Tides

{ chapter two : plane ticket }

{ Hazel } 

When I left Logan Airport ten o'clock last night, all I could feel were knots in my stomach. I left my Mom, my step-dad Marco, and the only friend I had left: Noah. But, ever since I left, I felt at ease with myself and the nightmares stopped the night I slept on the plane. Maybe going to Hawaii is a good thing.

The plane ride was horrendous. I sat next to a large man that snored loudly through his sleep and had a little kid kick the back of my seat while his mother completely ignored him and read Celeb Life magazine. I went through twelve hours of complete hell to go to 'paradise'. 

When the plane landed in the city of Wind Port, I looked around to find my escort back. Nobody. I half-expected my Dad to appear from nowhere with a large bouquet of flowers that read 'Welcome Hazel, the best daughter ever!', but instead, I didn't see him.

If my Dad wasn't going to be there, I expected that somebody else would be picking me up. I walked over to where the limo drivers and family members stood with signs with written names on them. After looking at about fifteen signs, I didn't find a single 'Hazel Rose Woods'. 

I grunted and let go of the handle of one of my many luggage. Completely annoyed, I was going to turn around and find a seat, but then I came face to face with a tanned guy wearing a blue flannel, swim trunks, and mismatched flip flops. 

*~*

"Hazel Woods?" He asked, his face completely expressionless. I was surprised when he spoke in a soft, clear voice because his attire and just the way he looked gave off the stereotypical surfer dude vibe. In truth, I really did expect him to say "Totally gnarly!" or "Duuude!". I chuckled at the thought.

I looked up and saw him raise an eyebrow. Great move, Hazel - laugh at completely nothing in front of the guy taking you to see your Dad. Smooth.

"Uh .. yeah. I'm Hazel." I said, tugging at the sleeve of my clearance-sale rue21 cardigan. God, I was sweating to death in this thing.

"Grant asked me to pick you up." He said, tossing the cardboard sign into the nearest wastebasket. "Oh. Why didn't he pick me up?" The guy, whose name he didn't give, sighed. "He said he was busy. Now, come on."

He then took the luggage from my hands, leaving me with just the one carry-on bag with 'Hazel Rose Woods' written all over it. He then began to head for the airport exit and walked with a quick pace, making it hard to keep up.

"W-Wait!" I said, meeting him at the door. I practically ran a marathon to keep up with surfer-looking-guy. I tried to catch my breath; while panting and wheezing, surfer-looking-guy gave me a confused look. "Are you okay?" I scoffed. "Yeah, I'm totally okay, whatever-your-name is." I said sarcastically. 

Straightening my back, I picked up my carry-on and opened the door. It let in hot air; god, why did I still have this cardigan on? 

"Are you coming, or not?" I called to surfer-looking-guy. He walked towards me, luggage in hand, and then - surprisingly - told me his name.

"Noel. My name is Noel." 

*~*

Since Noel had a surfer-look to him, I thought his name would be Tanner or Bruce or something of that sort. But, instead, he had a simple name.

Noel. I liked it.

We went to his truck, which was a beaten-up Ford truck with a flashy bumper sticker on the back that read: "I live and breathe Clementine Port, Hawaii!". 

When we got inside of the truck, just as Noel turned the keys to rev up the engine, I quickly pulled of the light pink cardigan and tossed it towards my carryon bag in the back seat. When I turned my head, I saw Noel giving me a bewildered look.

"What?" I asked, crossing my arms. "You do realize you're wearing a sweater, right?" I looked down to what I was wearing, and sure enough, I was, in fact, wearing a black sweater.

Shit. You're a dumbass, Hazel.

"Well, would you look at that." I said, trying to laugh it off. I then realized how much of an idiot I looked and quickly shut up, leaving Noel to start the truck and drive off.

I was beginning to sweat - a lot. "Do you have A.C?" I asked Noel while fanning myself with my hands. "No." He said. "You shouldn't have worn a sweater underneath a cardigan. That's kind of an idiot move" 

That son of a - 

 I looked at Noel, my full evil-eye on. But, what I noticed was was that Noel had a smirk on his face. The goddamn surfer-looking kid was smirking at me and I just met him ten minutes ago. 

"Whatever." I grumbled, staring out the window. Noel, the 'quiet' kid I just met didn't seem so innocent anymore. 

*~*

Ten minutes into the drive, we pulled up to a medium-sized house that faced the beach. Standing in front was my Dad, arms crossed, and an expressionless face: just like how he looked when I last saw him.

He changed a lot over nine years. I knew he would change, but he looked so much different. His once chestnut colored hair was now a silvery gray and his eyes were now a dull gray like his hair. It's hard to say, but he's old. 

When we got out, Noel and I stood side-by-side while facing my Dad. Dad stood, silent. His eyes looked at me all over, scrutinizing every fine detail of my face. 

"Uh..." I said shyly, pulling a few strands of my brown hair behind me ear. 

"Noel, I trust my daughter wasn't any trouble, was she?" 

"Oh, you know, she was normal. Talked a helluva lot, but overall - she was normal."

what the hell

"I expected it to be so." When I looked up at Dad's now slightly-old face, he wore the smile I once remembered.

I guess he didn't really change at all. 

"S-shut up." I stuttered, my face red as a beet. 

~*~* A/N ~*~*

We meet Noel, a guy whose personality may come off as sarcastic - but in reality, he's introverted and tends to stray from people.

A true wallflower.

I really liked making up Noel because his character concept is so damn cute.

-Angela