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27: Arrival to the North Pole

27: Arrival to the North Pole

"I don't know if we should fly with your knee like that," Emmett said for the third time since we'd gotten up. I'd spent the night on his couch, nervous to go back into my room. My knee was throbbing and he'd insisted on wrapping it.

While I was reluctant to have a big, ugly bandage on my knee, I didn't want blood to start gushing from the gash while we flew.

Giving him a flat look, I said, "Emmett, we can't not go. It will be the first time in three years that I don't go."

"Three years? Which parent let you go?"

"One that lived relatively close to Michigan, in Ohio," I said. "Of course, he'd never waste his own money on the gas to go. I drove myself."

"Pretty sure that is illegal," he said. "If you only have your hardship, you can't do that."

"Well, as long as you're a good driver, you won't get caught." He nodded in agreement and it made me wonder how many illegal things he'd done before. While he wasn't necessarily a "bad boy," he didn't fit the whole "golden boy" frame. I knew he'd done his fair share things that were less than legal.

With tired eyes and dragging feet, we made our way slowly through security and boarded the plane. It took so long, and I didn't necessarily know how to deal with parting with my purse, phone, etc. It was a rough few seconds. On the plane, Emmett told me that we had first class seats. The seats were actually very comfortable.

"I can't believe they didn't comment on the painkillers. All we did was put them in a plastic bag," Emmett muttered. "Usually they are way overbearing about any type of pill."

I shrugged and looked though my purse. I had everything from concealer to makeup remover inside. Just to make sure I had everything, I counted the items.

"The number won't change, no matter how many times you count." I glanced at Emmett with a scowl and he smirked. "Objects don't disappear or reappear."

"They fall out." My retort was cut short by a small bell and a voice. All it said was when we would be leaving. "So what do we do for the flight?" I asked. So far, it was pretty boring. We hadn't even left yet, but my eyes were drooping.

"We can watch a movie," he said, gesturing to the screens on the back on the headrests of the seats in front of us. I smiled and nodded, glad I'd brought my earbuds.

Luckily, there were no annoying children who kicked the back of my seat or yelled or cried as there were in the movies. It was just a quiet hour and a half and we were landing in Holland, Michigan. I'd fallen asleep at some point in the flight, and the pictures on Emmett's phone testified to the ugliness of my state.

No nightmares happened, though, and no freak meltdowns. It was an eventless flight. "You were lucky. On my first flight, a baby cried the whole time because it's ears were hurting."

"Poor thing," I murmured.

My legs were slightly unsteady as I walked into the road. "We can walk to the hotel from here. I've already booked our rooms."

Relief flowed through me at the plural tense of the word. I'd been slightly worried he'd book one room. I was always modest with money, but one room was where I drew the line.

We began walking. I was only wearing jeans and a very large, very comfortable hoodie with a beanie I'd gotten for my birthday and gloves that went well with it. My hair was my scarf, I supposed, down in it's natural waves. My feet were trembling in their rain boots, but I refused to let Emmett buy me those ridiculously priced UGG boots.