Seventeen year old Rylee Brown's life is flipped upside down when she loses her mother only to be shipped off to a man she hasn't seen in almost a decade. Moving in with her father and his perfect wife and perfect children is the last thing she want...
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Airports.
They are filled with hundreds of people passing by one another, oblivious to each other's existence. I have passed families with "Welcome Home" signs waiting for their brave loved ones to get off the plane, couples embracing one another as if they will never see each other again and kids clutching a stuffed animal, excited for their first time on a plane.
Airports are a good place to witness the variety of people in this world. It's a place where worlds overlap.
At this moment, my world is about to get a little more difficult. Moving out of the city is something I'm not looking forward to. The city is a place that I loved living in. You could easily disappear into the crowd of people and go unnoticed which is exactly what I want and need at the moment. Now I have to move all the way across the country to the suburbs of California to man that chose to leave my life and continue to stay away.
"Well, this is where we part ways." Jenna's voice softens. Her greens eyes grow glossy as the seconds pass by.
I push my messenger bag behind me before wrapping my arms around Jenna. She immediately responds with a tight squeeze. "I love you more than I could ever put in words, Rylee. I know you are upset with me now but one day, you will realize it was for your own good–" I roll my eyes at the thought of this being for my own good, "–Once you get settled, I would really like to talk to you on the phone every now and then." She pulls away, placing her hands on my shoulders "Please behave yourself." She smiles, twirling a piece of my hair before letting it go.
I'll try but no promises.
Adjusting my bag, I walk away leaving Jenna watching as I approach security, knowing this is where we part. Once I step on that plane, I am going to go far away from the one person I have left that I love. The hole in my chest grows bigger, the farther I walk on the plane. I choose a seat in the back, just a few seats in front of the bathroom. A seat where I can be away from the dozens of people that board. I pull my headphones out of my bag, plugging them into my cracked phone.
Let's just say my phone is fifty shades jacked up.
I begin to lose myself as "Drown" by Carolina Liar starts to play. The lyrics play on my heart, depicting everything I am feeling. I close my eyes, humming the tune softly until I feel my body drift away.
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"Excuse me, dear." The touch of a hand on my shoulder jerks me awake from my peaceful slumber. I look up to see a woman in a uniform who I realize is a flight attendant, standing above me with a smile on her face. "Everyone is getting off, sweetheart." She holds her hand out to the exit, "Welcome to California."
I lean my head back on the seat, cursing words that my mom would disapprove of. I grab my bag with the roll of my eyes. I walk off the plane, blaring the music in my earplugs. I'm surprised that I'm not deaf by now.
