Snapshot (Alexbelle)

Chapter Seven

"Are you sure you don't want me to go up to check-in with you?" mom asks with a worried look on her face. I swing the duffel bag over my shoulder and give her a reassuring smile.

"Yes mom, I'm sure. I will be fine. I promise." I answer. I find myself yawning, it being only 5:00 in the morning.

"Ok...promise you will call every chance you get." She says.

"I promise." I tell her. She pulls me in for a hug and holds me there until I have to break off. "It won't be that long. I will be back before you know it."

She smiles a little and backs up to the car. "Just stay safe."

"I will. Love you!" I tell her. I take my suitcase and wheel it up to the front doors of the airport. My mom waves back at me and tells me a few other things, and then I watch the doors close behind me.

Even this early in the morning, there are cameras flashing everywhere. I know I look terrible.

There are ropes guarding off a small walkway to the check-in counter. I was told to go through these doors because it was roped off for the cast.

When I get to the counter, I give the people my passes and papers. They hand me back my boarding pass, and I walk through the airport to the departure gate.

Since we really aren't that well known yet, we don't get a special flight or anything. We have to get on a plane with other people, but we get to sit first class. The first group of people, like Jen and Josh and all of them, got on a flight yesterday afternoon.

When I get to the gate, I see that most of the others are already here. They are sitting in the waiting area, some of them sleeping.

Jack looks up from his cell phone and smiles. "Look who finally decided to show up. Missed you!" he says.

Some of the others perk their heads up and wave groggily. I sit down in a chair beside Dayo and lean my head back. Maybe I can get some sleep for the next hour.

"I'm so tired." Dayo says beside me. I groan in return and start to listen as an attendant calls out for another flight.

I take a look at my boarding pass. Here to Atlanta, then Atlanta to North Carolina. It's been all over Twitter that we were leaving today, so it's likely there will be fans waiting in Atlanta and North Carolina.

"Hey, baby!" I hear a familiar voice say from beside me. I open one of my eyes and see Alexander setting his stuff down next to me. He carries a tray of coffees in one hand.

Everyone gets up when they see him and snatches coffees off of the tray. Alexander hands me the one that he had in his hand.

"Isn't that yours?" I ask, looking at the steaming cup.

"No. I got it for you." He says with a weak smile.

"Thanks." I say, returning the smile. "But I don't really drink coffee."

"Well, you drink caramel macchiatos. You said so at training one day. And I bought this specially for you." He says. He must have already had a couple cups of the stuff.

I reach out and take the cup. "Thank you, Xander."

I drink the coffee and slowly feel myself waking up. The rest of them are still slow-moving, but they are waking up as well.

Amandla shows up soon with someone that was escorting her. She smiles and waves when she sees us and sits across from me.

"Hi." She says quietly.

"Hey!" Alexander answers. He takes the only cup left that was sitting behind him and hands it to Amandla.

She looks at the cup and hesitates. She must not be allowed to drink coffee. Which I don't really get; she's like 13.