S T O C K H O L M

Chapter one - Departure

You sat on your bed, thinking about what you should pack for your one-week school trip to Stockholm, Sweden. Your (h/c) hair fell over your shoulders as you scrolled through your phone. The sun shone through the small window to your left. You couldn't get any information out of the swedish weather forecast. The man was talking about cozy 17 degrees, this didn't sound pretty warm to you. But that wasn't the main problem for sure.

You didn't like your class. Spending an entire week with them sounded like a pretty awful plan. Don't get me wrong. They weren't mean to you or anything. You just enjoyed being by yourself. You were mostly silent when everyone spoke. You avoided your classmates as much as possible. The only way to escape them completely was the library. Speaking was dangerous, that's why the library was always empty. Mrs. Coulson, the library lady, was a very strict woman. She threw out whoever dared to whisper a word. And that's why you loved her. The silence was fantastic and so you ended up staying there until late night and Mrs. Coulson asked you to leave.

Your excitement for this whole senior high school trip wasn't as big as everyone else's. But hey, at least you got the chance to explore Stockholm, right?

You went through tons of pinterest posts, even made a to do list. There was a lot of free time planned and since you didn't have anyone to explore the city with, you decided to visit whatever looked interesting to you by your own.

---

The time passed fast and so the day of departure came. Just as always you walked to school. You couldn't afford a car or a bike. And yeah, socializing wasn't your thing. Your mom worked hard to make your life as good as possible. Times were hard and after your dad passed away. Your mother had to
take another job to pay the bills. She left early this morning, as always. You didn't get the chance to say goodbye. But your mother wouldn't be your mother if she wouldn't find a way to send you her love in any way.

There was a note on the table. Nothing unusual.

Darling,
Enjoy your trip. I'll try to pick you up when you're back. Please text me now and then. Stay safe!
Love, Mom

---

A 45 minutes bus drive from your high school to the airport. You sat alone in the back. The others were talking. Excitement and laughter filled the bus. You drowned in your own thoughts again. Listening to music as loud as possible. The others weren't even pretending to ignore you. For them, you were invisible. And you were totally okay with it.

---

The security check and all took some time. Walking through an airport with a class of 20 people was exhausting. Now and then you had to wait for people who got lost. Some bought snacks as if this flight company wouldn't serve them anything.

After a while, you were finally boarding the plane. How happy you were as you discovered that you got a window seat.

"Hi, (y/n)" a voice next to you said.

You looked up in surprise. Mia stood next to you. Showing you her boarding pass.

"Looks like we are plane neighbors" she smiled.

You never noticed how strong the green in her eyes was. Her red hair was tied together. Mia was insanely beautiful. You weren't just jealous on her beauty, but also on the fact that she was intelligent.

You smiled. Or at least you tried.

"Oh... that's cool. Who has the other empty seat then?"

Mia shrugged.

"I guess Vanessa"

Another beautiful and popular girl. Of course.

"So what do you want to see in Stockholm, (y/n)?" She asked as she sat down next to you.

Was Mia really interested now? Did she really want to know or was she just trying to be nice?

"Oh I guess... there are a lot of cool museums"

"So, you're interested in art?" Mia asked.

"I am. What about you?"

"Guess next to shopping and drinking I am totally up for museums too. If you don't mind me to join" A bright smile was on Mia's face.

You didn't understand a thing. All these years she acted like you were air, just like everybody else did. And now...

"I wouldn't mind. By the way, since when is it okay to hang out with me?" You asked her with a raised eyebrow.

"We thought you need some time after what happened to your dad..."

Mia sighed.

"Our last few months in high school. Just let us have a great time. Come with us. Just one evening (y/n)"

She reached out and hold your hand as she grinned at you.

You sighed too. Then looked at this pretty girl asking you to hang out with her and her friends.

"I'll give it a try."

"YES! You will have the best days of your young life. I promise"

You smiled at her. Just in that moment Vanessa, a blond haired make up monster, sat next to Mia.

"Why are you so excited, M?" Vanessa asked.

"I got (y/n) to join us for some drinks and stuff" Mia bragged.

"Wow. I am excited to hear you talk about yourself a bit" Vanessa said to you.

"I don't talk about myself too often" you answered.

"Never mind. Alcohol does everything for you."

Both laughed. Just in that moment the plane started to move.

What on earth have I done?