“No, I assure you. I heard every word you just said.” I stared down my grandmother, as she stared back towards me, “Then what don’t you understand?” She responded in an abnormal tone, especially for her. I have never heard her speak like this, and now suddenly here in the airport she is,
“I don’t know maybe the fact, you know, I didn’t get any say in this. Whatsoever,” My grandmother just looked down at me, as she rolled her eyes, “I thought, that you would like a summer away, A summer with no worries. And make way more money,” she said this time raising her voice. I felt as though many of the bystanders to our argument focused their attention on my family, “I don’t even know the guy!” I shouted, although trying to keep my voice down.
"Blake, keep your voice down, everybody’s watching!” My mother decided now would be the perfect timing to bud in. “Did you know about this?” I asked her, turning all my attention towards her, I was so pissed, nobody even thought to tell me about this. “Yes, but we-” Before she could even finish her sentence I stormed off, not even sure where I was heading to but knowing I couldn’t manage staying around my “Family”
Realistically any other time I wouldn’t have been this upset over anything like this, But the timing; This was supposed to be my last summer here with my friends, my last summer spent in the small little town, with a population of under ten thousand, my last summer before everyone moved away, I only had one year left of school, I was officially seventeen, I had everything planned out. I planned to spend the summer working, and then the weekends with my friends, trying to cram in as much time with each other as possible before the next summer. I would spend the school year finishing my studies before moving away to college in California. It had always been my dream, and now I had been so close. Just to have my entire plan changed,
Sure, my Family wasn’t the one to initially change my plan, I got fired from McDonalds™ on the last day of school, and it was my fault too, I lost my phone, and had forgotten about not asking off that week, and just didn’t show up to my job for a week, and boom I was done there.
“Blake!” I heard a shout come from behind me, which at once made me realize the fact I had no idea where I was nor where I was walking, I guess I must have spaced out that entire time. I was still in the airport, but in a different terminal at this point, “Blake, what are you doing here?” A girl's voice rang out once again from behind me, driving me to turn around to see who was speaking to me. Only to see Rosalie, one of the people I counted as a friend back in middle school, but no longer speaks to me now that she is “Cool,” And I am not.
“Oh, Hi?” I responded back to her, realizing I was just staring and had yet to even say anything back to her. I mean can you blame me; I have not spoken to her since February of my eighth-grade year, and now suddenly here, In the airport she is talking to me. Rolling my own eyes at my own thoughts I looked at her to realize she was waiting for me to say something,
“Oh, Sorry what?” I said, realizing how little I had been paying attention, “I was asking how you have been? It has been forever!” She exclaimed, as though she was some woman in her mid-thirties at a high school reunion catching up with someone, “Fine,” I responded mildly, especially compared to her fake sounding tone. “So, what brings you to the airport?” She asked, she was really going to start up this conversation, “Just a vacation, You Know.” I said, before acting like I was checking the time to get away from this, “Speaking of, I should get going before my flight takes off.” I said before walking away, “Wait, I-” But by the time she continued her sentence I was long gone.
“Blakelynn Grace! I raised you better than this!” My mother screamed towards me as I arrived back where my entire family, Immediate and extended, waited, “Annabeth, do not shout. This is my fault.” My grandmother scolded my mother. Now my grandma was acting in her normal way, compared to how she was earlier.
“Blake, let's talk, come along.” My grandma said. Motioning for me to walk along with her and speak about everything, but before I could even move or say anything my mother, once again buds in. “Mom, No. They are calling us to board!” My mother told her mother, My grandmother. “Annabeth switched seats with Blake!” My grandma practically shouted towards my mother, “No Mom, you all can talk about whatever this is when we get to the rental. Okay!” She exclaimed before walking towards the ramp, “Oh, And Blakelynn Grace, if you don’t stop this little hissy fit of yours, you won’t be exploring the city at all, you’ll be staying at the rental or working!” She shouted back, before continuing.
After a moment of just standing there trying to grasp what she is just shouted, most of the family who is joining us had already boarded, leaving me, my father, my grandparents, and some other people on the same flight who I had no idea of their existence.
“Dad?” I said, walking over towards where he was in line to board. “What?” He said, sounding annoyed, these environments had always stressed him. Before even getting to the airport my mom gave me and my brother an entire briefing on how we shall not stress out dad. “Did you know?” I asked him, I mean if my mom knew about all of this, then so should my dad, right? “No, but frankly I don’t care.” He said before showing his ticket to the agent before walking up the ramp and going towards where my mom was. “Blake, Honey I promise I'll tell you everything, come along.” she said as I realized everyone else had already boarded, and I was the last to go in.
