Stairways | A Surviving Summer FanFiction

Part 88 - Byron Bay

You reach the airport at 6 o'clock in the morning, the sun only just creeping out from behind the horizon. After a tedious hour getting through security, Wren hurries you all through the airport shops without a glance at any of the wares, taking her lead as 'the one who's done this before', as she keeps reminding you. She rushes to the gate, and you're then sat there for another forty minutes before you can board.

"Well, this is fun." Summer says sarcastically – Wren is sitting on the edge of her seat, looking slightly anxious, whilst Bodhi and Poppy are on their phones.

"I didn't want to miss the plane," Wren snaps back. "It's better to be too early than miss it completely."

"That's fair." Bodhi agrees, although you can see she's looking bored, or tired, or both.

"Maybe if someone didn't have a 500 millilitre bottle of perfume in their bag at security it wouldn't have taken so long." you reply, slightly irritated you're now stuck at the boarding gate while there's dozens of shops just a few hundred yards away.

"Who knew the limit was 100 millilitres!?" Wren responds, and you shoot her incredulous look.

"Literally everyone, Wren." Summer responds boredly, earning her a quick glare in response.

"Guys, it's not Wren's fault," Bodhi jumps in, coming to her defence as always. "We made it here on time, so let's just relax, yeah?"

You and Summer nod reluctantly.

"Okay, well we also need to sort out who is sitting where on the plane," Wren starts up again. Doesn't this girl ever relax? "There's five of us, so we'll have to sit in one group of three and one group of two. I'm going to go in the three, obviously-"

"Why?" you ask, cutting her off abruptly. She looks at you as if you've asked the most ludicrous question you could think of.

"Because I don't like sitting next to strangers, Y/n," she says, rolling her eyes slightly – you're about to point out that she could sit in the aisle seat, or the window seat, while Bodhi takes the middle, when she continues listing her demands. "So, I think me and Bodhi and one of you guys should sit in the three and the other two can go in the row opposite, yeah?"

You, Summer and Poppy all share a glance as you weigh up the idea of sitting next to Wren on a flight for two hours. It would have been perfect if you three could sit all together, but thanks to Wren it looks like that's not going to happen.

"Pops, you want to come with us?" Bodhi asks, and although the offer was probably put forward with the best intentions, she's put Poppy in an impossible position.

Poppy puts on a smile and nods with a shrug. "Sure."

Wren clasps her hands together, her smile wide as she realises she's got her own way again. "Okay, so I think you two have the aisle seat and window seat." she says, handing you and Summer your tickets.

"So, we're not even sitting next to each other?" you reply.

"Well, you are – they'll just be someone in between you."

Summer sarcastically flashes Wren an exaggerated smile in thanks just as the announcer says the plane is ready for boarding.

Once you've shown your passports a final time, you head out onto the tarmac and across to the stairs of the plane, which you climb with your bag clutched desperately in your hand while the wind whips your hair around your face.

You find your seats quickly as they're close to the front, and Wren wastes no time in sinking into the aisle seat, letting out a sigh of relief.

"I go window you go aisle then switch on the way back?" Summer says with an exasperated sigh, and you nod defeatedly.