Rollercoster

2.0

June 2023

I had made it to the airport. My friend Anika dropped me off as my parents were at work and my siblings were at school. I had packed for 2 weeks knowing that I can always push my flight back. And yes I didn't pack until the night before my flight. I ran to do my laundry so that I could have all my favorite hoodies and sweatpants. For the longest time my Grandma on my Dads side has owned a house on the water in Rhode Island and so I knew what to pack. Swimsuits, sunscreen, shorts, shirts, and the long sleeves for the cold windy breezes on the water.

    I grabbed my luggage from the trunk but sadly Bucky, my dog, can't make the trip as he isn't feeling too hot and my dad wants to keep him home and keep an eye on him. I didn't argue because I want Bucky to feel better too and my dad definitely knows what to do as he is a vet. I gave Anika a nice long hug and told her that she would be hearing all about my trip as I made my way towards the airport with my guitar case and luggage.

    I breezed through the airport security as I had TSA pre for all the flights I take so much so that when I checked my boarding pass I saw that I was in group 1 for boarding. I made my way over to B-good to get myself a burger and brought it over to the gate to enjoy it and help calm my pre-flight anxiety.

    While I was sitting, a girl approached me and asked for a photo. I obliged though I felt like my boundaries were being pushed but you can't bite the hand that feeds you. I kindly asked her to not post the photo till tomorrow and to my surprise she told me she wasn't planning on posting it at all. After she left I pulled my hood above my head and grabbed my blue light glasses and put them on too in an effort to conceal my identity.

Eventually my group was called to board and I scanned my pass and walked down the tunnel. That's another thing I like about group 1, you don't have to stand in line waiting for everyone else. I put my carry on in the overhead compartment and took out my book and started reading as the other passengers boarded the plane.

When the flight attendant started giving the spiel about safety that's when I put on my headphones and Phoebe Bridgers album Punisher on and before I knew it I was fast asleep.

I woke up to someone poking me in the side, albeit gently. I opened my eyes and took a second to readjust to the light. Suddenly I heard the flight attendant announcing that we had landed in Detroit and to stay in our seats until we reached the gate. I grabbed my overhead luggage and made my way off the plane to the baggage claim practically skipping. You can't blame me, I was about to see one of my closest friends for the first time in a long time.

We were going to do so many cool things. Watch movies, go swimming, boating, wakeboarding, wakesurfing, waterskiing, sing songs by a campfire, go to a tigers game, eat THE mom's spaghetti. I couldn't wait to start my Hughes summer.

As I came out of the gate and to the baggage area I almost turned around when I read a sign that said "Charly: the world's biggest wolverines fan". I genuinely wanted to punch him, spit in his face, slash his tires, and turn around and not to look back but from the look on his face he was enjoying my mini breakdown a little too much. So much so I walked passed him.

"Hey Char, don't be this way" I hear him call out to me but I keep walking. "I just needed-" I turned around and gave him my look of pure disgust causing him to start laughing. "I just needed-" he apparently thinks this whole thing is the funniest thing to ever happen and I can't disagree cause whenever luke starts laughing I seem to too and suddenly we're both laughing messes and neither of us can get words out.