The Exchange Student, the Pop Prince and the Raffle Tickets

Chapter Twenty: Skinny girls like that, it's all genetics...

Enjoy!

Lauren =D 

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• Chapter Twenty

Finally! An airport, it had taken me a couple of hours just to arrive. I was sure it was the best thing for me. To go home. To get back to England and my old life. 

I'd booked a flight to London, Heathrow but was very tempted to go to New Zealand. I'd always wanted to go... 

I waited in the queue for my strawberries and cream frappuccino from Starbucks when all I could hear was giggling and a tall girl with blonde hair was flirting with the baristar. I loved her wedge heel shoes. She would obviously order a skinny latte or something, I'd always ask for cream on top of my Starbucks. It wasn't a Starbucks without it.  

I smiled a little at myself when I saw the Venti Caramel Frappuccino with lots of whipped cream enter the girls hand. Of course, skinny girls like that, it's all genetics. We both glared when we saw each other. 

Raine. 

The skinny girl was Raine! 

Raine smiled. "Well, well, well. What do we have here..." 

"Go choke on your frappuccino." 

"What are you doing here? Obviously not a modeling holiday..." 

"I can ask the same for you... a popstar or a grey eyed hottie nearby?" 

Raine flicked her hair back. "Whatever." 

"What's that? No good comebacks?" 

"Why are you here? Your adopted family kicked you out? Going back to England are we?" 

"Yeah, actually I am, but not because they kicked me out. I hate it here." I really wanted to come back with something better than that but it was best I could come up with. 

"How touching... well I hope your plane doesn't go down or something." 

"Remember to ask about the left flangy." 

"The what?" 

"Exactly." I walked off with a smile on my face grabbing my frappuccino as I went. It was a low blow talking about the flangy when it came from Friends but still. I was grabbed from the shoulder and shoved around to face Raine again. 

"That was from Friends, bitch." 

"Oh, so glad you could remember." 

"Don't make me smack you down here..." She growled at me. 

I took a sip of my Starbucks trying to fight back the laughter. "Really? Do you really want that? I mean I don't want to scratch up that face of yours when you have to pose for the police mug shots. Raine, listen, you can have Eli. I've played with him and now I'm done. But if I catch you near Grey when I'm around, you're dead." 

"Well you're going back to England. I can do whatever I want." 

She wasn't wrong. I shurgged my shoulders sipping my Starbucks. "See you around Raine." 

* 

My flight was delayed. I was stuck in America for another hour or so. I had a feeling I had to call my school and tell them I was coming back early due to family complications but I just couldn't dial the number. 

I felt as if I had failed in some way.  

I wandered aimlessly around duty free trying to find something to get Kristin and maybe Dad. 

My flight was called and I made the long walk to the terminal. 

I could only remember the bad things that happened and hardly any good.  

Had there been anything good that had come out of this experience? I wondered. 

I had come to the terminal; there was a little queue so I waited feeling more and more like I failed.  

Finally, the hostess placed out her hand for my passport. I went to hand her my pink and black passport but stopped. 

I wanted to look behind me, just in case they were there.  

What if they were there looking for me, begging me to come back to the house, to start fresh. Is that what I wanted? Even if that wasn't what I wanted, I wanted them to beg anyway just so I could slam it back in their faces. 

I had to do it, I had to look back. Quickly I turned my head looking out for anyone, Sarah, Bindi, Eli, Joseph. No one. 

I took a deep breath, feeling the burning in my throat. She checked the passport and welcomed me. I had to look behind me again.  

I took a step, another step. 

"Miss, are you waiting for someone?" 

"Oh, um, no." 

"Well please, we are already delayed. You're the last passenger." 

"E!" 

I spun around looking out for the person who called my name. my heart screamed Eli, Eli was coming for me. 

They shouted again but I couldn't see anyone. I saw a dark haired male walking forward with a baseball cap on low so I couldn't see his face, he was walking with purpose. He looked like Eli, he walked like Eli too. My heart was beating a thousand times faster. I took a step away from the stewardess and towards the male. It had to be Eli but where was Bindi? She must be coming I started to walk towards the male until I saw it, it was a five year old running away from her mum. 

"Edith!" she shouted. "Come back here, we'll see the planes in a minute." 

No. 

The male had walked straight past me and into another terminal, taking off his cap and giving his passport to another stewardess. 

No! 

"Miss! Miss! Please, are you getting on this plane?" 

I wanted to say no, desperately. I wanted to shout no because Eli had come to get me. 

I walked back, tears starting to flow, the stewardess draped an arm around me and walked me forward onto the flight.

I had spent the entire ten hour flight crying my eyes out.  

I think I knew that none of the family were going to show up, but still, a part of me wished it. To mean so little to a family after five long months of being another family member, hurt. It tore my heart. I had been nothing but a pet, who they didn't want anymore. 

I think I had gone over the last five months in my head over hundred times. I couldn't even stop it. It just played and played over and over until the exhaustion took over my body leading me into a dreamless sleep. 

I woke up, face tight, make up down my face and the makings of a serious headache from the amount of tears I'd cried. 

I'm pretty sure that the stewardesses were quite taken back when they saw my face as everyone was escorted off the plane. I gave a little smile to be polite but it just made my face feel tighter.  

But, I was home. I gave a sigh of relief. 

Hello, England!  

And look at that, it's raining. 

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