Lights, Cameras, Maze Runner! (completed)

two (part one)

Preparation for Louisiana may have been the most stressful 72 hours of my life for several reasons.

First, I had to convince Juliana, my boss at the Waterfall, to let me request a leave of absence mere hours before the absence was to begin. Luckily, Juliana is a huge fan of The Maze Runner and its franchise, so she understood the opportunity my uncle has given me. Her only request was that I buy her a white shirt with every cast member's autograph on it, and then I could have my leave.

Second, I had to convince Connor to let me go. He wasn't too happy that I wanted to run off to Louisiana for at least six weeks, not to mention leave for my trip three days after I decided to go. Wes and I talked it out, and he is allowing Connor to come visit on the set twice during the rest of filming. I thought we made out pretty well with that little bargain.

On the Friday and Saturday leading up to my departure from Vermont, I spent every second with Mallory, Connor, and my family. We got some of our coworkers to cover our shifts so we could make each second last outside of the restaurant. The three of us went to see Iron Man 3 at Connor's request, and we spent the rest of our free time at Mallory's.

The five of us now sit at gate C-12 in the Westshire International Airport. My flight is boarding the first-class flyers first, and then it'll be my turn.

Connor, who sits next to me, puts his hand on my knee. "I'm gonna miss you, Kelsey," he says.

I lean my head on his shoulder. "I'm going to miss you too. But hey, you can come visit!"

He shrugs. "It won't be the same without you at the restaurant. What's today? June fifth? Okay, I'll come visit on the 26th, and stay for like, five days or so."

I nod. "I'll let Wes know."

My boarding group gets called, and the five of us stand up to say our goodbyes.

"Bye, Mom. Bye, Dad," I say, hugging both of my parents at the same time. My mom pulls away, wiping a few stray tears from her eyes.

"Be safe down there," my father warns. "That means no weed, no alcohol and most importantly, no boys."

I choose to make fun of his word choice. "Oh, so the heroin and cocaine are okay?"

He glares at me, even though he knows I'm only kidding. "Don't screw your life up."

It's Mallory's turn. She's got tears streaming down her cheeks, and her mascara is halfway down her face. "I'm sorry!" she wails, seeing my judgmental face. "It's just you and Connor are my only friends, and now I'm gonna have to put up with Connor's dumb ass all on my own!"

Connor shoots me a look that cries for help as she sobs into my shoulder, her arms gripping me in a bear hug. "Hey, don't cry," I say, rubbing her back. "I'll be back before you know it. I'll call you every day. And we can FaceTime, too!"

That only makes her cry even harder. "B-But, FaceTime sucks! I can't hug you through my phone!"

"You can always try." She hugs me for about twenty more seconds, then backs up to give Connor his turn. He wraps me in a warm embrace, resting his chin on my head. "Please, don't forget about me while you're down south," he whispers, only audible enough for me to hear. He rubs my back as he kisses the top of my head.

I look up at him. "I could never forget about us, Connor. Don't worry."

My name gets called from the employee checking boarding passes before flyers get on the plane.

"Well, I better get going," I say hurriedly. "I think I missed my cue!"

I hug Connor one last time, sneaking in a quick kiss so my parents don't see. "I love you, Kelsey," Connor whispers, only so I can hear.