World of Stars (Jack Maynard fanfic)

Introduction

I'm held tight around my neck. It's the kind of pressure that builds slowly, but steadily. There's no sign of relief and I feel myself about to black out...

"I'm going to miss you so much, Addison!" My mom stammers through tears as she hugs me. I would take the time to correct her and tell her to call me Addi, but I don't have the lung capacity.

"Can't breath!" I wheeze.

"I don't want to ever let you go!" She hugs me tighter, which I don't think is even possible.

"I've been living away at uni for three and a half years, what makes the next few months any different?" I finally manage to squeeze out of her grip. I breathe in the, somewhat, fresh air of the airport.

"You are going to be a whole ocean away instead of a few hours and I'll be all alone." She covers her mouth to drown out the sobs, she is starting to draw attention to us. 

She has good reason to be upset, she will now officially be alone. My dad died before I was born and with no siblings, I'm the only person my mom has. She never told me much about him. Mom grew more and more vague in her information about him as I grew up. I am all she has and now I'm beginning to feel guilty for leaving

"I'll call you on the phone almost every day, I promise. Everything is going to be okay." I say in an attempt to reassure her and myself. I give her one last hug as the boarding call is made. I take one last look at her green eyes that I got from her. We are both holding back tears.

"Now boarding flight 406 to London." I turn and make my way to the counter, handing the women my ticket. I turn back one last time to see my mom, all alone. Mom is strong, she will be okay. It's not as if I could stay...If I don't complete my co-op, I can't graduate university and I need to complete my degree in astrophysics. I wave to my mom and step through the door, letting silent tears fall. 

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It is a fairly late flight, set to take off at 10:30 pm. I, of course, booked the window seat so I could have a view of the sky. I put my carry on luggage in the overhead compartment and take my seat. I wiggle around and attempt to get comfortable.

 I look to my right and see Elenor already placing her sleep mask on over her blonde hair, gearing up for the 10-hour flight. Her sleep mask has the name Elle stitched into it because, like me, she prefers the short form of her name. She is the only other student with me on the trip, we were the only two chosen for the amazing co-op opportunity. We both had a dream of backpacking around Europe after high school, so this is the next best thing. We have been with each other each step of the way and we were lucky enough to have gotten these spots. I give her a quick nudge.

"Hey don't put the mask on yet, we have to listen to the safety instructions." I tell her somewhat jokingly.

"I can listen with my eyes closed. Vacation starts now!" She smiles at me and grabs my hand.

"This isn't a vacation, this is a work term." I remind her of a fact she is already well aware of.

With a muffled 'I know, I know' Elle places her mask back on. My best friend, but almost my complete opposite, began to snore.

The flight attendant goes through all the safety procedures and I strain not to fall asleep, this is taking forever. I understand why Elle was already fast asleep next to me. A buzz of energy battled my tired state. I was restless, I just wanted to get to London and start working, but the excitement was wearing me out.

I look to my left and stare out the window, finally hearing the plane's engine roar to life. As the flight takes off, I take my time to admire the galaxy. It was not unlike me to get lost looking at the night sky. The stars gave me hope, the infinite landscape made me feel like there were endless possibilities for me. My eyes begin to sink and I fall asleep thinking how wonderful it would be to live in a world of stars.