A Place in the Sun - cash au-

Paris Nights/ New York Mornings

I leave my room and enter the cramped living area/kitchen where my younger brother and sister are playing on the floor and my parents sit at the table going through stacks of bills.

"Hey mom, dad. Just so you know I'm going on a trip to New York, I'll probably stay a couple of weeks and then I'll be back. All of my classes are online, I don't have any proctored exams and I'll have my laptop so I can keep up with the work." I inform them, I decided that I wouldn't ask permission, I'm 18 and they no longer have any real control over me, plus they don't usually care what I do as long as I stay out of trouble.

"Another trip? Where'd you get the money for another trip?" My mother asks, she looks stressed and tired, I feel guilty because I just received presents worth thousands of dollars and I'm taking a private jet to New York while they struggle to pay their bills. I briefly contemplate selling the electronics Cameron sent me but I really don't want him asking what happened to the gifts.

"My friend is paying for it," I tell her, which is the truth. Cameron is paying for it and we're still friends.

"Hmm," my father grunts from the table, he's not a man of many words.

"Okay," is all my mother replies before returning her attention to the bills in front of her. I chew the inside of my cheek as I return to my tiny room to pack my meager belongings for my impromptu trip to New York. I don't have any nice clothes, all of them are hand-me-downs or thrift shop purchases, it's kind of embarrassing being next to Cameron who's always so well dressed and looking like a bum.

Cameron went to bed already, he's attending the final contract negotiations and once the papers are signed he's going to oversee the process of absorbing the business he's buying. He says that the first two weeks are always the most hectic.

I open my shiny new laptop and it's already been set up like the iPhone and iPad, I run my hands across the smooth keyboard. I never dreamed I'd own a MacBook Pro, it's a very nice computer and runs so perfectly. I log onto my school's website to make sure I don't have anything due in the next couple of days. I'm all caught up and excitement builds in my stomach because tomorrow I'll get to see Cameron again. When I see that I'm in the clear I shut off the laptop and lie down on my bed. Despite the excitement of seeing Cameron again tomorrow I'm able to fall asleep.

The alarm on the iPhone jolts me awake and I snooze for a bit before I get up. I shower and get dressed before grabbing my suitcase and book bag that contains my laptop and iPad. I head out and when I open the front door a black car is already there waiting for me.

The driver gets out and opens the door for me with a nod. He grabs the suitcase and puts it in the trunk before he gets back in and drives me to the airport. When I arrive I'm greeted by the flight attendant who takes my suitcase and leads me up the stairs to enter the jet.

My eyes practically bulge out because it's absolutely luxurious inside, it's the kind of thing I'd see only in pictures, never imagined I'd experience it myself. I can't believe I'm on a private plane off to visit Cameron. It's surreal. It's unbelievable that this is my life.

The flight attendants serve me breakfast, I don't if they have a full kitchen hidden somewhere but the food is so good, they gave me french toast, scrambled eggs, fresh fruit, sausage and orange juice. It was delicious.

They even offered me a foot massage.

I was so tempted to say yes but it would be embarrassing having someone massage my stinky feet.

My time on the jet flies by and before I know it we're landing at JFK. My stomach starts doing flips because I'm so close to seeing Cameron. He said he would meet the jet here but I hope he was actually able to, we haven't spoken or even texted at all.