Stranded

2

CHAPTER TWO

❝ Apparently, British boys think that just because they are handsome, they get to be rude, too. ❞

Elle's journal: The Europe Trip, day 9, entry nº3

Elle didn't think twice before stepping out of the line and running after him.

"Hey!" she yelled at his back, but the boy didn't turn around. "Stop," she said once she had reached him, her hand pulling back at his shoulder.

"Oi," he exclaimed and then turned to look at her.

Elle had never been the type of girl who sat in bed reading glossy gossip magazines. She wasn't the kind that was constantly daydreaming about dating that actor or this model or her school's quarterback, either. And the thing was that, in that moment, she couldn't have been more thankful for that. Because that meant that the fact that the boy she had in front of her was quite attractive didn't affect her at all.

"That," she said confidently as she pointed down towards the phone in his hand, "is mine."

"No," the boy replied, seemingly trying to hold back a chuckle. "This," he continued, as if he were talking to a little child, "is mine."

"No its–"

Before Elle could finish, the boy flashed the phone's screen on and she saw the wallpaper of some rock band that certainly wasn't on hers.

"Yeah," the boy slurred as a wordless Elle stared blankly at him. "A lot of people happen to own iPhones, you know?"

"I–"

"Look," he said, his teasing smirk and distracting British accent beginning to irritate Elle. "Next time you decide to blame someone for something they undoubtedly didn't do, try and remember you happen to have a spot on a line to guard." He finished and then, just like that, he was gone again.

❄ 

Apparently, the only hotel in the little town of Strand could only host forty people, and the one in the nearest town only sixty. The plane had brought with it a hundred and fifty passengers, so that meant that the fifty remaining people –people who were not business class passengers, or families traveling with small kids, or just lucky enough– were left to wander by themselves around town and hopefully find a place to stay the night.

After the rain had reduced to just a few droplets, Elle and the other remaining passengers were able to leave the airport. Because there were no cars or buses, the unlucky few had to walk all the way from there to the town of Strand. It was a twenty minute walk under the rain they had to do since they just couldn't stay at the airport according to the captain and his crew. Not that anyone would have known if they had stayed there. And not that any of the travelers would have wanted to anyways. Between the lack of food and blankets, freezing temperature and occasional dripping of water through the roof, the airport was not ideal for anyone. Still, as soon as the rain subsided, they were kicked out and wished good luck and none of them were too happy about it.

Indeed, as the group made their long walk under the freezing Scottish weather, Elle was forced to hear the many complaints of her fellow passengers.

"How can they just throw us away to the streets in the middle of a storm?"

"We should do something."

"What about suing them?"

"No. That's too much."

"But they are leaving us on the streets!"

"It isn't like they asked for the storm."