What It Seems | Wattys 2023

Chapter 3

Concluding about the day I had. . . there was nothing else to say except it was terrible. I had two beverages dumped on me: coffee on my clothes, and an entire bottle of water dumped in my lap.

"You stay here. I'll be back in a few. If Baylor comes by, let him in." I nodded in agreement, and I heard the door shut behind Aiden.

I stood from the sofa and left to go find something to snack on in the kitchen. Aiden had gone grocery shopping so that means there's finally snacks in the pantry. I slipped a can of Sprite from the case and grabbed a bag of chips. I sat the food down on the coffee table in front of the couch and searched for a movie. I scanned through Netflix and found Mean Girls.

About ten minutes into the movie, I began to think about Baylor Parker – the kid from the pictures from my childhood. I found it very odd that I had never seen this boy in my life.

Who was the boy that always hung around Aiden and me back then? I've caused myself to think firmly about it, but something just didn't come to mind until I saw a ground outside of a window. I saw a young Aiden playing with a young Baylor - the kid that was in the same picture that my brother showed me a few days ago.

Dad ruffled my hair, saying, "Hey kid, why don't you go outside? I built that tree house for you to play in, not for you to forget about and stay inside all of the time."

"But that mean boy is out there," I whined.

"Who, Baylor? He's not mean, he just has a crush on you," Dad grinned. I scrunched my nose in disgust. He laughed, "Get your coat on and go outside!"

I sighed in defeat, "Okay, okay." I pulled on my gloves and my boots and made my way out to my tree house. Aiden and Baylor were playing with snowballs; throwing them back and forth at each other. "Adalynne! Come play with us!" My ten-year-old brother bossed me. I shook my head, "I'm going to my tree house."

"Don't worry about her; she'll probably freeze up there anyway. If she gets hurt, she'll go running to your dad saying that we were being mean. She's a snitch anyway."

I cried on my way to my tree house. I sat on the edge and played with my dolls that were left around on the wooden floor. A lunge was pressed to my back, and when I woke up, I was in the hospital with a cast on my ankle and one over my hand.

I find myself having vivid flashbacks when I focus on a certain situation. I have never recalled that memory until I thoroughly thought about the kid in the picture. It was something else that was very odd.

I continued watching the movie, tuning in and out, listening here and there. One moment I was paying attention to the movie, the next I was scrolling through my phone. A slam of the front door was heard throughout the apartment. "Damn that wind is strong," Aiden said as he walked in. He left to go to his room.

Twenty minutes after Aiden being in his room, which he was probably taking a shower, a knock was heard on the door.

I looked through the peep hole and saw Baylor standing at the door. I opened the wooden door.

"I expected a bit manlier person with brown hair. Someone a lot taller," he spoke with a smirk on his face.

I moved out of the doorway so he could enter at his own pace. He walked in slowly, examining the place.

"I thought Aiden was here," he deemed. His head snapped in my direction as I lounged around, wondering if I should go to my room or wait till Aiden got out of the shower.

"He is."

Not long after Aiden had gotten out of the shower, Baylor had already made himself at home.

I went to my room to lay across my bed. I turned on Netflix to finish the movie I was watching earlier. I pulled my blanket around my body and placed a pillow beneath my chin. I snaked my tan limbs around it and tucked my chin into the fluffy pillow. My eyes were glued to the television as I was getting into this movie.

***

The plane began to shake. The oxygen masks flew from the ceiling, warning every passenger on this plane to grab a mask. Everyone was in panic mode, me especially. "

Daddy," I cried. I looked around my area, wondering what in the world was going on.

I watched as my dad snatched the mask down to my level. "Put this on!" he shouted into his air mask. I did as he told me by placing the mask over my nose and mouth and clasped the band around my head.

"Daddy, what's happening?" I screamed in fright. I could feel the plane's motion going in circles and I became extremely dizzy and nauseous. A loud noise was heard when the plane jerked violently. I felt my body being shaken constantly.

My dad held onto my arm tightly as he possibly could. It seemed as if the whole world had come crashing down on us. A big limb darted into the plane, and in that moment, I knew we were caught in trees.

"I love you baby girl," Daddy said. I didn't get the chance to say it back as I felt my head crashing against the window, busting it with the compact of my head.

"Adalynne." All I could feel was my body shaking like it was on the plane. I could feel the left side of my head in unbearable pain, and my ears were ringing, causing myself to scream.

"Adalynne, it's okay. Bubba's here, everything's gonna be all right."

I hesitated to open my eyes, wondering if I was still on the plane. I felt like I could throw up. It felt like I had a migraine, my head hurt so badly. It slowly disappeared when I came to my senses. I saw Aiden's face; manly looking with a short stub growing around his mouth and chin. He scooped me under his arm, laying my head on his shoulder. He began to rub my back and whisper, "it's okay" and "it's all right, I'm here." Silent sobs were falling from my lips, and my eyes were watery from the furious tears I was shedding in my sleep. My throat was raw and sore; I couldn't speak.

A sudden movement flashed by my doorway. My eyes flickered to the object. I blinked away the tears for a clearer vision. There stood a wide-eyed Baylor, watching, with sympathy written all over his face.