entire building."

TSA and security checks took less time than I thought, and before long we had met up with the rest of the travel party to get our boarding passes and get to our seats before takeoff.

I scrolled through my Spotify Library as I waited for the plane captain to announce takeoff. Annie. Chicago. Cinderella. Guys and Dolls. In the Heights. Jersey Boys. The Lion King. Mamma Mia! Matilda. Next to Normal. I fumbled with my earbuds, trying to untangle them with one hand, and kept scrolling. Once. The Phantom of the Opera. Wicked.

"You've got to be kidding me."

I set my phone down in my lap and glanced up, confused, before the meaning behind Alivia's words registered. "Wait, you're not-"

"This is fine. Just because I'm sitting next to you for the next hour and a half doesn't mean I have to talk to you." She adjusted her carry-on bag to rest in her lap as she sat down, staring straight ahead at the black screen on the back of the seat in front of her.

"We're going to be in a show together for the next eight months, Alivia. You don't have to like me, but at least try to tolerate me."

"I'll do what I want. There's thirty-something people in this cast, not counting us. I don't have to interact with you outside of the show."

"Fine. Be that way." I couldn't force her to like me. If she wanted to dislike me for the rest of the time we knew each other, then that's her decision. I fiddled with the buttons on the screen in front of me, trying to figure out how to turn it on.

Every screen on the plane blared to life with the required safety video, explaining the safety protocols in English. Well, almost every screen. Mine was somehow in Mandarin.

Next to me, Alivia stifled a laugh. "What did you do to that thing?"

"I have no idea."

"We've been on this plane for three minutes."

"I am very aware." I flagged down a flight attendant, quietly explaining my predicament. "Stop taking photos!" I said to Alivia.

"This is a very photo-worthy moment," she defended, putting her phone back in her bag.

The flight attendant walked away one my screen had been successfully translated, and the two of us settled back into our previous awkward silence. In an attempt to soothe the pain of silence, I offered her an earbud.

"What are you doing?"

"I believe the scholars call it extending an olive branch. For the time being."

She reached for the earbud in my hand, before hesitating. "Only if i get the pick the first few songs."

I held my phone out with my free hand. "Be my guest." She gently took it. "But if you pick something from Newsies I will actually jump out of this tiny plane window."

"Don't worry, I have taste." She typed something into the search bar, but I couldn't see what. She handed my phone back as my right ear was met with a bassline and snare drums, followed by a slow guitar riff.

"What is this?"

"Just listen."

Oh my heart, it's a fish out of water
Oh my heart, it's a fish on the rocks and it bakes in the bad sun

"Seriously, what have you subjected my ears to? Well, ear, I guess."

"It's Mother Mother. O My Heart. Just say you don't have taste and leave."

"I can't leave, I'm contractually obligated to arrive in Waterbury in two hours. Besides, we're about to take off."

"That sounds like a personal problem."

I rolled my eyes, connected to the airline-provided WiFi network.

The plane took off, finally. I kept looking back at Spotify to see how much of the album was left, and eventually Alivia noticed. 

"Just change the song if Mother Mother is that insufferable."I took her up on that, switching to I like it when you sleep, for you are so beautiful yet so unaware of it from The 1975.

Before long, Alivia had settled into her seat, but eventually leaned against my shoulder. I looked over, and saw she had fallen asleep. My gaze met Josh's from across the aisle, glaring at him as he silently took a photo of Alivia and I. Without moving, I flipped my phone over to text him.

Josh

I am going to kill you

Ur mean

I'm not joking

You're on real thin ice rn

Not my fault you're such a
hopeless romantic

There's literally nothing
going on between me and
Alivia

Did you miss the part
where she literally told
me that she doesn't have
to like me just because
we're on a flight together

That's rough buddy

You'll get her next time

I don't even have that
much of an interest in her

Especially not like that

Yeah okay

What's that supposed
to mean

Josh never responded. Besides, he was wrong about me and Alivia. Right? 

I put my phone away and leaned back in my seat, eventually falling asleep as well. 

<><><>

we're not gonna talk about how long it took for me to get this chapter out-

love you all lots!