It Was Always You

Chapter Thirty One

Mila stood at the terminal staring at the flight board. She was nervous and a little afraid. Her parents, grandparents, and Selena were there with her. She looks at them and her heart constricted. How was she going to do this without any of them? Had she made the right choice? Was She being selfish and childish? The airport was packed with people, it seems this weekend was busy with coming and going customers.

She went to her parents first. "Remember to call as soon as you get off that plane okay." Her mother said with teardrops hanging on by a thread.

She was smoothing out her daughters hair as she gazed at her. "Don't worry mom, I promise." Her mother just nods her head.

Her father moves her aside and took her in a tight hug. "Are you sure this is what you want?" he asks, never letting her go.

"It's what I need." She tells him.

Last night when his sister Sarah called him about Mila staying with her for a while he was shocked. He had no idea his little girl was going through some troubled times. He remembered telling her it's something he has to think about but later on he gets a phone call from his wife's sister, and she was hysterical. When he finally calmed her down was he able do piece it all together and he was devastated that Mila's cousin could do such a thing. So without talking to Mila he called Sarah back and told her to get the next available ticket there was and Sarah could hear the concern in his voice, and she had told him,

"Already been done, I knew you would relent."

Now here they all were saying goodbye for he didn't know how long. "Anytime you feel like coming home I will make it happen." Mila nods her head, and they let each other go.

Selena came next "Oh Mila!" She cries out and attacks her with a tight embrace. "I can't believe you're leaving me here all alone! What am I going to do without you?" Tears were rolling down her face.

"Oh Sel, we will see each other during summer and such. I just need time to be away." She tells her.

Selena sighs, deciding not to tell her friend about Jared's call because if she knew Mila she would just try to leave quicker or possibly stay and miss her plane all together. "Promise you'll call every day and write every day, text me and-"

Mila laughs. "Selena there's only so much to say in a day."

"And I want to know every detail!"

Mila just smiles. "I promise to call, write, text and whatever else for you Sel."

They both stand there hugging for a few minutes. Selena lets go and walks away and Mila's grandfather steps up. If anyone could make her cry for leaving it was him. He had the saddest eyes she had ever seen, and it nearly broke her and changed her mind to stay instead. But he grabs and holds her hands and gives her a good hard look.

"Now you listen to me pumpkin, I understand what you're going through and I understand the problem you face but you shouldn't let them win like this. You need to come back stronger, keep your head held up high and show the world that your more important and more special, you need to heal first though so I'm in full support of your decision on this." he smiles at her warmly.

"Even though I'm going to miss you like crazy every day." he says softly.

She gives him a soft kiss on the check and suddenly over the intercom they announce the boarding of her plane. They all began to rush with her and her bags. She gave them all hugs and kisses of goodbyes but before she goes through the metal detector her grandfather stops and softly says, "Also Mila, just a little advice to think about, you shouldn't run away from your problems baby girl. You should always face them head on no matter the situation. Look in between the lines for what's really there and you'll find what's been there all along."

And with that he gives her a wink and pushes her into the metal detector. When Mila walks down the long hallway she stops to tum around and see her family standing there watching her go. Selena and her mother in tears, her father and grandmother looking forlorn and sad, but her grandfather was smiling and she smiled back waving her hand up for a final goodbye.

Jared slams on his breaks in front of the airport entrance and quickly got out. "Hey, you can't park there!" He heard someone say but he just ignored it as he rushed inside.

He stops momentary as he searched for the right terminal then he overheard the intercom say, "Flight 81 to Phoenix, Arizona departing."

Jared's heart rate quickened as he went into panic. That was Mila's plane. He rushes as he pushes people aside and then he slams into someone.

"Jared!" Selena yells as she rights herself holding on to him. He saw the tearstained cheeks on her and he felt dread overcome him.

"Mila?" Was all he choked out.

"You just missed her, I'm sorry." Cale said next to her, feeling sad and awful knowing what Jared must feel at the moment.

Jared just stares at him and then he rushes to where she had left too. He stood there staring at the now empty hallway. "Sorry sir but the terminal is closed now." An attendant says to him.

He looks over at the lady but doesn't say anything. His sister and Mila's family watch him, not knowing what to say. Cale walks up next to him and put a hand on his shoulder giving it a small squeeze. "Come on son, we were just about to watch her plane lift off."

Jared looks over at him and Cale felt an emotional pull as he saw tears well up in his eyes. He steers him away to the giant window and they all stood there watching her plane move away on the runway. Selena grabs her brother's arm and hugged it as silent tears fell. He just stares at the plane as it lifted off the ground and went into the sky. They all stood there until they no longer saw it. He still didn't move when her parents and grandparents moved away.

"Jared?" Selena says, looking up at him.

He doesn't answer her. She was gone. He didn't even get to tell her anything, didn't get the chance to beg her to stay. He didn't even get the chance to tell her he was sorry. Didn't get the chance to say goodbye or the chance to say that he loved her.

Selena tells the others that they could go, that she was going to get a ride with her brother. They all gave her a sad smile and left. They stood there for a while, and she didn't say a word because she knew how he felt. After a few more moments went by she says, "She'll be back."

He looks down at her and gives her weak smile. "Yeah, she'll be back."