Quickly before the doors were shut, I made my way inside, searching for my seat, “Forty-Seven H… Forty-Seven H,” I repeated to myself while walking through the aisles of available seats, Till I finally reached row Forty-Seven, and found the H seat, right in the middle of the right side of the plane. Great, A middle seat, as though this timing cannot get any worse it does, Because as I go to my seat, I hear a squeal. “I knew I recognized the kid over here,” I looked over and in seat Forty-Seven J sat Rosalie, And in Forty-Seven G my little brother who was now nine, But the last time he would have even been around Rosalie he would have been five.
“Grace, sit down!” My younger brother practically shouted as he patted the seat beside him in an exuberant manner. I rolled my eyes at the boy as I sat down, beside someone I used to consider a friend and my little annoying brother. This is already so fun, I thought practically feeling the sarcasm leak through my thoughts and onto my expression.
“Fox, I told you not to call me that! It is not my name.” I argued to the boy beside me, I mean how many times do I need to tell him I do not go by my middle name like he does, “I think it’s cute that he still calls you that.” Rosalie added in, making me look towards her as though she was crazy. “Like when we were younger, and he didn’t want to say Blake, so he’d say Grace!” She added on smiling, recoiling in the past, but it is her fault, she stopped hanging out with me, not the other way around.
Trying to be as subtle as possible I rolled my eyes, once more today. Honestly at this point, I have lost count of the number of times that I have rolled them. And do you know what, it is not even my fault. Everyone around me today has been abnormally difficult and annoying today.
Bringing me out of my own thoughts, I felt my knee being tapped continuously. “Fox!” I practically shouted at the boy beside me, “Can’t you ever just let me relax,” I said, opening my eyes to see him staring at me with a huge grin. “No!” He said laughing, which Rosalie found hilarious, because I heard her giggles coming from the other side of me, “Why are you even here?” I asked her, focusing my attention on Rosalie, as from my knowledge of my little brother, sometimes ignoring him is the best choice.
“What do you mean?” She responded quickly; Sounding seriously offended. “Rose, I didn’t mean it that way, I just meant I saw you at the other terminal, Yet you’re on this flight?” I rephrase my question, Although Deep down I don't really care if she was offended, she did not care when she left me alone, so Why should I care how she feels now. Yes, sure I might be a petty person, but sometimes petties what you got to be.
“We were heading over here when I saw you!” She exclaimed a huge smile covering her face. It is almost amusing to see how fake she has become in the past four years. I mean if my family instantly became rich, and everyone in school instantly cared about you, I would be the same way. But that did not happen to me…
“We, I only see you?” I questioned her looking around, and not seeing or noticing her family at all on the plane, “Jess is here! We are on our way to tour a college!” She practically shouted, something about this left a hollow feeling in my stomach, “Which one?” I asked her, praying that it was not about to be the one I wanted to go to. I just needed a fresh start, And I thought going to California would be it, but if Rosalie and Jess, who had been my bully since the Ninth grade, would follow, my plans would be ruined with no reconciliation.
“That one we dreamed of going to in seventh grade, if me and Jess get accepted, we’ll share a dorm,” She smiled widely, and although me and Rosalie were not friends anymore, she moved on. The feeling of despair still lies deep within me, that she is just so easily living our dream together with someone else, “Oh.” I said, trying to hide the disappointment
I mean Yes, I don’t want them to be going to the same college as me, When I go next year it’s supposed to be an experience where I finally get to start a-new, Where people won’t know me as the girl with one friend, or as the girl who was “Fat” All the way until a couple months ago, and as much as I don’t want them to be joining me at the same school, I don’t want her to be living out our dream together with someone who’s not me. “Hey, I know you are on vacation with the fam, but if you want to on Thursday you can join us for the tour. I know it was your dream too.” Rosalie said before putting her earbuds in.
Obviously, I was not going to take her up on this opportunity or what not, Besides, I have way better things to do, even if it means spending my summer working in a place I have never been too.
We have only been in the air for ten minutes, twenty at the most, and once again my brother was tapping on my knee, “Grayson Fox Smith!” I screamed, not even minding the fact everyone stared at me, “If you do not stop, I will throw you out the window.” I told him in a quiet tone, seething with anger. I just want to be left alone with my thoughts for five freaking minutes. It cannot be that impossible, Can it?
