Girl Online: Secrets

Chapter Thirty-Three

Fourteen hours on an aeroplane is a long time, especially when you have no company. For two hours, I stare out of the window, eat some snacks and read a magazine 20 times, until a girl - slightly younger than me -  starts staring at me.

My first instinct is to panic, thinking she might have figured out who I am, but instead I grin. She seems familiar, like I've seen her around the Lanes in Brighton

"Hey!" I say in a slightly deeper voice so she (hopefully) won't recognise it's actually Penny Flynn she's talking to.

"You again?" she moans in an American accent, ignoring my greeting, "Just my luck."

I take off my sunglasses and have a closer look at the girl. Then it hits me - It's Sammy, Alex's girlfriend.

"Who is it, Sam?" I hear Alex's voice ask.

"No one - Just that dork, Alyssa." she turns to glare at me, "You know, you look suspiciously like Penny Flynn. Phoney!"

"That's because I am," I reply, "The Alyssa thing was.. A mistake. Sorry about that."

"Pen? So it is you!" he grins, "Mind if I sit down?"

"Quit sucking up to her! She's a freak!" Sammy snaps.

"Sure," I ignore Sammy and pat the seat next to me - I need some company to make this trip less boring.

Sammy looks furious, but I ignore that, too.

"So what were you doing in Australia?" he asks me.

"I was.. Visiting some relatives. Well, friends. Elliot and such."

"Elliot's in Australia?" Alex asks curiously.

"Yeah. Did you know that he has kids? I didn't."

"Mhm. So you were visiting for how long?" he obviously doesn't want to know his ex moved on. But it was still early days, right?

"Only about two days."

"Two days? All the way from England?"

"Yeahh. I didn't have much time. Need to... Fix things back in Brighton."

"Ahh! Relationship problems?"

"If you don't get your butt off that seat, you'll be the one with relationship problems." Sammy retorts angrily.

I ignore her - I hope to do that for the whole ten hours - and look at Alex blankly. "Um, yeah. Anyway, what about you? Why were you in Australia?"

"Sammy's half Australian as well as American. We were visiting her cousins here."

"Oh." I say and look out the window.

Silence, then---

"ALEX!! FOR GOD'S SAKE! GET YOUR A-"

"So how are the kids and.. Noah?"

I glare at him. Why does everyone ask that? Haven't they read the gossip already online - or are they trying to watch me squirm?

"I think you better go now," I say through gritted teeth.

Alex look hurt. "What? But what abo-"

"Just go."

"Yes, let's go." Sammy takes his hand and drags him away. I thank her inside my head (It would be awkward out loud).

I manage to fall asleep for the next six hours, and wake up when we stop. For a moment I think we arrived in England - but when I look outside the window I see we've just stopped in Singapore for fuel.

I sigh. I can't wait to get home and have a good rest.

Except.. I don't have anywhere to go when I get back. I could go to Chris' house, because technically it's mine as Chris is in jail - but then again, I don't really want to. I want to go home, to the kids, to Noah.

But I can't. A tear falls onto the magazine.

What am I going to do?