Behind The Screens

8 | Margaret Came Back

Alex

We drove to the airport in a rush. It was 7:00 and I had school in an hour and a half, but Mira and Britten's flight left in twenty minutes. We were cutting it close.

We arrived at the airport, rushing to get everything checked in and rushing to retrieve their tickets and rushing through security and when we finished all of that rushing... we had ten minutes to spare. I was so grateful. Here I was about to let the girl I fell in love with upon sight go. We walked hand in hand to the waiting area.

"What-cha thinkin' about...?" Britten asked me. I shook my head. "Nothing." I replied. She laughed. "Your grip on my hand got a little tight." I laughed. "Sorry." I let go of her hand and slipped them in my pockets. "Why'd you let go?" She asked and pouted. When I didn't respond she slipped her hand in my pocket and locked fingers with me. I smiled.

"I hate for you to go." I said after a minute. "I hate to leave you." Britten replied. "And I hate to be a third wheel, take it somewhere else." Mira spoke. We laughed. "I bet if Tyler were here, you wouldn't complain," I teased her. She turned bright red. "Hush."

We found a seat close to the plane entrance and sat our stuff down. "Hungry?" I asked the two girls. They nodded. "Very." Mira responded. "Starbucks?" I suggested. They squealed. "So you're one of those girls, huh?" I said, making them laugh.

I came back a couple minutes later with what they ordered and handed it to them. "Thanks." They said. Both of them started to take out money from their wallets but I waved them off. "My treat." I said while taking a bite of a donut. "Wow, I know I said I don't like being a third wheel but your boyfriend comes in handy." Mira said. Britten snapped her head up to look at me, her eyes asking the question we both knew the answer to... I smiled at her.

"That's what boyfriends are for, right?" I confirmed, relieving Britten. They smiled.
And that's how it ended, and began... with a few additions of course. Indirectly confirming Britten as my girlfriend, giving her a goodbye kiss, Mira a goodbye hug, Britten another goodbye kiss, then Britten being dragged away from me because they were going to miss their plane.

I stood in the airport watching the door as she walked away. I would miss her bright smile and her soft lips and her soothing smell of lavender and the bounce of her beautiful curly hair... I would miss it all. I would miss her. Her sweet sweet voice. . .

Some random guy reached up and patted me on my back. "It's gonna be okay, buddy," he said. I turned around to see that it was an old guy, probably about sixty. "She looks like a precious girl, and those gems always come back." He pointed to who I'm guessing was his wife. She smiled and waved. "Margaret came back." He said.

I smiled at the guy then took out my phone and checked the time. 7:30am. I sighed. "Thanks." I told him. He nodded and said, "bless your heart." Then he sat back down.

I walked out of the airport and while I was walking to the car I got a phone call from mom. I rolled my eyes. I only answered it because Jack was still there. "Hello?" I said. Then she started going off about how I should be more responsible and that I should take Jack with me because she doesn't know how to take care of 'it' like I do and if I don't come get 'it' then 'it's' gonna be put up for adoption.

"He. His name is Jack, remember?" I corrected her. "Do you really think I give a-"

"I'm coming." I said. When I arrived at the door, Jack was sitting on the porch with a backpack, playing with his superman action figure. He had no idea what was going on and even though it was for the best, it still pained me. "Hey, Jay." I said. He looked up and smiled at me. That smile.

I knocked on the door and it only took a couple of seconds for mom to rip it open. "What?" She answered. "I can't take him to school." I informed her. She blinked at me twice then turned her head away. "Fine. After school I want both of you gone." She demanded.

"You can kick me out but why would you kick a three year old out?" I retaliated. And for once in my mother's life she was sincere. "You're responsible." She said after a moment. "And I want him around a good influence." She looked over at him and smiled. "See that? That was you. Your work." She shook her head. "I'm gonna screw him up." Her eyes became dark and gloomy.

"I'm sorry, mom, for what I said." I apologized. She nodded in acceptance. "It's fine."

"Jack, get in here." Mom said. Jack took his stuff and waddled back into the house. She sighed. "I refuse to send you two to a foster home," She said. "Because I know you can do better than I can. You're 18... take him... please." She took a deep breath in like she was trying to hold back tears. Then I hugged her in a way I hadn't for at least six years.

"Okay get out, I don't want you to see me like this." She pushed me out of the door. "I've seen worse." I said while smirking. I could've sworn I saw a tiny smile before she slammed the door in my face. I walked off of the porch and headed to school.

Britten

I looked out the window of the plane and watched the clouds slowly descend as we flew higher into the sunrise colored sky. The beautiful colors of the morning surrounded us as the sun made its appearance, but the further I rose, the further away I became from the love of my life. Mira nudged my shoulder. "You alright?" She asked. I nodded. "You've been quiet." She noted. I shrugged. The sound of the plane filled the silence for a few seconds, then I said, "I miss him."

"You guys can still PM each other, right?"

I shrugged. "It's not the same." It would never be the same again. Tiny black words on a screen couldn't compare to the sound of his voice. A simple picture of him couldn't compare to the smooth feel of his face. Putting our hands together on a video chat screen couldn't compare to his arms wrapped around me.

-------------------------------------

The elevator stopped on my floor and opened to my parents standing in the living room smiling wide and bright. I stepped out of the elevator carefully.

"Surprise!" They said together. At this moment, no matter how mad I was for them leaving, I would've ran to them and hugged them. Daddy would've scooped me up in his arms because he was strong and could still lift me. Mom would've kissed me on my forehead. . .

But I was hurt. Not only because of them, but because those few days I spent with Alex had affected me. Instead of running to them, tears filled my eyes. The smiles floated away from their faces and they immediately made their way to me.

"Honey what's wrong?" Dad asked while taking me in his arms and holding me tight. I shook my head in his sleeve. "Just a bad day." I sobbed. My mother rubbed my back and placed a kiss on my head. "It'll be alright." She said.

I wanted to believe her. But I didn't know when I would be with him again. I didn't know when I would be able to just stay in his arms and talk about ridiculous things that only mattered coming out of his mouth. I didn't know if that was the only time I'd ever be with him again.