Mounting up

Chapter 11

The shrill alarm starts beeping wildly. I groan and glance over my shoulder at the alarm clock. It reads 3:00 am. I wake up, climb down the ladder and accidentally step on Paige's hand, jolting her awake.

"OW!" She whimpers, cradling her hand as she sits up. "Sorry" I whispered, unhooking my phone from the charger.

I had so many texts. I read through each one, smiling.

<Kayden 😘>
Hi bby, are you awake?
<Kayden 😘>
Wake up sweetheart. Your gonna be late>
<Kayden 😘>
I love you.... WAKE UP!
<Elliebellie ✌🏼️>
I'm awake. I love you too bby. C u at stable>
<Kayden 😘>
Yay your awake. Get ready and meet by the bus.>

Yes, He asked me to be his girlfriend. I said yes, obviously. Paige and I shared the bathroom. I took a shower first, then her. While she was in shower, I brushed my hair and curled it slightly. I put on a little bit of eyeshadow and put on some lip gloss. I brushed my teeth and went back into the living area of our dorm.

I open up my closet and pick out gray sweatpants, a Mickey Mouse sweater, a black tank top and pink converse shoes. I get dressed and put on a necklace and an arrow ring. I grab my phone, and grab my gray and pink carry-on bag which holds my MacBook Air, Chargers and earphones.

Paige appears from the doorway of the washroom. "Ready to go?" She asked, dressed in a pair of leggings, a PINK sweater and black converse. "Ready." I smile bravely. With sad smiles, Paige and I grab our suitcases and take one final look at our dorm. "Ready to become champions?" I asked confidently. "Definitely." Paige agreed.

I shut the door and locked it. Together we walked out of Parker Hall, our suitcases rolling behind us. I smiled sadly at the stable before following the rest of the senior varsity team into the tack room where we were supposed to meet Mr.Rossi and our other chaperone, Ms.Jenkins, the beginners team coach.

We sat down on some dusty saddle pads. Mr.Rossi walked in, followed by Mr.Jenkins. "Good morning Champions!" He smiled, and took a drink of his coffee. "Morning Mr.Rossi and Ms.Jenkins!" We chorused back sleepily. They smiled.

"Roll Call: Alyssa Dow?"

"PRESENT!"

"Paige Heffley?"

"Hi!"

"Eleanor Hastings?"

"Ready to win this thing!"

"Taylor Reynolds?"

"Hey hey!"

"Last but not least, Kayden Winkins?

"Here in the flesh!"

He smiled when he saw we were all there. "Alright. It's time to leave for the airport. C'mon, go and board the bus." Ms.Jenkins directed us towards the bus. Kayden and I got a seat together. Quietly he kissed me. "I love you" he said as he wrapped his arms around me. "I love you too." I whispered dreamily.

For the hour ride, Kayden and I cuddled together in the very back of the bus. Paige woke us up at the airport. "Lovebirds! It's time to wake up!"

Kayden and I untangled ourselves and stood up. We walked off the bus and grabbed our carry-ons and rolling luggage. Kayden rolled his forest green suitcase beside mine as we followed Mr.Rossi and Ms.Jenkins to the baggage drop off. We watched as our suitcases we put on a conveyer belt and rolled out of sight. "Check in time now!" Mr.Rossi herderd us to check in.

I watched as the lady stamped my ticket. "Gate E19" she pressed the ticket back into my hand. Kayden and Paige were next to be checked in. Slowly, the rest of the group trickled in, one by one. Ms.Jenkins grinned. "Alright, girls and boys, we have a choice. We can browse through the shops or go through security and eat." The vote unanimous, we approached the security checkpoint.

I felt my muscles tense as they reviewed my passport. They waved me through and I went through the metal detector. They let me go on through so I waited with Mr.Rossi. "Uh, Eleanor, This is awkward but it has come to my attention that you are in a relationship, I hope you and Mr.Winkins realize the stable policy "No PDA in the stable" applies to you." Mr.Rossi cleared his throat awkwardly.

Blush appeared on my cheeks. "Oh I'm-- yes, of course, we realize that." He smiled slightly as the rest of the group approached us.

"He totally said that to me!" I exclaimed to Paige as she listened to me explain my conversation with Mr.Rossi. "Oh my-" Paige sucked in a breath. "That must've been awkward!" She added. We were sitting down in the hard plastic chairs, waiting for our call to board.

Kayden sat beside me, engrossed in a deep conversation with Taylor, Alyssa, Mr.Rossi and Ms.Jenkins about the recent hurricane in Madagascar. A flight attendant's voice crackled through a loud speaker.

"Air Canada, flight 4224, Calling all economy class, rows F to H"

Mr.Rossi stood up abruptly. "That's us!" He called to us. One by one, we all gave the lady our boarding passes. "Have a good flight!" She said to us. I smiled. This was it, we were so close to nationals: I could taste it.

I looked for my row and selected the window seat. Paige grabs the middle seat and Taylor slides into the aisle seat. "Hey guys!" She said cheerfully. "Hey." We both replied. "Why so dull?" She asked. "Bored." I finished simply. "I've never been on an airplane before, that's why I'm so cheerful." Taylor explained.

"That explains it." Paige smiled. "Flying is awesome, you'll love it!" She added.

6 am arrived and soon the engines roared to life. The plane began taxing down the runway, getting faster and faster, until it soared up into the sky. I clenched my teeth and gripped the seats until my knuckles turned white. Gosh, I hated taking off. The only good thing about it was-- nothing nevermind.

I turned on the TV on the seat in front of me and went to map app. I checked the altitude. 12,000 ft. I stared down at the clouds. As soon we as reached cruising altitude which was 37,000 ft, the seatbelt sign clicked off and the loud speaker came on.

"Welcome to Air Canada, flight 4224. We will be making our trip to Ottawa, Canada. Please be aware of the safety features--"

I couldn't wait to go to nationals. Windsor was going to kick there butts!

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A/N:
Surprise Update! I finished it early so I thought I'd publish it early! Don't worry there'll be an update on Friday still!

~ _Xx_e_m_m_a_xX_

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