When in London

Chapter 1: Goodbyes and Plane Flights

“Now, are you sure you want to do this?” Liz’s mother, Marie, said. She was very protective of all three of her children.

“Marie, she’s twenty-one. She’ll be absolutely fine.” Paul, Liz’s father replied in order to calm his wife down. While he loved his children, he understood the need to fly the nest and explore the world. He was supportive of all their decisions, even if he thought they were bad. This allowed them the chance to grow into their own people; an opportunity Lizzie was eternally thankful for.

“I know that darling! I just worry about my baby…”

How did Liz predict that answer?

“Mum, I’m not a baby! This is something I’ve wanted to do for ages. Are you really going to try and stop me?” Guilt tripping her mother was the only real way to get what she wanted.

After a moment’s hesitation, Marie stated, “Of course not sweetheart. I just want you to be happy and sure you’re making the right decision.”

“I know I am mum. For once can you please just trust me on this?”

“Go have fun in England. Don’t hesitate to call whenever. Don’t worry about the time difference. I love you.” Marie pulled her oldest daughter in for a hug, filling Liz with a warmth she would have to get used to not having access too twenty-four seven.

“Love you too mum.” Liz mumbled into her mother’s shoulder, relishing it. It would be hard to get used to being away from her coddling.

Maggie’s parting remark to her sister was, “Get a hot boyfriend while you’re over there sis. God knows you’ve been single for way to long. And British boys do it better.”

“You really shouldn’t be saying things like that. Oh, and thanks for your overwhelming amount of support, Margaret. I’m going to miss you as well.” Liz savoured the grimace and squirms of her sister as her full name was spoken and pulled her into a hug. As much as the seventeen year old bugged the hell out of her, she would miss the chats and petty fights they had.

“What about you Robbie? Are you going to miss me?”

A shrug of the shoulders was the answer Liz received from her fourteen year old brother, who in turn gets thwacked on the back of the head by Paul for the lack of his linguistic skills.

“Sure, whatever.” From Robbie, this was a full answer and his sister eagerly accepted; Robert was going through that teenage boy grunting stage, so any words were a plus.

She daren’t give him a hug for fear of being pushed to the other side of the building trying to throw her off. Also, he was fourteen. Who knew when the last time he took a proper shower was?

“Going to miss you kiddo,” Liz could swear she saw tears in her father’s eyes. “Don’t get into too much trouble. Love you.”

Despite herself, Liz could not help her eyes watering and she threw her arms around him. “Love you so much, Daddio.”

Of all her family, Liz was going to miss her father most of all, probably. They got along the best, sharing a similar sarcastic, slightly cynical attitude but both were big teddy bears on the inside. They bonded over cars, music and art, and she felt closest to him. Liz knew that not having him close to her was going to be hard.

Taking a deep breath to compose herself, Liz joined Kelly who was standing to the side having said her goodbyes at home, catching a lift with the Davidson’s.

“Love you all so much. I’m going to miss you.” Liz called to her family, catching one last glimpse of them before she was pulled down the stairs to customs by Kelly.

“Come on Lizzie. We’re going to miss our flight!” Kelly exclaimed to her friend, in an adorable way only Kelly could have ever managed.

“We’ve got plenty of time Kels.” Liz replied, finding her friend’s cuteness endearing where most found it either strange or annoying.

She hated anyone using the nickname ‘Lizzie’, excepting Kelly, finding it childish. It was a privilege only her best friend could have.

Getting through customs and to the gate was time consuming and they made it just in time after numerous stops on Kelly’s part when faced with duty-free.

It wasn’t that she was a shopaholic merely that she found it hard to concentrate when faced with stuffed animals and the like. While most people found her outright nerdiness and fascination with all things cute and fluffy childish and immature, Lizzie knew exactly what she saw.

Liz wasn’t extreme as Kelly was, but she was nerdy, something they bonded over.

There was a big difference though.

Lizzie was often described as sarcastic and cynical and sometimes even bitchy by those who pissed her off or didn’t know her well enough. But she was compassionate, kind-hearted, generous, and generally patient and despite what others thought, was not confident at all.

Kelly though, was described as cute, innocent and sympathetic. However she, like Liz had character traits that many didn’t see. If you got on Kelly’s bad side, you wouldn’t know what hit you; she could be brutal at times, defending her friends till the very end. She wasn’t particularly innocent either. In fact, it was always her of the duo to spot the sexual innuendos and puns in a normal conversation first. The cuteness though, was wired into her.

Both had seen what others didn’t in each other and gravitated towards the other in group situations. They had remained friends for years, even after Liz had finished high school.

They knew that no matter what happened, no matter if they disagreed or argued or got angry or disappointed, they would always be friends. And through break ups, fall outs, sad times and hard times, they both took comfort in that.

As they sat in the plane that would take them to their dream, well at least half way to their dream (they were stopping over in Singapore), and the two knew that this was going to be an adventure that would strengthen their friendship even further.

Authors Note: Hi everyone! First chapter is up! Sorry that it seems a little bit slow for now, but I’m trying to flesh out the characters and get to the plot as quickly as possible. Also, I’m so sorry for the late update, but I’m in my final year of school, so I’m a bit swamped at the moment. I’m currently on break, so I’m going to upload and write as much as possible. If you have any suggestions I would love to read them so please either comment or PM me. Even if you just need a friend to talk to, I’m here. Thanks for reading!